World news | The Guardian

Thousands of fans gather in online games to hold memorials for the artist and writer, who had been working on the series since 1989Kentaro Miura, creator of the long-running dark fantasy manga Berserk – one of the bestselling manga series ever written – has died at the age of 54.His US publisher Dark Horse Comics, describing Miura as a “master artist and storyteller”, said he had suffered acute aortic dissection and died on 6 May. “He will be greatly missed. Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones.” Continue reading...

In the 1970s and 80s QC John Smyth abused boys who attended camps where Justin Welby workedThe archbishop of Canterbury has issued a “full personal apology” to survivors of sadistic abuse perpetrated by a QC in the 1970s and 80s against public schoolboys who attended Christian holiday camps.Justin Welby, who worked as a dormitory officer at the so-called “Bash camps” in the 1970s, said: “I am sorry this was done in the name of Jesus Christ by a perverted version of spirituality and evangelicalism … I continue to hear new details of the abuse and my sorrow, shock and horror grows.” Continue reading...

Taxi driver who drove a prison officer to Yatala says events surrounding Indigenous man’s death five years ago ‘stuck in his mind’A taxi driver who gave a lift to a corrections officer on the day Wayne Fella Morrison was rushed to hospital from Yatala Labour Prison has told the South Australian coroner he overheard guards talking about potentially tampering with evidence.A surprise witness, Paul MacPherson came forward earlier this year after picking up corrections officer Michael Chapman from his home on the day Morrison was restrained and rushed to hospital. Continue reading...

For months Canada was trailing the US in vaccinations but now nearly 47% of the population is covered by one doseCanada is poised to overtake the US in the proportion of population with one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, following early delays in its rollout. But Canada’s success in quickly vaccinating residents has raised questions over what more it can be doing as the pandemic persists in poorer nations.For months, Canada has trailed its neighbour in vaccination rates, prompting envy and frustration among residents. In March, the US was vaccinating at a rate three times that of Canada. Continue reading...

Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical news trivia every Thursday lunchtime – how will you fare?It is Thursday lunchtime and you know the drill – it is time for our exciting weekly quiz, newly christened “the Thursday quiz” after literally seconds of discussion in the office.Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical news trivia, laced with a few weird facts and some jokes – and this week there is a hint of Eurovision in the air. It is just for fun and there are no prizes, but do let us know how you get on in the comments below. Continue reading...

Sex discrimination commissioner set to report back with review’s recommendations by November; Qantas announces job cuts to international crew; experts alarmed at Covid vaccination rates. This blog is now closed9.07am BSTThat’s where I will leave you for this evening. Thanks as always for reading. Here’s what we learned today:8.48am BSTSuicide Prevention Australia has welcomed the Victorian government’s decision to establish a Suicide Prevention and Response Office in the state budget handed down today.It comes ahead of an impending national agreement with states and territories scheduled for November this year.It is very encouraging to see that now both the federal and Victorian governments have committed to Suicide Prevention Offices.Suicide Prevention Australia has called for a whole of government approach to suicide prevention in every jurisdiction and a coordinating office is a key part of achieving that. We look forward to seeing further details on the scope and role of the new Victorian Suicide Prevention and Response Office. Continue reading...

People in France hosting non-EU nationals need to submit £26 form to their town hall as part of post-Brexit changesBritish visitors to France and Spain may be asked to show proof of their accommodation, including an official certificate obtained in advance if they are staying with friends or family, once Covid travel restrictions are lifted.According to the French government’s website, anyone in France hosting non-EU nationals is expected to complete an attestation d’accueil (accommodation certificate) form and submit it for approval to their town hall, a process taking up to a month. Continue reading...

The Guardian has launched an experimental feature format on World Accessibility Awareness Day, in partnership with Google and the Royal National Institute of Blind PeopleAudio storytelling is an avenue into other worlds. So when the Guardian was approached to take part in an experimental project to make journalism more accessible to low-vision and blind users, it felt like an opportunity we couldn’t turn down. Audio has always been about making stories more accessible, and this was an opportunity to push that even further.The result is a storytelling website called Auditorial, created to showcase the possibilities of accessible stories for blind and low-vision audiences. The story is our own, paired with Google technology and the invaluable accessibility user-testing and expert advice provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – an example of what can be done when inclusive design and thinking are at the forefront from the start. Continue reading...

Rescue ships recover 26 bodies of offshore workers and 49 still missing after storm bringing 180km/h winds leaves trail of destructionThe number of fatalities from a major cyclone on India’s west coast has jumped to at least 91 and the navy was searching for another 49 people missing at sea after a barge carrying offshore workers sank in the storm.Cyclone Tauktae, which left a trail of destruction after sweeping in from the Arabian sea on Monday, is the latest storm in what experts say is a growing number of ever-bigger storms in the region because of climate change warming its waters. Continue reading...

Stigma and cost of wood leave families with no choice but to immerse their dead in river

A San Francisco Bay Area nursery owner showcased the giant blooming flower to neighbors at an abandoned gas stationMore than 1,000 people have flocked to an abandoned gas station in the San Francisco Bay Area to get a whiff of a corpse flower, named for the stench it emits when it blooms, which has been compared to rotting flesh.Solomon Leyva, a nursery owner in Alameda who deals in exceptionally rare plants, had been posting on social media about his amorphophallus titanum. When he saw a lot of interest in the giant blooming flower, he decided to share the rare plant with his neighbors. Continue reading...

Exclusive: commission’s finding follows number of protests over colonial legacy at Oriel CollegeAn independent commission set up to examine the future of Oxford University’s controversial statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes has recommended its removal.The commission was set up last June after Oxford University’s Oriel College voted in favour of removing its statue. The commission was asked to look into the issue after a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was torn down in Bristol at the height of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protest. Continue reading...

Thursday: Morrison government in talks over digital certificates that could unlock travel. Plus, the landmark case between a tech giant and popular gameGood morning. Scott Morrison hints at a digital vaccine passport, Israel’s prime minister has appeared to disregard US calls for de-escalation in Gaza, and fracking furore in rural Queensland. Those headlines, and more, in Thursday’s morning mail.The Morrison government is in talks to fast-track a digital vaccination passport to allow quarantine-free overseas travel for vaccinated Australians, as well as flagging a potential travel bubble with Singapore. The federal government’s efforts to encourage vaccination continues to be criticised, with its facts-led official ad campaign contrasting greatly with the strong emotive appeals put forward by other nations around the world. Doctors have warned Australians are “sitting ducks” unless the Covid vaccine rollout can rapidly expand to cover a larger percentage of the population, with the current rate of vaccination not tipped to fully vaccinate Australia’s adult population until November 2022. It comes as a third Australian has died from Covid-19 in India while caring for his elderly parents. Continue reading...

More than 500 people have been waiting more than a year for claim to be handled, Home Office data showsThe Home Office has revealed that 21 people have died while waiting for Windrush compensation claims to be paid, amid continuing concern that the scheme is taking too long to make payments to elderly people affected by the scandal.The number has more than doubled since November, when figures showed that nine people had died without receiving the redress they had applied for. Continue reading...

Aftermath of Scottish Premiership victory on Saturday marred by vandalism, unrest and abusive behaviourA number of churches in and around Glasgow were subject to vandalism and anti-Catholic abuse over the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as Rangers supporters rampaged through the city centre on Saturday.Windows were smashed at the St Maria Goretti church estate in Cranhill, north-east Glasgow. At another church, which has asked not to be identified, a banner with anti-Catholic slogans was draped across railings in time for evening mass, before it was removed by church officials. There were further reports of abusive heckling of those within church grounds. The Guardian understands that two incidents were reported to Police Scotland. Continue reading...

Controversial tech has already been adopted by some countries despite privacy concernsThe Australian government is in talks with the International Air Transport Association about a new digital certificate that could unlock quarantine-free overseas travel for vaccinated Australians.In recent days, the prime minister Scott Morrison has begun talking up the idea of a new digital vaccination passport that could be used for domestic travel, saying this would be the “next most achievable step” as more Australians became vaccinated. Continue reading...

My friend Irene Owens, who has died aged 102, was a typist, switch-board operator, air-raid warden, nursery nurse and one-woman aid provider to Zimbabwe after she befriended Sally Mugabe, the president’s wife.Irene, known as Renie to her friends, first visited Zimbabwe in 1980 for a conference with the Moral Re-Armament movement (MRA), of which she was a member. Continue reading...

Tiny European republic is offering two Sputnik V jabs as part of holiday package

Subnormal, a devastating documentary produced by Steve McQueen, reveals how Britain’s education system in the 60s and 70s was stacked against Black pupils – and still is today

Stop blaming vaccine hesitancy for spread of India Covid variant, says Mohammed Khan

Labour leader says PM has lost control of the messaging after contradictory guidance on amber list travel

Efforts in Africa and elsewhere hit by decision not to export Serum’s AstraZeneca jab until end of year

Department of finance has clarified the former advisor was not terminated immediately after Linda Reynolds was alerted to a ‘security breach’The Liberal staffer alleged to have raped Brittany Higgins in 2019 did not have his employment terminated until 10 days after he left the office of then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds.The official termination date has surfaced in answers to questions on notice and supplied by the Department of Finance after the last Senate estimates round in late March. Continue reading...

International calls for action grow as Netanyahu reportedly says fighting could end ‘within days’Egypt has urged a brokered end to the fighting between Israel and militants in Gaza, and France has called for a UN security council resolution on the violence, as international pressure for a ceasefire intensifies.The US has so far stopped short of demanding an end to the clashes, confining its public efforts to urging that attacks are scaled back. Washington has repeatedly blocked efforts before the UN security council to draft joint statements calling for the fighting to end. The latest US rejection came at a security council meeting late on Tuesday that again ended without a statement, as airstrikes and rocket fire continued into the night. Continue reading...

Fed up living in a world designed by and for men, 80s design activists Matrix declared war on every urban obstacle in their way. And their impact is still being felt today

Morrison government says it will provide cheap energy but experts say renewables are already providing cheaper, cleaner alternatives. So who’s right?

A Covid-driven global shortage of microchips has put manufacturer TSMC at the heart of the world’s recovery, as well as US-China tensionsLiving on an island long coveted by a large and increasingly powerful neighbour, the residents of Taiwan have given some thought to where might be the best place to go should the worst happen. Some think it might be the hills, others historic buildings that China will want to preserve. By the same reasoning, some believe it is the factory run by the world’s biggest computer chip maker, TSMC.Taiwan has for decades been both a global strategic flashpoint and one of the world’s economic powerhouses. In an industrial park about an hour’s drive from Taipei, those twin identities merge almost perfectly in the form of the factory run by TSMC, the world’s largest maker of computer chips – a facility so vital that some Taiwanese think it could be the safest place to flee to should China one day invade. Continue reading...

Serious clashes erupted in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as Palestinians took part in a day of protests and strikes over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. In Jerusalem, police deployed water cannon in the neighbourhood Sheikh Jarrah, where Palestinian families are facing eviction from homes they have lived in since the 1950s.

Local officials in Uttar Pradesh demolish mosque that had stood since time of British ruleA local administration in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has defied a state high court order and bulldozed a mosque, in one of the most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a mob of Hindu nationalist rioters in 1992.The mosque, called Masjid Gareeb Nawaz Al Maroof, in the district of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, had stood for at least six decades, since the time of British rule, according to documents held by its committee. Continue reading...

Last week, new laws that allow the government to indefinitely detain refugees and give the immigration minister new powers to revoke a person’s refugee status, quietly passed through parliament.The government says this gives the minister greater oversight to protect human rights, but others are concerned these powers are undemocratic and may breach international lawRead more from Ben Doherty on this topic: Continue reading...

Jill Napier was intimidated by the letter she was mistakenly sent on settled status, and Himat Lakhani spells out the government incompetence that he and his clients are having to deal withI received the very intimidating EU settlement letter on Saturday (Home Office sends letters warning of immigration status to UK citizens, 17 May). I became a French national 10 years ago; I’ve been married for 32 years to someone born in France but who has spent all his life in England. I was born in Norwich to parents and forebears who never left Norfolk. I’ve held a British passport for over 50 years and have worked for 30 years in English education. Surely, various government departments must have plenty of evidence about me by now?I now know that I am not vulnerable but have been targeted as an EU scrounger because of my earned state pension. In spite of their valued contributions to British life, there will be a lot of other people who are actually at risk. Continue reading...

Recent blaze at New Providence Wharf prompts people to think of ways to escape burning buildingsResidents of apartment blocks with fire safety problems are exploring buying abseiling equipment, rope ladders and personal smoke hoods to help them evacuate burning buildings, amid rising anger that thousands of homes remain unfixed.It follows the latest blaze in an apartment block with fire safety defects earlier this month at New Providence Wharf, in east London, where residents were trapped on balconies because they could not escape through thick smoke. Continue reading...

Holidaymakers from Britain may still be required to quarantine and take Covid-19 tests

Areas that have escaped worst of bombing in previous conflicts are bearing brunt this time aroundFor the residents of the central neighbourhoods of Gaza City the last nine days have been unusually brutal.The affluent heart of Gaza’s Palestinian society, in past conflicts areas like Tal al-Hawa and al-Rimal have been less heavily hit by the periodic wars between Israel and Hamas that have shaken the coastal strip since 2008. Continue reading...

Oliver Banfield is found guilty of gross misconduct by West Midlands police after attack on Emma HomerA former police officer who assaulted a woman in the street as she walked home has been placed on a register barring him from rejoining the service.Former West Midlands police constable Oliver Banfield was off duty when he grabbed Emma Homer in July last year before placing her in a headlock and kicking at her feet. Continue reading...

Amsterdam show includes 140 objects ranging from Rembrandt portraits to human collars and ankle chainsThe aim of a first exhibition on the Dutch slave trade to be shown at the Rijksmuseum, launched on Tuesday by King Willem-Alexander, is not to be “woke” but to be a “blockbuster” telling a truer story of the Golden Age, the director general of the national institution has said.Taco Dibbits said his museum had no intention of taking sides in a political and cultural debate but that the royal visit, broadcast live on national television, highlighted that the wealth bestowed and cruelty endured is not just relevant to the descendants of those enslaved. Continue reading...

Jenny McGee, who kept vigil by PM’s bedside when he was sick with Covid, derides government’s handling of pandemicA nurse who cared for Boris Johnson when he was gravely ill with Covid-19 says she has handed in her resignation, such is her disillusionment with the “lack of respect” shown by the government for the NHS and healthcare workers.Jenny McGee, who kept vigil by the prime minister’s bedside for two days when he was in intensive care, also revealed that his staff had later attempted to co-opt her into a “clap for the NHS” photo opportunity with him during what she thought would be a discreet thank you visit to Downing Street. Continue reading...

Sweep aside those boring burgers and bangers, and instead let smoky veg, grilled stone fruits and knockout marinades steal the barbecue show• Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.comI always find barbecues underwhelming. Any easy upgrade ideas?

The prime minister concedes the government has to ‘step up’ the vaccination effort as the AMA says it’s time to put a date on reopeningThe prime minister, Scott Morrison, is fending off mounting pressure to reopen Australia’s borders sooner than next year, as the peak medical association joins calls for a “plan for 2022” that would see the country reopen to the rest of the world.Following last week’s budget, which assumed that Australia’s borders would remain closed until mid next year, the Morrison government has faced a barrage of calls from business, the university sector and from within Coalition ranks for a swifter reopening of borders and a bolstering of quarantine facilities. Continue reading...

From a paintbrush to a Stratocaster and a stained glass panel, some unexpected items took on huge new importance in a world of coronavirus restrictions Continue reading...

George Eustice says ‘intensive surveillance’ taking place in areas to determine if restrictions can be lifted on 21 June

Victories for leftist and independent candidates over rightwingers paves the way for a long-awaited progressive settlementChile’s established political elite has been roundly rejected at the polls six months ahead of a pivotal presidential election, as the country turned to a progressive new generation to write the next chapter in its history.Resounding victories for leftist and independent candidates saw rightwing politicians crash to a dismal electoral defeats alongside those with links to Chile’s transition to democracy. Continue reading...

Raucous comedy We Are Lady Parts follows an all-female group’s journey on to the toilet circuit. Its cast believe it’s time for new voices to be heardIt is loud when I enter the virtual room. Raucous laughter and excited chatter fill the air, and for a moment I feel like a teacher quieting an unruly class. It is a fitting start, given that I’m here to interview the cast of Channel 4’s new musical comedy, a six-part series following the exploits of an anarchic all-female, all-Muslim punk band setting out to make some noise.Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading...

Most powerful storm in two decades forces thousands to flee and hampers Covid-tackling effortsThe Indian navy is working to rescue crew members from a sunken barge and a second cargo vessel that adrift off the coast of Mumbai after a deadly cyclone struck the western coast.The navy said it had rescued 177 of the 400 people onboard the two barges in the Arabia Sea. Three frontline warships had jointed the rescue operations, the navy said. Continue reading...

When the pandemic struck Ecuador it turned back the clock for many indigenous and African-Ecuadorean families, forcing them to return to the places they were born and fall back on themselves as in times gone by.Johis Alarcón is a photographer based in Ecuador. Her work is supported and produced by the Magnum Foundation, a non-profit organisation that expands creativity and diversity in documentary photography, with a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.As Covid-19 ravaged Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, in the first months of the pandemic and spread through the rest of the country, smaller and more isolated communities were often the safest but forced to look to themselves to educate their children.As the photographer Johis Alarcón discovered on her visits to the indigenous village of San Clemente in the Andean highlands and the African-Ecuadorean hamlet of Playa de Oro in the coastal rainforest bordering Colombia, a renewed sense of community grew. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fifty-seven per cent of people with illness say they were better overall after jab

Scathing report says government deal was ‘poorly informed’ and did not consider Sydney site’s clean-up costs, now at $107mThe New South Wales government has been sharply criticised for paying a property developer $53.5m for a contaminated block of land in Sydney seven months after it sold for $38m, without bothering to obtain a valuation or an estimate of the clean-up costs.In 2016 the state government bought a 6.3-hectare block at Camellia from the property developer Grand 4 Investments Pty Ltd to build a depot for its Parramatta light rail project. Continue reading...

Silence over bombing of occupied territory puts UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan at odds with their populationsAs Israel and Gaza have pressed closer to all-out war, a new battle for the narrative is being fought among Arab states. For the first time in the many clashes between the Israeli state and the occupied territory, regional unity over who is to blame and what should be done to stop the fighting has splintered.Related: Are Israel and Palestine on the brink of another war? Continue reading...

To improve safety, speeds will be capped at 12.5mph and the scooters will not work in royal parksLondoners can legally use e-scooters on public roads next month – but only slowly. E-scooters will be limited to a maximum of 12.5mph, 3mph slower than in the rest of the UK, when rental scheme trials start on 7 June.The schemes will only operate in a few parts of central, south and west London as the capital prioritises safety. Three operators – Tier, Lime and Dott – have been chosen by Transport for London (TfL) to run the trial service. Continue reading...