Thousands of marchers screamed for a minute at 3.24pm – the time of day when women in effect start working without payWomen across Switzerland have let loose with screams during a national protest demanding equal treatment and an end to violence at the hands of men.Last year half a million people marched to highlight the nation’s poor record on women’s rights. This year’s version of what organisers call the Women’s Strike was more subdued on Sunday due to coronavirus restrictions. Continue reading...

Tributes for the ‘bright young actor’ flow from colleagues, cricketers and India’s prime ministerPopular Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on Sunday, police and Indian media reports have said.Initial reports, citing police sources, said the 34-year-old’s body was found in his apartment in suburban Bandra. Continue reading...

Lima cleric covers walls and pews with thousands of photographs while criticising health system ‘based on business and not on mercy’

All of mainland France now in ‘green zone’; Spain’s border to open to EU countries except Portugal on 21 June; deaths worldwide pass 430,000

It will cost low-paid NHS and social care staff thousands to stay in UK, says report

The Iranian-born New Zealand MP describes a ‘central heartbreak’ of being a migrant child in this exclusive extract from her book Know Your Place

Monday: Ministers attended lucrative Liberal party fundraiser during trip charged to expenses. Plus, how two journalists were gunned down in IraqGood morning, this is Emilie Gramenz bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 15 June. Continue reading...

Black families whose relatives have died in police incidents demand end to systemic racism

NGO demands more details on Boris Johnson’s ‘vague and imprecise’ commitmentHong Kong democracy campaigners are pressing the Foreign Office to spell out how Boris Johnson’s “vague and imprecise commitment” will give a path to British citizenship to millions of residents.It came as Johnson wrote to seven former UK foreign secretaries saying he is trying to build a global groundswell of opposition to Chinese plans to impose a new security law in Hong Kong. Continue reading...

Ex-regional chief prosecutor urges CPS to pursue case after PM’s aide breached lockdown

Head of police union for England and Wales calls for emergency law during Covid-19 pandemicPriti Patel has been urged to impose an emergency ban on all protests after Britain’s biggest police force condemned the “mindless hooliganism” and “utterly shocking” violence of far-right activists against its officers in London.The head of the body representing rank-and-file police officers in England and Wales called for tougher restrictions on demonstrations after 23 officers were injured and more than 100 people were arrested during clashes in London on Saturday. Continue reading...

Campaigners believe bias and inequality were factors in high number of BAME deaths in fire“We can’t breathe”. In a harrowing call made to the fire brigade from her 22nd-floor flat, these were some of the last words of 33-year-old Nadia Choucair, a nursery teacher who died in the Grenfell Tower fire with her three daughters, Zainab, Fatima, Mierna, her husband, Bassem, and her mother, Sirria.Now three years on, with the country witnessing anti-racism protests triggered by the death of George Floyd and his hauntingly similar plea, the parallels are being highlighted. Continue reading...

One of the names chanted in the Australian protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has been David Dungay. The eerie similarities between his case and the death of Floyd have brought his death in 2015 back into the spotlight. Both men were held down before they died, both cried ‘I can’t breathe’. Miles Herbert looks back at the death of David Dungay JnrHelen Davidson has written a summary of the inquest finding with links to all the best coverage on the Guardian here.The Guardian’s Breathless podcast has been documenting the journey of David Dungay Jr’s family for the past three years. If you want to hear the story as it unfolded you can start with episode one here, and read our coverage and see photos of his family here. Continue reading...

Partial quarantine remains in Beijing; European countries continue to open borders to neighboursChina detected its highest number of daily coronavirus cases in months on Sunday, locking down parts of Beijing in a warning of the difficulties of avoiding a resurgence of the pandemic as Europe prepared to open more borders and loosen restrictions this week.A wholesale food market in the Chinese capital, where traces of the virus were detected, was closed at the weekend. Nearby housing estates were also placed under quarantine after authorities detected 36 new coronavirus cases in the city and another 19 across the country. Continue reading...

Stuart Robert, Dan Tehan and Simon Birmingham say they were in Sydney for parliamentary business when they attended the lucrative Channel Nine eventThree cabinet ministers charged taxpayers more than $4,500 for an overnight trip to Sydney during which they mingled with mining and banking donors at a lucrative Liberal party fundraiser hosted by Channel Nine.Stuart Robert, Dan Tehan and Simon Birmingham flew into Sydney on the day of the $10,000-a-head fundraising dinner last year before flying out again the following day, charging their flights and overnight accommodation costs to their parliamentary allowances. Continue reading...

Bishop of Kensington hosts virtual commemoration service for 72 people who diedBoris Johnson and Keir Starmer marked the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in video messages as the commemoration moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic.The prime minister said the people of Britain were with the Grenfell Tower community in spirit, and the Labour leader pledged to do everything in his power to prevent a similar tragedy . Continue reading...

Amid the anger over brutality and injustice, a number of prominent Canadians have cast doubt on the idea that racism is entrenchedAfter a string of violent incidents involving police officers, activists and ordinary people across Canada have joined the global chorus calling for a reckoning with racism, policing, inequality and the long reach of history.In recent weeks, a Black woman fell to her death after police were called to her flat in Toronto; an Indigenous woman suffering a mental health crisis was shot dead by an officer in New Brunswick and footage emerged showing Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in Alberta forcing a First Nations chief to the ground and punching him in the head. On Friday evening, an Indigenous man was shot dead by the RCMP in New Brunswick. Continue reading...

My father, Chris Wigglesworth, who has died aged 82, was a geologist, academic and Church of Scotland minister who worked across the world on water and rural development and devoted his life to fighting for social justice.Born in Leeds to Maurice Wigglesworth, a chemical engineer and teacher, and his wife, Muriel (nee Cowling), he was an avid student and head boy at Grangefield grammar school, Stockton-on-Tees. He was also a keen cricketer, with a deep interest in politics, driven from an early age to improve the lives of others. Continue reading...

BLM protesters targeted monument to Indro Montanelli, who admitted buying 12-year-old Eritrean girlMilan’s mayor has rejected calls to remove a statue from a public park of an Italian journalist who acknowledged having bought a 12-year-old Eritrean girl to be his wife during Italy’s colonial occupation in the 1930s.Giuseppe Sala said in a Facebook video that he was perplexed by “the lightness” with which Indro Montanelli had confessed to buying the child from her father, in a widely circulated video of a 1969 talkshow appearance, but said “lives should be judged in their totality” and he believed the statue should stay. Continue reading...

Car dealers also report growing interest while caravans and motorhomes benefit from boom in staycationsDemand for motorbikes, scooters and mopeds has shot up as commuters look for alternatives to public transport to get to work.Enquiries sent to sellers of mopeds and scooters were triple last year’s levels in the first week of June, after doubling in the last week of May, according to online marketplace Auto Trader. Continue reading...

Mistakes mean findings should not be used as evidence for relaxing rule, say professors

Police investigate alleged rape, suspected drug death and three stabbings on Saturday nightSix thousand people attended two illegal raves in Greater Manchester where an 18-year-old woman was allegedly raped, a man died of a suspected drugs overdose and three people were stabbed.Police said they were met with violence and pelted with objects when they tried to shut down one of the mass gatherings on Saturday night. Continue reading...

‘Safe corridors’ scheme aims to reactivate Spain’s travel sector following Covid-19 disruption

Prime minister announces fast-tracked infrastructure projects while opposition leader calls for progressive tax systemScott Morrison has promised to bring forward a further $1.5bn in infrastructure spending and fast track 15 priority projects in a bid to hustle the Australian economy out of the Covid-19 contraction.In a speech to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (Ceda) on Monday, the prime minister will also provide an update on the deregulation agenda of his jobs package, which he says will be “a focus” for the recovery. Continue reading...

The chancellor has said a decision on whether to ease the 2-metre physical distancing rule in England will be for ministers rather than the government’s chief scientific advisers to rake. Sunak said the public would take confidence from the fact ministers were being advised by Sir Patrick Vallance and Prof Chris Whitty Continue reading...

Editor of news website Rappler could face prison if convicted under ‘cyber libel’ lawA verdict will be issued on Monday following the controversial trial of one of the Philippines’ most prominent journalists, in a case widely condemned as an attack on press freedom under Rodrigo Duterte.A court in Manila will issue a verdict on Rappler, one of the country’s most influential news websites, its editor, Maria Ressa, and former researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr on Monday. Ressa, who was arrested last year on charges of “cyber libel” for a story published by Rappler in 2012, has described the allegations as baseless. Continue reading...

Poll finds less support for extending wage subsidy and supplement among Coalition votersThe majority of Australians believe extending jobkeeper and jobseeker would help the economy recover from Covid-19, but Coalition voters are the least likely to back continuing the $70bn wage subsidy and coronavirus supplement beyond September.Those are the results of the May Australian National University poll, which found that, among remedies for the coronavirus economic ills, support was strongest for investing in vaccine research, reopening pubs, clubs and cafes, followed by extending the jobkeeper and jobseeker programs and lastly opening borders. Continue reading...

Incidents down by nearly 40% as reduced maximum bet on terminals leads to fewer violent reactions to lossesGovernment-imposed cuts to the amount of money gamblers can stake on betting machines has led to a near-40% reduction in police callouts to bookies to deal with customers becoming violent after losing money.Police callouts fell by 38% following a legislation last year slashing the highest possible bet on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 every 20 seconds to just £2, the Guardian can reveal. There were 1,803 police callouts in 2019, compared with 2,907, even though the reduced stake rules only took effect three months into the year. Continue reading...

A century after the 1918 pandemic, South America’s largest country has passed Britain to claim the world’s second-highest death tollAs a child growing up in 1940s São Paulo, Drauzio Varella remembers his grandmother’s tales of how the Spanish flu ravaged the blue-collar immigrant community they called home.“So many people died that families would leave people outside on the pavements, and early each morning the carts would come by to collect them and take them off to burial in mass graves,” remembered Varella, who would go on to become Brazil’s best-known doctor. Continue reading...

Country has one of the highest numbers of coronavirus deaths relative to population size

28-year-old man held on suspicion of outraging public decencyA man has been arrested on suspicion of urinating on the Westminster memorial dedicated to PC Keith Palmer, amid violent protests by far-right activists in central London on Saturday.The 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency and is currently in custody in Essex after presenting himself at a police station. The incident is believed to have taken place in the afternoon of Saturday, 13 June. Continue reading...

When Edward Colston’s statue was toppled, colonialism and national memory became a part of the Black Lives Matter conversation. But what will change in the city?After the statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston was hauled to the ground last weekend, a series of black Bristolians clambered on his empty plinth and spoke from the heart about racism and the struggle for equality in the city and beyond.“This city needs to change,” declared Bristol rapper Wish Master, to a glinting wall of cameraphones held aloft by hundreds of black and white hands. “Ask any black person here today and they will tell you about racism.” Continue reading...

Changes could introduce gluten-free wheat and disease-resistant fruit and vegetables, say peers

As plastic screens, queues and tracking apps become the new norm, experts say more change is to comeLife has already changed beyond recognition for many of us.White-collar workers have been working from home for months after vacating office spaces in March. Pubs, restaurants and shops are a distant memory, with more of us shifting to Zoom and online shopping. Continue reading...

Letter from Westminster alumni demands changes to teaching of black cultureMore than 250 former pupils at Westminster School have signed a letter demanding that it combat the “toxic culture of racism within the student body”, promote the teaching of black culture and confront its links with the slave trade.It is one of the first indications that Britain’s public school system is now coming under pressure to follow the example of many universities and examine how it tackles racial and colonial issues. Continue reading...

Tutu Foundation claims Westway Trust, which manages 23 acres in north Kensington, is ‘suppressing’ final version of critical report

With streets pedestrianised and the mayor turning parking spaces into cycle lanes, motorists fear being squeezed out of public spaces

South Korean survivor claims support group failed to spend donations on welfareIt began with a call by a South Korean former “comfort woman” to end protests outside Japan’s embassy in Seoul – a rare attempt at reconciliation that has quickly spiralled into the biggest crisis the campaign for justice for survivors of wartime sexual slavery has faced in its three-decade history.Lee Yong-soo, a 92-year-old veteran campaigner, told reporters last month that she would no longer attend weekly rallies outside the embassy, claiming that they had only engendered hatred between young South Koreans and their Japanese counterparts. Continue reading...

Richard Horton does not hold back in his criticism of the UK’s response to the pandemic and the medical establishment’s part in backing fatal government decisions

Financial worries, childcare and enforced distance mean sex has taken a backseat during lockdown

People are still living in unsafe homes three years on from the tragedy, warns Keir Starmer

Second wave fears rise in China; Chile health minister resigns; British citizens evacuated from Colombia; European borders reopen

Boris Johnson’s bungled handling of the crisis spells financial disaster for the UKIf the struggle against the pandemic resembles a war, as Boris Johnson believes, then it’s pretty clear who is losing. By any pertinent measure, including the most damning one – the number of excess deaths compared with last year – Britain is being outdone by countries across Europe, most notably Germany. Johnson dislikes international comparisons. It’s shamefully obvious why. Britain is not second rate. He is.Late into lockdown, late on PPE, late on testing, test and trace, late on halting the avoidable care homes catastrophe and late on the reopening of schools, Johnson’s government now lags behind in launching an economic stimulus package to mitigate the potentially disastrous long-term effects of the virus. Last week’s report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows just how urgent the need is. Continue reading...

Government ministers outline measures being considered to reopen for international travel

The attack in Borno state follows the massacre of 69 villagers in a raid in the same areaIslamic militants have killed at least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians and injured hundreds in twin attacks in north-east Nigeria, residents and a civilian task force fighter said.The attacks, in the Monguno and Nganzai districts of Borno state, came just days after militants killed at least 69 people in a raid on a village in a third area, Gubio. Continue reading...

The US president may be the pro-democracy movement’s biggest backer, but some protesters feel they are being usedHong Kong’s pro-democracy movement has struggled to reconcile the support it has received from Donald Trump with his administration’s brutal crackdown on protests over the police killing of George Floyd.In the past few weeks, unprecedented Black Lives Matter protests, renewed by the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer, have spread to every US state and to countries across the world, regardless of pandemic restrictions. Continue reading...

Former prime minister contradicts evidence of systemic discrimination, claiming higher crime rates account for disproportionate incarcerationTony Abbott has incorrectly claimed there is “no evidence” the justice system discriminates against Indigenous Australians, attributing disproportionate rates of incarceration of Indigenous people to a “higher offending rate”.The former prime minister and special envoy for Indigenous affairs made the comments to the Sun Herald on Sunday, in contradiction of evidence of systemic discrimination, as Australia’s political leaders grapple with mass rallies for racial equality amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Abbott was made a companion of the Order of Australia earlier this month for his “eminent service … to the Indigenous community” among other things. Continue reading...

Two women allegedly found with spray cans have been arrested after a Cook statue was defacedTwo women have been arrested after a Captain Cook statue in Sydney’s Hyde Park was defaced.Police were alerted to the vandalism about 4am on Sunday and arrested two women –aged 27 and 28 – nearby on College Street in the city centre, NSW police said in a statement. Continue reading...

There were violent scenes as protesters took to the streets across the country for the third consecutive dayHundreds of demonstrators angered by a deepening economic crisis rallied across Lebanon for a third consecutive day on Saturday, after violent overnight riots sparked condemnation from the political elite.Protesting against the surging cost of living and the government’s apparent impotence in the face of Lebanon’s worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war, protesters in central Beirut brandished flags and chanted anti-government slogans. Continue reading...

Simon Birmingham says Cam Gillespie, arrested with over 7.5kg of methamphetamine, has 10 days to appealAustralia’s trade minister says the sentencing to death in China of an Australian man for drug smuggling should not necessarily be linked to the ongoing friction between the countries.Cam Gillespie was arrested with more than 7.5kg of methamphetamine in his check-in luggage in 2013 while attempting to board an international flight from Baiyun airport in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Continue reading...