Authorities ignored signs of infiltration by far-right elements, say campaignersGermany’s first nationwide report into rightwing extremism in the security services has revealed hundreds of incidents across the police and military that contravened the country’s constitution.Horst Seehofer, the interior minister, sought to downplay the incidence of extremism in the forces, at the same time as insisting that each case was a “disgrace” and that a “no tolerance” policy would be exercised against personnel who broke the rules. Continue reading...

Potential rebellion as advisers tell investors to block or abstain in vote on appointmentMike Ashley faces another showdown with investors at Frasers Group’s annual meeting on Wednesday after one advisory group said shareholders should block his re-election as chief executive and another advised them to abstain.In a report to clients, Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) said shareholders of the group, which owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, should rebel against Ashley as reports that workers at Sports Direct had been asked to go in to stores while on furlough were “representative of a corporate culture that does not meet best practice standards with regard to the treatment of employees”. Continue reading...

In a special episode of Full Story, we go into budget lockup with the Guardian Australia team to find out what the first recession budget in 30 years has to offer for jobs, aged care, workers, business and the environment. We also ask: what’s not in this budget?You can catch up on the key points of the federal budget 2020 here.You can also read: Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins both bring B-game to seemingly interminable show

Deluge of stories about ‘Sars’ unit’s alleged brutality has been posted on social mediaGraphic footage showing officers from Nigeria’s “Sars” police unit dragging two men from a hotel in Lagos and shooting one of them in the street has sparked mass fury across the country and fuelled long-held demands for reform.In the disturbing footage taken by visitors at a hotel and posted on to social media on Saturday, armed officers of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad, commonly called Sars, can be seen dragging two limp bodies from the hotel compound into the street before one of the men is shot. Continue reading...

Exclusive: if discovery is confirmed it will have global implications as 90% of people breathe dirty airTiny air pollution particles have been revealed in the brain stems of young people and are intimately associated with molecular damage linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.If the groundbreaking discovery is confirmed by future research, it would have worldwide implications because 90% of the global population live with unsafe air. Medical experts are cautious about the findings and said that while the nanoparticles are a likely cause of the damage, whether this leads to disease later in life remains to be seen. Continue reading...

Prime minister addresses Tory party conference while Scottish cabinet considers Covid-19 ‘circuit break’ lockdown

In his budget speech on Tuesday night, the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, declared that 'in 2020, Australians had been tested like never before' before announcing $98bn of spending and business concessions.The economic plan will see the deficit reach $213.7bn this year. Net debt is also forecast to peak at a record $966bn or 44% of GDP by June 2024.

Rivals veered into parodies of themselves, with most analysts declaring incumbent the winner

Damning report says church protected its reputation above its ’explicit moral purpose’Church of England bishops should be stripped of responsibility to keep children safe from sexual abuse, according to an independent inquiry that said the church had protected its own reputation above its “explicit moral purpose”.A damning report from the independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), published on Tuesday, said the C of E’s culture of deference and “clericalism” meant it was a place where abusers could hide. Continue reading...

Treasurer hands down federal budget derailed by coronavirus pandemic. Follow all today’s news live

Cases have been blocked despite guidance saying anyone can make a requestThe rights of those living abroad to submit freedom of information requests are to be tested in court after more than a dozen cases – including one relating to Julian Assange’s extradition – were blocked.A combined hearing involving the Home Office, Metropolitan police, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and 13 separate cases is to be held at an information tribunal in London. Continue reading...

Teacher accused of violating legislation, reportedly discussing freedom of speech with pupilsA Hong Kong primary school teacher has been deregistered after being accused of using pro-independence materials in class, reportedly to teach students about the concepts of freedom of speech and independence.The education bureau accused the teacher of a premeditated act in violation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, its de facto constitution, by having “spread a message about Hong Kong independence”. Continue reading...

Let us give thanks the government has brought forward its stage 2 tax cuts – but not stage 3

After a three-day stay at a military hospital to treat symptoms of coronavirus, a contagious Donald Trump returned to the White House and immediately took off his face mask while posing for cameras.Video footage suggests the US president was experiencing laboured breathing during part of the photo op in which he also gave two thumbs up and saluted as he watched Marine One lift off from the south lawn.Trump later waved and walked inside, where masked staff were visible, only to reemerge for what appeared to be a film shoot. In the film, which he tweeted soon after, Trump offered some bizarrely contrary advice about the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans: 'Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it. You’re gonna beat it'

Sister of Richard Molloy, from Northern Ireland, travels to resort to repatriate his bodyThe families of a Northern Irish man who died and two of his friends who fell critically ill after a dental tourism trip to Turkey desperately want to bring their sons home, their local MP has said.Richard Molloy, 33, was found dead on Saturday in the Turkish port city of Marmaris. His two friends , Declan Carson and Aaron Callaghan, fell critically ill and were reportedly found unconscious in the trio’s rented apartment. Continue reading...

The story of Baba, chained to a tree for three years, moved people around the world to help. Mental health nurse Stephen Asante witnessed his journey to freedom

Rise in infection rate in Paris as Spanish authorities clash over Madrid lockdown

Three NGOs file evidence to war crimes unit against Assad regime over use of chemical weaponsA group of NGOs has submitted a criminal complaint to the German courts over sarin gas attacks in Syria, a legal milestone which marks the first step on the long road to holding Bashar al-Assad’s regime accountable for its use of chemical weapons.The Justice Initiative, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression and the Syrian Archive submitted the filing and dossier of evidence to the German federal public prosecutor in Karlsruhe on behalf of victims on Monday. Continue reading...

Tuesday: only four days after being diagnosed with coronavirus, a contagious Donald Trump emerges from hospital casting himself as a victor over CovidWelcome to today’s US election briefing for Australia.“Don’t let it dominate you.” Only four days after being diagnosed with Covid, president Donald Trump emerged from hospital on Monday, casting himself as a victor over a virus that continues to ravage his country. Continue reading...

Loophole allowing marriage with parental consent undermines UK’s global stance on child marriage, parliament to be toldThe UK is undermining its international efforts to end child marriage because an exception to the law in England and Wales that allows 16 and 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent is putting children at risk, parliament will be told today.Pauline Latham MP will ask the House to back a bill criminalising child marriage and civil partnership before the age of 18. She will argue that current legislation is at odds with the legal requirement since 2013 for young people to remain in education or training until then. Continue reading...

Police captured one animal after the pair was spotted roaming the streets of the inner westA wild deer has been put down but a second one remains at large after the pair roamed through streets in the Sydney suburbs of Leichhardt, Balmain and Annandale on Tuesday morning.The two deer were spotted running through the inner-west suburbs, even entering a garage and jumping over the head of one local, according to residents. Continue reading...

Solicitors and barristers say they feel unsafe and warn Home Office attacks on lawyers are undermining the legal systemLeading immigration lawyers have told the Guardian that increasingly hostile rhetoric from the home secretary is putting them at risk of being attacked as well as undermining the legal system.On Sunday home secretary Priti Patel used a speech at the Conservative party conference to criticise lawyers who defend migrants, linking them directly with traffickers who help asylum-seekers to cross borders. Continue reading...

The Zimbabwean novelist, shortlisted for this year’s Booker prize for This Mournable Body, is accused of intending to incite public violence in Harare

In a suburb of Chicago, the world’s first government-funded slavery reparations programme is beginning. Robin Rue Simmons helped make it happen – but her victory has been more than 200 years in the makingIt began with an email. On an especially cold day in Evanston, Illinois, in February 2019, Robin Rue Simmons, 43 years old and two years into her first term as alderman for the city’s historically Black 5th ward, sent an email whose effects would eventually make US history. The message to the nine-member equity and empowerment commission of the Evanston city council started with a disarmingly matter-of-fact heading: “Because ‘reparations’ makes people uncomfortable.”She continued: Continue reading...

Conservative and Labour MPs are unhappy with lack of evidence behind 10pm closing time

Adults and children are regularly shackled and locked up in 60 countries, report findsHundreds of thousands of people with mental health conditions in 60 countries are still being chained, according to a comprehensive and damning new study.Human Rights Watch says that men, women and children – some as young as 10 – are regularly shackled or locked in confined spaces for weeks, months, and even years, across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has returned to the White House following his hospital stay at the Walter Reed Medical Center. He removed his surgical mask on the White House balcony and recorded a video message telling people not to be afraid of Covid-19. 'Don't let it dominate you, don't be afraid of it, you're going to beat it,' the US president said. 'I know there's a risk, there's a danger but that's OK'. He suggested he may now be immune to the disease though he added he did not know.

A busy day in the transfer market saw Arsenal land Thomas Partey for £45m and Manchester United make four signings

Former union heavyweight admits stealing nearly $70,000 from her former employer for personal items and travelEx-Health Services Union boss Kathy Jackson has admitted stealing nearly $70,000 from her former employer, following previously unpublished convictions for similar fraud offences.The former union heavyweight pleaded guilty in Victoria’s county court on Monday to two charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception. Continue reading...

Michael Farris leads Alliance Defending Freedom, designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law CenterThe head of a conservative Christian non-profit organization that has been designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) attended the White House event announcing Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the supreme court.The exclusive Rose Garden gathering on 26 September is under scrutiny as multiple people who were there, including the president, have contracted Covid-19. Continue reading...

Bank’s former chief executive reportedly walked out of room during act at party last yearA leading investment bank has apologised for “any offence caused” after it was reported that its black former chief executive left his chairman’s birthday party when a black performer dressed as a janitor danced on stage.The New York Times reported that Tidjane Thiam, who ran Credit Suisse between 2015 and February this year, walked out of the room during the act at Urs Rohner’s 6oth birthday celebration. Continue reading...

Thirty times more plastic on ocean floor than surface, analysis suggests, but more trapped on land than seaAt least 14m tonnes of plastic pieces less than 5mm wide are likely sitting at the bottom of the world’s oceans, according to an estimate based on new research.Analysis of ocean sediments from as deep as 3km suggests there could be more than 30 times as much plastic at the bottom of the world’s ocean than there is floating at the surface. Continue reading...

Government accused of putting lives at risk after 15,841 cases omitted from official figures

Alf Dubs among peers voting in favour of right of asylum-seekers to join relatives in UKThe government has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords as peers voted in support of an amendment to its flagship immigration bill designed to protect family reunion rules for asylum-seekers beyond Brexit.The clause, tabled by four peers including Alf Dubs, a former child refugee, aims to ensure that rights under UK law to family reunion, at present covered by EU legislation known as the Dublin III treaty, will continue after the transition period. Continue reading...

Investigation launched into deaths of three Newcastle students and 18-year-old in WashingtonPolice and university leaders have issued alerts over illegal drugs after four suspected drug-related deaths in north-east England last weekend.One of the victims, Jeni Larmour, an 18-year-old Newcastle University student, was described as a “spirited” and “model pupil” by her former school. Continue reading...

Paul beat seven other contenders to win the leadership of the country’s Green partyAnnamie Paul, the first Black person to head a mainstream Canadian federal party, said on Monday that her victory was a sign that politics could become more inclusive.Paul, a 47-year-old Toronto lawyer, beat seven other contenders to win the leadership of the country’s Green party late on Saturday. Continue reading...

Appeal court sets aside ruling that gold could not be released to Nicolás Maduro-backing bankA battle for the control of more than $1.8bn worth of Venezuelan gold stored at the Bank of England has swung in favour of the government of Nicolás Maduro after an appeals court in London overturned an earlier high court ruling concerning whom the UK recognised as Venezuela’s president.The court of appeal granted an appeal by the Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) and set aside July’s high court judgment, which had found that Britain’s recognition of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the “constitutional interim president of Venezuela” meant the gold could not be released for the Maduro-backing bank. Continue reading...

Labour says ‘lives at risk’ because of government’s testing data ‘shambles’; 12,594 new cases recorded in UK on Monday

Videos of magpie attacks abound on social media during swooping season from August to October. But magpies are generally not aggressive and have many qualities that endear them to their many human friends. Cheyne Anderson tells Gabrielle Jackson why there’s more to love than fear from Australia’s most accomplished songbird Continue reading...

Andrew Jones murdered Michael O’Leary after luring him with phone message from wife’s mobileA businessman has been found guilty of luring his wife’s secret lover to a remote farm in south-west Wales before “executing” him.Andrew Jones shot dead his old friend, Michael O’Leary, at a farm in Carmarthenshire after finding out he was having an affair with his wife, Rhianon. Continue reading...

As protests continue in response to the widely contested re-election of Alexander Lukashenko, three filmmakers capture their own stories and those of the people around themOur latest Guardian Documentary is an unusual collaboration. Three independent Belarusian film-makers reacted to the country-wide protests by turning their cameras on themselves and their communities. Taken together, these three portraits offer a rare glimpse into life in a country in the throes of political upheaval.Belarus has only ever had one president, and Alexander Lukashenko, who has held the position since 1994, declared victory again in elections on 9 August with a contested 80% of the vote. The widespread protests that followed have been ruthlessly suppressed by security forces. Continue reading...

Fear of mass civilian casualties as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalates

Exclusive: lawyers for Patel’s former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam push forward constructive dismissal claimPriti Patel is facing the possibility of being questioned before a 10-day employment tribunal hearing next September after lawyers for her former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam pushed forward with a claim for constructive dismissal.The home secretary, her department, and Downing Street are also being asked to disclose all correspondence related to Rutnam’s departure following claims that he was forced out of his job for intervening in her alleged bullying of fellow civil servants. Continue reading...

Quarter of fakes were stolen with some eggs tracked from thief to trafficker to consumerDecoy eggs made by a 3D-printer and fitted with satellite tags have been placed in sea turtle nests on beaches in Costa Rica to track the illegal trade of their eggs.A quarter of the fake eggs put among 101 turtle nests on four beaches in Costa Rica were stolen, with some eggs successfully tracked as they moved from thief to trafficker to consumer. Continue reading...

Having been postponed in 2018, last year’s return drew heavy fire for the selection of Peter Handke, so experts expect a cautious choice this week

Ambulances called to La Sainte Union Catholic girls’ secondary in Highgate

The late fashion designer was the first from Japan to break into Paris’s exclusive fashion milieu in the 1970s. His colours and prints were a far cry from the traditional Parisian style of the time Continue reading...