World news | The Guardian

Analysis: Labour leader must act fast to pin Johnson’s legacy and state of economy on entire Tory party

Dos Santos’s near four-decade rule was marked by brutal civil war lasting almost three decadesAngola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Africa’s second-biggest oil producer for nearly four decades, has died aged 79.The former president died on Friday morning at the Barcelona Teknon clinic after a prolonged illness, the presidency said. A spokesperson for the clinic declined to comment. Dos Santos had been receiving medical treatment since 2019. Continue reading...

Russian foreign minister accuses the west of frenzied criticism over his country’s invasion of Ukraine

Plans for bash at country retreat led to accusations Johnson wanted to delay No 10 departure until after event

Former PM says he didn’t tell powerbrokers he would like to join the Australian Rugby League Commission

Analysis: there were mixed messages, mistakes, but also successes, before Partygate helped bring down PMBoris Johnson had been in power for six months when Covid hit Britain and sparked the greatest peacetime crisis in a century. His departure, with the worst of the pandemic surely behind us, means his tenure will be framed by his handling of the virus. To some he got “the big decisions right”. To others he oversaw one of the UK’s worst ever public health failures. Here we look back at the prime minister’s Covid battle and assess how he fared. Continue reading...

Defence barrister says Dawson acknowledged his extramarital affair had been hurtful to Lynette, but that he had already paid a heavy price for it

Remains returned from UK Natural History Museum as well as from across New Zealand, a century after being dug up as curiosities by explorersThe skeletal remains of more than 100 Moriori ancestors, the Indigenous people of Rēkohu – or the Chatham Islands – have been returned to the tribe from the UK, as part of the largest single repatriation of Moriori remains to date.The ancestral remains, or karāpuna in Moriori dialect, were unceremoniously dug up by colonisers to be traded as curiosities and, for up to 100 years since, have sat in collections in London’s Natural History Museum and across Aotearoa New Zealand. Continue reading...

Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital among the facilities suspending some surgeries

The prime minister is variously thanked for this time in office and urged to be gone as soon as possible in today’s front pagesThe chaotic choreography of Boris Johnson’s sort-of resignation as prime minister delivered some contrasting front pages on Friday.The Guardian has a poster-style front page with a picture of an “unrepentant” Johnson during his resignation speech and the headline “It’s (almost) over” in which the words in parentheses are reduced to much smaller point size. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereAuthorities in Odesa are reporting that grain silos in the region and Snake Island have been hit by rockets or missiles overnight.An official channel for Odesa posted:Two rockets hit two agricultural hangars at night, which were destroyed. About 35 tonnes of grain were stored in one of them.According to preliminary data, there are no victims. Continue reading...

Republican former Senate candidate had sued British comedian over appearance on TV show judges ruled was ‘clearly comedy’A winner has been declared in the showdown between comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and former judge and failed Senate candidate Roy Moore, at least for now.On Thursday, Baron Cohen defeated a $95m defamation lawsuit brought by Moore, who said he was tricked into a television appearance that lampooned sexual misconduct accusations against him. Continue reading...

Moscow says equipment, which was being repaired in Canada, was crucial to restore gas supplies to GermanyCanada’s Ukrainian community has urged the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to refuse to compromise the country’s sanctions against Russia in order to return a turbine that Moscow says is critical for supplying natural gas to Germany.Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom cut the capacity along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to just 40% of usual levels last month, citing the delayed return of equipment being serviced by Germany’s Siemens Energy in Canada. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Timor-Leste president welcomes decision to end prosecution of ‘good man’ who helped expose Australian bugging operation

Minister for women says mission to improve workplace conditions is urgent and will not ‘die a little slow death’

Analysis: with his exit dragged out, will outgoing PM fumble governing or make problems for successor?Britain has always been able to manage an orderly transfer of power from one prime minister to another, despite our uncodified constitution and its blend of practice, tradition and impromptu pragmatism.But that constitution has never come across a disruptive personality like Boris Johnson. Just as with Donald Trump’s transition after his defeat, Conservative MPs fear how Johnson could behave. Continue reading...

Meeting in Indonesia will be the first with the Russian envoy since the Kremlin invaded its neighbour, triggering global food and energy crisesSee all our Ukraine coverage hereRussian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has flown into the Indonesian island of Bali for a gathering of G20 foreign ministers, which is likely to be overshadowed by Moscow’s war in Ukraine and deep divisions within the bloc over how to respond to the crisis.US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Lavrov and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi are all due to attend the gathering as concern among western governments mounts about the war’s impact on the cost of food and fuel, which has prompted the UN to warn of an “unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution”. Continue reading...

Research comes amid growing push for companies and governments to quantify costs and benefits of wellbeingWhat price happiness? The answer might be £3,360 a year.The average UK worker would take a 10.5% pay cut to work for an employer where staff enjoy “above average” levels of happiness, a study has shown. Continue reading...

The Welsh-Iraqi writer said she plans to make use of her experience ‘sitting with one foot on either shore of different heritages’Hanan Issa, a Welsh-Iraqi poet, film-maker and artist, has been named the fifth national poet of Wales.As national poet Issa, who is due to serve a three-year term, will represent the diverse cultures and languages of Wales and act as an ambassador for the people of Wales. Continue reading...

Celebration plans likely to come under scrutiny after PM’s resignation as Conservative leaderBoris Johnson has planned a July wedding party with his wife, Carrie, at his prime ministerial retreat, multiple sources have said.Johnson, who resigned on Thursday, and his wife have sent save-the-date invitations to guests to the party at Chequers, the prime minister’s grace-and-favour home in Buckinghamshire, at the end of the month. Continue reading...

Unite union to ballot members on ‘vastly improved’ offer for check-in staff – while Jet2 announces 8% salary increasesThe dispute that threatened to cause a strike by British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow airport during the summer holidays has been suspended, after the airline made a “vastly improved” pay offer.After a day of talks on Wednesday a package was agreed with the Unite and GMB unions that sources said in effect met its demand to restore the 10% pay cut introduced during the pandemic. Continue reading...

Analysis: PM was bullish, resentful and unrepentant as he reprised what he saw as his achievements

Warm weather set to continue through next week and following weekend, especially in south of EnglandBritain is expected to be hit by a heatwave over the weekend, with temperatures likely to reach the mid-30Cs by the middle of next week.Much of the UK experienced sunshine on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 25C, and forecasters say the mercury could touch 35C by mid-July. Continue reading...

Artillery ‘working very powerfully’ as it inflicts blows on Russian logistics, according to Ukrainian president

Kyiv protests over ‘unacceptable situation’ after Russian-flagged ship leaves port in Karasu

Shortages of workers forced up pay and prices of key materials have rocketed since invasion of Ukraine, builder saysPersimmon, one of Britain’s biggest housebuilders, said shortages of materials and labour contributed to a 10% drop in the number of homes built in the first half of the year.The company completed 6,652 homes in the first six months of 2022, down from 7,406 a year earlier. It blamed further delays in the planning system, as well as material and labour shortages. Customer inquiry levels were healthy and cancellation rates low, Persimmon said. Continue reading...

Kazuki Takahashi found in snorkelling gear floating in the sea off coast of Okinawa, reports sayA Japanese artist who created the hit manga comic series Yu-Gi-Oh!, which spawned a worldwide media franchise including a trading card game, has been found dead in the sea, according to media reports.Kazuki Takahashi, 60, whose real first name was Kazuo, was discovered wearing snorkelling gear and floating in the sea near Nago, in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, early on Wednesday and identified a day later, the NHK public broadcaster reported. Continue reading...

Prime minister has agreed to quit as Tory leader after resignation letters piled in from ministers and aides

Dawson was an honest man who gave truthful answers and cooperated with police, former teacher’s barrister tells court

Virgilio Trujillo Arana, who led community defense from criminal groups and illegal mining, was gunned down in broad daylightVirgilio Trujillo Arana knew that he was risking his life by defending the Amazon lands on which his Indigenous Uwottuja community had lived for centuries.“Whatever happens, happens,” he said, in a video recorded before his death. “[But] without land, we disappear. That’s why we defend our territories.” Continue reading...

Rains continue to threaten communities as the low-pressure system moves to the Hunter, Central Coast and Mid-North Coast

Court told Trent Evans was homeless and dependent on drugs and alcohol when he crashed his friend’s car

Health minister Mark Butler says an additional 7.4 million people can receive a winter booster from Monday as Omicron infections rise

Downing Street source says ‘he wants to stay and fight’ despite interventions from ministers including Shapps and Patel• Politics live blogBoris Johnson was locked in an unprecedented standoff with his own cabinet on Wednesday, as he clung to power after an extraordinary day that saw more than 40 resignations, and the sacking of Michael Gove.The prime minister appeared determined to fight on, despite a delegation of senior cabinet ministers, including the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, personally urging him to resign. Continue reading...

State has nearly 700 hospital patients with Covid and 7.6% of public health workers on sick leave

‘Downblousing,’ ‘upskirting’ and sharing ‘deepfake’ pornography without consent could lead to jail sentences of up to three yearsSecretly videoing or taking photographs of people under their clothes or sharing “deepfake” pornography without consent could lead to prison sentences of up to three years, under recommendations by the Law Commission of England and Wales.The reforms broaden the scope of criminal law to protect victims from having intimate images taken or shared without their consent, practices known as downblousing and upskirting, or having their faces superimposed on pornographic images and circulated without their agreement. Continue reading...

Ambitious $2.8m scheme hopes to eliminate damaging species from ecologically significant Rakiura/Stewart IslandNew Zealand conservationists are embarking on the largest attempt ever made to eradicate introduced predators from an inhabited island.Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, a crown research institute, has signed a $2.8m partnership with Rakiura/Stewart Island’s conservation group, Predator Free Rakiura, to eradicate predators including possums, rats, feral cats and hedgehogs over the next four years. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereTaoiseach Micheál Martin has arrived in Kyiv. The Irish prime minister is expected to have a series of meetings designed to reiterate Ireland’s solidarity with the Ukrainian authorities. PA Media quotes him saying:The people of Ireland stand with Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war of terror. The bombardment and attacks on civilians are nothing short of war crimes and I will use my visit to express Ireland’s support for moves to hold those behind these attacks fully accountable.The spirit and resolve of the Ukrainian people has inspired us all and Ireland will provide every support for Ukraine’s path to full EU membership, and continue to welcome and support civilians fleeing this war. Continue reading...

A defiant prime minister may try to hold a general election to buy himself more time

Levelling up secretary fired several hours after urging Boris Johnson to vacate No 10

The victim in her 60s was stabbed in Visby, which is hosting a meeting of Sweden’s political partiesA woman in her 60s has been killed in a daylight stabbing on the Swedish island of Gotland, where the country’s top politicians are gathered for an annual event.Just before 2pm (1200 GMT) in central Visby, which is currently hosting a gathering of the country’s political parties, a man attacked a woman with a sharp weapon, according to police. Continue reading...

Unclear if Zelenskiy backs permit system to keep men eligible to fight in the region they are registered in

The £2.4bn fall driven by decline in exports of perishable goods due to red tape and costsThe value of food exports to the EU dropped by £2.4bn in the first 15 months after Brexit, according to analysis of HMRC data.However, overall exports, which were hit by the double whammy of Brexit red tape as well as decreased demand in hospitality due to the pandemic in 2021, recovered in the first three months of this year, the figures show. Continue reading...

Study finds policy focus on demand has been ‘one-sided’ and resulted in a ‘widening wedge of inequality’

Group including chief whip, transport secretary and Wales secretary said to be backed by Nadhim Zahawi

MI5 chief says Chinese communist party targeting intellectual property across westFifty Chinese students have left the UK in the past three years after Britain tightened its procedures to prevent the theft of sensitive academic research, the head of MI5 said in a speech about the espionage threat posed by Beijing.Ken McCallum, the director general of the spy agency, also warned that MI5 had “more than doubled” its effort against Chinese activity over the same timeframe as part of an unprecedented joint warning with his counterpart at the FBI. Continue reading...

Airline said move was designed to ‘protect holiday flights’ as it continues to struggle to deliver its scheduleHundreds of thousands of British Airways passengers are set to see their travel plans upended again after the airline announced it would cancel more than 10,000 flights until the end of October.The flag carrier’s drastic action came amid more votes by rail unions to strike at operators including LNER, potentially adding to summer transport disruption. Continue reading...

Russian forces hit targets across Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province; governor urges 350,000 civilians to evacuate

Former health secretary calls on colleagues to consider following his lead after resigning from cabinet

Deluge moves to Hunter and mid-north coast as Anthony Albanese announces one-off payment to people in 23 areas