Human Rights Watch says armed separatists in anglophone regions have made schools a battleground, with hundreds of school pupils and teachers attacked, kidnapped or threatenedArmed separatists in Cameroon’s anglophone regions have attacked, kidnapped and threatened hundreds of school pupils in nearly five years of violence that has forced more than 230,000 children to flee their homes, a report has found.In a detailed analysis of the conflict that has gripped the English-speaking regions since 2017, dozens of students and teachers speak of brutal attacks by armed groups who have made education a battleground in their fight to form their own state. Continue reading...
How does it feel to go back on stage night after night in a play that’s been mauled by critics and deserted by audiences? Richard Eyre and other directors and actors relive their traumaMovies, TV shows and books can all get terrible reviews and small audiences, but the difference when this happens in theatre is that the actors have to go back on stage and remake the work just after critics have declared it disastrous. “It is so crushing for actors to have to go on night after night bearing the weight of failure,” says Richard Eyre, artistic director of the Royal National Theatre from 1987 to 1997. “And that’s one of the reasons actors are such stoics. For directors and writers, there’s a sense of disembowelment you carry round if you’ve had a major failure – but they can just fuck off to Tenerife, and some do. Actors are obliged to soak it up.”Actor Michael Simkins, who wrote the theatrical memoir What’s My Motivation?, says: “If I had to articulate what it feels like to be in the middle of a play you feel is dying on its arse, it’s a cold sense of dread, like battery acid in your stomach. After terrible reviews, a sort of numbness sets in that is still there for the second night. You haven’t yet fully processed it. The first thing you do is tell all your friends who have booked tickets to cancel.” Continue reading...
We were told coronavirus didn’t discriminate, but it didn’t need to – society had already done that for us. But there is a path to a fairer future if we want itIn June 2020, I attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration in north London, not far from my house. My wife had found out about it from friends who’d found out about it on Facebook. We took the kids. Well over 1,000 people went; beyond my immediate circle, I only recognised a few there. The soundsystem was poor and I couldn’t hear what was being said from the stage. We took a knee like Colin Kaepernick while raising a fist like the Black Panthers and held the pose for eight minutes – the length of time Derek Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Then we clapped, chatted and made our way back to our locked-down homes. I have no idea who called the demonstration. It just happened and then it was gone.In the weeks before and after, institutions made statements; reviews were announced; social media avatars changed; museums reconsidered their inventory; Labour-led town halls went purple; curricula were revised; statues came down. Overnight, bestseller booklists were filled with anti-racist manuals and explorations of whiteness. This was the virus within the virus: a strain of anti-racist consciousness that spread through the globe with great speed, prompted by a video that had gone viral. Not everybody caught it, but everybody was aware of it, and most were, in some way, affected by it. Continue reading...
Report by the European Council on Foreign Relations says that more people see bloc as a key partner than the USThe public do not share the UK government’s appetite for perpetual conflict with the EU and more people see the bloc as a key future partner than the US, according to a report on post-Brexit foreign policy.“The Johnson government seems to need the perennial fights of a permanent Brexit,” the report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) thinktank, said, warning that its approach was “eroding the UK’s capacity to cooperate with the EU”. Continue reading...
Nearly 90,000 Hong Kongers apply to resettle in the UK this year amid a crackdown on dissent in the territoryBeijing has claimed the UK wants to make Hong Kongers “second-class citizens” with its British national (overseas) (BNO) visa scheme, after new figures showed almost 90,000 people have applied from the former British colony to resettle in the UK.“[I]in flagrant violation of its international commitment, the UK tries to turn many Hong Kong residents into ‘second-class citizens’ in the UK and reap benefit from this,” foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a weekly press conference on Wednesday. Continue reading...
The powerful weather system, driven by unseasonably high temperatures, closed highways, spawned tornadoes and caused outagesLess than a week after a swarm of powerful tornadoes devastated Kentucky and four other states, a freakish wind storm has brought “Dust Bowl” conditions and gusts of more than 100 mph to parts of the Great Plains and upper midwest, meteorologists said on Wednesday.The low pressure wind system, driven by unseasonably high temperatures, closed highways in western Kansas, spawned reported tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa and raised concerns about fires because of the unusual heat. Continue reading...
by Presented by Michael Safi with Luke Harding; produ on (#5T3DQ)
As Russian soldiers continue to amass near the Ukrainian border shots are already being fired and there are fears that President Putin is planning an invasion, says Luke HardingUkrainian soldiers are digging themselves into trenches along their country’s border with Russia as tensions mount and fears of an invasion ordered by Moscow continue to grow.The Guardian’s senior foreign correspondent Luke Harding tells Michael Safi that the conditions on the ground would be familiar to soldiers more than a century ago in the first world war: mud, corrugated metal sheeting and barbed wire. But in the skies above, high-tech drones whiz around surveying the landscape and threatening those below. Continue reading...
French President Emmanuel Macron says Australia behaved badly after ending its submarine deal with France before opting for a nuclear powered arrangement in collaboration with the United States and United Kingdom. Macron previously accused the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, of lying to him over the abandoned $90bn submarine contract. Speaking in an interview with TF1 and LCI television stations, Macron said: "The Australians have treated us in a bad manner, industrially and strategically. We responded in the firmest manner, and it will be felt in time, believe me. The Australians behaved badly"► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Highest honours went to Naeem Rashid, who died while challenging the gunman, and Abdul Aziz who lured the attacker away from othersTen people who risked their lives to save others during the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacres have been honoured in New Zealand’s most prestigious bravery awards.“The courage demonstrated by these New Zealanders was selfless and extraordinary. They have our deepest respect and gratitude for their actions on that day,” said the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. “Each of them put their life on the line to save others. If not for their collective actions, the loss of life could have been even greater.” Continue reading...
Inspectors and monitors say suicidal women and people with serious injuries not adequately supportedRape survivors who arrive in the UK on small boats across the Channel are being neglected by the authorities while others are being inadequately treated for life-changing injuries, a damning report has disclosed.Inspectors found that suicidal women who had been repeatedly raped by people smugglers were not adequately supported after arriving on UK soil. Continue reading...
Man, 31, from the town arrested on suspicion of arson and murderOne person has died and two have been confirmed as missing after a fire in Reading, as police warned there were likely to be no more survivors.A 31-year-old man from Reading was arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of arson and murder. Continue reading...
Project for inmates due to be deported at end of sentences will expand Danish prison estateDenmark plans to rent 300 prison cells in Kosovo for inmates due to be deported at the end of their sentences, the Danish government announced.The project, which seeks to ease prison overcrowding, will also expand Denmark’s prison estate by 326 places between 2022 and 2025, the Danish justice ministry said in a statement. Continue reading...
Defence says memorial to slave trader toppled last June was ‘indecent and threatening’ to city’s black communityThe statue of Edward Colston in Bristol was “a monument to racism”, a court has heard, as a defendant described the moment he gave the signal to topple the memorial to the slave trader.Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, and Sage Willoughby, 22, are accused of helping to tear down the statue of the slave trader during a Black Lives Matter protest on 7 June last year. They are on trial alongside Jake Skuse, 33, who is accused of helping to roll the bronze to Bristol harbour where it was thrown into the River Avon. Continue reading...
Florin Roman, the minister for innovation and digitalization, resigned after being on his post for less than a monthRomania’s minister of innovation and digitalization has resigned after an investigation by journalists who reported they found significant irregularities on his resume and evidence he plagiarized from an academic paper.Florin Roman, who had served in Romania’s new coalition government for less than a month, quit his post after Romania’s Libertatea newspaper published a third article calling his claimed educational credentials into question. Continue reading...
In acclaimed works Ain’t I a Woman and All About Love the writer shared her ideas about race, feminism and romance with flair and compassionGloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, has died aged 69.Her niece Ebony Motley tweeted: “The family of @bellhooks is sad to announce the passing of our sister, aunt, great aunt and great great aunt.” Continue reading...
Auction house credits younger, tech-savvy collectors for highest annual sales in its 277-year historySotheby’s has sold a record $7.3bn (£5.5bn) worth of art and other collectibles so far this year – the most in its 277-year history.The auction house said on Wednesday that an “influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors” buying luxury items such as handbags, jewellery, wine and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) during the pandemic had helped lift sales to the record high. Continue reading...
Controversy leads to parliamentary inquiry, calls for ‘must-be-won’ draw similar to UK’s – and Shergar jokesIt has been said that even the dead racehorse Shergar has a better chance of winning Ireland’s national lottery than a member of the public.For six months the jackpot has yet to be won, prompting calls for an investigation, a reduction in the number of balls to increase the chances of a win and on Wednesday, a parliamentary inquiry. Continue reading...
Russian leader defies western boycott and forms ‘new model of cooperation’ with Chinese leaderVladimir Putin has confirmed he will attend the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, an event that Boris Johnson and other western leaders have boycotted in protest at human rights abuses in China.Putin made the pledge during a video call with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, as he said that a “new model of cooperation has been formed between our countries, based on other matters of principles such as non-interference in [each other’s] internal affairs”. Continue reading...
Decision follows court ruling that Russia was behind 2019 murder of Chechen dissident in German capitalGermany has expelled two Russian diplomats and accused the Kremlin of infringing on its sovereignty after a German court ruled on Wednesday that the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin took place at the behest of the Russian authorities.Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, 40, a Georgian citizen who fought against Russia during the second Chechen war in the early 2000s, was shot twice in the head at close range in the Kleiner Tiergarten, a park in central Berlin, in August 2019. Continue reading...
Despite anguish caused by such acts, necrophilia is today punishable by a maximum of two years in prisonProsecutors described David Fuller’s offending as the “worst of its kind” in British legal history, as he was condemned by his library of images of “unimaginable sexual depravity” of him abusing his victims.His disturbing case has thrown the spotlight on necrophilia, until relatively recently an invisible crime in British law, and which today is punishable by a maximum of just two years in prison. Continue reading...
European leaders to tell Kremlin further aggression will carry ‘severe cost’, leak revealsEU leaders will unite in warning Vladimir Putin that there will be “massive consequences and severe cost” if Russia invades Ukraine, a leaked draft has revealed.The message will be sent to the Kremlin via a post-summit communique on Thursday, although EU officials decline to flesh out what measures could be taken. Continue reading...
Council blames ‘IT limitations’ for failure to submit necessary documents before deadlineBolton council has admitted it missed the deadline to apply for a £16m levelling-up grant because of an email mishap.This year the council was making two separate bids, which had to be submitted by noon on 18 June. Continue reading...
German chancellor promises to defeat pandemic, tackle extremists and speed up switch to renewable energyThe German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has used his inaugural address to parliament to promise to defeat the pandemic and to tackle a “minority of hate-filled extremists” trying to overturn the government’s coronavirus measures.In a wide-ranging speech in which he said there was “a lot to do” and “no time to lose”, Scholz also acknowledged the huge challenges Germany faced in tackling the climate emergency, including the fears many had about the impact a transition to climate neutrality might have on their lives. Continue reading...
Survey of 1,000 dog owners finds Wham’s festive hit Last Christmas is canines’ top tuneFrom Wham’s Last Christmas to Jingle Bells, humans are not the only species to enjoy festive songs.A survey of 1,000 dog owners by the charity Guide Dogs found Wham’s classic is the most beloved by canines, with 10% of the votes, followed by Jingle Bells (9%) and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey (6%). Continue reading...
Exclusive: Daniel Kawczynski’s WhatsApp messages show he claimed to be most ‘pro-Saudi’ MP in bid to secure second jobA Conservative MP pleaded with a fixer to help him secure a well-paid second job with a Saudi company or other work relating to the Middle East, at one point saying he needed money to pay school fees.Daniel Kawczynski’s repeated pleas for lucrative employment – revealed in a series of WhatsApp messages seen by the Guardian – show him citing his pro-Saudi stance in parliament as part of an attempt to get paid work from a businessman. Continue reading...
Lack of seismic activity of Cumbre Vieja on Canary island could herald end to three months of eruptionsAfter three months of eruptions, earthquakes and evacuations, scientists are cautiously optimistic that the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary island of La Palma may be quietening down.The eruption, which began on 19 September, has destroyed almost 3,000 buildings, forced thousands of people from their homes and devastated the banana plantations on which many in La Palma depend for their livelihoods. Continue reading...
A blaze at a property in Grovelands Road, Reading, is believed to have killed one person and left a number of others unaccounted for.A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and murder and is being held in custody. Police said the incident was not being treated as terror-related and urged people to avoid the area, with road closures in place
Proposed acquisition was being investigated by competition authorities in UK and EUThe British Airways and Iberia owner, International Airlines Group , is to scrap its plan to buy the Spanish airline Air Europa, a deal that was being investigated by competition authorities in the UK and the EU.The move comes more than two years after International Airlines Group (IAG) – under its former chief executive, Willie Walsh – first announced plans to buy the carrier from the Spanish tourism group Globalia for €1bn (£850m) in November 2019, before renegotiating the deal at half the price after Covid-19 closed down most international travel, prompting huge losses at airlines. Continue reading...
Cumbre Vieja, the La Palma volcano that has been spewing lava in the Canary Islands for almost three months, has quietened but scientists have warned the lull does not necessarily mean the eruption is over. Photographer Jorge Guerrero surveys the island’s changed landscapes Continue reading...
With the king barely seen for 20 months, the crown prince is holding the reins of power – and unbothered by who knows itBeaming in satisfaction as Arab rulers arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday, Mohammed bin Salman looked like a man in charge. As a succession of planes disgorged heads of state for a regional summit, the Saudi crown prince was there to receive them – standing in for his father at yet another big event.But as Prince Mohammed ushered leaders of Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain along a purple carpet to a reception hall, the king’s absence loomed large. If the ailing monarch was to reappear in public – a once every five year gathering under his auspices would have been the time and place. Continue reading...
Singer says exposure from the age of 11 messed her up when she began dating as ‘I was not saying no to things that were not good’Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish has spoken about an addiction to watching pornography, starting at age 11, and how it gave her nightmares and messed her up when she started dating.Eilish, who turns 20 on Saturday, was speaking on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM radio on Monday. Continue reading...
Officials hopeful that US and European nations will agree Tehran is in breach of its obligationsTehran’s approach to talks on its nuclear programme in Vienna has become so uncompromising according to Israel’s lead diplomat on Iran, Joshua Zarka, that they “have reached the last stretch of diplomacy”.Israeli officials said they were hopeful that the US and European nations would agree to put an emergency motion to the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stating that Iran was in breach of its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the 2015 nuclear deal. Continue reading...