US and Iran agree to free five people each under deal also involving transfer of $6bn in unfrozen Iranian assets
The US and Iran have freed five detainees each under an exchange agreement that also involves the transfer of $6bn (£4.8bn) in unfrozen Iranian assets from South Korea.
The following are the US citizens who were previously imprisoned in Iran:
Continue reading...Joe Biden is taking risks with detainee swap, but US can now test the waters with Tehran on its nuclear programme
Soon after her release, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe remarked that freedom for a former Iranian political prisoner is never complete since those freed always recall those left behind.
But when five Americans released from Iranian captivity touch down in Qatar on their way back to their families, the mood will be simple, joyous and emotional. By contrast, the drawn out diplomacy that has led to this moment has been the polar opposite – complex, fraught and calculating.
Continue reading...Foreign affairs chief in clash with Ursula von der Leyen as he issues broadside against ‘unilateral action’
EU member states expressed “incomprehension” when the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, rushed into a migration pact with Tunisia, it has been revealed.
The concerns were raised in July both verbally and in writing, the EU’s chief diplomat responsible for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, wrote in a letter dated 7 September that has been seen by the Guardian.
Continue reading...Cord Jefferson’s story of a novelist (Jeffrey Wright) grappling with the publishing industry’s expectations of black writers is now practically guaranteed serious Oscar consideration
American Fiction, the literary satire starring Jeffrey Wright as a novelist grappling with the publishing industry’s expectations of black writers, has won the Toronto international film festival’s influential People’s Choice award, a result that practically guarantees it serious Oscar consideration and contention for major awards.
Described by the Guardian as “hilarious and withering”, American Fiction triumphed over pre-festival favourites such as Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers and Hayao Miyazaki’s final film The Boy and the Heron, which were named the runners-up. It is written and directed by Cord Jefferson, a credited writer on TV shows including The Good Place, Watchmen and Station Eleven, and now making his feature directing debut.
Continue reading...Conservationist Morad Tahbaz among prisoners to be swapped in deal involving unfreezing of Iranian oil money
The US and Iran are expected to pull off a controversial prisoner swap on Monday involving the unfreezing by the Biden administration of $6bn (£4.8bn) of Iranian oil money held in South Korea since 2018.
Tehran and Washington are due to swap five prisoners each, including the conservationist Morad Tahbaz, a British-American citizen.
Continue reading...This live blog is now closed. You can read the latest round-up at a glance here:
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that the regional authority in Kherson has recorded one person killed and another injured after an overnight Russian attack on residential buildings in the village of Mykolaivka in the region.
Bulgaria’s defence ministry said on Monday it had sent a special unit to inspect and deactivate a drone carrying explosives which landed on Sunday evening in the Black Sea town of Tyulenovo.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: An investigation by the Sunday Times and Dispatches accused Brand of rape and sexual assault, leaving the entertainer and the companies that employed him facing serious questions
• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition
Good morning. Allegations that Russell Brand raped and sexually assaulted several women at the height of his career have thrown the entertainment industry into crisis. Today, politicians of all stripes are expected to demand explanations from TV executives about what they knew – and when.
In a detailed investigation by, the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, five women accused Brand of abusive and predatory behaviour, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013. Brand denies the allegations, and said his relationships were “always consensual”.
Russell Brand | Broadcasters have launched urgent investigations into the historical conduct of Russell Brand while the Metropolitan police has appealed for any potential victims to come forward after the comedian was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
Labour | Keir Starmer has committed to pursuing a major rewrite of the Brexit deal with the EU if Labour is elected, citing his responsibility to his children and future generations. He told the Financial Times he would seek a closer trading relationship with Brussels when the agreement negotiated by then-prime minister Boris Johnson comes up for review in 2025.
Economy | Liz Truss will blame the UK’s economic problems on “25 years of economic consensus” as she doubles down on the policy proposals that helped trigger financial turmoil and caused her to be ousted from Downing Street after just 49 days. The former prime minister will give a speech at the Institute for Government on Monday, almost exactly a year since her government’s “mini-budget”, which caused the pound to crash and ultimately led to her downfall.
Donald Trump | The former US president, and Republican frontrunner for the 2024 nomination, said people in his party “speak very inarticulately” about abortion and criticised those who push for abortion bans without exceptions in the cases of rape, incest and the health of the mother.
Russia | US oil and gas multinationals are facing fresh questions over their trade with Russia after customs records revealed that more than $7.1m (£5.7m) worth of equipment manufactured by Halliburton has been exported into the country since it announced the end of its Russian operations.
Continue reading...Students tell of secret acts of defiance ahead of the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody
Young Iranians have taken their protests against the authoritarian regime underground one year on from the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for allegedly wearing the Islamic headscarf incorrectly.
The death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September last year led to the largest wave of popular unrest for years in Iran and a brutal crackdown by security services in response, with hundreds of men, women and children killed and thousands more injured, according to human rights groups.
At the beginning of the uprising, one of these two women, both 25, was arrested at a protest gathering and spent 16 days in prison. One of her fellow inmates was Yalda Aghafazli, a 19-year-old protester who died under suspicious circumstances after her release
Continue reading...Taiwan’s defence ministry said that since Sunday it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a ‘recent high’
Taiwan’s defence ministry has urged China to stop “destructive, unilateral action” after reporting a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island, warning such behaviour could lead to an increase in tensions.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei.
Continue reading...Ukrainian forces claim to have recaptured key frontline village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut; Ukraine government dismisses six deputy defence ministers including Hanna Maliar
Continue reading...Ukrainian president praises soldiers as military says ‘powerful damage’ inflicted on Russian forces
Ukraine says its forces have recaptured the tactically important village of Klishchiivka in the west of the country, in what would mark Kyiv’s second notable counteroffensive victory in three days.
“Today I would like to particularly commend the soldiers who, step by step, are returning to Ukraine what belongs to it, namely in the area of Bakhmut,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Sunday.
Continue reading...Far-right Giorgia Meloni says crisis cannot be ‘just resolved within Italian borders’ on visit to island where 8,500 arrived in days
Italy’s prime minister has said that European countries must work together “to stop departures [from Africa]” and swiftly deport those turned down for asylum, who she said “threaten the future of Europe”, after thousands of people seeking refuge arrived on Lampedusa in the last week.
Giorgia Meloni toured the tiny Sicilian island, which for years has been the first port of call for people making the treacherous journey by sea from north Africa, on Sunday morning alongside Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
Continue reading...Artistic director Olivier Rousteing posted that a van travelling between a Paris airport and the firm’s main office was hijacked
Balmain artistic director Olivier Rousteing has said robbers have made off with more than 50 pieces of the new collection that his Paris house intended to show at fashion week later this month.
Posting overnight on Sunday on Instagram, Rousteing said a group of people hijacked his delivery driver on the way from an airport to Balmain’s Paris headquarters. He said they made off with the last pieces he had been expecting for the 27 September womenswear show – more than 50 items in all. He did not give a breakdown of the stolen items.
Continue reading...Jens Stoltenberg says ‘we must prepare ourselves for a long war’
There are reports from Russia about two further drone attacks in addition to the ones reported earlier near the capital.
Another drone was downed in Russia’s Voronezh region, local governor Aleksandr Gusev and the ministry of defence said. According to Gusev, there were no casualties or damage.
Continue reading...Khalifa Haftar and Libyan National Army militia said to be overseeing humanitarian relief arriving in city of Derna
As search and rescue teams continue to hunt for bodies trapped underneath the mud and rubble of their homes in the Libyan coastal city of Derna, observers say the warlord Khalifa Haftar and his sons are using the disaster response as a way to exert control rather than ensure vital humanitarian relief reaches civilians.
At least 11,300 people have died and more than 10,000 are missing, according to the Libyan Red Crescent, after two dams burst during a powerful storm last week.
Continue reading...Biden adviser Heather Boushey urges UK and Europe to increase climate friendly investment to reboot growth
Governments around the world must drastically increase public investment in green technologies to combat global heating and drive sustainable economic growth, a top adviser to President Joe Biden has said.
Heather Boushey, a member of the White House council of economic advisers, said countries including the UK needed to ramp up green investment to reboot economic growth, boost energy security, and protect against future inflation shocks.
Continue reading...US president agrees to talks at general assembly despite deep unease over policies of Israeli PM’s hardline coalition
Nine months after returning to office, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is finally getting his long sought-after meeting with Joe Biden – but an awkward rapprochement at the UN general assembly is unlikely to improve the strained relationship between the two leaders.
The US president is scheduled to meet Netanyahu in New York on Wednesday, the White House said on Friday. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the two leaders would “discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues focused on the shared democratic values between the United States and Israel and a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran”.
Continue reading...Regional governor says 12 passengers and two crew were onboard the Embraer aircraft when it crashed in Barcelos province
Fourteen people on a small plane died when it crashed in Brazil’s northern Amazonas state on Saturday, the regional governor said.
The crash took place in Barcelos province, about 250 miles (400km) from the state capital, Manaus.
Continue reading...Kim Jong-un inspects strategic bombers in Russia; Moscow denies Ukraine’s claim to have seized village in Donetsk region
Continue reading...Ties with Europe are a top priority, says shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, as he calls for Britain to play a lead role in world affairs
The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, has proposed regular meetings between UK and European Union ministers, as part of a major reset of British foreign policy under a Labour government.
Lammy, who was attending a gathering of centre-left leaders in Montreal, Canada, with the Labour leader Keir Starmer, told the Observer it was high time the UK took up its place again, after Brexit, as a lead player in world affairs. “A UK that is isolated and missing is felt across the world. It is definitely the case that the international community want Britain back,” he said.
Continue reading...