Top broadsheet says president taunted staffers wearing masks to protect against Covid-19 by claiming they were ‘for fairies’One day after announcing he had tested positive for coronavirus Jair Bolsonaro has come under fire for allegedly using homophobic language to mock the use of face masks.The Folha de São Paulo, a leading broadsheet, claimed Brazil’s far-right leader had baited presidential staff who were using protective masks, claiming such equipment was “coisa de viado” (a homophobic slur that roughly translates as “for fairies”). Continue reading...

Ex-governor of Hong Kong tells Tory lobby group an alliance is needed to protect rule of law

A crane has collapsed on to a house in Bow, east London, trapping people inside. The London fire brigade said it was working to free those trapped after the 20-metre-high crane fell

Residents rush to erase digital footprints as law gives police powers over online activityAt midnight on Tuesday, the Great Firewall of China, the vast apparatus that limits the country’s internet, appeared to descend on Hong Kong.Unveiling expanded police powers as part of a contentious new national security law, the Hong Kong government enabled police to censor online speech and force internet service providers to hand over user information and shut down platforms. Continue reading...

The star of Young Guns made his name as one of the Brat Pack. Three decades on, while others have crashed and burned, he is dreaming of ‘reopening’ the entertainment industry after lockdownIn a quiet corner of his Los Angeles home, Dermot Mulroney grapples with a question that many actors’ egos would not allow them to entertain: why isn’t he a bigger star?“Well, I had some alcoholism. That slowed me down. And I ... wasn’t six feet. Does that work? No, that’s a little flimsy. Let’s keep thinking.” Continue reading...

Philippe Monguillot left brain dead after assault by men not wearing Covid-19 face masks

Chancellor delivers summer statement in the Commons on UK economic recovery from pandemic

Announcement follows Guardian reports that cleaners felt pressure to work though they had symptoms of coronavirus

Sturgeon warns Scots not to bypass restriction by flying to or from airport in England

Government describes former international trade secretary as ‘ideal candidate’ for top jobLiam Fox, Britain’s former international trade secretary, will be nominated by the UK to be the next head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the government’s Department for International Trade has confirmed.Fox was a cabinet minister in Theresa May’s government between July 2016 and July 2019, and has been a Conservative MP since 1992. Continue reading...

Advice that works would not raise fire risk was given without reading document, inquiry toldThe fire engineer on Grenfell Tower did not look at plans showing the building might be wrapped in aluminium cladding panels before advising the works would not increase the risk of fire spreading across the building.Appearing at the public inquiry into the disaster that killed 72 people, Terry Ashton, a senior associate at fire engineer Exova, was asked if he created a “false sense of security” in the design team after he admitted he did not look at plans emailed to him about overcladding the building in 2012 before giving his advice. Continue reading...

Frantic talks after Moscow blocks draft security council resolution and agrees to only one border crossing pointFrantic talks are being held after Russia was accused of a “despicable and dangerous” use of its veto at the UN security council to block a draft resolution that would have renewed cross-border humanitarian aid to civilians in Syria.The veto came at the close of months of negotiations between security council members over the number of cross-border aid points that should be kept open, a dispute fuelled by the Syrian regime’s determination to control the supply of international humanitarian aid to the country. Continue reading...

Commissioner says incident involving British athlete has been referred to watchdog

Petitions filed in court to block work on first Hindu temple in capital since Pakistan’s creationThe controversial construction of the first Hindu temple in Pakistan’s capital has been halted after it was challenged in the courts.Plans for the Shri Krishna temple on a 1,860 sq metre (20,000 sq ft) site in Islamabad include a Hindu crematorium and a community hall for the city’s minority Hindu residents and visitors. Continue reading...

Will Ferrell’s new Eurovision movie dances to the bouncing beat of schlager, Germanic folk-pop reclaimed from the spectre of nationalism by embracing kitschAt the beginning of the new Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, aspiring musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are workshopping material that will hopefully be good enough for Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic talent show for a Eurovision place. But performing at a local bar, their attempts at presenting something new are cut short by patrons who clamour for Ja Ja Ding Dong, which the pair half-heartedly agree to perform. It’s an old hit, and exactly what the title suggests: oompah rhythms, accordion accompaniment, and lyrics halfway between nursery rhyme and sexual innuendo.Ja ja ding dong (Ding dong)

Chancellor announces £9bn reward for firms bringing back furloughed workers

Cut-price clothing chain falls victim to changing shopping habits and the Covid-19 lockdownTati, the much-loved cut-price clothing chain that has been a French retail institution for more than 70 years, is to close its original – and last – Paris store after public transport strikes and the coronavirus crisis sent sales plunging by more than 60%.Founded by a Tunisian immigrant at the end of the second world war in the shabby but exotic mainly west African Barbès district at the foot of Montmartre, Tati grew into more than 100 outlets around France, while its emblematic pink-and-white chequered carrier bags became a style statement for film stars and celebrities. Continue reading...

Deputy mayor says city will explore all routes to block train station redevelopment planParis city hall has promised to fight a government decision to give the go-ahead to a €600m (£540m) redevelopment of Europe’s busiest railway station, the Gare du Nord, described by its opponents as an urban disaster.“The city will explore all possible political and legal routes to block this project, using all the tools at our disposition,” Emmanuel Grégoire, the deputy mayor for urban development, said on Wednesday. “We will be appealing, obviously.” Continue reading...

Lawyers for the former Australian school principal launch an appeal in the Jerusalem high courtLawyers for the former Australian school principal Malka Leifer, who is wanted on more than 74 charges of sexually abusing students, have launched an appeal in the Jerusalem high court to a decision that she is mentally fit to stand trial and can be extradited to Australia.In May, Judge Chana Miriam Lomp said she had accepted the opinion of an expert psychiatric panel that Leifer was fit to face an extradition trial, after prosecutors successfully argued she was feigning mental illness to avoid trial. However, on Wednesday Israel’s Channel 11 (Kan) news channel reported an appeal to the decision had been lodged with the high court. Continue reading...

Pressure on fish stocks has led to sharks being passed off as swordfish or tuna, endangering the Mediterranean ecosystemFranco Comes last caught sharks more than six months ago, while longline fishing for swordfish in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Monopoli, Italy. He hauled in an accidental handful of blue sharks. They were tiny.“They are fewer and fewer, and they are also becoming smaller,” Comes says. “Twenty years ago, there used to be so many sharks – so many! They seem to have decreased by 80%. It’s not just me: every fisherman around here has noticed.” Continue reading...

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns residents along the Murray River could face travel restrictions within NSW

Royal commission hears it can be cheaper to knock down such properties and rebuild than upgrade themUp to one million homes in bushfire-prone areas have little or no fire protection, but in some cases it would be cheaper to knock down and rebuild them than upgrade them, a royal commission has been told.Ninety per cent of buildings in bushfire-prone areas were built before bushfire planning and construction regulations came in, the Bushfire Building Council noted. Continue reading...

Confusion over NSW-Victoria border closure as the state’s northern border closes for the first time in a century. Follow the latest news

Protesters clash with police in Serbian capital after weekend curfew announced

Townspeople block road to beach resort popular with US tourists as cases surge in states including ArizonaAs he campaigned for the presidency, Donald Trump promised to build a “big beautiful wall” along the US-Mexico border, claiming it would keep migrants out of the country and stop everything from drugs to disease.But with Covid-19 cases surging on both sides of the frontier, towns in northern Mexico are pleading to restrict cross-border movement – this time to stop tourists and travellers bringing in coronavirus from the US. Continue reading...

Heavy rain that caused deadly floods in southern Japan has moved north-east, hammering large areas of the country’s main island, swelling rivers, triggering mudslides and destroying homes and roads. At least 58 people have died over several days of flooding Continue reading...

Jair Bolsonaro has announced live on television he has tested positive for coronavirus - after months of repeatedly trivializing the pandemic and flouting social distancing guidelines.In March, as Covid-19 claimed its first victims in Brazil, the far-right populist leader bragged that, if infected, he would quickly shake off the illness thanks to his 'athlete’s background'. Since then, the president has continued to attend social events and political rallies, often wearing masks incorrectly, if at all.Brazil has suffered one of the world’s worst outbreaks, with more than 1.6m confirmed cases and 65,000 related deaths, according to official data released on 6 July.

Money has already started leaving Hong Kong, with US$5bn quitting the territory last year, according to Bank of England figuresThe Chinese government’s increasingly tight grip on Hong Kong is undermining the former British colony’s position as a regional financial hub, analysts and investors say.In its latest move to clamp down on Hong Kong, which has been a centre of resistance against the ruling Chinese Communist party, the mainland government last month introduced a sweeping national security law that criminalises protest and dissent. Continue reading...

Members of the World Health Organization’s technical committee have said they are working on publishing a scientific brief about how and if the coronavirus can spread in the air, following a letter signed by more than 200 scientists who have called for the WHO and others to acknowledge that the disease can spread in the air. Committee member Prof Benedetta Allegranzi said evidence on airborne transmission was emerging but ‘is not definitive’

The Leap of Dance academy has brought ballet to children in a poor district in Africa’s largest megacity Continue reading...

The peaceful sit-in taking place in Nertiti county is demanding an end to the violence and punishment for the perpetratorsThousands of people have joined a sit-down protest in front of local authority buildings in Central Darfur demanding action against the armed groups that patrol the region.A large number of women have joined the first peaceful demonstration – now in its second week – in Nertiti county since war erupted in 2003. Continue reading...

Heavy downpours in southern Japan, which have killed more than 50, now battering the country’s main islandPounding rains that have already caused deadly floods in southern Japan have moved northeast, hammering large areas of Japan’s main island, swelling rivers, triggering mudslides and destroying homes and roads.At least 58 people have died over several days of flooding. By Wednesday morning, parts of Nagano and Gifu in central Japan were flooded by unremitting downpours. Continue reading...

The two-time world snowboarding champion, 32, has died after he was pulled unconscious from the water at Palm BeachThe Australian Olympian Alex “Chumpy” Pullin has drowned on the Gold Coast.Police said the 32-year-old died after being pulled from the surf at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast. Continue reading...

Business is paying a high price for inadequate diets of employees, research shows, with experts calling on companies to provide living wage and subsidised food

Glory to Hong Kong deemed politically dangerous, while China opens office to oversee enforcement of sweeping national security legislationChina has continued to tighten its grip on Hong Kong by banning the singing of the unofficial pro-democracy anthem in schools and turning a city centre hotel into the new headquarters of its national security office.Hong Kong’s education secretary, Kevin Yeung, said on Wednesday that Glory to Hong Kong, a song written last year which grew from the popular street protests in 2019, would be outlawed in schools.

From London to Llandudno to Dundee, museums are back in business. So is it now safe to view art – and how will they cope with the drastic drop in numbers?

As life across Europe gets back to normal, Covid-19 prepares the next wave of outbreaks

Public health academic applauds leadership of Scotland’s first minister on coronavirus strategy

Chechens who sought safety in EU countries say ‘everyone is scared’ after shooting in ViennaChechens in Europe have expressed renewed fears for their safety, after a strident critic of the Kremlin-backed Chechnya leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, was shot dead in Vienna on Saturday.“Everyone is scared. We all left to find safety and forget about home, and they find you and shoot you like a dog,” said a Chechen man who has received asylum in Austria and asked to remain anonymous, shortly after attending a wake for the dead man in Vienna on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Next year visitors to Tatsuno ‘will once again see fireflies dance wonderfully’, says mayor

Premier Daniel Andrews says Victorians may be told to wear masks while Gladys Berejiklian warns says risk in NSW ‘very high’Victoria has recorded 134 new cases of Covid-19, with the source of 123 still under investigation, as state police launched a renewed focus on ensuring those who breach public health orders face consequences.After the New South Wales-Victoria border closed at midnight on Tuesday, the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, warned the risk of contagion spreading into her state was “very high” and said even tougher border restrictions might be implemented targeting those living in border communities such as Albury. Continue reading...

Joshua Wong, Lee Cheuk-yan and James To say they have no choice but to oppose draconian legislation imposed by BeijingHong Kong activists planning parliament in exileFor Joshua Wong, Lee Cheuk-yan and James To – three of Hong Kong’s highest profile pro-democracy activists – the possibility of going to jail in China has never been more real.The national security law passed in Beijing and enacted in Hong Kong on 1 July appears to be tailor-made for them in many ways. Continue reading...

Sio Agafili was given concurrent sentences and should have got out in 2015. But he served them consecutively until a judge spotted the mistakeA Samoan man has spent nearly five extra years in prison because neither he, nor prison authorities realised that his two sentences should have been served concurrently, not consecutively.Sio Agafili, 45, should have been released in December 2015, but he remained in jail until a judge spotted the error when he appeared in court on another matter. Continue reading...

Melbourne’s Covid-19 spike has prompted the ‘unprecedented’ move to stop people coming into NSW from Victoria. We look at the details, from how to get a crossing permit to whether you need to self-isolate

Review into vaginal mesh and other products reveals much patient harm was ‘avoidable’An arrogant culture in which serious medical complications were dismissed as “women’s problems” contributed to a string of healthcare scandals over several decades, an inquiry ordered by the government has found.The review of vaginal mesh, hormonal pregnancy tests and an anti-epilepsy medicine that harmed unborn babies paints a damning picture of a medical establishment that failed to acknowledge problems even in the face of mounting safety concerns, leading to avoidable harm to patients. Continue reading...

Report warns of reoffending risk as 3,713 ex-prisoners in England lack safe housingThousands of high-risk convicted criminals, including those classed as violent and sexual offenders, were being released from prison in England into homelessness, increasing the likelihood of their reoffending, inspectors warned.Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) said in a report that it was “particularly disturbed” to find that at least 3,713 people supervised by the National Probation Service, which is responsible for high-risk offenders, had left prison and become homeless from 2018 to 2019. Continue reading...

Covid-19-related developments throughout the Pacific IslandsThe total number of cases of Covid-19 infection listed by the World Health Organisation for the region stands at 426, an increase of 44 since last week. The main contributor to this rise is the increase in infections in Guam.The factors that make the Pacific resistant to infection – remoteness, scattered populations and the high cost of travel and transportation – are the very same elements driving the region deeper into economic distress. Continue reading...

Trump administration letter comes despite virtually no international support for the move amid pandemic