Airlines may have broken law by refusing refunds for flights customers could not legally take

Prosecution opens case against teenager accused of murdering Nicole Smallman and Bibaa HenryTwo sisters were killed in a “frenzied and relentless” attack last year before their bodies were concealed in park undergrowth, the trial of a teenager accused of their murders has been told.Opening the case against Danyal Hussein, 19, a prosecutor said Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were killed in north-west London on a night that was meant to be a celebration of Henry’s birthday. Continue reading...

Creditors started proceedings to put Simec into receivership in fresh blow to embattled CEO Sanjeev GuptaSanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance has started legal action in the British Virgin Islands to prevent creditors taking over a subsidiary, in the latest sign of the metals tycoon’s mounting difficulties.Gupta has been battling on multiple fronts to preserve his commodities and energy empire since March after the collapse of his major financial backer, Greensill Capital. The collapse has put severe pressure on parts of GFG, including Liberty Steel metalworks that employ thousands of people in the UK and Australia. Continue reading...

BBC correspondent says palace source claims Sussexes did not ask for permission to use name for daughterBuckingham Palace has become embroiled in a row over whether the Queen was consulted over the naming of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter.Harry and Meghan’s decision to name their second child Lilibet, a childhood nickname of the Queen, was seen as an attempt by the couple to try to mend their rift with the royal family. Continue reading...

Chancellor seeks carve-out for financial services in ‘historic’ global corporation tax agreementBritain will seek to exclude the City of London’s financial services companies from a global tax overhaul targeting the world’s most profitable businesses agreed between G7 finance ministers last weekend.The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is concerned that under a version of the plan put forward by the US president – which involves redistributing the profits of the world’s 100 largest businesses – digital businesses such as Google, Amazon and Facebook will be joined by banks that he says already pay a fair share of tax. Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian posts photo showing her back and a hand holding a sugar-free Coke ahead of State of Origin clashA bizarre photo of the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has become the latest in a long line of images of Australian politicians watching television in baffling and unnerving ways.Posted on Wednesday to drum up support for New South Wales in its upcoming clash with Queensland in the State of Origin rugby league, the premier’s photo was instead widely mocked for its bizarre composition and strange elements. Continue reading...

From friendly Antarctic penguins to the rainbow plumage of a Colombian hummingbird, our readers on their favourite images – and the lengths they went to to capture them.I took this photo at the end of January in Balloch, Scotland. I have always wanted to take a picture of a male mandarin duck. It is the bird that made me want to start taking photographs. They are beautiful, with so many stunning colours. At the end of January, I had heard via Facebook that there was a pair of them up the road from me. I got up early and drove to Balloch. I had all but given up hope, when all of a sudden I saw the bright orange tail feathers of the duck in between some bushes on the river’s edge. I had to lean on a tree that was in the water to take the pictures. I then fell into the water and tore my trousers, but it was worth it. Paul Fraser, 36, freshwater biologist, Callander, Scotland Continue reading...

Previous first-place holder Vienna fell out of the top 10 as cities in New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best in rankings

Public health expert says policymakers between rock and hard place over allowing fans to congregate

Clearly inspired by Mad Men, Marvel’s stunning Disney+ series kicks off as the god of mischief finds new, glorious purpose and Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius enters the fray

Health authorities say the woman left Melbourne on 1 June and travelled to the Sunshine Coast via NSW

Rules designed to prevent a border on the island of Ireland have tarnished UK-EU relations and raised the prospect of a trade warJust six months into Brexit and relations between Brussels and London have hit a new low with veiled threats of trade wars from the EU if the UK does not comply with an agreement Boris Johnson signed over Northern Ireland almost 18 months ago.What is the row about? Continue reading...

Female genital mutilation has revived under Covid but activists are pushing hard to save girls at riskIt was when the phone started ringing with calls from worried mothers in Somalia that Ifrah Ahmed knew she was making an impact. The women told her their daughters had been bleeding for hours after undergoing female genital mutilation and asked what to do. Ahmed told them to seek medical attention, and probably saved lives by doing so.The mothers called because they had heard the story of a 10-year-old girl who had bled to death after being cut in central Galmudug state in July 2018. It was the first confirmed death in years in a country where any complications arising from FGM are generally denied and it gained worldwide attention. The death was first revealed by a local activist who had been trained by Ahmed’s foundation in how to use the media to publicise her work. Continue reading...

UK considering unilaterally extending grace periods under Northern Ireland protocolThe row between the UK and the EU over checks on sausages and other chilled foods sent from Britain to Northern Ireland has deepened, with the Brexit minister telling Brussels that trade war threats will not wash with voters.As a major meeting on Wednesday approached, David Frost said: “Further threats of legal action and trade retaliation from the EU won’t make life any easier for the shopper in Strabane who can’t buy their favourite product. Nor will it benefit the small business in Ballymena struggling to source produce from their supplier in Birmingham.” Continue reading...

Senegalese feature from 1968 tells story of a simple family man whose life is turned upside down by the money he receives from a nephew in FranceOusmane Sembène, the “father of African cinema”, tells a tale of Jonsonian bleakness about human nature with his 1968 film Mandabi, or The Money Order, adapted from his own novella and now on rerelease. As with much of the rest of his work, and especially his earlier film Le Noire De… (1966), it is about colonialism and Africa’s relationship with France, though a 21st-century audience might specifically read it as a parable of globalisation, and what happens when a poor country exiles its cheap labour to wealthy countries in the expectation of money getting sent home.Makhourédia Guèye plays Ibrahim: a lazy, conceited man with two wives, Méty (Ynousse N’Diaye) and Aram (Isseu Niang) and seven children in a village outside Dakar, Senegal. The first time we see him, Ibrahim is being shaved by a barber, and getting his gruesome nose hairs trimmed. Later he eats greedily to the point of indigestion and settles down for a nap instead of going to the mosque for prayers; he is always burping, coughing, grimacing, and upon being massaged, appears horribly to break wind. Continue reading...

Fifty-eight people have died in six weeks of unrest, but demonstrators say they are more determined than ever to fight for changeProtests in Colombia that began in late April over a proposed tax hike have morphed into a generational outcry over the country’s deep-rooted inequalities.Related: ‘They can’t take it any more’: pandemic and poverty brew violent storm in Colombia Continue reading...

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson says hospitals are reporting much lower mortality rates

Melbourne to come out of lockdown on Friday but travel to regional Victoria likely to be barred; Pfizer vaccine recommended during pregnancy. Follow updates live

Prince Charles has spoken about the birth of his new granddaughter, Lilibet, describing it as 'such happy news'. During a visit to the BMW Mini car factory in Oxford, the prince gave a speech about innovation and sustainability in the car industry and made a reference to being a grandfather for the fifth time. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child was born on Sunday 6 June

A thick layer of organic matter known as marine mucilage has spread in the Sea of Marmara, covering harbours, shorelines and swathes of the surface south of Istanbul. Some of the ‘sea snot’ has sunk below the waves, suffocating seabed life Continue reading...

Ethical streetwear co-operative Top Manta says profits will help migrant vendors ‘become legal and work for a decent wage’After years of selling cheap copies of designer shoes and handbags, Barcelona’s street vendors have set up a co-operative and launched a line of trainers under the brand name Top Manta.Unlike an earlier attempt to establish a brand in 2017 by sticking a logo on shoes imported from China, the trainers are made in Alicante in Spain and Porto in Portugal. Continue reading...

English Heritage’s six portraits range from a Roman emperor to Queen Victoria’s goddaughterSix paintings that tell fascinating, not widely known stories of people from the African diaspora in England’s history, including the Roman emperor who strengthened Hadrian’s Wall and Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, have been unveiled by English Heritage.The heritage body commissioned six artists to paint portraits, putting them on display at forts, abbeys, historic houses and barracks where they have an association. Continue reading...

Belgium’s prime minister among signatories to open letter backing global right to safe abortions and reopening of clinics closed in pandemicGovernment ministers from five European countries, including Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander de Croo, are among 29 politicians, healthcare and women’s rights activists who have signed an open letter calling for the removal of all legal barriers to abortion.The letter, signed by gender and equality ministers from France, Canada and Norway, and international development ministers from Sweden and the Netherlands, states that women’s right to safe, legal abortion is being eroded by misinformation and attacks on services. It calls for the reopening of abortion clinics closed during the pandemic. Continue reading...

They were a tabloid dream, the super-cool fly girl and the eyeliner-wearing Caped Crusader. Now, 17 years on, Ben and Jen are together again. But what do the ultimate 00s couple mean to the TikTok age?Brangelina. Kimye. Tomkat. Gyllenspoon. Each pairing is yet another note in the long, sad dirge of failed Hollywood romances. Blending famous monikers has been a showbiz tradition for decades, even if most of these fusions fizzle out quicker than you can say “Vaughniston” (you remember: Vince Vaughn dated Jennifer Aniston for about a minute after her breakup with Brad Pitt). But back in the early 2000s, there was one couple whose tumultuous affair and melded nickname towered above the rest, all but consuming the tabloid press for three whole years, until their abrupt, dramatic breakup just days before their planned wedding. And now, 17 years later, in a plot twist worthy of a Nancy Meyers romcom, those same not-so-young-any-more lovers have shocked the world and delighted the media by getting back together.That’s right: like the cicadas, Bennifer has risen anew. The details of the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez reunion are still a bit sketchy. There was a New York Post item in April reporting that the two had been observed entering the restaurant at the Pendry hotel in West Hollywood with “arms wrapped around each other”. A few days later, Affleck was spotted making an early-morning departure from Lopez’s LA home (“with a smirk” on his face, the Page Six article noted). A month after that, multiple outlets broke the news that the couple had spent a weekend at a resort in Montana. Then celebrity mag Us Weekly made it semi-official with a quote from an anonymous source: “Jen and Ben are both very happy with each [other] and excited to see where the relationship goes.” Continue reading...

By combining the names of the Queen and the Princess of Wales, Harry and Meghan have highlighted two very different approaches to the monarchy. But which will define the future?The joyful delivery of a baby girl to Prince Harry and Meghan is lovely news. But it has been lost, ever so slightly, in the couple’s naming choice: Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.I don’t think they had any say in the surname, so let’s stick with the forenames. Lilibet is, of course, the Queen’s nickname; not, as you might suppose, a contraction of Elizabeth that only posh people use, but rather what she called herself when she was too young to pronounce her own name. Only George VI, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Prince Philip used it. “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy,” the king was quoted as saying, evidently having not caught up with the parenting manual that says you are really supposed to keep the identity of your favourite child to yourself. When Prince Philip died, the nickname died with him. Continue reading...

James Merlino announces easing of restrictions from Friday, but Melburnians must stay within 25km of their home

Kim looks noticeably slimmer in his first public appearance for a month, highlighting possible health issues over weight and lifestyleThe North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has prompted more speculation about his health after recent photographs suggested he had lost weight.Kim, whose heavy frame has drawn global interest since he became the country’s leader almost a decade ago, looked noticeably trimmer in images released by state media on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. Continue reading...

Government urged to act amid fears that lives of people who have worked with armed forces are at riskThe German government is under pressure to accelerate the process by which hundreds of Afghans who worked for the military are able to resettle in Germany amid fears for their lives if they stay in their home country.High-ranking representatives from the military, politics, development aid and the diplomatic corps have joined an appeal to the German government stressing the urgency of acting ahead of the withdrawal of international troops next month. Continue reading...

The UK last hosted the G7 in 2013 but progress on David Cameron’s grand plans has been woefulThe last time the UK chaired a summit of the G7, or the G8 as it was in 2013, David Cameron was in an ebullient mood as he held a closing press conference in glorious late afternoon sunshine by Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. He sensed he had pulled off a diplomatic triumph by putting a new subject at the forefront of world leaders’ agenda: the global fight against corruption.“These are really strong commitments that have never been written down in this sort of way and then signed,” Cameron said. “These are words on a page that the G8 is going to be judged on year after year after year.” Continue reading...

The island’s Indigenous people are in a race against time to save their native tongues before they are lost foreverIn a modest conference room near the edge of Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake, Panu Kapamumu holds up an unwieldy A3 booklet. The home-printed document contains every known word of Thao, the language of his Indigenous tribe. Kapamumu runs his finger down the list, reading out a selection of Thao words, meanings and translations. He reads slowly and purposefully, a man in his sixties but still just a student of his mother tongue. Continue reading...

Comprising more than 200 colour photographs, Porch Diaries is a series by Melbourne-based photographer Alana Holmberg featuring portraits of neighbours, strangers, workers and loved ones who passed by her Brunswick home during the 2020 pandemic lockdown months in Melbourne. With the recent spike in cases, Melbourne was back in lockdown and Holmberg was back on the porch30 March 2020Some days I feel like a creep. My spot up here on the porch, partially obscured behind the lemon tree, kept vertical by a stake, and the row of spindly roses. Twice this morning my presence went undetected. A metre or so above the path, I sit on a worn-out couch with a worn-out laptop, my eyes flicking from screen to street and down to screen again. Who else will pass by today? Mara, my housemate’s dog, takes her usual position to my right, propped up on my thigh. We watch and we wait. Continue reading...

More than 40 government-funded charities write to PM to call for lifting of ‘arbitrary’ 30 June cut-off dateMore than 40 government-funded charities have written to Boris Johnson urging him to lift the 30 June deadline for EU citizens to apply to retain their rights to remain in the UK following Brexit.The charities are all funded by the Home Office to provide support to vulnerable EU citizens including children and elderly people in care, victims of domestic abuse and trafficking, Roma communities and homeless people. Continue reading...

Research shows PornHub has bigger audience than BBC News – and people increasingly live lives onlineHalf the adult population of the UK watched online pornography during the pandemic, according to a projection by Ofcom which lays bare the activities of the 26 million individuals who view adult material.By far the most popular pornography site was PornHub, which was visited by 50% of all males and 16% of all females in the UK in September 2020 – giving the site a far larger audience than mainstream television channels such as Sky One, ITV4 and BBC News. Continue reading...

Cruise operator says Scottish government rules preventing stay at Greenock; Euro 2020 fans must have vaccine passport or test for Wembley games

Sara Rogel was charged with violating El Salvador’s extreme ban on ending pregnanciesA Salvadoran woman has been released from prison after serving nearly a third of her 30-year sentence on charges of terminating her pregnancy and violating El Salvador’s harsh abortion ban.Sara Rogel was arrested in October 2012 after going to a hospital with bleeding injuries caused by what she said was a fall while carrying out chores at home. Then a 22-year-old student, Rogel was prosecuted and sentenced for killing her unborn daughter. Continue reading...

Annual Russian pilgrimage in honour of icon of St Nicholas discovered, as legend has it, in the 14th century

Wednesday: PM to address climate commitments and China tensions in key foreign policy speech ahead of G7 summit. Plus: finding fossils along Australia’s dinosaur trailGood morning! Did you have trouble accessing websites last night? We’ve got all the info on what caused the outages across the globe and what it means for internet security, plus plenty more – including dinosaurs – in today’s morning mail.Scott Morrison is resisting international pressure to lock in more ambitious climate commitments, declaring Australia opposes setting targets for certain parts of the economy or “false deadlines for phasing out specific energy sources”. Before he sets off for the G7 summit in the UK later this week, the prime minister will use a foreign policy speech in Perth today to say that “ambition alone won’t solve the problem of actually reducing emissions”. Morrison is also expected to address tensions with China, saying Australia is “far from isolated” despite Beijing rolling out a series of trade actions against Australian export sectors over the past year. Continue reading...

The Kiribati island survived droughts due to sacred caves that captured rainfall but rampant phosphate extraction ruined this precious resource

Friend of 15-month-old’s family reveals details of Channel smuggling trade that led to their deathsThe authorities in Norway did not have much to go on when they found the body on the shore on New Year’s Day. But the baby boy was wearing a jacket – navy blue with white stitching.And that helped them solve the mystery of what had happened to 15-month-old Artin Iran Nezhad, who had last been seen weeks before and hundreds of miles away. Continue reading...

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Making it even harder to claim asylum will do nothing to prevent tragedies such as the drowning of a babyThe identification of the body of Artin Iran Nezhad in Norway brings a tragic migration story to an end. Artin, aged 15 months when his Iranian Kurdish parents tried to cross the Channel in a small boat, was reported missing when the vessel sank near Dunkirk last October and the rest of the family died. Since New Year’s Day, when a baby’s remains were found near Karmøy, forensic scientists have worked to identify them. This week it was announced that Artin’s body will be flown back to relatives in Iran for burial.Like the photograph of Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body being lifted from the sea by a police officer in Turkey six years ago, the tale of a dead baby lost for months at sea is filled with pathos. What more graphic illustration could there be of the extreme risks taken by desperate migrants than the loss of the tiny children they would doubtless have done everything in their power to protect? Continue reading...

Analysis: upholding of genocide conviction for 1995 atrocities is a victorious end to a process few thought would succeedWhen Ratko Mladić’s life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity was confirmed, marking the end of the road for the Bosnian Serb general 10 years after his capture, Munira Subašić, was in The Hague courtroom to watch.In July 1995, Subašić was outside a UN compound, a disused battery factory near Srebrenica, appealing for protection from Dutch peacekeepers along with thousands of other terrified Bosnian Muslims. Continue reading...

The coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne has spread to aged care, with multiple cases linked to one facility: Arcare in Maidstone. For young carer Ai-Lin, whose 86-year-old grandmother Ann lives at the facility, this outbreak raises serious questions about Australia’s aged care system and the federal government’s vaccination rollout.Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to Ai-Lin about her experience as a young carer living through the pandemicYou can also read: Continue reading...

Simon Hawxwell, formerly of Hampshire constabulary, also guilty of waving scissors in colleague’s faceA highly experienced former police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after he choked a new female colleague, brandished scissors in her face and aimed highly sexualised insults at her.PC Simon Hawxwell, who served in Hampshire constabulary for 18 years, left his young co-worker “fearful she would be sliced” when he held scissors to her cheek in the office. Continue reading...

Scrutiny of government procedures after ‘not-for-profit’ PPE contract led to ‘€20m enrichment’

Slow Covid-19 vaccine progress in low-income countries will widen divisions between rich and poor nations

Latest updates: mayor calls for rollout to be speeded up as latest figures show 60% weekly increase in new cases

The time you wake up every morning is baked into your DNA – and it could have an impact on your mood and wellbeingName: The lark advantage.Age: Suspected for years, but recently ratified. Continue reading...