Development raises hopes of political solution as both sides call for end to oil blockade

Restrictions in Wigan and parts of east Lancashire to be lifted before rest of region, MPs claim

Ruling is result of lawsuit filed over deaths in childbirth of two women due to staff negligence and lack of facilities

Prominent dissident explains how she came to doubt her fervent beliefs in party orthodoxyIn the mid-1990s, Cai Xia, a devout believer in Chinese communist doctrine, experienced her first moment of doubt.She was a teacher at the central party school for training cadres when a friend called with some questions. Cai, an expert in Marxism and Chinese communist party theory, enthusiastically answered. Continue reading...

Lebanon’s performers rally to fundraise and tell stories of survival in country devastated by disasterThe deadly explosion in Beirut on 4 August was likened to 15 years of war in 15 seconds by Lebanon’s ambassador to the UN, Amal Mudallali.“It’s been hell,” says Sahar Assaf, an actor, director and professor of theatre at the American University of Beirut. “We’re still in disbelief and trying to fathom what happened. Each day we learn about a new loss, a new story.” Assaf is working to support artists through the crisis. “It feels like time stopped at the moment of the explosion. It’s devastating to witness all the destruction.” Continue reading...

As Scottish schools end first week of classes after five months of Covid-19 lockdown, what can rest of UK learn?

Michel Barnier says talks often go backwards not forwards as UK fails to grasp EU red linesMichel Barnier has accused the British government of “wasting valuable time” and making “unlikely” a post-Brexit deal between the EU and the UK.With barely two months to go until the EU-imposed deadline of late October for a deal, the EU’s chief negotiator said: “Frankly I am disappointed and I am worried.” Barnier added he was “a little surprised” because Boris Johnson had told EU leaders earlier this summer he wanted progress by July. Continue reading...

Hold-up only partly down to pause in construction because of Covid-19, TfL says

Behdan Esfahbod was forced by the Revolutionary Guard to enlist as a foreign agent. But when they tried to activate him, he went public insteadOn 14 June, Behdad Esfahbod, a Facebook software engineer, received a text from a strange Instagram account, supposedly from “a friend of your aunt’s son”. But he knew exactly who it was. Esfahbod had been bracing himself for weeks, knowing it was inevitable.The “aunt’s son’s friend” was the intelligence division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the message was a prearranged code. Continue reading...

Richard Colbeck apologises for federal government’s role in aged care outbreaks but denies it was ‘absent’Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions; Vic stage 3 rules; NSW hotspotsAustralian stats interactive; Vic cases map; NSW cases mapSign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus emailScott Morrison has declared he still has confidence in his aged care minister after Richard Colbeck came under pressure at a Senate inquiry and was unable to recall how many people had died in aged care during the pandemic.Colbeck apologised on Friday for the times when the Morrison government “didn’t get everything right” in dealing with aged care outbreaks – but insisted it had been prepared for what it sincerely believed to be the worst-case scenarios. Continue reading...

Lowest rise in Victorian cases in five weeks comes ahead of national cabinet. Follow live updates today

UK information commissioner ‘must ensure government uses public’s data safely and legally’

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

Flight carrying workers from Chinese state-owned Ramu nickel mine cancelled by pandemic controller over concerns about vaccine trialA planeload of Chinese mine workers have been barred from entering Papua New Guinea, over concerns they had been subjected to an unapproved Covid-19 vaccination trial before they left.A flight from China carrying workers for the Chinese state-owned Ramu Nickel mine in Madang province was cancelled by PNG’s police commissioner and pandemic controller, David Manning, over concerns about the trial. Continue reading...

Economy devastated by Covid shutdowns and a destructive cyclone, but citizenships-for-sale are keeping the country afloatSurging demand for Vanuatu passports has driven an unexpected record surplus, funding Covid-19 bailout packages and cyclone recovery.

Friday: Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon pleads not guilty to fraud charges. Plus, national cabinet to discuss borders and aged careGood morning, this is Lauren Waldhuter bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 21 August. Continue reading...

Navalny's doctor says he has been poisoned and is in a coma. The Russian opposition activist collapsed during a flight to Moscow, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at Omsk airport, where Navalny was put on to a stretcher and taken to hospital.

Slovakian citizen Jozef Chovanec died after being held in cell at Charerloi airport in 2018The Belgian government has been urged to investigate the death of a man in police custody after an officer sat on his rib cage for 16 minutes and another apparently made a Nazi salute.Jozef Chovanec, a 38-year old Slovakian citizen, was arrested at Charleroi airport in February 2018 after causing a disturbance while boarding a flight to Bratislava. Taken to a cell, he started banging his head against a wall, causing bleeding. Continue reading...

Leaked deposition by recently extradited former head of state oil company Pemex alleges staggering scale of high-level corruptionMexico’s political establishment has been shaken by claims that three former Mexican presidents and an all-star cast of lawmakers and aides may have been involved in alleged acts of corruption.The accusations were leveled by Emilio Lozoya, the former head of Mexico’s state oil company Pemex, and will boost efforts by the country’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader. Continue reading...

But ONS finds four in five businesses stating that their risk of closing down is lowOne in eight members of the UK workforce, equating to more than three million people, were under furlough as the government’s wage subsidy scheme began to be phased out, the latest official data shows.The regular update on the economy from the Office for National Statistics found that 12% of workers were furloughed between late July and the middle of August, half the number two months earlier. Among the businesses trading 11% of the workforce was furloughed, rising to 71% for the 4% of firms that had not yet re-opened. Continue reading...

Colombian officials fear Salvatore Mancuso may be deported to Italy, where he also holds citizenship, and may not be tried for crimesColombia has requested the extradition of a notorious paramilitary warlord jailed in the US on drug charges, amid fears that he may be deported to Italy – and escape justice for human rights crimes in the Andean nation.Salvatore Mancuso, 56, led a right-wing paramilitary group which carried out some of the worst violence against civilians during Colombia’s decades-long civil war. Continue reading...

The Russian opposition activist became violently ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow

Sentencing of Hashem Abedi for 22 counts of murder brings mixed reactions from grieving relativesAfter three years waiting for justice for the deaths of those who were killed in the terror attack at Manchester Arena, families of the victims, survivors and city leaders can hope to find a sliver of closure.On Thursday, Hashem Abedi, the brother of bomber Salman Abedi, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 55 years at the Old Bailey for 22 counts of murder, attempted murder, and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. Continue reading...

Research suggests musicians can reduce infections by decreasing volume

Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago to be removed, so their tourists will have to quarantine

Home-schooled pupils in England bereft of qualifications as they miss out on teacher estimates in lieu of exams

Surged in online sales during pandemic not enough to offset temporary closure of outlets

Move clears way for Manhattan’s district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, to get president’s tax returnsA federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for Manhattan’s top prosecutor to get Donald Trump’s tax returns, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by his lawyers to block a subpoena issued to his accounting firm.US district judge Victor Marrero’s ruling echoes his prior decision in the case, which was upheld by the US supreme court last month. The high court returned the case to Marrero so Trump’s lawyers could get another chance to challenge the subpoena issued by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr. Continue reading...

Alleged rape of 16-year-old girl in Red Sea resort of Eilat sparks outrage across countryPolice in Israel have opened an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a girl in the Red Sea resort of Eilat, in a a case which has sparked outrage.One of the suspects said about 30 men had sex with the 16-year-old, but denied that she was raped, according to reports in Israeli media. Continue reading...

Firm ‘wants to encourage blind and visually impaired children to explore new ways to learn’Lego is launching a new version of its plastic bricks featuring braille in seven countries.The new bricks are the same shape as the regular ones, but the studs on top have been rearranged. Continue reading...

Brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi is jailed for life over murder of 22 people at Ariana Grande concert in 2017Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, has been given a life sentence with a minimum of 55 years in prison for the murder of 22 people.Abedi, 23, who helped to plan one of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever to take place on UK soil, was not present in the courtroom after refusing to leave his cell. Continue reading...

Deadly outbreaks always lead to a new vocabulary, as people search for ways to understand a growing threat. And while some of the new words are merely descriptive, others have ugly underpinnings

Extreme floods have hit the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River, which recorded the largest inflow of water in its history, prompting officials to promise it could withstand the flows.Several outlets of the dam have been opened to discharge water, the largest release since its construction. A breach would be embarrassing for China, which took 12 years to build the dam, displacing millions and submerging swaths of land.Meanwhile, upstream from the dam, officials in the city of Chongqing, Sichuan province, evacuated almost 300,000 residents. Levels along the Yangtze nearby have reached heights not seen since 1981

Aman Vyas, 35, known as ‘E17 night stalker’ sentenced for six counts of rape, GBH and 2009 murder of Michelle SamaraweeraA murderer and serial stranger rapist labelled the “E17 night stalker” has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years.Aman Vyas, 35, was sentenced on Thursday for six counts of rape of four women, grievous bodily harm and the 2009 murder of 35-year-old Michelle Samaraweera, after a trial at Croydon crown court. Continue reading...

Masks prevent me from lipreading and using facial cues to communicate –hearing people need to be more open to communicating in different ways with strangersSince mask-wearing began, my world has disappeared. I was born partially deaf, and masks prevent me from lipreading and using facial cues to communicate.I’m not alone. Over 460 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss according to the World Health Organization. So how are people who are d/Deaf (lower case refers to the physical condition of deafness, capital D refers to the Deaf community) or hard of hearing surviving mask mandates? Continue reading...

Priti Patel’s recognition of a child’s humanity in death is hollow when he was stripped of it in life by cruel border policies

On the EU’s doorstep, Alexander Lukashenko remains in power after 26 years, deploying riot police to cling on amid widespread protests

The famous dumpling chain created two sets of payroll records, the Fair Work Ombudsman has allegedTwo sets of payroll records were allegedly created by the famous dumpling restaurant chain Din Tai Fung while it underpaid workers, a regulator has told Australia’s federal court.Workers were systemically underpaid thousands of dollars, denied days off and given fake timesheets, the Fair Work Ombudsman has alleged. Continue reading...

Queensland records second mystery Covid case as Qantas posts $2bn loss and CEO Alan Joyce calls for ‘clear guidelines’ for opening domestic borders. Follow live updates today

Alassane Ouattara has outstayed his welcome. His attempt to cling on for a third term could make parts of the country ungovernableThis month the president of Ivory Coast caused outrage which spilled into bloodshed on the streets of the capital, Abidjan, when he announced he would seek a third term in office after all.Tensions are running high in the country after months of violence surrounding the disputed presidential election in 2010. Just five months ago, the 78-year-old Alassane Ouattara had announced his retirement, pledging to “transfer power to a new generation”.

Home affairs secretary brushes off criticism hawks are behind government’s increasingly assertive stance on ChinaThe head of Australia’s powerful home affairs department has rejected claims the country’s foreign policy has been taken over by security hawks, amid ongoing concerns about the deteriorating relationship with China.Mike Pezzullo, the home affairs secretary, said the idea that security hawks were now driving the terms of Australia’s engagement with the world was “a shorthand, it’s a slogan, it’s a trope that has emerged which is a deflection from the real issue”. Continue reading...

Lawyer Anon Nampa, who called for reform of the monarchy, arrested for a second time, along with four othersThai police have arrested five activists involved in recent pro-democracy demonstrations over the past 24 hours, including lawyer Anon Nampa, who has been charged over a protest at which he called for reform of the monarchy.Anon is among speakers who have risked lengthy jail sentences by calling for changes to King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s role. Such public comments were, until recently, highly unusual, and shocked many in the country. Continue reading...

Population has higher willingness to get vaccinated than residents of Britain, the US and Germany

Also making the cut are PM Jacinda Ardern and the director-general of health Dr Ashley BloomfieldA celebrity cat, a hardworking civil servant and the prime minister have all been nominated for this year’s New Zealander of the year award.“In this extraordinary year, we know that everyone has a hero,” Miriama Kamo, the patron of the awards, said. Continue reading...

US to activate controversial ‘snapback’ procedure, which Britain, France and Germany say it doesn’t have the right to doPresident Donald Trump has announced that secretary of state Mike Pompeo will activate a controversial mechanism aimed at reimposing UN sanctions on Iran, escalating a row with European allies that has huge repercussions for the Iranian nuclear deal.Pompeo will travel to New York on Thursday to notify the UN security council that the US is triggering the so-called “snapback” procedure, which Britain, France and Germany say it doesn’t have the right to do. Continue reading...

Assurances on Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh dependent on UK handing over evidenceThe US has promised not to pursue the death penalty against two British Isis members accused of taking part in the beheadings of western hostages, in return for UK cooperation with the prosecution.The pledge was given in a letter from the US attorney general, William Barr, to UK home secretary Priti Patel, in the case of Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, members of the “Beatles” group of British Isis members, who were captured by Syrian Kurds and then handed over to US custody in October last year. They are still being held at a US facility overseas. Continue reading...

Trade secretary held talks with Institute for Economic Affairs that were on transparency register until being reclassified as personalRecent meetings between Liz Truss, the UK trade secretary, and a pro-hard Brexit thinktank have been reclassified as personal discussions, removing them from the public record and sparking Labour allegations that she wants to conceal the group’s influence on public policy.Two meetings with Truss and the Institute of Economic Affairs had originally been included in quarterly transparency data published on the government’s website and described as discussing trade. They were removed on Wednesday with a note explaining they were personal meetings – the first such revision since the department was created in 2016. Continue reading...

Spain sees more than 3,700 new cases as Italy records 642 new infections; Iran death toll exceeds 20,000; strict restrictions imposed on Greek island. This blog has now closed –our live coverage continues below.

Flooding in Sichuan province rises over feet of Leshan Giant Buddha for first time since 1949Floods on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river in south-west China have forced authorities to evacuate more than 100,000 people and threatened a 1,200-year-old world heritage site.Staff, police and volunteers used sandbags to try to protect the 71-metre (233ft) Leshan Giant Buddha, a Unesco world heritage site in the south-west Sichuan province, as muddy flood water rose over its toes for the first time since 1949, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Continue reading...