Veteran leader proves unable to create a coalition after inconclusive election on 23 MarchBenjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a coalition government, extending a two-year political deadlock in Israel – and putting the country’s longest-serving leader back on the defensive as his rivals move to unseat him.Following an inconclusive snap election on 23 March – the fourth since 2019 – the 71-year-old leader had hoped to clinch what would be a unique and historic partnership in Israeli politics. Continue reading...
by Vincent Ni China affairs correspondent on (#5HEB4)
Massive trade agreement stalls after tit-for-tat sanctions prompted by Chinese policy in XinjiangThe European Commission has said that efforts to ratify a massive investment deal with China have been in effect suspended after tit-for-tat sanctions were imposed over China’s treatment of its Uyghur population in March.“We now in a sense have suspended … political outreach activities from the European Commission side,” said the commission’s executive vice-president, Valdis Dombrovskis, on Tuesday. He said that the current state of relations between Brussels and Beijing was “not conducive” for the ratification of the deal, which is known as EU-China comprehensive agreement on investment. Continue reading...
Fighting between government forces and the Taliban has broken out in Helmand provinceThousands of Afghans have fled their homes in Helmand province as fierce fighting between government forces and the Taliban erupted after the US military began withdrawing its remaining troops.Afghan forces pushed back a string of insurgent attacks on checkpoints across the southern province, where the US military on Sunday handed over a base to government forces as part of its formal pullout that began on 1 May. Continue reading...
Luiz Henrique Mandetta tells senate inquiry president was aware his anti-scientific response risked ‘death on an enormous scale’Jair Bolsonaro ignored repeated warnings that his anti-scientific response to Covid-19 was leading Brazil down an “extremely perilous path” and putting tens of thousands of lives at risk, the country’s former health minister has claimed.Giving oral evidence to a senate inquiry into Brazil’s coronavirus calamity on Tuesday, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who led the health ministry at the start of the pandemic, said he believed the Brazilian president’s conduct had helped generate an unnecessarily large tragedy. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#5HDJT)
PC Benjamin Monk also alleged to have used Taser weapon on former Aston Villa player for six times longer than guideline limitA police officer murdered the former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson, first shooting him with a Taser stun gun for 33 seconds, then kicking him in the head as though striking a football, causing his head to snap back violently, a jury heard on Tuesday.PC Benjamin Monk denies murder and manslaughter following the incident on 15 August 2016 in Telford, Shropshire, which began at the home of Atkinson’s father. Continue reading...
French minister raises electricity supply as point of leverage in dispute over access to UK watersThe French government could cut off the electricity supply to Jersey in an escalating row over post-Brexit fishing rights, a French minister has suggested.Responding to questions in the national assembly, Annick Girardin, the minister for maritime affairs, said she was “revolted” by the UK government’s behaviour over its waters and France was ready to retaliate. Continue reading...
Police launch murder investigation after death of teenager named locally as Reece TanseyPolice have launched a murder investigation after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Bolton in the early hours of Tuesday.The teenager, named locally as Reece Tansey, was attacked in Walker Avenue shortly before 4.45am. He knocked on the door of a nearby house to ask for help and was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries. Continue reading...
Designer who restored the fortunes of the French fashion house LanvinOf all the designers who resuscitated a Paris label during 40 years of fashion necromancy, none was better than Alber Elbaz at the house of Lanvin, where he was creative director from 2001 to 2015.Even Karl Lagerfeld channelling Gabrielle Chanel never had the rapport with or respect for his foundress that Elbaz, who has died aged 59 of Covid-19, did with Jeanne Lanvin. Founding her company in 1889, she had had initial success when clients wanted for their own children the dresses she confected for her daughter before the first world war; after the war, adult women wore similar easy garments, and Lanvin’s were the prettiest and kindest. Continue reading...
Lockdown and the loss of both parents have transformed the entertainer. He talks about the disappointments of TV, outgrowing his comic persona – and his move into the glamping business
In a letter to the PM campaigners say forced marriage law fails to protect young peopleA legal loophole that allows 16- and 17-year-olds in England and Wales to marry with parental consent is being exploited and used to coerce young people into child marriage, campaigners have warned.More than 20 organisations have signed a letter to the prime minister insisting current forced marriage law does not go far enough in protecting young people. Continue reading...
Undercover officer spied on leftwing group, which in turn asked him to spy on National FrontAn undercover police officer led a triple life infiltrating a socialist group and a fascist group at the same time, according to documents disclosed to a public inquiry.The spy, who adopted the fake name Peter Collins, was sent by his Scotland Yard bosses to infiltrate a leftwing group, the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), for three years, the inquiry heard. Continue reading...
Several people have been injured after an explosion left a gaping hole in a row of houses in Kent. Some people had to be freed by emergency services as the blast destroyed much of a house in Willesborough, near Ashford, leaving the chimney breast towering into the air. The explosion was not being treated as suspicious, police said
Official say at least 23 dead and 65 injured as videos on Mexican television and social media showed the overpass falling on to cars belowA partially collapsed metro overpass has claimed at least 23 lives in Mexico City, where rescuers worked through the night to free trapped passengers and search for victims.Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said via Twitter that at least 65 people had been taken to hospital after the collapse near the Los Olivos metro station, which occurred at around 10:30 pm Monday night. Continue reading...
Trapped residents freed by emergency services as blast destroys house in Willesborough, near AshfordSeven people have been injured, two of them seriously, after an explosion left a gaping hole in a row of houses in Kent, emergency services have said.Witnesses described feeling their homes shudder on Tuesday morning as the blast destroyed much of a house in Willesborough, near Ashford, leaving the chimney breast towering into the air. Continue reading...
Lockdown is lifting – to be replaced by mandatory MCU movies from now until eternity, from Black Panther 2 to Ant-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to Thor 4. And more …Bit of a rollercoaster, that Marvel trailer, wasn’t it? The misty eyed reminiscences. The clip of a packed cinema collectively losing its mind at Endgame. And then, the climax – a punishing rabbit-punch of forthcoming MCU releases.Our first look at Eternals. Confirmation that Marvel is releasing four new movies, including the new Spider-Man, before Christmas. Dr Strange 2 next March. Thor 4 next May. Black Panther 2 next July. Captain Marvel 2 next November. Ant-Man 3 the following February. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 three months after that. A Fantastic 4 movie at some point. It just kept coming and coming. It was like one of those old Steve Jobs “One more thing” presentations, if Steve Jobs had decided to announce the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone, Apple TV, a flying car and a machine that could terraform the surface of Mars one after the other in the space of 60 seconds. Continue reading...
With the soothing noise of its bricks clicking against one another, Lego White Noise joins the ranks of great musique concrète – and documents a potentially doomed soundOut of my headphones comes a flow of odd, weirdly tactile sound: what could be an army of ants marching across a plain of contact mics, a landslide of scree recorded from a mile away, or perhaps the first field recording taken from Ingenuity, the tiny robotic helicopter currently flying sorties above the Martian landscape. Delicate clicks, burring friction and the waterfall-like spatiality of granular flow all galvanise my ears.It’s the sort of thing that may interest subscribers to The Wire magazine, or that an underground musician usually seen sweating over a badly soldered modular synth could make in a moment of calm. This is Lego White Noise, and while it definitely sounds like experimental music, the name makes it clear that this is the work of the world’s most “reputable brand”. Continue reading...
by David Agren in Mexico City and Sam Jones In Madrid on (#5HDGZ)
Small band of mariners embark upon peaceful ‘invasion’ of Europe 500 years after the conquistadoresFive hundred years after Hernán Cortés and his men conquered Mexico, a small boatload of indigenous Zapatistas is making the return journey across the Atlantic to “invade” Spain, rail against capitalist oppression, and perhaps throw the odd cumbia party.The two men and five women set out on Sunday evening from Isla Mujeres, Mexico’s most eastern point. Continue reading...
Lawyer tells court while Xing Shen and her partner lied to hospital staff that didn’t prevent the boy receiving treatmentA woman told a three-year-old she was babysitting in Melbourne “I will bash you” before inflicting injuries that left the child with permanent disabilities.It is unclear exactly what Xing Shen did to the boy she was babysitting with her partner, Xi Zhang, at the couple’s Docklands apartment in May 2019. Continue reading...
by Tess McClure in Christchurch, New Zealand on (#5HDF7)
Parliament will not debate motion and will instead discuss rights abuses in more general termsNew Zealand’s parliament will not debate a motion that would label the abuses of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang as acts of genocide.Parliament opted instead on Tuesday to water down the language, and discuss concerns about human rights abuses in the region in more general terms. Continue reading...
The chef and author was inspired by acts of care for immigrants to raise awareness and make a connection through foodTwo stories in Yasmin Khan’s cookbook Ripe Figs tell the story of the power of food.In the first, Khan recounts how Greek volunteers started bringing containers of food for migrants who were sleeping in a park – but insisted on the food being homemade. “We wanted to convey the message that somebody cares about you. Cares enough to spend their afternoon baking a cake that smells or feels like home,” explained Nadina Christopoulou, one of the founders of the initiative. Continue reading...
by Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspon on (#5HDDG)
Fresh doubts have been raised over an alleged criminal case in Saudi Arabia against Osama al-HasaniSaudi Arabian authorities must urgently reveal the location of the Australian citizen who was extradited to the country, human rights advocates say, amid fresh doubts over the alleged criminal case against him.Osama al-Hasani, 42, was transferred from Morocco to Saudi Arabia at 2.45am on 13 March, just hours after United Nations officials sent an urgent letter asking authorities not to deport him over fears he would face torture there, according to Human Rights Watch. Continue reading...
An elevated section of the Mexico City metro collapsed and sent a subway car plunging toward a busy boulevard on Monday night, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 70, city officials said
by Elias Visontay (now), Mostafa Rachwani and Matilda on (#5HD1J)
Significant number of Australian cricketers and commentators in India are living in competition’s bubble; Scott Morrison all but rules out lifting the ban. Follow live9.22am BSTAnd here’s our report on the Indian Premier League news.The IPL Twenty20 cricket tournament has been indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis in the country, IPL chairman btold Reuters on Tuesday.Related: IPL cricket tournament suspended amid worsening Covid crisis in India 9.18am BSTFurther to that news that the Indian Premier League has been suspended:Australian Cricketers Association is right now in discussions with .@CricketAus and the federal Govt about how they can bring back Aussie players as COVID crisis worsens Continue reading...
A rescue operation was under way after a Mexico City metro overpass partially collapsed on Monday night. More than a dozen people died in the incident and about 70 were injured, civil protection authorities in Mexico said.Videos on Mexican television and social media showed train cars hanging in mid-air as sirens blared nearby after the overpass fell on to cars on a road below. Emergency medical crews and firefighters were at the scene of the accident combing through wreckage looking for survivors
Ontario is now the centre of the outbreak in Canada, led by more virulent variants. The latest surge in the number of cases was so big that authorities this week despatched the military and the Red Cross to help care for critical patients Continue reading...
Technology could ensure critical medicines reach Lake Victoria communities with country’s highest prevalence of HIV/AidsAs the bottles of medication are carefully loaded into the body of the drone, a small crowd gathers to watch on the other side of the yellow tape marking out the grassy landing strip.With a gentle buzz the drone rises, a little uncertainly, into the sky, on its 1.5-metre wings. The precious cargo leaving Bufumira health centre III, in Uganda’s Kalangala district, is critical drugs for people living in some of the most far-flung communities in the region. Kalangala is made up of 84 islands in Lake Victoria, the world’s largest tropical lake, which Uganda shares with Tanzania and Kenya. Continue reading...
The man told police he arrived in a 2.6m rubber dinghy he bought onlineA Chinese man seeking “freedom and equality” has said he travelled undetected to Taiwan in a dinghy through the heavily patrolled Taiwan strait, according to authorities.Taichung Port police officers detained the man, surnamed Zhou, after they received reports of a man behaving suspiciously near the docks. A police spokesperson said Zhou told officers he had travelled from Quanzhou in Fujian province, in a 2.6m long rubber dinghy he’d bought online, powered by an outboard motor. Continue reading...
My Irish father felt a kind of kinship with the black British boxers of the 1980s and 90s. Boxing, like the world of work my father was in, was overseen by self-serving men getting rich off the work of first- and second-generation immigrants
Torri Newman dreamt up her terror-in-the-skies novel Falling while guarding the cockpit as the pilots took a toilet break. She reveals how she kept going through furlough and 41 rejectionsFlight attendant Torri Newman was working on the red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York when the idea for her debut novel came to her. To be precise, she was blocking access to the cockpit, a security procedure required when pilots take a toilet break. “I was standing at the front of the airplane,” she says, “looking out at the passengers. It was dark and they were all asleep. And I had this thought, ‘All of their lives, our lives, are in the hands of the pilots.’ That’s not exactly new – but the flipside of that also came to mind. With that much power and responsibility, how vulnerable does that make a commercial pilot?”Newman, speaking via Zoom from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, was rattled. “I just couldn’t shake the thought. A few days later, I was working a different trip with a different set of pilots, and I said to the captain, ‘Hey, what would you do if your family was taken, and you were told that if you didn’t crash the plane, they would be killed?” What was his reaction? “He had no clue what he would do – the thought terrified him.” Continue reading...
Revolutionary HeartFlow technology turns CT scan into 3D image, allowing treatment five times fasterPatients with life-threatening coronary heart disease will be treated five times faster thanks to 3D scans being introduced on the NHS that allow for a diagnosis in just 20 minutes.The revolutionary technology can turn a regular CT scan of the heart into a 3D image, allowing doctors to diagnose them rapidly, NHS England said. Continue reading...
Tuesday: Opposition growing over decision to ban Australians from returning from the Covid-ravaged country. Plus: what happened when editors got drunk on the power of retouchingGood morning. The government’s India travel ban is facing a significant backlash, including within the Coalition’s ranks, as India’s coronavirus outbreak continues to see record numbers of infections, and health services remain unable to cope with shortages of vaccines and oxygen.Several Coalition MPs spoke to Guardian Australia on and off the record with their concerns over the “extreme” and “heavy-handed” decision to criminalise returning to Australia from Covid-ravaged India. The Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said: “I am concerned about this decision and most especially regarding the precedent it sets for making it illegal for Australians to return home to Australia.” Continue reading...
At least 16 demonstrators and one officer dead after police fired at protesters and rammed crowds with motorcyclesColombia is bracing for further unrest after a weekend in which largely peaceful nationwide demonstrations were met with a violent police reaction which left at least 16 demonstrators and one police officer dead and hundreds injured.Videos shared on social media over the weekend showed police firing at protesters sometimes from close range, ramming crowds with motorcycles, and bashing demonstrators with their shields. Continue reading...
Our country has already set examples on issues like women’s suffrage and anti-nuclear policy. It can do the same againAotearoa New Zealand is a pretty good place to live – if you’re human, that is. If you happen to be a non-human animal, chances are you’re not doing very well.Inhumane treatment of animals is widespread. It is routinely used in farming (the dairy industry is among the worst perpetrators, as forced pregnancies, separation of calves from their mothers, and slaughter are routine practices); conservation (poison and traps are commonly used to control “pests”); scientific research (430,000 animals were used or bred for experiments last year); and entertainment (such as horse racing and rodeo). Continue reading...
Mayor will say city could look at bidding for 2036 or 2040 Games as post-Covid morale boost for nationSadiq Khan is pledging to look at bringing the Olympics back to London within 20 years if he is re-elected as mayor on Thursday.In a speech at an amateur boxing club in Earlsfield, south-west London, on Tuesday, Khan will set out the prospect of another London Olympics as a post-Covid morale boost that he argues would extend beyond the capital. Continue reading...
Force shifts its public response to problem, acknowledging officers should be held to higher standard than general communityA senior Queensland police officer says there has been a “concerning increase” in the number of police accused of domestic violence – something the organisation’s leadership was “grappling” with how to respond to.Assistant commissioner Brian Codd told Guardian Australia last week that he could not offer “a 100% guarantee” that women seeking help would not encounter abusers in uniform or officers with problematic attitudes. Continue reading...
As local papers close their doors, a morning newsletter defied the odds. Now its founder aims to push the model nationwideLocal journalism has shed jobs faster than the coal industry, leaving swaths of North America as news deserts with little or no regular coverage.But the grim prospects for an industry in decline didn’t deter the Canadian tech entrepreneur Andrew Wilkinson, who in 2019 hired a reporter and launched a daily newsletter in his home town, Victoria. Continue reading...
Outside the Lowry Hotel, people are unsure if demonstrations will work but united about their necessityThere’s a new bit of graffiti on the Trinity Bridge dividing Manchester and Salford: “Fuck United” reads the scrawl on one of the suspension pillars.It faces the Lowry Hotel, where the Manchester United team were surrounded by angry fans on Sunday, before others broke into Old Trafford, causing the game against Liverpool to be postponed. Continue reading...
Readers respond to an article on the battle to burn England’s moorlandsWhy is an otherwise balanced article on the importance of peat bogs (‘It has become them and us’: the battle to burn England’s moorlands, 1 May) framed by the grouse moor landowners’ point of view, beginning with the title and ending with a gamekeeper’s claim that without grouse moors the Yorkshire Dales “wouldn’t be beautiful”?Burning what is recognised as the UK’s equivalent of the Amazon rainforest – upland peat bog – in order to provide a tiny elite with as many grouse as possible to kill strikes the majority as an absurdity. To claim the dales would be aesthetically barren without driven grouse shooting adds insult to injury.
Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi moved to cells where previously prisoners were held before releaseTwo high profile American-Iranian dual nationals detained in Tehran have been moved to a new location inside Evin prison in a procedure that has previously led to the release of detainees, according to sources inside the jail.The moves could add credence to Iranian media reports at the weekend that a prisoner swap involving four unidentified detainees might be, or had been, imminent. Continue reading...