After being offered a prestigious international literary residency, Nkiacha Atemnkeng was excited for his first visit to the US – until he turned up at the embassy for his interviewI am a western visa rejection expert. Three times – even though I work at an airport. But I am mostly a literary reject, a reality which also, somehow, always presents itself in sets of threes. Like a trilogy.I am at the US embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, waiting outside the gate and the high fence. I admire the white tiled buildings and poles flaunting American flags. We stand in the morning sun. A Cameroonian security guard walks towards us. Continue reading...
First research to collate figures documents the people who have lost their lives, with drownings during sea crossings on the riseAlmost 300 asylum seekers including 36 children have died trying to cross the Channel to the UK in the past 20 years, according to the first analysis to collate deaths.The Institute of Race Relations research, due to be published next month and seen by the Guardian, details the cases of 292 people who have died trying to cross by vehicle, tunnel and over the water since 1999. Continue reading...
Property market posted an 11% rise in median values, masking rising homelessness and a widening social divide, critics sayNew Zealand house prices have defied the Covid-19 recession and soared to record levels, prompting warnings that the hot property market will damage the country’s long-term economic wellbeing and widen inequality.New Zealand, which already had some of the most unaffordable housing in the world, saw median prices rise 11.1 % in the year to September, while the median price in Auckland reached nearly $1m (US$660,000). Prices rose 2.5% across the country in September compared with August. Continue reading...
France will go back into a nationwide lockdown starting this week to try to contain the Covid-19 pandemic that is again threatening to spiral out of control, French president Emmanuel Macron said in an address to the nation on Wednesday. The new measures he announced – which come into force on Friday – will mean people have to stay in their homes except to buy essential goods, seek medical attention or use their daily one-hour allocation of exercise.
Yellow ‘be aware’ rain warning for west coast of England, much of Wales and parts of ScotlandTorrential downpours could result in “dangerous” flooding across the UK this week, the Met Office has warned.Forecasters say large waves, heavy rain, strong gales and potential river flooding will affect the west coast of England, much of Wales and parts of Scotland from Thursday. Continue reading...
Germany will impose an emergency month-long lockdown that includes the closure of restaurants, gyms and theatres to reverse a spike in coronavirus cases that risks overwhelming hospitals, the chancellor said on Wednesday
Canadians positive even as millions remain out of work and country faces grim economic projections due to pandemicDespite a global pandemic that has destroyed economies and fanned nationalism around the world, Canadians say they are increasingly open to welcoming immigrants and refugees.A new study from the polling firm Environics Institute found that attitudes among Canadians have become increasingly positive, even as millions remain out of work and the country faces grim economic projections. Continue reading...
Street cat made cathedral her home 12 years ago, capturing the hearts of clergy, congregation and touristsShe started out as a street cat, stealing scraps from market traders. Then, 12 years ago, the small tabby made her home in Southwark Cathedral where she reached celebrity status: meeting the Queen, starring in a children’s book and having her own social media accounts.The extraordinary journey of Doorkins Magnificat from mangy moggie to cherished feline ended on Wednesday, a month after her death, when a thanksgiving service was held under the cathedral’s Gothic arches before she was laid to rest in the churchyard. Continue reading...
People with links to separatist movement are held on suspicion of misusing public moneySpanish police have arrested 21 people including key supporters of the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont on suspicion of using public money to finance a failed push for independence and fund Puigdemont’s self-imposed exile in Belgium.In a series of raids carried out by hundreds of civil guard police in several parts of Catalonia, Puigdemont’s so-called chiefs of staff – most of them linked to the two major pro-independence parties – were among those arrested. Homes and businesses were also searched under what is being called Operation Volhov. Continue reading...
A controversial $1.3bn project brings together angry voters from across the political spectrum in Mark Robinson’s electorate of OodgerooThis week residents in Cleveland, a bayside community south of Brisbane, received a letterbox flyer from their local MP, the ultraconservative Liberal National Mark Robinson, talking up his environmental credentials.All things being equal, the election campaign in Robinson’s safe seat of Oodgeroo would be a foregone conclusion. The born-again evangelical, who employs former Australian Christian Lobby head Lyle Shelton in his local office, won the seat with 52% of the primary vote in 2017. Continue reading...
by Co-hosted by Mozhgan Moarefizadeh. Produced by Nic on (#59MWY)
In the fourth part of our series examining the plight of refugees in Indonesia, Mozhgan and her friend Elina, from Sudan, have a disagreement about beliefs. When the future is impossible to see, faith can be a rock – or it can shatter completely. In this episode we look at how, in their quest to cope, some refugees are taking matters into their own hands
Kaczyński’s populist move aims to keep the Catholic church on side, but mass protests suggest he’s gone too farCoronavirus may be new, but the authoritarian instinct is as old as politics itself. One of the standard tricks of the Covid-19-era illiberal populist is to reach for religion when you are being accused of incompetence. Donald Trump posed for photos with the Bible, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, and in Poland Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the Law and Justice party (PiS), has resorted to an almost total ban on abortion.A ruling from Poland’s constitutional tribunal last week outlawed abortion in cases where the foetus is severely damaged or malformed. This in practice now means almost all forms of abortion are banned. Continue reading...
Officer was taking part in raid on cockfights when one of the birds severed his femoral arteryThe police chief of a Philippine town has been killed during a raid on an illegal cockfight when one of the razor-sharp metal blades worn by the birds cut an artery in his leg and he bled to death.The incident took place on Monday in Madugang village in Northern Samar province, where police have been cracking down on illegal cockfights because the gatherings have been blamed for helping to spread coronavirus. Continue reading...
An indigenous woman has her newborn child stolen by a fake maternity clinic in this desperately sad account of real-life events in the 1980sThis feature debut from Peruvian film-maker Melina Léon, first shown in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at last year’s Cannes film festival, is beautifully shot in black and white. It is an intimately painful and quite terrifying drama set in the late 1980s – the era of Peru’s Shining Path terrorist insurgency – and drawn from real life.Pamela Mendoza plays Georgina, an indigenous Peruvian woman who is heavily pregnant and one day hears a radio ad for a supposed “charity clinic” offering free maternity services. On going into labour, she gratefully goes to this place, with its plausible-looking medical people in white coats who remove her baby, explaining it has to be taken to hospital for “checkups” and that she should go home. When Georgina returns the next day, the “clinic” is an empty shell, cleaned out, and the baby sold for adoption on fake papers to wealthy buyers from abroad. The horrified and desperate Georgina, whose indigenous status makes her almost less than human, is all but ignored by the authorities who not-so-secretly believe that the babies are anyway better off with the new (white) parents. So Georgina contacts a journalist, Pedro (Tommy Párraga), a shy, gay man whose editor is only too glad to put him on to this safe “human interest” feature, and away from the more difficult politically charged investigation he’d been working on. Continue reading...
Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth will be released this year, with the 86-year-old author also planning fresh theatre work after ‘continuous writing’ in lockdown
Two female soldiers and their civilian partners are due to take part in this year’s ceremonyTwo same-sex couples are to be married in the Taiwanese army’s annual mass wedding ceremony this week, in a first after the island’s government legalised marriage equality 18 months ago.The female soldiers and their civilian partners – Chen Ying-xuan and Lee Ying-ying, and Wang Yi and Meng Youmei – will wed on Friday. Continue reading...
Some partied the night away, others were up at the crack of dawn to line up for their first cafe hit, and others queued to shop, shop, shopMelbourne residents have become somewhat accustomed to the world changing overnight. But for what felt like the first time, they went to bed on Tuesday knowing they would wake up to a better version of their city.Australia’s second-biggest city has been under harsh lockdown since July and although many businesses and individuals suffered greatly there is no denying it was effective. Continue reading...
Hopes are high that the overwhelming vote to overturn the Pinochet-era constitution marks the beginning of a new eraOn Sunday, Chileans voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing a new constitution. After one year of almost continuous social and violent protests, the country erupted upon hearing the news with the kind of jubilant parties and street celebrations that were last seen when a 1989 plebiscite put an end to the 17-year dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.Chile’s current constitution was written by Pinochet’s adviser and rightwing ideologue Jaime Guzmán, and was approved at the time by a rigged referendum. When Chile subsequently became a democracy in 1990, authoritarian principles enshrined in this constitution constrained the country’s process of democratisation and imposed a neoliberal model of economic development. The constitution had allowed Pinochet to nominate senators, established a voting system that initially overrepresented the political right, and required supermajorities for reforming institutions such as the armed forces and education system. Continue reading...
Labor MPs told gas power is a necessary part of the transition to renewablesUnion officials have given Labor MPs a message that gas will be needed in the transition to renewable energy, and have urged them to defend blue collar workers in traditional industries or face losing another election.The leadership of the Australian Workers Union and the construction and mining union attended a briefing organised this week by Labor’s country caucus, which is run by the shadow resources minister Joel Fitzgibbon. Continue reading...
UN nuclear agency says Tehran is building underground advanced centrifuge assembly plantIran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, satellite images show, and the UN’s nuclear agency has acknowledged that Tehran is building an underground advanced centrifuge assembly plant after its last one exploded in a reported sabotage attack last summer.Since August, Iran has built a new or regraded road to the south of Natanz towards what analysts believe is a former firing range for security forces at the enrichment facility, images from the San Francisco-based Planet Labs show. Continue reading...
The Bureau of Meteorology says storms in eastern Queensland continue to produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hailstonesDamaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hailstones have battered parts of north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland, as authorities warn a large storm front could cause flash flooding.In NSW, large hail fell in the town of Tamworth in the afternoon, building up to cover the streets in white. Continue reading...
The PM is asked why Dfat has not spoken to any of the women and why there’s been no direct ministerial contact with the government in QatarScott Morrison has brushed off claims his government was slow to act in the three weeks after it learned Australian women were subjected to a compulsory intimate medical examination at Doha airport.The foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, on Wednesday confirmed she had not had a direct conversation with the prime minister about the 2 October incident. Continue reading...
by Nino Bucci (now) and Amy Remeikis (earlier) on (#59KHC)
Melbourne lockdown lifted as Victoria records two Covid cases and two deaths. Senate estimates looks at Australia’s response to Doha airport incident. Follow live
The hardline adviser is said to be ready to unleash executive orders deemed too extreme for a president seeking re-electionThe architect of Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policy, senior adviser Stephen Miller, is said to have a drawer full of executive orders ready to be signed in “shock and awe” style if Trump is re-elected.The former homeland security department chief of staff, Miles Taylor, said this wishlist was reserved for the second term because it included policies that were too unpopular for a president seeking re-election. Continue reading...
White House lists ‘ending pandemic’ among accomplishments; China cases highest in two months; Macron to address nationFollow the latest coronavirus updates
Democratic presidential hopeful accuses Donald Trump of failing to speak up for people of Belarus after disputed electionJoe Biden has voiced support for Belarus’s opposition in its general strike against President Alexander Lukashenko, saying the embattled leader’s reign was illegitimate.Biden, who leads President Donald Trump in polls ahead of next week’s US election, promised if he wins to “significantly expand” sanctions alongside European allies against “Lukashenko’s henchmen”. Continue reading...
by Michael Safi in Beirut, Redwan Ahmed in Dhaka, Akh on (#59KYY)
Protests take place in several countries against French president in aftermath of crackdownOn the front page of a hardline Iranian newspaper, he was the “Demon of Paris”. In the streets of Dhaka he was decried as a leader who “worships Satan”. Outside Baghdad’s French embassy, a likeness of Emmanuel Macron was burned along with France’s flag.Rage is growing across the Muslim world at the French president and his perceived attacks on Islam and the prophet Muhammad, leading to calls for boycotts of the French products and security warnings for France’s citizens in majority-Muslim states. Continue reading...
by Presented by Rachel Humphreys with Emmanuel Akinwo on (#59KX4)
The Guardian’s West Africa correspondent Emmanuel Akinwotu reports from the protests against the special anti-robbery squad (Sars), which have swept Nigeria and gained international support. For years, the police unit has been plagued with allegations of extrajudicial killings and abuseThe Guardian’s West Africa correspondent Emmanuel Akinwotu tells Rachel Humphreys about the wave of protests which have erupted across Nigeria and captured global attention. The cries for change in Nigeria, largely from a younger generation, have centred around calls for an end to the notorious special anti-robbery squad (Sars), a police unit who have long been accused of extrajudicial killings, torture and extortion.Last week, according to witnesses, dozens of soldiers disembarked from at least four trucks flanked by police officers and approached the scene of a major protest site where more than a thousand people had taken over a toll gate in Lekki, a large district in Lagos Island. Amnesty International said at least 12 people were killed by soldiers and police in the shootings which left many in Nigeria and across the world reeling. The visibility of the carnage, which has since been widely described as the “Lekki Massacre”, has fuelled outrage at the Nigerian government and security forces for clamping down on one of the most striking protest movements in decades in Nigeria. In an effort to quell unrest, the government announced the unit would be disbanded, and promised a host of reforms. But many demonstrators are sceptical of government promises without clearly specified timeframes. Continue reading...
Australia’s foreign minister says 18 women, including 13 Australians, on Qatar Airways flight were subjected to compulsory intimate searchesThe government of Qatar has said it “regrets any distress or infringement on the personal freedom of any traveller” caused by a decision to conduct intimate medical examinations of women transiting through Doha international airport, in what it said was an “urgently-decided search” to find the mother of an abandoned baby.On Wednesday morning the Australian government confirmed that 18 women on a flight from Doha to Sydney were subjected to the compulsory medical examination, including 13 Australian citizens. Passengers from 10 flights leaving Doha on the evening of 2 October were affected. Continue reading...
Campaigners for legal changes could be stymied by voter desire for the status quo after a tumultuous yearThe results of New Zealand’s referendums on whether to legalise cannabis and euthanasia will be released this week, with campaigners nervous that the upheavals of 2020 could have tilted the vote to the status quo.Political experts say that in years of unrest and instability voters tend to veer towards keeping things as they are, which could affect the likelihood of both referendum questions passing. Continue reading...
Carolyn Fairbairn says the UK economy is in ‘suspended animation’ while issue remain unresolvedThe head of the UK’s leading employers’ organisation has stepped up pressure on the government to conclude trade talks with the EU so that the country can move on from the “suspended animation” of the past four years.Reflecting on her five years as director general of the CBI, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said her biggest regret was that the issue had not been resolved earlier and warned ministers that businesses grappling with Covid-19 were unprepared for a hard Brexit. Continue reading...
Move follows criticism that its promotional films reinforced ‘white saviour’ stereotypesComic Relief will stop sending celebrities such as Ed Sheeran or Stacy Dooley to make promotional films in African countries, after deciding the approach reinforces outdated stereotypes about “white saviours”.The anti-poverty charity, best known for its Red Nose Day fundraising events, has also said it will no longer portray the continent using images of starving people or critically ill children. Instead it will highlight its work in African nations by promoting stories of ordinary life in the continent captured by local filmmakers and photographers. Continue reading...
Wednesday: the former president says Trump is ‘jealous of Covid media coverage’. Plus: the ABC’s Reputation Rehab takes on the outcastsGood morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 28 October. Continue reading...
Former US president Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump at an election rally for Joe Biden in Florida. Obama criticised his successor’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Trump had complained about the amount of news coverage it had received even as the US death toll continues to climb. 'He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage,' Obama said.The former president also criticised Trump for his personal lack of coronavirus safety, saying that he had turned the White House into a 'hot zone' in the wake of two coronavirus outbreaks among the president and his senior staff. 'Florida, we can’t afford four more years of this,' Obama added. 'We cannot afford this kind of incompetence and disinterest.' Continue reading...
One person still missing from vessel that capsized off France while trying to reach UKFour people, including two children aged five and eight, have died attempting to reach Britain by boat across the Channel, French authorities have confirmed.One man drowned when the migrant boat sank, and three people died after they were pulled from the water alive with 15 others, said the official from the Nord department. Another person, possibly a child, is still missing. Continue reading...
Sam Oosterhoff was part of large group gathered in banquet hall without masks or practicing social distancingOntario’s premier, Doug Ford, has come under fire for refusing to demote a scofflaw member of his caucus who was photographed without a mask at a large indoor gathering – even as the regional government pleads with residents to follow public health rules during the pandemic.Sam Oosterhoff, a parliamentary assistant to the province’s education minister, posted pictures online this weekend of a large group gathered in a banquet hall. None of the nearly 40 attendees were seen wearing masks or practicing physical distancing. Continue reading...
Outcome of next two weeks of talks crucial but uncertain, says Charles MichelBrexit negotiations have hit their most difficult stage, with Brussels still unsure whether a deal with Boris Johnson is possible within the next two crucial weeks, the European council president, Charles Michel, has said.The former prime minister of Belgium, who leads the summit of EU leaders, said in an interview with the Guardian that the result still was still hanging in the balance with what he suggested was a further fortnight of talks to come. Continue reading...
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