World news | The Guardian

School books will reportedly say China never recognised the treaties that ceded it to colonial powers during opium warsNew Hong Kong textbooks will teach students that the city was never a British colony, after an overhaul of a school subject that authorities have blamed for driving the pro-democracy protests.According to local reports, the new texts will teach students that the Chinese government didn’t recognise the treaties that ceded the city to Britain after the opium wars. They ended in 1997 when Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control, and therefore the texts claim Hong Kong was never a British colony. Continue reading...

Diabetes UK warns cost of living crisis could aggravate problem and accuses government of ‘letting our children down’The number of children being treated at paediatric diabetes units (PDUs) in England and Wales has increased by more than 50% amid a “perfect storm” of rising obesity levels and the cost of living crisis, health leaders have said.Diabetes UK said alarming obesity levels among children had led to a “concerning climb” in the number diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and predicted that the cost of living crisis could lead to further problems in the years to come. Continue reading...

Experts call for redefinition of breed to curb fixation on excessively short noses and wrinkled skinEnglish bulldogs must be bred with less extreme features to improve their health and to prevent breeding from being banned in the UK on welfare grounds, veterinarians have said.A study by the Royal Veterinary College found that distinctive features of English bulldogs such as their flat faces, protruding lower jaws and folds of skin contribute to them being twice as likely as other breeds to have health problems and substantially shorter lives. Continue reading...

Public sector employees also encouraged to find work overseas and send money home amid unprecedented economic crisisSri Lanka is asking government workers to take an extra day off each week to grow crops in their back yards in a bid to forestall a looming food shortage.An unprecedented economic downturn has left several staple foods in short supply, along with petrol and medicines, and high inflation is ravaging household budgets. Continue reading...

Spikes in aerosols in the stratosphere after volcano erupted in January likely causing unusually vibrant skiesUnusually fiery and vibrant sunrises and sunsets across New Zealand and Australia in recent weeks could be due to aerosols that were hurled up into the stratosphere following Tonga’s volcanic eruption in January.New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) has been inundated with messages from people asking what is causing the “strange but beautiful phenomenon”. Continue reading...

‘Small work plan’ is another signal of intensifying security interests in the region, in the wake of Beijing’s security deal with HoniaraNew Zealand is developing its own maritime security “work plans” with Solomon Islands, its defence minister has said, months after news of China’s defence pact with the Pacific nation emerged.New Zealand minister Peeni Henare said in an interview with Newsroom published on Tuesday that the two countries had begun discussions of a work plan, focused on maritime security, after his meeting with Solomon Islands’ national security minister, Anthony Veke, over the weekend. Continue reading...

Peak body labels growth in seclusion and restraint despite royal commission recommendations ‘very disappointing’

US media firm says it has not made contact with Fan who was detained in Beijing in 2020 on suspicion of national security crimesHaze Fan, a Bloomberg News staff member in China who was detained in late 2020, was released on bail early this year, according to a statement by the Chinese embassy in Washington that was dated May and reported by the news organisation on Tuesday.New York-based Bloomberg said in a news report that it was made aware of the embassy statement over the weekend, and that it had not been able to contact Fan. Continue reading...

Landlords who rent out their entire property for longer than 60 days a year will pay 50% more in rates from July

Exclusive: government hired Newgate to devise ‘corporate narrative’ for body criticised as 'accounting sham’

The tourism-dependent Pacific country will reopen with almost no restrictions in July, though there are concerns about lack of airline dealsVanuatu, one of the last Covid hermit nations, is set to open up to international travel, but there are concerns the country is not ready to restart tourism, with a lack of deals with foreign airlines posing a significant problem.From 1 July, international tourists will be able to return to Vanuatu, a country of 300,000 people three hours from Australia, which has had some of the toughest border restrictions in the world through the pandemic. Continue reading...

Suspect is brother of first person held by police over disappearance of the British journalist and indigenous activistPolice in Brazil say they have arrested a second man in connection with “the alleged murder” of the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira.Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, 41, was arrested on Tuesday and is being held in Atalaia do Norte, the isolated river town Phillips and Pereira were trying to reach when they vanished on Sunday 5 June. Continue reading...

Opposition leader’s transfer to maximum security penal colony known for abuse follows secrecy over his whereaboutsThe imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been transferred to maximum-security prison, according to the chairman of a prison monitoring commission.On Tuesday, Navalny was moved to the IK-6 prison in the village of Melekhovo in the Vladimir region, Russian news agencies reported, citing Sergei Yazhan, chairman of the regional Public Monitoring Commission. Continue reading...

Public accounts committee says institutions ‘potentially exposed to significant financial risks’, with 80 declaring annual deficitUniversities in England face danger from financial instability and falling student satisfaction, according to a report by MPs that blames the government and regulators for failing to ensure students receive value for money for their time in higher education.The report, by the public accounts committee (PAC), says some universities are heavily reliant on overseas students’ fees, using that income to cross-subsidise research and other activities – leaving them “potentially exposed to significant financial risks” if international student numbers fail to keep growing. Continue reading...

First flight to Rwanda grounded after lawyers make successful emergency applicationBoris Johnson’s plan to send an inaugural flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda has been abandoned after a dramatic 11th-hour ruling by the European court of human rights.Up to seven people who had come to the UK seeking refuge had been expected to be removed to the east African country an hour and a half before the flight was due to take off. Continue reading...

Stoppage by drivers is preventing the flow of key components in the tech industry and could add to global supply chain problemsA week-long strike by truck drivers in South Korea threatens to be the latest bottleneck in the global supply chain after industry bosses warned that the production of computer chips across Asia faced disruption.With the worldwide flow of goods struggling with hurdles such as lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine, Tuesday saw the first concrete sign that the strike was affecting South Korea’s world-leading semiconductor sector. Continue reading...

Feared backlash fails to emerge despite leading Conservative warning of international law breachMinisters believe they have largely muted Conservative opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol bill, even though one leading Conservative critic has said no MP should be voting for a breach of international law.Leading opponents of Boris Johnson held off from publicly rejecting the legislation after it was published, despite the government’s fears beforehand that it would provoke a backlash. Continue reading...

Sanaa Seif says UK government is not standing up for her brother Alaa Abd El Fattah, on hunger strike and facing deathThe sister of a British dual national human rights activist held in a Cairo jail and on the 74th day of a hunger strike, on Tuesday urged the UK foreign secretary to publicly demand that Alaa Abd El Fattah is saved from death by being released.Sanaa Seif was speaking at an event attended by Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the released British-Iranian dual national, and Gurpreet Singh, the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal – a Sikh activist from Dunbarton detained by the Indian police nearly five years ago. He has still not been charged and says a confession was extracted under torture. Continue reading...

Paul Erickson to tell Press Club of election-winning strategy including Anthony Albanese’s leadership and stoking ‘mood for change’

Probe ordered into Star’s suitability to hold licence amid construction of Queen’s Wharf developmentOne of Australia’s leading gambling researchers says the business case for Brisbane’s $3.6bn Queen’s Wharf development could possibly collapse if Star Entertainment were to be stripped of its casino licence.The state’s attorney general, Shannon Fentiman, has ordered a probe into the casino operator’s suitability to hold a licence in Queensland after a New South Wales inquiry heard allegations Star had potentially acted criminally. Continue reading...

MPs from Greece’s neo-Nazi organisation return to court eighteen months after original criminal convictionsThe imprisoned protagonists of Greece’s once-powerful neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party will seek to overturn prolonged prison terms in an appeals court trial due to open amid anti-fascist protests in Athens this week.Eighteen months after being convicted of operating a criminal organisation that had masqueraded as a political party, appellate judges will start hearing the case afresh on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Civilians evacuated in ‘quiet’ moments as Russia shifts bulk of military efforts to capturing city

Temperatures could hit 30C or 34C in the south-east and 28C in north-westA heat alert warning has been issued by the Met Office and UK Health Security Agency (UKSA) as temperatures are set to soar to 34C later this week.The forecaster said a level 2 alert has been issued for southern and central England from midnight on Friday until midnight on Sunday, with a lower level 1 alert in place for northern England. Continue reading...

Anger over asylum plan has grown in intensity, with Boris Johnson and Priti Patel under mounting pressureControversy surrounding the government policy of flying asylum seekers to Rwanda has gathered in intensity amid the countdown to the first deportation flight. It has been argued the policy is designed as a “wedge” issue, specifically intended to cause outrage among opponents while shoring up support in the Tory base. But did Boris Johnson and Priti Patel really reckon on uniting monarchy, celebrity and clergy in one alternative opposition? Continue reading...

Infections among workforce lead theatres to cancel performances, with loan repayments, soaring energy prices and the cost of living crisis adding to their woesWith infections on the rise in the UK, theatres are contending with the challenges posed by Covid cases among casts and production teams, leading to postponed opening nights, cancelled performances and substantial costs.Northern Broadsides was forced to cancel performances of As You Like It at the Viaduct in Halifax on Sunday and on three further days this week due to Covid cases, with ticket buyers offered reallocated tickets or a refund. On Monday, Curve in Leicester announced that due to a number of cases among the company of its new production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, performances would now begin on 13 July rather than 7 July. A statement from Curve’s chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said that valuable preparation time had been lost and the delay would “allow us to make up time in the rehearsal room and ensure we deliver a first-class production for our audiences”. The run has been extended by an extra week and the company are said to now be “fighting fit”. Continue reading...

Aviation sector should ‘take all possible steps’ to avoid travel disruption before summer holidaysAirlines have been told to review their schedules by the government to avoid more flight chaos, as airports and unions said the problems behind recent cancellations would not be fixed by summer.The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said airlines should ensure flights on sale are “deliverable”, and cancellations should be made “at the earliest possibility”. Continue reading...

UN expert says minors have been beaten and forced to endure mock executionsScores of children have been killed in Myanmar since last year’s coup, not just in the crossfire of conflict but as deliberate targets of a military willing to inflict immense suffering, a United Nations expert said on Tuesday.Minors had been beaten and stabbed and had fingernails or teeth removed during interrogation, while some were made to endure mock executions, according to a report from UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews. Continue reading...

Javier Bauluz fined 18 months after confrontation with police while documenting conditions in Canary IslandsA Pulitzer prize-winning photographer in Spain has been fined nearly €1,000 under the country’s “gag law” for an incident in which police blocked his attempts to take pictures of refugees.Javier Bauluz said he received news of the €960 fine this week, more than a year after a confrontation with police while he was documenting the arrival of thousands of migrants and refugees in the Canary Islands. At the time, police warned Bauluz he would be fined for “disrespecting an agent” and “refusing to identify himself”, despite the photographer’s insistence that he had handed over his identification. Continue reading...

Hollie Dance, who says son should be given more time to recover, believes judge made ‘quite a few mistakes’The mother of a 12-year-old boy with catastrophic brain damage has vowed to fight a high court ruling that her son is dead and his treatment should stop.Hollie Dance, 46, has rarely left the bedside of her son Archie Battersbee after an accident at their home on 7 April when he was discovered with a ligature over his head. Continue reading...

Margaret Ferrier’s defence asks for further pre-trial hearing as virologist who was preparing report works on recent case surgeThe monkeypox outbreak has delayed the preparation of a defence report for the trial of an MP who allegedly travelled between Glasgow and London with coronavirus symptoms.A hearing at Glasgow sheriff court on Tuesday heard that the defence for Margaret Ferrier, now an independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, was still awaiting a report from a virologist who had been otherwise engaged with the recent monkeypox outbreak. Continue reading...

First minister claims there is a legally secure path to holding referendum without Westminster’s approvalNicola Sturgeon plans to stage a fresh Scottish independence vote late next year without authority from Boris Johnson’s government, in a move likely to provoke lengthy legal battles.The first minister said on Tuesday she would update Holyrood on her plans “very soon indeed” as she released a report claiming Scotland should aspire to match the prosperity rates of small European countries such as Denmark and Ireland after independence. Continue reading...

Latest batch of at least 287 cases has raised new worries about outlook for Chinese economyAuthorities in Beijing have warned that a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases linked to a 24-hour bar was critical and the city of 22 million people was in a “race against time” to get to grips with its most serious outbreak since the pandemic began.The flare-up means millions of people are facing mandatory testing and thousands are under targeted lockdowns, just days after the city started to lift widespread curbs intended to tackle a broader outbreak since late April. Continue reading...

Drastic cuts to World Food Programme assistance will leave people ‘looking death in the face’ unless global donors offer supportThe World Food Programme has said it is suspending food aid to 1.7 million people in South Sudan, as the war in Ukraine sucks funding from the world’s crisis-plagued youngest country and causes the price of staples to soar.The UN’s emergency food assistance agency said it had planned to deliver aid to more than 6 million acutely food-insecure people in South Sudan this year, as it did in 2021, albeit with smaller rations. Continue reading...

Eurointelligence analysis says profit is ‘at expense of everyone else in EU’Hungary is set to make about £500m in yearly profits through a tax on Russian oil “at the expense of everyone else in the EU”, a research agency has suggested.The Hungarian government, which gained an opt-out from an EU embargo on Russian oil, recently introduced a windfall tax of 25% on the difference between Russian crude prices and world prices. A note by the research service Eurointelligence estimated this could net Budapest roughly $600m (£495m, €575m) in “hidden profit” a year, observing it was “not a bad money spinner for an economy that size”. Continue reading...

Issue may derail alliance summit as Ankara digs in on accusation that Nordic countries harbour terroristsTurkey has said it is willing to delay Swedish and Finnish membership of Nato for more than a year unless it receives satisfactory assurances that the two Nordic countries are willing to address support for Kurdish groups it regards as terrorist organisations.The issue threatens to derail a vital Nato summit due to start in Madrid on 29 June. Continue reading...

Brandon Flowers halts Manchester show to embrace Doug James after he swam over the heads of the crowdA 67-year-old first-time crowdsurfer has been hailed as a rock’n’roll inspiration after being carried to the front of the audience at a concert in Manchester.The Killers halted their show at Old Trafford cricket ground at the weekend after their frontman, Brandon Flowers, noticed a white-haired man in a red fleece had been carried over the security barriers. He was bleeding in the head, having been dropped after clearing the moshpit. Continue reading...

Bellway and Crest Nicholson report strong sales despite impact of cost inflationBellway and Crest Nicholson, two of Britain’s biggest housebuilders, have said demand for new houses continues to outstrip supply, pushing up prices and offsetting the rising cost of building materials and energy.Bellway posted strong sales for the four months from 1 February to 5 June, when house reservations averaged 253 a week, compared with 239 in the same period last year. Continue reading...

Simba Mujakachi, 32, who was left paralysed after stroke, still in precarious financial position despite legal victoryA man who was left permanently paralysed when he was unable to afford life-saving medication as an asylum seeker has been granted refugee status and had £100,000 of NHS debt wiped.Simba Mujakachi, 32, has said he cannot celebrate his legal victory, which comes after 11 gruelling years of applications and appeals, because he has been left in a precarious financial position and could soon be facing eviction from his home. Continue reading...

Pontiff condemns ‘cruelty’ of Russian troops while warning against perception of conflict as good v evil

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says DUP will not budge unless protocol bill progresses through WestminsterThe Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has rebuffed a British government appeal to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland despite the introduction of legislation to scrap post-Brexit checks in the Irish Sea.Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, on Tuesday welcomed the Northern Ireland protocol bill but said the party would revive the Stormont assembly only if the bill progressed at Westminster. Continue reading...

Joshua Gary Mason, 23, and his mother were arrested after a driver found a part of the victim’s leg on a Northern Territory highway

Travel firm apologises for ‘distress’ caused by cancelled services as it seeks to regain holidaymakers’ confidenceThe travel firm Tui has written to customers promising that it has learned from the delays and cancellations that ruined the May half-term holiday for many travellers, in an attempt to build confidence ahead of the key summer bookings period.The company apologised again for the disruption to plans, as it prepared to be questioned alongside other industry representatives on Tuesday by MPs on the Commons business select committee which is looking at flight cancellations and compensation. Continue reading...

Editor Bevan Shields has now accepted full responsibility for the paper’s coverage and apologised for the delay in acknowledging mistakes were made

Jason Alexander pleads not guilty to charges of stalking, trespassing, battery and vandalismBritney Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander has been charged with stalking her, after he appeared unannounced at her wedding last week.After streaming a video live on his Instagram at the wedding venue, in which he claimed that Spears had invited him and said “I’m here to crash the wedding”, Alexander was confronted by security guards, arrested and taken to a local jail. Spears’ wedding to Sam Asghari, her third husband, went ahead. Continue reading...

The Hamilton creator has said the series was his most-watched show of the pandemic, and now he has a surprise voice creditThe creator of smash hit musicals Hamilton and In the Heights, and winner of multiple Tonys, Grammys and Emmys, has finally fulfilled another of his dreams: to guest star in the Australian animated series Bluey.Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as a friendly horse named Major Tom in a new episode of season three, which is currently airing daily on the ABC in Australia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: bill for repairs backlog runs to £9bn and waiting lists are lengthening because of lack of capital to improve infrastructureNHS patients are being put in danger and waiting lists are getting even longer due to a £9bn maintenance backlog and a major lack of capital funding that has left some parts of hospitals “extremely dilapidated” and unfit for patients, health leaders have warned.Boris Johnson promised in 2019 to “build and fund 40 new hospitals”. But the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), the government watchdog, later gave the project an “amber/red” ranking, meaning its delivery “is in doubt with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas”. Continue reading...

Convicted child sexual abuser freed under the cover of darkness on Tuesday morning

UK vet says Daisy, a 12-week-old Bichon Frise cross, had ‘broken a new record’ for coin consumptionA 12-week-old puppy named Daisy has successfully had emergency surgery after doing what puppies do best: eating things they shouldn’t. In Daisy’s case, it involved swallowing 20 coins from its owner’s purse.Vet charity the PDSA said the owner of the Bichon Frise cross became concerned after she started vomiting and had stopped eating. Continue reading...

A blaze near Flagstaff, Arizona, has already burned 5,000 acres, fanned by strong winds and fed by dry grasses and brushScorching temperatures and desperately dry conditions set the stage for the rapid spread of several explosive wildfires that erupted over the weekend, forcing evacuations in California and Arizona.The blazes are among dozens that have broken out across the US south-west early in the summer, including a ferocious fire in New Mexico that became the worst in the state’s history. Officials say it’s a foreboding sign of what is shaping up to be another intense year of fire. Continue reading...