Austrian court rules ski resort hotel’s burkini ban is discriminatory

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Hotel did not allow two Muslim women to wear full-body bathing suit, which has become bugbear of European far right

An Austrian court has found an alpine hotel’s ban on burkinis discriminatory, a politically explosive ruling in a country where the far right is on the rise.

The full-body bathing suit worn by some Muslim women has become a bugbear of the European far right, which has campaigned to restrict Muslim dress in public spaces.

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UK Farage’s election gamble could see him face one challenger… Count Binface – Reuters

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  1. UK Farage's election gamble could see him face one challenger... Count Binface  Reuters
  2. Count Binface on Clacton byelection: ‘I didn’t know old Farage was going to self-detonate’  The Guardian
  3. Farage’s Act of Political Theater Risks Becoming Farce  The New York Times
  4. Nigel Farage’s rather silly by-election  The Economist
  5. Chris Mason: Farage called by-election from weak position - and it could backfire on him  BBC
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IMF upgrades UK growth forecast as fears over impact of Iran war diminish

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July update projects GDP growth of 1% this year, making UK the third fastest-growing economy in the G7

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its growth forecast for the UK, while leaving those for other G7 countries weaker or unchanged, amid hopes the economic impact of the Iran war may be less severe than feared.

In a July update of its World Economic Outlook, which was finalised before the latest outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, the Washington-based organisation projected UK gross domestic product to grow by 1% this year – up 0.2 percentage points from its April forecast.

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First Thing: Trump calls Iran’s leaders ‘scum’ and declares fragile ceasefire over

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Hostilities between US and Iran resume as US president lashes out at ‘vicious, violent people’. Plus the fallout from the USMNT’s exit from the Fifa World Cup

Good morning. Hostilities have resumed between the US and Iran. Tehran accused the US of violating the agreement intended to end the war, after the US military launched strikes around the strait of Hormuz and revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil exports. The attacks were the latest in a string of ceasefire violations by the two sides, despite a truce that came into effect in April, and have led to an immediate 3% rise in oil prices.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Ankara, Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding with Iran was over and called the country’s leaders “vicious, violent people” whom he would not deal with because they were, in the US president’s words, “scum”. He nevertheless appeared to indicate that talks would continue. Nato’s ⁠secretary general, Mark Rutte, backed the US attacks, saying: “When you ​have ‌a ‌ceasefire and Iran ‌is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is ‌totally crucial that the ​US forcefully react.”

What occurred to break the fragile ceasefire? The US military said that it had hit more than 80 targets in the early hours of Wednesday in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels ⁠passing through the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Iran responded by launching attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said 85 facilities had been targeted.

How could Democrats replace Platner? It is possible for Democrats to select a new Senate nominee in Maine, but the clock is ticking. To have a new candidate on the ballot for November’s midterm elections, Platner needs to end his campaign by 5pm ET on 13 July, according to state law. That would give the Democrats a two-week window – until 5pm ET on 27 July – to pick a replacement.

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