Mubeen Blogs

Warning companies and individuals could be punished for ‘traditional business activities’ under ambiguous legislation A revised law dramatically expanding China’s definition of espionage has come into force, giving Beijing even more power to punish what it deems threats to national security. The US government, analysts, and lawyers say that the revisions to Beijing’s anti-espionage law are vague and will give authorities more leeway in implementing already opaque national security legislation. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QL5uhtV

President says ‘the court misinterpreted the constitution’ as he announces intention to use another law for debt forgiveness Joe Biden vowed the “fight was not over” on Friday after the US supreme court ruled against his landmark student debt forgiveness plan. “I think the court misinterpreted the constitution,” the president said, delivering remarks at the White House and announcing his intention to pivot to another law to find another path forward. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ts65DjB

The Sun will have to print a front-page statement explaining that its columnist was found to have discriminated against the duchess Jeremy Clarkson discriminated against the Duchess of Sussex when he used an article in the Sun to describe his “hatred” of her with a series of sexist tropes, a press regulator has ruled. Clarkson used his national newspaper column to describe how he hated Meghan on a “cellular level” and suggested she had used “vivid bedroom promises” to transform Prince Harry into a “warrior of woke”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dgVxf0W

In films ranging from Catch-22 to Little Miss Sunshine, Arkin was renowned for the technical virtuosity he brought to each role of his colossal career Alan Arkin, Oscar winning actor in Little Miss Sunshine, dies aged 89 Alan Arkin: a life in pictures Tough, unsentimental, witty, gravel-voiced and bullet-headed, Alan Arkin was a wiry character actor and comic presence who had a colossal career on stage, TV and movies. He came from the era of male stars such as Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Ben Gazzara, Robert Duvall and Peter Falk – actors who projected a kind of take-it-or-leave-it pugnacity, integrity and strength. The always sympathetic and technically brilliant Arkin perhaps came into his own late in life, his face and shaven head morphing into a black-comic skull of derision and hilarity as the outrageous old guy who says what he wants because he’s decided he doesn’t care any more what people think … that’s if he ever did care. In 2006, Arkin won the best supporting actor Aca

Orange Tree theatre, London The intricately tangled lives of three women, and their explosive secret, are revealed in this complicated picture of queer love across the decades The wonder of Isley Lynn’s gorgeous play about the love between three women is in its connections. In a time-hopping narrative spanning 28 years, we meet Bel, Annie and Flo at two different points during their changing intimate relationship, with different actors playing the older and younger versions of each character. The past and present bleed together fluidly and beautifully as The Swell expands into a complicated drawing of modern queer love across the decades. In the earlier story Bel and Annie are engaged after a whirlwind romance but when Annie’s childhood friend Flo – a volcano of fun, trouble and life – comes to visit, the ease of their new bond is uprooted. In the later thread, Flo and Bel live in an isolated home, away from everything and everyone else. But how did they get there? From the start we’

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From special administration to waiting for shareholders to bail it out, the future of the utility hangs in the balance Crisis talks are continuing about the future of Thames Water. But what are the options for the country’s largest water and sewerage company? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/b2vThSp

Marquis Theatre, New York There’s some fun to be had in a splashy attempt to squeeze the pop star’s music into a meta-fairytale crowd-pleaser even with potholes along the way There are two types of people in the world: those that appreciate the musical catalog of one Britney Spears, and those who observe her stardom from afar. For those in the former category, myself included, the new musical Once Upon a One More Time, now playing at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre, promises at least a baseline level of fun: a jukebox show of Spears’s most popular songs (along with some deeper cuts), albeit one flimsily woven around a familiar and overdone pop-feminist revision of classic fairytales. The often winsome and freshly choreographed show, from a book by Jon Hartmere, pulls not from Britney’s story – this is not a sanitized version of her electric career and often tragic life, a la Broadway’s MJ – but from obviously heartfelt appreciation and larger cultural reconsideration of her legacy. Amer

The largest study of its kind may prove a link between vitamin D levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease Vitamin D supplements may cut the risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks in older people, according to the largest study of its kind. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main causes of death globally. The number of cardiovascular events is predicted to surge as populations continue to age and chronic diseases become more common. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/s68GxvF

From tackling the harm caused by the musician’s rhetoric to addressing the stigma around discussions of West’s mental health, this is seriously important TV How does it happen, that one day you are a revered musical artist, innovator and fashion empire-builder capable of turning everything you touch to gold, and the next you are a Trump-hugging, Holocaust-denying darling of the US far right, telling people that you hope Jewish children “look at their daddies and say ‘Why is Ye mad at us?’”? The Trouble With KanYe, the latest documentary by award-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar, sets out to answer not just this question – compelling though the evolution of musician Kanye-now-Ye West is – but the even more important one of where it might lead and what it might mean for us all. Azhar takes us quickly but precisely through the milestones in West’s career. In 2003, he released his debut single and began his meteoric rise to fame, fortune and critical acclaim, selling millions of records,

Watered-down law passed which says three specialists must agree that a termination is necessary Maltese lawmakers have unanimously approved legislation to ease the strictest abortion laws in the EU, voting to allow terminations – but only in cases where a woman’s life is at risk. Ahead of the vote on Wednesday, pro-choice campaigners withdrew their support, saying last-minute changes make the legislation “vague, unworkable and even dangerous”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ax9Qjqm

Staff and supporters of Croydon Athletic share hopes for football club under new ownership When he was at secondary school, George Pickering, a supporter of AFC Croydon Athletic, would make it a ritual to play football on a recreation ground near where the club is now. One day, a young, “really talkative” kid with “lots of energy” turned up to play with them. “It just felt like he wanted somewhere to go, a bit of an outlet,” Pickering, now 34, recalled. It was only years later and from a friend’s recollection that he learned the boy they kicked around with was Stormzy – or Michael, as they knew him. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/yQlqSDj

She’s jolly, ruthless and hugely entertaining: the Oscar winner’s turn is the most enjoyable part of a rip-roaring, action-packed episode. It’s proving better than many of Marvel’s recent shows The following recap contains spoilers for Secret Invasion. Please do not read unless you have seen episodes one and two. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qNATJxC

Chris ‘Cam’ Cameron, 53, calls for aid after 30 days because of ‘declining weather conditions’ A teacher and army veteran who was attempting to set a world record for the number of days living on a barren rock in the north Atlantic was rescued by coastguards on Wednesday. Chris “Cam” Cameron, 53, aspired to live alone on Rockall for up to 60 days and at least surpass the record of 45 days set in 2014 by Nick Hancock, a chartered surveyor and adventurer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dYAytDV

The British actor best known for his roles in The Killing Fields, A Room With a View and Boxing Helena has died aged 65 – we look back over his life and work Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5FZ1Tcx

From prison cells to department stores, for the past 30 years the visionary commissioning body has created unforgettable artworks in unlikely spaces. Famous fans pick their favourite works A solitary figure crossing between three Glasgow tower blocks on a narrow metal wire 90 metres up. A converted library, with ice and water instead of books, looking out at the south-west coast of Iceland. A 1,000-year-old musical composition projected across the Thames in a beam of light … Nothing is too ambitious or outlandish for Artangel, the organisation that has spent 30 years bringing unpredictable art to unexpected locations in the UK and beyond. I have spent the past few weeks chatting with creatives about their favourite projects – and the words that keep coming up are “unforgettable”, “bold”, “wild” and “profound”. Artangel’s achievements are inextricably linked with James Lingwood and Michael Morris, who in 1991 took over the charitable trust established by the art historian Roger Took i

The short-lived rebellion by the mercenary group posed a serious challenge to Vladimir Putin’s rule in Russia Joe Biden has described the Wagner mercenary group’s brief mutiny against the Russian government as part of an internal power struggle, in which he said the US played no role. “We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it,” Biden said during an event at the White House on Monday. “We’re going to keep assessing the fallout of this weekend’s events and the implications for Russia and Ukraine. But it’s still too early to reach a definitive conclusion about where this is going.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tEsw3ci

The Strictly winner is a wonderful, hopeful presence – but the main takeaway of this courageously honest documentary is how little things have changed for the deaf community in decades In my late teens and early 20s, which was the early 90s, I used to work with disabled children. It was a time when, although it was never put in such terms by anyone in authority, the rule of thumb seemed to be that if you had an invisible disability – such as deafness, say – you were expected to fit in with the “normal” world (it was also a time when such quote marks were rarely used). If you had a visible disability, you were expected to keep yourself hidden as much as possible so as not to upset anyone. The one thing both approaches had in common is that they very much weren’t about making the people with disabilities comfortable. Comfort, ease, the ability to move through the world without being made conscious of what you could and couldn’t do? These were the prerogative of “normal” people. The mai

Life’s about survival these days – but the trick, according to the PM, is just to hold our nerve We just need to hold our nerve. That was Rishi Sunak’s message to the country over the weekend. Time to remind us Brits to rediscover our inner stiff upper lip. To shrug off the increased, unaffordable mortgage repayments. To laugh as wage rises fail to keep pace with inflation. To quote Kipling as debt rises to more than 100% of GDP. Easier for some than for others. If, like Sunak, you don’t have a mortgage then maybe you can feel detached about interest rate rises. Perhaps even be secretly pleased that you might be getting a healthier return on your multimillion-pound investments. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/j3Hwmkl

‘Impact assessment’ of the illegal migration bill reignites bitter rows over the controversial scheme The cost of sending a single person seeking asylum to Rwanda could be nearly £170,000, according to government analysis, which has immediately reignited bitter rows over the controversial scheme. A long-awaited “impact assessment” of the illegal migration bill has conceded that ministers do not know the overall costs of implementing plans to detain and deport anyone who arrives in the UK by irregular means. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4mEnG8h

Pyramid stage Could it really be his final ever UK concert? After this utterly vital performance, fans will be desperately hoping not Elton John’s debut at Glastonbury is also meant to be his last ever performance in the UK – though it’s by far not the first time he has sworn he’s retiring only to make a subsequent return. True to form, when the 76-year-old performer addresses the crowd at the Pyramid stage – surely one of the busiest ever – it is with subtle caveats. “I never thought I’d play Glastonbury and here I am,” he says. “It’s a very special and emotional night for me as it may be my last ever show in England, so I better play well and entertain you as you’ve been standing there so long.” This, then, isn’t really one for him, but one for us. Unlike other legends of British pop who have played this slot – Macca last year, say – he’s stripped out all the deep cuts to play wall-to-wall hits, deviating from the setlist of his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The vast ma

The Second Arrangement has developed a cult following since the 1979 song was accidentally wiped in the studio. Now the family of recording engineer Roger Nichols have found a version – and the community is ‘freaking out’ In August 2020, Cimcie Nichols posted a picture of an old cassette to Facebook. The tape had belonged to her father, the late recording engineer Roger Nichols; she had found it while archiving his possessions, and shared it from his fan account. She didn’t think it would get so much attention so fast. Within an hour, news made it to Reddit, and her post was descended upon by a passionate group of online fans of Steely Dan. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uAWFlOZ

The Tavistock centre’s gender identity service has been embroiled in court cases and criticism. This balanced look at its closure talks to those it helped – and those it failed “How did you go bankrupt?” a character is asked in Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises . “Two ways,” he replies. “Gradually, then suddenly.” So it is with medical scandals, too. Disquiet builds and eventually, suddenly – often when someone goes to the press – a reckoning falls. The Clinic traces the rise and fall of the Tavistock Clinic’s Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) for children. It was founded in 1989, primarily to provide talking therapy for young people suffering from a recently identified phenomenon called gender dysphoria – the feeling that there was a mismatch between the sex they were born and the sex (or gender – the conflation of the terms goes in many ways to the heart of the problem) they should have been. The Clinic aired on ITV1 and is available on ITVX. Continue reading... fro

Putin may have vowed to ‘liquidate’ the Wagner chief, but residents in the Russian city said they welcomed him Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Yevgeny Prigozhin left the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don late Saturday to a rapturous reception that resembled the departure of a rockstar, with crowds of men gathering around his car. The extraordinary scenes underlined some of the broader support Prigozhin appears to enjoy among sections of the Russian population, despite Vladimir Putin calling him a traitor whom he vowed to “liquidate”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nMDLIE5

LGBTQ+ people and their allies celebrated throughout the nation, even as the number of hate incidents has increased Celebrations mingled with displays of resistance on Sunday as LGBTQ+ Pride parades filled streets in some of the the US’s largest cities in annual events that have become part party, part protest. In New York, thousands marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village, cheering and waving rainbow flags to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising, when a police raid on a gay bar triggered days of protests and launched a movement for LGBTQ+ rights. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/81KBQMg

World No 1 says kingdom’s wealth makes move inevitable Comments come after ATP chief reveals talks with the Saudi PIF Carlos Alcaraz has “no doubts” he will play in Saudi Arabia in the future, and predicted the kingdom has the power to significantly change tennis. The world No 1’s comments came after the head of the Association of Tennis Professionals, Andrea Gaudenzi, revealed he had held “positive” talks with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund about a potential partnership with the men’s tour. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KTMqPOo

Only Test, day four: Australia 473 & 257; England 463 & 116-5 England lose four wickets for 18 runs to squander initiative England’s chances of a first Test win since January 2014, and a first win against Australia in any format since July 2019, hang in the balance after they sank to 116 for five in pursuit of a fourth-innings target of 268 on the fourth day at Trent Bridge on Sunday. England had been strolling to victory at 55 without loss after 10 overs of their chase, but a collapse of four wickets for 18 runs in five overs midway through the evening session tipped momentum in favour of Australia. In desperation, both Emma Lamb and Heather Knight – trapped lbw by Tahlia McGrath and Ash Gardner respectively – sent their decisions upstairs, but DRS showed both as being umpire’s call on impact. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/X4HorMC

Prototypes are finally taking off after a difficult time for investors, and some surprising challengers have joined the race Among the fighter jets and military helicopters performing for the crowds at the Paris airshow last week, a strange two-seater craft lifted off the runway. Like a drone crossed with a helicopter, the Volocopter has an electric motor and a white wasp-shaped body, on top of which sits a circular frame supporting 18 separate sets of blades, or rotors. With that short flight, the dream of making flying taxis for the masses moved a little closer to becoming reality. Made by a German startup, Volocopter was the only such vehicle actually flying at the show, while other companies displayed mock-ups. Getting from the costly design and testing phase to even costlier manufacturing will be a major challenge for the industry. Not all of the competitors will survive. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7GyWCsc

The comedian and actor on enjoying her awards, learning to be funny and where her happy place is I’m overwhelmed by time. Time blindness, time paralysis, time management, always panicking about time. I’ve got ADHD, so I have an explanation, but no excuse. The worst mispronunciation of my name I’ve heard is “Siobhan”. That’s true! But I’ve learned to be more chill about Irish names. I’d feel angrier if Irish people en masse understood the etymology of different names from Africa and east Asia. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qfKNQuR

Woodsies Covering the Smiths’ back catalogue in a secret Glasto set, Blossoms are admirably tight, while Astley banishes any sense of moral queasiness at listening to these beloved songs It’s a curious thing, cancel culture. Most left-leaning media have unanimously agreed that liking Morrissey is a Very Bad Thing , and yet one of the biggest secret draws of the weekend is Blossoms and Rick Astley, performing their set of the Smiths covers for only the third time ever. The Woodsies tent – once named the John Peel tent, and playing Kasabian on the pre-show playlist, no less – fills a good 45 minutes in advance, and nobody seems to be wringing their hands with dilemma or having any terse chats about separating art from artist. At Glastonbury, and in the safe medium of full-band karaoke, we can apparently all ease a collective sigh, comfortable in the knowledge that although Mozza will surely be recouping his fair share of royalties, we’re not really paying directly in. (Or are we?) Wit

Long-running row over ousting of Penelope Keith and James Bolam is now engulfing charities watchdog It started as an acrimonious boardroom row at an actors’ charity supported by King Charles, characterised semi-mockingly as a “thespian feud” by the media. But now a long-running dispute at the Actors’ Benevolent Fund (ABF) is in danger of exploding into a full-blown legal battle amid allegations of law-breaking and administrative chaos. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oKwgGEA

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From Orwell’s ‘horribly observant’ Mrs Wisbeach to Andrea Levy’s benign Queenie – how writers portray landlords tells us much about about changing society through the ages Writing during the period of the Harlem renaissance in 1940, Langston Hughes reflects the times: Landlord, landlord My roof has sprung a leak. Don’t you ’member I told you about it Way last week? Ten Bucks you say I owe you? Ten Bucks you say is due? Well, that’s Ten Bucks more’n I’ll pay you Till you fix this house up new Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GBIZMTW

It will never live up to Sex and the City, but it’s intensely quotable, brilliantly watchable and packed with hilarious high jinks. Isn’t that enough? The second season of And Just Like That, HBO’s controversial, heavily criticised Sex and the City revival, manages to do the unthinkable: it is even more lavish and unreservedly ridiculous than its first go-around. Here is just a small sample of some of the more daft things that happen in its first seven episodes: Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker) lust after a student at their children’s school; Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) spends a scene mulling over the word “jizz”; Seema (Sarita Choudhury) dates a guy who uses a penis pump; Who’s The Boss? star Tony Danza has an extended cameo as himself, in which he worries he will get cancelled for appearing in Che Diaz’s (Sara Ramirez) sitcom pilot. And that barely scratches the surface of all the ludicrous high jinks Carrie and co get up to this season. It would seem that th

Looe Island is a case study in how to boost biodiversity, a place where the wardens, Claire Lewis and her partner, Jon Ross, are the only residents, alongside gulls, godwits and comma butterflies With its driftwood, capsized boat and crystal-clear waters, Looe Island looks more like a scene from Robinson Crusoe than the well-trodden coastline of Cornwall. Few realise that only a mile from Looe – a seaside town whose narrow streets spill over with tourists in the summer months – there is a wildlife sanctuary. In Cornwall’s only marine nature reserve, birds nest in thickets of trees, sheep graze grassy slopes and seals seek refuge in the island’s rocky bays. Quiet and tranquil, Looe Island is nearly deserted – apart from two wildlife wardens whose job it is to care for the land so its biodiversity flourishes. Coastal grassland on the island. Photograph: Claire Lewis Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8d9ZlcH

India’s prime minister ‘has a notorious and extensive record of human rights abuses,’ said a statement from lawmakers Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US has prompted condemnation and protest from Muslim leaders, lawmakers and other allies. US house representatives Rashida Tlaib, Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Kweisi Mfume are among those who have said they will boycott the Indian leader’s address to Congress on Thursday in light of the violence and repression of the media and religious minorities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits carried out under his rightwing nationalist government. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EUrdu5M

Everton’s former manager and oligarch sponsor held discussions Issue may be behind Ancelotti’s high court case against Everton Carlo Ancelotti, the decorated manager who is suing his former club Everton, held discussions with a controversial Russian oligarch about a series of incentive payments that were dependent on Everton’s performance in the Premier League. The Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov proposed the bonuses at about the time Ancelotti was in talks to take the Everton job in 2019, sources say. The suggestion raises questions about whether a proposed side deal between Ancelotti and Usmanov is behind the manager filing a claim against Everton in London’s high court. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D5U3EyF

The singer and the former producer she accused of sexual assault have released a joint statement after an extended legal battle Kesha has announced that a “resolution” has been made between her and producer Dr Luke after an extended legal battle. The singer had in 2014 accused her former collaborator of raping and drugging her as well as sexually assaulting Katy Perry leading to a defamation suit aimed against her. Perry denied the claim. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OjW9Dlk

Starmer and his party seem to have concluded direct support for homeowners cannot be justified – but it’s smart politics to be seen to take on the banks Labour’s “five-point plan” to ease the pain in the mortgage market can be boiled down to a single idea: get heavy with the lenders – the banks and building societies – to make them play nicely with over-stretched borrowers. One cannot call it a radical idea, however. First, it’s in the interests of lenders themselves, up to a point, to be flexible by, say, lengthening the term of the loan, granting a payment holiday or allowing a borrower to switch to interest-only arrangements for a while. Second, many banks say they already have such policies in place, even if critics say they’re not advertising them with enthusiasm. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/x402S3t

Bombs, aliens and Samuel L Jackson: the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s return to the small screen was an intriguing, darker affair – featuring a brilliant performance from Olivia Colman This recap contains spoilers for episode one of Secret Invasion. Do not read on unless you have seen it Farewell Cobie Smulders. The Canadian actor had played Maria Hill since 2012, appearing in all four Avengers films, as well as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Spider-Man: Far From Home and in the TV series Agents of SHIELD Despite Hill never being given a storyline worthy of Smulders’ talents, I wasn’t expecting her to bow out like this. Who was Sonya Falsworth talking to in that intercepted meeting? Surely not … Agent Prescod? That would mean Falsworth was talking to a Skrull impostor. At least three sugars in that tiny cup of tea, Gravik? What are you, a lazy caricature of a builder? I always enjoy hearing non-standard accents in the MCU, following on from Erin Kellyman’s Nottingham twang in

Armed people went into rival gang’s cell block, opened fire and doused survivors in flammable liquid, officer says after 46 killed Gang members at a women’s prison in Honduras slaughtered 46 other female inmates by spraying them with gunfire, hacking them with machetes and then locking survivors in their cells before dousing them with flammable liquid, a senior police officer has said. The carnage in Tuesday’s riot was the worst atrocity at a women’s prison in recent memory ; the intensity of the fire left the walls of the cells blackened and beds reduced to twisted heaps of metal. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/c4rZvAU

Religious site contains burial mound serving as a solar calendar as well as remains of about 60 people Dutch archaeologists have unearthed an approximately 4,000-year-old religious site – nicknamed the “ Stonehenge of the Netherlands” – that includes a burial mound that served as a solar calendar. The mound, which contained the remains of about 60 men, women and children, had several passages through which the sun shone directly on the longest and shortest days of the year. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7X6d2kI

In a new documentary, two trans film-makers aim to shed light on a community often stereotyped and undervalued For trans film-maker Kristen Lovell, her new documentary The Stroll – co-directed with another trans film-maker, Zackary Drucker, and premiering on HBO this week – was about including an ignored chapter of trans history, one that she herself lived. Young, Black, and trans in 90s New York, Lovell was fired from her job when she began to live her truth and was forced to sustain herself via sex work. The Stroll is a testament to what she went through just to be herself and the stories of so many other women like her that she met along the way. “It was just time to tell this story,” Lovell told me. “There was a void, a generational void, where we went from the likes of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson to this new generation that’s coming up and fighting again for trans rights, and there’s a generational gap. Trans history is something that’s not taught in schools, so the new g

Largest amount of money Kyiv previously worked with was $6bn a year in 2014, Mustafa Nayyem says Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Ukraine will struggle to absorb the expected billions of western private and public sector aid for its recovery not due to corruption, but a simple lack of capacity to process and invest such huge sums, a senior Ukraine official has said on the eve of the UK-sponsored Ukraine recovery conference in London. “It is about the capacity to work with this amount of money,” said Mustafa Nayyem, the head of the Ukraine State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oBx8NWQ

The case has already resulted in a political uproar as Republicans express outrage over plea deal Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two counts of misdemeanor tax crimes and accept a deal with prosecutors related to a separate illegal firearm possession charge. The charges and plea deal, which authorities announced in a court filing on Tuesday, will end a five-year criminal investigation into Biden. The case has already resulted in a political uproar as Republicans, fresh off Donald Trump’s second criminal indictment , express outrage over the plea deal and appear eager to redirect public attention to Hunter Biden. The agreement between 53-year-old Biden and authorities will likely mean he avoids any jail time, as well as set up a frequent talking point for the 2024 presidential election. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nk4H9Bw

Explaining decision to overturn earlier ruling, independent panel says Dorries herself has been a ‘frequent and aggressive tweeter’ John Nicolson, the Scottish National party MP, has been cleared of bullying Nadine Dorries after an independent panel overturned an earlier ruling by the parliamentary standards watchdog. The panel found Nicolson had not bullied Dorries, the former culture secretary, when he liked or retweeted dozens of disparaging messages about her after the two clashed during a hearing in front of the culture, media and sport select committee. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ODMkwvP

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There are some doubts as to whether Starmer’s publicly-owned energy company will have its emphasis in the right place A Labour government would establish a new publicly-owned energy generation company in Scotland, Keir Starmer announced on Monday. Fine, if expertise and jobs from the North Sea industry are to be transferred over time, Scotland is a logical place to put it. But the location is only a minor piece of the decision-making. Two more important questions about “Great British Energy” are these: how much money will it have to invest? And which investments would it prioritise? There is – as yet – no hint of an answer to the first question, perhaps understandably if a general election is still more than a year away. But note that many outsiders think GBE would need an annual investment budget of £5bn-£10bn to make a meaningful difference to the pace of energy transition. Clarity can’t wait for ever. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kunH78M

The blind comedian pairs up with comics like Harry Hill to work out if the tourist trail can offer any pleasures to those who can’t see the big attractions – or the point of going anywhere It is a rite of passage for any successful TV comedian: pen a hit fringe show, do Live at the Apollo, host Live at the Apollo, and then, if the comedy gods permit, appear in a travelogue with another famous comedian, that’s to say, a holiday you wouldn’t choose to go on but will get paid to joke about. So it is for Chris McCausland , though his travel show isn’t another Travel Man , exactly: he is blind, so his experience of travelling is a little different from most people’s. Wonders of the World I Can’t See pairs him with four celebrity companions to see if they can persuade him that travelling is worth the effort. “When it comes to sightseeing, I can’t be arsed,” he says. “I’m blind, so what’s the point?” He starts his odyssey with Harry Hill, who takes him to Athens for a week with the intentio

Weirdly lavish staff retreats, a genius founder and thousands of furious, overcharged customers. This documentary lays bare the rage of those involved with ticketing platform Pollen In the age of internet startups, PT Barnum’s dictum that there’s a sucker born every minute needs to be amended: lots of people can go broke by overestimating the intelligence of the average founder. WeCrashed, starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway, traced the rise and fall of WeWork (valued at at $47bn until it very suddenly wasn’t). The Dropout put the boggling madness and eventual collapse of the healthcare company Theranos, built on hope, fraudulent data and the charisma of Elizabeth Holmes (now at the start of an 11-year prison term for defrauding investors), on fully illuminated display. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Dte01yE

Tom Parker Bowles has spoken out in favour of unpasteurised milk, along with much of TikTok. The only problem is all that bacteria ... Name: Raw milk. Age: Ancient. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FYb5B03

Prime minister fails to show up at House of Commons debate and vote on privileges committee report Cometh the hour, disappeareth the man. You’d have thought that wild horses wouldn’t have kept Rishi Sunak away from the Commons for the debate on the privileges committee report on Boris Johnson. After all, Sunak had promised when he took office in October last year that he would govern with integrity, accountability and professionalism. And since then we’ve all been waiting for a sign. The smallest nod that he had meant what he said. And here was the perfect opportunity. The most binary choice imaginable. Boris Johnson had been definitively found to have lied and lied and lied again. To parliament. To the country. To just about everyone he had ever met. Lying is what he does. What he always has done. Quite why it took so many MPs so long to realise what had been blindingly obvious to some of us for years and years is another question. But hey! They got there in the end. Just rejoice at

Croatia’s wait for victory, the coronation that has been so close so often, continues and will probably never come for this generation now, the best they have ever had. Spain’s own golden era, meanwhile, is unlikely be matched but they did at last raise a trophy to the sky – 11 years on. Runners up at the World Cup in 2018, third in 2022, Zlatko Dalic’s side fell in the final of the Nations League, penalties their downfall this time. Four shootouts they had won, in the last 16 and the quarter-finals of each of those World Cups, but late on Sunday night Bruno Petkovic saw his spot kick saved by Unai Simón and Dani Carvajal scored to take this trophy back to Madrid. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oOiajWd

C of E clergy and lay staff represented by Unite ask for 9.5% increase in first ever claim Church of England vicars have become the latest group of workers to demand a pay rise in the face of the cost of living crisis, as Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, claimed they were among the “working poor”. More than 2,000 clergy and lay staff represented by the union have submitted their first ever official pay claim, asking for a 9.5% rise in the annual stipend, which stands at £26,794. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RabmzMo

In their own version of this story England are the heroes. But what if they are not and some proper needle is needed instead? We’re here to make memories. We’re here to save Test cricket. Dream bigger. Nothing is out of reach. Also, “fuck off you fucking prick” . The paradoxes of Bazball are already manifest, and indeed a huge part of the fun. Here we have the game of reinvention, where the only rule is to break all the rules. Play like it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, because that’s the best way to win. Dance like nobody’s watching so everyone can see what a great dancer you are. Is this still maverick thinking? Probably. It is, at the very least, an utterly engrossing spectacle. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bD2FofZ

Fernando Alonso second in Montreal; Lewis Hamilton third Verstappen equals Ayrton Senna’s 41 career race wins Untouchable and unchallenged, there is now a distinct sense of deja vu to Max Verstappen’s victorious performances this season, exemplified once more by a flawless win at the Canadian Grand Prix. It was another consummate run to mark an immense achievement by his Red Bull team in notching up a century of wins in style in Montreal. The debate over whether the Dutchman can be caught this season is over but he and Red Bull are surely set to clock up even bigger numbers. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qegk3jH

Exclusive: Numbers taking courses have risen under Suella Braverman, who previously said they were a waste The number of Home Office staff receiving diversity training has more than doubled under Suella Braverman’s leadership of the department, despite her assertions that such lessons are a waste of taxpayers’ money and should be banned. One month before she was promoted to home secretary in Liz Truss’s cabinet, Braverman, then attorney general, fiercely criticised equality sessions across Whitehall, revealing she had blocked officials at the Government Legal Department from attending such courses. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4zfJEFn

On social media, the culinary celebrity regularly chronicles her favourite eating spots in Australia. Ann Ding followed in Lawson’s footsteps – and fell asleep on the ride home Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Everybody loves Nigella Lawson. And Nigella? Well, she loves Australia, and has long been a frequent visitor. She has previously said she feels “ gorgeously at home ” here and dreams of spending three months a year down under. (She has been here since the beginning of May, so perhaps she’s making the dream a reality.) As you’d expect, while she’s in Sydney, Nigella’s eating schedule is studded with the city’s greatest hits – Sean’s Bondi, Fratelli Paradiso, Bourke Street Bakery – as well as buzzy favourites such as Porkfat, Cafe Paci and Ragazzi. It’s inner city-heavy, yes, but that’s hardly surprising for a culinary celebrity staying in Potts Point. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DborGCI

Kambo, a secretion used in tribal cleansing ceremonies, has been implicated in deaths worldwide and experts are sounding the alarm It was unusual enough for a previously healthy 37-year-old man to suffer from a sudden perforated oesophagus, an uncommon and potentially fatal condition usually caused by prolonged, forceful vomiting. But even more strange was that the man, who was also suffering from severe abdominal and chest pain when he arrived at a Sunshine Coast hospital, had three small, dark burn marks in a line on his left shoulder. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gjUOh5v

The England bowler devised delivery to dismiss Australia batter, but cannot have expected police assistance Perhaps the best part of the big Stuart Broad set-piece on the second morning at Edgbaston, one of those moments where the wind seems to change, the dogs miaow, the birds fly backwards through the sky and the clock strikes Broad o’clock, was the introduction of mimicry, physical comedy, improv into the usual routine. Broad was always going to do this at some point. He’s a montage bowler. Every Ashes has its sequence, from failing to walk, to Brisbane T-shirts, to hands-over-the-face human-meme stuff at Trent Bridge. This time the talk will be mainly about the dismissal of David Warner, because this has been the chief pre-series narrative; and Broad duly delivered here too, dismissing Warner for the 15th time in Test cricket. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NOHRfMZ

Squabbling about which superclub gets to further enrich the Paris superstar is wearisome but he could do so much better Europe, several years from now. A thin light strains through the cracked and grimy window. The air is gritty with smoke. The man wakes. He is stiff, cold, tired, afraid. Outside is devastation, the city in ruins. Everyone has fled. Even the sirens sound more distant now. With a trembling hand, the man withdraws his phone from his pocket. He must be sparing with the battery, he knows, but awkwardly he turns it on. Perhaps this morning there will be signal. Perhaps this morning he will find out how far the crisis extends. The screen flickers. He hears the low ping before he sees the bars. A miracle. He has connection. There is a news alert. His fingers tremble as he taps. For a moment his weary eye can not quite take in the headline he sees. But then it shudders into focus: “Mbappé,” it says, “threatens to quit PSG.” Some things, at least, never change. Continue read

Ukraine’s counteroffensive advances but faces severe obstacles; Russian airstrikes target defence ‘logistics support’ Every week we wrap up the must-reads from our coverage of the Ukraine war, from news and features to analysis, visual guides and opinion. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UIONilA

Veteran center-back to miss World Cup with foot injury Andonovski set to announce 23-player squad imminently United States captain and veteran defender Becky Sauerbrunn will not be included in the squad for the Women’s World Cup due to a foot injury she suffered in April, multiple reports said Friday. The news was first reported by the Athletic. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kuyFGKt

The short-lived series is no more. What did we learn about the Duchess of Sussex and her famous pals? The multimillion-dollar deal that a media group run by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has had with streaming giant Spotify is ending by mutual agreement , the two parties said on Thursday. Here are some of the highs and lows of the season. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kqH0a3A

Knighthood for late novelist Amis is dated 18 May as honours cannot be given posthumously Two giants of the literary world, the novelists Ian McEwan and the late Martin Amis, are recognised in the king’s first official birthday honours along with the fashion colossus Dame Anna Wintour. The Booker prize-winning McEwan, whose acclaimed titles include Amsterdam, On Chesil Beach and Atonement, becomes a companion of honour, the highest award for outstanding achievement, of which there are only 65 at any time. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dSXBjek

The comedian’s highly watchable series about a booze-addled monarch who’s sent away to rule Australia proves one thing – she really excels at playing borderline sociopaths Princess Georgiana is a hard-partying, red-headed spare to the throne of England whose unbecoming antics are catnip to the tabloids. Her co-creator (with Borga Dorter), Catherine Tate, assures us that she is not based on anyone in particular. When the princess projectile-vomits over a child monarchist during a school visit while profoundly hungover, the king and queen (who, unlike the rest of us, naturally feel that this is not the deserved fate of any child monarchist) decide they’ve finally had enough of their wayward offspring. They vacate the throne of Australia so that she can be sent there as punishment – a last shot at redemption for “the pisspot princess”. Queen of Oz aired on BBC Two and is available on BBC iPlayer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jnihWeR

Public notice issued to watch out for the flippered creatures as they start to leave their breeding colonies and venture out into New Zealand Sunbathing on roads, breaking through catflaps, visiting film sets, invading homes and taking in the heat of backyard spa bath covers – New Zealand’s “seal silly season” has officially begun and the country is bracing for an influx of adolescent marine mammals exploring the country’s highways, patios and golf courses. This week, the government issued a formal public notice that “seal season” had begun – and New Zealanders could expect to encounter higher numbers of the flippered young creatures out and about, exploring human-dominated spaces. From May until December, adult males and freshly weaned pups from New Zealand’s growing fur seal population will leave their breeding colonies and head out into the wider world – many for the first time. They’re young, inexperienced and prone to adolescent misbehaviour and mishaps, hitting the wider world

Carr will be the first woman to lead the judiciary in the history of the role dating back to the 13th century The most senior judge in England and Wales will be a woman for the first time in history – although uncertainty remains as to whether she will be known as lord chief justice. Dame Sue Carr, an appeal court judge and former vice-chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, will take up the position on 1 October, becoming the first woman in the role that dates back to the 13th century. Only two people – both women – applied for the job. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/amSlcPp

ACLU attorney, 46, confirmed as lifetime judge for eastern district of New York in 50-49 Senate decision – but Manchin voted against The US Senate has confirmed the former American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney Nusrat Jahan Choudhury as the first Muslim woman to serve as a federal judge on Thursday. Choudhury, 46, is also the first Bangladeshi American to serve in this lifetime position. She will serve as a judge on the US court for the eastern district of New York. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1xUdWNg

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Lawyers for disgraced CEO, who was once worth $4.5bn, say ‘limited financial resources’ mean she cannot afford repayments Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced CEO who once had a net worth of $4.5bn, cannot afford to make $250 monthly payments to victims of the Theranos fraud, according to court filings. Lawyers for Holmes strongly objected to a suggested repayment schedule of $250 a month after the founder’s release from prison due to her “limited financial resources”. Holmes reported to federal prison in May for an 11-year sentence after being convicted in January 2022 on four charges of fraud related to the blood testing startup. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3Xpj46B

We follow our loser hero from tooth fairy credits to funeral debts in a comedy of financial errors exploring money as a transactional link through all relationships The award-winning French author, director and composer David Lescot’s play Dough is all about money: how a man makes it, manages it – or fails to – and mostly loses it through his lifetime. The show – programmed at this year’s Edinburgh fringe – examines one person’s relationship with le fric (as “dough” translates in French) as a continuous transaction between themselves and others. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FNpd4OE

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Actor, 82, also comments she ‘wouldn’t want to be straight for anything’ as she appears on the cover of Vogue for the first time Miriam Margolyes has said she “never had any shame about being gay” as she makes her British Vogue cover debut at the age of 82. The award-winning actor, known for her foul mouth and lovable eccentricity, said gay people are “not conventional” and she “wouldn’t want to be straight for anything”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/m8U3IWc

This skilful three-part documentary about Africa’s cultural renaissance looks at Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa. Expect everything from TikTok dances to the legacy of Fela Kuti Despite what the title of this show implies, Africa is not a country. It is not a monolith. It is not a single entity moving in unison. Its struggles and triumphs are complex and varied. Fortunately, this three-part documentary series never treats it as one place or people on a single journey. The journalist and broadcaster Afua Hirsch takes on three very different countries – Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa – to paint an intricate portrait of a pan-African “cultural renaissance” that she believes is happening in “one of the fastest growing parts of the world and with the youngest population”. She looks to the forefront of arts and culture in the countries, meeting established icons, but focusing on the younger generation’s creativity and ingenuity in reimagining the status quo. Each country contains a m

A man in his 50s and two students were killed in three shocking attacks before most of the city woke up on Tuesday morning Petra Gyuricska was getting a lift to work early on Tuesday when she suddenly ordered her husband, Miklos Toldi, to stop the car – there was a man lying motionless outside Magdala tennis club. It is not the sort of thing you see very often at 5.30am in Mapperley Park, one of Nottingham’s leafiest suburbs. “I thought maybe someone was drunk,” said the 39-year-old, “and then we saw the blood.” Another passerby called 999 and two police cars were quickly on the scene on Magdala Road, followed by an ambulance. “They started doing CPR but you could just see…” Her voice dropped as she recalled the awful scene. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/36qduJy

Author of The Road and No Country For Old Men died in his home of natural causes, publisher announces Cormac McCarthy has died at the age of 89 on 13 June, the American author’s publisher has announced. McCarthy died in his home of natural causes. His son John McCarthy confirmed the death. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7NgORb5

Beeny lets us follow her on the whole ‘rollercoaster’ of cancer treatment, urging us to be fearless – without ever shying away from what she fears the most You may know Sarah Beeny from her property shows, or her New Life in the Country, and you may see her as a sleeves-rolled-up, can-do, get-on-with-it sort of person. Sarah Beeny vs Cancer cracks open a window into a more personal area of her life. In August 2022, Beeny was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, she thought she might keep it to herself and not go public with the news, but in this hour-long documentary about her diagnosis and treatment, she explains that she realised making a film about it might help her, and might help anyone else going through it, too. The film starts three weeks after Beeny’s diagnosis. She has three lumps in her left breast, she explains, which are grade 3, “the most active type”. Beeny’s mother died of breast cancer at 39 and much of this film sees Beeny exploring her own treatment while compar

With support for the SNP falling amid the former first minister’s swift political demise, hopes for another imminent independence referendum could be fading Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s longest serving first minister, resigned earlier this year in a move that confounded many political observers at the time. On Sunday, she was arrested by police investigating allegations of financial misconduct. Sturgeon, who led the Scottish National party to electoral domination at Holyrood – the home of the Scottish parliament – was questioned by detectives “as a suspect” but was later released without charge , pending further inquiries, after voluntarily going to a police station. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MncBduA

Thunder, lightning and torrential rain did not stop ‘blue-shirt neighbours’ from relishing triumph “We have a neighbour, and sometimes neighbours are noisy, but you can’t do anything about them,” said Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009, when Manchester United were champions of England and fought their squabbles with Europe’s elite, not the blue-shirted big mouths next door. Fourteen years on, Manchester City are the greatest team in world football and, if that was not enough, their Champions League triumph on Saturday brought a deafening end to their red rival’s claim to be the only English club to have won the coveted treble. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HevgZEq

Both parties feel they have a real chance of capitalising on voters’ dismay with Boris Johnson and toppling the Tories The turnaround was swift in Mid Bedfordshire. Less than 24 hours after Nadine Dorries said she was standing down as its MP, the traditional Tory blue seat was engulfed in a yellow glow. Glorious rays of sunshine cloaked the leafy constituency on Saturday morning as at least 130 Liberal Democrat activists descended on the area before a crucial byelection that will test Rishi Sunak’s grip on power. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QzUD3yf

Murray defeats Rodionov 6-3, 6-2 to earn Wimbledon seeding Boulter to return to British No 1 after final loss for Swan Andy Murray stepped up his preparation for Wimbledon in style with a straight-sets victory against Jurij Rodionov in the men’s final of the Surbiton Trophy. Murray continued his fine form at the tournament as he beat the Austrian 6-3, 6-2 to earn a seeded position next month at Wimbledon, where he is eyeing a third title at his home grand slam. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OkQW6Yo

Wily record holder is now the uncontested keyholder to the French Open – as well as the wider world of men’s tennis No longer the polite and begrudging ripple of applause. No longer the soft shuffle of designer shoes towards the exits. This time the sound of triumph would be resounding and unqualified: from the plush seats where Zlatan Ibrahimović and Tom Brady were on their feet, to the windswept upper tiers where the cascade of Serbian flags caught the evening Parisian light. Roland Garros, and by extension the lineage of men’s tennis, is now the house of Novak Djokovic. He wore a royal red training top emblazoned with the number 23. He gave his victory speech in flawless French. And in the moments before he was called forward to accept the trophy, Djokovic was to be found reclining in his chair, eyes closed, a broad and cryptic smile on his face. He took his time, spoke for as long as he chose, because in your house you can do whatever you want. Continue reading... from The Gua

The quick on why his goal is to play at his best for Australia with his mates rather than taking the big money offers that come his way Mitchell Starc can’t stop fidgeting with his baggy green cap. “Sorry,” he says, breaking off his answer to run his finger under the rim and then tug again at the brim. It is a replica of the one awarded to every Australian player when they make their debut. The marketing team wanted him to put it on for a photoshoot, and Starc just doesn’t feel comfortable. “This one feels so wrong.” Like most Australian players, Starc has only ever had one of them. His is “a lot older, and a lot smellier”. He’s had it for 13 years, and after all that time any other just doesn’t sit quite right. Starc, wickedly fast and armed with a yorker that’s paid for at least a couple of dozen podiatrists to buy new kitchens, has proved himself one of the great white-ball bowlers. He has been the world No 1 in 50-over cricket for long stretches of the past decade, and was the le

Idling tempo while batting in World Test Championship against India felt unfamiliar compared with Stokes’ all-action approach Lunchtime at the Oval, and Australia are six wickets down with a lead of 373. Alex Carey’s at one end, 41 not out off 61 balls, Mitchell Starc’s at the other, 11 off 19. It’s already over a hundred runs more than anyone’s ever scored in the fourth innings to win a Test here, and that particular match was way back in the 1902 Ashes, when Gilbert Jessop blazed his 76-ball hundred. The pressing question then, the one everyone was chewing over in the food and drink queues, was: “What’s next?” A burst of attacking cricket, a tumble of tail-end wickets? What we got, instead, was one of those soporific hours when play slows down to an amble. Starc threw the odd shot, a clip through midwicket for four, a punch down the ground for another, Carey tinkered around in singles. The crowd quietened down, the sun drifted overhead, aeroplanes came and went. Tick. A single off

A history of ruthlessness will put the former Celtic manager in good stead as he faces up to player power at Tottenham One night in May 2009, Frank Farina, the coach of Brisbane Roar, sat down to play board games with his family. He worked his way through a bottle of chardonnay and then had a couple of glasses of red. When he got in his car the next morning, he was still over the limit . As a consequence, 14 years later Ange Postecoglou was appointed manager of Tottenham. It was Farina’s second drink-driving offence in under three years. The Roar sacked him and, in their scramble for a replacement, turned to Postecoglou. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8gHfdRA

Tory former minister’s decision to go means there will be a byelection in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency UK politics live – latest updates Nadine Dorries, the Conservative former culture secretary, has announced she is standing down as an MP with immediate effect. She made the announcement in a tweet after having reportedly been dropped from Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. The move means there will be a byelection in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency where, in 2019, the Conservatives won a 24,000 majority. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IkRWFj5

Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam destroyed; counter-offensive appears to enter first stages; fears for safety of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Every week we wrap up the must-reads from our coverage of the Ukraine war, from news and features to analysis, visual guides and opinion. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z4OXsDm

There are more than 400 fires burning across Canada, with many out of control, and as smoke travels south it is prompting air quality alerts in the US There are more than 400 wildfires burning across Canada, with many out of control, according to officials. The fires are unusual in their timing, size and location. The “fire season”, when weather conditions are ripe for conflagrations, has only just begun. A third of the fires are in the boreal forest in the eastern province of Quebec, a place not used to dealing with large blazes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CantGQL

Allies preferred, cronies rewarded – it’s a list evoking all that was wrong with the ex-PM’s chaotic and damaging years in office If nothing became Boris Johnson more than the manner of his leaving No 10, nothing says more about the political rot he accelerated than the honours list that trails behind him and his announcement tonight that he will quit parliament having been told he faces ignominious suspension. To scan the list that was perhaps his final act in frontline politics is to relive the era of cronyism and maladministration that he inflicted on the country. It redefined the very idea of honours as a reward for public service, replacing it with the sort of cheap favour you bestow on friends by buying them a seaside hat or a round in the pub. Hugh Muir is a Guardian columnist Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mbNWiVw

Staff will be left at risk if proposals to ban members under police investigation from Westminster estate dropped, unions say Long-awaited plans to bar MPs and peers accused of sexual or violent offences from Westminster will be “kicked into the long grass”, it is feared, as plans to hold a vote on the proposals have been delayed. Commons leader Penny Mordaunt confirmed MPs will debate whether MPs should be barred from entering the parliamentary estate once they are subject to police investigation on Monday, but there will not be a vote. Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland , or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland . In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/intern

Four very young children and two adults were stabbed in a lakeside playground in the French Alps city It was a sunny mid-morning at the edge of one of France’s most beautiful lakes, framed by mountains and park lawns in the picturesque French Alps city of Annecy. The quiet, waterside playground, with a slide and climbing frame, was a favourite for local toddlers with their parents and childminders as well as tourists. High school children were also milling around in the morning shade. Annecy had been in the news recently only for concerns over too much Airbnb accommodation in tourist towns – and for its famous animated film festival, which was due to start on Sunday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bDEcIve

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Ecotricity founder and Just Stop Oil supporter hits back at Tory attacks as Rishi Sunak claims ‘eco-zealots’ steering Keir Starmer Dale Vince has been condemned in the rightwing press as a hippy turned eco-tycoon who donates thousands of pounds to Just Stop Oil – and even more to the Labour party. And now Rishi Sunak has doubled down on the attacks and claimed that it appears that “eco-zealots” at the campaigning group are writing Labour’s energy policy and “essentially leading us into an energy surrender”. Speaking before the prime minister’s comments, Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, told the Guardian that the “abuse, mudslinging and massive fabrications” he had faced would not stop him bankrolling causes close to his heart. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/76X2rv8

Regime is using sport as a tool for soft power but has failed to wash away sickening track record on human rights Looking back, so much of it was already there on that night in Diriyah when a storm raged across the desert and Anthony Joshua made history – and £60m – by retaining his world heavyweight title belts. Not just the good, the bad and the ugly of Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions, but the half-truths and accommodations of those willing to take the money and look the other way. One moment from the fight in December 2019 lingers more than most: Joshua absorbing the cheers from the young crowd, many of whom were women in western clothes, before averting his gaze upwards towards the kingdom’s ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, and giving a fist-pump to the man who had made it all possible. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tBA4Zod

Actor was helped off stage from her one-woman show Prima Facie after city’s poor air quality prompted breathing issues Jodie Comer stopped her one-woman show Prima Facie on Broadway because of breathing difficulties owing to New York’s air crisis. According to eyewitnesses, the award-winning star of Killing Eve, tipped to win a Tony award this weekend, was 10 minutes late for the matinee performance. After three minutes of the show, she announced that she couldn’t proceed. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ySfJwIE

Harry mostly remained calm as the Mirror’s barrister worked to undermine his case, but there were flashes of passion Prince Harry’s long journey to the high court witness box began with a chance encounter with the lawyer David Sherborne at a party hosted by Elton John in France. It ended with an occasionally emotional eight hours of cross-examination that broke royal protocol, set a precedent and laid bare the level of tabloid intrusion that Harry says he has endured throughout his life. The prince said he first “bumped into” Sherborne in 2018, where he vented to his fellow party guest about the way British newspapers were reporting on his new wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5CEo6tm

For Pride month, Guardian writers have singled out their favourite LGBTQ+ songs, from Pet Shop Boys to Frank Ocean Valentine, the second album by the Baltimore indie-rock musician Snail Mail, AKA Lindsey Jordan, is a black hole of anxiety and desperation, a record that revels in the seamy, depressive aftermath of a breakup. Forever (Sailing) is the grand, gorgeous centrepiece of the album, an aching power ballad that finds Jordan singing, over grimy trip-hop production, about a relationship too toxic to last: “So much destruction / Look at what we did / That was so real / And you don’t just forget.” Across Valentine, Jordan rarely lets herself combust like she does on Forever (Sailing) – it’s a huge, dramatic sucker punch, a pop-star turn planted right in the middle of an indie record. Its genesis is a testament to the gay art of dredging up forgotten pop songs: Forever (Sailing)’s chorus is lifted from You and I, a chintzy 70s pop track by the forgotten Swedish diva Madleen Kane. But

Bad blood is bound to linger despite LIV and PGA Tour merger bringing immediate end to the legal battles between both sides For nearly two years, the battle for golf’s soul has raged across fairways and in courtrooms, between Middle East and west, oil money and established tradition. But on Tuesday the sport’s bitter civil war came to an abrupt end as the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed rival LIV golf agreed to merge in a deal that was immediately condemned as a “gigantic victory for sportswashing”. The merger, which came on the same day that Real Madrid’s striker Karim Benzema was unveiled by the Saudi champions Al-Ittihad as their latest star signing, will lead to the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, pumping billions of pounds into a new commercial golf venture. But the deal is less about money and more about making a statement. There are no doubts now. Saudi Arabia is a big player in the world of sport. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WdRZ54V

Cheshire woman Georgia Bilham accused of pretending to be male when pair had teenage relationship A shortsighted woman said she was “shocked and disgusted” to find out that the boy she’d been dating as a teenager turned out to be a girl in disguise. Georgia Bilham, 21, is accused of posing online as a boy named George Parry during an on-off relationship with a girl she met on Snapchat in 2017. A jury at Chester crown court has heard that Bilham, from Cheshire, wore a hood while meeting her shortsighted victim, claiming to be “paranoid” because of an involvement with Albanian gang members. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UWyD5ML