Tuesday: State braces for possible outbreak as poll finds leaders’ approval is slipping. Plus, the correspondence between the Queen and John KerrGood morning, this is Emilie Gramenz bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 14 July. Continue reading...
Moderates fear Poland will become even more authoritarian after their candidate lost the electionAnaemic grey clouds hung over much of Warsaw as the city’s liberals and progressives came to terms with the fact that it will almost certainly be another three years, during parliamentary elections in 2023, before they get a chance to challenge the ruling party’s hold on power after its preferred candidate, Andrzej Duda, won re-election as president on Monday.“It feels like the coffin is being closed on the fight for our formal democratic institutions,” said Rafał Suszek, a physicist and democracy campaigner who has been arrested several times in recent years for engaging in campaigns of direct action and civil disobedience. Continue reading...
Prof Christopher R Hughes believes a letter by Dr Hugh Goodacre on the crisis in Hong Kong does not stand up to historical scrutinyDr Hugh Goodacre’s letter (5 July) in response to Simon Jenkins (Britain can’t protect Hong Kong from China – but it can do right by its people, 2 July) claims that the people of Hong Kong gained the democratic right to vote on their future because China “stood up in the world”, which would have been unthinkable under British rule. This does not stand up to historical scrutiny.As early as January 1958, Zhou Enlai warned the Macmillan government against supporting a “conspiracy” to make Hong Kong a self-governing dominion. In the 1960s, China insisted Britain should resist US pressure to introduce self-government, as the status of Hong Kong was to China’s benefit. Beijing continued to resist the introduction of democracy throughout the Sino-British negotiations and its current behaviour confirms its intention to act like a colonial power. Its narrative that the current protests are due to the whipping up of anti-Chinese hysteria by outside forces reflects this mindset by denying agency to the people of Hong Kong.
Home secretary suggested officials ignored problem for fear of seeming racistPriti Patel, the home secretary, has come under fire over claims that “cultural sensitivities” prevented a robust response to alleged worker exploitation in Leicester, with critics arguing cuts to regulators, the decision to limit inspections and an absence of unions were the biggest causes.Ten days after the Guardian reported on fears that conditions in sweatshops were a factor in Leicester’s surge in coronavirus cases and resulting lockdown, reports emerged on Sunday that Patel was considering new laws to curb modern slavery. Continue reading...
Heavy rainfall is forecast to fall on areas burnt out last summer, as well as along much of the state’s coastlineOne of the New South Wales communities badly affected by bushfires last summer is expected to cop the brunt of an intense weather event this week.Heavy rainfall, strong winds and dangerous surf are forecast for large parts of NSW in coming days. Continue reading...
by James Button and Julie Szego. Photography by Chris on (#55KB0)
There is a schism between older African migrants – who think Australia is ‘the greatest country in the world’ – and those who came here young or grew up hereThis is the fourth in a six-part series on life inside Melbourne’s high-rise public housing. Read the third part here.Nor Shanino would get into big debates with his father, Idris, an Eritrean refugee, about the police and the country. Continue reading...
Thousands of people took part in a silent march in Bayonne for Philippe Monguillot, 59, who was declared brain dead after an attack by passengers who refused to wear face masks. He later died in hospital.The driver’s family organised the march from the bus stop where the assault took place. Monguillot's colleagues used their right to refuse to work in the aftermath of the attack but will resume work on Monday under reinforced security, the local operator said.
Far fewer people than usual attend commemoration events in Bosnia, due to coronavirusBosnia is marking the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the only declared genocide in Europe since the second world war, with a small number of survivors in attendance, due to the coronavirus pandemic.The execution in July 1995 of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys is being commemorated in a series of events. There will also be a reburial of the recently identified remains of nine victims in a memorial cemetery outside the town in eastern Bosnia. Continue reading...
Body of London teenager was found in dense rainforest during family holidayAn inquest is to be opened into the death of a London teenager whose body was found in dense rainforest in Malaysia after she disappeared from a resort.The unclothed body of 15-year-old Nora Quoirin was discovered in August last year after a large-scale search near where she had been on holiday with her family. Continue reading...
While some firms have been devastated as Covid-19 grips the planet, others have seen their sales go off the chart. How have they coped?For most businesses, the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic were an economic horror story measured in job losses and plummeting sales graphs. But this was not the case for everyone. As lockdown measures were imposed around the globe, certain companies struggled to cope with sudden demand from a confined populace with new, highly specific needs.So what was it like to be the focus of such frenzied consumer interest? How did they cope with self-isolating staff and faltering supply chains? And what are their hopes now the world is tentatively reopening? Here, five different companies reflect on their accidental boom. Continue reading...
Growing our own potatoes is fun – but the pandemic and looming trade deals have exposed Britain’s fragile food securitySmugness is a well-documented side-effect of having an allotment, and at this time of year, with raspberries, gooseberries, currants, new potatoes and other goodies ripening and making it to the table, the condition becomes particularly acute. “Notice anything about these spuds?” I can’t help myself asking, faux-casually, over dinner. “And how about the chard? Particularly delicious, no?” To which the only acceptable answer, clearly, is a chorus of: “Oh yes, I noticed that immediately, I’ve never tasted such magnificent chard in my life.” (For some reason, this is not a response that comes naturally to my children.)Many plot-holders will be even more insufferable this year, as we’ve had so much more time than usual to spend tending our plots. Allotments have been open throughout lockdown, designated as safe spaces for daily exercise. I nearly gave mine up before the pandemic, as I was too busy working and socialising to keep the weeds at bay. Boy, am I glad I kept it: as a mother of two energetic boys without much outdoor space at home, our plot has been a lifeline. Continue reading...
Police say independent pollster may have been hacked but there are fears of link to pro-democracy opposition’s primary electionHong Kong police have searched the office of an independent political pollster days after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on the former British colony.The raid came ahead of weekend primary elections for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition, for which pollster Robert Chung’s Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute is a co-organiser. Continue reading...
The musician’s dramatic move has met with mockery. But perhaps his aim is to fuse spiritual authority, political power and merchandisingOnce the strangest of bedfellows, Kanye West and Donald Trump are now officially rivals.On the Fourth of July, the California-based rapper and entrepreneur tweeted that he was running for president, citing his belief in God and immediately winning the “full support” of his fellow billionaire Elon Musk – who, per the candidate himself, will head up America’s space program under a West administration. Continue reading...
Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong retains overwhelming majority as popular vote slips amid coronavirus pandemicSingapore’s governing party has comfortably won the city-state’s general election but faced a setback as the opposition made minor but historic gains.The prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said his People’s Action party (PAP) secured 83 parliamentary seats on Friday, retaining its overwhelming majority with 89% of the total seats, but its popular vote dipped to 61%. The Workers’ party, the only opposition with a presence in the parliament, increased its seats from six to 10 – the biggest victory for the opposition since independence. Continue reading...
Australian Christian College Moreton ordered to apologise to Cyrus Taniela after ‘discrimination on the basis of race’A private Christian school in Brisbane has been found to have discriminated against a five-year-old Cook Islands boy for threatening to expel him for having long hair, grown for cultural reasons.The Australian Christian College Moreton was ordered to apologise to Cyrus Taniela after it told his family the boy’s hair must be cut by the start of semester two on Monday, or he would have to leave. Continue reading...
Efforts by authorities to meet the needs of residents became adequate and impressive – but three days too lateI am not sure which is the more terrifying: the idea that the premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, had sufficient evidence to justify locking up about 3,000 of my neighbours, or the idea that he didn’t and was doing it anyway.Last Saturday, shortly after 4pm, Andrews announced that the public housing tenants of Flemington and North Melbourne were to be detained in forced quarantine because of potentially high rates of Covid-19. They would be prohibited from leaving their homes for any reason. Continue reading...
by Thomas Chan in Hong Kong and Sebastian Skov Anders on (#55JK2)
An attack by a pro-Beijing mob prompted an ingenius response by joggers – but the unique protest is under threat by new national security lawsOn 21 July last year Hong Kong police took 39 minutes to arrive at the Yuen Long metro station where mobs of white-clad men attacked commuters and pro-democracy protesters, beating them with metal and wooden rods. At least 45 people were injured, including a pregnant woman.The closest dispatch station was about one mile away. Continue reading...
The region is largely coronavirus-free, but pandemic shutdowns and loss of tourism dollars are devastating its economiesThe Covid-19 pandemic is the “job-killer of the century”, Fiji’s prime minister has said, as economies across the Pacific face collapse from economic and travel shutdowns, exacerbating existing illnesses, and potentially driving people into hunger.While the number of cases across the Pacific remains low – several countries across the Pacific remain Covid-free and continue to enforce strict border closures – the economic impacts have devastated tourism- and import-dependent economies. Continue reading...
Anjum Rahman and Aliya Danzeisen have devoted their lives to raising awareness of the warning signs before the terror attackIt was another long drive, another night away from home and another morning thinking nervously about what they would say, hoping this time they would be taken seriously. Then, in the back room of an Auckland mosque, Anjum Rahman and Aliya Danzeisen sat down in front of TV cameras to explain how they had tried to prevent a terrorist attack.The women – an accountant and a high school teacher – knew that by giving a news conference they were “opening ourselves up to another round of hate”, Danzeisen tells the Guardian afterwards, sitting cross-legged next to Rahman on the floor of the mosque. She adds that many New Zealanders would not understand how much aggression the friends receive when they speak publicly about anything. Continue reading...
WE Charity, which was awarded multimillion-dollar government contract, paid PM’s mother and wife for appearances at eventsPolitical rivals of Justin Trudeau are calling for a criminal investigation after it emerged that members of his family were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by a charity to which his government recently awarded a substantial contract.The multinational WE Charity confirmed on Thursday that Trudeau’s wife, mother and brother had been paid for appearances at charity events over the years. Margaret Trudeau, the prime minister’s mother and wife of the former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, has been paid nearly C$250,000 (US$182,000) since 2016 – far more than any other family member. Continue reading...
by Gregory Robinson (now); Helen Pidd and Ben Quinn(e on (#55J62)
News updates: PM says scientific advice on masks has shifted and moves away from ‘work at home’ message; Sage scientists say stars should be enlisted for public messages as public has lost trust in government
by Melissa Davey, Maheen Sadiq, Nikhita Chulani and D on (#55JGP)
Metropolitan Melbourne returned to lockdown on 8 July after Victoria recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus since the start of the week, which was at the time the highest daily increase since the pandemic began.Guardian Australia’s Melissa Davey explains why the stage 3 stay-at-home orders were announced, how the latest lockdown has been met with a mixture of fury and acceptance, and whether this apparent second wave could have been avoided
by Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent on (#55JDJ)
Tuckman, a ‘sensitive and tenacious reporter’ who loved Mexico, had been undergoing cancer treatmentJo Tuckman, who for many years reported for the Guardian in Mexico, has died aged 53.Jo had been undergoing treatment for cancer since falling ill last year, and died at her home in Mexico City on Thursday afternoon, surrounded by close friends. Continue reading...
Aaron McKenzie broke into Kelly Fauvrelle’s bedroom and stabbed her 21 timesA man has been found guilty of stabbing his pregnant ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage, killing her and their baby.Aaron McKenzie, 26, broke into Kelly Fauvrelle’s bedroom as she slept and stabbed her 21 times, causing catastrophic injuries, the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...
The actor and writer mined her own dark experiences of assault and racism for the BBC hit drama I May Destroy YouMichaela Coel’s drama I May Destroy You has passed the point where we argue about whether it is a hit. The story of Arabella, a young London writer who’s drugged and raped, and embarks on a quest for justice and self-knowledge, has been a passport for millions of BBC viewers into a world of shifting boundaries around sexual consent, generational clashes, social media addiction and drugs.Coel, 32, stars, writes and co-directs the drama, which has also launched on America’s HBO. The scrutiny means she’s been prodded to excavate her own past, after she was drugged and assaulted by an unknown assailant in her 20s. So, to Coel the same question that Arabella’s friend asks her on-screen character: why return to the worst of days with such punishing intensity? Continue reading...
Death of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa triggered protests last week that killed 166 peopleEthiopian authorities have arrested two suspects over the killing of a popular political singer, whose death last week sparked protests in which 166 people were killed.The shooting of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, a musician widely revered among his Oromo ethnic group, ignited protests in Addis Ababa and the surrounding Oromiya region. The prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, described his killing as “an evil act”. Continue reading...
Status of Unesco-listed 1,500-year-old building has been hotly debated for decadesA Turkish court ruling has paved the way for Istanbul’s crowning architectural jewel, the Hagia Sophia museum, to be turned back into a mosque – a politically charged decision that has drawn international criticism but delighted the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s conservative base.Turkey’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled unanimously on Friday to annul a 1934 presidential decree that stripped the Hagia Sophia of its religious status and turned it into a museum. The government can now take steps to convert the 1,500-year-old building back into a Muslim house of worship. Continue reading...
Staff say their allegations of sexual abuse and harassment have not been taken seriouslyThe charities watchdog is investigating “safeguarding and governance concerns” at a Newcastle cinema where staff have complained that their allegations of sexual abuse and harassment were not taken seriously.More than 140 current and former employees signed a letter last month demanding a change in workplace culture at the Tyneside Cinema after serious allegations against serving staff were made public on social media. Continue reading...
EU loopholes allow use of banned pesticides known to be major killers of key speciesBees and other wild pollinators are not being protected from decline by the EU, with loopholes even allowing for the use of banned pesticides known to be major killers of key species.A report from the European court of auditors has found that Brussels’ efforts to prevent the decline of bees, wasps, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, and beetles have been largely ineffective. Continue reading...
British Transport Police say instruction to Jessie-Lu Flynn at BLM protest was unlawfulPolice have apologised to a woman who officers challenged at a Black Lives Matter demonstration for wearing an anti-Boris Johnson T-shirt and admitted that asking her to cover up the slogan on her clothing was unlawful.Jessie-Lu Flynn, an actor who is also the founder of the immersive theatre company Wide Eyes, was wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Fuck Boris” at a BLM rally in central London on 3 June. She had worn the T-shirt on more than a dozen occasions without being challenged by police. Continue reading...
Its findings should illuminate global responses amid conspiracy theories and Trump’s mudslingingIn the world of epidemiology it’s sometimes said that pandemics are lived forwards and understood backwards.We encounter them head-on, chaotically, trying to fathom the disease in real time even while trying to mitigate its impact. Lessons generally come later as the evidence accumulates. Continue reading...
Even as remains continue to be identified, denialism is moving from far-right fringe into mainstreamAt the genocide memorial centre outside Srebrenica, thousands of simple white gravestones stretch across the gently inclined hillside for as far as the eye can see.Nearby, over a number of days in July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces systematically murdered around 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys. It was the worst crime of the Bosnian war, and remains the only massacre on European soil since the second world war to be ruled a genocide. Continue reading...
Sanctions target mid- or low-level officials and will have little impact on the wealthiestHe is known as Vladimir Putin’s enforcer. Almost every criminal case in Russia – from Pussy Riot to anti-government street protests – passes his desk. But as of last week Moscow’s top law officer, Alexander Bastrykin, is no longer welcome in Britain. He is banned from owning property, opening a bank account or popping over from Moscow for a weekend jaunt.Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s powerful investigative committee, was one of 25 Russians sanctioned by the UK. All were allegedly involved in human rights abuses – specifically in the mistreatment of Sergei Magnitsky, who was beaten to death in 2009 in a Moscow jail. Bastrykin covered up the case, No 10 says. Others named and shamed include judges, interior ministry officials and prison staff. Continue reading...