Prime minister announces resignation outside No 10 Downing Street
Last night Braverman said she would stand in the Tory leadership contest when Boris Johnson goes.
When it was put to her that she did not have enough experience, Braverman did not accept that. She said she had run a government department, the attorney generalas department.
Continue reading...Johnson succumbs to pressure to quit as party leader but pledges to stay on as prime minister until successor is chosen
Boris Johnson has resigned as Conservative leader and blamed the aherd instincta of Tory MPs for pushing him out of office, after a series of cabinet ministers told him he had lost the support of the party.
In a statement outside Downing Street, Johnson acknowledged that ano one is remotely indispensablea and accepted that it was the awill of the parliamentary Conservative partya that he should leave No 10.
Continue reading...Dishonesty has been the one constant in Johnsonas career a in the end the deceit proved too much to bear
Lies and a brazen contempt for the rules powered his rise; lies and a brazen contempt for the rules brought his fall. Which means the political odyssey of Boris Johnson has a curious symmetry. Except that what began as defects in the personality of one man ended as defects in his party and his government, inflicting great damage on the entire country.
The lies that proved his undoing are now all too familiar. The last, fatal lie was his claim that he had not been told directly of complaints of sexual misconduct committed by the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, a claim rapidly exposed as false in a rare intervention from a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, Simon McDonald. It turned out that Johnson had indeed been briefed about Pincher, and that once again Johnson had not told the truth.
Continue reading...The prime ministeras destructive experiment in clowning has torn up the normal rulebook and turned politics into a farce
Had Boris Johnsonas dramatic disgrace occurred in a normal world, it would have pushed the expectation of a general election back a bit, perhaps to the last possible moment in 2024. The prime minister has finally agreed to resign a ludicrously, he wants to stay in post until the autumn, as ex-ministers beg him to leave (itas possible he only said this because humiliating climbdowns are perversely his happy place). Any new Conservative leader would want to put some blue water between themselves and Johnson and carve out a space in the nationas psyche. Hell, if they were really old-school, theyad want to put together a political programme of their own ideas, hammered into household use through sheer repetition.
That previously modest road map is a fantasy. There is no possible blue water between anyone and Johnson, who wonat sink until everyoneas lapels are splashed in his carnage. Itas hard to imagine the Tory leader with any personalities or philosophies left to try on and harder still to think of the party united enough that it could devise a long-range strategy.
Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist
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Continue reading...Roger Stone and Michael Flynn involved in aOperation Eagles Wingsa, push to train activists in election canvassing and poll-watching
A conservative group called the America Project that boasts Donald Trump loyalists and abig liea pushers Roger Stone and Michael Flynn as key advisers, has begun a self-styled aelection integritya drive to train activists in election canvassing and poll-watching, sparking fears from voting rights watchdogs about voter intimidation.
Patrick Byrne, the multimillionaire co-founder of the America Project, has said he has donated almost $3m to launch the drive, dubbed aOperation Eagles Wingsa, with a focus on eight states including Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which Trump lost, plus Texas and Florida, which he won.
Continue reading...Capitol attack panel expected to study links between Trump and the extremist groups in closer detail at seventh public hearing
Towards the end of her testimony to the House January 6 select committee, former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson raised for the first time the prospect that Donald Trump might have had a line of communication to the leaders of the extremist groups that stormed the Capitol.
The potential connection from the former US president to the extremist right-wing groups came through her account of Trumpas order to his White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to call Roger Stone and Mike Flynn a which Meadows did a the evening before the Capitol attack.
Continue reading...Three pipeline projects are in early stages of planning in Iowa. An alliance of farmers, Indigenous groups and environmentalists wants to stop them
In August 2021, Sherri Webb found a letter in her mailbox about a new pipeline project. It would be a climate solution, the letter from Summit Carbon Solutions read, capturing planet-warming carbon dioxide and pumping it out of the state to be stored deep underground.
The letter included an aerial map of Webbas property and a word that immediately alarmed her: aeasementa. To install the pipeline, planned to run underneath close to 2,000 miles of Iowa land, Summit wanted permission to dig underneath her farm, an 80-acre property near Shelby that has been in Webbas family for over 100 years.
Continue reading...In the second part of an exclusive investigation, the Guardian can reveal that multiple organizations and institutions tasked with the welfare and protection of athletes failed to consider, investigate or address repeated allegations of sexual misconduct against Toledo soccer coach Brad Evans
The Universty of Toledo knew in 2015 about an allegation of sexual misconduct by Brad Evans, coach of its womenas soccer team, but sidelined the claims to allow the coach to eventually resign citing ainappropriate relationshipsa. The university was also aware of concerns raised by players and families about his behavior since 2012.
The university took five years to acknowledge the sexual misconduct allegation a only after the current coach of the University of Toledo womenas team filed a report to the schoolas Title IX office in 2020. The reported victim of the alleged sexual misconduct was Candice Fabry, a former student, athlete and assistant coach at the university, as exclusively reported by the Guardian.
UToledo did conduct an investigation following a report by a student-athlete in January 2015 of verbal harassment by Brad Evans, who was at the time the Head Coach of the womenas soccer team. The investigation did find that Mr. Evansa conduct toward student-athletes may have violated the Universityas Standards of Conduct policy, however, the case was not referred for possible disciplinary action because by the conclusion of the investigation in March 2015, Mr. Evans had already resigned his position effective Feb. 23, 2015.
Continue reading...Kazuki Takahashi found in snorkelling gear floating in the sea off coast of Okinawa, reports say
A Japanese artist who created the hit manga comic series Yu-Gi-Oh!, which spawned a worldwide media franchise including a trading card game, has been found dead in the sea, according to media reports.
Kazuki Takahashi, 60, whose real first name was Kazuo, was discovered wearing snorkelling gear and floating in the sea near Nago, in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, early on Wednesday and identified a day later, the NHK public broadcaster reported.
Continue reading...Meeting in Indonesia will be the first with the Russian envoy since the Kremlin invaded its neighbour, triggering global food and energy crises
See all our Ukraine coverage here
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has flown into the Indonesian island of Bali for a gathering of G20 foreign ministers, which is likely to be overshadowed by Moscowas war in Ukraine and deep divisions within the bloc over how to respond to the crisis.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Lavrov and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi are all due to attend the gathering as concern among western governments mounts about the waras impact on the cost of food and fuel, which has prompted the UN to warn of an aunprecedented wave of hunger and destitutiona.
Continue reading...People across the North Island flooded social media with reports of the object, with some describing the sound as being like an earthquake
New Zealanders across the North Island have reported rumbling, crackling sounds, a fireball and a huge flash of light streaking across the sky on Thursday afternoon, in what scientists believe was likely a meteor.
Local media outlets and social media were flooded with reports and queries about the sight, with some witnesses describing rumbles, bangs, a crackling sound in their ears, hair standing on end, rattling windows or a streak or explosion of light, followed by a smoke trail.
Continue reading...Muskas nine children include pair born to Shivon Zilis, who works at his artificial intelligence company
Elon Musk fathered two children in 2021 with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his artificial intelligence company Neuralink, new court documents show.
The worldas wealthiest man now has nine known children, including five children with his first wife, Justine Musk, and two with the singer Claire Boucher, known professionally as Grimes.
Continue reading...Christopher Wray joins Ken McCallum in London, calling Beijing the abiggest long-term threat to economic securitya
The head of the FBI and the leader of Britainas domestic intelligence agency have delivered an unprecedented joint address raising fresh alarm about the Chinese government, warning business leaders that Beijing is determined to steal their technology for competitive gain.
In a speech at MI5as London headquarters intended as a show of western solidarity, Christopher Wray, the FBI director, stood alongside the MI5 director general, Ken McCallum. Wray reaffirmed longstanding concerns about economic espionage and hacking operations by China as well as the Chinese governmentas efforts to stifle dissent abroad.
Continue reading...Structure in Georgia demolished after being heavily damaged in attack by aunknown individualsa
A peculiar granite monument that some have dubbed aAmericaas Stonehengea but a conservative politician condemned as asatanica has been torn down by authorities in rural Georgia hours after it was heavily damaged in a bombing by vandals.
Investigators from several law enforcement agencies converged on the site 100 miles (161 km) east of Atlanta seeking clues to the pre-dawn explosion on Wednesday that blew a portion of the 42-year-old monument, called the Georgia Guidestones, to pieces.
Continue reading...Illinoisas ared flaga law could have disqualified shooter from legally obtaining guns but he was still able to purchase five firearms
Legislators and activists have derided the weakness of US gun control laws following the Fourth of July mass shooting in which the alleged gunman was allowed to legally purchase weapons despite multiple alarming prior encounters with law enforcement.
On Monday, seven people were killed and more than 30 wounded in Highland Park, an affluent, mostly white Chicago suburb, after the suspect allegedly fired on an Independence Day parade from a rooftop.
Continue reading...Local official says Russian rockets hit strategic island and city; Turkish ambassador summoned by Ukraine after Russian ship with grain released
Authorities in Odesa are reporting that grain silos in the region and Snake Island have been hit by rockets or missiles overnight.
An official channel for Odesa posted:
Two rockets hit two agricultural hangars at night, which were destroyed. About 35 tonnes of grain were stored in one of them.
According to preliminary data, there are no victims.
Continue reading...Kyiv protests over aunacceptable situationa as Russian-flagged ship sails from Karasu, where it had been impounded
Ukraine has summoned the Turkish ambassador after it said Turkey had allowed a Russian-flagged ship carrying what it has claimed was thousands of tonnes of stolen Ukrainian grain to leave the port of Karasu.
aWe regret that Russiaas ship Zhibek Zholy, which was full of stolen Ukrainian grain, was allowed to leave Karasu port despite criminal evidence presented to the Turkish authorities,a said the foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko. aTurkeyas ambassador in Kyiv will be invited to Ukraineas ministry of foreign affairs to clarify this unacceptable situation.a
Continue reading...Russian attacks intensify in Donetsk; civilians continue to flee from Sloviansk as Moscowas forces press towards the eastern Ukrainian city
Continue reading...An explosive spring season has already burned more land than the 10-year average, with summers only expected to intensify
Following an explosive spring that unleashed major wildfires from the US southwest to Alaska, the west is now bracing for a summer of big blazes as the parched landscapes risk turning into tinderboxes.
Fire activity is expected to increase in several US states over the coming months, according to a newly released outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), with parts of the Pacific north-west, northern California, Texas, Hawaii and Alaska forecast to be among those hardest hit by fire conditions in the months ahead.
Continue reading...Virgilio Trujillo Arana, who led community defense from criminal groups and illegal mining, was gunned down in broad daylight
Virgilio Trujillo Arana knew that he was risking his life by defending the Amazon lands on which his Indigenous Uwottuja community had lived for centuries.
aWhatever happens, happens,a he said, in a video recorded before his death. a[But] without land, we disappear. Thatas why we defend our territories.a
Continue reading...The inside story of Rajapaksa family infighting that toppled a country into violence and bankruptcy
Dilith Jayaweera can still recall the moment he realised Sri Lanka was hurtling, unstoppably, towards financial ruin.
It was around October 2021 and Jayaweera, a Sri Lankan media magnate and close friend of the Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had invited Basil Rajapaksa, the presidentas younger brother, who was also the finance minister, to join him for dinner.
Continue reading...Simba the goatas owner says kidas ears are record-breaking and has contacted Guinness World Records
A kid goat with extraordinarily long ears has become a media star in Pakistan, with its owner claiming a world record that may or may not exist.
Simba is living a pampered existence in Karachi, where he was born last month with ears that were strikingly long a and have grown to reach 54cm (21in).
Continue reading...The musician with the Midas touch has sold 25m albums a but heas still fighting for the recognition heas due
At this yearas BET awards, the honor for lifetime achievement went to Sean aDiddya Combs a and why not? He signed the Notorious BIG and takes credit for ainventinga the remix. He changed what it means to be called a hip-hop super producer while becoming a multi-platinum-selling rapper himself. Really, heas not that much different from Pete Rock.
Rock (real name Peter O Philips) is the other kind of super-producer, the one who actually does the grunt work of trawling for rare records and cutting and stitching them into something fresh. In fact, he could just as easily take credit for inventing the remix while reimagining Public Enemyas Shut Em Down and House of Painas Jump Around. Rock has collaborated with Kanye and Kendrick and seen his Midas touch translate to 25m global album sales and untold billions more in streams. And heas an impressive rapper in his own right; Rolling Stone ranks his 1991 hit with CL Smooth, They Reminisce Over You, among its 500 greatest songs.
Continue reading...Geotags are causing overcrowding and disruption, weare told a but if nature isnat for everyone, who decides who itas for?
Before we hike Mount Storm King, my wife, Kelsey, is met with a simple request: please donat geotag your photos.
Kelsey learned about the trail from a work friend, who posted images on Instagram after reaching the summit alongside several hiking influencers. Itas the hiking influencers weare warned not to upset, as best practice for them requires posting their photographs or videos with no geographic specificity, just a tag saying aWashington statea.
Continue reading...Wayne Davis and his hawks have been scaring birds at the tennis championships and Canary Wharf for 15 years. But is his profession now under threat?
If humans thought like hawks, we would only be thinking of our next kill. If we could see like hawks, we would have eyes the size of tennis balls, scanning the Earth for a rabbit or a slow-moving pigeon. If we could fly like hawks, we would swoop close to the ground, barely skimming buildings in a muscular sprint. If we could live like hawks, there would be no worry or despair, just the pleasurable fatigue of a successful hunt, digestion in a quiet copse, rising hunger and the hunt once again.
But humans cannot think like hawks, so instead we project on to them our own characteristics. Which is how I come to find myself asking Wayne Davis of the Corby-based firm Avian Environmental Consultants whether he thinks he has a special bond with Rufus, his 15-year-old male Harrisas hawk. The 59-year-old Davis gives a creaky laugh at the thought. aThe bond is just food, basically,a he says. aIam beneficial to him. If he doesnat actually catch anything, he still gets rewarded with food from me. Heas not coming back to me because he loves me or anything like that. Itas purely food.a
Continue reading...(Matador)
One of the definitive New York buzz bands of the 00s, the trio relax their tense mood a just a little a on an album of pleasures and longeurs
aStill in shape, my methods refined,a sings Paul Banks on Toni, the opening track of Interpolas seventh studio album. Banks is a lyric writer who, throughout his career, has tended to deal in allusion and opacity, the kind of imagery that sounds as though it means something, but can essentially be interpreted in any way the listener sees fit: aDraw me a million years and Iall probably make them my home / eternity brought me tears, but itas the cold I collect on my own,a he sings, characteristically, elsewhere on The Other Side of Make-Believe.
But, whether intended or not, that line from Toni feels like a neat summation of where the band heas fronted since 1997 are, 25 years later. Interpol may well have been the archetypical early 00s New York alt-rock buzz band: derivative but stylish, bedevilled by excess, unable to translate the excitement generated by their early releases into the mainstream, household-name success won by less hip but more commercially driven contemporaries.
Continue reading...Made with all-renewable materials, this violin from 1721 reflects a time of magnificent culture a a global gathering from before the climate crisis
For the last 50 years, David Harrington, the founder and artistic director of San Franciscoas Kronos Quartet, has been playing what he calls apretty athletic musica on a violin made in 1721. Iave heard him play all kinds of compositions on it, from the galloping notes of Orange Blossom Special to the minimalism of Terry Riley and even the occasional bit of Bach. The instrument made by Carlo Giuseppe Testore in Milan has survived three centuries, providing music for countless audiences, and can be heard on more than 60 Kronos albums.
When I first learned the age of the instrument I was filled with wonder that a delicate piece of craftsmanship could endure for centuries, that something so small and light could do so much, that an instrument made in the 18th century could have so much to say in the 21st. It felt like a messenger from the past and an emblem of the possible, a relic and a promise.
Continue reading...Powerful men are using defamation lawsuits to shut down allegations against them, and anti-choice groups are trying to pass laws criminalizing speech about abortion
Weare in a moment of antifeminist backlash, and, increasingly, that backlash seems aimed at silencing women, or punishing the women who wonat shut up. Itas a perilous time for womenas speech a or at least, itas a perilous time for women who speak out against sexism. Over the course of this spring and summer, threats to feminist activists and abuse survivors have multiplied and become more serious, with women who speak out against menas violence or in favor of womenas rights increasingly targeted by abusers, vigilantes, antifeminist activists and lawmakers, and the courts.
The trend became inescapably visible this spring, as the actor Johnny Deppas defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard stretched on for weeks. Deppas court battle against his ex-wife, his second time suing over the allegations that he beat and sexually assaulted her, attracted frenzied, hate-filled attention on social media the way a boulder gathers mud as it rolls downhill. But though Deppas lawsuit received an unusual amount of attention, his tactic of suing his accuser over her disclosure is not unique.
Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist
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