Train and bus firms urgently need to find a route back to viability amid the Covid-19 crisisSince the fall of Mussolini, few politicians can have declared quite so unselfconsciously as Grant Shapps that: “I just want to make the trains run on time.” But, as the transport secretary ruefully told MPs this week: “I didn’t expect to see that happen by having a fraction of people using it.”More than 98% of services ran punctually in April, underscoring the old rail industry joke that it would all work fine if it wasn’t for the passengers. Yet the trains are only continuing to run due to an extraordinary level of subsidy after coronavirus forced most of the population to stay home. Continue reading...

From the medallist to the festival star, what happens when your best-laid summer plans come undone? Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Harry Kane, Mabel and others share their might-have-beens. Interviews by Joe Stone, Zoe Williams and Sam Wolfson

Concerns have been raised about the plan to merge the Foreign Office and DfID. Here’s why I am confident it will help us lead the way on aid

At least 36 people have died in Church End, a neighbourhood dealing with housing pressures, in-work poverty and racial inequalities

I was a successful magazine editor, working my dream job in New York. But alcohol, and the ghosts of my childhood, took me to breaking pointMy life began in the village of Inkersall, just north of the Derbyshire town of Chesterfield. Mum and Dad collided when she was just 15 and living in a house teetering on a faultline. Their love crackled bright and quick after meeting in the pub, and a wedding was arranged for the day after her 16th birthday. My grandad, horrified and furious, made Mum an offer: a horse in exchange for her calling off the wedding. She loved riding more than anything; anything, it would seem, except my dad. The offer was rejected.In another act of easy-seeming rebellion, my brother was in her belly almost immediately, entering the world a month before her 17th birthday. I joined them one year and 364 days later. The marriage was a disaster, their fights turning physical after Grandad died. There was a story she shared of the Christmas she couldn’t see the turkey across the table; both eyes swollen shut, and my newly widowed Nana closed-mouthed beside her, warned not to make it worse, because worse it could be. There was another, of the time he outlined what would happen if she left him, how he’d set fire to the house with us all inside. Continue reading...

A growing movement for sustainable agriculture in Brazil has taken on new urgency with the coronavirus pandemicThe cumaru trees could have been planted elsewhere in this Amazon reserve, where they had better chances of flourishing. Instead, they were planted in harsh, sandy soil in the dry savannah that breaks up the forest. Jack beans, guandu peas and other crops were planted in straw around them with cut savannah grass, for moisture and compost. “We call it the cradle,” says agronomist Alailson Rêgo. “It protects them.”The hope is that if these Amazon-native trees – whose seeds can be used in cosmetics – thrive on this sandy soil and a nearby patch of deforested, burned land, they can regenerate abandoned pasture elsewhere. In the Amazon, more land is cleared for cattle than anything else. It’s easier enough to clear – chop down a few trees, light a few fires. But restoring the forest? Bringing back the life and the greenness? That is far, far harder. Continue reading...

Part of Liver Building caught fire as fans celebrated Premier League triumph for second night, defying Covid-19 risksPolice have been granted more power to disperse crowds in Liverpool after part of the Liver Building caught on fire amid wild celebrations over the city’s Premier League triumph.Merseyside Police issued a section 34 dispersal order for the city centre – allowing officers to break up groups of more than two people – until Sunday. Continue reading...

If discredited president refuses to accept imminent ruling over March vote, investors likely to be scared offAllegations of mass vote fiddling in the former British colony of Guyana may lead to the country’s discredited government being ostracised unless a court hearing next week can resolve a bitter dispute over election results.The political stakes in Guyana have risen massively since May 2015 when Exxon Mobil discovered oil reserves potentially worth more than $100bn (£80bn) 200km (124 miles) off the coast – a find big enough to transform a Latin American country of fewer than 1 million people with a GDP of $3bn largely based on sugar, timber, molasses and bauxite. Its current income of $5,250 per head is projected to rise to above $10,000 next year alone. Continue reading...

Incumbent Andrzej Duda expected to face run-off against liberal mayor of WarsawPoles will vote on Sunday in a postponed presidential election that will determine whether the ruling rightwing populist party continues to have full control over the country’s political system.Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, is standing for re-election in a crowded field of candidates, with the closest challenger expected to be Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw. Continue reading...

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo says visa restrictions apply to ‘current and former’ communist party officials, but does not name themThe US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said Washington will impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong, but he did not name any of those targeted.The move on Friday comes ahead of a three-day meeting of China’s parliament from Sunday, which is expected to enact new national security legislation for Hong Kong that has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists. Continue reading...

Move comes amid widespread reckoning for American pop culture following mass protests after George Floyd’s deathThe Simpsons is ending the use of white actors to voice characters of colour, the show’s producers have said.“Moving forward, ‘The Simpsons’ will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters,” they said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Officials draw up ‘safe list’ of countries whose residents can visit, with Russia and Brazil also excluded

Women represent about 67% students in the heavily affected fields of humanities, social sciences, media and communicationsWomen account for two-thirds of the students in the university courses facing the biggest increase in fees under the Australian government’s proposed overhaul, according to new analysis by the Greens.The government has proposed to more than double the student contributions for humanities, social sciences, media and communications courses – with yearly fees increasing from $6,804 to $14,500 – although this does not apply to current students. Continue reading...

Police Scotland chief constable pays tribute to 42-year-old police officer David Whyte who was one of six injured

Nearly one-third of Fijians have diabetes, and the disease is often not caught until amputation, or even death, are imminentAt the height of his 15-year career as a surgeon in the Pacific nation of Fiji, Dr Jone Hawea was performing eight to 10 diabetes-related operations every day – at least two of which were the amputations of limbs.“Our wards are always full of diabetes cases. Sometimes our surgical wards wouldn’t be able to deal with the non-emergency cases because there’s all this diabetes surgery to do,” says Hawea. Continue reading...

Ministers also expected to end policy of quarantining arrivals to the UK for 14 days

PM makes statement after major incident in Bournemouth; three stabbed in Bournemouth fight; 186 people die of Covid-19 since yesterday

Governments across south-east Asia are turning away boats but in Aceh locals took matters into their own hands

Fans make pilgrimage to Anfield to toast team’s first league crown in 30 years“He’s meant to be shielding, so this is a bit naughty,” said Rachel Taylor as she unloaded her son’s wheelchair from a minibus outside Anfield on Friday morning. “But you’ve got your mask, haven’t you, son?” she said, putting a red face covering emblazoned with “Liverpool: Champions” into 27-year-old Ryan’s lap. “He wasn’t born when they won 30 years ago. It’s such a big day, we had to bring him down to soak up the atmosphere.”It is a measure of just how big a day it was for Liverpool on Friday that not only was Taylor willing to risk her son’s health to take a picture of him beaming in front of the Kop, but her Evertonian partner had come too. “I’m made up for them, honest I am,” said Neil Howells. “First thing I did this morning was go into Ryan’s bedroom and shout ‘CHAMPIONS!’. You might think we’d be bitter but we’re not. I’m happy as long as it’s a team from Merseyside and not Manchester.” Continue reading...

Seven soldiers confessed to raping child from the Emberà tribeOutrage has been sparked in Colombia after a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped by seven soldiers from the country’s army last weekend.On Thursday, seven soldiers confessed to raping the child from the indigenous Emberá tribe, who went missing from her rural reserve in northern Colombia on Sunday. She was found the next day at a nearby school. News of the horrific crime shocked much of the South American nation, which has long reckoned with violence against indigenous women and girls. Continue reading...

Members of public shown exiting building on West George Street with arms raised, in footage posted onlineThere is a serious police incident in Glasgow as the council warned the public to avoid a central area of the city.Armed police could be seen entering a building next to the Park Inn hotel on West George Street, as members of the public exited with their arms raised, according to witness footage posted online. Continue reading...

As infections rise, Portugal tightens restrictions in Lisbon, while police clash with revellers from Paris to BerlinMonths of lockdown and isolation across Europe have given way to impromptu parties and illicit raves, sparking fears of a surge in Covid-19 cases and prompting warnings that the progress made across the continent in fighting the pandemic could be wiped away.In Portugal, the government said on Thursday it would tighten restrictions on several areas of Greater Lisbon from 1 July to allow residents to leave their homes only for food, medicine or to work, and to limit gatherings to five people. The measure came after reports of parties that attracted as many as 1,000 revellers. Continue reading...

Teenager threw six-year-old French boy off viewing platform at London gallery

La Gare jazz club offers experience to solo audiences during coronavirus pandemicAt the entrance to La Gare jazz club, a former railway station in a northern district of Paris, customers form a physically distanced queue to sign up for the evening’s concerts.Julien de Casabianca, the venue director, adds their names to a list. “What’s your relationship?” he asks. Continue reading...

Like many other migrant workers in the UK, Gomes knew he couldn’t live on statutory sick pay. So despite illness, he kept working

Cleaner was sacked while isolating with coronavirus symptoms as others fell ill

The fun times are back, but who knew people would interpret Boris’s upbeat message by breaking out in Bournmouth?I’d never heard of Murillo’s Immaculate Conception before I saw the photos of its restoration that made the painting look like some piece of tat you used to be able to buy in Woolworth’s for less than £5. Much like I’d never come across the Ecce Homo church mural in Spain before an elderly parishioner generously transformed it into something that more closely resembled a chimp. Continue reading...

News agency says site of incident not related to military and investigations under wayAn industrial gas tank exploded overnight in Tehran, Iran’s defence ministry has said, after images of the blast were widely shared on social media.“A gas tank exploded in the Parchin public area. Thank God there were no casualties,” said a ministry spokesman, Brig Gen Davoud Abdi. Continue reading...

Cressida Dick says entire force would condemn taking of inappropriate images at scene

A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across AustraliaGood evening, here are the latest weekly developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Luke Henriques-Gomes and it’s Friday 26 June. Continue reading...

Amendments to country’s media law revoked after outcry from pressAn outcry by the Afghan press over amendments to the country’s media law has seen the government call off initially approved changes.The newly revoked amendments included a rule that would force media to reveal sources to the government without a court order. Continue reading...

The federal health minister had signed off on a regulation to ban imports from 1 July but prohibition will now not come into force until 2021Greg Hunt has delayed the introduction of a ban on imports of liquid nicotine for vaping by six months, after his unilateral decision prompted widespread backlash on the Coalition backbench.The health minister announced on Friday the ban will now apply from 1 January, with a “streamlined process” for patients to get a prescription from their GP. Continue reading...

Ōrora, who hit 292kg before he retired, warns wrestlers need to care of themselves after death of colleague from coronavirusJapan’s sumo wrestlers should rein in their enormous appetites and take better care of their health. The advice comes not from doctors or nutritionists, but from a former wrestler who weighed more than any other man in the sport’s long history.“It’s never easy to stay healthy as long as you’re living the life of a sumo wrestler,” Ōrora, a retired professional wrestler, or rikishi, said in a recent interview with the Asahi Shimbun, soon after a young wrestler died after contracting coronavirus. “You are the only person that can take care of yourself. Nobody in your sumo stable cares about you.” Continue reading...

Decision raises possibility Japan would create its own first-strike capability, which some say violates its constitutionJapan has scrapped plans to buy a multibillion-dollar missile defence system from the US that was intended to boost its ability to counter the “serious and imminent” threat posed by North Korea.Japan’s defence minister, Taro Kono, conceded the land-based Aegis Ashore system would prove too costly and time consuming because it would require a hardware upgrade to ensure booster rockets did not fall on populated areas near host sites. Continue reading...

With tobacco sales banned in effort to curb coronavirus, illegal trade has surged on border with ZimbabweSouth Africa and Zimbabwe have stepped up border patrols in a bid to stop cigarette smuggling, which has boomed since Pretoria banned the sale of tobacco in March.The country claimed smokers were more prone to Covid-19 – something that has been challenged by tobacco companies – but the illegal trade has increased, despite South Africa erecting a R37m (£1.7m) 25-mile fence across the border in April as part of its measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. Smugglers have been crawling through broken sections of the fence and taking advance of the particularly porous Beitbridge/Musina crossing point. Continue reading...

Dozens of fresh coronavirus cases reported in state of Victoria; Brazil nears 55,000 deaths; Trump repeats claim that testing to blame for rise in cases

As a huge crowd celebrated outside Anfield, Merseyside police said the region had a responsibility to prevent the coronavirus spreadThousands of jubilant Liverpool supporters have spent the night celebrating the team’s first league title for 30 years, prompting warnings from police concerned about mass gatherings flouting social-distancing rules.As a huge crowd sang songs and let off flares outside Anfield, Merseyside police assistant chief constable Rob Carden said the region had been “disproportionately affected” by the coronavirus pandemic and its residents had a responsibility to prevent further cases. Continue reading...

26 June 1950: North Korean forces cross into the South and capture a town 23 miles from the capital, SeoulSeoul, June 25

Political parties demand Sweden’s strategy be reviewed before next election in 2022

Ammar Kalia reflects on his transformation after years spent seeing his body as a receptacle for beer and cigarettesIn this new series, Guardian writers reflect on what they’ve learned in lockdown. Share your experience in the comment sectionEver since my gym teacher stood, arms folded, laughing at my inability as a four-year-old to tuck myself into a ball and perform a somersault, exercise has been a foreign concept.Team sports were an orgy of disappointment – of realizing I was the weak link leading us to yet another defeat – while individual endeavors were equally dispiriting. Running made me feel like my lungs were about to explode, I never learned to ride a bike, and swimming made me realize you could sweat underwater and almost drown in the shallow end of the pool. Continue reading...

With public support bouncing around, the left and right still have everything to play for

Shoppers at NZ supermarket chain Countdown will no longer see euphemistic language like ‘sanitary’ to describe pads, tampons and menstrual cupsShoppers at a New Zealand supermarket chain will no longer see euphemistic language like “sanitary” or “feminine hygiene” products to describe pads, tampons and menstrual cups after the chain said it would be the first in the world to use the word “period” to describe the items.No other local or international retailer used the word “period” to describe the products shoppers buy for menstruation, according to a spokesperson for Countdown, a major supermarket chain in New Zealand that operates 180 stores. Continue reading...

EU summit intervenes to thwart Mette Frederiksen’s plan to marry her very patient ‘fantastic man’Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, thought she had finally found a date for her wedding, but has now had to postpone it for a third time due to an EU summit, she said on Thursday.Many a wedding plan has been upended by the Covid-19 pandemic and it seems not even world leaders are immune. Continue reading...

Swift decision by Keir Starmer is praised by Jewish groups but condemned by Labour left

The Met is targeting illegal parties and raves after more than 2o police were injuredExtra police have been put on the streets in London to target illegal street parties and raves following violence in Brixton on Wednesday.The Metropolitan police said it launched an “enhanced policing operation” after 22 officers were injured on the Angell Town estate in Brixton when trying to break up the event, which was widely condemned. Continue reading...

While some the papers lose their temper, on the coast there is a heady mix of liberation, anxiety and sunburn

$1bn gold hoard subject of dispute between Nicolás Maduro and rival Juan GuaidóClaims that the Bank of England is unlawfully blocking the release of 31 tonnes of gold valued at nearly $1bn(£805m) and intended to combat the coronavirus in Venezuela have been heard in the high court this week.The bars are among the 400,000 bars of gold held in the Bank’s vaults, but there is a political dispute about their rightful owner. Continue reading...

Bank employees cite Abraham Weintraub’s racist and derogatory remarks and petition ethics committee to stop appointmentThe World Bank is facing growing pressure to block Brazilian attempts to hand one of Jair Bolsonaro’s most notorious allies a plum £210,000-a-year-job at its headquarters in Washington.Abraham Weintraub, who until last week was the Brazilian president’s hard-right education minister, flew to the US, possibly using a diplomatic passport to skirt a Covid-19 ban on travellers from Brazil. Continue reading...