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- UK officials raised concerns over Rwanda policy, documents show
- Traces of methanol found in teenagers who died at South African nightclub
- Bolsonaro’s attack on Brazil’s electoral system sparks outrage
- Anger in China after officials break into homes in hunt for Covid contacts
- Daniel Andrews rules out mask mandates as nation records 90 Covid deaths – as it happened
- Rio Tinto agrees to pay additional $613m to settle dispute with Australian tax office
- Working from home: major Australian employers respond to latest Covid health advice
- Ben Roberts-Smith ‘prepared to lie under oath’, newspapers’ lawyer tells defamation trial
- Greens want to ‘improve and pass’ climate bill but remain critical of 43% target
- Icac finds NSW MP John Sidoti engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’ over family-owned properties
- Russia-Ukraine war live news: Putin claims progress on grain exports; Iran’s supreme leader endorses Moscow’s invasion
- A new confidence: the east German economy finally gets a boom
- Italy begs Mario Draghi to stay as he prepares to face parliament
- Germany worries about gas rationing as supply from Russia halted
- Saif Gaddafi: London life of former playboy who could lead Libya revealed
- Putin endorsed by Iran for invasion of Ukraine but clashes with Turkey at summit
- Question of what now for Syria remains as vexed as ever
- Jafar Panahi sentenced to six years in jail
- Sri Lanka president vote: Ranil Wickremesinghe wins amid protests
- Sri Lanka holds its breath as parliament chooses new president amid crisis
- Tory leadership race live: Sunak pledges to maintain ban on new windfarms as MPs set to choose final two candidates
- Heatwave led to London firefighters’ busiest day since second world war
- UK inflation hits fresh 40-year high of 9.4% as fuel prices rise
- Plantwatch: green allies – the plants that helped UK’s war effort
- Rising costs pose threat to independent film-making in UK, says BFI
- UK people of colour four times more likely to live in areas ‘at higher risk from heatwaves’
- Alarm as fastest growing US cities risk becoming unlivable from climate crisis
- One in five US adults condone ‘justified’ political violence, mega-survey finds
- California police fatally shot 23-year-old Black man as he ran away, video shows
- Secret Service turned over just one text message to January 6 panel, sources say
- US House passes bill to protect right to same-sex and interracial marriage
- Biden under pressure to declare climate emergency after Manchin torpedoes bill
| UK officials raised concerns over Rwanda policy, documents show Posted: 19 Jul 2022 09:50 AM PDT Charity says disclosures in legal case paint picture of home secretary desperate to push policy through The Home Office pushed through its policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda despite repeated concerns from UK government officials, it has emerged from documents submitted to a high court hearing. The government disclosed the documents, which raise numerous concerns about the Rwanda plans, ahead of a full hearing later this year into the lawfulness of the policy. On 10 February 2021, the UK high commissioner to Rwanda said the UK should not do a deal with Rwanda because the African country had been accused of recruiting refugees to conduct armed operations in neighbouring countries. On 18 February 2021, Rwanda was identified as one of 14 countries assessed as presenting substantial issues in relation to asylum systems and human rights. Rwanda received an amber/red rating from the government owing to significant human rights concerns. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office memo dated 20 May 2021 urged No 10 not to get involved with the Rwanda deal owing to significant human rights concerns. An internal memo criticised the "limited evidence about whether these proposals will be a sufficient deterrent for those seeking to enter the UK illegally". A detailed internal memo that appears to be dated 12 April 2022, the day before a memorandum of understanding was signed between UK and Rwanda, stated that the "fraud risk is very high" in the deal because UK was paying so much money upfront to Rwanda. A document from the day the memorandum was signed stated that the first group of asylum seekers due to be flown to Rwanda could "test" Rwanda's refugee determination processes. When the UK government conducted an independent assessment of Rwanda's human rights record, the Home Office showed it to Rwanda to comment on the final draft and allowed officials to suggest amendments. Continue reading... |
| Traces of methanol found in teenagers who died at South African nightclub Posted: 19 Jul 2022 08:25 AM PDT Cause of death of 21 young people at Enyobeni tavern last month still yet to be determined Investigators have found traces of the toxic chemical methanol in the bodies of 21 teenagers who died in a nightclub in South Africa last month. The tragedy at the Enyobeni tavern in the poor Scenery Park township in the coastal city of East London on 26 June caused shock and grief in a nation used to seeing casualties from a widespread culture of heavy drinking. Continue reading... |
| Bolsonaro’s attack on Brazil’s electoral system sparks outrage Posted: 19 Jul 2022 05:39 AM PDT Moves to question integrity of voting system come amid poor polling for far-right leader facing October election Electoral officials and senior politicians have criticised the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, after the far-right leader called foreign diplomats to the presidential palace and made unfounded allegations about the integrity of the upcoming election. Bolsonaro told them the electronic voting system in Brazil, which has been used without controversy since 1996, was vulnerable. The remarks raised concerns that the populist politician – facing poor polling results – may attempt to discredit the democratic process if he loses in October. Continue reading... |
| Anger in China after officials break into homes in hunt for Covid contacts Posted: 19 Jul 2022 04:49 PM PDT Officials in Guangzhou apologise for 'violent' behaviour after 84 homes broken into during search for possible close contacts Authorities in southern China have apologised for breaking into the homes of people who had been taken to a quarantine hotel, in the latest example of heavy-handed virus-prevention measures that have sparked a rare public backlash. State media said that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou city's Liwan district had been opened in an effort to find any "close contacts" hiding inside and to disinfect the premises. Continue reading... |
| Daniel Andrews rules out mask mandates as nation records 90 Covid deaths – as it happened Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:48 AM PDT
No change in Operation Sovereign Borders policy Clare O'Neil is asked about the desperate situation in Sri Lanka, where many people are trying to find a way out. Operation Sovereign Borders is Australian government policy. |
| Rio Tinto agrees to pay additional $613m to settle dispute with Australian tax office Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:38 AM PDT Deal over mining giant's financing arrangements and marketing hubs in Singapore is one of ATO's biggest ever tax settlements
Rio Tinto has agreed to pay the Australian taxation office an additional $613m to settle disputes over its financing arrangements and marketing hubs in Singapore, as part of what the ATO claims is one of the biggest tax settlements in Australian history. The payment is on top of $378m the global mining giant had previously paid over the same dispute,bringing the total to almost $1bn in extra tax revenue. The ATO had been seeking about $1.2bn in tax and penalties. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Working from home: major Australian employers respond to latest Covid health advice Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:36 AM PDT Telstra and Westpac advise staff to work from home if possible while government departments are yet to shift work settings
Telstra and Westpac have advised staff to work from home if they can following national health advice recommending that employers make changes to limit the spread of Covid during the winter wave of infections. On Tuesday, the chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, said the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) – comprised of all state and territory chief health officers – had reiterated its advice which "called on employers to allow work from home if feasible". Continue reading... |
| Ben Roberts-Smith ‘prepared to lie under oath’, newspapers’ lawyer tells defamation trial Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:11 AM PDT Barrister for newspapers tells court former soldier was either an 'architect or knowing beneficiary of … dishonest collusion', in closing submissions
Ben Roberts-Smith was "prepared to lie under oath" in his defamation trial, evidence of his "consciousness of guilt", lawyers for the newspapers he is suing have told the federal court, accusing him of being the "architect or the knowing beneficiary of … dishonest collusion". Roberts-Smith's long-running defamation case is hearing concluding submissions, and lawyers for the newspapers, who have alleged he committed war crimes in Afghanistan while serving in the SAS, have said the Victoria Cross recipient lied, and colluded with other witnesses in an attempt to bolster his alleged untruth, in relation to matters relevant to an allegation of murder. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Greens want to ‘improve and pass’ climate bill but remain critical of 43% target Posted: 20 Jul 2022 12:14 AM PDT Adam Bandt says state of environment report and pressure from Pacific Islands leaders should be enough for Labor to negotiate on emissions
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has said his "preference" is to pass Labor's climate bill, but said the government must be prepared to negotiate to improve the legislation and its "weak" 43% emissions reduction target. After a meeting of the party's 16 MPs and senators at a retreat near Brisbane on Wednesday, Bandt said a consensus had been reached to enter into formal negotiations with the government with the aim of amending the legislation. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Icac finds NSW MP John Sidoti engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’ over family-owned properties Posted: 20 Jul 2022 12:14 AM PDT Former Liberal minister tried to 'improperly influence' councillors in his electorate, corruption watchdog says
Former New South Wales Liberal minister John Sidoti has been found to have engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" to benefit his family's property interests by the state's Independent Commission Against Corruption. The anti-corruption watchdog also recommended that the Director of Public Prosecutions consider whether the independent Drummoyne MP should be charged with misconduct in public office. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:52 AM PDT Russia may lift blockade on Ukrainian grain; Moscow strengthens ties with Tehran as Khamenei calls for long-term cooperation
The European Union will set out emergency plans later today to reduce gas demand within months, warning countries that without deep cuts now they could struggle for fuel during winter if Russia cuts off deliveries. A Reuters snap suggests Ukraine has shelled Antonivskyi bridge in the Russia-controlled southern Kherson region again, according to reporting from Russia's Tass news agency citing Russia-installed authorities. |
| A new confidence: the east German economy finally gets a boom Posted: 19 Jul 2022 09:00 PM PDT As supply chains fray around the globe, branches of industry are choosing Germany's east to return to Europe In over 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, eastern Germans have been told several reasons why they lag behind the west: an uncompetitive industry, a lack of jobs, a shortage of young workers. But Germany's new government believes the formerly socialist "workers' and peasants' state" is missing something else: trade unions. Continue reading... |
| Italy begs Mario Draghi to stay as he prepares to face parliament Posted: 19 Jul 2022 09:00 PM PDT President Sergio Mattarella rejects the prime minister's resignation while pro-Draghi sentiment grows The fate of the Italian government hangs in the balance amid growing pressure on Mario Draghi to remain prime minister as he prepares for a crucial speech in parliament on Wednesday. The former European Central Bank chief's resignation last week was rejected by President Sergio Mattarella, who instead asked him to address parliament in an attempt to avert what would be Italy's third government collapse in three years. Continue reading... |
| Germany worries about gas rationing as supply from Russia halted Posted: 19 Jul 2022 11:15 AM PDT Temporary closure of Nord Stream 1 prompts fears for private consumers as well as industry Germans are fretting about the coming winter freeze even while Europe sweats in record temperatures, amid uncertainty over whether a complete stopping of Russian gas deliveries would force energy rationing on private households as well as industry. Germany, which has managed to reduce its reliance on Russian gas from 55% to about 35% of its demand since the start of the Ukraine war, is still heavily reliant on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which closed down for 10 days from 11 July due to scheduled maintenance works. Continue reading... |
| Saif Gaddafi: London life of former playboy who could lead Libya revealed Posted: 19 Jul 2022 11:00 PM PDT A cache of emails and documents sheds light on the would-be ruler's activities at a time when he was entering public life The organiser said it would be "the most amazing party ever done in Punta del Este", a glamorous seaside resort in Uruguay. He offered his client a sound system, a DJ, decorators, fireworks and "naked models swimming in the pool". The client – a fixer with close ties to the rulers of Libya – turned down the fireworks. It appears the fixer wired the organiser $34,300 – and asked him for a whole roast lamb to be delivered every day to the party villa between 30 December 2006 and 6 January 2007. He would be joined there by fellow Libyans and his boss, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was due to fly in from South Africa. Continue reading... |
| Putin endorsed by Iran for invasion of Ukraine but clashes with Turkey at summit Posted: 19 Jul 2022 03:23 PM PDT Tehran meeting saw discord over Erdoğan's plan to intervene in Syria but 'progress' on shipping Ukrainian grain Vladimir Putin ended his first major summit outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine with an endorsement from Iran for its response to Nato, a clash with Turkey over Syria and signs of progress over the lifting of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain. The White House said the Tehran summit held between Putin, the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, showed how isolated the Russian leader had become – which was not an observation shared by Moscow, who claimed it showed Russia remained respected in the Middle East. Continue reading... |
| Question of what now for Syria remains as vexed as ever Posted: 19 Jul 2022 10:07 AM PDT Analysis: while diplomatic efforts continue over Ukraine, Syria risks becoming entrenched as the conflict that was Before Ukraine there was Syria, a war so vicious and consuming that it was once considered to be the most consequential conflict of the last 50 years. With more than half a million killed when the counting stopped seven years ago, nearly two-thirds of the country's prewar population displaced or in exile, and its economy and social fabric in ruins, Syria is a shattered husk, its spoils eagerly eyed by the three leaders who gathered in Tehran on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Jafar Panahi sentenced to six years in jail Posted: 19 Jul 2022 06:17 AM PDT The Iranian director was arrested last week for criticising the government after enquiring about the earlier arrest of fellow film-maker Mohammad Rasoulof The director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the Iranian judiciary, who are seeking to enforce a previously handed-down sentence. Panahi, who has won the top prizes at the Venice and Berlin film festivals, and is the director of films including The Circle, The White Balloon, Crimson Gold, Taxi and This Is Not a Film, is one of three film-makers arrested in Tehran in less than a week. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka president vote: Ranil Wickremesinghe wins amid protests Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:28 AM PDT MPs pick ex-PM seen as close to ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move likely to frustrate protesters Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been elected as president to replace the ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a result that is likely to provoke turmoil among protesters who have been calling for weeks for him to resign. Wickremesinghe, who has been prime minister six times but never president, won an overwhelming victory in parliament on Wednesday morning, where MPs voted for the new president in an unprecedented secret ballot. The vote came after protesters forced Rajapaksa from office amid anger over a spiralling economic crisis. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka holds its breath as parliament chooses new president amid crisis Posted: 19 Jul 2022 08:03 PM PDT A win for acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe could spark more protests by people furious with ruling elite over crippling shortages An unprecedented secret ballot is underway in Sri Lanka's parliament as its MPs choose between three candidates for president, amid hopes the new leader will be able to pull the island out of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948. A win for the acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe – one of the main two contenders but opposed by many ordinary Sri Lankans – could lead to more demonstrations by people furious with the ruling elite after months of crippling shortages of fuel, food and medicines. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2022 02:00 AM PDT Latest updates: Boris Johnson to take his last PMQs at noon while candidates to replace him will be reduced to last two at 4pm Penny Mordaunt seemed to be telling Tory MPs this morning they would "murder" the Conservative party if they voted for one of her rivals. She posted a message on Twitter saying "Tory MPs – vote for Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss today and you'll murder the party you love", although the tweet has now been deleted. In fact, Mordaunt was just quoting the headline on a Daily Telegraph column that she is tweeting. It's by Allison Pearson, and in it she says "it is Mordaunt, the Royal Navy reservist and centrist, who can unite our divided country and, most crucially, prevent a Tory wipe-out at the next election." Continue reading... |
| Heatwave led to London firefighters’ busiest day since second world war Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:22 AM PDT Mayor Sadiq Khan warns 'the grass is like hay' as temperatures fall and UK travel disruption continues The fire service in London faced its busiest day since the second world war on Tuesday as fires raged throughout the UK amid brutal temperatures. Temperatures dropped dramatically on Wednesday, but further travel disruption was expected as repairs were carried out on road and rail networks and at airports. Heavy showers and thunderstorms were predicted to hit parts of the country, potentially causing localised flooding. Continue reading... |
| UK inflation hits fresh 40-year high of 9.4% as fuel prices rise Posted: 19 Jul 2022 11:01 PM PDT Annual rate in June up from May's 9.1% figure and exceeds analysts' expectations Rising petrol and diesel prices for motorists and dearer food pushed Britain's annual inflation rate to a fresh 40-year high of 9.4% last month. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the government's preferred measure of the cost of living – the consumer prices index – was up from May's 9.1% figure. Continue reading... |
| Plantwatch: green allies – the plants that helped UK’s war effort Posted: 19 Jul 2022 10:00 PM PDT With medical and food supplies hit, volunteers foraged in the British countryside for useful species
These were some of more than 80 wild plant species recruited during the world wars to make up for the vital pharmaceutical supplies that had been imported from Germany but which were cut off in wartime. There were other valuable wild plants, such as rose hips made into a syrup rich in vitamin C, which was in short supply because of severely limited fruit supplies. Continue reading... |
| Rising costs pose threat to independent film-making in UK, says BFI Posted: 19 Jul 2022 10:00 PM PDT Indie productions struggling to compete with well-financed, studio-backed projects, research shows There are serious questions about the long-term viability of independent film-making in Britain, the British Film Institute (BFI) has said. Making Oscar-winning films such as The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire has become all the more difficult, with "significant challenges" putting the sector on a downward trend, research shows. Continue reading... |
| UK people of colour four times more likely to live in areas ‘at higher risk from heatwaves’ Posted: 19 Jul 2022 10:00 PM PDT Study found that the most at-risk neighbourhoods were also among the most ethnically diverse and have lower carbon footprints than average People of colour are four times more likely to live in areas at high risk from heatwaves in the UK as the climate heats up, according to experts. Researchers at the University of Manchester and Friends of the Earth found one in three people from minority ethnic groups lived in areas most exposed to extreme heat, compared with just one in 12 white people. Continue reading... |
| Alarm as fastest growing US cities risk becoming unlivable from climate crisis Posted: 20 Jul 2022 02:00 AM PDT Some of the cities enjoying population boom are among those gripped by a ferocious heatwave and seeing record temperatures The ferocious heatwave that is gripping much of the US south and west has highlighted an uncomfortable, ominous trend – people are continuing to flock to the cities that risk becoming unlivable due to the climate crisis. Some of the fastest-growing cities in the US are among those currently being roasted by record temperatures that are baking the more than 100 million Americans under some sort of extreme heat warning. More than a dozen wildfires are engulfing areas from Texas to California and Alaska, with electricity blackouts feared for places where the grid is coming under severe strain. Continue reading... |
| One in five US adults condone ‘justified’ political violence, mega-survey finds Posted: 19 Jul 2022 10:00 PM PDT As mistrust and alienation from democratic institutions peaks, researchers explore how willing Americans are to commit violence One in five adults in the United States, equivalent to about 50 million people, believe that political violence is justified at least in some circumstances, a new mega-survey has found. A team of medical and public health scientists at the University of California, Davis enlisted the opinions of almost 9,000 people across the country to explore how far willingness to engage in political violence now goes. Continue reading... |
| California police fatally shot 23-year-old Black man as he ran away, video shows Posted: 19 Jul 2022 08:15 PM PDT Footage shows victim fleeing after police arrived in unmarked car and drew their guns Police in San Bernardino, California, fatally shot a 23-year-old man on Saturday as he was fleeing, according to surveillance footage that shows an officer firing just seconds after arriving in an unmarked vehicle. Security camera footage from a parking lot in San Bernardino, a city an hour east of Los Angeles, shows two officers driving up in an unmarked car about 8pm as Robert Adams stood in the lot. As soon as two officers exited the car, Adams turned away from them and ran. It appeared that roughly five seconds after they had stepped out of the car, one of the officers fired at Adams from a distance, seeming to hit him and causing him to collapse to the ground. Continue reading... |
| Secret Service turned over just one text message to January 6 panel, sources say Posted: 19 Jul 2022 07:16 PM PDT House committee wants all communications from day before and day of Capitol attack but agency indicates such messages are lost The Secret Service turned over just one text message to the House January 6 committee on Tuesday, in response to a subpoena compelling the production of all communications from the day before and the day of the US Capitol attack, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Secret Service told the panel the single text was the only message responsive to the subpoena, the sources said, and while the agency vowed to conduct a forensic search for any other text or phone records, it indicated such messages were likely to prove irrecoverable. Continue reading... |
| US House passes bill to protect right to same-sex and interracial marriage Posted: 19 Jul 2022 05:52 PM PDT The measure, partly a political strategy, forced Democrats and Republicans to record their view, and garnered bipartisan support The US House has passed a bill protecting the right to same-sex and interracial marriages, a vote that comes amid concerns that the supreme court's overturning of Roe v Wade could jeopardize other rights. Forty-seven House Republicans supported the legislation, called the Respect for Marriage Act, including some who have publicly apologized for their past opposition to gay marriage. But more than three-quarters of House Republicans voted against the bill, with some claiming it was a "political charade". Continue reading... |
| Biden under pressure to declare climate emergency after Manchin torpedoes bill Posted: 19 Jul 2022 02:37 PM PDT President could bypass the political gridlock as nearly 20% population faces 100F and above temperatures Joe Biden is under pressure to declare a national climate emergency as temperatures soar across the US and Europe. Facing political gridlock in Washington, the president could make such an announcement – which would unlock federal resources to address the crisis – as soon as this week, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
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