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Media reports claim US National Security Agency used Danish cables to spy on senior officialsReports that Denmark’s military intelligence agency helped the US to spy on leading European politicians, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, have sparked concern – and demands for an explanation – in EU capitals.Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio said the US National Security Agency (NSA), whose alleged tapping of Merkel’s phone was disclosed by Edward Snowden in 2013, also used the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (FE) to spy on officials in Sweden, Norway and France. Continue reading...

Several centres are alleged to have claimed payment for more tests than they carried out

An IT drone’s daily grind meshes with his druggie high-school past in a Canadian brain-teaser that is somewhere between schlock and geniusIf Slaughterhouse-Five and Donnie Darko had a baby, and that baby grew up in the 2000s, became a teenager and then developed a bit of a substance abuse problem, went partying with Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy and that Ashton Kutcher movie The Butterfly Effect, developed memory loss and depression, then it might look something like this interesting but rather muddled Canadian science fiction film.Dylan O’Brien, an actor in his late 20s who is fortuitously baby-faced enough to be cast as a high-school senior, stars as Fred, a guy who seems to have come a bit unstuck in time. At first, things seem normal as he goes about his life as an IT office drone, working under tough boss Evelyn (Amanda Brugel, looking more glam here than she usually does in The Handmaid’s Tale) and living with his nice but somewhat dull partner Karen (Hannah Gross). But the increasing dementia of his mother (Liisa Repo-Martell) and memories triggered by old photographs gets Fred thinking about his wild teenage years. Continue reading...

Yair Lapid says Naftali Bennett would serve first in proposed post-Netanyahu power-sharing dealThe far-right Israeli politician Naftali Bennett will be the country’s next prime minister under a proposed power-sharing deal intended to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the opposition has confirmed.Yair Lapid said in a speech on Monday that his efforts to forge a coalition of ideologically opposed parties could lead to a new government within days, and with it, Netanyahu’s removal from office after 12 years in power. Continue reading...

It has to be an omnipresent, year-round stinker. So which is it?

Celebrate the first signs of summer with these ice-cold concoctions – from watermelon margaritas to froséThis has not been a landmark spring. We’ve been milling around with our coats zipped up to our necks, weathering wave after wave of wind and rain and hail, for what seems like eight or nine months now. But, at last, things are beginning to warm up. And what better way to celebrate turning your central heating off than by getting out the blender and getting trashed on frozen cocktails? Below you’ll find 10 of the best recipes around. But be quick, because knowing this year we’re only about a fortnight away from a snowstorm. Continue reading...

Yvonne Hall, who with husband Barry Gracey sold $50 bricks to build a memorial garden in France, given 16-month intensive corrections orderA woman who claimed to be selling commemorative bricks honouring the Anzacs but instead used the money for her own personal living expenses has been sentenced to a 16-month intensive corrections order.Yvonne Hall, who founded the Pozières Remembrance Association with her husband, Barry Gracey, in 2010 was sentenced in the Coffs Harbour local court on Monday. Continue reading...

Detention of of veteran pro-democracy activist clear sign of authorities’ zero tolerance to protestPolice in Hong Kong have arrested a 65-year-old democracy activist as she staged a lone demonstration over China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown, in a vivid illustration of the zero tolerance wielded by authorities towards protest in the financial hub.Alexandra Wong was detained on Sunday on suspicion of taking part in an unlawful assembly as she walked towards Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Continue reading...

Government will step up scheme saving interpreters and others from reprisals as international troops leaveMoves to relocate to the UK hundreds of Afghans who worked for the British military and government will reportedly be accelerated as foreign forces leave the country.The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was launched this year, allowing the Afghans, who mostly worked as interpreters, to settle in Britain. More than 1,400 Afghans and their families have already relocated to the UK, and hundreds more received funding for education and training. Continue reading...

Australian and New Zealand prime ministers talk up closeness of ties as Ardern is forced to defend ‘soft’ stance on BeijingThe Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has warned that “there are those far from here that would seek to divide us”, during a press conference with his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, that focused on how the two countries handle China.The leaders emphasised unity in the face of Beijing’s increasing regional influence and Morrison said any forces trying to scupper the partnership would not succeed. Continue reading...

Lack of permanent photography hub means precious work is being lost forever, says groupSpain’s best-known photographers have thrown their weight behind a new campaign to establish a national centre to catalogue, share, protect and promote the country’s rich and diverse photographic history.The Platform for a Centre of Photography and the Image – whose members include Ramón Masats, Isabel Muñoz, Alberto García-Alix, Juan Manuel Castro Prieto and Cristina García Rodero – points out that Spain is one of only a handful of EU countries that does not have a centre exclusively dedicated to photography. Continue reading...

Public can sign up for the chance to line the red carpet and meet their favourite actorsTV stars and fans will follow in the virtual footsteps of Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston by appearing in hologram form at the Bafta television awards, it has been announced.Nominees for this year’s British Academy Television Awards who cannot attend the 6 June ceremony because of Covid restrictions can be beamed on to the red carpet. The technology will be offered to TV stars who may be restricted to production filming bubbles as well as fans who had hoped to line the red carpet. Continue reading...

Monday: Concern after Victorian healthcare worker in aged care tests positive. Plus: the Guardian investigates the projects taking a toll on Pacific island nationsGood morning – it’s already the last day of May! Melbourne’s Covid cluster is now at 40, there are calls for Australia to rethink skilled immigration, and one country is dominating the exploitation of Pacific resources. This is Imogen Dewey with today’s main stories and some tips for safe gardening.Victoria yesterday confirmed five new locally acquired Covid infections – including one “extremely concerning” mystery case in aged care – on day three of its fourth lockdown. The acting premier, James Merlino, said every state business owner should be angry that the federal government had rejected calls to provide additional financial support during the state’s fourth lockdown, as the cost to the economy was estimated to hit $700m. Merlino spoke for Australia, writes Katherine Murphy, when he expressed incredulity over the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, continuing to tell people the vaccine rollout was “not a race” (more on that below). Continue reading...

Theory that coronavirus leaked out of a Wuhan lab was ‘not off the table’, Dale Fisher says

Rolls-Royce and British American Tobacco among firms that may take action in wake of Ryanair ‘hijacking’

Who’s in the photograph? And just what is in those journals? As the Kate Winslet thriller comes to a close, here are the mysteries we’re desperate to see solvedWarning: this article contains spoilers for episodes one to six of Mare of Easttown.Mare of Easttown has become a bona fide phenomenon. A thriller revolving around an aloof, small-town detective tracking down the perps of the sexual abuse and murder of girls is pretty much the least original idea there is, but its combination of phenomenal performances (Kate Winslet is one of the best actors working today), surprising comic chops (Jean Smart is hilarious) and breadth of suspects has proved gripping. The show even has Stephen King hooked. Who knew a bunch of bearded men in flannel shirts could be this interesting? Continue reading...

Nearly 40% mislabelled clitoris regardless of their gender in study conducted out of concern for female patients

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, urges people to wait another two weeks to find out whether the roadmap date for the lifting of all coronavirus restrictions can be adhered to, also prompting calls for the government to provide ‘advance notice’ of any ‘lingering’ measures to struggling businesses.

Prehistoric sites, dramatic scenery and sandy beaches earn the island the top spot for visitors, with Shetland coming secondThe ancient standing stones and neolithic settlements of Orkney have earned it the title of best Scottish island, according to a survey from Which?Readers were asked to rate 14 of the biggest of the hundreds of islands in Scotland’s waters, with 10 of them receiving an impressive visitor score of 80% or more. Continue reading...

Campaigners concerned by controversial plans for tribunals where firms can seek compensation for effect of government policiesA free trade deal between the UK and Australia is on course to include a controversial system of secret courts that will allow businesses to seek compensation if their profits are hit by government policies.In a move that has alarmed trade unions and anti-poverty campaigners, trade minister Greg Hands said UK negotiators were in talks with Australian officials over proposals to include a scheme that will arbitrate on disputes behind closed doors. Continue reading...

Members had planned vote of no confidence in chairman Tim ParkerThe National Trust has dismissed claims that its chairman quit in response to a campaign by some members against “wokeness”.Tim Parker, who was appointed to the unpaid post in 2014, will step down in the autumn, it was announced last week. Because of the pandemic, he had agreed to stay on after completing two three-year terms. Continue reading...

Melbourne-based cluster grows to 40 cases as Morrison government maintains vaccine rollout is ‘not a race’

Prime ministers meet in Queenstown, with Ardern’s government confirming it will join Australian trade dispute with China as third partyThe New Zealand and Australian prime ministers, Jacinda Ardern and Scott Morrison, have met in Queenstown on Sunday, their first talks in person since Covid-19 closed borders in 2020.Over the past year the relationship between the two countries has been strained by conflict over Australia’s “501” deportation policy, and differing approaches to China. Formal talks between the two prime ministers will begin on Monday. Continue reading...

The global renaissance of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health gains further legitimacy in Australia as psychologists sign up for clinical trialsWhen growing up in Yea, in rural Victoria, Campbell Townsend took a dim view of drugs.“My parents were born in the shadow of Nixon’s war on drugs, and I was a very simple country boy,” the psychologist says, sitting in his cottage outside Castlemaine. “I grew up with stories from my parents about friends of theirs at university going crazy just from one choof of a bong.”

Jacinda Ardern’s office confirms refugee offer has not changed, but does not say if deal is on bilateral talks agendaNew Zealand’s offer to resettle refugees from Australia’s offshore immigration detention system remains on the table, and the imminent end of Australia’s long-running US refugee swap could bring it under more urgent consideration from Australia.The office of Jacinda Ardern confirmed to the Guardian that her country’s position had not changed – the longstanding offer to accept 150 refugees from Australia’s offshore islands each year still stood – but declined to confirm whether it was on the agenda for the New Zealand prime minister’s meeting with her Australian counterpart on Sunday. “We don’t discuss the content of bilaterals before they take place.” Continue reading...

Kath Stewart, the Red Cross’s first female armed forces delegate, is sometimes mistaken for a secretaryIn her dealings with armed forces and militant groups trying to persuade them to respect the laws of war, Kath Stewart has had her fair share of awkward experiences.The Australian, who became the first woman to serve as a military and armed groups delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross, says sometimes people mistake her for a secretary or a support person. Continue reading...

White House says the US, the EU and other allies will target key members of President Lukashenko’s governmentThe Biden administration has said it is drawing up a list of targeted sanctions against key members of the Belarusian government which forced the landing of a passenger jet and had a journalist on board arrested.The White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday the United States was also suspending a 2019 agreement between Washington and Minsk that allowed carriers from each country to use the other’s airspace, and taking other actions against the government of President Alexander Lukashenko. Continue reading...

Family car washed away at high tide near St Agnes after driver became stuck on a steep slipway while doing a three-point turnBemused residents and tourism officials in Cornwall have urged visitors to “engage their brains” after a family car got washed into the sea near St Agnes.In the second such incident at Trevaunance Cove in the past eight months, the vehicle was swept away at high tide after the driver got stuck on a steep slipway while doing a three-point turn. Continue reading...

Tories have closed ranks against the PM’s aide. But privately, many know the party is living in fear of further bombshells

Protests in over 200 cities and towns in Brazil sparked by president’s handling of the Covid pandemic

Honest examination of French colonial record in Africa and responsibilty in Rwanda key to new strategy, though critics say little has changedWith the golden winter sun slanting across the palm trees and yellow sandstone, the scene was perfect. Emmanuel Macron and his host, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, walked down the red carpet of the Union buildings in Pretoria as the Marseillaise resonated through the clean, crisp air.The historic setting was apt. Since taking power in 2017, the French president has sought a broad reset of national strategy, relations and intervention in Africa. He has chosen a very contemporary way to do this: by re-examining the past. Continue reading...

The Hideous Kinky author on her childhood dyslexia, the frenzy around being a perfect mother, and why there are so few great female artistsEsther Freud is the author of nine novels, including Hideous Kinky, her semi-autobiographical debut, which tells of her unconventional childhood in Morocco. The daughter of Lucien Freud and Bernardine Coverley, she trained as an actor before becoming a novelist. Freud has three children with the actor David Morrissey, from whom she recently separated. I Couldn’t Love You More is the story of three generations of Irish women: Rosaleen, a heroic, headstrong teenager in the early 1960s who begins an affair with an older man; Aoife, her mother, who recounts her life to her dying husband and wonders what became of her flighty daughter; and Kate, in London, married to the useless Matt, trying to make it as an artist while looking after their daughter, Freya. The three lives intertwine and overlap over the course of the novel.You say in the acknowledgments that I Couldn’t Love You More was inspired by your own mother, bringing up children unmarried and without the support of her family.

Anti-poverty demonstrators battle with police across the country as protests enter second month

On 12 August 2020 at 7.48am the first of a series of Home Office flights carrying asylum seekers left Stansted. This is the harrowing story of the hours before it took off and the anguish of those on boardAt 7.15am, half an hour before charter flight Esparto 11 took off from Stansted airport, a detainee with a documented history of self-harm asked to use the plane’s bathroom. He was taken to the toilet by an escort working for the Home Office who held the door ajar with his foot and, after several minutes, peered inside to discover the detainee had slashed his wrist with a blade.Pinning the man with his body weight to gain “control”, another officer squeezed into the bathroom and placed a handcuff on the wrist. According to an account written by officers, the handcuff was used to “[give] him pain”, a reference to a restraint technique which involves deliberately inflicting suffering to gain submission. In this case, most likely by twisting the cuff or pushing it into the wrist. Continue reading...

A sombre week as BBC presenters pondered war reporting ethics, George Floyd’s death, and a decade of conflict in SyriaSunday Feature: Regarding the Pain of Others (BBC Radio 3) | BBC Sounds

Officials say vehicle carrying university staff targeted in Kapisa, with bomb set off remotelyA roadside bomb has struck a minivan full of university staff in Afghanistan’s northern Kapisa province, killing three teachers and wounding 15 others, police said on Saturday.The country’s interior ministry spokesman, Tariq Arian, said on Saturday that the minivan was targeted while travelling from Al-Beroni University. Provincial police spokesman Shayeq Shoresh said the bomb was set off by remote control. Continue reading...

CEO calls on Scottish ministers to replace 2-metre rule with 1 metre to secure future of world’s largest arts festival

Roberto Saviano says that a court has shown that the crime clans – whose threats forced him to live with a bodyguard – are not invincibleThe internationally renowned anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano has declared that “journalism has been vindicated; words are vindicated – and so am I”, after a landmark judgment in Rome over threats to his life.Judges ruled on Monday that a courtroom manoeuvre 13 years ago by a Camorra mafia boss and his lawyer constituted a threat to Saviano’s life, and that of a colleague – Rosaria Capacchione, then of the Naples daily Il Mattino – condemning the journalists to live ever since in the shadows, under bodyguard. Continue reading...

Police arrest and charge 70-year-old over alleged incidents in 2006 and 2011A councillor has been arrested and charged over alleged child sexual abuse offences.Michael Green, a Scottish Conservative councillor for the Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch ward on Fife council, has been charged with two offences: one in 2006 and another in 2011. Continue reading...

Janice was a drug dealer who now works with ex-prisoners, Christian used to be a neo-Nazi and now helps former extremists… Five people who have radically changed their lives reveal what made them switchMy life as a criminal wasn’t glamorous. People think of the money, but not what happens after midnight: the police you have to hide from; the family members who won’t talk to you; the thieves, robbers and informants on your back. This is what I now remind people who find themselves sucked into the underworld. Living that life taught me how it feels to be on the wrong side of the law, and equipped me with tools to help people escape it, because that’s precisely what I did. Continue reading...

How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout compare with other countries and when will you be eligible to get vaccinated? 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.

When Arifa Akbar’s artist sister died suddenly, she was left wondering why their relationship had been so fractious. Could a trove of sketchbooks reveal the truth?

Forecasters expect ‘very high’ UV levels in southern England, and warn people not to be caught outForecasters are warning of a bank holiday sunburn risk as UV rays are expected to reach very high levels during the sunshine this weekend, after weeks of cooler weather.The Met Office is anticipating UV levels of 8 in the south of England on Monday, which is considered “very high” for the UK and requires extra sun protection. Continue reading...

When it comes to wealth, there’s little between Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich and Manchester City’s Sheikh MansourWelcome to the battle of the billionaires. On the pitch the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City in Porto on Saturday will be the biggest match of most of the players’ careers. On the touchline it is also the culmination of a 13-year struggle between two of the world’s richest people – and their wallets – for world football supremacy.Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who bought Chelsea in 2003, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family who purchased Manchester City in 2008, have collectively spent more than £3.7bn on buying players since they bought the clubs. Continue reading...

The jazz-funkers beloved of Beyoncé are back with a new album inspired by grief, lockdown and a big white station wagon

After a life marked by abuse, fame, scandal and struggle, the Irish singer-songwriter says she never lost faith

Experts argue that a repeat of past failings could lead to an increase in transmissions over bank holiday

Films based on British writer’s stories have loyal following in Germany and are now even listed as a key draw for G7 diplomatsStrolling along Padstow harbour, Grace Kent and Dr Robert Hayford are tumbling into each other’s eyes over fish and chips, paisley scarves blowing in the Cornish breeze. Yet in spite of the quintessentially English setting, they whisper their sweet nothings in German.This is a scene from Wie verhext, which translates as Bewitched, a German TV production that premiered in national broadcaster ZDF’s Sunday prime-time slot at the start of this month. Inspired by the short story Tea With a Witch by the British novelist Rosamunde Pilcher, it is the latest instalment in one of the most enduring cross-cultural links between the two European nations, entering its third decade in spite of Brexit, Covid-19 and the author’s death in 2019. Continue reading...

Likened to Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse, the south Londoner’s nu-soul sound looks set to reign supreme this summer – whether she likes it or notA polluted intersection on the A1 does not seem like Greentea Peng’s natural habitat. Its ear-splitting soundtrack – of screaming horns and the odd exploding crisp packet – could not be further from the 26-year-old’s preferred sonic mode: blissed-out, dub-inflected psychedelic soul that speaks of renouncing ego, embracing love and bringing down Babylon. But it is her chosen location: the south London-born musician, otherwise known as Aria Wells, discovered this Turkish roadside cafe on her current visit to the capital and has returned repeatedly. “This place does amazing baklava,” she enthuses, before asking a slightly confused waitress to dollop some chilli sauce into her soup.Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading...

From face masks to working from home, we examine what the government may risk ditching