Fox leads a mercenary crew against a group of Islamist wildlife poachers in a South African grassland setting that’s more than just an attractive backdropIf hit Netflix documentary Tiger King had you championing the big cat cause, here’s the animal rights-respecting action-thriller you should watch next. Transformers’ Megan Fox stars as Samantha O’Hara, the gun-toting girl-boss of a mercenary crew in South Africa who must retrieve a high-value hostage from a band of Islamic militants-cum-ivory-poachers. It’s a money-making mission though, not a humanitarian one, and any heroics are performed reluctantly: “If I die because I’m doing the right thing, I’m gonna be so pissed,” says Sam.The action rattles along at a decent pace, punctuated by regular mauling deaths as Sam’s utterly expendable crew hunker down in an abandoned “lion farm”. It’s not just the local al-Shabaab cell that threatens their lives; they’re also being stalked by a lioness gone rogue. Continue reading...

Foreign Office retaliates after expulsion of British diplomats following protests in Minsk

From helping photographers capture the Nigerian protests to exhibiting during a pandemic, the director of LagosPhoto festival has had his work cut out. Now he wants to fight ‘afro-pessimism’ and the posturing around Black Lives MatterWhen I first spoke to Azu Nwagbogu, the recent protests against police brutality in his native Nigeria had just entered their second week. The curator was upbeat, describing them as “an incredible awakening”. A week later, when we made contact again, he sounded more sombre, but no less defiant, following the fatal police shootings of at least 12 protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, the main gathering point for the daily demonstrations.“This protest is not about ‘the poor masses’,” he tells me. “My sister, who is a medical doctor and a consultant anaesthetist, was active in the protests. Everyone who isn’t in government has had enough. The genie has been let out of the bottle and it won’t go back in without the wishes of the people being fulfilled.” Continue reading...

Advocates say the Trump administration is using coronavirus as a pretext to deny young people their right to claim asylumUS authorities have radically accelerated the expulsion of unaccompanied children to Guatemala, but advocates accuse the Trump administration of using the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext to rob vulnerable youngsters of asylum protections enshrined in US and international law.Since tighter migration controls were announced in March, the US has deported more than 1,400 unaccompanied minors to Guatemala, according to data from the Guatemalan Migration Institute. A total of 407 children were expelled in October alone. Continue reading...

Summit host mulling whether detentions do it more harm than good, UK ambassador saysSaudi Arabia is considering clemency for jailed female activists ahead of its hosting of the G20 summit this month, the Saudi ambassador to the UK has said.The kingdom has been under growing pressure on its human rights record ahead of the summit, which is to be held virtually on 21 and 22 November. This includes the fate of a group of women who were prominent in the campaign for the right to drive. One of the themes of the G20 is women’s empowerment. Continue reading...

Dozens of people have died this year as Theta becomes 29th major stormThe annual record for the number of major storms forming in the Atlantic has been shattered, with Subtropical Storm Theta becoming the 29th named event in a hyperactive hurricane season.The US National Hurricane Center said the development of Theta, currently churning through the heart of the Atlantic, had broken a record that stood since 2005, when there were 28 named storms. Continue reading...

New definition mean universities won’t have to notify the government about deals with counterparts in countries such as the UK and USThe Morrison government has narrowed the coverage of its foreign veto bill in a bid to ease concerns of the university sector and the opposition about the potential reach of the planned new powers.The changes mean Australian universities, which have been worried thousands of international research agreements could be subject to review, will likely not have to notify the government about deals with their counterparts in a range of countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Continue reading...

The pandemic has pushed millions of urban poor into crisis – and left children struggling to help their families surviveSubhan Shaikh used to start the day with a cup of cinnamon-flavoured tea, brought to him by his mother, Sitara, before he got ready for school. But the lockdown in March brought her salary as a school bus attendant to an end, and providing food – never mind tea – for Subhan, 14, and his two younger sisters, became a challenge.Today, life for Subhan revolves around tea, which has become a lifeline for his family. After seeing his mother struggle, Subhan decided to do something and became a tea seller on the streets of Mumbai. Continue reading...

‘Listening to music in lockdown helps me see the world in a deeper way, and reminds me of my adventure to the Isle of Staffa’In lockdown, I’ve been traveling in a different way. I listen to music and close my eyes, revisiting songs that bring back memories. Listening to playlists and records is my way of remembering the different chapters of my life and what they have meant to me. I’ve grown up all over the world, moving countries every few years – from India to Hong Kong to Vietnam to the US. Now I’m living in Mumbai, waiting for my next visa. Through all the changes, music has been my constant, keeping me company through every move.There are a few pieces that transport me every time, such as the Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn, which was one of my favourite works as a music history student in high school. The piece was inspired by Mendelssohn’s 1829 trip to Fingal’s Cave on the island of Staffa, off Scotland’s west coast, known for its puffins and the echoes of the cave. Mendelssohn wrote it to capture the Atlantic swell, the sound of the waves crashing into rocks and lapping against each other. I feel at home when I am by the water, so listening to it takes me to sea. Continue reading...

At the same time the pandemic has brought job losses and spiralling poverty, food banks are finding volunteers and donations in short supply. Ellie Coteau from the Welcome Centre in Huddersfield explains how they are copingEvery morning at the Welcome Centre in Huddersfield goes like this. Ellie Coteau lets herself in at 8.45 and makes her way to the kitchen, for a cup of tea. She chats to her deputy, Mike Bristow, then heads to her desk to turn on her computer and check the referral list for that day. Continue reading...

How a trans woman found the surgery that could restore her sense of self

Peers vote on series of amendments before bill’s return to the Commons in coming weeks

PM risks major confrontation with Joe Biden by persevering with internal market billBoris Johnson has put himself on a collision course with the Joe Biden administration in the US after Downing Street said it would press ahead with legislation designed to override the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.Peers inflicted a huge defeat on the government after voting overwhelmingly to remove measures that seek to “disapply” parts of the Northern Ireland protocol – measures that Biden has said would put the Good Friday agreement at risk. Continue reading...

Lang Holland of the small town of Marshall posted on social media that ‘Marxist Democrats’ had ‘no right to live in this Republic’An Arkansas police chief resigned on Saturday, after posts under his name and picture advocating violence towards Democrats were found on Parler, a rightwing social media app.Related: 'Make America rake again': Four Seasons Total Landscaping cashes in on Trump fiasco Continue reading...

Tuesday: Interim results in trial of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine show it is 90% effective. Plus: a lockdown obsession with muesli reveals a winnerGood morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 10 November. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson has welcomed the promising news about the BioNTech/Pfizer coronavirus vaccine and said the UK was at 'the front of the pack' if and when it becomes available. At a Downing Street briefing, however, the prime minister also cautioned that it was 'very early days'. He said the vaccine still needed to be peer reviewed and clear any potential safety hurdles. 'We cannot rely on this news as a solution,' he said. 'The biggest mistake we could make now would be to slacken our resolve at a critical moment'UK rollout of Covid vaccine could start before Christmas Continue reading...

Nathan Maynard-Ellis and David Leesley convicted of killing Julia Rawson in Tipton

Incident threatens to draw Moscow further into conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh

MPs refused to support forced killing of millions of mink after concerns raised over disease risk and threat to livelihoodsThe Danish government has dropped an attempt to pass emergency legislation allowing it to cull all mink in the country.

Interim trial results are encouraging as scientists welcome news

Contentious statement includes edict on learning language of new home country

Porter, who went on the become attorney general, categorically rejects allegations he behaved inappropriately at a Canberra barThe then-prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, confronted Christian Porter in 2017 over allegations of inappropriate conduct with a young woman in a bar and warned him “the risk of compromise is very real”, the ABC has reported.Turnbull went on to appoint Porter his attorney general a fortnight later, it was revealed on Monday’s Four Corners program. In a statement after the broadcast, Porter said the “depiction of interactions in the bar are categorically rejected”. Continue reading...

‘Shameful’ treatment of health and care workers comes amid 122,000 shortage in England

All the parenting manuals I’d read were jokey and superficial. Then I turned to Rachel Cusk and Deborah Levy …

For families in the northern province of Cauca, time is running out as drug gangs and guerrilla groups exploit Covid chaos

‘There has not been an overall spike in numbers in a year that has delivered so many challenges,’ minister says

What are the restrictions within Victoria and the border closures with NSW and Queensland? How far can I travel, and how many people can I have over at my house? Untangle Australia’s Covid-19 laws and guidelines with our guide

Optimism abounds as leaders from Fiji to Papua New Guinea welcome the new US president-electJoe Biden’s presidential ascension had not even been settled when Fiji’s forthright prime minister was already urging greater US action on climate change from the incoming American leader.“Congratulations Joe Biden,” Frank Bainimarama tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Together, we have a planet to save from a climate emergency and a global economy to build back better from Covid-19.” Continue reading...

As other countries make leaps and bounds in drug law reform, Aotearoa seems bound to the tired and worn path of prohibitionSadly New Zealand has voted no to legalising cannabis, but it was close: 48.4% voted in support of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill and 50.7% voted against.As someone who campaigned hard for a yes vote, for much needed reform of our drug laws, I am reduced to tears. I have been receiving heartbreaking emails from people thanking me for my work to try and get the evidence out there, to try and stem the tide of fear-mongering and misinformation about cannabis and those who use it. Continue reading...

After being abused as a boy in Nigeria and trafficked to London at 14, boxing and piano playing gave him hope and at 32 Bilal Fawaz is finally able to fight professionally“There is beauty in darkness,” Bilal Fawaz says with a poetic flourish as we sit on an old bench outside the Cricklewood Boxing Gym in this stark corner of north-west London. “I became best friends with darkness and pain a long time ago.”The sky is sombre, with black clouds rolling in, and Fawaz talks with electrifying force. He is a newly professional boxer but his past is haunting and his future uncertain. Fawaz was abused as a boy in Nigeria and then trafficked to London. Continue reading...

European Investment Bank accused of failure to properly assess impacts of supported projects in Africa and AsiaThe EU-funded European Investment Bank has been using taxpayer cash to support infrastructure projects linked to alleged human rights violations, an investigation by NGOs shows.The report – led by campaign groups Counter Balance and the CEE Bankwatch Network – has accused the EIB of a lack of transparency and a failure to properly assess the impact of its funding as it extends its role beyond Europe to former Soviet republics, Africa and Asia. Continue reading...

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Monday: Donald Trump hits the golf course and continues to make baseless claims of voter fraud. Plus: Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull join forces to welcome defeat of ‘Murdoch’s man’Good morning, this is Imogen Dewey bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 9 November. Continue reading...

Trebek had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for some timeAlex Trebek, the beloved host of the gameshow Jeopardy!, has died. He was 80.Trebek had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for some time. Continue reading...

The government’s military operation against leaders of the Tigray region could have devastating consequences across the Horn of Africa

Free sanitary pad dispensers installed on campuses in effort to counter ‘stigma of menstruation’ in the countryChinese students have launched a program setting up free sanitary pad dispensers in toilets at universities across the country in a bid to end period shaming of young women.“Sanitary pad support boxes” have been set up in almost 250 campuses following a campaign on social media by an advocacy group called Stand By Her. Those who take from the period support boxes are encouraged to help replenish its stock later. Continue reading...

Writing in the Guardian, Labour leader says strategy that won back votes in the US can work in UK

US close to 10m cases, with India second on 8.5m cases, followed by Brazil and Russia

Country’s prime minister sent in federal troops and aircraft last week in major escalationHeavy casualties have been reported in ongoing clashes between the Ethiopian army and troops loyal to the ruling party of the restive northern province of Tigray.At least six people were killed and 60 people wounded and in one location along the Tigray border alone, Doctors Without Borders said on Saturday, and a medical official said nearly 100 government soldiers had been treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital in the northern Amhara region. Continue reading...

Up and down the UK, wreaths were laid and two minutes’ silence observed. Services were permitted but many vulnerable veterans chose to stay away while paying their respects Continue reading...

It isn’t your imagination – there really are more online sales now, and they’re changing Australia’s retail calendarFive stores email you on the same day. There’s a big sale coming tomorrow. You make a note in your calendar, planning to get some Christmas shopping done. By the time you log off the next day, a little dazed, you have an extra set of bedsheets and a popcorn machine you had no intention of buying.It was that pop-up offer that did you in – a little red ticker ran across the screen saying “Hurry! Only three items left!” It was probably driven by a machine-learning algorithm. Continue reading...

Crowds attempt to hand-deliver letters urging reform of the country’s monarchyRiot police fired water cannon at crowds of Thai pro-democracy protesters as they attempted to reach Bangkok’s Grand Palace on Sunday to hand-deliver letters urging reform of the country’s powerful monarchy.Demonstrations have spread across Thailand in recent months, led by young people who have risked lengthy jail sentences to call for the power and wealth of the royal family to be curbed, and for the resignation of the prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha. Continue reading...

President Aliyev says country’s forces have taken Shusha, despite Armenian denialsAzerbaijan has said it has recaptured the symbolic town of Shusha, a claim denied by Armenian officials as fighting in the bloody six-week-old battle over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory appeared to reach an apex.“[This day] will become a great day in the history of Azerbaijan,” said Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, in a televised address. His announcement on Sunday was greeted with celebrations on the streets of Baku as Azerbaijanis gathered to wave flags and sing. Continue reading...

Parental consent required as tests offered to all pupils in the city over the age of 11

Luis Arce takes power after landslide win for Movement for Socialism, but experts predict bumpy road aheadBolivia’s new president, Luis Arce, has vowed to rebuild his country’s battered economy, revive ties with leftwing neighbours and serve one term only, as he prepared to take office after October’s landslide election.Speaking to the Guardian before his inauguration on Sunday, the UK-educated economist was cautious about characterising his victory as proof that Latin America’s leftwing “pink tide” of the early 2000s was bouncing back after a period of rightwing dominance. Since 2018 the left has returned to power in Mexico and Argentina, while a leftwing economist is well placed to win Ecuador’s presidential election in February. Continue reading...

Prime minister says changes to legislation will protect Northern Ireland peace dealBoris Johnson has risked opening a rift with the US president-elect, Joe Biden, by insisting the internal markets bill that reneges on part of the EU withdrawal agreement would go ahead as planned.The prime minister said the legislation would go through parliament and added that the planned changes, which would hand unilateral power to ministers to change or disapply export rules for goods traveling from Britain to Northern Ireland, would protect the Good Friday peace deal. Continue reading...

Independent Office for Police Conduct says Wiltshire police officers responded to reports of two men arguing in the streetThe police watchdog has opened an investigation into the death of a 57-year-old man who was shot after Wiltshire police were called to an incident in Swindon.On Sunday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced it had opened an investigation into the incident. Continue reading...

The writer-director, currently starring in The Queen’s Gambit, has no truck with the idea of tortured geniusIt’s 2pm on polling day in Connecticut and Marielle Heller is hunkering down to await the result of the US election with her family, after venturing out to cast her vote. No, it wasn’t very busy, she says over Zoom, but it’s a small town “and I wore two masks”. We briefly ponder the nail-biting hours that lie between our conversation and publication of this article. It would be a good time for a few games of chess, except that Heller isn’t interested in chess. “I feel like I should pretend that I am. My kid has started learning how to play and was taking classes before the quarantine began. But yeah, my five-year-old knows more about chess than me,” she says.This is an endearingly unguarded declaration from a woman who has returned to acting, after the best part of a decade behind the camera, for a Netflix series that is all about the rise of a chess prodigy. For the record, I’m not interested in chess either, but despite its dogged pursuit of the perfect opening, I found The Queen’s Gambit compelling, not least because of Heller’s performance as Alma, the adoptive mother of a fiery young girl whose extraordinary gift takes her from a Kentucky orphanage to the top of the world rankings. Continue reading...

Coronavirus potentially poses a threat to the very existence of places such as Roccafiorita in Sicily

Here’s how to bring cheer to soggy winter days with hot soup and frittersThe damp days of early autumn send me, spoon in hand, in search of soup. Cloudy miso broths the colour of fallen leaves, old fashioned leek and potato so hot it steams up my glasses, sweet pumpkin, and in particular a bowl of deep and earthy mushroom.I rarely make cream soups, but a splash stirred into a chestnut mushroom soup is no bad thing on a soggy day. Made with standard brown mushrooms, it is a cheap enough recipe, but I sometimes include a handful of interesting varieties, such as porcini, king oyster or chanterelle, fried with a knob of butter, at the end. Continue reading...