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Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has been criticised for its slow reaction and faltering vaccination programme

Exclusive: Former president lauds convicted bugging whistleblower for exposing ‘Australian government perfidy, bad faith and dishonesty in robbing world’s poorest country’José Ramos-Horta will formally request that Timor-Leste award Witness K the nation’s highest honour, praising him for exposing “Australian government perfidy, bad faith and dishonesty” in a bugging operation conducted for the sole purpose of “robbing the poorest country in the world”.Witness K, a former Australian Secret Intelligence Service officer, was convicted on Friday and handed a three-month suspended jail term for his role in exposing a spy operation targeting Timor-Leste during negotiations to carve up oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea. Continue reading...

Opposition says it will not recognise Nikol Pashinyan’s quick claim to victory, which came when just 30% of precincts had been countedArmenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed victory in a snap parliamentary election he called in an effort to defuse a political crisis after last year’s disastrous war with Azerbaijan.But the electoral alliance of his top rival, former president Robert Kocharyan, swiftly contested the vote results and alleged election fraud. Continue reading...

Ten years since the Arab spring rocked Egypt and removed its president, the country is still detaining human rights workers and locking up political prisonersKarim Ennarah, a human rights worker for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, was at a beach resort in South Sinai when he was arrested and accused of joining a terrorist group and “spreading false news”. He was detained in a prison in Cairo and became one of thousands of political prisoners in the country.Ennarah tells Anushka Asthana that his arrest was only the beginning of his separation from his British wife. Jess Kelly describes to Anushka the moment that she found out her husband had been arrested by the security services as she rode her bike along a London street, and the great difficulties she herself has faced to be reunited with him. Continue reading...

Rightmove data shows largest June increase since 2015 but economists suggest Covid boom may be fading

More than 1m jabs booked on Friday and Saturday after all adults in England invited to get vaccine

Year’s shortest day and longest night celebrated in period when sun only appears for two and a half hours a dayAntarctic-based Australian expeditioners have taken a sub-zero polar plunge to mark the winter solstice, keeping an icy tradition alive.Each year expeditioners at Australia’s three research stations in Antarctica and on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island celebrate the year’s shortest day and longest night by taking a dip in sea ice or the ocean. Continue reading...

Elisabeth Moss has always made this impressive if horrifying TV. But as the new series turns June into queen of the rebels, it has a shot of new lifeI am not sure if “enjoyment” is quite the right word in relation to watching The Handmaid’s Tale (Channel 4). It has been, at various points over the last three seasons, either a harrowing slog or an extremely harrowing slog. But at its best, it is impressive, inventive drama that pushes unfamiliar buttons with great skill. It had a magnificent, haunting first season, which largely stuck to the plot of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel, but afterwards it struggled under the weight of its own misery. June (Elisabeth Moss) escaped from Gilead, and was captured, ad infinitum, which made it feel like a gruesome hall of mirrors in which hope was pointless. It made me wonder whether continuing to watch was pointless, too. But a diversion into global politics gave it a shot of new life, and season four continues to explore new ground. It needed it, and it works.The lengthy recap at the beginning is useful, given that the pandemic delayed production. According to its showrunner, Bruce Miller, the logistics of shooting in Canada also had a direct effect on shaping the story. June organised a cohort of rebels, pulling together an underground network of Marthas and Handmaids, to smuggle 86 children out of Gilead, saving them from life under a brutal regime. The Waterfords have been arrested by the Canadian government and are in captivity, but at the end of season three, it looked as though June may have run out of luck. Still, without her, this is Handmaids’ Tales, rather than The Handmaid’s Tale. If the question is, how much more can one woman endure, then the answer comes quickly: using no anaesthetic, Janine cauterises the shotgun wound in June’s abdomen with a red-hot poker. Welcome to season four. Continue reading...

A further six deaths were recorded in the UK; Vigilance urged as France eases restrictions

Monday: Barnaby Joyce may take Nationals leadership. Plus: national cabinet to hold emergency meetingGood morning. Weeks of leadership rumblings within the Nationals are expected to come to a head today, with some party members saying Barnaby Joyce could retake the top job from Michael McCormack. The other most likely leadership contender, David Littleproud, has told colleagues that as deputy leader he cannot challenge McCormack. But Littleproud could be clear to run if McCormack spilled his own leadership or chose not to stand again after a successful no-confidence motion in the Nationals party room. Two Nationals MPs have told Guardian Australia that Joyce has or is very close to having the numbers to topple McCormack. “I think he’s really close,” one said. “I think he’s always been close but I have heard increased noise over the last two weeks.”Australia’s troubled vaccine rollout will be discussed in an emergency national cabinet meeting by federal, state and territory leaders today. The vice president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Chris Moy, urged anyone who has had their first dose of AstraZeneca not to waste it by cancelling their second shot in response to Thursday’s updated federal health advice, which recommended the vaccine not be administered to under 60s. “The bottom line is the risk of getting a clot from the second dose is one-tenth of an already tiny risk on the first one. And you need [the second shot] for long-term protection and to protect yourself from the variants. “You’re kind of almost wasting the first dose if you don’t have the second. It’s a no-brainer – for God’s sake have it.” Continue reading...

Half an hour before kick-off, when the team sheets were read aloud for the first time, the loudest Roman roar was reserved for the Italy manager, Roberto Mancini. On the front of Gazzetta dello Sport’s pullout last week, Mancini was mocked up in the dugout alongside Albert Einstein but a third successive victory, which extended their unbeaten run to a record-equalling 30 matches, required little genius. In fact, they barely broke sweat on a muggy evening on which Matteo Pessina scored the only goal to beat Wales.Wales, who had Ethan Ampadu sent off 10 minutes into the second half, became their latest victims but Italy’s failure to press home their one-man advantage ensured Robert Page’s side will qualify from Group A in second place, teeing up a last-16 date in Amsterdam on Saturday. Italy’s supporters enjoyed themselves and by the end there was a carnival atmosphere as a Mexican wave made its way around this cavernous stadium. It was an outcome that suited both teams, even if Ampadu’s red card will rankle. Continue reading...

Families and friends share memories of three men killed in Forbury Gardens last JuneFamily and friends of the three men killed in a terror attack in Reading have told of their heartache at a memorial service.James Furlong, a 36-year-old history teacher, Dr David Wails, a 49-year-old scientist, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, were murdered in Forbury Gardens on 20 June last year. Continue reading...

Complaint to Human Rights Commission alleges the AEC discriminates against people in remote Indigenous communities by making enrolment difficultTwo Indigenous men from Arnhem Land have lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, alleging the Australian Electoral Commission has suppressed votes through indirect discrimination – including strict rules about how people enrol to vote.Matthew Ryan, the mayor of West Arnhem Regional Council, and Ross Mandi, the chairman of Yalu Aboriginal Corporation in Galiwinku, made the complaint last week alleging that the requirement for people to have a street number and postal address to be listed on the electoral role is discriminatory. Continue reading...

The reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race is an international sensation with multiple Emmy awards and spin-offs around the world. Australia’s first season – RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under – has been marred by controversies around race and a lack of diversity, but it also saw the debut of the show’s first Aboriginal drag queen: Biripi and Worimi queen JoJo Zaho.

The hardliner president-elect has caused alarm in some countries, though Iran and the US say agreement can still be foundWorld powers attempting to revive the Iran nuclear deal have warned of complications on the path to an agreement as they met for the first time since the election as Iranian president of Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline conservative cleric deeply antagonistic towards the west.Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said the arrow was pointing in the right direction, but he refused to say if sanctions imposed on Raisi by the Trump administration would be lifted. The German government’s human rights commissioner, Bärbel Kofler, said it was concerning that Raisi had not distanced himself clearly from human rights abuses. A European diplomat meanwhile warned the talks could not be open-ended, hinting strongly they needed a deal before Raisi took power in early August. Continue reading...

Legitimacy concerns will haunt the new president, Ebrahim Raisi, after non-voters outnumbered voters for the first timeThe first thing you need to know about Iran’s recent elections is that while they produced a new president, there are no real winners. “Engineered” – yes, an actual term in usage in Iran – to pave the way for an ayatollah-approved leadership succession, the polls have achieved what has long eluded the Islamic Republic’s foes: effective regime change in Tehran. Only, with hardliners now firmly in charge, it is not the type of change that many in the west had sought.Reaching his twilight years, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been looking for a successor. To the 82-year-old head of state, the ideal successor is a pliant loyalist who could emulate his own journey from the presidency to the top position in the land. On paper, this is precisely what is unfolding. However, as always, the devil is in the detail. Continue reading...

UK-based Petrofac accused of making payments over more than 15 years to secure contractsA multinational oil firm which was led by a major Conservative donor has been under investigation for allegedly paying million-pound bribes to secure contracts in nine countries.The anti-corruption agency the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been examining allegedly suspicious payments made by the UK-based firm Petrofac. Continue reading...

The rapper has worked with Kanye and Madonna and blazed a trail for black queer pop. Their new mini album, they say, feels like the start of a new chapter…Mykki Blanco has just moved to Hollywood, and five minutes into our conversation, the 35-year old rapper’s beloved mother calls. “She needs to chill out. Like, I don’t work?” laughs Blanco. “She’s helping me pick out furniture and she’s gone crazy about the whole thing.” There is something pure about one of hip-hop’s most experimental figures having their mother help them decorate. The non-binary musician (who uses the pronouns they/them) has been living outside the US for the past five years, residing mostly in Europe: London and Portugal’s countryside. They also lived in Paris during the city’s second lockdown in late 2020 – an experience Blanco describes as “emotionally distressing”. But now, back living near family and friends, Blanco’s spirits seem high. Their new mini album, Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep, an electric collection of love songs featuring Blood Orange and Jamila Woods, is a fresh beginning. For starters, it’s the first time they have had a record deal.That may come as a surprise considering Blanco has not only worked with Kanye West, Charli XCX and Madonna, but was also a founding member of “queer rap”, a sub-genre of hip-hop that allowed LGBTQ+ people to express themselves freely. Tattooed and 6ft 2in tall, Blanco has long played with drag and gender presentation, whether donning waist-length braids and a pink corset or a shirt and a shaved head; rapping bluntly over trippy synths, their hyperactive lyrics address sexuality, partying and bravado from a queer perspective. In 2012 Elle magazine declared them “hip-hop’s new queen”, and in the New York Times Michael Schulman enthused about their “glamazon alter ego… a redoubtable presence on the New York downtown art and cabaret scene”. They self-released their 2016 debut album, Mykki, to critical acclaim: it was described by the Observer’s Kitty Empire as “one of the year’s most riveting musical self‑portraits”. Continue reading...

The prime minister is expected to pardon those convicted over 2017’s attempted secession this weekSpain’s Socialist-led coalition government is expected this week to approve its hugely controversial pardons for the 12 Catalan independence leaders convicted two years ago over their roles in the illegal, failed attempt to secede from the rest of the country in October 2017.The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said the pardons, which could be signed off by the cabinet on Tuesday, are needed to restore social and political coexistence and to help Spanish society “move from a bad past to a better future”. Continue reading...

Promise to donate 100m doses highlights questions about Canada’s seriousness in helping poorer countries vaccinateCanada has secured enough potential coronavirus vaccines to fully protect every resident nearly seven times over, even as a global shortage has forced poorer nations to wait.After initial hiccups with its vaccination plan, more than 65% of Canadians have now received at least one dose, edging ahead of early leaders Israel and the UK, and on Friday, Justin Trudeau said 68m doses will have arrived in Canada by the end of July. Continue reading...

Sunday’s poll could help far right step further towards political mainstream ahead of 2022 presidential electionsFrance is voting in the first round of regional elections that could see Marine Le Pen‘s far-right party make gains and step further into the political mainstream.In Sunday’s election, new assemblies will be elected for mainland France’s 13 regions and 96 departments, with Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) tipped to win at least one region for the first time in what would be a major coup. Continue reading...

Claims of rightwing candidate, trailing Pedro Castillo in the polls, emboldens far right, who have vowed not to accept resultThe prospect of the son of illiterate Andean peasants becoming president as his rival cries fraud has shaken Peru’s entrenched class system and its fragile democracy, letting loose a torrent of racism in the bicentennial year of the country’s independence.With 100% of the official vote counted, leftist Pedro Castillo had 50.12% – and advantage of about 44,000 votes over his far-right rival Keiko Fujimori. But Fujimori has claimed fraud, challenging about 500,000 votes, calling for half to be annulled, and obliging officials at Peru’s electoral board to reexamine ballots – despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing. Continue reading...

This summer is officially sexy – and the hottest look for men is short shorts. But are we ready for this much male flesh?In April the US actor Milo Ventimiglia, star of This Is Us, was photographed leaving the gym in a sleeveless vest and a pair of shorts so short you could barely tell they were there: two thumb-sized rims of black material gave way to legs so round and meaty they could be shoved in the oven for three hours at 180C.It was one innocuous paparazzi photo that broke a dam of desire. The image was reshared on social media tens of thousands of times, users claiming: “Every thought in my head has been replaced with these images.” Continue reading...

NSW reveals three new cases on Sunday, plus one flagged by authorities on Saturday, as Queensland records one local case

The work highlights the plaques and art that celebrate a neglected side of the capital’s cultureShe’s 10ft tall, barefoot, with a simple wrap dress stretching across her breasts and belly. She holds aloft an infant, gazing into its eyes. This is Bronze Woman, a statue on a busy traffic junction in Stockwell, south London. Unveiled in 2008, it was then the first public statue of a black woman on permanent display in England.“I used to pass by but never knew what it was for many years. One day I found myself in front of it and I was truly blown away,” said Avril Nanton, who runs walking tours of London’s black history. Continue reading...

Thai region hopes jabs and ‘sandbox’ scheme will allow tourists to return and rejuvenate economy

The Egyptian birds are one of a number of foreign visitors, but why have these continental drifters fled north?Boats have been chartered. Weekend arrangements cancelled. And hundreds of twitchers – whose aim is to see very rare birds in Britain – have been praying the latest arrival stays long enough for them to see it in the flesh.The bird in question is an Egyptian vulture. This is the smallest member of its family in Europe, yet still sports a 1.7-metre wingspan, not much smaller than a golden eagle. The reason for all the excitement is because this is only the third Egyptian vulture ever seen in the wild in Britain; and, incredibly, the first since 1868. That one, found in Essex, was shot by a farm worker who saw “a strange bird” amongst some geese. Continue reading...

Nine other people were injured when the Antwerp school, which was still under construction, collapsedFive building workers have been confirmed dead after a school construction site partially collapsed in the Belgian city of Antwerp.The last two bodies were pulled out the rubble on Saturday afternoon, Antwerp’s fire department said, meaning that all the missing victims were now accounted for. Continue reading...

How often you have sex is not what counts, what really matters is the attention that you pay to each otherThe question I have been with my husband for 10 years. We have two children and are very happy and enjoy being together. But one area does bother me: our sex life has dwindled, particularly since we had children. We used to have sex daily and it was great. But, as time went on and our children arrived, I find that we’re just too tired to have sex as often.Our first child was born prematurely and spent time in neonatal intensive care. We both found that difficult and I think that I am still traumatised by it. My husband says it’s the past and that we should not dwell on that trauma. He’s right, but I can’t seem to help it. Continue reading...

We all had our ways to cope with isolation. For me, it was music from Evita, Hamilton, and more. Now as UK venues reopen, a flood of diverse, fresh shows and revivals are due on stage and screenHamilton was the perfect peppy soundtrack to a gloomy mid-February weekend spent painting the hall, Evita injected drama into wet Tuesdays, Jesus Christ Superstar became a balm in anxious times, and walks around wintry Hackney marshes were spent with Willy Russell’s ill-fated Blood Brothers.In a discombobulating, locked-down year when, if you were very lucky, days melded into one, musical soundtracks conjured harmonious, air-punching highs and fictional, finite lows. They felt cathartic and comforting. Continue reading...

Planning an interstate trip during the school holidays or a weekend away? Check our state-by-state guide to travel restrictions in place before you leave home

The US donation has more than doubled Taiwan’s available vaccine stocks as it battles a rise in coronavirus infections

Elections this week could give PM even greater power, despite a regional conflict and a ‘man-made’ humanitarian crisisTens of millions of Ethiopians are expected to vote on Monday in crucial elections that could provide a launchpad for controversial prime minister Abiy Ahmed to consolidate his increasingly authoritarian rule.Abiy, who won the Nobel peace prize two years ago after concluding a peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, will face voters at the ballot box for the first time in Africa’s second most populous nation. Continue reading...

Infection in team that had been fully vaccinated is first Covid-19 case detected among athletes visiting for next month’s Games

Man arrested after body of former US marine is discovered in woods near Nizhny NovgorodRussian investigators have detained a man on suspicion of murder after finding the body of a foreign woman identified by media as a missing American student.Russian news agencies identified the woman as 34-year-old US citizen Catherine Serou. Continue reading...

Authorities accuse partygoers of throwing Molotov cocktails, metal balls and bits of breeze blocks at officers, who fired teargas to break up partyFrench police clashed for hours with partygoers at a 1,500-strong illegal rave over the weekend, with one partygoer losing a hand and five officers injured.Local official Emmanuel Berthier said partygoers threw “Molotov cocktails, metal balls and bits of breeze blocks” at officers during “very violent clashes” in western France. Continue reading...

Former Speaker says party has become reactionary and xenophobic under its current leadership• The blue wall: what next for the Tories after shock defeat?John Bercow, the former Tory MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, has delivered an extraordinary broadside against Boris Johnson and the Conservative party as he announces he has switched his political allegiance to Labour.In an explosive interview with the Observer, Bercow says he regards today’s Conservative party as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”. Continue reading...

Additional 2,301 fatalities push Brazil across grim milestone; US says 317,117,797 Covid vaccines have been administered

At the final whistle Poland’s players headed towards the stands and celebrated renewed opportunity while Spain departed to whistles, wondering how they had failed to win again and why this keeps happening to them. Even Álvaro Morata scoring the opening goal he so badly needed was not enough, a tense evening instead finishing with a draw that leaves la selección edgy and this group wide open. Robert Lewandowski scoring a second-half equaliser, Gerard Moreno hitting a penalty against the post and Wojciech Szczesny making a desperate late save summed it all up. That was how close it had been, how close it is in Group E.After all the whistles and criticisms, the finger of blame pointing his way, Morata gave Spain the lead here, but his redemption would remain incomplete because while he scored one, he didn’t score two, three, or more when he might have done. No one else did either, nerves frayed as Spain again discovered there was no way through and Poland resisted the late pressure to take these two teams, Slovakia and Sweden into next Wednesday when anything can happen. Continue reading...

A masterful header from Robert Lewandowski kept Poland in the tournament after Alvaro Morata had given Spain the lead in Seville9.55pm BSTRobert Lewandowski’s masterful header has kept Poland in the tournament. They deserved a point against a Spain side who again flattered to deceive and looked a bit rudderless. Alvaro Morata had given them the lead, and Gerard Moreno hit the post with a penalty straight after Lewandowski’s goal, but that aside they struggled to create clear chances. If they don’t beat Slovakia on Wednesday, they could go out at the group stage.9.53pm BSTPeep peep! Continue reading...

Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals cereals spiked by 40% in March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 outbreakWhen the panic set in at the start of the pandemic, Australians rushed out and bought a whole lot of carbs, new food sales data reveals.Sales of cereals – which include pasta, rice and flour – spiked by 40% in March 2020 compared with the month prior as people stocked up for the first of the Covid-19 lockdowns, the figures show. Continue reading...

Teachers say plans by Australian universities to boost in-person classes while keeping online options will greatly increase their workloadStaff at Australian universities say plans to “ramp up” in-person learning next semester while continuing to offer the majority of online classes means they will do twice the amount of work for the same pay.While staff and students have both welcomed the gradual return to face-to-face classes, teachers say that job cuts and pay cuts, combined with new demands for online classes, are “not sustainable”. Continue reading...

A European court judgment this week could reverse laws that protect the vulnerable and abusedA case to be heard in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg this week could have disastrous consequences for those campaigning to eradicate prostitution.The hearing is the first step in determining whether France’s laws on prostitution – which criminalise paying for sex – are constitutional, or whether they contravene the human rights of self-titled “sex workers”. Continue reading...

As much as 20mm of rain could fall in an hour, with 12 flood alerts in place across EnglandThere is more heavy rain on the way, the Met Office has warned – bringing with it a risk of flash flooding in some areas.The weekend has proved to be a washout so far, with England and Scotland fans watching Friday night’s game on screens in Leicester Square, London getting a soaking. Continue reading...

US bishops vote to stop pro-choice Catholics receiving eucharistRoman Catholic bishops in the US have voted to press ahead with moves that could result in Joe Biden being banned from receiving communion because of his stance on abortion, and that risks increasing tensions in a divided church.After three days of online debate, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted by three to one to draft new guidance on the eucharist. The unexpected strength of support for the move among the bishops was a rebuff to the Vatican, which had signalled its opposition. Continue reading...

Pope Francis gives ‘venerable’ status to post-war French statesman and supporter of European unityRobert Schuman, a French statesman who was an early advocate for the bloc that evolved into the European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic church’s path toward possible sainthood.The Vatican said Pope Francis on Saturday approved a decree declaring the “heroic virtues″ of Schuman, a former prime minister and finance minister after the second world war. In 1950, as foreign minister, he developed a plan to promote European economic unity in hopes of furthering peace. Continue reading...

Once they were only seen as breadwinners and disciplinarians. A leading anthropologist highlights 10 ways in which the role of fathers has been transformedThe role of dads in the UK has changed beyond all recognition in the past 50 years. Today, fathers no longer want to be limited to the role of family breadwinner and disciplinarian; they want to be true co-parents, providing nurture and care to their children. This change is due in part to the rise of two-earner households, reductions in hospital-based post-birth care and an absence of geographically close extended family, requiring dad to step in. But as we in the research community have learned more about who dad is biologically and psychologically, and the unique role he plays in the family, fathers have felt empowered to get involved, safe in the knowledge that they are as important to their kids and family as mum is. Continue reading...