An engaging academic study of Alexei Navalny paints a vivid picture of a Russian politician who is a necessarily courageous product of the internet ageIn January, Alexei Navalny boarded a flight to Moscow. Russia’s most famous dissident had spent five months in Germany recovering from the effects of novichok poisoning. Surrounded by journalists who travelled with him, he was under no illusions as to what would happen once he swapped Berlin for home.The Russian authorities would arrest him, for sure. He would spend months, years, in prison. Probably he would never emerge. On the plane, Navalny shrugged off these concerns with his usual dark humour. “I am not afraid,” he said. He spent the flight watching his favourite show, the US cartoon sitcom Rick and Morty. Continue reading...

Our elite schools foster emotional austerity and fierce clique loyalty. Here a privately educated writer of the prime minister’s generation reveals the lasting damage public schools do

All countries have suffered Covid, but the UK has uniquely been exposed to the economic and moral damage of Brexit tooSo far, the Johnson government has hidden behind the disruption of Covid to divert attention from the consequences of Brexit.But not for much longer. The chaos caused by the removal of the Team GB economy from the single market while leaving Northern Ireland within is already manifest. It is also abundantly clear that the disruption of Northern Ireland’s trade cannot be blamed on, or confused with, Covid-induced damage. Continue reading...

While big-name US firms can compel their staff to be vaccinated against Covid, in the UK the issue is a legal and moral minefield

Young skateboarders raised spirits, but amid rising Covid cases the mood elsewhere was not so sunnyIt was a rough week for Britain’s Tom Bosworth, who came 25th in the 20km race-walk. He called it his “worst performance in a British vest”. He also became a target on Japanese social media after complaining about being fed “cold slop” in the Sapporo athletes’ village, which felt like “a prison”. This didn’t go down well with locals who have had to cancel plans because rising Covid cases mean the local government is advising against travel in and out of the city. Comments on Twitter included: “We’re not going to be lectured by a Brit about shit food.” Continue reading...

When you want to be a parent and can’t, this is a loss to be mourned, says Philippa PerryThe question I’m a 48-year-old woman in a loving relationship. I don’t have any children. I have two brothers – my younger one has four children with his partner. The other, who is older than me and gay (and my half-brother), has recently gone abroad with his partner and had two children via a surrogate, with both fathers having had a biological child each.I’ve always supported people’s rights in principle, especially gay rights, yet this has opened a chasm of sadness in me, not having had children. It also makes me feel like the odd one out among my siblings as they are both now busy with their respective families. Continue reading...

Ebrahim Raisi is another hardliner, but western leaders must engage with him to cool the tensions threatening the regionA hardline president has taken charge in Iran. An inexperienced government in Israel is threatening military action against Tehran. A lethal shadow war is being waged in the Gulf. Iran’s ally, Hezbollah, is firing missiles into Israel from chaotic Lebanon. Bitter words fly in London over hostage-taking. US fears grow, meanwhile, that the Vienna nuclear talks have failed. Deal or no deal, it’s suggested, Iran may soon be able to build an atomic weapon.This is a perilous, darkly portentous moment in the Middle East and specifically for the multifaceted conflict between Iran and the west. Ebrahim Raisi, who was sworn in as president on Thursday after a rigged, boycotted election, offered scant ground for optimism. “Tyrannical” sanctions imposed by Donald Trump, which have ravaged the country since 2018, must be lifted, he said. But he offered no plan to achieve it and nothing in the way of concessions. Continue reading...

French protests expected to enter fourth week but president’s hardline strategy is succeeding

Stung by claims of a bungled response to devastating fires, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says criticism is orchestrated by foreign powersProsecutors in Turkey have launched an investigation into a social media hastag critical of the government’s allegedly bungled response to the country’s devastating wildfires, accusing it of spreading “anxiety and fear”.The hashtag HelpTurkey exploded when rightwing president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was pictured on a tour of the damaged region under heavy police escort, tossing bags of tea to locals out of a moving bus in the middle of the night while a megaphone announced his presence. Continue reading...

Army officer wins nation’s first athletics gold to spark celebrations and a resurgence of pride amid the ravages of CovidArmy officer Neeraj Chopra has achieved Indian sporting immortality after winning the country’s first ever athletics gold medal with victory in the men’s javelin in Tokyo.Chopra’s historic triumph means India has racked up its best-ever Olympic medal haul of seven and caps a resurgence of national pride amid the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 427,000 Indians. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege Maria Licciardi, 70, ran extortion rackets as head of Naples-based Camorra crime syndicateA reputed top Naples crime syndicate boss was arrested as she was about to board a flight to Spain, Italian authorities said.The interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, praised the arrest of Maria Licciardi, 70, by Carabinieri officers on the orders of Naples prosecutors. Continue reading...

During the pandemic New Zealand has become a safe haven for international film studios, creating a surge in demand for ‘stunties’Burrowed in a beige building block in Auckland’s industrial east, a neat line of stunt hopefuls wait their turn to take their first step on an “air ram”. With enough power to flip a full sized car, the menacing looking metal pedal is designed to vault the “stunties” high into the air, as if tossed from an exploding building.Standing by and keeping a watchful eye, Dayna Grant points up to the rafters of the converted warehouse at least 10 metres above, fondly remembering a time she was tossed up high enough to touch the ceiling. But today’s NZ Stunt School class of ex-circus performers, working stunt people, and retirees, won’t come close to that. Continue reading...

Girl and someone she says she married during captivity surrendered themselves to militaryOne abducted girl from the Nigerian town of Chibok has been freed and reunited with her parents seven years after Boko Haram militants kidnapped her and more than 200 of her classmates, Borno state’s governor said on Saturday.The raid on the school in the north-eastern town one night in April 2014 sparked an international outcry and a viral campaign on social media with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls. Continue reading...

Latest updates: UK has recorded 28,612 new cases; Wales removes most restrictions as Northern Ireland records first child death from Covid

Met Office warns of severe downpours across Northern Ireland, north Wales, northern England and ScotlandParts of the UK have faced rain and localised flooding this weekend, but forecasters have said drier and sunnier weather could be possible by the end of the month.Heavy downpours caused flooding in areas of London on Saturday, and the Met Office warned that torrential rain would continue to affect the south-east of England throughout the day. Continue reading...

Airport of Sheberghan is only part of northern city to remain under government control following assault by insurgentsThe Taliban have captured a second provincial capital in Afghanistan a day after they took over the south-western financial hub of Zaranj, as the insurgent group continued to advance in urban parts of the country.Taliban fighters armed with heavy weapons overran the strategic city of Sheberghan, the capital of the northern Jawzjan province, on Saturday afternoon. The city was considered a stronghold of the notorious Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is believed to be in Kabul after returning to Afghanistan this week following medical treatment in Turkey. Continue reading...

While courtship handbooks have always existed, for some women new technologies have both facilitated and necessitated a change in approachRebekah Campbell remembers the moment she knew things had to change. “I got to age 34 and woke up one Christmas morning on a fold-out bed in the garage of some friends of my parents and was like, ‘I don’t want to live the rest of my life like this,’” she says. “I could see that I was potentially going to miss out on having a family unless I did something drastic.”Campbell was single and had not been on a date since the death of her boyfriend a decade prior. In those 10 years, she focused her energy on building a successful business career, including founding the order-ahead app Hey You. So she resolved to begin dating the same way she launched brands: by sketching out a plan that resembled the “sales funnel” she used in her work. Continue reading...

Workers have been putting off taking annual leave as the pandemic makes planning a trip impossible, but experts say taking time off could be more important than ever for your mental healthLike many Australians, Meredith Donkin had been so busy working in the “volatile environment” created by the pandemic that she’d taken very little time off since early last year.“I’d taken very little leave. A day here, a day there.” Continue reading...

Critics of country’s military told by Met police of plots against them as security forces fear there may be an attack in BritainPakistani exiles living in London who have criticised the country’s powerful military have been warned that their lives are in danger, raising fresh concern over authoritarian regimes targeting foreign dissidents in the UK.British security sources are understood to be concerned that Pakistan, a strong UK ally – particularly on intelligence issues – might be prepared to target individuals on British soil. Continue reading...

‘Dee Tee’ played alto sax, flute and percussion and was stylist for celebrated soul-funk bandDennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, a founding member of the long-running soul-funk band Kool & the Gang, known for such hits as Celebration and Get Down On It, has died.He was 70 years old. Continue reading...

At least 400 wildfires are raging across the country, which have killed one and injured 20 so farBritish firefighters are to be sent to Greece this weekend to lend their support in the battle against wildfires that have spiralled out of control over the past few days.Teams from Merseyside, Lancashire, south Wales, London and the West Midlands fire services are due to fly out to Athens this weekend, while France said it would provide a further three aircraft and 80 firefighters to join the hundreds that had already been sent. Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege Maria Licciardi, 70, ran extortion rackets as head of Naples-based Camorra crime syndicateA reputed top Naples crime syndicate boss was arrested as she was about to board a flight to Spain, Italian authorities said.The interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, praised the arrest of Maria Licciardi, 70, by Carabinieri officers on the orders of Naples prosecutors. Continue reading...

Site offering supposedly independent advice is part of a £23,000 government social media campaignThe home secretary, Priti Patel, has been censured by a communications watchdog for setting up a website that purports to provide independent advice to migrants considering travelling to the UK – but without making it clear that her department is behind it.It has been reported that the Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) condemned the Home Office for producing an “unethical” website that aims to deter people from attempting to seek refuge in the UK. Continue reading...

Jamie Spears says in court filing he has faithfully served as conservator of daughter’s estateBritney Spears’ father said in a court filing Friday that there are “no grounds whatsoever” for removing him from the conservatorship that controls her money and affairs – a day after the singer’s new lawyer had requested a hearing to suspend James Spears from the arrangement.James Spears “has dutifully and faithfully served as the conservator of his daughter’s estate without any blemishes on his record,” his filing said. Continue reading...

His traumatic experience with coronavirus inspired the author’s new children’s book – about the ‘friend’ he leaned onIt was the tweet that let the world know Michael Rosen was back on form and on the mend. “My wheelchair days are over. Stick now. Sticky McStick Stick,” he wrote in June last year, after having come down with Covid-19 in March and spent 48 days in intensive care.Now, the poet and former children’s laureate has written a moving picture book about Sticky Mcstickstick and his battle with long Covid on an NHS rehabilitation ward last summer. Continue reading...

The musician, 45, talks about putting down roots, losing her mother, playing music and and how middle age has been a transformative timeMy first memory is my mother [folk singer Kate McGarrigle] singing to me. It was the song Go Tell Aunt Rhody, which is about a goose dying and the gander being depressed. Very morbid. I was very little. I remember her hand softly caressing my arm while she sang it to me. It’s a lovely memory. It’s a sad song, even a scary one. But it was comforting.I’m still grieving for my mother. I’m very much in it. She’s been gone over 10 years now, but I wear a lot of her clothes, I live in the house she lived in and I sing her songs. Her dying at 63 has defined me in lots of ways. I was only 33 when I lost her. But this year I’ve been thinking about it differently. Dying young means that you’re saved years of old age. There’s a lot of suffering in old age. That’s been helping me to think like that. Continue reading...

Activists in Bangkok forced back with teargas and rubber bullets as they demand Thai PM’s resignation

Ten students will receive £5,000 in draw if they can prove they are double-jabbed or medically exempt

Covid restrictions extended for greater Sydney, with 8 LGAs in hard lockdown, including stricter mask rules and a 5km radius travel limit. Some restrictions have been eased with some construction to resume and a singles bubble introduced. Here’s the full list of what you can and can’t do in NSW

Stephen Cottrell says it is time to ‘rediscover a national unity more fractured than I have ever known it’The archbishop of York has called for a new “expansive” vision of what it means to be English to counter a “negative political discourse and a hopeless future”.Courage and compassion should be the cornerstones of an Englishness that people could be proud of, said Stephen Cottrell, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer is hoping his first in-person conference speech can unite party but he faces uphill taskKeir Starmer will be packing the laptop as well as the buckets and spades as he heads off to Devon for a family break later this month: aides say he plans to use the holiday to work on a first draft of his party conference speech.It will be the Labour leader’s first address to the party faithful in person – last year’s was delivered online from an empty arts centre in Doncaster – and both fans and detractors agree it will have to be the speech of his life. Continue reading...

The Guardian speaks to four people braving eye-watering price hikes to holiday in Britain this year

The actor and film-maker on being ghosted for her politics, the best kiss of her life and having an angel experienceBorn in New York City, Rosanna Arquette, 61, starred with Madonna in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, for which she won a Bafta. Her other movies include Pulp Fiction and Crash. In 2002, she made Searching For Debra Winger, a documentary about women in the film industry; her podcast series is called Radical Musings. She is married, has a daughter and lives in Los Angeles.When were you happiest?

Slow-cooked courgettes with a toasty breadcrumb topping, a summery tomato and feta salad with lemon dressing and, to finish, a classic pick-me-up of soft amaretti with coffee sauceItalian summer, anyone? I know! Me, too! This might not be a summer when we get to drink espresso with a little amaretti biscuit on the side in situ, but I fully intend to pretend for a good few meals. Amaretti biscuits, Italian extra-virgin olive oil, hard ricotta from Puglia, the sweetest tomatoes and most basil-y of basil leaves you can get your hands on: invest in the power of food to transport. Cin-cin! Continue reading...

The birds exist in a pest-control grey area, with no agency taking the lead, allowing the population to boomThey are aggressive, territorial, noisy and excrete more than a kilogram of faeces a day. Now huge flocks of Canada geese have made parts of rural New Zealand their home, bringing havoc in their wake.The introduced birds are polluting waterways, damaging pasture and are so numerous in some places that they pose a threat to aircrafts, but little is being done to curb the problem. Continue reading...

Why not emulate private schools with class sizes, playing fields, music facilities and modern languages?Just as many of us are thinking ahead to winter and a possible next wave of Covid, worrying about whether schools have proper ventilation and what emergency measures you might have up your sleeve if a major outbreak occurs, you choose to put Latin at the top of your agenda. Well, not quite top because you also managed to signal the end of BTecs (a disaster in the making). Perhaps you were using your Latin splash to hide that announcement.You’re also keeping very quiet about what is happening with the GCSE marking – the results only days away for my offspring. I can’t work out which is going to be more exciting: hearing his results or listening to your convoluted explanations as to why a) this year’s teacher assessment method was perfect and b) why – even though it’s been perfect – we’ll all have to go back next year to the one-off, high-stakes, unnecessary obstacle of GCSEs. Continue reading...

Four people who were so ill that they barely remember their time in the ICU meet the doctors and nurses who held their handsIn a light-filled studio in east London, a petite woman in scrubs receives a bouquet of flowers from a tall man, dressed smartly, only faintly out of breath.The room is thick with emotion. They are strangers, but stare at each other with wonder in their eyes. And then Dr Susan Jain, an intensive care consultant at Homerton university hospital, breaks the silence with a laugh. Continue reading...

Covid pandemic has accelerated shift to online purchases, with big brands buying up startups

Rise in women taking employers to court citing event as proof of unfair dismissal and discrimination

With quarantine scrapped for UK holidaymakers returning from France, we select chateaux, hotels and B&Bs across the country Continue reading...

Israeli military says strikes target rocket launching site as balloons aim to pressure Israel to ease restrictionsIsraeli aircraft bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, Israel’s military said.There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the strikes on Saturday that targeted what the military said was a rocket launching site and a compound belonging to Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza. Continue reading...

Esteban, 31, stores and shipping assistant, meets Sofia, 29, midwifeWhat were you hoping for?

Trees, grasses and wildlife are returning as Lord Randal Plunkett recreates a vanished landscape in County MeathLord Randal Plunkett strides through the hip-high grass of Dunsany, a 650-hectare (1,600-acre) estate in the middle of Ireland, trailed by an invisible swarm of midges and his four jack russell terriers: Tiny, Lumpy, Chow and Beavis & Butt-Head.The cattle and sheep are long gone, so too are the lawns and many of the crops. In their place is a riot of shrubs, flowers and trees, along with insects and creatures that call this fledgling wilderness their home. Continue reading...

Victim was found unresponsive with head and chest injuries in a home in Doonside on WednesdayFive teenagers, including two as young as 13, have been charged with murder after the death of a 16-year-old boy found with severe injuries in Sydney.The boy was found unresponsive with head and chest injuries in a home in Doonside on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation offers aid to dissident athletes while organising opposition to the regime’s sportwashing efforts

Police say the woman did not realise the door of the animal’s cage was open and was immediately attackedA young woman working at a safari park in Chile has died after a tiger attacked her, police said.The woman, who has not been identified by police, was among staff cleaning and carrying out maintenance work on Friday in the big cats’ enclosure of a safari park in the city of Rancagua, 90km south of the capital Santiago. Continue reading...

Government says it will ‘deploy entire defensive capability’ and Amhara region threatens attack against Tigray forcesEthiopia’s spreading conflict has escalated after the government warned that it could deploy its “entire defensive capability” against the restive Tigray region after advances by rebels into neighbouring regions.After the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebuffed calls on Friday to withdraw from the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, the government in Addis Ababa said the rebels were testing its patience and threatening the ceasefire called in June. Continue reading...

British-Iranian labour rights activist’s sentencing coincides with deteriorating relations between western allies and IranThe UK government has hit out at reports that a British-Iranian labour rights activist has been given a sentence of 10 years in Tehran for participating in an outlawed group.A Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement on Friday that London “strongly” condemned the sentence handed out to Mehran Raoof, a former teacher from north London. Continue reading...

Expats separated from loved ones say Australia’s tightening travel rules leave them with an ‘impossible choice’Australians living overseas say a federal government rule change that could see them trapped if they return to visit family and friends might force many to abandon trips altogether.Expats living abroad have told Guardian Australia they fear that could mean missing out on farewelling elderly relatives. Continue reading...

A Zoom meeting of prime ministers and presidents was never going to be a particularly smooth affairThere was what looked like a virtual walkout, veiled criticism of certain nations, a video address from the US president and of course, technical issues: this is diplomacy in the age of Zoom.Presidents and prime ministers of Pacific nations, including Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern, logged on for the leaders’ meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Friday morning, the most important diplomatic gathering in the Pacific. Continue reading...