Lawyers for wife of US diplomat say the are ‘willing to discuss resolution’ with UK authoritiesLawyers acting on behalf of Harry Dunn’s alleged killer Anne Sacoolas have said she drove on the “wrong side of the road for 20 seconds” before the fatal crash.Legal representatives for the 43-year-old issued a public statement on Thursday detailing her side of the story, in which they claim she was “otherwise driving cautiously and below the speed limit”. Continue reading...
Negotiations to end the long civil war were agreed as part of a withdrawal deal signed by the USThe Afghan government and the Taliban will open peace talks on Saturday, trying to reach a power-sharing deal as American troops leave the country after nearly two decades.The negotiations to try to end the long civil war were agreed as part of a withdrawal deal that the US signed with the Taliban in February, but have stalled for months over details of a promised prisoner exchange. Continue reading...
Friday: Gladys Berejiklian gives John Barilaro ultimatum after threat to move to crossbench. Plus, US wildfires kill at least seven peopleGood morning, this is Emilie Gramenz bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 11 September. Continue reading...
European ‘E3’ ministers reach consensus during Kent meeting hosted by UK foreign secretary Dominic RaabForeign ministers from the UK, France and Germany have agreed to hold out against US demands to snapback all UN sanctions on Iran, despite intensified pressure from the US specifically on the UK government to fall into line.The US was left isolated at the UN security council last month when it said it wished to reimpose snapback sanctions, with the European nations – known collectively as the E3 – arguing that the US was no longer a participant in the deal and so unable to act unilaterally. The US, which left the deal in 2018, described the E3 position as crackers and pandering to terrorists. A further showdown on the issue at the UN is expected this month. Continue reading...
From kick-ass screen roles to award-winning theatre and TV ones, with a curious sideline in nuns, the Yorkshire-born actor’s class and spirit earned her a magnificent career
The UK internal market proposals turn Britain into a country whose word cannot be trusted. Conservative MPs must use their power to stop this shameful planThe damage is real, the damage is mounting and the damage must be ended as soon as possible. By trumpeting its readiness to override some of its treaty obligations towards the European Union, Boris Johnson’s government has cast Britain as a country that does not act in good faith and cannot be trusted to keep its word. The irresponsibility makes the Brexit process more difficult, triggering Thursday’s EU ultimatum to withdraw the plan. It subverts the rule of law at home and abroad. It pulls the rug from under Britain’s reputation everywhere from Ireland to Hong Kong, and wherever else people hope they can rely on Britain to play fair. The plans set out this week in the United Kingdom internal market bill read like an application for rogue state status.The pushback against this law-breaking bill is already international. The government may have been relaxed about causing consternation in Brussels and exasperation in Berlin. But did it not stop to think of the impact on the politics of Ireland, north and south, or on already alienated opinion in Scotland and Wales, or on trade negotiators in Tokyo and other capitals? Did the government factor in the inevitably frosty response of the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who is proud of his Irish ancestry and a friend of the EU, or of Democratic lawmakers (and some Republicans too) in Washington? Did it think about the multitude of other places around the world where goodwill towards Britain cannot always be assumed? Did it not realise that the promise-breaking would be welcomed by the likes of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, all of whom will feel that Britain has just made it a bit easier for them to go on defying the rules too? If ministers did not think of these things, they are fools. If they did, and still went ahead, they are rogues. Continue reading...
PM’s office does not dispute it received marginal and target seat list but says program was expanded to ‘meet demand’Scott Morrison has denied considering whether proposed sports grant projects were located in marginal or target seats at a meeting with Bridget McKenzie in November 2018 that resulted in a $70m expansion to the program.In answers to Guardian Australia, the prime minister’s office has addressed new evidence from the Australian National Audit Office about its involvement in the controversial program. Continue reading...
Reviled by Playboy, her 1976 study of 3,500 women challenged male assumptions about sexThe pioneering feminist Shere Hite, known for her research on female sexuality, has died at the age of 77. She was best known for The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality, which has sold more than 50m copies since publication in 1976.Based on the views of 3,500 women, it challenged male assumptions about sex by revealing that many women were not stimulated by sexual penetration. It also encouraged women to take control of their sex lives. It was dismissed as “anti-male” and dubbed the Hate Report by Playboy. Continue reading...
Rieli Franciscato struck in chest as he approached indigenous group he was seeking to shieldA Brazilian government official and expert on isolated Amazon tribes was killed by an arrow as he approached an indigenous group he was seeking to shield.Rieli Franciscato, 56, spent his career in the government’s indigenous affairs agency Funai working to set up reservations to protect uncontacted tribes. Continue reading...
Belgian policeman had admitted taking tooth from Patrice Lumumba’s body in 1961A Belgian judge has said that a tooth taken from the remains of the Congo’s first elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, should be returned to his family almost 60 years after his assassination by rebels overseen by Belgian officers.The tooth had been seized from a Belgian policeman who admitted taking it while helping to dispose of Lumumba’s body after the politician was murdered in 1961. The Belgian government of the time, the CIA and MI6 have also been implicated. Continue reading...
Musée d’Orsay, home to some of world’s most famous nudes, apologises for barring visitorOne of Paris’s biggest museums, whose galleries feature some of the world’s most famous nudes, has been accused of discrimination and sexism after refusing entry to a woman in a low-cut dress.In a case of life not imitating art, a zealous official told a literature student whose name was given only as Jeanne that “rules are rules” and ordered her to cover her cleavage if she wanted to be allowed into the Musée d’Orsay, a popular tourist attraction and bastion of the beaux arts. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#57ZV8)
Local route managers and signallers will be given more power to cut speeds or close linesHeavy rain could lead to more trains being cancelled or told to travel at low speed in future, following the Stonehaven crash that killed three people in Aberdeenshire last month.An interim report by Network Rail into the tragedy spelled out strengthened procedures that could hasten line closures in bad weather, pending safety inspections. Continue reading...
by Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Jason Wilson in Portland, on (#57YJH)
More than 85 significant fires are burning across the west, where a record 2.5m acres have been destroyedLarge, fast-moving fires raged on across the American west on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes in the Pacific north-west and sending a dense plume of smoke that turned skies amber across parts of the region.Related: California, Oregon and Washington battle dozens of fires – live updates Continue reading...
Former deputy prime minister throws his weight behind John Barilaro as other Nationals warn it’s impossible to ‘out shoot the Shooters’While some federal Nationals watched the runaway events in New South Wales on Thursday with bemusement, the former federal leader of the party, Barnaby Joyce, rushed to the defence of John Barilaro for blowing up the state government over koala protection policy.Joyce, who used the first sitting day of federal parliament in 2020 – a day of bushfire condolences – to launch an unsuccessful leadership tilt against the man who replaced him, Michael McCormack, told the ABC on Thursday afternoon it was time for the Nationals to declare that enough was enough. Continue reading...
Maria Kolesnikova says she was told she would be leaving country ‘alive or in bits’The Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova said security officers put a bag over her head and threatened to kill her when they tried to forcibly deport her to Ukraine earlier this week, according to a complaint filed by her lawyer.Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent leaders of month-long protests against the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, prevented the attempt to expel her by tearing up her passport. Continue reading...
The prime minister criticised Queensland’s ‘mystifying’ decision which meant Canberra woman Sarah Caisip missed her father’s Brisbane serviceScott Morrison has doubled down on his attack against the Queensland government for refusing to allow a young woman to attend her father’s funeral, declaring Australia is in danger of losing its humanity during the pandemic.Sarah Caisip, a 26-year-old from Canberra, was denied permission to attend the Brisbane funeral of her father, Bernard, who died from cancer last week, but was escorted by authorities to a private viewing after the service. Continue reading...
Demonstrators appeal for end to veto on accepting people from burnt-out Greek campThousands of protesters in cities across Germany have appealed to the government to accept refugees from the burnt-out Moria camp on Lesbos in Greece, amid government resistance.In Berlin, an estimated 3,000 demonstrated under the motto: “We have room,” on Wednesday evening, condemning Moria as a “camp of shame” and calling for the resignation of the interior minister, Horst Seehofer, who has so far blocked the arrival of refugees. Continue reading...
Blaze reportedly at warehouse where oil and tyres are kept near site of August explosionA huge fire has broken out at Beirut’s port, triggering panic among residents traumatised by last month’s massive explosion there that killed and injured thousands of people.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire at the facility, which was devastated by the explosion on 4 August, when nearly 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonated and triggered a shockwave that blasted windows, doors and walls miles away. Continue reading...
Denis Mukwege had been left without protection as a result of a Covid outbreakThe UN has redeployed soldiers to protect a Nobel prize-winning doctor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after being warned that he was at risk of assassination.The Guardian reported on Monday that Denis Mukwege, who shared a Nobel prize in 2018 for his work with victims of sexual violence, had been left without protection despite receiving death threats in recent weeks. Continue reading...
Barilaro and the Nationals should behave like they are part of the government or resign their ministries – the choice is theirsSince she became New South Wales premier , Gladys Berejiklian has practised the politics of appeasement when it comes to her Coalition partners.She has turned a blind eye to her deputy leader John Barilaro’s blatant pork barrelling in the bush, even laughing along during the last campaign when he called himself Barrell-aro. Continue reading...
Industry body IATA warns of capacity shortage for ‘biggest aviation challenge ever’Shipping a coronavirus vaccine around the world will be the airline industry’s biggest ever challenge, requiring the equivalent of 8,000 jumbo jet planes to get a single dose to 7.8 billion people, according to the aviation industry.The International Air Transport Association warned of severe capacity constraints that could hamper efforts to get a vaccine out quickly around the globe. While drugmakers are racing to develop a vaccine and get it approved by regulators, the international aviation group is working with airlines, airports, health bodies and pharmaceutical firms to draft an airlift plan. Continue reading...
Decision to show then withdraw video sparked crisis at MSF Canada, says reviewMédecins Sans Frontières (MSF) broadcast a $400,000 (£307,000) TV fundraising campaign in Canada despite warnings from staff that it was exploitative, reinforced racist “white saviour” stereotypes and breached the medical charity’s ethical guidelines, the Guardian has learned.A damning review of the decision to run and later withdraw the advert, which featured the REM track Everybody Hurts played over images of crying black children being treated by MSF medics, concluded it exposed a lack of trust in leadership and triggered an “organisational crisis” at MSF Canada. Continue reading...
How did Paul Rusesabagina, credited with saving 1,200 people during the 1994 genocide, end up on trial in Rwanda?Until late August, there was nothing exceptional about Paul Rusesabagina’s summer. For months, the 66-year-old had done little more than sit on the porch of his home in Texas, water his plants, telephone his children and chat with neighbours. A cancer survivor, he worried about Covid-19 and carefully observed the measures recommended to avoid catching the virus. His weeks passed without incident.But on the other side of the world, in Rusesabagina’s native Rwanda, security agencies were formulating plans to bring the former businessman to the capital, Kigali, to face terrorism charges, a trial and jail. Continue reading...
State department has been revoking visas since 1 June after Trump order to tackle intellectual property theftThe US has revoked the visas of more than 1,000 Chinese students and researchers it said had ties to the Chinese military, accusing some of espionage, in the latest dispute between the rival superpowers.China had been “abusing student visas to exploit American academia”, said Chad Wolf, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, in a speech on Wednesday. “We are blocking visas for certain Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to China’s military fusion strategy to prevent them from stealing and otherwise appropriating sensitive research.” Continue reading...
US secretary of state strikes more strident tone after Donald Trump said at the weekend he had not seen any proof of poisoningThe US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said there was a “substantial chance” the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was ordered by senior Russian officials.“I think people all around the world see this kind of activity for what it is,” Pompeo said in a radio interview with conservative host Ben Shapiro. “And when they see the effort to poison a dissident, and they recognise that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials, I think this is not good for the Russian people.” Continue reading...
South Africa’s president hails ‘one of the architects of our constitution’ who helped save Mandela from expected death penaltyGeorge Bizos, an anti-apartheid icon and renowned human rights lawyer who helped defend Nelson Mandela on treason charges for which he escaped the death penalty, has died aged 92.President Cyril Ramaphosa announced rights lawyer’s passing on Wednesday during a media conference. “I have just received news that legal eagle of our country George Bizos has passed away,” Ramaphosa said. “This is very sad for our country.” Continue reading...
Donald Trump said he was 'trying to avoid panic' by not revealing the severity of Covid-19, despite CNN audio published on Wednesday from an interview in February in which he acknowledged the virus was 'deadly'.The president, who defended his comments to the journalist Bob Woodward for Woodward's book Rage, insisted his strategy was focused on encouraging Americans to remain calm, as the virus spread across the country Continue reading...
Thursday: 1.1 million children will be affected by the cut to the coronavirus supplement. Plus, lithium brings together miners and environmentalistsGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 10 September. Continue reading...
Greek minister calls situation on Lesbos an ‘unprecedented humanitarian crisis’Thousands of people urgently require emergency shelter and aid after a fire destroyed Europe’s largest refugee camp, on the Greek island of Lesbos.As the Greek government declared a state of emergency and a delegation of officials rushed to the north-eastern Aegean island, the sheer scale of devastation wrought by the overnight blaze became increasingly evident. Continue reading...
The government’s proposals defy international law, destabilise the union and undermine Britain’s reputationTo protect national sovereignty, the government is proposing a law that will undermine the deal it signed last year with the European Union to restore that same sovereignty. The logic is hard to fathom. It makes sense only in the context of a Brexit project that can never be completed to the perfect satisfaction of the Conservative party.The internal market bill, published on Wednesday, represents the latest stage in the quest for an immaculate separation from Europe. Every vestige of EU influence over the territory of the UK must be purged. In pursuit of that goal, no diplomatic norm or constitutional principle – not even the duty to uphold international treaties – is safe. Continue reading...
This touching character study of a live-wire gang member has a bruising moral weight and pulsing vulnerabilityA pulse of vulnerability beats at the heart of Sam Kelly’s outwardly imposing but unexpectedly touching debut feature. Across three decades, it charts the punk’s progress of young New Zealander Danny into copiously tattooed street-gang life. After being sent to borstal in the 1960s for stealing food and brutalised there, he befriends a Māori boy called Moses. The two later form a gang, the Savages – named to nihilistically expose society’s true core – but torn by his loyalty to his birth family, Danny’s position is never secure. By the 80s, Danny has become “Damage”, a hulking, live-wire enforcer who wears his allegiances on his face in a bluish nose guard of gang-crest ink.Kelly occasionally gives in to the odd crime-drama mannerism, like the Savages swaggering out, Reservoir Dogs-style, for the first time. But he makes the smart choice of never being distracted from the emotional cost of holding your own in this self-inflicted prison of testosterone. Early on, Damage botches a hook-up with a banker’s daughter keen on a bit of rough because he can’t handle surrendering control. Seen across the decades, violence clearly has its roots in a pain and shame whose consequences won’t stop radiating. Kelly has a knack of putting these ideas across with light lyrical concision, like the row of dominoes that gets the childhood section underway. Continue reading...
by Presented by Heather Stewart, with Polly Toynbee, on (#57YFY)
Heather Stewart and Polly Toynbee discuss what the new Covid-19 restrictions entail, as well as the latest UK Brexit legislation, for which the government is willing to break international law. Anand Menon and Jennifer Rankin discuss the prospect of getting an EU trade deal. Plus Simon Murphy speaks to Tracey Crouch about the role footballers should have in politicsHeather and Polly question how dangerous the UK government’s admission that it plans to break international law might be. They also look at what the new restrictions announced by Boris Johnson will mean for people in England when they are introduced from next Monday.With the Brexit negotiations between the EU and the British government entering their eighth round this week, Heather speaks to the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent, Jennifer Rankin, and the director of the UK in a Changing Europe thinktank, Anand Menon, about how likely it is that the two sides will come up with a deal. Continue reading...
Family of six including a baby taken to safety after reaching rocks just before boat was lostA family including a baby and three other children were rescued after their father deliberately ran their boat on to rocks as it took in seawater and began to sink.Teenagers taking part in a coasteering expedition helped guide the stricken 7-metre (24ft) vessel on to the rocks in Devon. The family of six managed to scramble on to shore moments before the boat was lost. Continue reading...
About a million hectares (2.3m acres) have been burned so far in California as uncontrolled fires driven by high winds and unprecedented temperatures rage across the west coast of the US. The state governor, Gavin Newsom, has said he has 'no patience for climate change deniers' as the experience of the past few days was proof
Trial of 14 suspects linked to 2015 Paris terror attack hears more dramatic evidenceThe trial of 14 suspects linked to the terror attack on Charlie Hebdo has heard further dramatic evidence from survivors, including the man who now runs the satirical newspaper.Laurent Sourisseau, known as Riss, was injured when brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi stormed the paper’s offices, killing 11 people in retaliation for its printing of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. Continue reading...