Newington College head blasts parents for ‘behaviour inconsistent with our values’

Michael Parker criticises ‘deliberate negativity’ of a ‘very small group’ but does not refer directly to opponents of controversial plans to admit girls

The headteacher of the top Sydney school embroiled in a row over becoming co-educational has written to parents and alumni expressing disappointment with a group of people within the school’s community “whose behaviour is inconsistent with our school culture and our values”.

The email, which the Guardian has seen, was sent by the head of Newington College, Michael Parker, on Monday.

Continue reading...

‘Most of it was dead’: scientists discovers one of Great Barrier Reef’s worst coral bleaching events

Analysis of high-resolution drone imagery concludes 97% of corals died at a Lizard Island reef between March and June this year

At least 97% of corals on a reef in the Great Barrier Reef’s north died during one of the worst coral bleaching events the world’s biggest reef system has ever seen, according to new analysis.

Scientists at several institutions used high-resolution drone imagery to track the bleaching and death of corals on a reef at Lizard Island.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

How a Dutton misstep on climate saw him go quiet for three days then come out swinging

Exclusive: Text messages asking ‘did we miss a party room meeting?’ pinged between Coalition MPs, caught out by new ‘position’ on 2030 emissions target

Peter Dutton’s refusal to commit the Coalition to a 2030 emissions reduction target was policy on the run to fix a mistake, when ambiguous comments in a newspaper interview were reported as a shift.

Guardian Australia understands Dutton never intended to declare a new position on the government’s 2030 emissions reduction target, but misspoke during an interview with the Australian newspaper just over two weeks ago. He decided to go quiet for three days and then come out swinging, rather than reveal it was inadvertent.

Continue reading...

Far-right National Rally promises to bar dual nationals from some state jobs in France

Pledge by Jordan Bardella, who aims to become prime minister in the election on 7 July, draws sharp criticism

The far-right National Rally’s pledge to bar dual nationals from certain state jobs in France has been criticised by the left and centrists who say it is a taste of broader discrimination that could be implemented if the party comes to power in snap elections.

Jordan Bardella, who aims to become prime minister if the party wins an absolute majority in parliament on 7 July, announced this week that people with dual nationality would be excluded from “the most strategic posts of state”, which would be reserved for French citizens. In a proposal that rang alarm bells, he said it would apply to strategic security and defence positions.

Continue reading...

International court seeks arrest of Russian officials over attacks on Ukrainian power plants – The Associated Press

  1. International court seeks arrest of Russian officials over attacks on Ukrainian power plants  The Associated Press
  2. Ukraine war: International Criminal Court seeks arrest of Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov  BBC.com
  3. I.C.C. Issues Arrest Warrants for Russian Officials Shoigu and Gerasimov  The New York Times
  4. Putin Ally Shoigu and Russian Army Chief Face ICC Arrest Warrant  Bloomberg
  5. ICC issues warrants for Russia’s Shoigu and Gerasimov over Ukraine war  The Washington Post
Posted in Uncategorized

ICC issues arrest warrants for Russian officials over alleged Ukraine war crimes

Army chief and ex-minister of defence accused over missile attacks on civilian targets including power plants

The international criminal court (ICC) at The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s ex-minister of defence and current army chief of staff for alleged war crimes in Ukraine after a missile campaign targeting Ukrainian power plants and other civilian infrastructure during the full-scale invasion.

Ex-minister of defence Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, are accused of the war crimes of directing attacks at civilian objects and of causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects. They are also accused of crimes against humanity.

Continue reading...

Kenyan police open fire on protesters as crowd try to storm parliament

Demonstrators were protesting against legislation to raise taxes in country reeling from cost-of-living crisis

Police have opened fire on protesters outside Kenya’s parliament as they attempted to storm the building while MPs inside passed legislation to raise taxes.

Police started shooting after teargas and water cannon failed to disperse a crowd of thousands who had overwhelmed officers. Flames could be seen coming from inside the building.

Continue reading...

Chanel shows no sign of drift, even without a chief designer at helm

Luxury brand’s studio team turn to timeless tweeds and neat silhouettes in first show since Virginie Viard’s sudden exit

There were 12 boucle-tweed suits, in colours from pistachio to raspberry. There were endless swishy blond ponytails tied with black silk bows, and a clatter of satin Mary Jane shoes with pearled heels. There were Hollywood faces – Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams – in the front row of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, countless quilted-flap 2.55 handbags in the front row and a finale bridal gown with a sweeping ivory silk train.

But one crucial thing was missing from this season’s Chanel haute couture show: a designer to take a bow. Since the sudden exit this month of the designer Virginie Viard, who had led Chanel since the death of Karl Lagerfeld five years ago, this mighty luxury brand, worth an estimated £15.5bn ($19.7bn), is headless. The vacancy for fashion’s top job is the talk of Paris fashion week.

Continue reading...