World news | The Guardian

Move to unilaterally amend post-Brexit protocol could prove ‘deeply damaging’, says Irish foreign minister

Europe’s largest paper packaging producer hit by blaze in which 8,000 tonnes of cardboard caught fireSmurfit Kappa has resumed some operations at a packaging plant in central England after a large fire ripped through the facility overnight, according to the local fire service.West Midlands Fire Service said more than 100 firefighters from across the region around Birmingham had made progress containing the blaze that they were alerted to on Sunday evening. It said there were no reports of any casualties. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter says he has had six months of treatment involving ‘chemo, radiation and surgery’Country music star Toby Keith has announced he is being treated for stomach cancer.In a statement on social media, he wrote: “Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.” Continue reading...

Police ‘stonewalled’ questions from podcast host Hedley Thomas on Lynette Dawson case until Ben Fordham intervened, judgement reveals

Airport says it is proud of its service and no more flights were cancelled at short notice than on a typical dayHeathrow has insisted its check-in process “generally worked well” in May” despite chaos at UK airports during the half-term holidays, after recording its busiest month since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.The UK’s biggest airport said on Monday that with more air travellers checking-in online, 90% of passengers went through security in less than 10 minutes in May. Continue reading...

Wife Sharon Osbourne announces procedure, as rock star continues to experience difficulties after 2019 fallOzzy Osbourne is to undergo major surgery that is “really going to determine the rest of his life”, according to his wife Sharon Osbourne.Speaking on Talk TV, Osbourne said she was travelling to Los Angeles to support her 73-year-old husband, who has suffered mobility issues as well as a form of Parkinson’s in recent years. Continue reading...

Chance of blackouts in Queensland tonight as NSW faces energy supply issues on Tuesday; weather alerts for WA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania; nation records at least 11 Covid deaths with ACT yet to report. Follow the latest news

Cluster comes week after city eased restrictions, raising fresh concerns over ‘zero Covid’ policy and economyAuthorities in Beijing are racing to contain a Covid-19 outbreak traced to a 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds, with millions of people facing mandatory testing and thousands under targeted lockdowns.The outbreak of nearly 200 cases linked to the Heaven Supermarket bar, which had just reopened as curbs in the Chinese capital eased last week, highlights how difficult it will be for China to make a success of its “zero Covid” policy as much of the rest of the world tries to live with the virus. Continue reading...

Under NSW proposal, buyers will reportedly be able to choose to pay an annual land tax instead of a lump sum on purchase

Newtown property where three died in a fire is listed for sale but Inner West council says Albert Wong did not make it safe for public

Annual photography festival takes over Madrid with exhibitions displaying work of hundreds of photographersPhotoEspaña is celebrating its 25th anniversary with 118 exhibitions in Madrid and participating cities, featuring the work of 268 photographers and visual artists until 28 August.From Sculpting Reality: above, New York, c1940, by Helen Levitt; right, The San Trance Dance, 1959, by Jürgen Schadeberg. Far right, Rodeo Drive, 1984, by Anthony Hernandez. Continue reading...

Children’s and refugees charities raise concerns after detention of three children misjudged as adults in offshoring programmeConcerns are mounting that children wrongly assessed as adults by the Home Office could end up being offshored to Rwanda.The Guardian understands that three age-disputed children who the Home Office declared to be adults and detained in preparation for offshoring to Rwanda have now been released. It is understood that concerns have been raised about whether at least three more detainees threatened with removal to the east African country are children rather than adults. Continue reading...

Winds of up to 150km/h have battered Tasmania, with the wild weather leaving thousands without power

Research was funded by Boohoo amid effort to clean up sector after complaints about supply chain practicesMore than half of the Leicester garment workers involved in a new study say they are paid below the minimum wage and receive no holiday pay, almost two years on from revelations about poor standards in the city’s factories.The study was commissioned by a new body, the Garment and Textile Workers Trust, which is funded by online fashion retailer Boohoo, as part of efforts to clean up its act after revelations about poor practice in the group’s Leicester supply chain. Continue reading...

Myth of affordable housing believed by all age groups, but split likely as young and old move further apart physicallyAlmost half all UK adults believe the collapse in home-buying among young people is caused by them spending too much on takeaway food and coffees, mobile phones, holidays and Netflix, a study on generational divides has shown.The research by academics at King’s College London found that while such opinions often crossed age bands, the increasing tendency for younger people to live in cities and older ones elsewhere risked exacerbating splits between age bands. Continue reading...

Analysis shows average nursery fees for children under two have risen by £185 month since Tories took officeThe cost of childcare has soared over the past decade and is now more than £2,000 a year higher than it was in 2010, according to analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).As people in the UK struggle with the cost of living crisis, parents face some of the highest childcare costs among leading economies, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Continue reading...

Exclusive: some who worked on pandemic frontline may have to sell their house after claims rejectedDoctors who worked on the frontline during the pandemic and have been left with long Covid say they have been denied financial support by the UK government, with some left with little option but to sell their house.Months or even years after an initial Covid infection some people continue to have symptoms, from fatigue to brain fog. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 1 May an estimated 2 million people in the UK reported having long Covid, as the condition is known. Continue reading...

Analysis: the ex-prime minister is eager to exploit the weakness in the fraying coalition that replaced himOn 13 June 2021, Benjamin Netanyahu made his final address to the Knesset as prime minister. In a proud and bitter half-hour speech, he recounted his successes during 12 years in power and warned of existential threats facing Israel under the incoming coalition government. He also stressed that his conservative Likud party would be back in office soon.“I will lead you in a daily battle against this bad, dangerous, leftwing government to topple it,” Netanyahu cried, amid heckling and jeers from the plenum. “With God’s help, that will happen much sooner than you think.” Continue reading...

Curators who left the UK after the referendum took with them experience that is reshaping their cities’ art scenesOne of the things Stephanie Rosenthal acquired during her 10-year stint in London’s gallery world is an appreciation of the British art of queueing with a smile on your face.After the German art historian quit her job as chief curator at the Hayward Gallery in the wake of Britain’s referendum on leaving the European Union, she exported her specialist skills back to her country of birth. Continue reading...

Broadway transfers of West End shows were out in front at this year’s celebration of the best of New York theatreBroadway transfers of West End adaptations of The Lehman Trilogy and Company have dominated this year’s Tony awards, which were seen as a return to relative normal after Covid-impacted ceremonies.It was a big night for British talent in New York, with the Broadway transfer of The Lehman Trilogy winning best play, best director and best actor in a play. “This play was written as a hymn to the city of New York but, like the Lehman brothers themselves, our show started thousands of miles away,” said playwright Ben Power, who adapted the show from Italian novelist and playwright Stefano Massini. His version made its debut at London’s National Theatre in 2018. Continue reading...

Clothing and backpack belonging to the missing British journalist and Indigenous expert found by small but determined search team

Warramunga man’s elevation to bench hailed as ‘important step in a much longer process’ in Queensland

Transport minister says he is ‘disgusted’ with treasurer over messages that allegedly asked reporter to question PM about Katherine Deves

Losses, low crowds, leaked texts, drunken brawls between teammates. These are inevitabilities in the AFL’s alpha male world. But at a club like Melbourne, they matter.In 1995, the previously undefeated Carlton hit a flat spot, dropping games to the bottom two sides. At training on Monday, captain Stephen Kernahan stopped the group mid lap and growled in that gravelly gutted voice of his – “we’re not losing another fucking game!” They completed their lap, beat Hawthorn by 102 points that weekend, won their next 16 games, and coasted to the Premiership. They were one of the great teams, a team that bridged the semi and fully professional eras, a team that pretty much coached itself, a team whipped back into shape with six guttural words.That wouldn’t cut it as man management these days. In 2022, football clubs stress the importance of culture, of connection, of roles, of safe environments, of talking through your problems. Melbourne would have done a lot of that this week. In the space of a fortnight, they’ve had two losses, injuries, illnesses, criticism of low crowds, leaked text messages, drunken sledges, haymakers, infected hands, community service penalties, an integrity department investigation and a conga line of question marks. What the fuck, as Steve Kernahan would no doubt ask, is going on here? Continue reading...

Appeal against plan to remove asylum seekers who arrive in the UK via unofficial routes due to take place on MondayProtests have taken place before a possible first flight removing asylum seekers to Rwanda, as unions said that officials should not be asked to take part in a policy that may subsequently be declared illegal.With the first flight in the deportation scheme scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening, activists also promised to target the Spanish charter airline understood to be providing the aircraft. Continue reading...

Temperatures expected to hit 32C in south-east England on Friday as forecasters warn heatwaves becoming more likelyTemperatures could reach the mid-30s in parts of the UK this week as forecasters said that Britain should brace itself for its “first properly hot summer’s day”.The coming months will also bring heatwaves which the Met Office has previously warned are becoming more likely due to climate change and the higher concentrations of COin the atmosphere. Continue reading...

Experts say scheme ‘not working well for everyone’ after Bill Shorten says Labor will target fraudsters

While Moodys have forecast a stable outlook, spending measures spark warning over triple A rating

Low-cost carrier makes ‘pre-emptive cancellations’ of about 40 flights a day to ensure no repeat of half-term disruptionEasyJet has reduced its flight schedule for the rest of June in an effort to overcome the travel chaos seen in the school holidays when staff shortages meant thousands of people were hit by last-minute cancellations.Britain’s biggest carrier has come under fire for its handling of the disruption which also saw passengers endure long delays. In a message to staff on Friday, its chief operating officer, Peter Bellew, said the carrier was making pre-emptive cancellations for the “coming days and weeks” to “increase resilience across the network”. Continue reading...

France’s president will be hoping his habit of planting a peck on a pate on polling days will bring him luck in parliamentary electionsEmmanuel Macron’s apparent habit of kissing a bald supporter on the head on election day has sparked French media speculation about whether it is a superstitious gesture as his centrists face a tough challenge from the left.As the French president went to vote in the first round of the parliamentary elections in the northern seaside resort of Le Touquet, where he has a home, he approached waiting supporters before grabbing the party activist Grégoire Campion and kissing him on his bald head. Continue reading...

Lib Dems say failure to provide it would look like ‘another attempt to cover up Boris Johnson’s repeated lies and law-breaking’Opposition parties have demanded ministers release their full legal advice over a bill to unilaterally amend the Northern Ireland protocol that is expected imminently in the Commons, saying refusing to do so risked accusations of a cover-up.The bill, which sets the UK on a potential collision course with the EU and which critics see as Boris Johnson’s latest attempt to mollify rebellious backbenchers and reassert his authority, is scheduled to be published on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Analysis: in a botched upgrade the fruit and veg Healthy Start scheme turned away numerous eligible low-income families

Jordan Gatley’s family say he died in the battle for the strategic eastern city of Severodonetsk

Regional governor says Azot plant, where hundreds of civilians are taking shelter, remains under Ukrainian control

Exclusive: she will sell the 1683 portrait of Steven Wolters by Caspar Netscher through Sotheby’s so her family can benefit from the proceedsAt the age of 101, a Dutch woman has been reunited with a painting that had been looted from her father by the Nazis during the second world war, but she has decided to sell it through Sotheby’s in London so that her family can benefit from the proceeds.Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck, a non-practising Baptist who joined the Dutch Resistance, had never given up hope of finding the 1683 portrait of Steven Wolters by Caspar Netscher, a Dutch master whose paintings are in the National Gallery, London. Continue reading...

Family of Nnamdi Kanu, a separatist leader, say he was seized and tortured in Kenya and then flown to NigeriaThe family of a British citizen have accused the foreign secretary of ignoring “overwhelming evidence” he was taken to Nigeria in an act of extraordinary rendition and failing to end his “unlawful” imprisonment there.Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), a prominent separatist movement proscribed in Nigeria, has been held there since June last year. Continue reading...

Uttar Pradesh authorities demolish property belonging to people allegedly involved in unrestAuthorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have demolished the homes of several people accused of involvement in riots last week triggered by derogatory remarks made by ruling party figures about the Prophet Muhammad.Muslims have taken to the streets across India in recent weeks to protest against anti-Islamic remarks by two members of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...

Devey was made a CBE in 2009 for services to the transport industry and her charitable workThe former Dragons’ Den star Hilary Devey has died aged 65, her publicist has confirmed.She died on Saturday after a long illness in Morocco, where she had a property, Benjamin Webb said. Continue reading...

At a Tribeca film festival event, the singer discussed directing the short All Too Well as well as the difficult time she went through over control of her musicLines of young fans stretch down Broadway. Selfies aplenty snapped in a crowded lobby. Wild cheers as anticipation built inside, followed by intermittent shrieks during an opening speech from Tribeca film festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal. A short film screening that morphed into a pop concert, complete with sing-along.It’s safe to say this wasn’t your standard film festival event. But what else do you expect when the festival, now in its 20th year, decided to trot out the newly-minted Dr Taylor Swift to muse about film-making in honor of her music video-slash-short film aptly dubbed All Too Well: The Short Film? Released in November and directed by Swift herself, it fit like a glove into the festival as production partly took place in the actual Tribeca neighborhood in New York. Continue reading...

An Cailín Ciúin, as it is known in Irish, has earned more than €600,000 since its release last monthAn Irish-language film has shattered box office records in Ireland and the UK and become a standard-bearer for a language seldom seen on the big screen.The Quiet Girl has astonished the industry by quadrupling the previous record for an Irish language film, and by last week earning more than €610,000 (£518,000) since its release in mid-May. Continue reading...

Sales model of disruptors such as Cazoo and Carvana fail to spark with buyersAston Villa versus Everton is not usually considered to be among the Premier League’s biggest games, but it would probably have felt like a big deal to Alex Chesterman: both teams’ shirts were emblazoned by Cazoo, the online used-car retailer founded by the serial entrepreneur.The Cazoo derbies, both won by Villa this season, were the product of a marketing blitz, as the new company and its rivals raced to disrupt the secondhand car market. Yet Cazoo workers could think the money would have been better spent elsewhere: the company cut 750 jobs on Thursday as it warned a recession might delay its first profits. Continue reading...

Brahim Saadoun is a much-loved marine on active duty, they insist, and not a mercenary, as court in Donetsk claims

Far-right leader’s visit, which he called a ‘peace mission’, put on ice after criticism from government alliesMatteo Salvini has defended himself after the Russian embassy in Italy revealed it had funded the far-right League leader’s planned trip to Moscow last month.Salvini had intended to travel to the Russian capital on 29 May on what he called a “peace mission”, but the trip was put on ice after criticism from his allies in the Italian government, which had not been made aware of his plans. Continue reading...

John Penrose, who quit last week, says ethics adviser should also have more scope over any breaches by PMBoris Johnson’s former anti-corruption tsar, who resigned last week, has called for urgent reform of the standards rules around lobbying, as well as more scope for the independent adviser to hold the prime minister to account.John Penrose, a Conservative MP and former minister, said it was extremely important for democracy to fix problems with the UK’s standards regime affecting ministers, MPs, advisers and civil servants. Continue reading...

Warne and retired former world No 1 tennis player Ash Barty become officers of the Order of Australia

British Academy to feature large-scale project exploring prejudice based on how people speakDo you say bath as “barth”? Would you put a “plahster” on a cut? Does it matter if you don’t? Yes, it sadly does, say academics, who argue accent-ism is alive and well in England in 2022.A research team will next week set up shop at the British Academy’s grand headquarters overlooking the Mall in London, shining light on a large-scale project exploring prejudice against northern English accents and their speakers. Continue reading...

Head of union representing 80% of Border Force staff says policy is yet to be fully tested in courtsAsylum seekers should not be deported to Rwanda before the policy has been fully tested in the courts, a union leader has said, predicting the first removal flight will not take place as planned this week.An initial deportation flight under the plan to remove people who arrive in the UK via unofficial routes to the east African country is scheduled for Tuesday after a high court judge ruled on Friday that it could go ahead. Continue reading...

The journey to America, often via Nicaragua, has become more viable – and many are taking their chances at the borderOne morning last spring, 22-year-old Ernesto Hernández set out from the outskirts of Havana on a rickety boat hoping to cross the Florida Straits. The plan was to leave behind a dilapidating communist-ruled island in which he saw no future, and sail into an American dream.Nobody has heard from him, or the other six people onboard, since. Continue reading...

Fashion retailer’s suppliers in Pakistan have sacked hundreds without pay, as invoices for completed orders remain unpaidHundreds of garment workers in Pakistan making clothing for collapsed fast fashion brand Missguided say they have been left destitute and starving after not receiving salaries for more than four months.The workers, who typically earn between £100 and £160 a month, say that despite not being paid they have continued working even as the Manchester-based retailer went into administration, with suppliers claiming the company owes them millions of pounds for clothing already completed and shipped. Continue reading...