First minister says no one should be ‘celebrating’ crisis as PM visits Scotland

Prime minister aims to use his visit to Scotland today to strengthen case for the union

Man, 19, and two children aged 15 in hospital after gunmen attack them from car in TottenhamTwo children and a young man have been shot and seriously wounded in Tottenham, north London, police said.A 19-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack and two boys aged 15 were also shot, one possibly suffering life-changing injuries. Continue reading...

Jason Lawrance brought appeal after he was convicted for lying about a vasectomy before sexA convicted rapist could make a bid for early release after winning an appeal in which judges ruled that lying to a sexual partner about being infertile is not rape.Jason Lawrance, a serial sex attacker who is serving a number of life sentences, was found guilty last July of raping a woman twice after lying to her about having had a vasectomy. Continue reading...

New research suggests that the global peak may be lower than expected. But the challenges will still be immense

Aboriginal people hold less than 1% of all water licences, a form of dispossession that needs urgent redress, researchers sayAboriginal people hold less than 1% of all water licences in Australia, a form of economic and cultural dispossession that needs urgent redress, according to a major study of water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin.Researchers from Griffith University found Aboriginal water entitlements in the New South Wales portion of the basin covered 0.2% of all available surface water, in a region where Aboriginal people comprise about 10% of the population. Continue reading...

The Day faced legal action from author after implying that her comments on gender harmed trans peopleA news website aimed at British schoolchildren has agreed to pay an unsubstantiated amount after it implied that JK Rowling’s comments on gender caused harm to trans people.The Day, which is recommended by the Department for Education and is designed to prompt teenagers to discuss current affairs, faced legal action from the Harry Potter author after publishing an article entitled: “Potterheads cancel Rowling after trans tweet”. Continue reading...

Outbreak thought to include footballers is one of several surges in infections in Czech Republic

Xi has stifled dissent at home and is increasingly willing for China to assert itself abroadEarlier this week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a rare meeting in Beijing with business leaders. Admitting that the Covid-19 pandemic had a “huge impact” on the country’s economy, Xi used a Chinese idiom to assure his listeners.“While the green hills last, there will be wood to burn,” he said. “If we maintain our strategy … we will find opportunity in crisis and turbulence. The Chinese people will surely prevail over all difficulties and challenges ahead”. Continue reading...

Banks, post offices and airports will also be subject to new rules, government confirms

Four flatmates asked to replace banner hanging above Crouch End high street with something less ‘offensive’Police have ordered the removal of a banner hanging above a high street that read “white silence is violence”, allegedly claiming it was offensive to white people.Four flatmates in Crouch End, north London were warned about the banner on Saturday in a visit by two officers. When it remained hanging from windows in the flat above a hairdressers, an officer returned on Sunday and ordered it be taken down. Continue reading...

Renate Blauel claims damages as high as £3m for breach of privacy after the release of RocketmanSir Elton John’s ex-wife Renate Blauel adopted a new identity and went into hiding in a British village an attempt to shed her connection to the singer, according to court filings in her multimillion pound legal case against the songwriter.Blauel is seeking substantial damages from John, which could be as high as £3m, claiming he has caused her deep psychological distress by repeatedly breaching a 1988 divorce agreement to not discuss their marriage. Continue reading...

Former UK Finance chief apologises to businesswoman after telephone transcripts revealed by high courtA top City banker questioned whether businesswoman Amanda Staveley was sleeping with Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, calling her “thick as shit” and commenting on the size of her breasts, after she took part in talks to save Barclays from a public bailout in 2008.The comments by Stephen Jones were detailed in telephone transcripts released by the high court on Thursday and were recorded when he worked in the bank’s investment banking division. Last month he resigned as chief executive of the banking lobby group UK Finance, just weeks before the comments were due to be revealed as part of the court case brought by Staveley over the terms of the emergency fundraising deal. Continue reading...

Ceredigion council in mid Wales produces document to aid correct and consistent use

With more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases reported daily African nation becomes worst-hit region on the continent

Kabukicho is far quieter than usual but is being accused of fuelling a coronavirus second wave

‘Heartbroken’ texts sent after actor went on 36-hour cocaine binge, libel trial hearsAmber Heard described Johnny Depp as “nuts”, “violent” and a “madman” in private texts sent to her mother early on in their relationship, but hid the extent of the violence from her, the high court has been told.The messages were sent, Heard said, after the Pirates of the Caribbean star went on a 36-hour cocaine and whisky binge in his LA home, during which he accused her of having affairs. Continue reading...

Bruno Dey, 93, found guilty of accessory to murders in final months of second world warA 93-year-old former SS guard has been found guilty of accessory to the murder of 5,232 people at a Nazi concentration camp in the final days of the second world war.Bruno Dey, who was 17 when he joined Stutthof concentration camp as a guard, was handed a two-year suspended sentence by a youth court in Hamburg on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

The rubber-faced funnyman made Ace Ventura, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber in the same year. But as he prepares to publish his memoirs, we ask: was that as good as it got?By and large, Jim Carrey either makes good films or very, very bad films. The latter includes mush such as The Majestic, comedic misfires such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and such dreary genre misfires as Dark Crimes. But it also includes The Number 23, a thriller in which Carrey becomes obsessed with a book that he forgot he wrote, about the number 23. The book was written by a man named Topsy Kretts. Say it out loud. That’s right: it sounds like “Top Secrets”. The Number 23 is a terrible film, but you can watch the heck out of it drunk. Continue reading...

YouGov survey for BikeIsBest finds 77% support changes despite protests by pro-motoring groupsGovernment plans to boost levels of walking and cycling after the coronavirus crisis are under threat from a minority of objectors, whose views do not represent the opinions of many Britons, a pro-cycling campaign has claimed.Research carried out for the BikeIsBest organisation found 77% of Britons would support changes in their local area to encourage more cycling and walking. Continue reading...

The Triunfo de la Cruz region has been embroiled in a struggle to save their ancestral land from developers and drug traffickersFears are growing for the safety of five black indigenous men in Honduras who were abducted from their homes last weekend by heavily armed gunmen in police uniforms.The victims are Garifuna fishermen from the town Triunfo de la Cruz on the north coast – a region where communities are embroiled in a longstanding struggle to save their ancestral land from drug traffickers, palm oil magnates and tourism developers aided by corrupt officials and institutions. Continue reading...

Exchanges show how American prosecutors stymied British efforts to extradite key suspectBritish anti-corruption investigators accused their US counterparts of deceiving them during a row over a criminal inquiry that threatened cooperation between the countries and prompted the UK to complain that “we look like fools”.The extraordinary dispute is laid bare in a series of confidential exchanges, seen by the Guardian, between senior levels of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which prosecutes large-scale bribery and corruption, and the US Department of Justice. Continue reading...

Data gives insight into scale of pandemic in country already hit by humanitarian crisis

Proposed agreement between union and BA involves at least 270 job losses and up to 20% pay cuts

Commissioner may have ‘thwarted the statutory process’ by stating on commercial radio he was heading to court before police held a scheduled meeting with organisersNSW police commissioner Mick Fuller may have undermined his own effort to stop a Black Lives Matters rally planned for Sydney by speaking to media about the issue before consulting the rally organiser, a court has been told.The demonstration, which will demand justice for David Dungay Jr, is scheduled for Tuesday despite NSW coronavirus health orders banning large gatherings of people. Continue reading...

Martín Vizcarra announced emergency decree putting health ministry in charge of system after Celia Capira chased his truckAs the presidential motorcade pulled away from the main hospital in Peru’s second city – fleeing an angry protest by medical staff and relatives of Covid-19 patients – one woman broke away from the crowd.Celia Capira ran sobbing after the truck carrying the president, Martín Vizcarra, yelling for him to go and see for himself the grim conditions at the hospital, where her husband was fighting for his life. Continue reading...

Pay gap in largest Lutheran denomination in Europe attributed to men occupying more senior positionsSixty years after the first female priests were ordained in the Church of Sweden, they now outnumber men – but only just.“From a historical perspective, this parity happened faster than we earlier imagined,” said Cristina Grenholm, the secretary for the Church of Sweden, as the former state church announced that 50.1% of its priests are female. Continue reading...

Federal treasurer unveils largest budget deficit since second world war and NSW records 19 new coronavirus cases. Follow all the latest news

After an historic election victory, Lazarus Chakwera explains his desire to give Malawians ‘dignity and development’Promising to “clear the rubble” of corruption within the government, Malawi’s new president is beginning his term by raising the country’s minimum wage in an attempt to win over both doubters and international donors.In an interview with the Guardian, Lazarus Chakwera, who won a historic victory over Peter Mutharika in June, urged Malawians to trust that he will deliver on his promises. Continue reading...

PM’s first visit since coronavirus outbreak comes amid growing support for independenceThe experience of the pandemic has underlined the “sheer might” of the union, Boris Johnson has said as he prepares to visit Scotland for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.Speaking ahead of his trip on Thursday, the prime minister said: “The last six months have shown exactly why the historic and heartfelt bond that ties the four nations of our country together is so important and the sheer might of our union has been proven once again.” Continue reading...

Arrivals from Lesbos are stuck in poor conditions at the city camp, with those granted asylum left to fend for themselvesThe only refugee camp in Athens is barely a mile south-west of the Acropolis as the crow flies. Officials speak of Elaionas as a model reception centre, one that has blended decent living conditions with clockwork efficiency.A collection of colourfully painted cabins, set either side of concrete pathways, Elaionas was built on former wasteland off the Sacred Way, ancient Greece’s oldest road. It opened in 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis. But in the rush to house families ordered to leave Moria, the infamous holding centre on Lesbos, authorities have turned the facility’s football ground into a tent city that has become synonymous with desperation and despair. Continue reading...

Exclusive: hopes testing can begin in 2021 on product intended to free people of need for insulin injectionsAn Israeli company claiming to have created a tiny micro-pancreas that can “cure” diabetes for millions of people has said it will submit a request next month for human clinical trials in the UK.Betalin Therapeutics said its “bio-artificial” pancreas aims to free patients of the need for insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring. It is designed for people with type 1 type 2 diabetes who require insulin. Continue reading...

Home secretary Priti Patel says BNO visa changes were ‘proportionate response’ to China’s increasing control over the cityThe British government has outlined its pathway to citizenship for millions of overseas nationals in Hong Kong wanting to flee growing control exerted by Beijing over in the semi-autonomous city.The changes allow holders of British National (Overseas) status (BNO) and their immediate families to apply for entry visas from January 2021, for either two periods of 30 months or a single period of five years. Continue reading...

High femicide rate and efforts to roll back legislation designed to protect women are under spotlightThe murder of a 27-year-old woman by an ex-boyfriend has sparked outrage in Turkey, shining a light on the country’s shockingly high femicide rate and government efforts to roll back legislation designed to protect women from gender-based violence.The remains of student Pınar Gültekin were discovered in woodland in the Aegean province of Muğla on Tuesday. According to Turkish media, she was beaten and then strangled to death by her former partner, Cemal Metin Avci, who then burned her body in a garbage bin and covered it in concrete. The 32-year-old has been detained on homicide charges. Continue reading...

Human rights coalition says cotton produced in camps in Xinjiang region finds its way into one in five cotton products worldwideMany of the world’s biggest fashion brands and retailers are complicit in the forced labour and human rights violations being perpetrated on millions of Uighur people in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, says a coalition of more than 180 human rights groups.There is mounting global outrage over the atrocities being committed against the Uighur population in the region, including torture, forced separation and the compulsory sterilisation of Uighur women. Continue reading...

Visitor numbers expected to plummet by tens of millions in crisis that eclipses the 2004 tsunami, bird flu and Sars

The Guardian revisits people who are experiencing unemployment for the first time due to Covid-19 to find out how changes to jobseeker, announced this week, will affect themWith the treasurer on Thursday predicting unemployment of 9.25% by the end of the year, and 13 people currently on jobseeker for every job advertised, the Guardian spoke to newly unemployed people about how jobseeker changes will affect their lives.On Tuesday, the government announced that the jobseeker coronavirus supplement would be reduced by $300 to $250 per fortnight from 25 September. Continue reading...

Juan Tang is accused of lying about links to China military, amid tensions between Washington and Beijing after US orders Houston consulate to closeA Chinese researcher charged with lying to the FBI about her military affiliation has taken refuge in China’s San Francisco consulate, according to court documents, further escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.The standoff in San Francisco comes at the same time the US ordered the closure of China’s Houston consulate, on grounds of involvement in theft of “American intellectual property and private information”. Continue reading...

Two brothers aged 10 and three escaped a blaze at an apartment in the south-eastern French city of Grenoble on Tuesday after they jumped into the arms of people watching below. The youngest boy was hanging from a window 10 metres above the ground, as flames and black smoke engulfed the apartment. The older boy followed. Both were uninjured in the fall, local media reported Continue reading...

Mayor of Grenoble hails rescue after brothers aged three and 10 are saved by people in street belowTwo young brothers have been saved from an apartment fire in the French city of Grenoble after dropping about 10 metres (33ft) from a window before being caught by people in the street below.The pair, aged 10 and three, were unharmed by the fall on Tuesday but might have suffered from smoke inhalation, French media reported. Continue reading...

Tory-backed thinktank is calling for increased funding for domestic students

Alexander Temerko admits being a Tory activist but not a Kremlin ally as Russia report publishedIn the wake of the long-awaited publication of the Russia report into interference in UK democracy, one of the most prominent Soviet-born donors to the Conservative party has said he is no “friend of Putin” and called for greater scrutiny of British ex-politicians working for Russian state firms.In an interview with the Guardian Alexander Temerko said he welcomed the publication of the intelligence and security committee’s (ISC) Russia report, which accused the government of turning a blind eye to Kremlin interference. “Better late than never. They finally published it,” he said. Continue reading...

Jeremy Corbyn’s statement caused astonishment among litigants in libel actionLabour’s decision to pay a six-figure libel settlement to ex-staffers who claimed the party was failing to deal with antisemitism has plunged the party back into civil war, with Jeremy Corbyn publicly condemning his successor’s decision to settle the case.Corbyn’s statement caused astonishment among the litigants in the libel action, with the Panorama journalist John Ware confirming to the Guardian that he was “consulting his lawyers” and raising the prospect of another costly court battle over Labour and antisemitism. Continue reading...

Thursday: Deficit, to be revealed today, will be Australia’s largest since the second world war. Plus, why the government should be retrofitting old homesGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 23 July. Continue reading...

Downing Street officials say there has been neither ‘breakthrough nor breakdown’ on major sticking pointsDowning Street sources have denied Brexit negotiations between the UK and European Union have broken down, but admit they are at an impasse.After two full days of talks in London, No 10 officials described the current state of play as neither a “breakthrough nor a breakdown”. The latest round is expected to end on Thursday without advancing on a deal. Continue reading...

A gunman in Ukraine has released 13 hostages after the country's president agreed to post a video on Facebook recommending a 2005 animal rights documentary.

Italian authorities accuse firms of paying bribes to secure part of oilfield in deal worth $1.3bnItalian prosecutors have called for executives at Royal Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni to face jail time over alleged corruption in a $1bn (£770m) oil deal in Nigeria.Fabio De Pasquale, one of Italy’s top anti-corruption prosecutors said Eni’s chief executive officer, Claudio Descalzi, should face eight years in jail. Continue reading...

Dramatic exit of an MP and a minister might signal a new attitude in a nation where politicians’ private lives have traditionally been off-limitsAfter a New Zealand MP quit and a minister was fired in successive days over allegations of sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships, New Zealand’s prime minister was asked by a reporter if it was “open season” on any member of parliament who had “ever had an affair”.“I don’t want to get drawn into hypotheticals,” said Ardern, while announcing she had sacked Iain Lees-Galloway, her minister of workplace relations and safety, over his workplace relationship with a former staffer in his office who had also worked in an agency he oversaw. Continue reading...

Intelligence and security committee chair tells MPs no special advisers should be allowed near itJulian Lewis, the new chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC), has demanded that ministers prevent Dominic Cummings and other special advisers from politicising its future inquiries.The independent MP told a Commons debate on the Russia report on Wednesday that he had been warned by a journalist that “some people within government” had tried to sack the committee’s civil service secretariat and “make political appointments” instead. Continue reading...