The Guardian

2022-08-02 14:58:18 Grenfell Tower fire: Lord Neuberger to mediate between victims and organisations

@theguardiannews Open / Comment

2022-07-31 17:01:10 Nadine Dorries’s ‘disturbing’ tweets on Sunak condemned by Tory MPs

The culture secretary, one of Johnson’s closest allies, retweeted an image depicting him as Julius Caesar about to be stabbed by a knife-wielding Sunak, a parody of his resignation that brought down the prime minister.

The business minister Greg Hands said the picture was inappropriate, especially given the killing of the Southend West Tory MP Sir David Amess at a constituency surgery in Essex last October. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-30 15:00:11 Pope Francis says Canada trip showed he may need to retire

Pope Francis has said that he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his weeklong Canadian pilgrimage was “a bit of a test” that showed he needed to slow down and one day possibly retire.

Speaking to reporters while traveling home from northern Nunavut, Francis, 85, stressed that he had not thought about resigning but said “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a pope stepping down.

“It’s not strange. It’s not a catastrophe. You can change the pope,” he said.

“I think at my age and with these limitations, I have to save[my energy] to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, think about the possibility of stepping aside,” he said. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-29 15:01:33 US supreme court justice mocks Prince Harry and Boris Johnson’s criticism of Roe v Wade ruling

US supreme court justice Samuel Alito has mocked prominent figures around the world who have criticised last month’s ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision.

In his first public remarks since the decision, which has led to various conservative US states imposing abortion bans, Alito dismissed criticism of the ruling, which has come from the likes of British prime minister Boris Johnson, French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Alito, a conservative justice, also took aim at Prince Harry who referenced the abortion ruling in a speech at the United Nation’s last week. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-28 18:02:16 Rights groups hit out at Macron decision to host Mohammed bin Salman

Human rights campaigners have hit out at Emmanuel Macron’s decision to host Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris during the Saudi crown prince’s first visit to Europe since the murder nearly four years ago of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the world’s second largest oil producer, arrived at Orly airport on Wednesday night after a red-carpet stopover in Greece and was greeted by the French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, French media reported

He will be welcomed at the Élysée Palace on Thursday for a working dinner at which the French president is expected to ask him to boost Saudi oil production amid mounting western concern over winter energy shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-28 09:00:42 China’s targeting of Australian military planes ‘aggressive and irresponsible’, US says

China’s targeting of Australian military planes was “aggressive and irresponsible”, the United States Department of Defense says, and it “represents one of the most significant threats to peace and stability in the region”.

In comments released on Thursday morning, the US defense department’s Ely Ratner said Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific was an attempt to challenge the rules-based order and assert greater control in the area.

Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said incidents, including those aimed at Australian aircraft earlier this year, were “not isolated”. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-27 19:00:36 UK energy bills forecast to hit £3,850 as Russia cuts gas supply further

Home energy bills in the UK could soar to £3,850 from January, after Russia further squeezed Europe’s gas supplies, according to a forecast that would spell further misery for people already struggling to afford gas and electricity.

The prediction, which some industry sources said should be treated with caution, follows a surge in European gas prices, as Russia cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

The energy-focused management consultancy BFY said it now expected October’s price cap to hit £3,420, while the subsequent rise in January could be as high as £3,850. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-27 12:00:24 Gotabaya Rajapaksa expected to return to Sri Lanka, minister says

Sri Lanka’s beleaguered former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after mass protests and resigned this month, is expected to return home, according to a cabinet minister.

Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka under the cover of darkness in a military jet earlier this month after protesters took over his house and presidential offices, demanding he resign.

He and his wife flew to the Maldives and then on to Singapore, where he has remained since. Rajapaksa’s resignation letter was dispatched from Singapore to Sri Lanka and formally accepted by the cabinet on 15 July. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-26 19:02:17 Melting glacier in Alps shifts border between Switzerland and Italy

A melting glacier in the Alps has shifted the border between Switzerland and Italy, putting the location of an Italian mountain lodge in dispute.

The borderline runs along a drainage divide – the point at which meltwater will run down either side of the mountain towards one country or the other.

But the Theodul Glacier’s retreat means the watershed has crept towards the Rifugio Guide del Cervino, a refuge for visitors near the 3,480-metre (11,417ft) Testa Grigia peak – and it is gradually sweeping underneath the building. read more Open / Comment

2022-07-26 09:01:28 Russia’s Gazprom to make drastic cut to Europe’s gas supply from Wednesday

The Russian state-controlled energy company Gazprom has announced a drastic cut to gas deliveries through its main pipeline to Europe from Wednesday.

The Russian gas export monopoly said it was halting the operation of one of the last two operating turbines due to the “technical condition of the engine”, cutting daily gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to 33m cubic metres a day – about 20% of the pipeline’s capacity.

“We are monitoring the situation very closely in close exchange with the federal network agency and the gas crisis team,” the German economy ministry said in a statement on Monday after Gazprom’s announcement. “According to our information, there is no technical reason for a reduction in deliveries.” read more Open / Comment