Study finds sheep have higher heart rates when shepherded by traditional meansHerding sheep using dogs, motorbikes or even people is not as ovine-friendly as a drone, new research shows.A new Australian study found farmers who use drones to herd their flock have less stressed sheep and that methods of shepherding have a direct impact on animal welfare. Continue reading...
Diplomatic spat erupts as Mario Draghi accuses Turkish president of humiliating European commision presidentA diplomatic spat has erupted between Turkey and Italy, after prime minister Mario Draghi accused president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of humiliating European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and described him as a “dictator”.Von der Leyen – the commission’s first female president – was left without a chair during a meeting on Tuesday with Erdoğan and the European council president Charles Michel met Erdoğan. The commission chief was clearly taken aback when the two men sat on the only two chairs prepared, relegating her to an adjacent sofa. Continue reading...
Police have arrested the reigning “Mrs World” on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new “Mrs Sri Lanka”.Caroline Jurie yanked the crown off Pushpika de Silva minutes after she was declared “Mrs Sri Lanka 2020” during a gala in Colombo on April 4. Jurie declared that Pushpika de Silva was ineligible as the winner because she was divorced, and forcibly removed her crown. De Silva needed hospital treatment after the incident, seen by stunned spectators in a packed venue as well as a live social media audience.To qualify for the title, contestants must be married. De Silva is estranged from her husband, but they are still legally married. The local franchise holder for the pageant, Chandimal Jayasinghe, said they were “deeply disturbed and sincerely regret” the behaviour of Jurie and the told the media the crown would be returned to De Silva
Friday: New research shows at least 474 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in police custody or prison since 1991. Plus: ‘Mrs World’ on-stage fracasAustralia’s vaccine rollout has suffered a major setback, more concerns about Liberal MP Andrew Laming’s behaviour, and the number of Aboriginal deaths in custody continues to be a “national shame”. This is Imogen Dewey with the morning’s major news stories on Friday 9 April.At least 474 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in police and prison custody since the royal commission handed down its final report in 1991, new research has revealed. To mark the 30th anniversary, Guardian Australia has updated “Deaths inside” which tracks every known Indigenous death in custody from 2008. At least five of those deaths happened since the beginning of March this year. Linda Burney, a Wiradjuri woman and Labor’s spokesperson for Indigenous Australians, is calling for the federal government to fund a real-time reporting system and an independent audit of the commission’s recommendations. “This just can’t continue,” she said. Continue reading...
by Presented by Gabrielle Jackson with Mike Ticher an on (#5GBR5)
With the release of the third update of the Deaths Inside database, Gabrielle Jackson talks to Lorena Allam and Mike Ticher about what needs to change so we are not having the same conversation in 30 years’ time Continue reading...
Former ‘Mrs Sri Lanka’ Caroline Jurie yanked crown off her successor, Pushpika de Silva, in on-stage fracasPolice have arrested the reigning “Mrs World” on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new “Mrs Sri Lanka”.Caroline Jurie yanked the crown off Pushpika de Silva minutes after she was declared “Mrs Sri Lanka 2020” in a Sunday gala at Colombo’s Nelum Pokuna theatre. Continue reading...
EU citizens’ rights campaigner and BBC journalist has bid turned down over insufficient proofA campaigner for EU citizens’ rights in the UK has said she is in a state of shock after the Home Office rejected her application for settled status despite her having lived in the the country for more than half her life.Dahaba Ali, 27, moved to the UK at the age of 10. She was born in the Netherlands where her mother was granted refugee status after fleeing the conflict in Somalia. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll, Rory Carroll and Rajeev Syal on (#5GBMV)
Joe Biden joins Boris Johnson and Irish prime minister in a call for calm after worst violence in Belfast in yearsThe White House has expressed concern over a week of riots in Northern Ireland, with Joe Biden joining Boris Johnson and the Irish prime minister in calling for calm after what police described as the worst violence in Belfast for years.It came as police used water cannon against nationalist youths in west Belfast, as unrest stirred again on the streets on Thursday evening. Continue reading...
MP used official letterhead to ask for early access to data, but education department and teachers’ union told schools they did not have to complyAndrew Laming wrote to schools in his electorate using his Liberal MP letterhead to request early Naplan data for private research for his doctoral thesis, prompting a complaint from the teachers’ union.The Queensland Teachers Union advised schools they were under “no obligation” to provide the test data, labelling the request “inappropriate”. Continue reading...
The grande école, or ENA, has been the pathway to power for top civil servants and four presidentsEmmanuel Macron has announced the closure of the École Nationale d’Administration, the elite French finishing school for the country’s leaders, where he himself studied.Known as ENA, the grande école has been the hothouse for France’s top civil service and a pathway to power in the public and private sectors. Four French presidents, including Macron, have passed through its doors as have dozens of ministers and business leaders. Continue reading...
Sir Richard Sutton, who owned hotels in London, died during incident on Wednesday eveningTributes have been paid to a millionaire hotelier who died after suffering stab wounds at his home.Sir Richard Sutton, who owned a string of top hotels in London, died during an incident at a property near Gillingham, Dorset. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Dr Catherine Smallwood says there is potential for surge unconnected to increases in EuropeThe success of Britain’s vaccine programme is not enough to protect it from another wave of coronavirus unconnected to rising cases in Europe, a senior World Health Organization expert has said.Dr Catherine Smallwood, a senior emergency officer at WHO Europe, also said confidence in vaccines may have dipped after changes to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab rollout, with under-30s to be offered alternative options amid concerns over rare blood clots. Continue reading...
Bottles and petrol bombs have aggravated a political crisis and leave some deeply disheartenedIt is not hard finding the next riot spot in Northern Ireland. You can check Facebook or other social media platforms for locations and times. You can follow young people who visit petrol stations to fill up jerry cans. Or you can tag along with older people who gather, phones in hand, to watch and record the show.One older woman came to Lanark Way off the Shankill Road on Wednesday in a coat and bathrobe for what promised to be a long, cold, eventful evening. “Not long now,” said a man to no one in particular. Continue reading...
A new exhibition celebrates the work of three Austrian artists who escaped their country as Nazis took over and created daring work in the years afterIn 1938, Nazi troops invaded Austria, subsuming the country into the Third Reich in an event known as the “Anschluss”, bringing official antisemitism, along with political violence, to the small, German-speaking nation.A new exhibition in New York features artworks by three Jewish artists who fled Vienna during the Anschluss, survived and flourished as commercial artists. Armed with their pens, they used their wit, talent and resilience. Their best works are on view in a group exhibition, Three With a Pen, at the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, proving that art can be used as a weapon against fascism. Continue reading...
Anna Bettozzi was found with €300,000 in cash when her Rolls-Royce was pulled over in 2019Dozens of people have been arrested, including an oil heiress and singer who was found with €300,000 (£260,000) in cash when her Rolls-Royce was pulled over in 2019, as Italian police disrupted a massive fuel fraud by mafia groups.Police also seized nearly €1bn in assets linked to mafia money laundering and tax fraud through oil products in a series of scams known as “Operation PetrolMafias”. Continue reading...
BBC documentary to examine incidents that led to setting up of unit on which Line of Duty’s AC-12 is basedOne of London’s most senior police officers, described by a colleague as “the greatest villain unhung”, was believed to be involved in major corruption in the 1970s but never prosecuted, according to a new documentary on police malpractice.Former officers who exposed corruption at the time describe how they were threatened that they would end up in a “cement raincoat” if they informed on fellow officers and were shunned by colleagues when they did. Continue reading...
Though a return to the JCPOA seems likely, both Washington and Tehran have complex internal obstacles to overcomeThe United States and Iran are in a staring contest, and neither wants to blink first – at least that’s how the BBC Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, described the current political impasse.Since president Joe Biden took office on 20 January, the countries have been locked in a stalemate over the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), which the Donald Trump administration withdrew from in May 2018, reimposing sanctions on Iran – despite the country not having violating the multilateral accord. These actions prompted Iran to speed up its nuclear programme after May 2019 by incrementally breaching aspects of the JCPOA. Continue reading...
Home Office letter says new arrivals will reside at controversial site for at least 60 to 90 days despite legal fightAsylum seekers being moved into the Napier barracks site in Kent have been told they will reside at the former military facility for at least two to three months, the Guardian understands, as a number of legal challenges are poised to be heard.Men who are being held in hotels, as well as some new arrivals in the UK, have received letters from the Home Office telling them they will be moved into the barracks on Friday and that “it is anticipated you will reside at Napier for between 60 and 90 days”. Continue reading...
by Elias Visontay and Matilda Boseley (earlier) on (#5GA8D)
PM provides vaccine rollout update after meeting to discuss possible blood clotting link; NSW to keep border open to NZ despite new Auckland Covid case. This blog is now closed
The star of hit films in the 80s and 90s has since moved into TV. She discusses life with 10 siblings, #MeToo and why she couldn’t ask for a better lifeVeering from horror to joy and back again, Elizabeth Perkins is contemplating what it would be like if her adult children moved back home. “The thing is, you miss them so much, then they’ll come back for a holiday and within a week there’s dirty dishes everywhere, there’s wet towels on the floor, they’ve eaten all the food. After a couple of weeks, you’re like: ‘Will they ever leave?’”This is the timely theme of Perkins’ show The Moodys, the first season of which, in 2019, saw three grownup children return home to Chicago for Christmas. Perkins plays Ann Moody, their mother; Denis Leary plays her husband. In the new season, all three children are living at the family home, with predictably messy consequences. “It really explored that dichotomy of: you love them to death, but, man, they get on your nerves,” says Perkins. Continue reading...
Coalition accepts most of the Respect@Work report recommendations but pushes back on key advice on private sectorMembers of parliament have been put on notice that there will be “consequences” for sexual harassment, as the government announces it will overhaul federal laws to try to stamp out sexual misconduct in Australian workplaces.Responding to the Respect@Work report completed by sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in March 2020, the government announced on Thursday that it had accepted most of the report’s 55 recommendations either in full, in part or in principle. Continue reading...
Indonesian campus aims to grow within decade to 2,000 masters students, 1,000 ‘executive education students’ and 100 PhD students annuallyMonash University in Melbourne has signed a formal agreement with the Indonesian government to strengthen ties between the two countries as Australian universities try to diversify from their reliance on China.On Thursday, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s ministry of research and technology to “forge solid and institutionalised partnerships”. Continue reading...
Typhoon planes and cruise missiles used in biggest air raid against group in two years, ‘probably killing dozens’ says forceRAF and other coalition planes last month engaged in the biggest air raids against Isis in two years, in a 10-day mission that attacked up to 100 cave hideouts in Iraq and is likely to have caused dozens of casualties.The attacks concluded on 22 March, the Ministry of Defence said. Continue reading...
The American poet will grace Vogue’s May issue and spoke about being conscious of ‘taking commissions that speak to’ herAmanda Gorman, the 23-year-old American poet who drew widespread acclaim for her reading at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, has revealed she has turned down millions in endorsements because the companies do not “speak to” her.The poet signed with IMG Models days after her high-profile Washington appearance and told Vogue that she had since said no to “around” $17m worth of deals. Continue reading...
A bus was hijacked and set on fire at the junction of Lanark Way and Shankhill Road in west Belfast, the PSNI said. Stones were thrown at police while a press photographer was assaulted while working on Wednesday evening. The bus driver was reportedly uninjured. Police advised the public to avoid the areas and said: 'We would appeal to those with influence in the area to use it to help restore calm.'
Kyaw Zwar Minn says ‘it’s a kind of coup’, while sources say deputy has taken charge on behalf of militaryMyanmar’s ambassador to London has been locked out of the country’s embassy – apparently by his deputy, who was reported to have taken charge on behalf of the military.Since a military coup in February, Myanmar’s army has launched a harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and has been accused of hundreds of extrajudicial executions as well as torture and illegal detentions. Continue reading...
Thursday: Besieged MP gave a grant to a rugby club connected to one of his staffers. Plus: genetic sequencing sheds light on ancient human migration into EuropeGood morning. A besieged federal parliamentarian faces fresh scrutiny over a $550,000 grant, doctors reject the Australian government’s vaccine rollout claims, while the UK decides under 30s should be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab. Those stories and more.Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming gave a $550,000 grant to a sporting club closely connected to one of his staff members, Guardian Australia can reveal. The money was allocated from the heavily criticised $150m female facilities and water safety initiative, and was presented to the secretary of the Southern Bay Cyclones rugby union club, James Eaton – the husband of Laming’s electorate officer Stephanie Eaton. Laming is now on leave from parliament after allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards several women, with the Australian Electoral Commission also investigating the member for Bowman over more than 30 Facebook pages he operates under the guise of community and education groups. Continue reading...
by Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent on (#5GA0K)
Monarch says authorities foiled an act of sedition with arrests of former crown prince and othersJordan’s king has claimed authorities foiled an act of sedition with the weekend arrests of a former crown prince and 17 other people, describing the events as the “most painful” ordeal of his reign.“Nothing can come close to the shock and the pain and anger I felt, as a brother, and head of the Hashemite family, and as a leader to this dear people,” the king said in a written statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...
List celebrating authors under-35 includes Cubans for first time and more authors of colourA mystical murder story set to the rhythms of Inca ritual dancing, a tale of quotidian corruption in Equatorial Guinea, and a psychedelic musing on exile in outer space are among the stories in an eclectic new collection intended to showcase the best young writers of Spanish-language fiction.Eleven years after publishing its first collection of the finest up-and-coming authors in Spanish, Granta magazine is releasing a second volume that brings together 25 writers aged under 35 and currently at work on four continents. Continue reading...
No new properties have been purchased under the Queensland government program since 2017, a report findsCape York Indigenous groups have warned that a successful Queensland government program to return land to traditional owners is on the verge of stalling, potentially leaving large and significant swathes of the peninsula at the mercy of mining speculators.The Cape York land tenure resolution program has returned more than 4m hectares of land to traditional owner groups since 2007, including about 2m hectares that is designated as national park. Continue reading...
by Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspon on (#5G9X7)
Cheng Jingye hosted a media event at his residence in Canberra that included a two-hour video conference with officials in XinjiangChina’s ambassador to Australia has warned that Beijing would respond “in kind” if Canberra followed other countries in imposing sanctions against its officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.The ambassador, Cheng Jingye, said people should not be under the illusion “that China would swallow the bitter pill” of meddling in its internal affairs, nor attempts to mount a “pressure” campaign. Continue reading...
Outdoor Swimming Society app provides swim programme ending with long-distance crawl at solsticeWith gyms in Britain shut for much of last year almost a million people downloaded an NHS-backed fitness app over three months in an attempt to get up off the sofa and out for a run.In subsequent lockdowns wild swimming converts have been evangelising about the healing powers of cold water. Continue reading...
With palace summer opening cancelled because of coronavirus, visitors will be able to pay to picnic from July to SeptemberThe paying public can picnic at the palace this summer as the Queen throws open her private 39-acre London garden for visitors to explore by themselves for the first time.With pandemic restrictions forcing the cancellation of Buckingham Palace’s traditional summer opening for a second year, self-guided tours of the landscaped grounds will be on offer from July to September. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#5G9GE)
Hot Water says its reputation has been damaged after ‘very unclear’ vaccine certificates announcementA comedy club has said it suffered “significant damage” to its reputation after being wrongly linked to the government’s proposal for coronavirus health certificates.Paul Blair, a co-owner of the Liverpool-based Hot Water comedy club, said it faced a backlash after several newspapers reported it would be involved in vaccine passport trials after a “very unclear” government announcement. Continue reading...
Last February, Sissoko’s historic instrument was disassembled on a flight home to Paris. Bolstered by a new kora, his latest album revives their borderless journeyIn the Malian language Bamanankan, djourou – the title of Ballaké Sissoko’s forthcoming album – means string. “It’s the string that connects me to others,” he says. For this master of the kora, it is also the string that broke.Last February, Sissoko returned to Paris after a US tour with his trio 3MA to find that border officials in New York had dismantled his kora. The neck, bridge, strings and custom-built pickup had been removed from the body, made of calabash and parchment. The instrument was beyond repair, and made headlines around the world. Continue reading...
Election of Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi would serve to validate UAE’s record on human rights, ex-prosecutor saysAn Emirati general linked to human rights abuses is unsuited to head Interpol and his possible appointment may be seen as a “reward” for donations to the agency, according to a report by the UK’s former director of public prosecutions.The process of electing a president of Interpol, which is due to happen later this year, is “shrouded in secrecy and opaque”, Sir David Calvert-Smith wrote. Continue reading...