Wednesday: Australians will get the University of Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine for free if it clears clinical trials. Plus, electric vehicle sales tripleGood morning, this is Emilie Gramenz bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 19 August. Continue reading...
Bipartisan intelligence panel says that Russian who worked on Trump’s 2016 bid was career spy, amid a stunning range of contactsA report by the Senate intelligence committee provides a treasure trove of new details about Donald Trump’s relationship with Moscow, and says that a Russian national who worked closely with Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 was a career intelligence officer.The bipartisan report runs to nearly 1,000 pages and goes further than last year’s investigation into Russian election interference by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. It lays out a stunning web of contacts between Trump, his top election aides and Russian government officials, in the months leading up to the 2016 election. Continue reading...
The English stage and screen actor, whose credits also include 2009’s Star Trek reboot and First Knight, died in Vienna from illnessBen Cross, star of stage and screen, has died at the age of 72.The actor, best known for his role in Oscar-winning drama Chariots of Fire, died in Vienna from an unspecified illness according to his daughter who confirmed the news on Facebook. Continue reading...
Home Office repurposes women’s immigration removal centre to cope with increase in arrivalsYarl’s Wood is no longer being used as a women’s immigration removal centre and has been temporarily repurposed to house people who have arrived on small boats across the Channel to cope with the increase in arrivals, it has emerged.The privately run detention centre in Bedfordshire has been dogged by controversies including hunger strikes, damning inspection reports and allegations of sexual abuse. Continue reading...
by Shaun Walker in Minsk and Andrew Roth in Moscow on (#571SF)
Stories of abuse emerge as more than 7,000 people were detained after rigged electionPavel Daroshka was one of thousands of Belarusians to be arrested by riot police on the thinnest of pretexts last week, and then fall into a nightmare of brutal and demeaning violence.Now, he is determined to at least try to bring the men who beat him to justice, however unlikely it might be while President Alexander Lukashenko remains in charge of the country. Continue reading...
Dr Neil Redfern on the shameful and jingoistic celebrations of the victory over JapanThe complacent (jingoistic is perhaps a better word) celebrations of VJ Day shamefully overlook two matters. First, Japan surrendered after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where tens of thousands were maimed or killed. A matter apparently so trivial as not to merit, so far, a mention on the BBC’s Six O’Clock News. Second, far from restoring, as Boris Johnson claimed, “peace and prosperity to the world” (UK marks 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, 15 August), it led to the restoration of colonial rule over millions.In Vietnam, while awaiting the arrival of the French colonialists, the British used Japanese troops to “restore order”, thus paving the way for 30 years of war. In Indonesia, British forces were used to quell those demanding independence from Dutch rule. And in Burma (now Myanmar) there was the forcible reimposition of British colonialism. On 14 August, local TV news for the north-west featured school children “learning” about VJ Day. I feel confident that they were not being taught about these matters.
People should not be blamed for wanting to live normal lives but no one is invincible to coronavirus, including younger people, the WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said on Tuesday. Her comments came in response to a question about photographs showing people in close proximity to one another at a pool party in Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus outbreak began. She said similar photos could be seen from every country in the world.
Going to the toilet used to be a public activity. Will Japan’s see-through stalls take us back to the days before the S-bend brought lavatories indoors?At the Happiness and Prosperity service station in the rural reaches of Sichuan province, I prepared to face the public toilet. We had been driving for hours, and my need was urgent, but I still hesitated. Not because the service station was unclean: the restaurant was pristine, and the food cheap and fabulous. It was because of the doors. There wouldn’t be any.I asked my translator if there was an etiquette. Where should I look? What is considered rude? I had no idea, because this was turning all my concepts of public and private upside down. I knew that some schools and institutions in the western world had doorless toilets, the better to foster compliance or – in the case of the military – to extract individuality. But I grew up in a culture that provided privacy abundantly and without question. I like doors. At the Happiness and Prosperity service station, I knew I would miss them. So how did I do it? By studiously not looking at the line of women who had graciously – or pruriently – let me go first, and by building doors in my mind. Continue reading...
Judgment follows Guardian investigation into case of boy who was adopted by American couple without parents’ knowledgeThe US has imposed financial sanctions and visa restrictions on two Ugandan judges and two lawyers over their part in an international adoption scam involving more than 30 children.
Exclusive: the most recent test data and information about changes made to the app have been released under freedom of informationThe makers of the Covidsafe app have had to overhaul the algorithm for determining close contacts to improve the functionality of the app on iPhones, Guardian Australia has learned, as new data suggests it is working only 27% of the time on some Apple mobiles.Since launching in April, the Covidsafe app has consistently struggled to work on iPhones when the app is running in the background, or the screen is locked, due to issues with ensuring the bluetooth beacons or “digital handshakes” are sent out to nearby devices of potential close contacts. Continue reading...
At the first day of a Democratic national convention unlike any other in history, Michelle Obama urged voters to head to the polls ‘like their lives depend on it’. She was joined by many other speakers attacking Donald Trump’s presidency. Speaking online because of coronavirus restrictions, the former first lady’s words were echoed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who likened Trump to tyrannical Roman emperor Nero. The first day of the convention was hosted by actor Eva Longoria and featured contributions by George Floyd’s family, voters and politicians from across the country and even a former Republican governor
Charles Ehikioya, who has served for 22 years, says he has no choice but to sue for racial harassmentA black police inspector has said he has no choice but to sue the Metropolitan police for racial harassment after two white officers stopped him while he was driving.Charles Ehikioya said he recorded the incident, which happened as he returned from work in south London on 23 May, because he could see that an officer’s body-worn camera was not switched on. Continue reading...
The communist government has been forced to allow citizens to spend US currency at special shops, formalising a split between haves and have-notsOn Paseo del Prado, a boulevard in Havana’s colonial district, dozens of people waited expectantly as the staff raised the shutters to open a tatty but revamped shop.Soon after, Alejandro Domínguez, 23, emerged, brandishing meatballs and a giant tin of chopped tomatoes he had just bought with US currency left as tourist tips at his family’s restaurant. “This is a way to get products you can’t find elsewhere,” he said. Continue reading...
The Windrush scandal brought the cruelty of Britain’s deportation policies to light, but the practice continues to this day – and shockingly, it is made possible by UK aid money. By Luke de NoronhaSitting in the computer room of Open Arms drop-in centre, a homeless shelter in Kingston, Jamaica, I turned on my recorder and asked Jason to tell me about his life there. In his distinct east London accent, he described arguments and fights with other residents – about chores, use of the showers, missing possessions. Then, checking no one was around, he complained about the management, claiming that they spoke to him like a child and had threatened to kick him out. Nor did he feel safe when he left the shelter. “People are trying to kill me down here. I need to get back to England,” he said. But having been deported from the UK, and finding himself destitute in Jamaica, he had few options. Jason had been exiled home.Jason was born in 1984 in Kingston. When he was about five, his mother and grandmother moved to the UK, and so for most of his childhood he was raised by his aunties in Kingston. He had a good childhood in Jamaica. For his wider family, though, the option to move to the UK was viewed as “the dream ticket”, and so, in August 2000, when he was 15, Jason and his 13-year-old brother were put on a flight to London to join their mother. (The official story was that they were just planning to visit their grandmother for a few weeks.) This was the first time Jason had ever been on a plane, and it remains the only commercial flight he has taken. Continue reading...
Amenities designed so prospective users can inspect their cleanliness from the outsideIt sounds like the worst kind of anxiety dream – a public toilet cubicle that appears to offer the promise of blessed relief, but which on closer inspection turns out to be entirely see-through.That, though, is the design feature behind several toilets that recently opened in public parks in Tokyo. Continue reading...
Departures come amid backstage turmoil and complaints of bullying, racism and sexual misconduct against three producersThree top producers on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show have exited the popular television talkshow, Warner Bros said on Monday, after an internal investigation into complaints of bullying, racism and sexual misconduct against them.A spokesperson for Warner Bros, which produces the show, on Monday said that three senior producers had “parted ways” with the show. Continue reading...
Water supply and road traffic disrupted for seven hours after main power station suffers ‘technical issue’The entire nation of Sri Lanka was left without power on Monday for seven hours after a failure at a key electricity facility.Power minister Dullas Alahapperuma said an unspecified “technical issue” at the Kerawalapitiya power complex just outside the capital Colombo was the cause of the blackout, which hit the entire nation of 21 million people at about midday. Continue reading...
Tuesday: FBI asked to investigate whether Trump mega-donor is abusing position. Plus, $7m of grants awarded to firm represented by Christopher PyneGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 18 August. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and Caio Barretto Briso in Rio de Jan on (#570FK)
Ten-year-old girl was forced to fly more than 900 miles to north-eastern city of Recife for the procedure after being rapedScores of Brazilian women have taken to the streets to protect a 10-year-old child who was being persecuted by religious extremists for trying to legally undergo an abortion after allegedly being raped by her uncle.The girl, from São Mateus, a small town in the south-eastern state of Espírito Santo, was admitted to hospital on 7 August complaining of abdominal pain and doctors confirmed she was pregnant. Continue reading...
A Japanese ship that has leaked hundreds of tonnes of fuel oil off the coast of Mauritius has broken up. The MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on 25 July with 4,000 tonnes of the fuel, causing an ecological emergency
Local authority says its capacity to provide safe care has been exceeded with latest arrivalsKent county council has said it is unable to look after any more unaccompanied child refugees who arrive in Dover, because it has reached the limits of its capacity to provide safe care for them.The council said social workers and other professionals who provide care and support for this vulnerable group of children had been put under “impossible strain”. Continue reading...
Social organisation that’s raised more than $1m for projects abroad says it hopes move sends a message on ‘rort’ of packaged waterThe social enterprise Thankyou has permanently stopped production of its founding product – bottled water – saying it could no longer justify the environmental harm caused by selling it in a developed country such as Australia.The Melbourne-based company launched in 2008 with bottled water and has since expanded to products including handwash, lotions and baby products. Continue reading...
In 2018, one hundred artists made banners to celebrate a century since women won the right to vote in the UK. A new book collects them allOrganiser Helen Marriage on why the government needs to rethink banning mass cultural gatheringsWomen Making History is available through Profile Editions Continue reading...
Victims from town of Calne died after their vehicle hit a house and caught fire on A4Floral tributes have been left to four young men who died after their car crashed into a house and caught fire.The incident happened at 3am on Sunday on the A4 in Derry Hill, near Calne, Wiltshire. Police said the occupants of the house immediately called 999 and were evacuated while the fire service extinguished the blaze. Continue reading...
Berlin officials say Elsa and her piglets pose a danger and may have to be ‘withdrawn’A wild boar that has become a frequent visitor at a lakeside bathing resort in Berlin is attracting a growing band of supporters following authorities’ suggestion that it could have to be killed.The animal, nicknamed Elsa, has earned something akin to celebrity status after a series of photos of it and its piglets stealing a nude bather’s laptop at Teufelssee lake in west Berlin went viral this month. Continue reading...
The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, walked off stage to chants of 'step down' after a speech to workers at the Minsk tractor works on Monday. The factory is one of the large state-run industrial plants that are the pride of his Soviet-style economic model and core support base. During his speech, Lukashenko said he would be willing to hand over power after a referendum in an apparent attempt to pacify mass protests and strikes
European council chief says EU must show Russia there are peaceful ways to resolve situationEU leaders have been called to an emergency meeting on Belarus, as tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Minsk for the largest rally in the country’s recent history.The president of the European council, Charles Michel, has invited the European Union’s 27 heads of state and government to an extraordinary meeting by video conference on Wednesday. “The people of Belarus have the right to decide on their future and freely elect their leader,” Michel tweeted. “Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be allowed.” Continue reading...
The Chinese billionaire did not challenge the freeze on his Australian assets, including two Sydney homes worth an estimated $3.28 millionA freezing order on the worldwide assets of Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo over a $140m tax bill was unlawful, an appeal court has ruled.The property developer, whose association with Sam Dastyari led to the Labor senator’s downfall in 2018, had challenged the international element of the order on the grounds it was unenforceable in China and Hong Kong, where most of his assets lay. Continue reading...
90,000 Africans fought the Japanese in Myanmar on behalf of Britain in the second world war. Feelings are mixed in the few remaining survivors about being sent by a colonial power to fight a battle that wasn’t theirs Continue reading...
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