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Queensland currently has no LGAs in lockdown and restrictions have eased in the south-east. Here’s the full list of what you can and can’t do

Agency scientists say management silences and harasses them to appease chemical industryWhistleblowers say the US Environmental Protection Agency has been falsifying dangerous new chemicals’ risk assessments in an effort to make the compounds appear safe and quickly approve them for commercial use.Over the past five years, the EPA has not rejected any new chemicals submitted by industry despite agency scientists flagging dozens of compounds for high toxicity. Four EPA whistleblowers and industry watchdogs say a revolving door between the agency and chemical companies is to blame, and that the program’s management has been “captured by industry”. The charges are supported by emails, documents and additional records that were provided to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Here are the current coronavirus hotspots and Tier 1, 2 and 3 Covid-19 public exposure site locations in Victoria and Melbourne, and what to do if you’ve visited them

Here are the current coronavirus hotspots and Tier 1, 2 and 3 Covid-19 public exposure site locations in Victoria and Melbourne, and what to do if you’ve visited them

Flights stopped as the Taliban seized control, but numbers are back up and the vast majority of aircraft are now militaryKabul airport’s air traffic rebounded earlier this week due to an increase in military aircraft evacuating people, Guardian analysis has revealed.Fewer than 15 aircraft arrived or departed each day between 16 and 19 August, according to data from Flightradar24. Continue reading...

Expert advice released ahead of national cabinet meeting which discussed what freedoms Australians will enjoy once 70% of adults are vaccinated

People in need of water, food and shelter are fending for themselves as aid response complicated by heavy rain, gangs and distrust of international agenciesOn the morning a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti, Jackson Mason, a barber, was picking up water and other shopping from Cavaillon’s bustling market.“The earth below me started to shake – people were thrown into the air, others yelled, praying to Jesus to save them,” Mason, 35, says. “Everything flew in the air, even the wallets in people’s hands.” Continue reading...

The great white swiped for my head, but missed, because another had got there firstIt was a warm winter’s day in South Africa and I planned to go surfing at Nahoon Reef. I was 15 and had just finished my first day back at school after the winter break. The reef is famous among surfers for its powerful waves and popularity with sharks. If you see lots of birds diving into the reef or notice a strong fishy smell in the air, you should not surf there.But on that day in July 2000, the waves were perfect, just over head high, and there was no wind. The water was warm for winter, too. The conditions were too good to resist. Continue reading...

Holidaymakers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland look to take advantage of late summer sunPeople seeking a bank holiday getaway in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being warned to avoid major roads before 7pm as holidaymakers look to take advantage of good late summer weather forecast for much of the UK.The RAC estimates that 16.7m leisure trips are planned between Friday and Monday, with the south-west predicted to be especially packed. Continue reading...

The footballer-turned-movie hard man is back, starring in a new Footsoldier film. He talks about how his film and TV career exploded and refinding his dignityI am, obviously, scared of Vinnie Jones. Even though he is calling from New York, 3,000 miles and five hours away, I keep expecting him to click his neck three times and pull me into a breathless headlock. But instead, he is sleepy and then charming, and doesn’t threaten to kick my face in once.He is sleepy because he was up until 2.30am shooting Law & Order: Organized Crime, in which he appears in the recurring role of Albanian gangster Albi. “Going toe-to-toe with Christopher Meloni,” he smiles, “a legend in the acting world.” Continue reading...

Council advises shoppers to throw away anything bought from the three stores late on WednesdayA 37-year-old man has been charged with contaminating or interfering with goods with intent at three supermarkets in west London.Leoaai Elghareeb, of Crabtree Lane, Fulham, is due to appear before Westminster magistrates court on Friday. Continue reading...

Authorities increase regulation of fame and fan culture that they say will tackle online bullying and protect childrenChinese authorities have banned online lists ranking celebrities by popularity, as regulators continue a drive to “clean up” fame and fandom culture.According to regulations published in state media, all existing lists that rank Chinese stars must also be removed from the internet. Continue reading...

In her thirties, Anne Youngson wrote a book in her lunch breaks at work. It stayed in a drawer. Then she retired, wrote her debut and was shortlisted for a major awardWhen Anne Youngson’s agent told her a publisher had made an offer for her first novel, she was worried. “I said: ‘Don’t they want to meet me?’ I was convinced that when they discovered how old I was, their whole attitude to whether they wanted me would change,” she says.Youngson was 69 then and 70 when her debut – Meet Me at the Museum – was published. Her first instinct was to see her age as a commercial disadvantage. “I thought they would look at me and think: ’Oh God, how will we promote this?’” But then Meet Me at the Museum was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award, and she had to think again. Her second novel, Three Women and a Boat, was published last year. Now 73, she is midway through writing her third. Continue reading...

They helped define the 60s, but were hopelessly uncool as the 70s began – and Brian Wilson was unravelling. The band discuss the masterpieces they made against the oddsIn the 1960s, the Beach Boys staked their claim as the US’s most popular band, as their dazzling, harmony-drenched songs about surfing, cars and California Girls epitomised the American dream. So, at the end of the decade, when leader and principal songwriter Brian Wilson – who had recently spent several months in a psychiatric hospital – suggested that the band were on the verge of bankruptcy, everyone thought it was a joke.“We arrived in London for a tour on the day that hit the headlines,” co-founder Al Jardine says over the phone from California. “The IRS [US tax collection agency] had closed our studio and our offices in Hollywood. The hotels wouldn’t accept our corporate credit cards. In the end, I had to use my personal American Express card to pay for our rooms.” Continue reading...

27 August 1936: Foreign secretary Anthony Eden remarked on Egypt placing her hand into that of a great and free England, thus opening a new era in relationsFleet Street, Wednesday

Package also includes advice on how to discuss race and normalise diversity within lesson subjectsTeachers in Scotland have been asked to heed anti-racism guidance which will give detailed examples for decolonising the curriculum, as well as a toolkit to address their own discomfort when discussing race.The Scottish government hopes the package of support material, released on Thursday, would “embed anti-racism and race equality into all aspects of school life” – and includes new guidance from Education Scotland on normalising diversity within the curriculum. Continue reading...

Two suicide bombs exploded near the main entrances to Kabul airport on Thursday, reportedly killing at least 13 people, including children. Footage filmed after the blast shows what appears to be smoke rising from the airport and an eyewitness said 'people were hurled everywhere' in the explosions

North Cornwall town reeling and people urged not to visit as thousands of cases linked to festivalAt first glance it looked like a pretty perfect day in the self-styled surfing capital of the UK. The sandy beaches were packed, the pubs, cafes and shops humming.Look at little closer, though, and it became clear all was not quite right. A tapas bar was closed because a team member had tested positive; a surf shop shut its doors at lunchtime because of staff shortages; a scribbled note stuck on the window of a fudge shop summed up the problem – “Covid in Newquay is on the increase” – and urged customers to wear a mask and socially distance. Continue reading...

A study in Burkina Faso and Mali suggests combining anti-malarial drugs and vaccination could reduce deaths and hospitalisationsA trial combining vaccinations and prevention drugs has substantially lowered the number of children dying of malaria in two African countries, according to researchers.The results of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, have been hailed as “very striking”, especially at a time when decades-long progress on combating malaria has stalled in some countries. Continue reading...

The German defence minister warned of a very concrete risk of attacks at Kabul airport hours before at least one explosion near Abbey gate, an entrance to the Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul.

UK sources confirm two blasts outside Kabul airport hours after warnings of imminent terror threat

More than 5,000 Afghans will be dispersed around country but issue is politically fraught after influx of 2015

Ahead of the release of Annette, we rank the actor’s greatest roles, from the insufferable hipster of While We’re Young to his severe missionary in SilenceThe movie might be flawed, but Driver’s performance (playing opposite the similarly excellent Alba Rohrwacher) is outstanding, winning him the Volpi Cup at the Venice film festival. He plays Jude, a young man who meets his future wife Mina (Rohrwacher) in New York when they are bizarrely locked in a restaurant toilet together. They marry, have a baby and at first everything is wonderful – but then she begins to show symptoms of post-partum psychosis and Jude has an agonising dilemma: if and when to take the baby away from her. Driver plays it with overwhelming sincerity and force. Continue reading...

Analysis: the route Gladys Berejiklian is taking is defined by vaccination rates and hospitalisations – and it’s going to be brutal

Seoul skirts fraught issue of refugees as it ‘fulfils moral responsibility’ and welcomes 391 newcomersSouth Korea has welcomed the arrival of Afghans who supported its operations prior to the Taliban control of Afghanistan, designating them as “persons of special merit” instead of refugees in an apparent effort to defuse anti-migrant sentiment.A military aircraft landed at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, in the afternoon, transporting 378 Afghans who worked for South Korea’s embassy and other facilities in Afghanistan, as well as their family members. A further 13 will be arriving on a separate flight. Continue reading...

Beautiful beaches in the soft light figure strongly in our tipsters’ picks of sunny late summer and autumn getawaysThe north of the island of Lanzarote is a hidden idyll where sunsets burn golden orange and surf pounds the wild shores. Famara Beach is a surfing paradise for families looking for winter sun and a relaxed beach community. Staying in a yurt in nearby Arrieta is fantastic: at night you can watch the stars from your bed as you gently drift asleep listening to the waves. La Graciosa is a 20-minute boat ride away and hosts two tiny but perfect beachside restaurants serving freshly caught sardines. Spanish fills the air and British voices are rare. The mountains here are home to huge agave plants, aloes, bougainvillaea, date palms and pepper trees.

Victoria asks ADF to help with Shepparton outbreak; ACT records 14 new cases and New Zealand 68. This blog is now closed

Local health officials admit the town does not have a ventilator, despite recording the highest rate of Covid transmission in New South Wales

The lives of three young Egyptians become tragically entangled in Ayten Amin’s sharp, subtle coming-of-age dramaAs well as being subtle, tender and sad, this feature from Egyptian director Ayten Amin is one of those rare films which really engages with online existence and social media – yet without needing to flash up tweets and texts as onscreen graphics in the way most movies do. Souad meditates on the mysterious discrepancy between the image we project on social media and the reality behind it, and also how this discrepancy itself can be corrosive. And it also reflects on the eerie afterlife of a dead person’s Facebook page – like Jean Cocteau’s remark about a writer’s work carrying on like a ticking wristwatch on a dead soldier.Related: Sexting, lies and unveiled selfies: the Egyptian film exploring the hidden lives of teenage girls Continue reading...

Longstanding group accused of being ‘agent of foreign forces’ and is asked for information about its membershipHong Kong’s national security police are investigating the organisers of a vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre for alleged foreign collusion offences.Chow Hang-tung, the vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said authorities had written to core members of the longstanding group demanding information related to their foreign links within 14 days. Continue reading...

Surveys suggest a large proportion of women have experienced sexual assaults that they labelled as a misunderstanding. This has serious psychological repercussions and increases the chance of being victimised againThe morning after it happened, I said a cheery: “Good morning,” to my university roommate, as if nothing was wrong. “How was last night?” she asked. “So fun,” I lied. The truth was that the night before I had feared for my life.I didn’t articulate it, but deep down I knew that what had happened had felt violating, degrading and not what I signed up for. Yet it took me a whole decade to realise what had really happened: I had been sexually assaulted. Continue reading...

Athens calls for a united response, as refugees already in Lesbos hope their asylum claims will now be reconsideredGreek officials have said that Greece will not become a “gateway” to Europe for Afghan asylum seekers and have called for a united response to predictions of an increase in refugee arrivals to the country.Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotaki, has spoken to Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, about the developing situation in Afghanistan this week. Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi last week said: “We cannot have millions of people leaving Afghanistan and coming to the European Union … and certainly not through Greece.” The country has just completed a 25-mile (40km) wall along its land border with Turkey and installed an automated surveillance system with cameras, radars and drones. Continue reading...

Up to five people will be allowed to gather outdoors for recreation outside hotspot LGAs from mid-September

US, UK and Australia urge citizens and visa holders to stay away from airport unless otherwise instructed amid rush to evacuate

Prime minister says she is achieving her goals of saving lives and jobs, and giving people as much normalcy as possible

PNG says India allowed passengers infected with Covid to board a flight to Port MoresbyPapua New Guinea has banned all repatriation flights from India, after accusing the country’s high commission of a deliberate “deception” that resulted in passengers infected with Covid-19 arriving in the country.“India must respect Papua New Guinea as a sovereign nation, and not participate in actions involving unscrupulous people to violate our laws and undermine public health and safety measures,” PNG’s police commissioner, David Manning, said in a statement. Continue reading...

Armenia's parliament descended intoa mass brawl as the country remains split following last year's defeat in the war withAzerbaijan for control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Security officers could be seen pouring onto the floor of the house to quell the disturbance. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison says 1,200 people were flown out of Afghanistan overnight, but the ‘situation is deteriorating’

It’s worth having a real conversation with your friend about this, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, because bullies rely on others’ silenceMy best friend is getting married in a few months and I am so sad. We have known each other since childhood, and while it is true that I probably hold too high standards for my loved ones, her fiance seems like a poor choice of life partner. He is combative, argumentative, immature and possessive, and puts her down regularly, often in front of other people. She deals with his unpleasant traits with good humour but admits they argue a lot. They have been together only a couple of years and have had a very short engagement.I worry she is rushing things and making a huge mistake. Continue reading...

Covid-19 patients from Sydney's Concord hospital have shared their experience of the Delta variant's symptoms and pleaded for Sydneysiders to get vaccinated. Lung specialist Lucy Morgan shared the stories of 50-year-old construction worker Fawaz, 30-year-old pharmacy worker Ramona and 35-year-old tradie Osama in a video from Sydney Local Health District. Fawaz and Osama infected family members who have also been hospitalised, while single mother Ramona says she has been unable to see her children for weeks► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

A divide between the two islands could see tough restrictions eased for some amid a worsening Covid outbreak

Tough response to Baltic nation’s decision to exchange diplomatic offices with Taiwan puts under EU under pressureChina’s use of trade as a weapon in diplomatic disputes appears to be now targeted at Lithuania, home to fewer than 3 million people, after the Baltic nation agreed to exchange diplomatic offices with Taiwan.But Beijing’s unofficial halt to its already limited trade with Lithuania is more about sending a warning to the rest of Europe, analysts have said. Continue reading...

The Zimbabwean writer joins authors including Margaret Atwood and Ocean Vuong who have agreed to lock away new writing in the Future LibraryTsitsi Dangarembga made the Booker shortlist for her most recent novel, This Mournable Body, the story of a girl trying to make a life in post-colonial Zimbabwe which was praised as “magnificent” and “sublime”. Her next work, however, is likely to receive fewer accolades: it will not be revealed to the world until 2114.The Zimbabwean writer is the eighth author selected for the Future Library project, an organic artwork dreamed up by the Scottish artist Katie Paterson. It began in 2014 with the planting of 1,000 Norwegian spruces in a patch of forest outside Oslo. Paterson is asking one writer a year to contribute a manuscript to the project – “the length of the piece is entirely for the author to decide” – with Margaret Atwood, Ocean Vuong and Karl Ove Knausgård already signed up. The works, unseen by anyone but the writers themselves, will be kept in a room lined with wood from the forest in the Deichman library in Oslo. One hundred years after Future Library was launched, in 2114, the trees will be felled, and the manuscripts printed for the first time. Continue reading...

Some in US administration see risks in seeking support of Russia or China to counter a potential terrorist threatThe Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, believes he is close to gaining Joe Biden’s support to stage a special G20 peace conference on Afghanistan next month that will include key players with close contact with the Taliban, including China, Russia and Turkey.Draghi, the chair of the G20 group of nations, has been working on the plan for days, holding talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The Italian prime minister is also expected to hold a call with the Chinese resident, Xi Jinping, this week. Continue reading...

Richer countries must wake up and see the bigger Covid pictureThe statistics are stark and shaming. During an exasperated intervention earlier this week, the World Health Organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pointed out that of 4.8bn Covid vaccine doses delivered around the world to date, around 75% have gone to just 10 countries. The level of vaccine donations from richer countries, he added with some understatement, has been “really disappointing”. In Africa, where a third wave of the virus has been on the march since May, less than 2% of the continent’s population has received a first dose. While high-income countries across the globe have administered around 100 doses for every 100 citizens, the equivalent figure for low-income countries is 1.5.As a consequence, while the United States, Britain and other richer nations begin to roll out programmes for booster shots in the autumn, a pandemic of the unvaccinated continues unabated elsewhere. The WHO’s target of reaching 10% of the population of every country with a first shot by the end of September is unlikely to be met. This grotesque inequity, as Mr Ghebreyesus and others have repeatedly pointed out, is ultimately in no one’s interest. Allowing much of the planet to operate as a variant factory, and the more transmissible Delta variant to run riot, stores up trouble for the future. “Vaccinating the world” should therefore be seen as sound strategy as well as an ethical obligation. But, in Europe and North America, early good intentions have so far come a distant second to domestic priorities. Continue reading...

UK reports 149 new deaths as expert says large gatherings will cause ‘significant surge’ in cases; WHO chief says safety of vaccine booster shot is inconclusive

From crowd favourites to more unusual picks, these are the birds Australians are flocking to nominate

Police chiefs attack report by Independent Office for Police Conduct as vague and out of datePolice deploy Taser stun guns too often, with black people more likely to face prolonged use lasting over five seconds, an official report has found.The study by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) warned of a loss of legitimacy after a review of 101 Taser cases from 2015-20. They represent the most serious cases it investigated, and a fraction of more than 94,000 uses over that period – leading police to attack the findings as selective and out of date. Continue reading...