Spain and Portugal reopen border as global tourism industry predicted to lose up to £2.6tn

As countries around the world begin restarting their economies after the coronavirus crisis, a growing chorus of prominent leaders have labelled this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tackle climate change by targeting post-pandemic stimulus toward areas that promote renewable energy. Will Australia take heed or continue to rely on fossil fuels?You can read Adam Morton’s piece on the green recovery here and find his reporting on Beyond Zero Emissions jobs plan here. Continue reading...

Readers respond to the reimposition of lockdown in the city after a surge in Covid-19 cases

Residents await Israel’s next move, concerned they could be isolated from the rest of the West BankThe future of Palestinians in the city of Jericho is suspended in uncertainty and fear as they wait for Israel to decide when and how it will annex vast swathes of the land that surrounding them, a step outlined in a US peace initiative which could leave residents isolated from other parts of the West Bank.“Annexation will suffocate us,” said Aisha Subeh, selling grape leaves on a street in Jericho. Continue reading...

Monuments to Spanish colonial-era figures have been attacked or removed but still have their supporters in the old countryA handful of towns in Spain have sought to wade into America’s reckoning with its past, offering to rehome controversial statues targeted over their links to colonialism and centuries of genocide against indigenous peoples in the Americas.Related: Protests target Spanish colonial statues that 'celebrate genocide' in US west Continue reading...

International pressure on Israel escalates as Netanyahu misses self-imposed target dateIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has missed his self-imposed target date for annexation of occupied Palestinian territories, as France warned of “consequences” and Boris Johnson made an appeal to Israel to reconsider the move in an article in the Hebrew media.Johnson, who described himself in the opinion piece as a “passionate defender of Israel”, said any annexation would be a “violation of international law”, adding the UK would not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders in the West Bank that were not agreed by both Israelis and Palestinians. Continue reading...

Demonstrators have clashed with police during protests over a national security law imposed by China, on the 23rd anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain

KSK soldiers to lose their jobs or be moved after reports of Hitler salutes and extreme attitudesGermany’s defence minister has disbanded a company of special forces, saying a culture of rightwing extremism had been allowed to develop behind a “wall of secrecy”.Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters on Wednesday that “toxic leadership” in the company was found to have fostered an extreme rightwing attitude among some members of the Kommando Spezialkraefte, or KSK, unit. Continue reading...

Post from east London Safer Neighbourhoods Team deleted and officer reprimandedA branch of the Metropolitan police has been criticised for a tweet saying that “kicking down doors” was one of its “favourite things” to do.The post, from the account of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Homerton, Hackney, London, was deleted about an hour after its publication Wednesday morning following criticism from other Twitter users. Continue reading...

Police in Italy have seized more than 84m fenethylline tablets, weighing 14 tonnes, at the port of Salerno, in what they say is the biggest seizure of amphetamines in the world. Fenethylline is known by some as the ‘Isis drug’ after investigations found it was used by Islamic State fighters during battles and sold by the group for profit

Police use water cannon and pepper spray as people take to the streets to protest new security law introduced by China

Forces urge people to drink responsibly as lockdown rules are eased further on SaturdayPolice forces across England will deploy additional patrols on Saturday as pubs reopen as part of the biggest easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures to date.Pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels and other hospitality and entertainment services will open on Saturday for the first time since mid-March, with strict conditions in place. Continue reading...

Rise in harvesting could affect ability to combat climate crisis due to carbon absorption capacity reducingEurope has lost a vastly increased area of forest to harvesting in recent years, data suggests, reducing the continent’s carbon absorption capacity and possibly indicating wider problems with the EU’s attempts to combat the climate crisis.Many of the EU’s forests – which account for about 38% of its land surface area – are managed for timber production, and thus harvested regularly. But the loss of biomass increased by 69% in the period from 2016 to 2018, compared with the period from 2011 to 2015, according to satellite data. The area of forest harvested increased by 49% in the same comparison, published in the journal Nature Research. Continue reading...

Carlos Decotelli stepped down after five days following reports he lied about his credentials in blow to BolsonaroBrazil’s latest pick for education minister has been forced to resign after just five days following reports that he repeatedly lied about his qualifications, the most recent in a series of embarrassing blows for the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.Carlos Decotelli, an economist and former navy man, stepped down yesterday after Brazil’s Getúlio Vargas Foundation business school publicly refuted his claims he had worked there as a teacher. Continue reading...

Up to 3 million people in Hong Kong could be eligible to live, work or study in the UK under a bespoke immigration system announced by Dominic Raab in response to the imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by China. The foreign secretary accused China of a 'clear and serious violation' of the joint declaration signed with the UK, and pledged the government would 'honour' its commitment to citizens of the former British colony

One French driver in five admits to a Jekyll and Hyde personality when they take the wheelThe French are the road-rage champions of Europe, according to a survey, with the highest number of drivers who feel they become more aggressive when they get on the road.The 10th annual poll of “responsible driving” published by the Vinci Motorway Foundation and carried out by the Ipsos polling agency in 11 European countries, revealed that one French driver in five – and more in the Paris area – has a Jekyll and Hyde personality behind the wheel. Continue reading...

Exclusive: figures reveal locations with highest levels of new infections after Leicester

Charity and woman argued government policy hindered access to maternity healthcareA woman who faces decades of repayments to the NHS for maternity care has lost a case in the high court challenging the government’s healthcare charging regime for migrants.The woman, who cannot be named, brought the legal challenge along with the charity Maternity Action, which works to end inequality and improve healthcare for pregnant women. Continue reading...

Accepting temporary pay cut is ‘right thing to do’ after collapse in demand, says pilots’ union

Agreement would resolve two sexual misconduct lawsuits on behalf of multiple women against imprisoned former film producerThe attorney general for New York said on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to settle two sexual misconduct lawsuits on behalf of multiple women against Harvey Weinstein for nearly $19m.But attorneys representing six of the women who have made accusations against the imprisoned former film producer called the proposed deal a “sellout” that did not require Weinstein, 68, to accept responsibility or personally pay out any money. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say there are two living suspects allegedly linked to assassination of Patrice LumumbaBelgian prosecutors are investigating whether they can bring charges against people suspected of taking part in the killing of Congo’s first democratically elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, almost 60 years after his assassination.Belgium’s federal prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw said on Wednesday: “We are in the process of taking stock of the prosecutions that could be launched. The facts have been qualified as a war crime, which has been confirmed by the Brussels court of appeal. This means there is no statute of limitations.” Continue reading...

Keir Starmer questions PM over lack of local infection data; government minister warns more local lockdowns to be expected

Man held in south London on suspicion of murder of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa HenryAn 18-year-old man has been arrested over the killing of two sisters in a London park, the Metropolitan police said.The man was arrested at an address in south London overnight on suspicion of the murders of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, at Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London, in the early hours of 6 June. Continue reading...

Paired with chocolate for dessert or pickled and served over mackerel, there’s so much you can do with cherries this season – just invest in a stoner firstAs cherry season gets into full swing, allow me to recommend a small, but judicious, purchase – buy yourself a cherry stoner.You may already have one in a drawer somewhere – a tool you’ve inherited without ever knowing what it is: little sprung jaws featuring a spoon with a hole in it on one side and a corresponding protrusion on the other. You can pick one up for as little as three quid, and it does olives as well. Continue reading...

Residents of 10 postcodes in Melbourne’s north and west have been ordered to stay home from midnight tonight. This blog is now closed

Ad for VanMoof bike unfairly discredits automobile industry, says watchdogA TV commercial for a Dutch-made bicycle has been banned by France’s advertising watchdog for creating a “climate of fear” about cars.Despite being aired on Dutch and German television, the Autorité de régulation professionnelle de la publicité (ARPP) said the ad for the VanMoof bike unfairly discredited the automobile industry. Continue reading...

Twenty-five years ago, around 8,000 Muslim boys and men were killed in the Srebrenica genocide when the besieged enclave in Bosnia was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces. See how the Guardian reported the massacre and human rights abusesby Ian Traynor in Vienna

Dr Iván Cruz wanted to shock people out of pandemic scepticism with X-rays of his coronavirus-scarred lungsThe images of Iván Cruz’s lungs resemble a dust cloud in outer space: light patches enveloped by the gloom.Before he died in hospital, the young Mexican doctor had intended to publish them online to convince the unbelievers: coronavirus exists, and this is what it does to you. Continue reading...

Latest updates: how has Covid-19 progressed where you live? Check the week-on-week changes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandThe map shows local authorities where the number of cases has increased week-on-week and where it has fallen. Some of this is due to natural fluctuations, especially in areas where there are very few cases, and so a rise from 1 to 2 is a doubling. Increased testing also means that more cases may be being detected than previously, although the impact of this between one week and the next is likely to be slight. Continue reading...

Campaigners target statues of slave owners and roads named after imperial armies as protests spread to AfricaCampaigners have asked Uganda’s parliament to order the removal of monuments to British colonialists and to rename streets commemorating imperial military forces.Uganda gained independence in 1962 after almost 70 years as a British protectorate, and more than 5,000 people have signed a petition to “decolonise and rename” the dozens of statues and street names which remain. Continue reading...

Nation living with ‘reduced visibility’ of what will happen in the coming months and a growing sense of isolationWhen Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders to stand firm behind her government’s decision to keep the country’s borders tightly closed against Covid-19, the prime minister described a reality that many around the world could only imagine with envy. “We get to enjoy weekend sport, go to restaurants and bars, our workplaces are open, and we can gather in whatever numbers we like,” she said.New Zealanders returned in June to normal life with strict border controls the only remnant of a pandemic that months ago had threatened to sweep the country as it had in most others before a strict lockdown quashed its spread. Continue reading...

Experts weigh in on Scott Morrison’s $270bn plan to upgrade Australia’s defence capabilitiesStrong national defence is the consequence of four interrelated factors: a vibrant economy; an educated, inclusive and resilient society; a smart defence force that exploits agility rather than bulk; and an active and engaged diplomacy. Interestingly, an invested diplomacy is what ultimately brings together all the elements of national power and focuses them on realising the national interests. Continue reading...

Carrie Lam toasts ‘success and affluence of our motherland’ at flag-raising ceremony as first arrest is made under new lawProtests have broken out in Hong Kong during its first day under controversial national security laws imposed by Beijing, and after China confirmed that some suspects could be extradited to the mainland under the new rules.On the 23rd anniversary of the handover from Britain to China, crowds defied a ban on protests and gathered on the streets of the busy shopping district Causeway Bay, where there were large numbers of riot police. Continue reading...

The actor, who stars in the National Theatre’s stream of Les Blancs, says schools must acknowledge the damage done by colonialism – to strengthen the bonds of a multicultural societyLes Blancs was staged at the National Theatre in 2016 and is Lorraine Hansberry’s final play. It’s not as well known as her iconic A Raisin in the Sun. When did you first read it?

He has worked with Tennessee Williams, Robin Williams – and, controversially, Roman Polanski. The former 007 discusses fatherhood, family and the lonely childhood that shaped himI am 10 minutes into my Zoom interview with Pierce Brosnan when his son Dylan arrives off-screen with his father’s coffee. “Did you put sugar in this?” he says to the 23-year-old. “Some more milk, please, I don’t take mine black.” Dylan is sent back to correct it.“He’s a wonderful musician and a great academic,” Brosnan says. “He just graduated from USC film school.” The graduation, like so many others, was cancelled. “We got him a cap and gown and sat here watching it [the online ceremony] on the sofa”. Continue reading...

Thaçi says he will leave office if The Hague confirms charges made against him last weekKosovo’s president, Hashim Thaçi, has promised to resign immediately if a war crimes indictment filed against him at a special court in The Hague is confirmed.The indictment, yet to be ruled on by the pre-trial judge, was made public in dramatic fashion last week, as Thaçi was on his way to Washington for negotiations at the White House. Continue reading...

Verdi’s La Traviata reimagined with cast and orchestra wearing face masks

Eva Longoria, Zendaya and Awkwafina are among the new class of invitees which is 36% people of color and 45% womenEva Longoria, Zendaya and Awkwafina are among the Hollywood figures invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year, as the Oscars voting body continues its push to diversify.The Academy announced it had invited 819 new members on Tuesday, including Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington and Constance Wu. The new class of invitees is 36% people of color and 45% women. Those who accept will have voting privileges at this year’s Oscars. Continue reading...

Unit based in No 10 will help researchers navigate post-Brexit immigration systemDowning Street is to set up a cross-departmental unit called the “office for talent” as a way to help leading scientists, researchers and others live and work in the UK in the post-Brexit immigration system.The plan, which the Liberal Democrats said was simply trying to make up the damage caused by Brexit, is intended to “ensure excellent customer service across the immigration system”, a government announcement said. Continue reading...

Mike Pompeo opposes lifting embargo, which is due to end in October, citing risk to stabilityA US attempt to destroy the Iran nuclear deal, reimpose sanctions and extend a UN embargo on arms sales to Iran risks a “generational setback for the cause of multilateralism and international law”, Iran’s foreign minister has told the UN security council.Russia’s ambassador to the UN also said the latest US moves to isolate Tehran was like “putting its knee to the neck of the Iranian people”. Vassily Nebenzia described the policy as “a maximum suffocation policy” and said the US’s goal was to make Iran the scapegoat for an uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Covid-19-related developments throughout the Pacific Islands

Allegations come as city begins second lockdown after infection rates increase

Adviser Pirc says Musk’s pay and Twitter outbursts pose ‘serious risk of reputation harm to the company’Tesla investors are being urged to vote to remove Elon Musk, the electric vehicle company’s founder and chief executive, from the board of the firm as anger mounts over his bonus deal that could pay him a record $55.8bn (£40bn).Pirc, an influential adviser to shareholders, including the UK’s local authority pension funds, on Tuesday recommended that investors voted against Tesla’s executive pay deal because it “unfairly enriches the chief executive”. Continue reading...

Critics say broad scope of crimes targeted by law marks full takeover by China

Shadow health secretary says government must pinpoint how new restrictions will work

Aircraft manufacturer, which has a plant in Broughton, north Wales, has been hit hard by pandemicThe planemaker Airbus has announced plans to cut as many as 15,000 jobs – including 1,700 in the UK – as it warned the coronavirus pandemic had triggered the “gravest crisis” in its history.The planned cuts represent almost 15% of the European aerospace company’s global workforce of 135,000, underlining the depth of the crisis hitting the aviation and aerospace industries. Airbus said the cuts would be made no later than 2021 after commercial aircraft business activity dropped by close to 40% in recent months. Continue reading...

Allegation comes as nation reels from similarly horrific crime and prompted protests in BogotáColombian soldiers have been accused of raping a 15-year-old indigenous girl, in the second such case to emerge in a week.Troops in the southern Guaviare region were accused in September of kidnapping, torturing and repeatedly raping a 15-year-old girl from the Nukak Makú tribe, but the case was not widely reported until this week. Continue reading...

When international correspondent Michael Safi began looking into why Jordan had become the country with the world’s highest smoking rates, he began to uncover what public health advocates have described as widespread interference in policymaking by multinational tobacco companiesGuardian international correspondent Michael Safi tells Anushka Asthana about why he decided to look into smoking rates in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Jordan. They have become the highest in the world, with more than eight in 10 Jordanian men smoking or regularly using nicotine products including vapes and e-cigarettes, according to a government study carried out in 2019 in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Jordanian men who smoke daily consume an average of 23 cigarettes a day, the survey found.But Michael’s story soon turned into an investigation as he began to uncover what public-health advocates say is widespread interference in policymaking by multinational tobacco companies. The industry casts itself as a major investor and job creator, an especially potent argument in a country with high unemployment, where tobacco taxes amount to around 18% of the government’s annual revenue. The impacts of so much smoking are already stark: tobacco use is linked to one in eight deaths in the country, compared with one in 10 deaths worldwide, and costs Jordan’s GDP an estimated three times the global average. Continue reading...

One expert warns if employees give up a super increase to get more pay, they will get none of bothCome 1 July next year, the amount your boss contributes to your superannuation is scheduled to rise ever so slightly, from 9.5% of your wage to 10%.Under the current law, this amount, known as the “super guarantee”, is due to go up by 0.5 percentage points every year until it reaches 12% in 2025. Continue reading...