Stockholm apologetic amid fears Turkey may delay lifting Nato veto following desecration of holy book
Thousands of people took part in protests across Muslim majority nations on Friday after a second incident in Sweden involving the desecration of the Qur’an.
The episode left the Swedish government apologetic and fearing that the outrage in the Middle East may delay Turkey lifting its veto on Sweden’s membership of Nato.
Continue reading...Russian president reacts angrily after Polish defence minister sends troops to guard eastern border
Vladimir Putin has said Russia will use “all means at its disposal” to defend Belarus after Poland and other EU countries voiced concerns about the deployment of Russian paramilitaries near their borders.
Putin delivered a series of aggressive remarks during a meeting of his security council, where he claimed without evidence that Poland was seeking to invade Belarus, a Russian ally, and that their elites were “dreaming of Belarusian lands”.
Continue reading...Experts reach conclusion after analysing video of animal that triggered lion hunt
A 30-hour search for an escaped lioness that had residents on the southern fringes of Berlin shelter in their homes and the rest of the German capital on tenterhooks has found that what was thought to be an exotic feline predator was most likely a common wild pig.
After no more sightings of the big cat were reported overnight, Michael Grubert, the mayor of the municipality of Kleinmachnow, said two leading experts had analysed the video that had originally triggered the lion hunt. “With a relatively high degree of certainty the tendency is towards a wild boar,” Grubert said.
Continue reading...Temperatures reached as high as 53.3C in the US and flooding hit South Korea and India
A remote township in the north-western region of Xinjiang set a Chinese record of 52.2C (125.9F) on Sunday – in a country that was battling -50C weather six months ago. Sanbao is in the Turpan Depression, an arid basin of sand dunes and dried-up lakes where 50.3C was recorded in 2015. Beijing topped its record for high-temperature days in a year on Tuesday, with 27 days above 35C. The temperature in its southern suburbs soared even higher on Wednesday to 36.3C.
Continue reading...Columbus wrote the letter to King Ferdinand of Spain in 1493 about his findings after the ‘discovery’ of the Americas
The US has returned a rare 15th-century original edition of a letter written by Christopher Columbus to Italy, the federal US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency has announced.
The letter, valued at over $1.3m, was revealed to have been stolen some time between 1985 and 1988, likely from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, the historic public library in Venice.
Continue reading...Some in Extremadura region see local outcome as latest example of People’s party putting pragmatism over principles
Towards the end of last month, María Guardiola, who leads the conservative People’s party (PP) in the Extremadura region of south-west Spain, gave a speech in which she tore into the far-right Vox party for its denial of gender-based violence, its demonisation of migrants and its attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
Guardiola was far from alone in her aversion to Vox’s views and tactics. The party’s most recent stunt in the run-up to Spain’s general election this Sunday – which could put the far right in government for the first time since the return to democracy after the Franco dictatorship – had been the unveiling in Madrid of a massive banner showing a giant hand tossing symbols representing feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, Catalan independence, environmental programmes and communism into a bin.
Continue reading...Ukraine has begun using US-supplied cluster bombs, Washington says; Kyiv warns it could target shipping out of Russian ports in tit-for-tat move
US-supplied cluster bombs, which are banned by more than 120 countries, have been deployed in Ukraine against Russian forces, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has said. “We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they’re using them quite effectively,” Kirby told reporters.
Ukraine warned that it could target all shipping out of Russian and Russian-occupied ports and signalled its readiness to fight on the Black Sea, after Moscow’s declaration of a naval blockade and bombardment of Ukrainian ports. The tit-for-tat moves come after Russia pulled out of a deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain via its Black Sea ports on Monday.
The UN’s atomic watchdog says it has been unable to inspect the roofs of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is occupied by Russian forces. Ukraine accuses Russia of turning the plant into a shield for its artillery guns and dynamiting the reactor roof, turning the site into an atomic bargaining chip.
EU foreign ministers discussed a proposal for a 20 billion euro ($22.4bn) fund to pay for weapons, ammunition and military aid for Ukraine over four years. The EU also said it would prolong its sanctions against Russia by six months, until the end of January.
Wheat prices continued to climb on global markets following Russia’s withdrawal from the UN-backed grain deal. Wheat was trading almost 1.5% higher on the Chicago Board of Trade exchange on Thursday morning, while corn and soya bean prices were also rising. It followed a rise of more than 8% in wheat prices on Wednesday.
The UN security council will meet on Friday over the “humanitarian consequences” of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, Britain’s UN mission said.
The US imposed Russia-related sanctions against nearly 120 individuals and entities aimed at blocking Moscow’s access to electronics and other goods that aid its war against Ukraine. The new measures are designed to “reduce Russia’s revenue from the metals and mining sector, undermine its future energy capabilities and degrade Russia’s access to the international financial system,” the treasury department said in a statement.
At least three people were confirmed to have been killed during Russia’s third night of successive airstrikes on southern Ukrainian port cities, according to Ukrainian officials. A security guard was killed in Odesa and a married couple were killed in Mykolaiv. China also confirmed that its consulate building in Odesa was damaged in the latest strikes.
Russia said it was imposing restrictions on British diplomats, requiring them to give five days’ notice of any plans to travel beyond a 120km radius, due to what it called London’s “hostile actions”.
Britain removed sanctions on Oleg Tinkov, the founder of digital bank Tinkoff, days after an appeal by British billionaire Richard Branson and nine months after Tinkov, critical of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, renounced his Russian citizenship. Britain sanctioned Tinkov a month after Russia invaded Ukraine but
Tinkov contested that designation, routinely criticising Russia’s actions in Ukraine and offloading his stake in the bank.
Eugene Shvidler, a longtime ally of the billionaire Roman Abramovich, meanwhile launched a legal challenge against sanctions imposed upon him after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a high court case being closely watched by other sanctioned oligarchs, lawyers for Shvidler, who is reportedly worth £1.3bn, are seeking to have his designation for sanctions declared unlawful and quashed, as well as pursuing restitution of his costs.
Ukraine’s deputy economy minister held talks with China’s vice-commerce minister in Beijing in the first high-level visit by a Ukraine government official to the country since 2019.
Continue reading...Controversial munitions have been deployed against Russian forces on the battlefield after the US made the decision to supply them
US-supplied cluster munitions have been deployed in Ukraine and are having an impact on the counteroffensive against Russian forces, a senior White House official has said.
“We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they’re using them quite effectively,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.
Continue reading...Move by city council follows action to limit public cannabis use and to discourage wild partying by young Britons
Amsterdam’s city council has decided to close a cruise ship terminal in its centre, in the latest attempt to limit mass tourism in the Dutch capital.
“Polluting cruise ships are not in line with the sustainable ambitions of our city,” said a statement from the centre-right party D66, which runs the city with the social democrats PvdA and GroenLinks environmentalists.
Continue reading...Chairlift was also part of rescue operation to evacuate almost 300 people from ski station at 3,000 metres
Helicopters have been used to evacuate nearly 300 people from a high-mountain station in the Swiss Alps after a cable car to the top broke down.
A technical problem was detected on Thursday morning involving a cable car up to the popular Glacier 3000 ski resort in Les Diablerets mountain massif in south-western Switzerland, the station chief said.
Continue reading...Prime minister says choice of words ‘regrettable’ as Brussels insists it has not changed its stance on disputed islands
Rishi Sunak has criticised the EU for its “regrettable choice of words” after it appeared to endorse the name that Argentina uses for the Falklands.
Downing Street was reacting after EU leaders attending a summit in Brussels supported an Argentinian-backed declaration that used the name Islas Malvinas alongside Falkland Islands.
Continue reading...CMA will launch a detailed probe into ten product areas including milk, bread, and baby formula to ensure households benefit from lower prices as cost inflation falls
On that subject, the maker of Mr Kipling cakes, Oxo cubes and Bisto gravy granules has said it believes recent food cost inflation has peaked, and it is not planning any more price rises for its food products for the rest of the year.
The news came as owner Premier Foods reported a 21% increase in sales in the first quarter of the financial year, compared with a year earlier.
Evidence to date indicates high food price inflation has not been driven by weak retail competition, but competitive pressure is important as input prices fall
Next phase of CMA probe will examine competition and prices across the supply chain for the product categories identified
Rules on unit pricing should be tightened and retailers must comply to help shoppers compare prices easily
Not everyone is able to benefit fully from strong competition, particularly those who cannot travel to large stores or shop online, and therefore may rely on higher-priced convenience stores.
Now that some input costs are starting to fall, there are some signs that grocery retailers are planning to start rebuilding their profit margins. The CMA will monitor this carefully in the months ahead, to ensure that people benefit from competitive prices as input costs fall.
Continue reading...This blog is now closed. To read our latest news on Ukraine, click here.
The Belarus Red Cross has sparked international outrage after its chief told Belarusian state television that the organisation is actively involved in bringing Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas to Belarus.
A report that aired on Wednesday on Belarus state TV showed Dzmitry Shautsou, the head of the Belarus Red Cross, visiting the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.
Spokesperson of the Ukrainian southern operational command Captain of the First Rank Nataliya Humenyuk stated that the Russian July 19 strikes “happened virtually simultaneously,” and that Russian forces likely attempted to overwhelm the Ukrainian air defense systems.
Ukrainian Air Forces spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat stated that this attack was the most intense missile and drone attack on Odesa Oblast since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Continue reading...No-frills carrier reports record quarterly £200m profit as rebound in travel industry gathers pace
Holidaymakers are not being deterred by the ongoing heatwave in Europe, as travellers continue to jet off on their summer vacations amid booming demand for travel, according to easyJet.
The airline reported a record pretax profit of £203m for the three months to the end of June, surpassing analysts’ forecasts, as the demand for summer travel rebounds.
Continue reading...People urged to stay inside as officials track down ‘dangerous animal’ in south-west of capital
Residents on the south-western outskirts of Berlin are being urged to stay indoors after overnight sightings of a “loose, dangerous animal”, suspected to be an escaped lioness.
Brandenburg police advised people living in the districts of Kleinmachnow, Stahnsdorf and Teltow on the borders of the German capital to refrain from walking in the woods and to keep pets or farm animals indoors on Thursday. Nurseries were allowed to open but they were urged to avoid letting children play outdoors.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: How countries have responded to record-breaking temperatures – and what it will take to change minds and policy
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Good morning.
When the temperature in Sicily is approaching 50C, you know something is wrong.
New Zealand | Two people died and six people were injured after a shooting at a building site in Auckland city centre, hours before the Women’s World Cup is due to start. The gunman was also dead. New Zealand’s PM, Chris Hipkins, said the World Cup would proceed as planned.
Politics | Almost 200,000 families living under Labour-run councils are affected by the two-child benefit cap, a Guardian analysis has revealed. Keir Starmer’s decision not to scrap the policy if Labour wins power has led to attacks from anti-poverty campaigners and disquiet from senior figures in the party.
Health | MPs have urged the government to introduce restrictions on the packaging and marketing of disposable vapes to tackle the “alarming trend” of children using these addictive products. The health and social care committee said there should be restrictions on how e-cigarettes are sold, in line with those applied to tobacco products.
Slavery | Caribbean countries are considering approaching the UN’s international court of justice for a legal opinion on demanding compensation from 10 European countries over slavery, as the fight for reparative justice is stepped up. Ralph Gonsalves, the current leader of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, said he is also looking for an apology from the British government and expressed disappointment in Rishi Sunak’s lack of engagement in the matter.
Strikes | A strike by train staff in the RMT union will severely affect rail services across Britain in the next week. About 20,000 RMT members at 14 train operators will strike for 24 hours on Thursday and again on Saturday, coinciding with the end of a week-long overtime ban by train drivers in the Aslef union. The 10 days of transport disruption will coincide with the peak summer holiday getaway weekend.
Continue reading...Baghdad also recalls chargé d’affaires from Sweden as protesters storm Swedish embassy in Iraq
Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador on Thursday in protest at a planned burning of the Qur’an in Stockholm that had prompted hundreds of protesters to storm and set alight the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
A government statement said Baghdad had also recalled its chargé d’affaires in Sweden, and Iraq’s state news agency reported that Iraq had suspended working permits for Swedish businesses such as telecom giant Ericsson on Iraqi soil.
Continue reading...Claims from head of organisation spark outrage in Kyiv and from the International Federation of Red and Red Crescent Societies
The Belarus Red Cross has sparked international outrage after its chief told Belarusian state television that the organisation is actively involved in bringing Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas to Belarus.
Both Ukraine and the Belarusian opposition have labelled the transfers unlawful deportations, and there have been calls for international war crimes charges for the authoritarian Belarus leader, similar to the charges against Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Continue reading...This blog is now closed. To read our latest news on the extreme weather gripping the world, click the links below
Here are some more images from the wires of the wildfires that swept through forestland and towns north-west of Athens for a second day. The fires forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 children close to a Greek seaside resort.
Tourists flocked to China’s scenic Flaming Mountains to experience searing high temperatures amid punishing heatwaves that have scorched much of the northern hemisphere.
Continue reading...Footage released on Telegram is said to show Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing fighters in Belarus
A video has appeared purporting to show the mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing his fighters in Belarus and calling the Russian war effort in Ukraine a “disgrace”, in the first footage of the Russian warlord to emerge since his mutiny last month.
The video, which was published by two Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner mercenary company, showed a man who resembled and sounded like Prigozhin telling his fighters: “Welcome to the Belarusian land! We have fought with dignity. We have done very much for Russia!”
Continue reading...