Witness accounts pile on pressure for PM’s aide to show proof he did not visit Durham a second time in lockdown

Photographer who captured moment naked bather gave pursuit says he ‘gave it his all’

Experts fear sweeping public order proposals, including ban on loud talking, could be used to stifle protests

Police criticised for ‘rather martial’ response to protests over closure of Syndikat in German capitalDozens of people have been arrested in Berlin during demonstrations against the closure of a small bar with a strong leftwing following.Syndikat, described by its patrons as their “second living room”, was seized by a court official on Friday morning, bringing to an end a lengthy and bitter eviction fight. Continue reading...

Anger grows at president over economy, pandemic and plans for integration with RussiaBelarusians will go to the polls on Sunday in one of the most unpredictable elections in a generation, as longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko faces a spirited challenge from a united opposition that has gathered the largest political rallies since the days of the Soviet Union.Lukashenko, who has consolidated immense power over 25 years of rule in Belarus, is expected to claim victory over the opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. But signs of vote rigging and growing dissatisfaction with his government, including among his base, may trigger protests in their wake and further embolden the opposition. Continue reading...

The American Song Contest will launch in late 2021 with rival musicians from all 50 statesNorth Dakota could soon find itself awarded douze points by television viewers, after the Eurovision song contest signed a deal to create a US version of the singing competition.The American Song Contest will launch in late 2021, featuring musicians from all 50 US states competing to be crowned champions in a series of televised competitions. Regional contests will be held in each state to choose a singer or musical group to progress into the nationally televised finals, with viewers whittling down the entries over three rounds of shows. Continue reading...

Streete dumped 20-year-old’s body in park then lied about what had happenedA “truly evil” former warehouse packer has been jailed for life for raping and murdering a “caring” would-be classroom assistant and friend.Wesley Streete dumped Keeley Bunker’s body face-down in a brook in a park before trying to conceal her body with branches on 19 September last year. Continue reading...

State media say several injured in protests as ambassador to Jordan resigns over ‘state negligence’

Former MP sentenced at Ipswich crown court to eight months in prison suspended for two yearsThe former Labour MP Eric Joyce has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to making an indecent image of a child.The 59-year-old ex-army major, who served as MP for Falkirk for more than a decade, was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, and also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. Continue reading...

A holiday in Norfolk is a chance to spend time away from politics, and for my wife to spend less time alone with meMondayWhen I was a teenager, the FA Cup final was always a red letter day in the football calendar. The TV coverage would start in the morning with loads of chat and clips of the teams leaving their London hotels by bus and I would be watching every minute of it. Even my Dad, who had no interest in football whatsoever, would come inside at 3pm to watch the entire match. Sometimes he even managed to stay awake for the entire 90 minutes. Yet for the past 25 years or so, I’ve never bothered to watch the final on TV. Partly because Spurs have not featured since 1991, but mostly because I’ve just lost interest in the competition. This year was no exception. The weather was nice and a game between Tottenham’s two main rivals – Arsenal and Chelsea – seemed entirely missable. So it was only on the following day that I discovered there had been rather more riding on the match than I had thought. By winning and claiming automatic qualification, Arsenal had condemned Spurs to play at least three extra preliminary matches for the Europa League, a competition I had been rather hoping to avoid even before this new form of hell. Tottenham’s possible opponents hardly read like a roll call of Europe’s finest. In no particular order, they are Kesla FK from Azerbaijan, Torshavn from the Faroe Islands, Neftchi Baku also from Azerbaijan, Kaysar Kyzylorda and Ordabasy Shymkent both from Kazakhstan, Sutjeska Niksic of Montenegro, OFI Heraklion from Crete, and Lithuania’s FK Riteriai. These are all games that both Spurs and I would pay money to avoid, as their only real function is to make sure the players are exhausted by November. I’m just praying that further travel bans have been put in place by September and that Tottenham are forced out of the competition by the Foreign Office. Continue reading...

CoCo Ichibanya hopes locals will approve of its signature hot dishes as it opens near DelhiIt sounds like the culinary equivalent of coals to Newcastle. But a popular Japanese restaurant chain is banking on diners in India to acquire a taste for its signature dish: curry.CoCo Ichibanya, which has become a staple of the Japanese budget dining scene since it opened its first outlet in 1978, this week launched its first restaurant in India, near Delhi. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex urges advertisers to demand companies do more to curb hate speech onlinePrince Harry has hit out at social media companies for creating a “crisis of hate” and called for “meaningful digital reform” after an unprecedented advertiser boycott of Facebook.In an opinion piece for the US business magazine Fast Company, the Duke of Sussex revealed that he and his wife, Meghan, had begun campaigning for change in social media “a little over four weeks ago”. Continue reading...

Researchers at Rome university compared portraits with a plaster cast of the artist’s skull

Countless young people are being pushed to Europe’s margins by hardline border and migration policies

A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across AustraliaGood evening, here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Naaman Zhou and it’s Friday 7 August. Continue reading...

Residents of the Texas city, home to tens of thousands of Lebanese people, say the blast left them feeling helplessHouston residents Leila Woheidy and her mother were on the phone with her grandmother back in Lebanon when they suddenly heard screaming on the other end of the line.Related: No lights, no glass, no money: Beirutis hamstrung in efforts to rebuild Continue reading...

Support package unveiled to help firms with bureaucracy of moving goods across Irish SeaThe UK government has announced a £355m package to cushion Northern Ireland businesses from the costs of trading with the rest of the UK because of Brexit.Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said on Friday £200m would be spent on a trader support service (TSS) to help firms handle new bureaucracy to move goods across the Irish Sea, turning the government into a de facto customs agent for traders. Continue reading...

As Victoria reported 911 infected healthcare workers, Scott Morrison said rest of the country needed to heed lessons already learned

Lack of touch has impacted mental health during the pandemic, so experts suggest ways to embrace as safely as possible

Exclusive: People reportedly forced on to small boats at gunpoint as gangs move into tradeRefugees have told of increasingly brutal tactics used by people-smugglers transporting thousands across the Channel in small boats, as calm seas and the Covid-19 pandemic create a boom in the trade.The Home Office confirmed on Thursday evening that 6 August was a record day for small boat crossings, with 235 people identified. There were 17 separate incidents, 13 involving interceptions or encounters by Border Force officials and three separate incidents involving recovery by Royal National Lifeboat Institution. One boat containing 15 people landed at Dungeness beach in Kent. The Home Office has pledged to take tougher measurers to halt these crossings. Continue reading...

In July, the remains of nearly 250 migrant workers were repatriated to Mexico City. Two grieving families share their stories and loss

External review launched following collective resignation, which cited need for ‘profound organisational reforms’Five women Nobel laureates said this week they were “profoundly shaken and saddened” by the resignation of seven staff at the organisation created to promote peace, justice and women’s rights.Shirin Ebadi, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman and Jody Williams said while they were aware of challenges within the Nobel Women’s Initiative, they “deeply regret not recognising the depth of their broader impact on staff”. They have launched an external review. Continue reading...

Brands including Primark, Zara and H&M accused of failing to protect workers at factories in Asia from ‘union busting’Some of Europe’s biggest retailers, including Primark, Zara and H&M, are failing to stop Covid-19 being used as a pretext for union busting, human rights activists are warning.Millions of garment workers in some of the poorest parts of Asia have lost their jobs since coronavirus shutdowns hit the retail industry worldwide. Continue reading...

Temperatures could reach up to 38C during string of very hot days, say forecasters

Children with autism among those detained in England and Wales and left for hours in sometimes filthy cellsChildren with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.The treatment of some young people, including those with disabilities, was labelled unacceptable and a “matter of embarrassment” for the criminal justice system by the Lay Observers (LO), volunteers who inspect court custody conditions and transport arrangements for detainees in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Calls for inquiry mount as officials begin blame game over ammonium nitrate storage

In contrast, letter in English on same issue said university had ‘unequivocal commitment to freedom of expression’The University of New South Wales has been criticised for issuing a letter in Chinese that differs from a letter in English explaining its deletion of a tweet that was critical of China’s human rights abuses.On Wednesday, the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Ian Jacobs, apologised for the university’s deletion of a tweet that quoted Elaine Pearson, the Australian director of Human Rights Watch and an adjunct academic at the university. Continue reading...

US study says 300,000 Americans could die from coronavirus, Bolsonaro urges Brazilians to ‘get on with life’; Africa passes 1m cases

Revenue collapses by 16% in Australia and 13% in the UK, while Foxtel loses 12% of its subscribers in AustraliaNews Corp has posted a US$1.5bn loss, with its Australian and United Kingdom newspaper businesses suffering sharp declines in revenue and its Foxtel pay-TV business in Australia bleeding subscribers, new financial results for 2019-20 show.The global media giant released its financial results for 2019/20 on Thursday in the US. The reports paint a grim picture across the last quarter and year, with the exception of its Dow Jones business. Continue reading...

PM and president’s party wins ‘super majority’ that will allow them to carry out constitutional changesSri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa brothers have secured a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections, giving them powers to change the constitution and unravel democratic safeguards.Final results on Friday showed that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) won 145 seats and can also count on the support of at least five allies in the 225-member legislature. Continue reading...

US lawsuit by Saad Aljabri claims that the Saudi state sent a team of assassins to CanadaA former senior Saudi intelligence official with close ties to western intelligence agencies has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of plotting to kill him, claiming in a US lawsuit that one such attempt was thwarted by Canadian officials in 2018.A lawsuit by Saad Aljabri against the Saudi crown prince and other Saudi officials, which was brought in a district court in Washington DC, claims that the Saudi state launched a campaign to target the former high-ranking official in Canada because he was viewed as a threat to Prince Mohammed’s relationship with the US and his eventual ascendancy to the throne. Continue reading...

Friday: Coalition tweaks wage subsidy only three weeks after cutting it. Plus, residents of Lebanon’s capital appeal for help in aftermath of blastGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 7 August. Continue reading...

Angry crowds in Beirut have urged Emmanuel Macron to help bring political change to Lebanon as the French president toured the city’s blasted port and the shattered surrounding neighbourhoods. Macron was surrounded by hundreds of people as he toured the wrecked Gemmayze neighbourhood near the port, many of whom called for radical political change. 'We have to launch a new political initiative,' Macron told reporters. 'All this anger is directed at politicians'

As a devastating blast tore across Beirut, Emmanuelle Khnaisser prepared to give birth to a baby boy while the hospital shook and windows were shattered.

Letitia James has announced she is seeking to dissolve the NRA after an investigation by her office uncovered what she called 'years of self-dealing and illegal conduct'. James accused the NRA's CEO, Wayne LaPierre, of using the group's funds to finance a luxury lifestyle for his family.'The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse,' James said. 'Which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organisation is above the law.'

What happened in the months and years leading up to the explosion at the Lebanese capital’s port?Beirut is still counting the cost in lives and property from a massive explosion at its port on Tuesday that sent a shockwave blasting across the city. Anger is growing in Lebanon at what appears to be an industrial accident that authorities foresaw and warned about for years before. The Lebanese government is currently investigating, but many in the country and internationally are calling for an independent probe.Exactly what happened at the port in the early evening of 4 August is still unclear, but several facts have come to light in the days since the blast. The trail begins nearly seven years ago, with a rickety ship leaving the eastern European state of Georgia, carrying a deadly load. Continue reading...

Ryu Ho-jeong, 28, says she wore colourful outfit to challenge male dominance in parliamentSouth Korea is again confronting its outdated attitudes towards women in the workplace after a female MP was criticised for attending a parliamentary session in a colourful dress.Ryu Ho-jeong, who at 28 is the youngest member of the country’s national assembly, drew condemnation and praise after she was photographed in the national assembly chamber in what local media described as a red minidress earlier this week. Continue reading...

Ahead of Friday’s national cabinet meeting, the expenditure review committee signs off on changes that will cost $15.6bnThe Morrison government has tweaked the eligibility requirements for the jobkeeper wage subsidy only three weeks after cutting the payment in an attempt to save businesses and jobs at risk because of the deteriorating outlook in Victoria.Ahead of Friday’s national cabinet meeting, and after new Treasury analysis underscored the hit to the national economy from the second wave of coronavirus infections in Victoria, the expenditure review committee of cabinet signed off on the jobkeeper overhaul late on Thursday. Continue reading...

Lilly Wachowski expresses pleasure that the film’s ‘original intention’ has become commonplace understanding among fansLilly Wachowski, who co-directed the Matrix films with her sister, Lana, has confirmed that they should be read as allegories for the transgender narrative. Subsequent to the films’ release, both sisters came out as trans – Lilly in 2012 and Lana in 2016 – and some fans have since identified apparent resonances for the experience in the movies.“I’m glad that it has gotten out that that was the original intention,” Lilly told Netflix Film Club on 4 August. “The world wasn’t quite ready for it. The corporate world wasn’t ready for it.” Continue reading...

Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng says he’s seen no data that matches the figures splashed on the front page of the AustralianVictoria’s deputy chief health officer has dismissed claims the state has “secret modelling” that shows daily Covid-19 cases rising to 1,100 by the end of next week, saying he has seen no such data from state or federal authorities.The claim was splashed on the front page of the Australian on Thursday in a story that said the Victorian government’s “own estimates” showed the number was likely to stay above 1,000 for eight days, and “the average number of new cases is not expected to decline until the last week of August”. Continue reading...

PM acclaimed Japan’s response as a model for the world, but has been largely silent amid record case rises

Government seeks to install antennas and cables above three architectural masterpieces by Oscar Niemeyer, report claims“Surprise is the main element of a work of art,” Brazil’s most celebrated architect once said.But were he alive today, Oscar Niemeyer would probably be horrified at the thunderbolt the country’s current leaders are hoping to inflict on three of his most spectacular creations in the futurist capital he helped build. Continue reading...

The complex history of how China and the US once embraced each other should inform how the current showdown is tackledThe Trump administration has floated the idea of sanctioning Chinese officials and members of the Communist party of China. Before we ask whether this is a good idea, let’s ask how Sino-US relations got to this stage.The US cold war with the Soviet Union was over ideology, but today’s standoff with China is different. The Chinese state has no ideology, no religion, no moral agenda. It continues wearing socialist garb but only as a face-saving pretence. It has, in fact, become a state-capitalist dictatorship. What the world sees today is a contest between the US system of free-market capitalism and Chinese state capitalism. How should we read this chessboard? Continue reading...

Rideshare association says there has been no clarity from Victorian government on transporting potentially infectious people

Business lobby urges PM to change rules that currently risk seeing sectors that saw a bump in income in June flunking out of jobkeeper programCompanies hit by sweeping new restrictions in Victoria that came into force this week risk being thrown out of the federal jobkeeper support scheme unless the rules are changed, business leaders say.They say this will put more jobs at risk in a state economy that is already set to be devastated by the new coronavirus lockdown, making it difficult for employers to keep people on in the run-up to Christmas. Continue reading...

More than 200 workers tested positive at garment factory supplying Amazon, Gap and American EagleA garment factory supplying Gap, American Eagle and Amazon was at the centre of one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in Guatemala, the Guardian can reveal.More than 200 people tested positive for Covid-19 at the KP Textil factory, exposing the dire working conditions inside the country’s maquila system of free trade zones. At the time of the outbreak, the factory was making masks for export to the US. Continue reading...

Operation shuts for 14 days as coronavirus infections rise more than ten-fold in three weeks

Hundreds of thousands want more work, and the drop in hours worked – largely as a result of coronavirus – is the biggest in 30 years

Language decline among newly qualified teachers could undermine goal of reaching 1 million Welsh speakersA “striking” decline in the number of newly qualified teachers able to teach in Welsh could undermine the country’s ambition to have a million speakers of the language in 30 years’ time, a report warns.The Welsh language commissioner, Aled Roberts, expressed concern about the trend and called for the devolved government to take urgent action to reverse the fall. Continue reading...

Tahir Malik apologises for attending large gathering with fellow councillors