Labour leader criticises PM as government struggles to answer barrage of questions

US official questions whether Tehran wants return of Sirous AsgariA potential deal to release a renowned Iranian scientist from a US jail and return him to Iran appears to be in danger of breaking down after a senior US official questioned whether Tehran really wanted him returned.Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, claimed on Monday that Sirous Asgari had been freed by US authorities and would be able to return to Iran immediately if he tested negative for coronavirus. Continue reading...

Backseat president announces easing of lockdown on day of record high infection numbers

Technique involving in-depth interviews with friends, family and colleagues to understand what triggered gunman to kill 22 peoplePolice investigating last month’s mass shooting in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia have launched a psychological analysis of the deceased gunman, in the hope of better understanding what led him to kill 22 people over a 12-hour period.The Royal Canadian Mounted police said on Monday that they were carrying out a “psychological autopsy” on Gabriel Wortman, who carried out the worst shooting in the country’s history. Continue reading...

The musician, who died on Saturday aged 87, was a pioneer in looks as well as sounds, influencing everything from James Brown’s quiff to Prince’s midriff‘Little Richard scared my grandmother in 1957,” wrote John Waters in 2010. While his grandmother’s fear was largely about the singer’s sound – that trademark shriek at the start of his hit Lucille – his look had a formative impact on the 11-year-old Waters. It is thanks to Little Richard that the film director has the deliciously fake pencil-thin moustache that his fans know and love today.Waters’ moustache is just one example of Little Richard’s influence on fashion and style. Images of Little Richard, born Richard Penniman, in his 5os heyday show a proud, decade-appropriate quiff – forget Chuck Berry and Elvis, this was the best in the business – plus a mascara-ed moustache, panstick makeup and the look of kohl around his eyes. James Brown, who was a Little Richard impersonator, learned the power of good hair from him. The Godfather of Soul began his career in the late 50s with a quiff worthy of Little Richard. Continue reading...

Guardian writers report on how various European countries have managed the process

European commission has warned of possible legal action over constitutional court rulingAngela Merkel has stepped in to try to find a way out of a damaging clash between Germany and Brussels after the EU threatened to bring infringement proceedings over a ruling by the country’s constitutional court.The German chancellor stressed that the dispute was solvable, after the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, issued an unusual statement on Sunday warning of possible legal action against Berlin. Continue reading...

Nicola Sturgeon has said guidelines on easing lockdown restrictions in England will not apply in Scotland as it would not be safe. The first minister said the Scottish public would have to be patient for a little longer as she would not ‘play Russian roulette’ during the coronavirus outbreak

French capital begins cautious reopening of shops and schools despite continued coronavirus risk

Daniels Andrews, Gladys Berejiklian and Annastacia Palaszczuk on Q+A as Victoria and Queensland plan to ease lockdown restrictions. This blog is now closed

National museum asks citizens to share their feelings and experiences during crisis

Public urged to ‘take long hard look at your conscience’ after PM relaxes travel rules

Fears people will fail to get tested out of fear after new cases linked to Seoul gay district

Big Kid Circus has been stranded overlooking the beach and promenade at the Lancashire resort since lockdown began

The Australian government has passed legislation for a $1,500 per fortnight wage subsidy for eligible employers amid the coronavirus. Check your eligibility, how much you’ll get, when it will be paid and how it works with the jobseeker payments

Several states have already started relaxing physical distancing laws, while others are holding firm. Find out what’s illegal and what happens if you break the law

A freak tornado, a paragliding misadventure, and a love that crosses the divide between North and South – and that’s just for startersWho have you been spending your lockdown with? I’ve been spending mine with spectacularly good-looking Koreans in spectacularly unlikely romantic scenarios.It all began with Crash Landing on You, a tale of love, friendship and beauty products that spans the divide between South and North Korea. It’s addictively off-the-wall, heartbreaking and hilarious – and since the show is only available in Korean audio with English subtitles, it demands your full attention. No more scrolling through horror news feeds on your mobile! Hurrah! Continue reading...

Boris Johnson criticised for vague blueprint; China reports more infections in Wuhan; Belgium and Greece also ease some measures

Troops also threw stones in face-off involving 150 soldiers at remote crossing point near Tibet, says Indian armySeveral Indian and Chinese soldiers have been injured in a cross-border clash involving fistfights and stone-throwing at a remote but strategically important mountain pass near Tibet, the Indian army said on Sunday.There have been long-running border tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, with a bitter war fought over the Indian north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. Continue reading...

Temperatures will drop with wind and rain forecast, which may make lockdown easierThe coming week will see a return to cooler, “more springlike” weather following the warm and sunny spells seen during the first half of the bank holiday weekend, the Met Office has said.For many, wind and rain may soften the blow of the UK coronavirus lockdown – which looks set to continue, after Boris Johnson announced only gradual easing of restrictions on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Global Witness says the Malaysian company Maxland has failed to plant millions of rubber treesA Malaysian company that won a permit to clear tropical rainforest on Manus Island has been accused of failing to deliver on its promises to the local community, while reaping millions of dollars in profits from the logging of valuable hardwood timber.According to licensing documents, the company, Maxland Ltd, secured a permit to clear land in the south of Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island in order to plant between three and five million rubber trees as part of the Pohowa Project. The project’s stated aim in documents was to “benefit smallholder rubber farmers [and] the surrounding communities”. Continue reading...

The government has vowed to roll back universal free early education once the crisis passes, but returning to a pre-Covid-19 state could be politically fraughtThis is the fourth in our series on Life after lockdown, which looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could change Australia for goodAs the coronavirus pandemic began what at the time looked like a particularly ominous march forward, Fiona Ivits’ four-year-old son, Kit, developed a cough. She kept him home in their Melbourne flat for two weeks but continued to do her full-time job. As the days progressed, Ivits realised that working from home with her son was not possible, and Kit started staring longingly at other children they passed on the street.After their voluntary isolation, as Kit was well, Ivits had to decide her next steps. Continue reading...

Scotland's first minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has rebuffed the UK government's new coronavirus advice, saying that she doesn’t know what it means, and that her country would not use it. She also announced that people in Scotland would be able to exercise more than once a day

Outcry over president’s jet-ski outing in which he dismissed coronavirus fears as neurosis

Boris Johnson’s government watched as Covid-19 hell unfolded in my country – and then failed to heed the warnings

Concerns raised about ‘disproportionate’ use of force after young black man is seriously injuredThe police watchdog has launched an investigation into the conduct of three officers after a black man in his 20s was left with a life-changing injury in an incident in north London where he was shot with a stun gun.Police on patrol in Haringey chased the man on Monday after he ran away from them following an approach, it is understood. They used the stun gun as he jumped over a wall and he fell, suffering serious back injuries, which his family fear could leave him at least partially paralysed. Continue reading...

Jaston Khosa was one of 600,000 men from African countries who fought for Britain. He was quietly buried on VE Day after a life of abject povertyIn a crowded, Zambian slum on VE Day, a family gathered to bury one of the last veterans of Britain’s colonial army. Jaston Khosa of the Northern Rhodesia Regiment was laid to rest on the day the world commemorated the end of the war in which he fought.The 95-year-old great-grandfather was among 600,000 Africans who fought for the British during World War Two, on battlefields across their own continent as well as Asia and the Middle East. Although their service has largely been forgotten, the mobilisation of this huge army from Britain’s colonies triggered the largest single movement of African men overseas since the slave trade. Continue reading...

Some bars and restaurants are open – with distancing – and schools are starting back, but the country isn’t taking freedom for granted

Teething problems threaten the effectiveness of government ‘test, track and trace’ strategy

Caracas has accused Colombia and US of plotting to overthrow president Maduro; says military found abandoned vessels in Orinoco riverVenezuela’s military says it has seized three abandoned Colombian light combat vessels that soldiers found while patrolling the Orinoco river on Saturday, several days after the government accused its neighbour of aiding a failed invasion plot.In a statement, the defence ministry said the boats were equipped with machine guns and ammunition, but had no crew, adding they were discovered as part of a nationwide operation to guarantee Venezuela’s “freedom and sovereignty”. Continue reading...

Coalition backbencher wants to know why ambassador threatened a trade boycott after Australia called for international inquiry into coronavirus

The NSW premier is trying to project a sense of order during Covid-19 but the men in her team are indulging in a kind of sabotageSince well before Christmas the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has been dealing with crises: first the drought, then bushfires that ravaged her state, then the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected everyone.Every morning at 8am Berejiklian fronts the media for her Covid-19 briefing, trying to project a sense of calm, order and empathy, urging the people of NSW to stick with the restrictions. Continue reading...

Prosecutor rejects Australia’s argument International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction because Palestine is ‘not a state’The Australian government has told the International Criminal Court it should not investigate alleged war crimes in Palestine because Palestine is “not a state”, arguing the court prosecutor’s investigation into alleged attacks on civilians, torture, attacks on hospitals, and the use of human shields, should be halted on jurisdictional grounds.Australia was lobbied to make the submission to the court by Israel, which is not a party to the court. But the office of the prosecutor has rejected Australia’s argument, saying it had not formally challenged Palestine’s right to be a party to the court before. Continue reading...

Thousands of people, including elderly veterans of the second world war, turned out for Belarus’s Victory Day parade despite the coronavirus epidemic. Images from the parade showed large crowds as the country’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko, boasted of holding the only parade in the former Soviet Union to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany

Paul Kelly warns people over 70 and with existing diseases are at high risk from coronavirus as pandemic restrictions ease

Charlie, 13, starts his morning with 40 press-ups; William, 15, spends an hour a day working out. But when does a healthy interest become a dangerous obsession?Charlie is working on two things in lockdown. First, his studies: at 13, he’s the first to admit his focus is patchy. “I don’t do a lot of homework,” he says. “My mum complains about that all the time.” That isn’t to say he hasn’t thought about a career. “I wanted to be a game designer, but now I think the future’s in diseases, in microbiology, so I am also interested in that. A bit.”His other work requires hours of dedication and is something Charlie has genuine enthusiasm for: working on his body. His daily routine starts with 40 press-ups while his shower is running. He eats five eggs and four pieces of toast for breakfast. His ideal lunch would be grilled fish and rice, but when he is at school he typically has to eat pasta with tuna sauce, since the canteen’s focus is feeding children, not lean body sculpting. “He won’t eat sausages or any processed stuff,” says his mother, Helen. She is married and lives in Liverpool with the couple’s three children, aged five to 13. Continue reading...

Europe Day statement comes as trade talks between UK and its former partners hit new difficulties

Social distancing rules will ‘kill cities’, experts warn – and the future of mass transit hangs in the balanceThis is the second feature in our Life after lockdown series, which looks at how Covid-19 could change Australia for good

Temperatures will drop dramatically on Sunday as cold front moves in from northern Scotland

People including veterans observe Victory in Europe Day amid lockdown Continue reading...

The legislative council descended into chaos for more than an hour on Friday as opposing lawmakers threw placards and scrambling over each other to take control of a house committee. Politicians rushed to take the seat left empty after the house was unable to elect a new chairperson. The incumbent, Starry Lee, reached the seat first as pro-Beijing and pro-democracy members crowded in

Rights groups decry relocation of people picked up at sea after fleeing camps in Cox’s BazarHundreds of Rohingya Muslims, including children, have arrived at “a de facto detention island” in Bangladesh after being stranded at sea for weeks.Rights groups had warned that the refugees, who had been turned away from other countries in the region, were at risk of starvation and abuse by people traffickers. It is believed that other boats remain adrift. Continue reading...

Russian media pours scorn on Europe, but the only progressive way forward for our common continent is togetherIn the early 1990s Russia used to have a strong sense of belonging in Europe. This began to change: the post-Soviet shock therapy reforms were a punishing transition to a free-market society, when a kilogram of sausage cost about the same as a monthly pension and many families experienced malnutrition and hunger. The sudden shift to a more “westernised” way of running the economy left many impoverished, which was eventually capitalised on – after the oligarchic power wars – by a new political leader who embraced a conservative, nationalist rhetoric: Vladimir Putin.Today, Russian television presenters feed us stories about a European continent in decay, where “aggressive migrants” run amok, where social services take children away from their parents for being “slapped”, where “sexual minorities” destroy traditional families. Continue reading...

Lucie Oldale has been keeping the world’s largest indoor rainforest in check for when visitors returnHer only companions are darting lizards and the crested partridges that scrabble around her feet as she does the watering or tries to keep on top of the weeding. Background noise is the burble of a waterfall and birdsong.The lockdown has forced many people to work alone, but few can be operating in such splendid, spectacular isolation as Lucie Oldale at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Continue reading...

Support services report particular rise in cyberstalking via social media and messaging

Macarena Santelices has praised the ‘good side’ of the 1973-90 dictatorship in which over 300 women were raped under tortureChile’s rightwing president, Sebastián Piñera, has prompted a firestorm of criticism after naming an open supporter of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship as the country’s new minister for women’s rights and gender equality.Controversy over the appointment of Macarena Santelices – who is also the dictators’s great-niece – has focused on a 2016 interview in which she praised the “good side” of the 1973-90 dictatorship in which more than 3,000 people were murdered or disappeared by security forces and many thousands more imprisoned and tortured. Continue reading...

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

Boris Johnson urges nation to unite in tribute as celebrations are adapted owing to Covid-19RAF jets will roar over Britain to mark the 75 anniversary of VE Day, as Boris Johnson urged the nation to unite in tribute to the achievement and sacrifice of the wartime generation.The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will lead a two-minute silence from Scotland on a day of celebration and commemoration which also includes a “national toast”, an address by the Queen, and a nationwide sing-a-long of Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again. Continue reading...

While men and women can go out on alternate days, trans people in the Colombian capital face increasing risk of violent attacks