Blair wrote to then South African leader in 1997 after aides said raising issue at summit in Scotland would be ‘pretty disastrous’Tony Blair failed in urgent attempts to prevent Nelson Mandela raising the issue of the Lockerbie trial at a Commonwealth summit in Edinburgh, which aides warned would be “pretty disastrous”, previously classified documents reveal.The Foreign Office, on discovering Mandela was visiting Libya en-route to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Edinburgh in October 1997, warned of a “sensitive situation” if the South African leader spoke out against UK government’s plans to hold the trial of two suspects in Scotland. Continue reading...
Researchers find minimal interactions by teen users can trigger a deluge of thin-body and dieting imagesInstagram’s algorithms are pushing teenage girls who even briefly engage with fitness-related images towards a flood of weight-loss content, according to new research which aimed to recreate the experience of being a child on social networks.Researchers adopting “mystery shopper” techniques set up a series of Instagram profiles mirroring real children and followed the same accounts as the volunteer teenagers. They then began liking a handful of posts to see how quickly the network’s algorithm pushed potentially damaging material into the site’s “explore” tab, which highlights material that the social network thinks a user might like. Continue reading...
by Dominic Rushe, Vivian Ho and agencies on (#5MCDK)
Biden implores Americans to get vaccinated and stocks fall amid outbreaks in areas with low inoculation ratesA rapid increase in coronavirus cases in the US and abroad is fueling fears of a pandemic resurgence and on Monday sent shockwaves through the stock market as the highly contagious Delta variant takes hold – and Joe Biden urged Americans to “please, please get vaccinated”.The number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to Covid-19 have been rising worryingly in recent days, largely driven by outbreaks in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, as officials have been warning of a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan (now and earlier) ; Clea Skopeliti on (#5MBGK)
This blog is now closed. You can find all of our pandemic coverage here.11.49pm BSTThis blog is closing now but thanks very much for reading. We’ll be back in a few hours with more rolling coverage of the pandemic from all around the world.In the meantime you can catch up with all our coverage of the pandemic here.11.18pm BSTAs the British health minister, chancellor and prime minister self-isolate, the commons speaker has pleaded with MPs to continue wearing face coverings and “not push the limits for the sake of it” following the easing of restrictions in England, PA Media reports.
Julianna Moore, formerly Ganna Ziuzina, told an inquest she did not seek to profit from Barry Pring’s death, as his family allegesThe widow of a wealthy British businessman killed in a hit and run in Ukraine as he celebrated his first wedding anniversary has denied organising his murder, an inquest heard.Barry Pring, 47, suffered fatal injuries when he was hit by a vehicle using a stolen number plate while waiting for a taxi outside a restaurant in Kiev with his wife, Ganna Ziuzina, on 16 February 2008. Continue reading...
Former student leader becomes candidate for leftwing coalition and vows to fight Pinochet-era economicsA decade ago, Gabriel Boric was a long-haired 25-year old leading thousands of clamouring students through the streets of the Chilean capital with megaphone in hand, demanding free education for all.Boric was part of a radical generation of student leaders who were catapulted into the spotlight in 2011 during an uprising against the disparities in Chile’s education system. Continue reading...
Vermont-based company says sales in the occupied lands were ‘inconsistent with our values’Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream has announced that it will no longer sell its ice-cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying the sales are “inconsistent with our values.”The announcement on Monday was one of the highest-profile rebukes by a well-known brand of Israel’s settlements which are regarded as illegal under international law. Continue reading...
Despite rise in Covid cases, France’s infections stand at less than a third of daily reported cases in BritainBritain’s restrictions on travellers from France seem excessive, the French European affairs minister has said as France attempts to contain rising Covid cases – which stand at less than a third of the daily reported cases in the UK.“We don’t think that the United Kingdom’s decisions are totally based on scientific foundations. We find them excessive,” Clément Beaune told BFM TV after the UK decided that visitors would need to quarantine for 10 days after arriving from France amid concern over the Beta variant. Continue reading...
Penguin Random House announces book is expected in late 2022 with proceeds going to charityThe Duke of Sussex has agreed a publishing deal to write his memoirs and said he would do so “not as the prince I was born, but as the man I have become”.The global deal for his “literary memoir” was announced by Penguin Random House, with publication expected in late 2022 and proceeds to be donated to charity. Continue reading...
Regulator’s move comes amid fears that limited press freedoms are being eroded by the governmentNigeria’s broadcasting regulator has told TV stations to limit their reporting of rising insecurity in the country and withhold details of incidents and victims, in a move widely criticised by the country’s media and civil society groups.In a letter sent to the country’s broadcasters, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said TV stations should refrain from “giving details of either the security issues or victims of these security challenges”, and they should “collaborate with the government in dealing with the security challenges” by toning down reporting and commentary. Continue reading...
The lethal destruction in western states will frame the debate ahead of September’s vital electionEarlier this month, the German Greens unveiled an election poster designed to reassure voters who might be wary of their environmental radicalism. “Economy and climate without crisis”, went its slogan, suggesting that ambitious carbon reduction targets could be met without undue pain for jobs and industry. Days later, ecological crisis struck, in the form of the devastating floods that have overwhelmed western Germany, and parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. More than 190 people are so far known to have died, following flooding of an intensity and scale that has shocked scientists. The record levels of rain in north-west Europe followed record-breaking heat in the Americas. Extreme weather events are becoming the new normal, as climate models have long predicted. But some of the recent spikes have outstripped scientific predictions.The eventual impact of the floods on Germany’s September election remains to be seen. But this disaster, which the country’s main political parties have broadly agreed was related to global warming, has thrust the climate crisis to the forefront of the campaign. On Sunday, Angela Merkel, who is standing down as chancellor, insisted that Germany needed to “up the pace in the fight against climate change”. Less impressively, the conservative frontrunner to succeed her, Armin Laschet, was caught on video sharing jokes with bystanders during a visit to a flooded town. As the president of North Rhine-Westphalia, one of the worst-hit states, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union can make amends by getting to the bottom of a lethal failure to translate satellite warnings into evacuations on the ground. Continue reading...
by Presented by Michael Safi and reported by Stephani on (#5MC7C)
Investigative reporter Stephanie Kirchgaessner tells Michael Safi how a technology company’s clients have apparently selected journalists, activists and politicians in advance of possible surveillanceThis episode first aired on our global news podcast, Today in FocusThe Guardian revealed on Monday a huge data leak showing more than 50,000 phone numbers that, since 2016, are believed to have been selected as persons of interest by government clients of NSO Group, which sells surveillance software. Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based nonprofit journalism organisation, and Amnesty International initially had access to the list and shared access with 17 media organisations including the Guardian. More than 80 journalists have worked together over several months as part of the Pegasus project. Continue reading...
I was among those who first reported on Eddie Obeid’s dealings in the NSW Upper Hunter. Monday’s supreme court verdict is vindication for many who investigated him“If it is corruption, then it is corruption on a scale probably unexceeded since the days of the Rum Corps,” counsel assisting the NSW Independent Commission against Corruption, Geoffrey Watson SC, declared theatrically at the opening of the inquiry into the grant of a coal licence at Mount Penny in 2012.A decade later, the NSW supreme court has found the grant of the controversial coal exploration licence in the Bylong Valley was the result of a criminal conspiracy that resulted in the Obeid family making at least $30m. Continue reading...
Anglicare says the federal government is trying to shift blame for low vaccination rates to workersAnglicare Australia say its aged care workers are eager to be vaccinated but are being hampered by failures with the government’s “messy and confusing” rollout.Aged care workers have been given until 17 September to receive a first dose or face being locked out of work. Continue reading...
Loghman Sawari was 17 when he was placed in a men-only centre on Manus Island. Nearly a decade on, and another child refugee wants to know why he’s still in detentionOne of the child refugees unlawfully detained on Manus Island alongside Loghman Sawari has said it is “unbelievable” he remains detained, eight years on, while an Australian family has said they have repeatedly offered their own home as sanctuary for him if he were released from detention.This came as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees again urged Australia to end offshore asylum processing which “undermined the rights of those seeking safety and protection and significantly harmed their physical and mental health”. Continue reading...
Show was second most in-demand cartoon in US households for 12-month run that ended in February, according to Parrot AnalyticsParents across the US say their children are acquiring British accents, thanks to Peppa Pig.Linguistic experts have cast doubt on such claims, but some parents insist the “Peppa effect” has their American children saying “mummy” instead of “mommy”, using phrases such as “Give it a go”, and pronouncing tomato “to-mah-to”, not “to-may-to”. Continue reading...
Amber warning announced for much of Wales and parts of England as temperatures could reach 33CThe Met Office has issued its first ever extreme heat warning for the UK with temperatures possibly reaching 33C in western areas.The amber warning is in place for much of Wales, all of south-west England and parts of southern and central England. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent on (#5MBY8)
Helpline for people trying to prove their right to remain in country after Brexit charges £10.35 for 15 minutesThe government has come under fire after introducing a 69p-a-minute charge for a helpline for EU citizens who are trying to prove to landlords or employers their right to remain in the country after Brexit.Callers to the “view and prove” immigration status telephone number, 0300-790 6268, must also preauthorise a potential £5 credit on a bank card before talking to an assistant. Continue reading...
More than 30 people have died in the Indian city after an intense burst of rainfall caused flooding and landslides, as changing monsoon patterns because of the climate crisis lead to more extreme rains across India.The landslide in the eastern suburb of Chembur enveloped homes as people were sleeping and killed at least 21, according to the National Disaster Response Force Continue reading...
A disturbing new Netflix series makes dates dress up as animals – from rhinos to insects – so that choices are made on personality not looks. So why is everyone involved so hot?“Ass first, personality second,” says a deadpan beaver at a bar. Meanwhile, a panda with pleading eyes says she wants a baby by the age of 26. A rhino in a dress shirt chips in with “Vulnerability is our biggest muscle” – and gets a high five from a delighted dolphin.What fresh hell is this? Are we not, for just one moment, deserving of a rest? Netflix says no. After holding us hostage for three weeks with Love Is Blind – in hindsight, not a good use of our last days before the pandemic – the evil-genius algorithm has come up with another “dating experiment”. Continue reading...
Individual error blamed for security lapse after leak of information about Royal Navy destroyer off CrimeaA Ministry of Defence investigation into how secret military papers about a disputed voyage off Crimea ended up at a Kent bus stop has blamed individual error and found no evidence of foul play.The rain-sodden papers, which were handed to the BBC last month by an anonymous member of the public, predicted the likely reaction of Russia to the passage of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender off Crimea days after a dispute with Moscow over the ship’s movements and whether warning shots had been fired. Continue reading...
by Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspon on (#5MBSG)
The Australian government says China’s ministry of state security exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange softwareThe Morrison government has joined with the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries to accuse China of “malicious cyber activities”, in a move likely to inflame tensions in the relationship with Beijing.Senior Australian ministers said they held serious concerns about the activities and called on all countries – including China – to act responsibly in cyberspace. Continue reading...
She cooked, watched Countdown and was mentored by the legendary singer. Now, 10 years after her death, Dionne Bromfield has finally addressed the grief she couldn’t deal with aged 15Dionne Bromfield is leaning into the screen as we talk on Zoom, recounting the moment 10 years ago when she received the news that would change her life for ever. On a sunny July day, the 15-year-old singer was waiting to go on stage. She was supporting the boyband The Wanted on tour in Wales, the atmosphere backstage fizzing with energy before each show. However, that day something felt off. People were unusually quiet, and no one would meet her eyes. Eventually, she was told something was wrong: “It’s Amy.”Amy Winehouse, whose remarkable, all-too-brief career ended with her death a decade ago this month, had been the teenager’s godmother, friend and mentor. Winehouse had nurtured Bromfield’s burgeoning vocal skills and helped her break into a notoriously competitive industry. For years after her death, Bromfield couldn’t listen to Amy’s music, let alone think about her. After two albums and a stint presenting the CBBC show Friday Download, the singer who had been marked out by many as one to watch and performed on live television with Winehouse, stepped back from music. Continue reading...
Do you like your popsicles milky, fruity or boozy? Whatever your preference, here is a complete guide to making quick, delicious freezer treatsAlong with bling and outrage, the ice lolly is probably the thing fashion designers and toddlers most have in common. It is instant dessert and an edible sticking plaster. Mostly, whether you go to town with the freeze-ins, the ombrés and the post-freezer coatings, it is heatwave relief on a stick.Almost any liquid, bar neat, heavy alcohol, freezes well – from double cream and coconut milk to freshly pulped watermelon (for which there’s a stellar hack: slice off the top of the fruit, plunge in a hand blender and juice the inside, then strain). Make sure whichever option you plump for is overly flavourful – mild juice will make for a meh lick. Continue reading...
It is hard not to feel undermined by rising cases and the decision to relax restrictions, says this consultantIt is hard to summarise exactly why I feel so angry. While the third wave is clearly under way, things are definitely different this time around. For the equivalent case numbers, hospitalisations are far lower, and people overall are less unwell. Vaccines have made the difference.Many of our admissions have not been vaccinated, however. Some want to achieve “natural immunity”; it is unclear whether they realise that the only way to do this is to get the disease instead. Another wants “to see some real data”, as if all the information assessed by the regulatory authorities before approval, and the clear real-world data about the reduction in cases, is somehow fabricated. Someone’s friend got some side-effects from the vaccine so she didn’t have it; guess which one of them ended up in hospital. Most of these people have the decency to look sheepish, or to describe themselves as “one of those idiots”. Continue reading...
In a striking debut, Zofia Stafiej sets about repatriating her late father’s body from Dublin, and finding herself along the wayRight from the first few minutes, it is hard to not to feel immediately taken with Olka (Zofia Stafiej), the 17-year-old protagonist of Piotr Domalewski’s I Never Cry. In the middle of her third driving test, Olka makes a sudden swerve as she tries to avoid a dangerous turn from another driver, much to the displeasure of her examiner. She gets out of her vehicle and proceeds to stop the other car, kicking off its front numberplate. This might sound bratty and annoying, but Stafiej, in her acting debut, portrays a kind of endearingly headstrong spirit that makes the scene play out like a very contemporary type of farce.As the film progresses, it becomes clear Olka is simply not someone who follows instructions. After receiving the news that her estranged father, a migrant worker in Dublin, has died in a work incident, she embarks on a lone odyssey from Poland to Ireland to retrieve his body and – more importantly – her share of whatever money the man has left. Throughout this journey, as Olka worms her way through bureaucracy and learns about who her father was, her edges are softened. Her coming-of-age feels full circle: the film might begin with a physical burst of frustration, but it ends with an emotional rupture that proves especially moving. Continue reading...
Call for sweeping changes to support teenagers after up to a dozen found to have taken their own livesDozens of charities have called on UK government ministers to make sweeping changes to support young asylum seekers and refugees after up to a dozen were identified to have taken their own lives.Forty-six different charities dealing with issues of asylum, children and mental health, have written to the health minister Nadine Dorries, who has responsibility for suicide prevention. They highlight the alarming number of suicides they have discovered among teenage asylum seekers after fleeing persecution in their home countries, leaving their families behind and making difficult journeys to reach safety in the UK. Continue reading...
She always loved reading. So at 65, when Carole-Ann Warburton finally opened her own shop, she had 8,000 books ready to fill itAll her life, Carole-Ann Warburton kept a little hope glowing at the back of her mind. “You’re living your life. And every now and then you think: ‘I have a dream.’” Warburton’s dream was to work in a bookshop.It took an experience of terrifying disorientation to find her way to it. Continue reading...
by Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Matilda Boseley (earlie on (#5MB9B)
NSW reports 98 new local cases, with 24 patients now in intensive care, and says vaccinating children will be a ‘key’ part of rollout; Victorian coronavirus outbreak hits construction; 1m Pfizer vaccine doses arrive in Australia. Follow updates live
Far-right commentator who entered country with support of NSW government to appear on Big Brother fined $1,000 for not wearing a maskThe Australian government has cancelled Katie Hopkins’ visa and deported the far-right commentator after she boasted about breaching hotel quarantine conditions.The cancellation was announced by the home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, on Monday and followed a decision by Endemol Shine Australia to cancel her contract to appear on Seven Network’s Big Brother VIP. Hopkins was then deported from the country on a Monday afternoon flight. Continue reading...
Employee in care home, who arrived as an 11-month-old, unable to prove she has right to work in BritainA Spanish woman who has lived in England for 44 years has been sacked from her job in a care home because she is unable to prove she has the right to work in the UK, in a case illustrating the difficulties experienced by EU nationals as employers grapple with post-Brexit right-to-work regulations.The 45-year-old woman, who arrived in Britain as an 11-month-old baby and who has never left the country, said she has tried more than 100 times to get through to the Home Office-run helpline in the past three weeks, but has never been able to speak to an adviser. Continue reading...
The euphoria and tragedy of the 00s indie music scene are the subject of Giddy Stratospheres. Is it accurate? Klaxons, the Long Blondes, New Young Pony Club and more look back – and give their verdictIf you ever ran for a dawn train after a narcotic all-nighter in 2007 with The Rat by the Walkmen pounding through your liquified brain and a hip flask of “breakfast vodka” in your pocket, expect flashbacks from the opening moments of Giddy Stratospheres, director Laura Jean Marsh’s debut film set amid the euphoria, hedonism and tragedy of the 00s indie rock scene.“We were all so young, feeling invincible and wanting it not to end,” says Marsh, who put on gigs by bands such as the Horrors and Black Wire at her Dolly Rockers club night, hosted parties for the Mighty Boosh and sang with guitar pop band Screaming Ballerinas before moving on to acting and video directing. Continue reading...
After 50 years in fashion, the designer is having new adventures. He discusses love, work, Madonna – and why Eurotrash couldn’t be made nowJean Paul Gaultier is waving his hands and talking nineteen to the dozen in French with a smattering of heavily accented English. I’ve only been with him for a few minutes, and already he is tearing through his thoughts on love, life, death and London, punctuated with self-deprecating comments and shrieks of laughter, as if we have known each other for ever.We are supposed to be talking couture; he is after all fashion’s anointed “enfant terrible”, the designer celebrated for dressing Madonna in a conical bra corset, popularising skirts – well, kilts – for boys and turning the French navy’s famous marinière striped T-shirt into a wardrobe classic. Continue reading...
Heavy rain caused slips, rivers to break their banks, and more than 2,000 residents to be evacuatedNew Zealand’s west coast has been hit by severe flooding, with a local state of emergency declared and thousands evacuated from their homes.The latest floods arrived in the aftermath of heavy rains and storms over the past two months that prompted states of emergency in Canterbury and Wellington. Continue reading...
How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout and schedule compare with other countries, when will Australia be fully vaccinated and when will you be eligible to get your dose? We bring together the latest numbers on daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as stats and live data on total vaccination figures in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and other states
Monday: NSW forced to allow more workers to leave Sydney’s south-west, while today’s Covid case numbers in Victoria will be crucial to determining if lockdown lifts. Plus: is it wrong to steal a tattoo?Good morning. It turns out new Covid restrictions for workers in south-western Sydney are not as tough as first announced. It’s “Freedom Day” in England, according to Boris Johnson, but he won’t be enjoying the eased restrictions after being forced to isolate. Plus: a massive data leak uncovers the global abuse of Israeli spyware by authoritarian governments to hack phones of activists and journalists.The New South Wales Gladys premier Berejiklian has expanded the list of workers who can leave three south-western Sydney areas from only health and emergency workers to everything from retail, manufacturing, transport and couriers, to teachers and childcare workers. The relaxing of the rules comes after health authorities announced 105 new local cases on Sunday, and the fourth death from the current Sydney outbreak – a woman in her 90s. From today, all non-essential construction and building maintenance work will stop. In Victoria, 17 Covid cases were recorded, including one in Mildura, as the premier, Daniel Andrew, said it’s too early to say if the state’s lockdown will end as planned on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, a new study by the Australia Institute appears to show Australians believe states have handled the pandemic better than the federal government. Continue reading...
by Presented by reported by Laura Murphy-Oates, repor on (#5MB66)
In early June Lt Gen John Frewen was appointed coordinator general of Australia’s national Covid vaccine taskforce. Since then he’s popped up on television and radio talking about the rollout. But what exactly does his job entail? And why is a military man leading a public health response? Political reporters Amy Remeikis and Daniel Hurst explainArticles on this topic: Continue reading...
Tadej Pogacar took the title for the second year in a row after a dramatic late sprint in Paris6.23pm BSTBehind all the mayhem, Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) rolls over the line to win his second Tour de France. He has been the dominant rider for almost the entire race, winning by more than five minutes. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos) finish a distant second and third.6.21pm BSTIt’s not to be for Mark Cavendish, boxed in by an extraordinary late charge from Wout Van Aert! He’ll have to settle for the green jersey and a share of Eddy Merckx’s record – for now. Continue reading...
Medicines are exempt from embargo but my husband died after DHL returned my package, says Kathryn RileyMy late husband, Roberto Molina Rivero, was a choreographer and dance poet. He was a dual national and type 1 diabetic. He died in Havana in February.In January, I attempted to send insulin to Cuba because of the shortage of insulin. DHL failed to deliver this package, returning it with the words “US sanctions on Cuba” scrawled on the label. This matter is under investigation by the Department for International Trade. Medicines are exempt from the embargo. However, companies are reluctant to take medical goods to Cuba. Continue reading...
Public health bodies issue warning to use sun screen as mercury hits year-high of 31.6C at HeathrowChildren have been treated in hospital for extreme sunburn as Britain experienced the hottest weekend of the year.Temperatures reached 31.6C at Heathrow and 30.2C in Cardiff on Sunday, making it the hottest day of the year, as an area of high pressure over the UK maintained warm conditions. Continue reading...
Operation Brock restarted to handle anticipated queues as travel industry questions government decisionEmergency road measures to handle post-Brexit queues in Kent have been restarted by the government to cope with potential holiday traffic – despite Friday’s decision to further restrict cross-Channel travel to France.Barriers on the M20 were erected over the weekend for Operation Brock, a decision taken on Thursday “in anticipation of increased international travel by car drivers from Monday”, according to Highways England. Continue reading...
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