by Hosted by Katharine Murphy, with guests Shane Wrig on (#5H9QN)
This week, Katharine Murphy sits down with economics writers Shane Wright and Greg Jericho to discuss the Australian economy. With house prices soaring, stimulus payments being reduced and a budget on the way, what can people expect financially over the coming months? Continue reading...
In this extract from her new memoir, the New Zealand writer explains why children need to read about people like themIn 1987 I presented a paper at the Fourth Early Childhood Convention in Wellington. I titled the paper “Books Are Dangerous”. Always in my mind were the experiences of teaching reading in the small country schools, and what a difference it made to children’s learning, their self-confidence, their joy, when there were stories about them. Not only about them, but by them. This didn’t mean that they did not like the stories and books about others, because they did, but in writing their own stories and sharing them, they were able to see themselves as worthy protagonists too.In preparation for the paper, I thought about my own childhood reading. Though I had always liked books, any books, any written-down words or expressions, the ones I read as a child were always exotic. I never found myself in a book. Continue reading...
The chess grandmaster on speaking out against Vladimir Putin and why he cannot choose the best player ever“I haven’t stopped my fight against the regime,” says Garry Kasparov, his words bristling with defiance and quiet rage. “I’m not lowering my voice. Putin is not just a Russian imperialist. He has a much bigger agenda. He is an existential threat to the free world.”It would have been easy for the greatest chess player in history to stay quiet after fleeing Russia in 2013 amid a crackdown on prominent opposition figures. Kasparov, after all, is a successful businessman, an expert on artificial intelligence and cyber security, and has just launched a new website, Kasparovchess.com. But that has never been his style. Not now. Not ever. Continue reading...
Subscribe to our Modern Outback newsletter to get the latest updates from the series delivered straight to your inbox when they’re published on the Guardian websiteGuardian Australia’s Modern Outback newsletter will let you know whenever a new piece is published in our Modern Outback series. The link will be sent straight to your inbox when it is published on the Guardian website. Continue reading...
by Hannah Summers and Emmanuelle Chaze on (#5H99G)
Unicef warns many child refugees and migrants picked up off the coast of Libya will be sent to ‘appalling’ detention centresFears are rising over the numbers of lone children risking their lives to reach Europe after 114 were pulled from the Mediterranean Sea in one day this week.The unaccompanied minors were among 125 children rescued off the Libyan coast on Tuesday by the authorities, aid agencies said. Continue reading...
Queen only assumed role a month ago after death of her husband King Goodwill ZwelithiniQueen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, the traditional ruler of South Africa’s Zulu nation, has died, only a month after the 65-year-old took the role following the death of her husband, King Goodwill Zwelithini.“It is with deepest shock and distress that the royal family announces the unexpected passing of Her Majesty Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, regent of the Zulu nation,” Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founder of the Inkatha Freedom party and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch, said in a statement. Continue reading...
Heaviest clashes in years between the two countries over disputed border leave 40 dead and 175 injuredA ceasefire on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan appeared to be holding on Friday after a day of intense fighting between the two former Soviet Central Asian neighbours that has killed about 40 people and wounded about 175.More than 7,000 Kyrgyz people have been evacuated from the area engulfed by the fighting as troops from the two countries exchanged gunfire around a water supply facility near the village of Kok-Tash, in western Kyrgyzstan on the border with Tajikistan. Continue reading...
Former minister tells public inquiry of ‘staggering scale’ of covert monitoring of peaceful protestersThe former cabinet minister Peter Hain has accused undercover police officers of lying in their secret reports about the campaign he and others ran against apartheid and racism.The Labour politician told a public inquiry the officers “very rarely told the truth” and exaggerated the threat of violence posed by the campaigners in what he called “straight lies and pernicious smears”. Continue reading...
More than 140 rights groups call for repeal of 1973 Helms amendment widely misinterpreted as total ban on funding abortion services overseasJoe Biden is being urged to clarify a longstanding US law restricting overseas aid that has been misinterpreted by successive administrations as an outright ban on funding abortion for any reason.As the US president marked his first 100 days in office on Friday, more than 140 human rights and global health organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International US and the Global Justice Center, signed a letter asking him to confirm that US aid can be used for abortion care in cases of rape, incest and when the woman’s life is in danger. Continue reading...
Family say it has been ‘incredibly emotional’ marking what would have been his 101st birthdayCaptain Sir Tom Moore’s family said they felt “incredibly emotional” on what would have been the war veteran’s 101st birthday on Friday, but were pleased to see his legacy going strong as they launched a fundraising weekend in his honour.The family kicked off the Captain Tom 100 Challenge at Lord’s cricket ground on Friday morning, encouraging people to raise money for charity by attempting feats based on the number 100. Continue reading...
NI agriculture minister, a young Earth creationist, thought to have been key figure in toppling of FosterThe Northern Ireland agriculture minister, Edwin Poots, is expected to replace Arlene Foster as leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) after winning swift endorsements to his candidacy.The Stormont assembly member is so far the only candidate to declare and appeared to gain momentum on Friday. Continue reading...
In Enniskillen for a long time, the unionists kept winning. Now the feeling is of Britishness being lostCovered up and boxed in a storage vault in the town of Enniskillen, two historic oil paintings gathered dust. King William III commissioned the portraits of himself and Queen Mary after he routed Catholic forces in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, a turning point in Irish history that established Protestant ascendance.Unionists revere King Billy, also known as William of Orange, as a hero who saved their settler ancestors. The portraits used to gaze down from Enniskillen town hall, a reminder of their link to the crown, until the council voted to remove them in 2002. Continue reading...
by Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondent on (#5H8ZX)
Report was condemned for claiming ‘slave period’ was not just about ‘profit and suffering’The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has amended a controversial line on the slave trade in the race report this week after widespread criticism.The report, published in March, was condemned after it claimed there was a new story to be told about the “slave period”, which was not just about “profit and suffering”. Continue reading...
American adventurer Garrett Fisher flies in a ramshackle antique plane, dangling his camera out of the window to capture the beauty of glaciers before they disappearSatellite images and the latest scientific studies may accurately inform us how quickly the world’s glaciers are melting. But Garrett Fisher’s mission is different: to reveal the “souls” of vanishing glaciers.This, the American adventurer believes, is best achieved by flying solo over each glacier in a ramshackle antique plane and dangling his camera out of the window to capture their varied forms, textures and beauty – before they disappear forever. Continue reading...
by Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem, Harriet Sherwood and a on (#5H8BG)
Teams treating dozens of injured at Mount Meron as emergency medical group says at least 44 deadAt least 44 people have been killed and about 150 injured in a crush at a Jewish religious gathering in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of people, in one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters.Children were among the dead, Eli Beer, the director of an Israeli volunteer ambulance service, United Hatzalah, said. “Unfortunately, we found small children trampled there, and we performed CPR. We were able to save some of them,” he told Army Radio. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#5H8X8)
Analysis: Boris Johnson’s fiancee has no official role, but has helped shape the personnel and vision of the PM’s office“She’s buying gold wallpaper,” Boris Johnson is said to have told panicked aides last February of his fiancee Carrie Symonds’ interior decorating plans for their No 11 flat. The costs far exceeded the £30,000 allowance for prime ministers, and apparent attempts last year to cover them by other means – Conservative party funds, a charitable trust and Tory donors – appear to have failed.As well as Dominic Cummings’ diatribe over the “unethical, foolish and possibly illegal” refurbishment spending saga, Helen MacNamara, the Cabinet Office’s director general of propriety and ethics, was also reported to be strongly opposed. Continue reading...
With denim returning to our wardrobes, the jury is out as to which cut of jeans will win out. Make the ‘anything goes’ moment work for you by looking to vintage inspiration for these 10 stylesIn fashion, one thing’s for sure – the era of sweatpants is over, and denim is back. It’s also pretty clear that skinny jeans, the style that has refused to die for 20 years, are finally, waning from fashion’s pole position, thanks to gen Z relentlessly roasting milllenials over their trouser choice. And that is where the certainties end. Continue reading...
Blame nominative determinism for the shower and TV overload for me failing to follow the plotTypical. We had one job … Our daughter, whom we hadn’t seen for the best part of 18 months, was coming to London and all we had to do was to get to Heathrow in time to meet her as she passed through immigration and customs controls. It didn’t quite work out that way. First, we were halfway to the airport when my wife, Jill, remembered she had forgotten the “We Love You, Anna” placard she had made that morning. Then Jill checked the flight tracker and discovered Anna’s plane had landed 45 minutes early, rather than the 30 minutes early the app had suggested when we last looked. No matter, I said. There are bound to be long queues at arrivals to make sure everyone’s Covid certification is in order. After all, there had been reports of six-hour delays the previous week, which is why we had both bought books with us. Not long afterwards, we got a text from Anna that her vaccinations, pre-booked Covid tests and passenger locator form were all in order and she had cleared immigration. OK, I said. She still needed to collect her suitcase, and that would be at least another half an hour. Ten minutes later, just as we pulled into the short-term car park, we got a further text to say Anna had got her case and was on the way out. We parked the car, raced into the terminal … Only to find Anna already waiting for us. It was a wonderful hug. One that felt both very special yet weirdly normal at the same time. Almost as if 18 months of separation had been condensed into 10 seconds of physical contact. Jill and Anna did almost all the talking on the way home as I was lost for words. Still, I now have two and a half weeks to find them. Continue reading...
Culture minister says country is facing up to ‘historic and moral responsibility’ by returning artefacts to NigeriaGermany is to become the first country to hand back the Benin bronzes looted by British soldiers in the late nineteenth century, after the culture minister, Monika Grütters, announced it would start returning a “substantial” part of the artefacts held in its museums to Nigeria from next year.“We face up to our historic and moral responsibility to shine a light and work on Germany’s historic past,” Grütters said after museum experts and political leaders struck an agreement at a summit on Thursday. Continue reading...
A customer asked me to make a replica out of her cat’s fur when it died. She took the knitted cat to bed and slept well for the first time since her lossI was born in the former Soviet Union, where my mother taught me to knit when I was very young. It was a skill every Russian woman had when I was growing up, because clothes were in short supply. After moving to Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1990s, I quickly fell out of the habit: why knit a cardigan you could easily pick up for $20 in a store?It was adopting a cat that led to me taking it up again. I had always thought of myself as a dog person, but when I was offered a beautiful ragdoll cat called Mittens, I couldn’t resist him. Ragdolls have soft, silky coats, and Mittens loved to be brushed. His hair was so beautiful that rather than throw away the loose strands that came away in the brush, I started collecting them. Eventually, I had enough to fill a shoebox. That’s when I wondered if it might be any good as yarn. Continue reading...
Security expert Peter Ricketts says PM’s conversations could be hacked by criminal gangsA UK national security adviser has said Boris Johnson should be much more digitally secure after reports that the prime minister’s mobile phone number has been available online for the past 15 years.Peter Ricketts said Johnson’s phone conversations may well include “sensitive material” and “people trying to lobby them for favours, or tax advantages, or talks with foreign leaders”. Continue reading...
The CAP Prize has announced 25 shortlisted projects with the highest ratings at the online showcase Award Winning African Photography - photo basel Takes a Closer Look. Here we take a look at a selection of the shortlisted photographers work.
On Friday José Gregorio Hernández, doctor, scientist, university professor and pioneer of bacteriology, will be beatified, a step toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic church, after 72 years of efforts by Venezuela’s Catholics Continue reading...
A virtual wellness event featuring Paltrow, hosted by one of Australia’s largest beauty retailers, has prompted furious customer backlashAnnouncing an event with an international A-lister on the lineup may seem like an impressive get for an Australian retailer. However, when beauty behemoth Mecca announced Gwyneth Paltrow as the keynote speaker at their virtual wellness summit, Mecca Life, their usually loyal customers revolted.“Paltrow and Goop peddle enormous amounts of misinformation and make money by preying on women’s insecurities,” the cardiothoracic surgeon and author Dr Nikki Stamp wrote on the event’s Facebook page. “Every time we endorse this behaviour, we allow it to continue. Mecca has always been a champion for women so now, when women are at risk, will you step up to the plate and cancel this terrible event? Or will you let Australian women be further exposed to her nonsense?” Continue reading...
by By Kaleab Girma and Sally Hayden in Ethiopia on (#5H8JQ)
Tewelde Goitom reportedly ran a brutal and lucrative trade extorting migrants desperate to reach Europe from LibyaOne of north Africa’s most notorious human traffickers, accused of extorting and torturing thousands of refugees and migrants in Libya, has been found guilty on five counts of smuggling and trafficking in Ethiopia.Tewelde Goitom, known as “Welid”, operated in Libya between roughly 2014 and 2018 and is thought to have been at the heart of a highly lucrative and brutal trade trafficking desperate migrants trying to reach Europe. Continue reading...
The structure at Arouca Geopark spans 516 metres and hangs 175 metres above the river Paiva in north of the countryThe world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has been completed in northern Portugal, where residents of the nearby town hope the tourist attraction will help revive a region whose economy was devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.Hidden between rock-strewn mountains covered with lush greenery and yellow flowers inside the Unesco-recognised Arouca Geopark, the 516 metres (1,700 feet) bridge hangs 175 metres above the fast-flowing River Paiva. Continue reading...
The world’s longest pedestriansuspension bridge has beencompleted in Portugal. The bridge, Arouca 516, sits 175metres above the River Paivain the north of the country. Its 516 metre-longwalkway breaks the record previously held by the Charles Kuonen Bridge in the Swiss Alps. Located nearthe tiny town of Arouca and within theUnesco-recognisedArouca Geopark, the bridge took twoyears to construct and is held up bysteel cables and twolarge towers on each side
Exclusive: Survey of Australian public sector found two-thirds of incidents went unreported due to fears they would not be impartially investigatedAlmost one in six public servants have experienced sexual harassment but only one-third of incidents were reported, according to a new union survey.The results of a survey of 3,280 workers by the Community and Public Sector Union, released on Friday, will add pressure to the Morrison government to do more to combat workplace harassment. Continue reading...
Dozens injured in latest conflict as latest ceasefire between the two ex-Soviet country collapsesKyrgyzstan and Tajikistan traded blame on Thursday for cross-border shelling and clashes that left at least four people dead and dozens injured in a conflict over water, the latest outburst of tensions between the two ex-Soviet central Asian neighbours.Troops from the two countries exchanged gunfire for most of the day around a water supply facility near the village of Kok-Tash in western Kyrgyzstan on the border with Tajikistan. More than 800 Kyrgyz residents were evacuated from several villages engulfed by the clashes. Continue reading...
Friday: India’s second Covid wave is claiming the lives of thousands every day. Plus: deaths of two NSW men unlikely to be linked to vaccineIt’s Friday, the last day of April, and this is Imogen Dewey with today’s main stories: the conversation about workplace harassment is far from over, Covid infections in India have passed 18m, and the Tasmanian premier is keeping notably quiet about poker machines before tomorrow’s state election.India’s second wave of Covid-19 continues to overwhelm hospitals, claiming the lives of thousands each day. Offers of aid and medical supplies, including from Australia, have flooded in from around the world, but the real issue at hand is the mammoth task of vaccinating the country’s 1.4 billion citizens – and the ultimate effort to protect the country from future outbreaks. More than 100 countries are pushing for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rules to boost vaccine access for developing nations. But Australia, along with a handful of other wealthy nations, is so far refusing the plea. Elias Visontay asks why. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Labour asks parliamentary commissioner for standards to investigate any potential breach of MPs’ code of conductBoris Johnson’s refurbishment of his Downing Street residence could be investigated by parliament’s sleaze watchdog, a move that would mean the prime minister could be personally sanctioned if found to have breached conduct rules.The Guardian understands an extensive complaint has been submitted to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Kathryn Stone, with powers that can lead to suspensions of MPs or even byelections if serious breaches have occurred. Continue reading...
UK surveillance agency says it has long valued neuro-diverse analysts – including Alan TuringApprentices on GCHQ’s scheme are four times more likely to have dyslexia than those on other organisations’ programmes, the agency has said, the result of a drive to recruit those whose brains process information differently.GCHQ says those with dyslexia have valuable skills spotting patterns that others miss – a key area the spy agency wants to encourage as it pivots away from dead letter drops and bugging towards high-tech cybersecurity and data analysis. Continue reading...
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the kind of struggle India was having against a devastating resurgence in Covid cases could happen anywhere in the world, during a briefing on Thursday.Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, said relaxing measures and allowing mass gatherings should be avoided, especially where vaccination coverage was low and there were contagious variants.The B.1.617 coronavirus variant – thought to be partly responsible for India's crisis – is now considered a 'variant of interest' by the WHO
by Presented by Gabrielle Jackson with Lenore Taylor on (#5H7VY)
As Covid deaths soared in India, Scott Morrison offered an aid package to help the country’s health system cope with demand and suspended all direct flights to Australia. Gabrielle Jackson talks to Lenore Taylor and David Munk about the moral implications of Australia’s response and what needs to happen to bring citizens homeYou can read the stories mentioned in this episode here: Continue reading...
Polish official Jacek Pawlicki removed Russian player Tamara Tansykkuzhina’s flag during her matchNot widely reputed as a game of belligerence and bellicosity, women’s draughts almost sparked a diplomatic incident between Warsaw and Moscow after a Polish official removed a Russian player’s flag during a world championship match.Damian Reszka, the president of the Polish draughts federation, apologised following outrage on Russian social media, but said organisers had no option but to comply with international sporting rules barring Russians from competing under their flag. Continue reading...
With the 40th anniversary of Jones’s masterful fifth album Nightclubbing approaching, we rank her best workJones’s debut single was joyous, cantering mid-70s Eurodisco, its lyrics clearly written with one eye on the dancefloors of gay clubs. It was rerecorded for Jones’s 1977 debut album, Portfolio, with an arrangement by the Salsoul Orchestra’s Vince Montana and a stronger vocal, but the original drips with slightly shonky period charm. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#5H7JV)
Detectives are trying to trace more than 60 men believed to have been abused by Reynhard SinagaDetectives are trying to trace more than 60 men they believe were victims of Reynhard Sinaga, the man described as Britain’s most prolific rapist.Sinaga, 38, is serving a minimum of 40 years in jail after being convicted of committing 159 offences, including 136 rapes, against dozens of men in Manchester. Continue reading...
Case of student whose body was found in Cairo in 2016 finally reaches courtroomItalian prosecutors have asked a judge to put four senior members of Egypt’s powerful security services on trial over their suspected role in the disappearance and murder of Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016, as the case finally reached a courtroom five years after his death.The 28-year-old doctoral student went missing in Cairo on 25 January 2016 while researching Egypt’s unions. His body was discovered on an outlying Cairo highway nine days later, displaying signs of extreme torture and abuse. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#5H7CS)
Prime minister says there is nothing in allegations to worry about – and he ‘loves’ John LewisBoris Johnson called the row over his Downing Street refurbishment a “farrago of nonsense” despite a formal Electoral Commission investigation, as No 10 confirmed its own inquiry would not be published in full.Speaking to reporters on Thursday about allegations that he solicited donations to cover £58,000 worth of works to his flat, Johnson said there was not “anything to see here”. Continue reading...