New Zealand prime minister says she agreed to interviews on basis that it was about a group of female leaders and ‘not specific to me’Jacinda Ardern has distanced herself from a recently released biography documenting her leadership style, less than a week after joining widespread criticism of a film that focuses on her role leading New Zealand during the Christchurch terror attacks.The new book – Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy – was written by activist and journalist Supriya Vani, and writer Carl A. Harte, based on “Vani’s exclusive interviews with Ardern”, according to its seller, Simon & Schuster. Continue reading...
The ‘blood man’ of conflict-racked Kashmir has donated 174 pints of blood since 1980 but feels ‘crushed’ by his povertyShabir Hussain Khan was taking an afternoon nap when he heard a commotion outside his house. A friend had been injured in a football match and had lost a lot of blood. Khan, who did not have any transport, rushed to the hospital by foot to donate some. It was 4 July 1980. Yesterday the man known locally as the “blood man of Kashmir” donated his 174th pint of his blood to strangers at the public hospital close to his Srinagar home.“Blood is not something you can buy in the market,” says Khan, who has an O-negative blood group. “In those days blood donation was not common, nor were blood banks. The way blood is available readily now, it was not like that before. Also there was no connectivity at that time. We only had radios and two or three landline phones in the entire locality.” Continue reading...
Meeting of leaders at G7 reportedly cancelled over Seoul’s decision to stage exercises around Dokdo islands, which are also claimed by TokyoSouth Korea has begun annual military drills near a pair of remote islands that are also claimed by Japan, as the long-running territorial dispute threatened to sour preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.The exercises near the Dokdo islands – referred to as Takeshima in Japan – began days after a meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of the Cornwall G7 summit was reportedly cancelled due to Japanese objections to the exercises. Continue reading...
Warm air from Spain usually means thundery days will follow – but changing weather patterns are making this less likelyToday is the day when Benjamin Franklin supposedly flew a kite in a thunderstorm, to prove that lightning was electricity. We have learned a lot about thunderstorms since 1752, but our fascination with them has not diminished: who can resist the energy in that crackling drum roll, the angry purple clouds and those brilliant fleeting flashes of light?For nearly 200 years aficionados in Oxford have been measuring thunderstorms. Analysis of this uniquely long record has been published in the journal Weather, and reveals a marked drop in the number of thunderstorms in the Oxford area during the last decade. Curiously the 1920s and 30s were peak thunder years, with an annual average of 20 days of thunder heard. By contrast, the most recent decade averaged just 8.1 days of thunder a year. Continue reading...
After a year of loungewear and dressing from the waist up, these tailored but informal trousers have won over everyone from Kendall Jenner to the Duchess of Cambridge
They used to look like quagmires, ice rinks or dustbowls, depending on the time of year. But as big money entered football, pristine pitches became crucial to the sport’s image – and groundskeepers became starsIt was a big moment for English football talent when Real Madrid poached Paul Burgess from Arsenal in 2009. After starting his career at Blackpool FC, Burgess had arrived at the north London club in 1999, rising to prominence at the age of just 21. He excelled on the European stage during Arsenal’s Champions League campaigns in the early 2000s, and shone at Euro 2004 in Portugal. Four years later, he put in another commanding performance at the European Championships. Not long after that, Real Madrid, the most prestigious club in world football, made their sensational transfer swoop.If you don’t remember any of this, it’s not because Burgess was a flop at Madrid. It’s because he was Arsenal’s head groundsman. Burgess’s transfer was the beginning of a Europe-wide spending spree on British turf talent. Real’s rivals Atlético snapped up Dan Gonzalez, who had impressed with his work for Bournemouth FC. Tony Stones, who got his start looking after bowling greens in Barnsley before eventually becoming head groundsman at Wembley, was signed to oversee the French national stadium, the Stade de France. Fifa, meanwhile, signed Alan Ferguson, a Scot who had won seven Groundsman of the Year awards during 12 seasons at Ipswich Town, as their first in-house senior pitch manager. Continue reading...
The chapter of the international movement said it was a ‘racist, white-dominated space’A large part of New Zealand’s School Strike 4 Climate movement has formally disbanded, saying it had been racist and insufficiently responsive to activists of colour.In a Facebook post, the movement’s chapter in Auckland said it had “avoided, ignored and tokenised BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of colour] voices and demands” and that it had been “a racist, white-dominated space”. Continue reading...
Analysts say event will be ‘boring’ as both sides attempt a reboot following catastrophic meeting between Trump and Putin in 2017On the 24-hour Russian state news channel, Thursday began as any other might: with a segment about the ageing president of the United States battling back cicadas and then giving a “confused” speech about his upcoming summit in Geneva with Vladimir Putin.“I’ll let [Putin] know what I want him to know,’” said Biden after a cutaway shot of him swatting his neck before boarding Air Force One this week. Continue reading...
Woman murdered Mathew Dunbar, who was found dead in his bed in 2017, by sedating and gassing himA New South Wales woman who denied sedating and gassing her sheep farmer partner has been found guilty of murder.Natasha Beth Darcy pleaded not guilty to murdering Mathew Dunbar, who was found dead in his bed on his Pandora property in the NSW northern tablelands town of Walcha on 2 August 2017. Continue reading...
by Presented by Rachel Humphreys with Joe Parkin Dani on (#5K2PT)
A demonstration against tax rises has morphed into a mass movement against the government, says Joe Parkin Daniels in BogotáAn attempt by the Colombian government to introduce sweeping tax changes in response to the coronavirus crisis was met earlier this year by angry protests. Thousands of people flooded on to the streets throughout the country for four consecutive days. It was enough to prompt President Iván Duque to withdraw his tax plans, but by then it was too late to stop the protests.Ever since, more and more Colombians have been coming out to protest. Joe Parkin Daniels, who has been reporting on the demonstrations for the Guardian for weeks, tells Rachel Humphreys that they now encompass people from all sections of Colombian society, with a multitude of causes. One thing ever present is a fury at the growing inequality that has been exacerbated by the Covid crisis. As police have cracked down hard on the protesters, more than 50 people have died, with no end to the protests in sight. Continue reading...
Michael and Peter Taylor tell Tokyo court of their part in spiriting away executive in musical instrument caseTwo Americans charged with helping former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct have told a court that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggested the pair don’t plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal, which carry a possible penalty of up to three years in prison. Continue reading...
Bug picked up occupants of car in which Baker was shot saying they did not have a real gun, inquiry toldA public inquiry into the death of an unarmed man shot by a Metropolitan police marksman during a foiled prison break has heard that a bug in the getaway car picked up the occupants saying they did not have a real gun.The opening day of the hearing on Monday also heard that Jermaine Baker may have been asleep shortly before armed police descended on the car and he was shot. Continue reading...
In US TV interview, Russian leader deflects allegations over cyber-attacks and human rightsVladimir Putin has refused to give any guarantee that the opposition leader Alexei Navalny will get out of prison alive, saying his continued detention was not his decision and noting the poor state of medical care in Russian jails.In an extended and testy interview with NBC News before Putin’s Geneva summit with Joe Biden, the Russian president deflected a string of allegations about his government’s role in cyber-attacks on the west. He also fended off questions about his government’s human rights record by making counter-allegations against the US. Continue reading...
by Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Alexis Petridis and Laura Sna on (#5K22H)
From drill’s high watermark to Tuareg rock, Colombian pop and London jazz, here are our music editors’ picks of the best LPs from the first half of the year Continue reading...
The Royal Shakespeare Company is letting the public watch the usually secret processes towards performance – from clapping games to verse sessionsThe creative process normally takes place behind closed doors. But the RSC has boldly upended that idea by streaming its Open Rehearsal Project for Henry VI Part One. What this means, in practice, is that cameras are admitted for three sessions each day. At 10am we watch a half-hour company warm-up. From noon, for 90 minutes, we get to see either a class (movement, combat, verse-speaking) or the rehearsal of a scene. Then at 6pm we eavesdrop on a green-room chat, in which company members mull over progress so far. After dipping in and out for the first fortnight – and there’s still more than a week to go before a streamed performance on 23 June – I’m intrigued by how much I’ve learned.But are open rehearsals a good idea? There was a pivotal moment when Gregory Doran – who shares direction of the project with Owen Horsley – quoted a letter he’d received from an actor who said “the rehearsal room is sacrosanct – actors must not be exposed like this”. I spoke to a veteran actor who said she too was horrified by the idea of the public witnessing the trial and error that takes place in a rehearsal room. Continue reading...
by Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem, and agencies on (#5K1CH)
Mohammad Shtayyeh condemns Naftali Bennett’s announcements in support of Israeli settlementsBenjamin Netanyahu’s ousting closes one of the “worst periods” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but the new government headed by a settler advocate, Naftali Bennett, is just as bad as the last, the Palestinian prime minister has said.“We do not see this new government as any less bad than the previous one, and we condemn the announcements of the new prime minister Naftali Bennett in support of Israeli settlements,” Mohammad Shtayyeh said, referring to hundreds of thousands of Jewish Israelis who have taken land in the occupied West Bank. Continue reading...
If patches, hypnosis and self-help books don’t work, maybe it’s time to think laterally. Readers reveal the unlikely methods that encouraged them to kick the habitI smoked 10 to 20 a day, but finally quit 11 years ago. I found getting a glass of water when the cravings hit worked really well. By the time I went to the kitchen, poured it and drank it, the peak of the craving had usually passed. It also helped me to realise that you can ride out a craving. The first three weeks were the hardest. Michael, artist and educator, Scotland Continue reading...
The events can be gruelling and even dangerous, yet more and more people are signing upJohn Stocker hadn’t slept in three-and-a-half days when he finally crossed the finish line after running more than 337 miles in an ultramarathon event in Suffolk, stopping only at brief intervals for food and rest.Of the 123 people who started the race in Knettishall Heath on 5 June, he was the last person still running 81 hours later on Tuesday evening, and had to summon all of his physical and mental strength to get around the last lap. Continue reading...
Anti-corruption watchdog demands overhaul in wake of David Cameron Greensill scandalMinisters could be banned from lobbying for up to five years after leaving office and also face possible penalties if they break the rules, the anti-corruption watchdog has said.Lord Evans, the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, made the proposal in an emergency review published on Monday in the wake of the Greensill scandal. Continue reading...
With unemployment among the world’s worst and those under 35 hit hardest, young Nigerians see their prospects rapidly diminishFavour Obi graduated in 2016 with a first class degree in biomedical sciences and what felt like reasonable hopes for a career in medical research.Before a recent shift waiting tables at a fast food restaurant in Lagos, the 27-year-old explained how gradually she let those hopes drift away. “I knew it would be hard to find a job but at the same time I was so determined, I was staying hopeful,” she said. Continue reading...
China recently eased Covid travel restrictions for foreign visitors to Tibet in an effort to boost tourism. Beijing is aiming for 61 million visitors a year by 2025, more than 15 times the number of Tibet’s inhabitants. Foreign journalists, normally not permitted to travel to the autonomous region, were also taken on a visit organised by the government Continue reading...
How do you get 90 hoofers to frug in a pool? Christopher Scott, the choreographer behind Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical extravaganza, reveals allChristopher Scott is baffled. “I hear time and again: ‘Musicals are not really my thing.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what that means. You don’t like music? You don’t like dancing?’”Many people who “don’t like musicals” will like the one Scott has just choreographed. In the Heights was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2005, before his mega-success with Hamilton, and it’s set in the largely Dominican neighbourhood of Washington Heights, just south of where Miranda grew up in Manhattan. Now turned into a film, starring Hamilton alumnus Anthony Ramos and LA Law’s Jimmy Smits, it’s a feelgood story of identity, belonging and a secret lottery win, full of heart, rich with character and bursting with music. Continue reading...
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year hold on power has ended as parliament voted on a new government of improbable allies. The schism was evident at a raucous session of the legislature ahead of the vote. Netanyahu loyalists, shouting ‘shame’ and ‘liar’, frequently interrupted the man set to replace him, nationalist Naftali Bennett, as he spelled out the new coalition’s policies. During his last speech as prime minister, a combative Netanyahu vowed to return: ‘We will be back, soon’ he said multiple times
Monday: Investigation launched into alleged bullying of Australian army officer cadets in Sydney. Plus: Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff appointed an Officer of the Order of AustraliaGood morning! Netanyahu has been ousted, the G7 has concluded and Australian authorities are investigating alleged bullying in the army. It’s also been a busy weekend for sport, with an on-field cardiac arrest and a new swimming world record.The Australian army is investigating allegations of bullying and harassment of officer cadets at the Sydney University regiment. The allegations include claims of verbal abuse and inappropriate comments by superiors; men conducting searches of women’s rooms, including their underwear drawers; and a nearly three-month period in which cadets were forced to work seven days a week with no days off. Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said the allegations were sufficiently serious that they should be investigated by the joint military police unit to ensure the exercise was seen as independent. Continue reading...
Disability advocates say findings point to urgent need for improved preventative healthcarePotentially avoidable hospitalisations occur at a rate up to eight times higher for people with intellectual disability than the general population, according to new research.Advocates say the findings point to an urgent need for improved preventative healthcare in people with intellectual disability. Continue reading...
Samantha Crompvoets says she is struggling after being targeted by members of a veterans’ Facebook group and articles in the Daily TelegraphThe military sociologist whose work triggered the explosive Brereton war crimes inquiry says a campaign of vitriol against her in recent weeks has been “awful” and is taking a toll on her personally.Dr Samantha Crompvoets has faced a torrent of abuse and criticism, including appalling comments made by members of a veterans’ Facebook group and articles in the Daily Telegraph suggesting she was “cashing in” and reaping “personal gain” by publishing a book about the issue. Continue reading...
Latest updates: PM says most conversations with other leaders harmonious and on other topics, as row with France over Brexit overshadows final day of G75.20pm BSTLeaders at this summit have failed to deliver either the vaccine doses and investment needed to end the Covid pandemic or the real action it will take to stem the tide of climate change. This is an historic missed opportunity that leaves people everywhere dangerously exposed to these crises.Related: Coronavirus live: UK cases up by 2,000 for second week in a row; G7 calls for expert-led study on origins of Covid5.06pm BSTG7 leaders agreed to coordinate their response to the challenges posed by China “much much more closely”, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said after the summit. As Reuters reports, Trudeau said at his news conference:What we really came together clearly to say and put forward today was a need to speak with one voice [on China], a need to coordinate much more closely our working together and our focus. Continue reading...
Analysis: Cornwall summit revives multilateralism but lacks action on climate, vaccines and ChinaBoris Johnson struggled to present an agreement between G7 world leaders in Cornwall as a breakthrough to match the scale of the crises facing the globe.The final communique of the rich nations’ club contained no early timetable to eradicate coal-fired emissions, offered only 1bn extra vaccines for the world’s poor over the next 12 months and made no new binding commitments to challenge China’s human rights abuses. Continue reading...
Lawyers criticise 10-year terms given to four asylum seekers, saying three should have been tried in juvenile courtDraconian prison sentences handed down to four Afghan youths found guilty of starting the fire that destroyed the Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year have been described as a “parody of justice”.Defence lawyers called the penalties “unfair”, saying three of the accused were under the age of 18 at the time and should have been tried before a juvenile court. The asylum seekers received 10-year jail terms each. Continue reading...
Football’s coming home, according to the fans inside Wembley. We have heard that before and so the usual disclaimers must apply. But this was an encouraging start for England, at the very least; the first time they have won the opening match at a European Championship – at the 10th time of asking.It was a deserved victory, too, against surely the strongest opposition that Gareth Southgate’s team will face at the group stage. It was an occasion when revenge was in the air, with one or two of England’s players having brought up the semi-final defeat by Croatia at the 2018 World Cup. It is hard to see that anything will ever compensate for that and certainly not a group phase win. Continue reading...
Protest at Plaza de Colón in Madrid draws 25,000 people, including leaders of three rightwing partiesAbout 25,000 people, including the leaders of the three parties on Spain’s right, have rallied in Madrid to protest against the government’s deeply divisive moves to pardon the 12 Catalan independence leaders convicted over their parts in the failed secession attempt almost four years ago.The event on Sunday, held beneath the enormous Spanish flag in the capital’s Plaza de Colón, came almost two and a half years after a similar demonstration against the Socialist government’s handling of the Catalan independence crisis. Continue reading...
Party officially endorses co-leader and top candidate for September election to succeed MerkelGermany’s Green party has said it remains confident of securing the chancellorship and succeeding Angela Merkel at the country’s autumn election despite a drop in the polls, as it officially endorsed its lead candidate for the job.Setbacks in recent weeks have led to the Greens slipping to second place behind Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after commanding the polls for the first time in years. But this did not dissuade delegates from wholeheartedly throwing their support behind Annalena Baerbock at the party’s annual gathering on Saturday. Continue reading...
Work begins next month to swathe monument in blue fabric a year after Bulgarian-born artist’s deathThe Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be swathed in silvery blue fabric and red rope as a posthumous project planned by the artist Christo since the early 1960s finally becomes reality.Work will begin next month on L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a €14m installation at one of the world’s most recognised monuments. The arch will be swathed in 25,000 sq/m of recyclable polypropylene fabric, fixed with 3,000 m of red rope, also recyclable. Continue reading...
Sky News host gets second-highest rank in honours system, the latest in a series of controversial recipientsPeta Credlin, Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff and current Sky News host, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s birthday honours.The controversial broadcaster, columnist and veteran Liberal staffer was appointed to the second-highest rank under the honours system for her contribution to Australian politics. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#5K0MY)
Former students of Eltham college receive letter from school’s lawyers accusing them of obstructing investigationFormer pupils at a private school in south-east London who compiled a dossier of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations were shocked to receive a letter from the school’s lawyers accusing them of obstructing investigations into the incidents.The students, who went to Eltham College in Bromley, said they expected to receive a compassionate response after they collected testimonies from pupils past and present alleging sexism, sexual harassment, abuse and assault, and forwarded them to the school, inspired by the Everyone’s Invited anti-rape movement. Continue reading...
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