Northumbria force and RSPCA baffled as to the motive behind three incidents in the last two weeksPolice in Sunderland are looking for a person who has been stealing new-born lambs and leaving them in suburban gardens.Residents have emerged from their homes three times in the last fortnight to find a lamb abandoned on their lawn after being taken from its mother in the night. Continue reading...
Move follows forced landing of Ryanair flight and detention of Raman Pratasevich last monthThe EU has banned Belarusian carriers from its airspace and airports over the forced landing of Ryanair flight FR4978 and arrest of the opposition activist and journalist Raman Pratasevich.EU ambassadors agreed during a meeting on Friday to require member states to deny the country’s carriers landing and taking off rights and forbid them from overflying the territory of the 27 member states from Saturday. Continue reading...
The privacy breach is the latest controversy to embroil the scheme and came as the minister defended a leaked communications plan related to independent assessmentsThe national disability insurance scheme minister, Linda Reynolds, has apologised after the agency that runs the scheme accidentally gave a woman’s private details to her abusive ex-partner.The privacy breach occurred when her son’s NDIS plan – including the family’s location, school and names of some professionals working with the son – was sent to his father, who was released from jail last year, the Herald Sun reported. Continue reading...
Last year the Canadian musician scored a global hit with Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head) – now he’s finally ready to meet his fansFor the lockdown superstar, omnipresent fame feels very much like obscurity used to. “I’ve been waiting a long time to go play with the fans,” says Powfu – AKA 22-year-old, Canadian lo-fi rapper Isaiah Faber – gazing around at the same four walls he was staring at before his breakthrough track Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head) unexpectedly racked up 360m YouTube streams, 4bn TikTok plays in March 2020 alone, and major chart placings worldwide at the very start of the pandemic. “But it’s made it a bit easier because it wasn’t like everything hit me at once. It’s not full-level yet.”Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading...
A senior official in the prime minister’s department recommends a serious incident team be set up following Brittany Higgins’ allegationParliamentary staff in Canberra need a new independent complaints mechanism to deal with incidents of alleged sexual assault and harassment along with serious bullying, a review has found.The Foster report, released on Friday, found a so-called serious incident team should be developed to deal with sexual assault such as that alleged by Brittany Higgins who claims she was raped in a minister’s office by a colleague in 2019. Continue reading...
More than 600 people are to be compensated for false campaign that tried to blame victims for disasterSouth Yorkshire and West Midlands police have agreed a settlement with more than 600 people to compensate them for the false police campaign aimed at avoiding responsibility for the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and blame the victims instead, which bereaved families have always said was a cover-up.The forces will pay compensation to families whose relatives were among the 96 men, women and children unlawfully killed at Hillsborough, and to survivors of the disaster, for additional trauma and psychiatric damage caused by the police campaign. Continue reading...
President rules out overhaul amid Covid crisis and again refuses to say if he will stand for re-electionEmmanuel Macron has said his controversial pension changes, the biggest single revamp of the French system since 1945, will not go ahead as planned as he again refused to say whether he would run for another five-year presidential term.“I do not think the reform as it was originally envisaged can go ahead as such” in the wake of the Covid crisis, the French president told reporters following him on a nationwide tour on Thursday in the run-up to regional elections this month. Continue reading...
Right now there is the same type of hope that was in the ether in 2000. But reconciliation must be more than a week - or a wordThis year Australia’s National Reconciliation Week went with the theme: More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.Yes, the need for meaningful action is urgent and hard to fault. Continue reading...
The 10th edition of the Carmignac photojournalism award was dedicated to the Amazon and the issues related to its deforestation. Photojournalist Tommaso Protti, accompanied by journalist Sam Cowie, travelled thousands of miles across the Brazilian Amazon. From the eastern region of Maranhão to the western region of Rondônia, through the states of Pará and Amazonas, they portrayed modern-day life in the Brazilian Amazon, where social and humanitarian crises overlap with destruction of the rainforest.
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan on (#5JMZP)
‘Authoritarian’ rules upset sleepy Lakshadweep’s Muslim majority while Covid cases soar from zero to 10% of populationAccording to local people, the problems for Lakshadweep, an archipelago of paradise islands in southern India, began the day the new government-appointed administrator, Praful Khoda Patel, landed on a charter flight.The Lakshadweep islands, an Indian union territory off the coast of Kerala, have a population of just 64,000 and are renowned for their crystal-blue waters, white sands and relatively untouched way of life. They had, up to that point, also remained completely unaffected by the pandemic, due to strict controls on movement and enforced quarantine. Continue reading...
by Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspon on (#5JMXJ)
Embassy in Canberra silent in response to requests to disclose whereabouts of Osama al-HasaniAustralia’s foreign affairs minister has contacted her Saudi Arabian counterpart to raise the plight of a dual national extradited from Morocco amid mounting concerns about his detention.The Saudi Arabian embassy in Canberra remains silent in response to requests to disclose the whereabouts of Osama al-Hasani, 42, even after human rights advocates raised fears for his welfare. Continue reading...
Paramount Pictures pauses filming after a routine test confirms positive Covid case on setParamount Pictures has temporarily shut down production on the British set of Tom Cruise’s seventh Mission: Impossible film after someone tested positive for coronavirus.“We have temporarily halted production on Mission: Impossible 7 until June 14th, due to positive coronavirus test results during routine testing,” a Paramount spokesperson said on Thursday. “We are following all safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation.” Continue reading...
Victoria’s supreme court fines the Age $450,000 and News Corp more than $400,000 for contempt of court over coverage of cardinal’s initial convictionThe Melbourne newspaper the Age has been fined $450,000 for its coverage of Cardinal George Pell’s sexual abuse convictions, the largest individual punishment among more than $1m in fines handed out to major media organisations in a Victorian supreme court ruling on Friday.Handing down his judgment, Justice John Dixon said the media companies that had previously pleaded guilty to contempt for breaching a suppression order on Pell’s now-quashed conviction for child sexual abuse had “usurped” the function of the court. Continue reading...
Killing of Dea-John Reid, 14, prompts local questions about safety and weapons on the street“It makes me so angry I’m shaking,” said Luke Wellings, as he paid his respects to 14-year-old Dea-John Reid, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham on on Bank Holiday Monday.A large collection of flowers, candles and prayers had been placed at the site in Kingstanding where Dea-John lost his life after apparently being chased by a group following an incident nearby. Continue reading...
By swimming against the tide of sentiment on fairness the island could become a pariah stateCyprus has dared to swim against the tide of sentiment running to all corners of the globe that multinational firms should pay a fairer share of tax.The island nation has threatened to block EU officials from signing up to Joe Biden’s minimum 15% corporate tax plan risks a backlash of greater force than the loss of a few hundred million euros in tax receipts should an agreement be signed. Continue reading...
Nursing union says government inaction has contributed to sector’s shockingly low vaccination ratesThe federal government was urged two months ago to fund special paid leave to help aged care staff get their vaccinations, but did not do so.The nursing union says the inaction has contributed to the shockingly low vaccination rates for the nation’s aged care workforce, which have been exposed in the latest Melbourne outbreak. Continue reading...
UN says pause in fight against rebels would enable aid to reach province where 90% of people risk starvationThe Ethiopian government has defiantly brushed aside international calls for a ceasefire in the northern province of Tigray, saying its forces are close to “finalising operations” and will soon eliminate all armed opposition.In recent days the US, United Nations, UK and many European states have called for a pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian organisations to reach millions of people who observers say face famine. Continue reading...
Axe falls on projects for Yemen, Syria, Rohingya refugees and people affected by famine in AfricaThe government claimed Britain would be a “force for good” in the world when it defended merging the Department for International Development and the Foreign Office last year, but it soon announced £4bn in cuts to aid.Charities instead warned the world’s most vulnerable people would be hit by the “deadly force” of Britain’s new policies. Continue reading...
Portugal has been removed from the government’s ‘green list’ of destinations from which people can return to England without having to quarantine, and no extra countries have been added.The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, raised concerns of a new coronavirus mutation and rising cases in Portugal, adding the UK had to put ‘safety first’ ahead of a national reopening on 21 June
The pair were convicted in 2014 after sending a text message insulting the prophet MuhammadA Pakistani court has ordered the release of a Christian couple sentenced to death for blasphemy, lawyers said, weeks after the European parliament blasted the country over the case.Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar were jailed in 2013 and convicted of sending a text message insulting the prophet Muhammad – even though both are illiterate. Continue reading...
VTimes, one of country’s last remaining independent media outlets, to shut this monthA Russian business newspaper targeted as a foreign agent has said it is shutting down because of fears its journalists could be prosecuted, writing that the Russian government “does not need professional and uncontrolled media”.VTimes, founded by reporters fleeing censorship in Russia’s business media, said it would close down three weeks after it was put on a list of foreign agents that critics have called a death sentence for independent media outlets. Continue reading...
Authorities crack down on sports including trail running and wingsuit flying ahead of centenary celebrationsChina has indefinitely suspended extreme sports events, including ultramarathons, trail running and wingsuit flying, in response to the deaths of 21 long-distance runners in Gansu last month.Extreme weather hit Yellow River Stone Forest trail race in Gansu province a few hours into the race on 22 May as many of the competitors were crossing a remote and treacherous part of the 100km mountain track. Of the 172 competitors, 21 died and eight were injured. Scores of competitors sheltered in caves, some rescued by residents from nearby villages. Continue reading...
EU directive on Joe Biden’s proposal for 15% tax rate on multinationals would require unanimous supportCyprus could veto the EU’s adoption of Joe Biden’s proposal of a global minimum corporate tax rate, the country’s finance minister has suggested.A White House proposal of a 15% tax rate for multinationals applied to profits in all jurisdictions is expected to be endorsed in principle by finance ministers of the world’s seven largest economies, the G7, at an upcoming meeting in Cornwall. Continue reading...
The second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history became a global symbol of privilege in Rio en route to rock bottom. Now the 36-year-old father of two will try to reach a fifth GamesIt’s been a roller-coaster five years for Ryan Lochte, even accounting for the ample fluctuations of a celebrity athlete whose nearly two decades in the public eye have been defined by in-water excellence measured against self-sabotage out of it. The second-most decorated men’s swimmer in Olympic history has married and become a father of two. He’s also been branded as a global symbol of privilege after an eponymous Rio Olympics scandal where he lied about being robbed at gunpoint, served two lengthy suspensions and admitted himself to rehab for alcohol addiction after one TMZ headline too many. Peaks and troughs, as they say.Yet through all the tumult, Lochte has never meaningfully wavered in his goal of swimming in a fifth Olympics. And when the US swimming trials begin on Friday in Omaha, the 36-year-old will attempt to make it a reality. His best chance is expected to come on Sunday night in the 200m individual medley, the event where he set a world record nearly a decade ago that stands today. Should he earn a spot on the US team for Tokyo, he will become the oldest American male swimmer to ever compete at an Olympics. Continue reading...
In the Czech Republic, the legal definition of rape requires the threat of violence – campaigners argue that it is failing victims“I felt so lost when I heard the court verdict; as if the fact that he raped me was somehow not enough,” said Jana Novak.Novak, from Prague, pressed charges against her attacker in 2019 and endured an 18-month-long court case. “I had all the evidence, the creepy messages, the medical notes,” said Novak, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. “But none of it was enough.” While the court found that there had been non-consensual sex, the defendant was acquitted on the basis that there was insufficient evidence it constituted rape. Continue reading...
Forty people under investigation, including 11 vets involved in the illegal docking of ears and tailsItalian police have uncovered a puppy trafficking ring which involved vets allegedly docking their ears and tails to make them more attractive to foreign buyers.Police in Ancona are investigating 40 people, among them 29 dog breeders and 11 vets, on charges of animal abuse, trafficking of puppies and the unlawful practice of a profession. Continue reading...
UN had opposed bill for fear it will erode refugees’ rights and might encourage other EU states to follow suitDenmark’s parliament has passed a law that will enabe the country to relocate asylum seekers to countries outside Europe, in defiance of calls from the UN and NGOs to abandon the plan for fear it will erode refugees’ rights.The passing of the bill, by 70 votes to 24, is an apparent break with the EU’s efforts to overhaul Europe’s migration and asylum rules, an extremely divisive subject for the bloc. Continue reading...
Soon to be seen in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the actor has a CV taking in dancing losers, choric narrators, a Bible-misquoting killer – and Marvel’s coolest middlemanSamuel L Jackson is the elegantly besuited, cane-twirling, fourth-wall-breaking narrator in Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq (pronounced “shy-rack”), set in the city of Chicago, where the homicide rate has exceeded the US death toll in Iraq. It is a twist on Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, about one woman’s mission to end the Peloponnesian war with a sex strike. Teyonah Parris plays Lysistrata, the girlfriend of a gangbanger. She reaches out to the wives and partners of their enemies with a similar idea – and the chant: “No peace, no pussy!” Jackson is the dapper, impish Dolmedes, whose rhyming couplets bring us into the story. Continue reading...
Former PM among 30 Tory MPs backing amendment aiming to reverse cuts to aid spendingThe former prime minister Theresa May has joined a growing rebellion of Tory MPs over cuts to the government’s overseas aid programme.Thirty Tory MPs now plan to sign an amendment to the advanced research and invention agency bill, which has its report stage in the House of Commons on Monday, introducing a new clause reversing the cuts. Continue reading...
More than 5,000 readers and supporters, in 121 countries, signed our 200th anniversary card this month – a delightful addition to our bicentenary celebrations. We’ve gathered a small selection – well, 200 – of the messages here. They’re diverse, thoughtful, and heart-warming. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did. Continue reading...
UK military confirms some training on Ajax family of vehicles has been suspended as precautionThe Ministry of Defence has confirmed it paused trials of its £3.5bn fleet of army tanks over design issues, which reportedly include them being unable to travel safely faster than 20 miles per hour.The Daily Telegraph says problems with the Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, which are supposed to be able to go up to 40mph, also include an inability to fire cannons on the move. Continue reading...
‘The mood was edgy, even a little paranoid …’ As Ireland moves out of lockdown, our writer recounts what it’s been like over the past year‘Are you over from England?” Just five words. A simple enough question. Yet delivered by a supermarket manager in a small town in County Kerry last year, shortly after Ireland had been forced into the first of its many lockdowns, the innocent question seemed to take on a new dimension.People had been ordered to stay within 2km of their homes, but there were rumours that rogue elements, in these early disbelieving days of the pandemic, had ignored the restrictions and were continuing to travel. There was talk of holiday homes being occupied, of visitors arriving from elsewhere in Ireland – and across the sea from Britain. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#5JKHQ)
Here are the details behind the talks over Joe Biden’s proposals for a minimum corporate tax rateG7 finance ministers are expected to agree on support for a global minimum corporation tax rate on Friday as part of talks being held in London between the group of wealthy nations.The potential landmark tax reform comes as governments around the world grapple with record levels of public borrowing incurred during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...
Adulterous housewives, CIA bosses – Joan Allen has played them all with consummate skill. Now, in Stephen King adaptation Lisey’s Story, she’s turned her hand to visceral horrorIn some ways, Joan Allen is like an American Gary Oldman; wait, stay with it. She looks so different from one role to the next that she’s way beyond mercurial, further towards intangible – like a spirit slipping into a role more than a flesh-and-blood actor. Or maybe this is just acting at its most rarefied. One of the late 70s founders of Steppenwolf, the legendary Chicago theatre troupe that most famously launched John Malkovich, her early career was edgy, ensemble work, with an activist’s purity of purpose. “We’d have to write these applications to get arts grants, and people would say ‘What is your mission statement?’,” she remembers as she Zooms from Connecticut. “Well, what were we? A group of like-minded people who wanted to do strong visceral theatre and had a similar sensibility and sense of humour. We saw the pinnacle of our job as to tell whatever story we were telling to the best of our ability.” This was married, certainly in Allen’s mind, with a craftsmanlike lack of pretension. “It’s like tennis. You come in, and you bring your game. The better you play, the better your partner plays, the better your opponent plays.”Although Steppenwolf were multi-award-winning and there was no shortage of mainstream theatre success – Allen won a Tony in 1988 for Burn This, in her Broadway debut – you can still get a whiff of how uncomfortable the ensemble was with the idea of Hollywood, especially as Malkovich’s star started to rise. “At that time, there really was a concern, if we do go out and do other work, will this still be the most important thing in our lives? Is it more important to stay in Chicago and do it for local audiences?” Continue reading...
Uyghur Martyrs’ Road and Dalai Lama Road also adorn Hungary’s capital near project condemned as ‘Chinese influence-buying’Budapest has renamed streets around the planned site of a leading Chinese university campus to protest an “unwanted” project forced on it by the government of the prime minister, Viktor Orbán.Four street signs at the site now bear the names Free Hong Kong Road, Uyghur Martyrs’ Road, Dalai Lama Road, and Bishop Xie Shiguang Road, the last referring to a persecuted Chinese Catholic priest. Continue reading...
China must tell the world a better story about itself, says president, as he seeks stronger ‘international voice’China needs to improve the way it tells the world stories about itself, and convince people the ruling party is striving for the happiness of all Chinese people, Xi Jinping has said.The Chinese president’s comments to a Communist party meeting on Tuesday come amid the country’s growing isolation in the global community, and tension with international media, largely driven by international concerns over human rights abuses. Continue reading...
A 21-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Tony Eastlake who was fatally stabbed close to his stall in IslingtonA 21-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a flower seller who was fatally stabbed close to his stall in north London, the Metropolitan police said.Tony Eastlake, 55, died from a knife wound after being attacked on Essex Road in Islington just before 5.30pm on Saturday. Continue reading...
by Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent on (#5JJ9T)
The Kharg, the Iranian navy’s largest vessel, went down in the strait of Hormuz just after dawn on WednesdayMilitary officials in the Gulf are investigating what caused the Iranian navy’s largest vessel to catch fire and sink in the latest mysterious incident to affect shipping linked to Tehran.The support ship Kharg went down in the strait of Hormuz just after dawn on Wednesday, after a fire that had started 18 hours earlier reached the waterline. All crew members are reported to have survived. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#5JJMQ)
PC Benjamin Monk says former footballer was ‘very scary’ and told him he would ‘take him to the gates of hell’ during incident in 2016The police officer on trial for murdering Dalian Atkinson has told the court he kicked the former footballer while he was on the ground because he feared being killed if he got up.PC Benjamin Monk denies the murder or manslaughter of the former Aston Villa striker after being called to a disturbance outside the home of Atkinson’s father on 15 August 2016. Continue reading...
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