Term extended despite backlash, as sources say possible replacements were not to Priti Patel’s tasteMinisters have defied critics and announced a two-year extension to Cressida Dick’s controversial term as commissioner of the Metropolitan police.Dick’s five-year term was due to end in April 2022, and the prospect of her gaining two extra years had triggered a backlash from those wronged by the Met who see it as a reward for failure. Continue reading...

Human rights official says group conducting house-to-house searches and threatening journalistsThe Taliban’s violent crackdown on protests against their hardline rule has already led to four documented deaths, according to a UN human rights official who said the group had used live ammunition, whips and batons to break up demonstrations.Ravina Shamdasani, the UN’s rights spokesperson, told a briefing in Geneva that it had also received reports of house-to-house searches for those who participated in the protests. Continue reading...

Scott Walker to serve minimum 32 years for murder of Bernadette, who called him her father and whose body has never been foundA man convicted of murdering 17-year-old Bernadette Walker, who went missing in July last year and whose body has never been found, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 32 years.Scott Walker, 51, was found guilty of murdering Bernadette, who called him her father although they were not biologically related, in July. Continue reading...

Company behind Pfizer vaccine expected to file results of trial of five- to 11-year-olds with regulator soon

This week an 80-year-old woman began a 600-mile trek, while a night at the theatre had me out of action for daysJane Dotchin is off on her travels again. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure, Dotchin is an 80-year-old woman who sets off on horseback from her home near Hexham, Northumberland at around this time every year and treks the 600 or so miles to Inverness, as she has done since 1972. I’m going to pause here to allow all of you who, like me, have just conceived of an entirely new set of life goals to go and get a paper and pen so that you may take all the necessary notes from hereon. Continue reading...

A #MeToo figurehead, a mayor and a hate-speech ideologue among those tipped to put their hats in the ringAt rush hour at Paris’s Saint-Lazare station, activists, including a civil servant in a government ministry and a former climate-change protester, were out canvassing for an unusual would-be candidate for French president.Their choice, Sandrine Rousseau, is a figurehead of the French #MeToo movement against sexual violence, an economist and university vice-chancellor and promises a new form of “punk ecology”. Continue reading...

In 1936, five English schoolboys on a hike died at the whim of a foolhardy teacher – and became fodder for Nazi propaganda. Now the story of populist idiocy is being retold for our timesThe day after the Brexit referendum the playwright Pamela Carter wrote to her German publishers, Suhrkamp, to apologise. “I felt the need to say sorry to a European for the terrible mistake,” she said.Two weeks later in a Dundee hotel, still steeped in bewilderment, she came across a Guardian Long Read I’d written, recalling the events of April 1936, when a group of London schoolboys had set out from their youth hostel in Freiburg, southern Germany, for a hike in the Black Forest. They were led by their charismatic teacher, who ignored numerous warnings and made a series of fatal decisions that resulted in five of them losing their lives. Continue reading...

Scandinavian country declares it no longer considers coronavirus a ‘socially critical’ disease

NSW confirms record high 1,542 cases; Victoria has linked 149 of its 334 new cases to known outbreaks. This blog is now closed

Late one night, I noticed the attic hatch was open. All the puzzle pieces fell into place – someone was in my apartmentIn 1995, when I was 20, I moved to Enumclaw, a farming town in the US state of Washington, to be close to my brother and his family. I rented an apartment. My room was on the top floor but on my first night, lying in bed, I heard footsteps above me. Over the months, I started to notice things going missing. I would buy a six-pack of soda, drink one, come home from work and find only four left. It was the same with packets of soup and ramen noodles. I also noticed that doors I had left open were closed, or vice versa.Mostly, I found it amusing – I assumed that my brother, who had a key, was coming over and eating my food. (Looking back, I should have known it wasn’t him because there would have been dirty dishes everywhere.) Continue reading...

Therapeutic Goods Administration concerned people taking controversial medication instead of seeking proper treatment or vaccine

With at least four women, including a pregnant mother, targeted and killed by Taliban fighters, female ex-officers feel abandoned by the worldNegar Masumi, a female police officer with 15 years of experience, was determined not to flee when the Taliban took control of her home province of Ghor in central Afghanistan.On Saturday night, gunmen, who called themselves Taliban mujahideen, stormed Negar’s home. They took her husband and four of her sons into another room and tied them up. Then they beat Negar with their guns and shot her dead, according to a family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Continue reading...

A struggling healthcare system and inflated prices mean hospital treatment can result in a lifetime of debt for many

As a child, Charlotte Simpson and her family were excluded from many hotels in the deep south. Now she has visited more than 80 countriesThe Christmas after her husband died, Charlotte Simpson went on holiday with her daughter. In their tour group to Morocco were two women who travelled alone. “I felt sorry for them,” Simpson says, laughing. “It seemed preposterous. I would ask them from time to time how they felt and they just loved it. Both ladies said: ‘Seeing you here on the trip, I think you’d really enjoy it.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know what makes anybody think I’d like to be by myself on a trip!’”On her next holiday, Simpson went to China with her sister-in-law. There, they met a woman who was celebrating her 80th. “And she was alone. She had a real spirit of adventure. A very cool lady.” Continue reading...

Moulin Rouge performed a full dress rehearsal two days ahead of the reopening of the cabaret following an 18-month closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Moulin Rouge and Le Lido, emblems of the crazy Parisian nights since 1889, will open again on 10 September. Continue reading...

Hong Kong Alliance leaders face charges under national security law Beijing imposed last yearHong Kong police have charged the group that organises the city’s annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil and three of its leaders with subversion under the national security law, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent.The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said that the group, its chairman, Lee Cheuk-yan, as well as vice-chairs Albert Ho and Chow Hang-tung were charged late on Thursday with “inciting subversion of state power”, under the national security law Beijing imposed more than a year ago. Continue reading...

The prime minister was under fire for his record on climate change, Indigenous affairs and economic hardship ahead of 20 September pollJustin Trudeau has been forced to defend his government’s plans for fighting climate change, Canada’s fractured relationship with Indigenous peoples and a growing affordability crisis in the country as the prime minister faced off with contenders ahead of the federal election.For two hours on Thursday evening, federal party leaders from the Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic, Green and Bloc Québécois parties sparred in the only official English-language debate before the 20 September vote. Party leaders debated in French on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

IAEA says new hardline government in Tehran making oversight of nuclear programme impossibleEuropean powers and the US will decide on Friday whether to censure Iran in response to a damning report by the UN nuclear inspectorate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showing that the new hardline government in Tehran had made it impossible for inspectors to oversee the country’s nuclear programme.The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has warned any such censure motion, or a reference to the UN security council, could delay or prevent Iran returning to the talks in Vienna on how the US and Iran could come back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Continue reading...

Two months after 133 people died in the Ahr valley, residents say they feel abandoned by politiciansWhen she heard on the radio just weeks after floods had devastated her family-run restaurant and her home town that German authorities no longer classed it as a disaster zone, Paddy Amanatidis felt like she had been punched in the stomach.“It’s hard to be told that everything is supposedly OK when you have no electricity, no clean water, no heating,” she said. Continue reading...

Aboriginal leaders in Redfern say they don’t know where locals are catching the virus as NSW Health does not list exposure sites in metropolitan Sydney

Antony Blinken thanks Qatar and Taliban for facilitating flight that he says shows US commitment to help citizens and others who assisted USA flight carrying more than 100 international passengers out of Kabul has landed in Doha, the first such civilian flight since the chaotic evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans sparked by the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country.About 113 people were aboard the flight to Doha operated by state-owned Qatar Airways, officials said. The passengers included US, British, Canadian, Ukrainian, Dutch and German citizens. Continue reading...

Asymptomatic woman isolating after testing positive but having no apparent exposure to another case or hotspot, as daily cases fall to 11

Exclusive: The woman’s 12-weeks premature baby was then taken to a separate hospital with better neonatal care resources

The 70-year-old singer and drummer calls his upcoming Genesis tour putting the band ‘to bed’British musician Phil Collins says he can barely hold a drum stick because of deteriorating health that has also forced him to sit while singing during live performances.The 70-year-old drummer and singer told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Thursday that he was frustrated at the challenges he faced. He underwent surgery on his back in 2009 and again in 2015 that affected his nerves, and he also has diabetes. Continue reading...

People in Scotland will need vaccine passport to enter nightclubs and large events; German vaccine plan ‘not sufficient to stop fourth wave’

Sir Ken Olisa, first black Lord-Lieutenant for London, reveals he has talked about racism with royal householdThe Queen and the royal family are supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, one of the monarch’s representatives has said.Sir Ken Olisa, the first black Lord-Lieutenant for London, revealed to Channel 4 that he had discussed the topic of racism with members of the royal household in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the US. Continue reading...

Gen Hugo Carvajal, who had defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared, was arrested on Thursday nightPolice in Madrid have arrested a former Venezuelan spymaster on US narcotics charges nearly two years after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared.Gen Hugo Carvajal, who for over a decade was Hugo Chávez’s eyes and ears in the military, was arrested on Thursday night at a small apartment where he had been holed up. Continue reading...

Blaze in mountain range broke out late Wednesday and grew, fanned by winds of up to 50 km/hA worsening wildfire that kept advancing through forest land and prompted the evacuation of nearly 1,000 residents has claimed the life of one firefighter, authorities in southern Spain said late on Thursday.The blaze in a mountain range of the Málaga province broke out late Wednesday and grew, fanned by winds of up to 50km/h with shifting directions. 940 people were evacuated near the resort town of Estepona and three other municipalities, the Andalusia regional authorities said. Continue reading...

Term in office expected to be extended, despite calls for her to go from those who have won apologies from MetDowning Street has come out in strong support of the embattled Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, after a backlash to the government’s decision to extend her time in office.The formal announcement to extend her five-year term as Britain’s top police officer by two years, to 2024, is expected in days, multiple sources have told the Guardian. Continue reading...

QR code or paper document will be required for entry to nightclubs and large events from 1 October

Interior minister says UK plans to return boats of vulnerable people would not be acceptedPriti Patel has been accused by France’s interior minister of plotting “financial blackmail” and a violation of international maritime law in a deepening diplomatic row over efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the Channel by boat.Gérald Darmanin said that UK plans, released on Wednesday night, to send back boats of vulnerable people into French waters would not be accepted by his government. Continue reading...

Man, 66, admitted to freezing her body after she died before wrapping her in bandages to absorb any fluidAustrian police have discovered the body of an 89-year-old woman who died more than a year ago and was mummified in the cellar by her son who wanted to continue receiving her benefits.In a statement, police said the woman, who is believed to have suffered from dementia, had died in June last year. Continue reading...

Figure highest for almost six months leading to fears of resurgence in virus’ ability to cause serious illness

Massacre was perpetrated by fighters loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, officials sayRebel forces in northern Ethiopia have been accused of killing more than a hundred civilians during fierce battles.Local government officials said the massacre in a village 6 miles (10km) from the town of Dabat took place just over a week ago and was perpetrated by fighters loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Continue reading...

MP Nigel Adams, who spelt out the cuts, says it is wrong to say council can only make impact with offices in-country

Pubs, restaurants and retailers face significant legal and logistical questions about how they will manage their new anti-Covid obligations

Russian president and Belarusian leader negotiate over greater union of countries’ economies and policiesVladimir Putin is meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the Kremlin on Thursday as the two discuss negotiations to integrate their countries’ economies and government policies before massive joint military exercises.Ahead of the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said that no documents were expected to be signed, signalling that the isolated Lukashenko continues to resist pressure from Moscow to concede control over government policy in exchange for Russian support. Continue reading...

Study suggests a worst-case scenario where 97% of Afghans would sink below poverty line by 2022Afghanistan’s population of 38 million people risks being plunged into near-universal poverty faced with a “catastrophic deterioration” of the country’s heavily aid-dependent economy, according to a warning issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The study, which examines a series of scenarios facing the already impoverished country under the Taliban’s new hardline rule, suggests a worst-case scenario where as many as 97% of Afghans would sink below the poverty line by next year – a staggering increase of 25%. Continue reading...

Macklowe collection includes works by artists including Picasso, Rothko and GiacomettiIt is a collection that has attained almost mythical status in the art world, one that contains spectacular works by Picasso, Rothko, Warhol and a nightmarish Giacometti sculpture of a Pinocchio-like nose in a cage.After a US judge ordered its sale to help settle a billionaire couple’s acrimonious divorce there has been a string of rumours and stories about who would sell the collection and when. Continue reading...

Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said Rebel News needed to take responsibility for polarising opinion across the country about coronavirus vaccines.After the official French-language federal leaders' election debate, Trudeau was questioned by a member of Rebel News, which counts Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson among its contributors, about Canada's rules that exclude some from election press conferences.'I salute all extraordinary hard-working journalists who put science and facts at the heart of what they do and ask me tough questions every day, but make sure that they are educating and informing Canadians from a broad range of perspectives – which is the last thing that you guys do,' he responded. Continue reading...

Canadian PM’s response to Rebel Media goes viral after court victory allows them to attend election debateCanada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has slammed a far-right website in the final days of the country’s federal election, accusing it of spreading misinformation about coronavirus vaccines and contributing to the growing number of protests across the country.After Wednesday night’s French language debate between federal leaders, Trudeau was asked by a member of Rebel Media – a website whose contributors include Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson – if he would continue to exclude the group from covering the election. Continue reading...

Churchill’s grandson oversaw change that had almost no complaints until Daily Mail and Sun coverageThe Churchill Fellowship has rejected allegations by Boris Johnson that it has airbrushed out images of Britain’s wartime prime minister from its website in an attempt to rewrite history, saying its was proud of its association with the wartime prime minister.Several newspapers have carried reports suggesting that the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, a charitable foundation that funds UK citizens to study abroad, had changed its name and removed pictures of Churchill in an attempt to “woke-wash” his memory. Continue reading...

Aaliyah, 15, had been missing since leaving family home in Sidcup, south London, on Sunday eveningPolice searching for missing teenager Aaliyah Chen have found her in a south London nature reserve, her family have said.Aaliyah, 15, sneaked out of a window of her family home in Sidcup, south London, on Sunday evening and had been missing since. Continue reading...

Jordanian intelligence officer tells Guardian Lafarge factory was used by intelligence agencies to gather information on IS hostagesA cement plant in Syria at the centre of a terror financing investigation in France was used by western intelligence agencies to gather information on hostages held by Islamic State, sources connected to the operation have said.A Jordanian intelligence officer who was central to the spying effort has confirmed to the Guardian that the Lafarge factory, which continued operating after the terrorist group overran eastern Syria, in one of the most controversial episodes of the war, was the regional hub of a failed effort to rescue up to 30 hostages. Those IS held included the American journalist James Foley, British photographer John Cantlie and Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh, two of whom were later confirmed to have been killed. Continue reading...

Threats force several scholars to withdraw as ‘far-right fringe groups’ accuse event of being ‘anti-Hindu’An academic conference in the US addressing Hindu nationalism is being targeted by rightwing Hindu groups, which have sent death threats to participants and forced several scholars to withdraw.The conference, titled Dismantling Global Hindutva, which is co-sponsored by more than 53 universities including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers, has come under attack after several groups in India and the US accused the event of being “anti-Hindu”. Continue reading...

Volunteers ‘operating blind’ about refugees’ needs, while hotels left with no staff to distribute aidThe government’s response towards families evacuated from Afghanistan to Britain has been “chaotic and uncoordinated”, hampering volunteers’ efforts to help, charities have said.One hotel where 50 babies were in quarantine with their families after fleeing the Taliban had no formula milk, they said. In other hotels, supplies of clothes, toiletries and nappies donated by the public were turned away by managers who had no staff to distribute them. Continue reading...

Is the $450m Salvator Mundi a fake? This film – featuring tearful sycophants, sneering experts, dodgy dealers and a secretive superyacht – may finally settle the great da Vinci controversyIt is almost exactly 10 years since Salvator Mundi was unveiled, this “lost Leonardo” instantly triggering astonishment around the world. Since those giddy days, the work has had a turbulent time. As well as becoming the most expensive painting in history, going for $450m (£326m) at auction, Salvator Mundi was denounced by many as a fake and subsequently vanished from view. The painting is now the subject of The Lost Leonardo, a documentary by Andreas Koefoed that opens in cinemas this week.“I would be surprised,” says Luke Syson, “if I went to see this documentary.” Syson is the curator who, back in 2011, first displayed The Saviour of the World, as its title translates, at the National Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci blockbuster. Syson is probably making a wise choice. He’s in the film and the way he clams up mid-interview makes him look like the archetypal embarrassed expert caught out on screen. Continue reading...

Former UK prime minister urges rich nations to transfer unused supplies to countries in desperate need

Two-hour siege in which staff hid in safe room ends with officers leading away man in his 50s dressed in blackA man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after staff were taken hostage at knifepoint at a petrol station in Bristol.The man, dressed entirely in black, was seen being led away in handcuffs by officers after a two-hour siege within the Esso station on Hengrove Way in the south of the city. Continue reading...