Every day I find myself fighting against my own instincts. This is a message to my husband – and everyone who has loved someone with mental illnessWhen you look at me, you may not see anything out of the ordinary. Too much hair. Broad shoulders. Normal height. Normal weight. Normal eyes, normal mouth, normal nose, normal face. Five fingers, five toes, two arms, and two legs that are a bit too short.But please don’t be fooled. Despite what you may see, I am an evolutionary anomaly. My feet aren’t webbed, and I have no gills. I have no supernatural powers; in fact, my terrible eyesight and hearing would say the opposite. But an evolutionary anomaly I still am because every day I find myself fighting against the basest of animal instincts that has allowed our species to survive thousands of years: the instinct to live. To stay alive. To not self-destruct. Continue reading...

Personal care workers provided a vital service to their elderly and vulnerable clients but face precarious terms and low wagesFor the elderly people in her care, Victoria Walker is perhaps one of the most important figures in their lives. The 37-year-old single mother eases them out of bed, bathes them and cooks their meals. If there is enough time, she pops out to the store for extra groceries.And when Canada’s largest city imposed a strict lockdown at the height of its coronavirus outbreak, Walker and thousands of other personal care workers continued to do their jobs: rising early each morning, taking public transit across the city and returning home late at night. Continue reading...

Overnight services in Europe had seemingly hit the buffers but pandemic has revived demand

Lighthouse Christian College policy treats masks as ‘uniform accessory rather than as a piece of PPE’, student relative says

Troops posted outside building as Chinese authorities take over diplomatic missionChinese authorities have taken over the US consulate general in Chengdu, marking the diplomatic mission’s official closure and a new low point in ties between the world’s largest economies.At dawn on Monday, the American flag outside the consulate was lowered while police held back crowds that had gathered over the weekend to watch. At 10am, the mission was closed, according to China’s foreign ministry. Continue reading...

NGO chief and Catholic sister Marie-Stella Kouak is no stranger to crisis, but fears a ‘catastrophic’ disruption of HIV/Aids drugs

The health department now recommends masks where community transmission of coronavirus is occurring and physical distancing is difficult, and Victoria has made face masks mandatory in Melbourne. From washable cloth face masks to reusable ones and how to wear them, here’s what you need to know

Meriam Bebawy took the law into her own hands after another shopper grabbed a packet of toilet paper from her trolley at Woolworths, a magistrate has foundA Sydney magistrate has likened a coronavirus-fuelled stoush over toilet paper to a rugby league bust-up as he found a mother and daughter guilty of affray.Health worker Meriam Bebawy, 23, and her daycare operator mother, Treiza Bebawy, 61, have been sentenced over an altercation with another woman at a Woolworths store in Chullora on 7 March. Continue reading...

Evelyn Namulondo and Eric Mutasiga were killed by officers enforcing Covid-19 movement restrictions – and their families want justiceThe last words Evelyn Namulondo said to her elder sister, Jennifer, were: “It’s over, I am going to die.” It was 15 May and the 30-year-old was in a hospital bed in Jinja, Uganda, two days after being shot by unidentified men apparently trying to enforce Uganda’s 7pm to 6am coronavirus curfew.Namulondo was on a motorcycle taxi at 5am, heading to the restaurant she co-founded, when men she thought were police officers asked the driver to stop. When the taxi sped off instead, they fired, hitting Namulondo. Continue reading...

Quarantine measures for people travelling from Spain may be applied to other countries

Harry Harris visits barbershop to ease ties strained by differences over North Korea – and whether his moustache evoked the days of Japanese ruleThe most controversial moustache in South Korea has fallen victim to the razor’s blade, with US ambassador Harry Harris visiting a barbershop months after his facial hair became the subject of unusual criticism.Seoul and Washington are security allies and the US stations 28,500 troops in the country but their relationship has been strained in recent years by differences in their approaches to North Korea and cost-sharing responsibilities. Continue reading...

Australian PM says commission to morph into advisory board as concern mounts over potential conflicts of interest • Follow the Australia coronavirus live blog

Exclusive: number of people stopped with no grounds for suspicion doubled compared with previous yearThe UK’s largest police force increased the use of what critics say is the most discriminatory form of stop and search during lockdown, despite a fall in crime during this period.In May 2020, the Metropolitan police stopped and searched 1,418 people under section 60, more than double the number stopped in May 2019, data shows. Continue reading...

China’s 61 new cases almost all local transmissions; aged care homes hit hard in Melbourne; India records 50,000 cases in a day

Annual Gallup survey casts doubt on Mike Pompeo’s claim that the US is ‘perfectly positioned’ to lead the free world in rivalry with ChinaGermany is the most admired country in the world for the third year running, leaving the US in a tight battle for distant second place with China and Russia, according to a new global leadership poll.The annual poll, conducted by Gallup, casts more doubt on US secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s claim on Friday that the US was “perfectly positioned” to lead the free world in a new ideological rivalry with the Chinese Communist Party. Continue reading...

Consumer watchdog alleges tech giant increased targeted advertising by tracking users, affecting ‘millions of Australians’Australia’s consumer rights watchdog has launched legal action against Google for collecting the “potentially sensitive and private” browsing history of its users, allegedly without people’s informed consent.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges that Google misled consumers by not properly informing them about technology that tracked a user’s internet browsing on non-Google sites, and combined it with the personal information of their Google accounts. Continue reading...

Police say members of the public intervened and penguin was removed from car boot before officers arrivedTwo Tasmanian men have been charged after they allegedly tried to steal a penguin and two eggs from a breeding colony.Police were called to the Low Head lighthouse just before 2pm on Sunday following reports the duo were taking a live little penguin from the rookery. Continue reading...

New Zealand-based Joseph Auga Matamata used 13 of his countrymen as slaves over a quarter of centuryA New Zealand-based Samoan chief has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for human trafficking and using 13 of his countrymen as slaves over a 25-year period.Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, also known as Villiamu Samu, was found guilty on 10 counts of trafficking and 13 counts of slavery following a five-week trial at the high court in Napier in March. Continue reading...

Port Moresby hospital hit by staff shortages after emergency department workers test positive, bringing case tally to 62

17-year-old boy was pronounced dead in Rusholme after a fight between two groupsA teenager has died after being stabbed during an altercation between two groups in Manchester.At about 7.30pm on Sunday,police officers were called to a report of a disturbance in the central area of Rusholme, to the south of the city centre. Continue reading...

Survey puts support at 61% – handing New Zealand PM an extra 40th birthday presentJacinda Ardern has been handed a 40th birthday present in a new poll showing Labour is on track to cruise to victory in this year’s New Zealand election.Her party charted 61% in a Newshub-Reid Research poll announced on Sunday, the same day the prime minister turned 40. The result is the strongest result on record for Labour. Continue reading...

UK imposes quarantine on travellers from Spain; WHO says 1m cases reported per week for last five weeks; Florida’s infections overtake New York’s

Monday: How Australia’s frontline healthcare workers are getting coronavirus. Plus, the former Manus detainee free today but ‘overwhelmed with guilt’Good morning, this is Emilie Gramenz bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 27 July. Continue reading...

People arriving in Stansted tell of their surprise at having to now self-isolate for two weeks

Polzeath Ladies surf club was founded in 2013 by George’s surf school, also based in Polzeath. The club provides a safe space for women to enjoy surfing as part of a wider community, led by professional surf coaches Continue reading...

Over-policing, housing, health services and fracking are the big issues for voters disheartened by both sides of Northern Territory politics“Some people don’t like repeating themselves,” says Naomi Wilfred, an Alawa elder from Minyerri in the Northern Territory.She explains why people in the community – and in many other remote parts of the Northern Territory – feel a familiar sense of frustration come election time. Continue reading...

Those of us who have resettled in the US and other countries all left someone very close to us behindOn 19 July 2013 the Australian government announced that those who arrived by boat seeking safety would never reach the mainland. The effect of this policy is beyond description and I am still haunted by the memories of the time myself and hundreds of others were held captive on Manus Island.The concept of a system ruining people’s lives is not easy to understand. It is complex, destructive and manipulative and every aspect is highly politicised. It is a form of systematic torture, the scars of which are not obvious, but they are real and will affect a person for the rest of his or her life. Continue reading...

Most stallholders prepare to leave as 19th-century market is transformed into a multi-million-pound centreAfter more than 30 years working in Newport’s indoor market, record stallholder Dean Beddis was packing up his collection of punk, new wave, reggae, funk and soul discs for the last time.“It’s the end of an era,” said Beddis. “This building is much more than a market. It’s a family, a wonderful community that has developed over decades. This is the heart and soul of Newport. I think that is all going to be lost. I’ve had people here in tears. It’s so sad.” Continue reading...

British travellers in Madrid have expressed their shock and anger at the government’s sudden decision to impose a two-week quarantine on those returning from Spain

Kai Agyepong’s mother said incident left the family feeling ‘utterly violated’The Metropolitan police have defended officers who arrested and handcuffed a 12-year-old boy seen with a toy gun, saying they acted in line with training and expectations.Mina Agyepong, 42, lodged a complaint after her son Kai was led away by armed officers and detained in a police vehicle during the raid on their house in Somers Town, north London, on 17 July. Continue reading...

At least 540 health and social workers have died in England and Wales during crisis

Country’s largest coronavirus outbreaks are under control, says Arancha González Laya

World’s venues will look on to see how holding a festival during the pandemic turns out

Team of 16 volunteers carried Daisy off mountain on a stretcher during five-hour operationA mountain rescue team has said its members “didn’t need to think twice” when they were called to help a 121lb (55kg) St Bernard dog that had collapsed while descending England’s highest peak.Sixteen volunteers from Wasdale mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy from Scafell Pike after receiving a call from Cumbria police. Continue reading...

Britons currently on holiday there will have to self-isolate for 14 days on their returnSince Spain emerged from lockdown on 21 June, coronavirus cases in the country have surged. The health ministry logged nearly 1,000 new infections per day at the end of last week. The steep rise in new cases prompted the UK government to remove Spain from the travel corridor list on Saturday evening, meaning travellers returning to the UK must now self-isolate for 14 days. Continue reading...

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo challenge president’s 25-year ruleThree women are spearheading a maverick opposition campaign for next month’s presidential election in Belarus, transforming the country’s politics as they attempt to unseat Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled for 25 years.At their head is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a reluctant candidate who has grown increasingly confident in her challenge to Lukashenko. Continue reading...

Authorities scour area after people try to swim from a boat to reach Langkawi islandMalaysian authorities have launched a search for 24 Rohingya refugees who went missing while trying to swim to shore from a boat off the resort island of Langkawi.Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been a favoured destination for Rohingya Muslims seeking a better life after escaping the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar and, more recently, refugee camps in Bangladesh. Continue reading...

Prince William said to have feared brother was ‘blindsided’ by lust in his haste to marryThe royal rift that led to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leaving Britain and stepping back from royal duties began after Prince William feared his brother had been “blindsided” by lust in his haste to marry Meghan Markle, a new book claims.Harry was offended by William’s advice to “take as much time as you need to get to know this girl”, causing tension between the two that finally led to “Megxit” , according to the authors of Finding Freedom. Continue reading...

Dominic Raab has defended the government's sudden decision to impose restrictions on holidaymakers returning from Spain after a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. Travellers will have to self­-isolate for two weeks upon their return. The foreign secretary said the government would not 'make apologies' for the move as inaction could have risked a second wave in the UK

39-year-old who closed cathedral for the night has been arrested and charged with arsonA volunteer church assistant has confessed to setting the fire that severely damaged a Gothic cathedral in Nantes, western France, his lawyer said Sunday.The 39-year-old, an asylum-seeker from Rwanda who has lived in France for several years, was arrested on Saturday after laboratory analysis determined that arson was the likely cause of the blaze, the local prosecutor’s office said. Continue reading...

Family say Northamptonshire force ‘absolved of any blame’ over death of 19-year-oldHarry Dunn’s parents have dropped their legal claim against Northamptonshire police after concluding the force was “absolved of any blame” over their son’s death.The 19-year-old’s family are set for a two-day judicial review at the high court in November where they allege the foreign secretary “obstructed justice” by allowing the suspect in the case, Anne Sacoolas, to leave the UK. Continue reading...

More than 160,000 people have died but from Mexico to Brazil, social networks are awash with quack cures and conspiraciesFor months Gustavo Andrade has been battling to convince his parishioners to take Covid-19 seriously.Related: Desperate Bolivians seek out toxic bleach falsely touted as Covid-19 cure Continue reading...

Debate on long-awaited bill that would punish discrimination and hate crimes towards LGBT people opens on Monday

Regulator Ofcom under growing pressure to block state-backed station for its broadcast of forced confessionsBritain’s broadcasting regulator is under mounting pressure to bar China’s state-owned TV channel from the UK’s airwaves after accusations that it has repeatedly breached impartiality rules and aired forced confessions.There are currently three live investigations under way by Ofcom into China Global Television Network (CGTN), the country’s English-language news channel. The regulator has already ruled against the channel earlier this month, for airing a forced confession by the former British journalist Peter Humphrey. Labour is to raise alleged repeated breaches by the channel with Ofcom’s chief executive Melanie Dawes. Continue reading...

Campaigners accuse Kensington council of ‘contemptuous disregard’ in decisions that led up to the fireThe Grenfell Tower fire inquiry must include a separate investigation into how “race and class” contributed to the tragedy, according to a group supporting more than a third of the deceased.The organisation, which represents 28 of the 72 individuals who died in the fire, submitted a statement on 21 July to the inquiry chairman, judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, to request that an extra module be added to the inquiry to examine if the cost-cutting measures that helped spread the fire would have been sanctioned “if the tower block was in an affluent part of the city for an affluent white population”. Currently there are eight modules, each covering a separate theme, in phase 2 of the inquiry which is examining why the fire happened. Continue reading...

The effects of coronavirus on both international and domestic visitor numbers have left former hotspots fearing for the future

MPs who compiled the Russia report were incredulous at Britain’s reluctance to tackle Kremlin

Opinium poll for the Observer also reveals 47% of public think Putin’s government affected UK’s 2019 general election

UK’s high infection rate and centralised NHS have enabled Recovery team to help victims across the world

One-size-fits-all approach for sector puts not-for-profits in jeopardy, union warnsThe not-for-profit early childcare education sector is struggling to pay up to $9,000 for deep cleaning each time a Covid-19 case is identified, while federal government transition payments may not be enough to keep the sector afloat as parents pull their children out of the system.The United Workers Union’s director for early childhood education, Helen Gibbons, said the one-size-fits-all approach towards the early childcare sector needed a rethink or the community risked losing not-for-profit childcare centres, which comprise just under half of the sector. Continue reading...