Ban on air travel between Britain and Greece to continue until June 30, unlike other countries

President of Burundi whose 15-year rule was ultimately marked by violence and repressionPierre Nkurunziza, who has died unexpectedly aged 55, was the outgoing president of Burundi whose 15-year-rule, particularly towards the end, was marked by brutal repression.In 2015, Nkurunziza’s decision to run for an unconstitutional third term led to an outbreak of protests and violence that spread across the country. He responded with brutal violence. Over the next two years, his youth-led militia group, known as the Imbonerakure, as well as various state security forces, killed more than 1,200 Burundians in an attempt to quash street protests. Four hundred thousand more fled the country. A born-again Christian, Nkurunziza spent much of that time organising prayer meetings. Continue reading...

As No 10 hopes to divide Labour on statues and TV archives, its leader has made practical demands on race inequalityBoris Johnson appeared to have had his say about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests earlier this week, telling the nation in a carefully phrased article for the black newspaper the Voice: “I hear you.”Yet on Friday morning, he dramatically returned to the fray, tweeting that taking down controversial statues was to “lie about our history” and warning would-be protesters: “The only responsible course of action is to stay away.” Continue reading...

Interview with author’s first husband unacceptable, says abuse commissionerThe government’s lead adviser on domestic abuse has written to the editor of the Sun to condemn the newspaper’s decision to publish a front page interview with JK Rowling’s first husband, under the headline: “I slapped JK and I’m not sorry.”In the letter seen by the Guardian, Nicole Jacobs, the independent domestic abuse commissioner, said it was “unacceptable that the Sun has chosen to repeat and magnify the voice of someone who openly admits to violence against a partner”. Continue reading...

Irish haulier Ronan Hughes faces 39 charges of manslaughter over smuggled Vietnamese nationalsThe Irish alleged ringleader of a trafficking gang that transported a refrigerated truck in which 39 migrants died is to be extradited to Britain.A high court in Dublin on Friday ordered the extradition of Ronan Hughes, 40, to face 39 charges of manslaughter and a charge of assisting unlawful immigration. Continue reading...

Watchdog fears that social media giant’s takeover of Giphy may reduce competitionThe UK’s competition regulator has opened an investigation into the proposed $400m (£320m) takeover of gif search engine Giphy by Facebook amid fears that the acquisition may reduce competition in the UK.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is inviting comments about Facebook’s purchase of a company that currently provides gif search across many of the social network’s competitors, including Twitter and the messaging service Signal. Continue reading...

Teenager pleads guilty to two charges of assault; three men to face court laterA 13-year-old boy has admitted kicking and shouting abuse at two police officers during an alleged group attack in east London.Footage of the incident on Frampton Park Road in Hackney on Wednesday was widely shared on social media. It appeared to show an officer pinned down on the ground and being kicked while his female colleague is pushed as she tries to intervene. Police said the two officers suffered minor injuries. Continue reading...

Andrzej Duda launches ‘family charter’ to appeal to base as race tightens in run-up to electionGay rights and homophobia are likely to be major issues in Poland’s delayed presidential election after the frontrunner pledged to “defend children from LGBT ideology”.Andrzej Duda, the incumbent president, who is allied with the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, made the pledge while launching a so-called “family charter”, in what appears to be a move to energise the party’s conservative base as polls showed his lead narrowing. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from people in Aberdeen, especially if you work in the energy sectorWe would like to find out about the impact of coronavirus on you and your community.We would like to hear from people in Aberdeen about how you have been affected by the pandemic, particularly if your work is connected to the oil, gas or renewable energy sectors. Continue reading...

Three-phased plan for Brexit border checks welcomed as UK formally rejects extension to transition periodFull border controls on goods entering the UK will not apply until July next year the government has announced, as it formally notified the EU it does not want an extension to the transition period.The announcement of a three-phased plan for Brexit border checks was welcomed by industry leaders but represents the most dramatic change to international trading since 1993 when the single market was introduced. Continue reading...

Pregnant woman turned away from eight hospitals as pandemic pushes healthcare to brink of collapse

Amnesty records 200 state killings and forced disappearances in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, state members of internationally-backed G5 groupHundreds of civilians have been killed by their own governments in Africa’s Sahel region since countries pledged a surge against militant groups at a regional meeting held by France in January.Amnesty International said on Wednesday that it had documented 200 cases of unlawful state killings and forced disappearances in February and March in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which are members of the internationally backed G5 force set up to fight militants in the Sahel. Continue reading...

It was the reality show that changed British TV for ever. As its ‘greatest hits’ return to our screens, five contestants reflect on the highs and lows of life in and out of the Big Brother houseOn 18 July 2000, 10 people entered a custom-built studio in a lot in east London. They were taking part in what was being billed as a unique “social experiment”: the opportunity to watch ordinary people on our screens, day-in, day-out.No one could have known then the influence Big Brother would have on our viewing habits, or how it would birth the genre of reality TV in the UK. At the time, it was just another gameshow. But over the next 19 series – and 22 celebrity spin-off series – it redefined the nature of entertainment and modern celebrity. Thanks in part to the concomitant rise of tabloid magazines including Closer and Heat, with their endless appetite for celebrity gossip, the housemates, who entered the Big Brother house as nobodies, left as stars. In its heyday, Big Brother was a ratings goliath: the season three finale reached 10 million viewers. Housemates such as the late Jade Goody became cultural icons, while the likes of Alison Hammond and Brian Dowling became broadcasting mainstays in their own right. Continue reading...

Director Saul Dibb and producer Karen Lewis on their new BBC One drama The Salisbury Poisonings

A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across Australia

Chief Allan Adam of Fort Chipewyan First Nation alleges police assaulted him in parking lot in March

Detectives believe killer may have been injured during attack on Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry

Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a huge uproar of protests against racism and police brutality has swept through more than 750 cities and towns all across America. Four black photographers write about their experiences covering the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and what the protests mean to them Continue reading...

Campaigners frustrated that it took an African American man’s death to bring their own plight into focusAustralia’s prime minister took his time before weighing in on the country’s Black Lives Matter movement. Five days after tens of thousands of people joined protests over Indigenous deaths in custody, Scott Morrison spoke out on Thursday, wondering aloud on a right-leaning radio station whether something that had started with a “fair point” had lost its way.“I think we’ve also got to respect our history as well,” he said. “And this is not a licence for people to just go nuts on this stuff.” Continue reading...

A statue of a British naval captain has been removed by the city council in Hamilton, New Zealand, after a Māori elder threatened to take it down by force. The statue of Capt John Hamilton, after whom the city in the central North Island is named, was gifted to the city by a local company in 2013. The removal of the statue comes amid wider discussions about the future of New Zealand’s colonial statues

Miguel Otávio Santana da Silva fell nine storeys after being left alone by his mother’s employer, one of many richer white Brazilians employing black domestic workersMirtes Santana weeps when she remembers finding her son dying on the pavement outside the luxury seaside apartment block where she worked in north-eastern Brazil.“I can’t bear it,” said the 33-year-old domestic worker. “It breaks my heart.” Continue reading...

Organisers of Black Lives Matter protest had begun shouting, ‘It’s over. Go home’. Follow live

African-Belgians are angered by what they see as country’s refusal to engage with the issue

Meetings on Tiananmen Square massacre and Hong Kong crisis were taken down because Communist government complainedZoom has admitted it suspended the accounts of human rights activists at the behest of the Chinese government and suggested it will block any further meetings that Beijing complains are illegal.On Thursday the video conferencing platform was accused of disrupting or shutting down the accounts of three activists who held online events relating to the Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary or discussing the crisis in Hong Kong. None were given an explanation by Zoom. Continue reading...

Latest figures reflect many businesses closing down and workers on placed on furlough

Airlines seeking urgent judicial review of policy that they say could cost thousands of jobs

British economy sees biggest monthly slump on record while families of coronavirus victims call for inquiry into government’s handling of pandemic

Over 70% of the indigenous Peruvian community of Cantagallo Island have tested positive for coronavirus. This is how they are surviving lockdown• All photographs by Florence Goupil, who received a grant from the Covid-19 National Geographic emergency fund for journalists Continue reading...

Coronavirus has forced events including AfrikaBurn and Bushfire to cancel, leaving performers without promotional platforms and incomeIn a region where live music is everything – both for audiences and for performers heavily reliant on live appearances to make a living – the widespread cancellation of festivals across southern Africa has hit the music business hard.May should have seen the Bushfire festival in Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Zakifo and AfrikaBurn in South Africa, and Azgo in Mozambique. Next month would have been Zimfest in Zimbabwe. All have been cancelled – or replaced with online versions – along with dozens of smaller live events that have been growing in recent years, bringing in tourism, showcasing talent and culture, and boosting southern Africa’s music industry. Continue reading...

Continent is seeing more cases spread to the provinces; Trump supporters can’t sue over catching Covid-19 at rallies; Brazil confirms 30,000 new cases

Source says government will take a ‘pragmatic and flexible’ approach to help businesses cope with impact of coronavirusThe government is expected to backtrack on its plan to introduce full border checks with the EU from 1 January 2021 over fears of the economic impact of coronavirus.The cabinet office minister, Michael Gove, is anticipated to make an announcement on Friday over border operations for when Brexit fully comes into effect at the end of the transition period. Continue reading...

Home Office measures that caused Windrush scandal potentially breached equality law, says EHRCThe Home Office is being investigated over whether it breached equality law when it introduced the “hostile environment” immigration measures that caused catastrophic consequences for thousands of Windrush generation residents living legally in the UK.As part of a drive to end the “systemic and entrenched race inequalities that exist in our country”, the Equality and Human Rights Commission will use its legal powers to examine whether, and how the Home Office complied with the public sector equality duty, when it implemented tough new immigration legislation aimed at making life extremely difficult for undocumented illegal immigrants. Continue reading...

Prior to the release of Da 5 Bloods, the director takes questions from readers, film-makers and politicians about George Floyd, Covid-19 and the worst thing about actorsFor more than three decades, Spike Lee has been one of the most vital forces in film-making.His latest movie, Da 5 Bloods – about four African American veterans who return to Vietnam in search of the remains of their squad leader – is described by Peter Bradshaw as “a blast of satire and emotional agony about … the fact that black deaths matter”. Continue reading...

12 June 1987: The meeting of John Paul II and the leader of Solidarity, Lech Walesa, is a turning point for the post-communist future of the countryThe Pope came to Poland’s Baltic coast last night, and confirmed what he called “the important reality of the term ‘solidarity’ and its eternal significance.”Speaking once again to a rapt audience of a million or more, each one hanging on his every word, he declared: “The word ‘solidarity’ was uttered right here, in a new way and in a new context. And the world cannot forget it.” Continue reading...

Critics say legislation is being used for US strategy and could cause further problems for country and wider region

With no active Covid-19 cases, NZ to open borders to certain migrants but the move will also help team American Magic for March 2021 competitionNew Zealand is relaxing its borders to grant exemptions for certain workers – including America’s Cup sailors – and partners of New Zealand citizens to enter the country.The move comes after 21 days with no new Covid-19 cases across the country and no current live cases. Continue reading...

City council says memorial to Captain John Hamilton comes down after Māori elder calls him a ‘murderer’ and threatens to remove by forceA statue of a British naval captain has been removed by the city council in Hamilton, New Zealand after a local Māori elder threatened to take it down by force.The statue of Captain John Hamilton, after whom the city in the central North Island is named, was gifted to the city by a local company in 2013. Continue reading...

Pyongyang says since summit two years ago US has appeared friendly but has instead sought regime changeNorth Korea sees no future benefit in maintaining a relationship between its leader, Kim Jong-Un, and Donald Trump, the country’s state media has said on the two-year anniversary of the pair’s first summit.US policies prove Washington remains a long-term threat to the North Korean state and its people, foreign minister Ri Son Gwon said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. Continue reading...

Call to suspend ‘NRPF’ hostile environment measure that stops some people accessing public fundsLocal authorities have called on the government to suspend the controversial “no recourse to public funds” immigration status for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, to prevent thousands from falling into destitution and homelessness.High numbers of people who have this status attached to their visas have been approaching councils for emergency assistance during the pandemic. Many are struggling to survive during the exceptional circumstances of lockdown, with no safety net, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Phone footage of assault on officer in Hackney street has been widely sharedFour people, including a 13-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with the assault of two police officers in Hackney, east London.A video of the assault has been widely circulated on social media, showing a male officer pinned down on the ground and being kicked, while his female colleague is pushed when she tries to intervene. Continue reading...

Friday: Three companies have backed away from the controversial coalmine project. Plus, Brigid Delaney discovers the joys and pains of train travelGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 12 June. Continue reading...

Former cabinet minister sent financier furious email over delay in payment of £5m in feesThe prominent businesswoman Amanda Staveley fell out with the former cabinet minister David Mellor as the pair worked on securing the billions of pounds that saved Barclays during the 2008 financial crisis, the high court has heard.Staveley is suing Barclays for up to £1.5bn after her client, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, invested £3.25bn as part of an emergency fundraising 12 years ago. She claims that the UK bank was secretly offering superior terms to Barclays’ largest investor, the state of Qatar. Continue reading...

PSNI says tests show weapon found in Derry last weekend was used in reporter’s killingA handgun found during police searches in Derry last weekend is the weapon used to kill journalist Lyra McKee, police have confirmed.The Police Service of Northern Ireland said after forensic tests on the Hammerli X-Esse pistol they have established it was the gun that fired the fatal shots that killed the 29-year-old reporter during riots in Derry last year. Continue reading...

UN expresses horror at finds, mainly in town of Tarhuna, and backs GNA investigationThe United Nations has expressed horror at the discovery of eight mass graves in Libya, mainly in the town of Tarhuna, south of Tripoli, in an area recently retaken from forces loyal to Gen Khalifa Haftar.The UN mission in Libya said it welcomed the decision by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) to launch an investigation into the gravesNo estimate of the number of dead has been made public, but one grave contained at least 15 badly decomposed bodies. Some graves are said to contain entire families. Continue reading...

A man vandalized a mock cemetery of 100 graves and crosses representing people who have died from Covid-19A supporter of Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has desecrated a beachside memorial to Covid-19 victims as the country’s coronavirus death toll rose above 40,000.Activists from civil society group Rio de Paz dug 100 symbolic shallow graves on Copacabana beach before dawn on Thursday to represent the Brazilian lives lost. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary calls for new laws to be dropped and says Beijing ‘tortured’ UK employeeThe foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has urged China to step back from the brink by abandoning plans to impose new security laws on Hong Kong, as he accused Beijing of treating a member of Foreign Office staff in a way “amounting to torture”.Raab attacked the Chinese government’s brutal treatment of Simon Cheng, a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong, who was kept in custody for 15 days after travelling to the mainland. Continue reading...

Authorities charge two stars of the platform and one woman who said she had been rapedYoung Egyptian TikTok stars have become the latest target of state authorities, who accuse them of spreading “immorality” in society.Since President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi came to power in 2014, hundreds of journalists, activists, lawyers and intellectuals have been arrested and many websites blocked in the name of state security. Continue reading...