Farmer defied skeptics to create healthcare systems for the most vulnerable in places like Haiti, Rwanda and Peru.Dr Paul Farmer, a physician, humanitarian and author renowned for providing healthcare to millions of impoverished people worldwide and who co-founded the global non-profit Partners in Health, has died. He was 62.The Boston-based organization confirmed Farmer’s death on Monday, calling it “devastating” and noting he unexpectedly died in his sleep from an acute cardiac event while in Rwanda, where he had been teaching. Continue reading...
Priceless treasures stolen by the French army over a century ago have finally been returned to the African nation. Our writer joins the emotional celebrationsAt first glance, it seems to be just another day in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city. Motorbike-taxis are everywhere, filling the streets of the country’s economic capital with dust and noise. But inside the swanky presidential palace, something seismic is talking place: over a century after they were looted by the French army, 26 treasures that once belonged to the nation have gone on display to the public.Art of Benin Yesterday and Today is more than just a stunning show of these ancient works, though. It segues from the looted 19th-century artefacts to work by 34 of the country’s contemporary artists. “This is a form of regained dignity,” says local art historian Didier Houénoudé, “and the culmination of a long fight started by African countries shortly before independence.” Continue reading...
Judge records not-guilty verdicts for those charged with targeting Black Lives Matter activistThe case against four men charged over the shooting of black equal rights campaigner Sasha Johnson has collapsed.Johnson, a mother of two, was shot in the head at a 30th birthday party in south London, on Sunday 23 May last year. Continue reading...
Displaced Iraqi girls stuck in camps are getting a taste of independence by running, hiking and kickboxing, thanks to a programme teaching them about sport and confidenceThe mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan are edged with a tangerine glow as our minibus drives past them. We set off earlier from Erbil, the region’s capital, and are driving to Shaqlawa, a historic city about 50 minutes away, to hike up the nearby Safeen mountain. Inside the minibus, a group of teenage girls are playing their favourite songs.The teenagers live with their families in one of Erbil’s two main camps for internally displaced people (IDPs), Baharka and Harsham, having fled Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and surrounding towns such as Tal Afar and Sinjar, when the area was captured by ISISsis in 2014. The hike has been organised by Free to Run, an NGO that supports and empowers women and girls in regions of conflict through sport, offering them life-skills training, and creating safe spaces for them to develop confidence and friends, and to reclaim public space in a country where women’s rights are lacking. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#5WD0P)
West Midlands police want notes of former MP Chris Mullin, thought to hold identity of surviving pub bomberWest Midlands police have asked a judge to exclude reporters from a hearing in which they will attempt to force a journalist and former MP who exposed the Birmingham Six’s wrongful conviction to reveal his source material.The force have applied for an order under the Terrorism Act 2000 compelling Chris Mullin to hand over material, including notebooks, from his 1985-86 investigation into the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people and injured more than 200. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5WCVD)
Exclusive: Thousands of near-empty planes flown since March 2020, new figures revealAlmost 15,000 “ghost flights” have departed from the UK, according to newly revealed official figures.The ghost flights, defined as those with no passengers or less than 10% of passenger capacity, operated from all 32 airports listed in the data. Heathrow was top, with 4,910 ghost flights between March 2020 and September 2021. Manchester and Gatwick were the next highest. There were an average of 760 ghost flights a month over the period, although the data covered only international departure and not domestic flights. Continue reading...
Pro-choice supporters danced outside Colombia's constitutional court in downtown Bogotá, the capital, after it decriminalised abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.Judges ruled five against four to decriminalise the procedure in the South American country after rulings in Mexico and Argentina also lowered barriers to abortion.Anti-abortion protesters demonstrated against the ruling
Save the Children is releasing a powerful series of photographs by world-renowned photographer Jim Huylebroek to highlight the human tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan as the country this week marks six months since the dramatic transition of power
Tongans have struggled with makeshift satellite services as repairs to undersea cable connecting Tonga to the world were madeTonga has been reconnected to the world following repairs to a submarine cable, a month after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut communications to the remote Pacific island nation.“People on the main island will have access almost immediately,” the Tonga Cable chief executive, James Panuve, told Reuters by telephone, after a repair ship handed over the restored cable on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...
Graves and Lipman were partners in both life and art for three decades. Their acutely observed images, taken at American social rituals from proms to football games, capture fleeting moments of connection, of longing, of restraint and desire Continue reading...
by Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Cait Kelly and Matilda B on (#5WCCB)
NSW government drops case against rail workers’ union; Australia closes embassy in Lviv, Ukraine; political parties should ‘stand as one’ in condemning Russia, Labor says; Clive Palmer cancels press club appearance; at least 34 Covid deaths recorded. Follow the latest updates live
Residents say quake shook their homes and was like wardrobe falling over or ‘explosion against the window’A 2.8 magnitude earthquake struck the West Midlands late on Monday night, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.According to the BGS, the quake hit the town of Walsall, near Birmingham, at a depth of seven kilometres (4.35 miles) at 10.59pm. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Shaikh Azizur Rahman in on (#5WCNB)
Ahead of key Uttar Pradesh elections, state police accused of being ‘mercenaries’ of hardline Hindu nationalist governmentAccording to police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, it was suicide. The young Muslim man they had brought into their custody had, out of despair, killed himself in the police station toilets. But, as photos of the scene emerged, so too did suspicions.
Kenya has delivered an emphatic plea to Russia to pursue diplomacy, citing its own history. 'This situation echoes our history. Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing,' Martin Kimani told the security council. 'Today across the border of every single African country live our countrymen with whom we share deep bonds.' Continue reading...
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told an emergency UN security council meeting that Vladimir Putin's claim that Russian troops would take on a 'peacekeeping' role in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas was 'nonsense'. The late-night meeting took place after Putin recognised separatist areas of eastern Ukraine as independent. Member states called for diplomacy while Ukrainian representative Sergiy Kyslytsya called for an immediate withdrawal of occupation troops. 'The United Nations is sick. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin.' Continue reading...
A revolutionary, no-nonsense cooked clod of clay has given South Kilburn a new lease of life. But can the rest of the rundown estate live up to its refreshed streetscape?If 1960s housing was known for concrete panels, the 1980s for cartoonish pediments, and the 2000s for tacky (sometimes fatal) clip-on cladding, the current epoch will be remembered for bricks. But not just any old brick. It is a yellowish, biscuity brick, whose particular patina falls somewhere between a digestive and a Hobnob. It is a brick that summons strains of the traditional London stock and Cambridge gault, suggesting a crunchy, crumbly, wholesome goodness, no matter what actually lies behind the facade. It is the comforting Hovis ad of cladding choices, a no-nonsense cooked clod of clay, which comes with an unlikely name: Mystique.The irrepressible rise of the Mystique brick can be traced back to its use on one particular housing project in Cambridge, which won the Stirling prize in 2008. With its combination of terraced streets, mews houses and courtyards, the Accordia development was a refreshing bolt of common-sense design that would influence the next decade and more of British housing. In an age when new blocks of flats looked increasingly cheap, the low-rise buttery brickwork suggested a new era of weight, depth and permanence, a return to front doors on the street, housing as it used to be. Continue reading...
From waterlogged cars to crushed roofs and powerless homes, the UK has been in a state of climate siegeFlooding, power cuts and destruction to homes continue to impact people in parts of the country after three named storms struck the UK in a week.In Ashford in the Water, Derbyshire, cars remain stuck in a flooded road after Storm Franklin hit on Sunday. Martin Crapper, 62, said people in “countless cars” were trapped “in the freezing cold flood water in the dark” on the main road from Matlock to Buxton. Continue reading...
The inconvenient truth of the scarcity of ICU beds has been partially addressed by altering their definitionThere is a meme from 2016 of a dog sitting in a room engulfed in fire proclaiming “THIS IS FINE”. It feels increasingly relevant to healthcare. As the flames of Covid rose around the world, the response from New Zealand continued to invoke international admiration. We could smell the smoke, but there was no fire. Within the healthcare sector, business – mostly – continued as usual.We knew it would not always be this way. Overseas we witnessed patients and colleagues disappearing under successive waves of case numbers, hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths. Many of us applauded our national response which stood in stark opposition to strategies chosen elsewhere. Continue reading...
More women qualified for places than men for first time since universities admitted to deliberately failing female applicantsJapanese women have outperformed men in medical school entrance exams for the first time since universities admitted they had deliberately failed female applicants to inflate the number of male doctors.According to new government data, 13.6% of female candidates passed exams at 81 medical schools last spring, compared with 13.51% of men. Continue reading...
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukraine is 'not afraid of anyone or anything' after Russian president Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions of eastern Ukraine as independent and then ordered in forces. 'Ukraine most certainly considers these last Russian actions as the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country,' he said. 'All responsibility for all the consequences connected with the decision mentioned above lies on the Russian political leadership'
The return of the statue comes after a years-long campaign to have it returned to Rapa Nui, as Easter Island is known locallyA huge Moai statue, one of the iconic stone monuments from Easter Island, began its journey back home on Monday, after being removed and taken to Santiago, where it has been housed since 1870.The return of the statue comes after a years-long campaign to have it returned to Rapa Nui, as Easter Island is known locally. Continue reading...
Pop star’s memoir was subject of a massive bidding war, and comes weeks after she sent a cease-and-desist letter to her sister over her own autobiographyBritney Spears has landed a “record-breaking” publishing deal for a tell-all memoir about her rise to fame, her relationship with her family and her experience living under a conservatorship for more than a decade.Page Six reported on Monday that publisher Simon & Schuster had secured the deal for the pop star’s memoir for as much as US$15m (£11m, A$20.8m) after a massive bidding war involving multiple publishers. Continue reading...
Colombia has decriminalised abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, following rulings in Mexico and Argentina that improve access to abortionColombia has decriminalised abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, adding to a recent string of legal victories for reproductive rights in Latin America.The South American country’s constitutional court ruled five against four to decriminalise the procedure on Monday evening. The decision follows a series of rulings in Mexico and Argentina that lowered barriers to abortion. Continue reading...
Video released by Ukraine appears to show a column of military vehicles with their headlights on moving in convoy along a road. The officials said it was not possible to tell if the troops belonged to the regular Russian army, or were from Russian-controlled separatist units
Chair of forthcoming strategic review says force must modernise to tackle blockchain-era criminalsA “crisis of confidence in policing” can only be put right through fundamental reform or risk the end of policing by consent, the head of a review of the police service will warn on Tuesday.Sir Michael Barber, the chair of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales, will say that a “Betamax police force” is unsuccessfully pursuing “blockchain-enabled criminals” as he urges modernisation of crime-fighting technology and new training for officers. Continue reading...
Liz Truss announces move after Vladimir Putin backs independence for breakaway states and sends troops into Ukrainian territoryThe UK will announce new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday “in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said.It comes as the Ukraine crisis intensified after Vladimir Putin said he would recognise two breakaway republics. The Russian president later announced he was ordering troops to the region on a “peacekeeping mission”. Continue reading...
by Julian Borger in Washington and Daniel Boffey in B on (#5WCDP)
EU and UK prepare similar moves amid alarm over Russian president’s warnings of further actionVladimir Putin’s declaration that Russia will recognise the independence of the breakaway regions of eastern Europe was greeted in the US and Europe with dismay and threats of sanctions.There was also alarm at Putin’s warnings of further action against Ukraine as a whole, questioning the country’s legitimacy and suggesting it presented a direct threat to Russia. Continue reading...
Vladimir Putin has said Russia will recognise the independence of two territories of eastern Ukraine, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Following a televised address aired on the country’s state-run news channel, Putin joined the leaders of the LPR and DPR to sign a decree recognising the independence of the two territories
by Luke Harding in Kyiv, Andrew Roth in Rostov-on-Don on (#5WCCC)
Bellingcat founder Elliot Higgins says Russia’s propaganda films have got worse but that Russian viewers, especially the older generation, tend to believe fake TV footage
by Jessica Elgot Chief political correspondent on (#5WCAY)
Analysis: cabinet colleagues horrified over wrangling between Rishi Sunak and Sajid JavidCabinet ministers were already waiting in No 10 on Monday morning when it became clear the sign-off for the prime minister’s much-anticipated end to Covid regulations was not going to be as perfunctory as they had imagined.A festering row between Rishi Sunak’s Treasury and Sajid Javid’s health department was responsible, first reported by the Guardian last week and still unresolved. Continue reading...
Tuesday: Sydney’s trains to return with limited services amid ongoing industrial action dispute. Plus: machetes and divvy vans at Painters and Dockers’ worst gigGood morning. Sydney residents can expect more train troubles today, with limited services to resume after Monday’s shutdown as the dispute between the rail union and the NSW government continues.More strikes are “inevitable” this year if the NSW government refuses to scrap its 2.5% wages cap, say unions after rail chaos hit Sydney. A long-running industrial dispute between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and NSW government saw staff across the state’s transport network “locked out” and train services ground to a halt on Monday. The transport union has accused the NSW government of playing politics with commuters, and the state government has ramped up its anti-union rhetoric, with the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, describing the action as a “coordinated attack by the Labor party and the union movement”. The NSW transport minister, David Elliott, liked it to “terrorist-like activity”, then accused RTBU of acting like “cowards”, spreading “bullshit” and “hijacking the city”. Continue reading...
The claim, made on Monday, is understood to be based on western intelligenceBritain believes there are figures within Russian military and security services who have “serious doubts” about invading Ukraine as the Kremlin continues to move more troops within 50km of the border.The claim, made on Monday, is understood to be based on western intelligence, although the concerns that exist are not expected to have any initial impact if President Vladimir Putin were to order an attack. Continue reading...
Josh Wardle’s viral puzzle game has inspired a horde of imitators, based on anything from geography to Taylor Swift fandomFirst Wordle was a grassroots hit that went viral, then the the online word puzzle was bought by the New York Times for a seven-figure sum, and now it has spawned legions of imitators.From Nerdle to Worldle, the simple format has been copied in dozens of new ways in recent weeks, sometimes to satisfy urges unfulfilled by the original, such as the opportunity to play more than once a day, but also to step up the challenge, profit from online advertising, or tap in to niche interests. Continue reading...
Peabody housing association received 40 to 50 complaints as ‘horrendous smell’ emerged from flatNeighbours of a flat in which the body of a 61-year-old woman was found dead have claimed they first raised concerns about her welfare more than two years ago.Police officers forced entry to the property in south-east London on Friday after residents reportedly sounded the alarm over a balcony door banging open and shut as Storm Eunice battered the capital. Continue reading...
The west is more united than it has been since the cold war – but the future of Ukraine hangs in the balance“I think Putin will invest Kyiv,” the Nato general told me. For a moment, I thought I had misheard. Then I realised he was using the verb “invest” in the old military sense of surrounding a city without actually occupying it. That single word measures how far we have gone backwards in Europe over the last 15 years: from a world where invest means investing money in a place – to a world where invest means besieging it with an army.Russian president Vladimir Putin declared his personal war on the west 15 years ago, in his 2007 speech to the Munich security conference. At this year’s conference, from which I have just returned, everyone was struggling to understand how we have come to the verge of what might be the largest war in Europe since 1945 – and whether we can still prevent it. For all the last-minute diplomacy, Russia continues to advance towards major military action. Its propaganda claim of a Ukrainian attack across its border and a theatrically televised evacuation of women and children from the separatist para-statelets of Donetsk and Luhansk are obviously designed to provide a fraudulent justification for Russian aggression. At this time of writing, we don’t know exactly what form the next aggression will take, but as German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the other day, Russia already has a noose around the neck of Ukraine.Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, political writer and Guardian columnist Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian