Records show relatively even contributions to Coalition and Labor as Morrison government announces ‘gas-led recovery’ of economy

White House ceremony for agreements with UAE and Bahrain derided as ‘shameless propaganda’

Beijing confirms for first time they are likely to face criminal charges, as foreign ministry accuses them of separatismChinese authorities have confirmed the criminal detention of 12 Hongkongers accused of attempting to travel illegally to Taiwan by boat last month, a group the foreign ministry in Beijing has labelled separatists.The 12 people, aged 16 to 33, were under “compulsory criminal detention” in accordance with Chinese law for illegally crossing the border, a statement from the public security bureau in Shenzhen read on Sunday. It said they were arrested on 23 August. Continue reading...

Washington says ‘vocational’ centres are concentration camps as EU calls for independent observers in China’s western provinceThe US will block a range of Chinese products it says are made by forced labour in the Xinjiang region, including from a centre it branded a “concentration camp” for Uighur minorities.Washington’s move came as the EU urged Beijing to let independent observers into Xinjiang and warned China must make concessions if it wants to agree a major investment deal with the bloc. Continue reading...

New Zealand’s national language week will have little or no impact on most Kiwis, but we must protect te reo as a national treasureI can already feel my heart begin to race when I know I am expected to speak te reo Māori, the Indigenous tongue of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Where I am from, people know me as this confident, fluent speaker of the Māori language. But here I am today, sweaty-palmed at the mere thought of saying a simple greeting and introduction in my mother tongue.It is a far cry from the old me, who would win back-to-back Māori language speech competitions at a school where we learned everything in total immersion te reo Māori. Continue reading...

Man was shot and injured in the upper body as witness spoke to radio 3AW on Tuesday morningA man has been shot by police in Melbourne as thousands of people listened live on radio.A witness named Pauline was describing a tense stand-off between police and a man allegedly armed with a knife in the south-eastern suburb of Lilydale to radio station 3AW when she saw the man shot about 9.15am. Continue reading...

Bill passes at second reading by 340 votes to 263

30 Tory MPs abstain and two vote against controversial bill which will break international lawConservative MPs fired a warning shot at Boris Johnson’s conduct of the Brexit process on Monday night, as former cabinet ministers and attorney generals withheld support for a controversial bill which will break international law.One government source said the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, was “wobbly” and had asked for additional cabinet scrutiny of a controversial clause of the bill. Continue reading...

Labour leader to accuse Boris Johnson of failing on Covid testing in speech to unions

Matthew John Heath was plotting attacks against country’s oil industry and electrical system, chief prosecutor said on state TVVenezuela’s chief prosecutor has announced charges of terrorism and weapons trafficking against an alleged US “spy” who was detained last week in the South American country.The man, named as Matthew John Heath, was plotting attacks against the country’s oil industry and electricity system, Tarek William Saab, chief prosecutor, said on state television on Monday. Continue reading...

Belarusian president flies to Sochi for talks with Russian leader after month of protestsThe embattled Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, held lengthy talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday, in a meeting seen as crucial to determining whether or not Lukashenko can survive a protest movement against him.The pair met at Putin’s residence in Sochi, the first foreign trip Lukashenko has made since protests began a month ago. Continue reading...

What are the new laws restricting social groups to stop a coronavirus second wave?

Prosecutors allege Paul Rusesabagina was leader of rebel group responsible for deadly attacksPaul Rusesabagina, a businessman whose role in saving more than 1,000 lives inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, has appeared in court in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, facing charges of terrorism and murder.Rwandan authorities have accused Rusesabagina of being “the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits … operating out of various places in the region and abroad”. The dissident faces a lengthy prison sentence, potentially for life. Continue reading...

TV series lured fans from over the world to Port Isaac, bringing jobs and money, but critics complain it created a circusThe sun shone and the Atlantic glistened as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Doc Martin pilgrims wound their way down the steep lanes to the Cornish harbourside.They sought out the spots in the fishing village of Port Isaac that feature in the long-running British ITV comedy drama series and took selfies outside the houses and shops they knew so well from the show. Continue reading...

The sightings in the Northern Territory are surprising, as the whales usually migrate to Antarctica at this time of yearA humpback whale has been spotted for the first time in Kakadu’s East Alligator River, and experts are concerned it may get stuck.It is believed three whales initially entered the river and that one has remained, although it is not clear if the others have actually left or are merely staying underwater. Continue reading...

Ex-attorney general Geoffrey Cox says breaking international law risks damaging UK’s standingDavid Cameron has become the third former Conservative prime minister to express disquiet about Boris Johnson’s proposal to breach international law by unilaterally redrafting part of the Brexit deal with the EU, saying he had “misgivings” about the idea.In comments on Monday, before MPs began debating the internal market bill that sets out the plans, Cameron said: “Passing an act of parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. Continue reading...

Custody hearing wasn’t told Jennifer Edwards felt uncomfortable with her father knowing anything about herSlain schoolgirl Jennifer Edwards told an independent children’s lawyer she wanted an order forbidding her father from contacting her but that was never explicitly relayed to the family court, a Sydney inquest has heard.The lawyer, Debbie Morton, denied she was obliged to tell the judge of the 13-year-old’s wishes in February 2018 when final custody arrangements were being signed off, saying judges and magistrates had previously told her not to disclose a child’s actual wish in court. Continue reading...

Deputy premier likely to survive as party leader but scene set for Liberals to show their disapproval of his threats over koala protection

Cybersecurity experts concerned by possible intent behind use of big data to compile lists featuring everyone from low-key individuals to the royal familyThe personal details of millions of people around the world have been swept up in a database compiled by a Chinese tech company with reported links to the country’s military and intelligence networks, according to a trove of leaked data.About 2.4 million people are included in the database, assembled mostly based on public open-source data such as social media profiles, analysts said. It was compiled by Zhenhua Data, based in the south-eastern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Continue reading...

Handmaid’s Tale author honoured for reminding readers that ‘anything can happen anywhere given the right circumstances’

Food safety officials deny claims that diseased or contaminated meat is being eaten by consumersConsumers are being exposed to an “avoidable risk” of disease after a reduction of official controls in food inspections of pig and poultry carcasses across the EU, European meat inspectors have said.Diseased meat is being eaten by consumers in the UK and EU, including pus from abscesses and tuberculosis lesions from pigs’ heads, said the European Working Community for Food Inspection and Consumer Protection (EFWFC) this week. The EWFC represents EU meat inspectors. Continue reading...

Victoria to turn roads and footpaths into dining spaces to help hospitality industry as Queensland border row deepens. Follow all today’s news

BMA survey also found 90% thought test-and-trace failures were a risk factor

Liberal Democratic party MPs vote to appoint Shinzo Abe loyalist as party leaderYoshihide Suga is poised to become Japan’s prime minister after he was comfortably elected to lead the ruling party following the resignation of Shinzo Abe.Liberal Democratic party (LDP) MPs from both houses of parliament and representatives from prefectural party chapters voted overwhelmingly for Suga, with the Abe loyalist emerging from the poll on Monday with 377 of the 534 votes, well ahead of Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, with 89 votes, and Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister, with 68. Continue reading...

Of island’s nearly 1,900 cases, 70% were diagnosed in August and September, with one in 10 tests positive

Photographer Wendy Ewald remembers the world of loss, sorrow and survival that emerged when she gave Appalachian kids $10 cameras and told them to shoot their lives – and dreamsWendy Ewald travelled to Letcher County, Kentucky, in the winter of 1976. She was 25 and not long out of college in New York, where she had trained as a teacher before discovering photography. “I was still a kid,” she says, “and I arrived in a place that was very remote and where everyone knew everyone else, but somehow I found it very easy to fit in.”So much so that she remained there for six years, working in three schools, where she built darkrooms and taught practical photography, printing and book-making to children who, until then, had never thought their everyday lives were worth recording. “I bought a bunch of Instamatic cameras and sold them to the kids at $10 each,” she says. “I wanted to instil in them the sense that what they were doing really meant something. I felt it was somehow important that they owned their own cameras and valued them.” Continue reading...

Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny celebrate victory in Siberia where he was poisonedAllies of poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have said they have secured city council seats in Siberia as independent monitors condemned a reported “stream” of voting irregularities in regional polls.In several dozen of the country’s 85 regions, Russians voted for regional governors and lawmakers in regional and city legislatures as well as in several by-elections for national MPs. Continue reading...

The favourite may be the Abe continuity candidate but his background could not be more differentNothing short of force majeure will prevent Yoshihide Suga from becoming Japan’s prime minister when the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) elects a leader to replace Shinzo Abe this week.As chief cabinet secretary for almost eight years, Suga has acted as the administration’s de facto second-in-command, batting away tricky questions at twice-daily press briefings, advising Abe on policy and reining in Japan’s recalcitrant bureaucracy. Continue reading...

Hottest weather will be in the south but most of the country will see warmer daysThe UK is set to bask in temperatures of more than 30C this week, as summer heat returns.The mercury will be highest in southern parts of the UK, but most of the country will see a spell of warmer weather over the next few days, the Met Office has said. Continue reading...

Automotive trade bodies predict wave of job cuts if UK crashes out of the single marketBritish and European motor manufacturers have warned of “catastrophic” £100bn losses in the industry over the next five years if a Brexit trade deal is not struck.As trade talks hang by a thread in the face of a political showdown over the EU withdrawal agreement, sector leaders from across Europe predicted a wave of job losses in both factories and their suppliers if the UK crashes out of the single market. Continue reading...

Law change will ensure dangerous drivers face full force of law, says ministerDrivers who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone could face life sentences under a overhaul of sentencing to be unveiled this week.The changes follow concerns from families and campaigners, as well as some judges, that the 14-year maximum fails to reflect the severity of the crime. Continue reading...

Driver of car arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous drivingA 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a lorry driver died following “a serious collision” involving three vehicles on the M5.Gloucestershire police were called to reports of a Ford Fiesta losing control on the M5 northbound carriageway between J9 (Tewkesbury) and J10 (Cheltenham) at 5.20am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Monday: PM faces relative’s anger as brawl about Queensland’s border closures deepens. Plus, a refugee in detention for eight years reflects on ‘quarantine’Good morning, this is Lauren Waldhuter bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 14 September. Continue reading...

Criticism grows of plan to break international law as EU calls for bill to be droppedDowning Street is facing a showdown with Conservative backbench rebels as criticism over its plans to break international law with a new controversial bill that could override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement grew louder on Sunday.It is understood that opposition among the party is growing, with dozens of Tory MPs expected to support a key amendment to the internal market bill that would give parliament a crucial veto of any changes to the agreement. Continue reading...

Three-week lockdown will make Israel the first country to reimpose such stringent restrictions on a national scale

Protesters hold placards criticising Russian support as they march on president’s Minsk residenceAttempts by Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, to crush popular protests against him failed on Sunday when more than 100,000 people marched on his residence in the capital, Minsk, with other demonstrations across the country.There was no sign that the anti-Lukashenko movement is declining or fading away. Instead protesters took to the streets in huge numbers for the fifth weekend in a row, defying riot police who blocked off the city centre with military vehicles. Continue reading...

WAM Clothing will speak publicly for the first time after being granted exclusive rights by designer Harold Thomas in 2018WAM Clothing, the non-Indigenous company at the centre of the dispute over rights to license the Aboriginal flag for commercial gain, will appear before a Senate committee on Monday as it looks into the deal and explores options to “free the flag” design for community use.WAM Clothing was granted the exclusive use of the Aboriginal flag on clothing, physical and digital media by its designer and copyright holder, the Luritja artist Harold Thomas, in November 2018. Continue reading...

I want to enter a long dream in which I can walk as far as my legs can carry me, to go on a long trip, with snow or rain or sunshineShe runs. She laughs. I do not hear her, I only see her smile.I smile as I stand here looking outside the window of the hotel room, smile at the sensation of living life that it gives me. The sensation of freedom. Continue reading...

Researchers have found Chinese investment in Australia has fallen at a much faster rate than in other countriesChinese investment in Australia has plunged almost 50% in a year, a new analysis has found, as souring relations between Canberra and Beijing contribute to a rapid fall in investor confidence.Australian National University researchers found Chinese investment in Australia had fallen for the third consecutive year, dropping from $4.8bn to $2.5bn between 2018 and 2019. Continue reading...

Authorities race to relocate 12,500 people forced to flee camp destroyed by fire in LesbosGreece has pledged that migrants made homeless after devastating fires at Europe’s biggest refugee camp will be rehoused on the island ‘within days’ in defiance of fierce opposition from locals.The country’s migration minister Notis Mitarachi said the process of resettling more than 12,500 men, women and children forced to flee the facility in Lesbos was well under way even if the coronavirus pandemic meant it was also taking longer. Continue reading...

Our South Asia correspondent on how coronavirus has affected a country’s livelihoods, faith and democracyPacing through the labyrinth of old Delhi, a place where life usually leaks out of every crack, I found myself straining my ears for the familiar sounds of chaos. But gone were the noises of the teeming vegetable markets and the horns of rickshaws piled so high with baskets they seem to defy the laws of physics; gone were the calls of the chai wallahs, the hiss of parathas on the griddle and the loud bleating of the goats who, in winter months, are dressed in bright jumpers to protect them from the cold. This was late March, days after a nationwide lockdown was imposed across India, and Delhi had never seemed so silent.Reporting on south Asia during the pandemic has been a strange, and at times frustrating, experience. The strict lockdown meant state borders were shut, trains were stopped for the first time in history and all domestic and international flights grounded. I was stuck in Delhi, a city I love and call my home, but which is also a notorious bubble in which it can be hard to get a real sense of what is going on across the rest of India. Continue reading...

Perfume brand admits reshooting commercial without Star Wars actor was ‘misstep’Perfume brand Jo Malone has apologised to the actor John Boyega for cutting him out of an advert he conceived, directed and starred in when it was launched in China.Boyega was replaced by Liu Haoran after the commercial was recast and reshot for the Chinese market. The original advert, London Gent, which was released last year, featured Boyega walking around Peckham, south London, riding a horse, dancing with friends and hanging out with his family. The original cast was multicultural, while the Chinese remake featured no black cast members. Continue reading...

Four others reportedly wounded in latest violence on border of disputed region

Boris Johnson’s attitude to international law inspires Wagnerian comparisons from reader Graham Bould, while Dr Anthony Isaacs urges Gina Millar to intervene. Mark Stallworthy says the row has exposed Suella Braverman’s shortcomingsFurther to letters (10 September) regarding the Tories’ disregard for the rule of law, I am reminded of the fate of Wotan and the other Germanic gods as told by Richard Wagner. Wotan the one-eyed, philandering leader, intent upon little else than prestige in his eyes and the eyes of the world, made frequent excursions on Earth. During these wanderings he carried a spear upon which were engraved runic characters spelling out the importance of treaties. His spear was the symbolic guardian of oaths and treaties. When times got tough and difficult decisions had to be made, Wotan was assisted by that master of trickery and deceit, Loge (aka Loki), who encouraged his master’s duplicity in breaking solemn treaties. We know how, eventually, that all went up in flames. I wonder whether Boris Johnson, the proud classicist, is aware of the manifestly parallel paths being trodden by his own cabinet and that of Wotan and his fellow gods?

Exclusive: CMI chief warns women without sufficient childcare could be left out of key decisions

Exclusive: FoI victory uncovers scale of grace and favour access enjoyed by 324 former MPsA “strategic counsel” for the lobbying firm Crosby Textor is among 324 former MPs who together used grace and favour passes to access the Houses of Parliament more than 2,500 times in a single year.Data released after a significant freedom of information victory by the Guardian reveals how frequently individual former MPs have been using their “category X” parliamentary pass, which grants the bearer continued access to the corridors of power after they step down, along with parliament’s subsidised restaurants and bars. Continue reading...

Infinite Cantabria by Okuda San Miguel is a riot of colours, geometric shapes and animalsA 90-year-old lighthouse perched on a lush cape in northern Spain is at the centre of a cultural row after a dazzling paint job by a local artist left the tower outshining its lamp – and some critics blanching.For almost a century, the lighthouse, near the Cantabrian town of Ajo, was a mute, monochrome sentry beaming its light out over the Atlantic. Continue reading...