The Guardian

Nigeria-led regional bloc ready to flex its muscle in Niger Coup leaders and Russia are attempting to frame takeover as anti-neocolonialism after misjudging reaction from EcowasIn the square in central Niamey on Thursday, the anniversary of Niger’s independence from France, the mainly young men who gathered to demonstrate in favour of the military coup against President Mohamed Bazoum brought with them Russian flags and anti-French slogans.It remained unclear whether the demonstration was spontaneous or organised to coincide with a speech by the coup leader Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani in which he decried the threat of interference by the west and regional powers led by Nigeria. Continue reading...👇

Alberta withdraws support for 2030 Commonwealth Games bid due to cost Announcement comes weeks after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 GamesThe province of Alberta has withdrawn its support for a bid centred around Calgary/Edmonton to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, weeks after the Australia state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 Games.Alberta’s tourism minister, Joseph Schow, said that cost was behind the decision. Continue reading...👇

Niger junta cancels France military ties as Biden calls for Bazoum’s release US statement comes as ousted president says he is being held hostage and calls on international community to restore orderJoe Biden has called for the immediate release of Niger’s elected president and for the country’s democracy to be restored, in the highest profile statement by the US since the coup that removed Mohamed Bazoum from power, as Senegal also ramped up the pressure by saying its troops would join a a military intervention if necessary.“I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger’s hard-earned democracy,” the US president said in a statement on Thursday, the 63rd anniversary of Niger’s independence. “In this critical moment, the United States stands with the people of Niger to honour our decades-long partnership rooted in shared democratic values and support for civilian-led governance.” Continue reading...👇

Armed US troops may guard oil tankers against Iranian hijackings Commercial vessels would be invited to carry sailors and marines in Strait of Hormuz, part of Persian Gulf where Pentagon is beefing up presenceThe US could soon offer to put armed sailors and marines on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, two US officials have said, amid alleged attempts by Iran to hijack ships in international waters.The Pentagon in July sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East after Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels. Continue reading...👇

‘Winter is disappearing’: South America hit by ‘brutal’ unseasonal heatwave Buenos Aires records hottest start to August in 117 years, Chile sees highs towards 40C and Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil also bakeNow should be South America’s bleak midwinter, but several parts of the continent are experiencing an extraordinary unseasonal heatwave that scientists believe offers a disturbing glimpse of a future of extreme weather.Argentina’s riverside capital, Buenos Aires, this week recorded its hottest 1 August in 117 years. Continue reading...👇

Canada wildfires have already doubled smoke emissions record set last year EU’s climate monitor tracks fire emissions as wildfires are expected to continue to burn for weeks or even monthsHuge wildfires in Canada have already spewed out twice the smoke emissions than the previous whole-year record, the EU’s climate monitor said on Thursday, with the blazes expected to continue to scorch their way through forests for weeks or even months.The devastating wildfires have burned some 30m acres (12m hectares) this year so far, incinerating an area larger than the size of Cuba or South Korea. Continue reading...👇

Canada has zero pro-choice Conservative MPs, watchdog says Abortion rights group places remaining 15 Conservatives on list of anti-choice MPs after vote on ‘fetal rights’ billA vote on a controversial bill meant to expand “fetal rights” in Canada has left the country without a single pro-choice Conservative MP, according to an abortion watchdog organization.This week, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) placed the last remaining 15 Conservatives on its list of anti-choice MPs after they voted in support of Bill C-311, dubbed the Violence Against Pregnant Women Act. Continue reading...👇

UN bodies call for urgent action over Panama’s Darién Gap migration route UN Refugee Agency and IOM urge steps – including more legal pathways for migrants – to curb humanitarian crisisInternational bodies have called for urgent intervention in the Darién Gap to prevent a further escalation of a humanitarian crisis as new figures showed that record numbers of people are risking their lives to cross the lawless 100-mile stretch of rainforest between Panama and Colombia.The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also called for the creation of more legal pathways to migrate to the US in order to help reduce irregular migration. Continue reading...👇

Kenya halts Worldcoin data collection over privacy and security concerns Issues raised include use of eye scans to prove ‘humanness’ and financial inducements to sign upThe Kenyan government has barred the eyeball-scanning Worldcoin cryptocurrency project from recruiting new customers as it investigates data privacy and security concerns.Kenya’s interior ministry said the venture must stop collecting user data after raising a number of issues including: concerns over the secure storage of data that includes scans of a user’s iris; that offering crypto in exchange for data “borders on inducement”; inadequate information on cybersecurity safeguards; and placing large amounts of private data in the hands of a private business. Continue reading...👇

Niger: US and UK evacuate embassy staff as coup leaders double down Staffing levels reduced as US says White House is committed to restoring president after last week’s coupThe US and UK have ordered the evacuation of some staff from their embassies in Niger after last week’s coup, as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the White House was committed to restoring the stricken country’s government.Niger is a key western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents in the region. Foreign powers have condemned the takeover, fearing it could allow the militants to gain ground. Continue reading...👇

Tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah in border region Lebanese militant group appears to be trying new tactics to test Israel’s resolveTensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are at their highest level in years after a series of inflammatory incidents on the UN-controlled boundary between the two countries.Seventeen years after the Iran-backed movement’s last devastating war with Israel, Hezbollah appears to be trying new tactics in the volatile border region to test Israel’s resolve. Such brinkmanship is not unknown, but the increasing frequency of the border skirmishes is raising the likelihood of miscalculation – and escalation. Continue reading...👇

Body caught in Rio Grande floating barrier, says Mexico Texas government installed barrier to deter migrants – Mexican and US governments want it removed as dangerous and illegalA body has been found stuck in a floating barrier installed by Texas authorities in the Rio Grande river on the US border, Mexico’s foreign ministry has saidAuthorities were working to identify the body found in the river and determine the cause of death, said Mexico’s foreign ministry, as it reiterated safety concerns. Continue reading...👇

Moroccan man jailed for five years for criticising king in Facebook posts Court’s sentence over posts denouncing country’s ties with Israel is ‘harsh and incomprehensible’, says lawyerA Moroccan internet user has been sentenced to five years’ jail for criticising the king on Facebook over the country’s normalisation of ties with Israel, his lawyer has said.Said Boukioud, 48, was jailed on Monday for posts denouncing the normalisation “in a way that could be interpreted as criticism of the king”, lawyer El Hassan Essouni said on Wednesday, adding that he had appealed. Continue reading...👇

UK aid budget cuts are ‘death sentence’ for world’s most vulnerable children Save the Children and Oxfam urge government to restore aid budget back to 0.7% of national incomeUK aid cuts are a “death sentence” for children in the world’s most dangerous places, aid charities have warned after an internal government report revealed the impact of budget reductions on the most vulnerable.The government faced calls from NGOs including Save the Children and Oxfam to restore the aid budget back to 0.7% of national income, after the potential effects of cuts were outlined in grim detail by an assessment produced by civil servants. Continue reading...👇

Brazil: at least 45 killed in string of police operations in three states Ten people were killed in Rio favela and 19 people reportedly died in state of Bahia, while death toll rose to 16 in São Paulo region At least 45 people have been killed in a string of police operations across three Brazilian states, in a particularly bloody week even for Brazil – a country notorious for its police violence.Ten people were killed during an operation by civil and military police against drug traffickers into the Complexo da Penha favela in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday morning, with residents saying that heavy gunfire began at 3am. Continue reading...👇

Pakistan government faces backlash over ‘draconian’ arrest powers Amendment to bill would allow intelligence agencies to search ‘enemies’ and their premises without warrantThe Pakistan government is facing a backlash from MPs and senators after introducing an amendment to a colonial-era secrets act that critics have said will grant “draconian” powers to its military intelligence agency to detain and arrest citizens with impunity.The amendment was quietly added in a parliamentary session and passed without providing copies to MPs, creating concern among parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle. Continue reading...👇

Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announce separation Canadian PM’s office says in statement that pair ‘remain a close family’ and have signed a legal agreementCanada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, are separating, the couple have announced on Instagram, with a statement that appeared to mark the end of their 18-year marriage.Trudeau, 51, and Grégoire Trudeau, 48, were married in late May 2005. Continue reading...👇

Chinese firefighter ‘dies heroic death’ as Beijing reports heaviest rain in 140 years Extreme weather comes as China’s foreign ministry denies reports that it obstructed discussions on climate crisis at G20 meetingsChina’s government awarded martyr status to a firefighter who died as he tried to rescue people trapped by heavy flooding that has pummelled Beijing and surrounding areas in the heaviest rain in at least 140 years.Feng Zhen, a firefighter in Beijing’s Haidian district, was washed away by flood waters as he tried to rescue three people from a school building on Monday. The people escaped the area safely, but after receiving medical treatment Feng “died a heroic death”, according to state media. Continue reading...👇

Aftermath of Typhoon Doksuri brought Beijing floods, meteorologists explain Rising ocean temperatures caused by climate crisis are also said to be causing China’s extreme weatherSummers in China are often wet, sometimes very wet, but nothing like the drenching that has engulfed Beijing and its neighbouring provinces this week.As Beijing authorities lifted the flood alert on Wednesday morning, after the city’s heaviest rainfall for 140 years, 21 people across the region were confirmed dead. Dozens more were missing. Continue reading...👇

Aung San Suu Kyi’s partial ‘pardon’ still means 27-year sentence Human rights groups say Myanmar military’s move to drop five of ousted leader’s convictions is meaningless Even with a partial pardon announced this week by Myanmar’s military junta, Aung San Suu Kyi still faces the prospect of being kept in detention until she is more than 100 years old, if she lives that long.She has been held by the military since it seized power in a coup on 1 February 2021, and has been convicted of 19 offences – from sedition and illegal possession of walkie-talkies, to breaking pandemic rules and electoral fraud. Continue reading...👇

Newly discovered whale species could have been heaviest animal ever Fossils found in Peru from extinct species show it may have had body mass of 85-340 tonnes – heavier than blue whalesThe fossilised bones of an ancient creature that patrolled coastal waters 40m years ago belong to a newly discovered species that is a contender for the heaviest animal ever to have existed on Earth.Fossil hunters discovered remnants of the enormous and long-extinct whale in a rock formation in the Ica desert of southern Peru. Fully grown adults might have weighed hundreds of tonnes, researchers believe. Continue reading...👇

Climate crisis: Australia must ready for ‘devastating’ regional disruption, MPs told Failed states, a rise in authoritarian politics and heightened risks of conflict among potential threats outlined in thinktank’s assessmentFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia must prepare for “devastating” climate-fuelled disruption in the Asia Pacific, including failed states, forced migration and regional conflicts over water shortages, a stark briefing for federal politicians warns.The Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration thinktank has summarised the potential threats and impacts of the climate crisis in a note targeted at MPs.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...👇

Indigenous territory still in crisis despite Brazil’s expulsion of miners Six months after Lula’s government cracked down on garimpeiros, a legacy of malnutrition and malaria is taking its toll on YanomamiSix months after the Brazilian government launched an operation to turf out illegal miners from the country’s largest Indigenous reserve, the Yanomami population there continues to live in fear, battling a legacy of violence, destruction and disease.A new report released by three Indigenous organisations on Wednesday, applauds the success of the government’s crackdown but highlights the challenges that lie ahead in fully addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of wildcat miners during the Jair Bolsonaro years. Continue reading...👇

Xi Jinping replaces generals in charge of China’s nuclear arsenal Leader tightens grip over country’s military leadership with biggest shake-up in a decadeTwo of China’s top generals overseeing its nuclear missiles have been replaced with scant explanation in the biggest shake-up of the country’s military leadership in a decade, underlining Xi Jinping’s commitment to tightening control over the armed forces.Two men from outside the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) were appointed to head the unit, state media have reported. Wang Houbin, from the navy, was appointed as commander and Xu Xisheng, from the air force, its political commissar – a Chinese Communist party role of equal grade to military commander. Continue reading...👇

Women’s health at risk from UK aid cuts, Foreign Office warned Thousands more women will be forced into unsafe abortions and die in pregnancy and childbirth, ministers toldHundreds of thousands more women will face unsafe abortions and thousands will die in pregnancy and childbirth as a result of UK aid cuts in 2023-24, Foreign Office ministers were warned in an internal assessment.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published its programme allocations for the next two years last month, showing that official development assistance (ODA) spend is due to rise marginally in 2023-24 and then increase by 12% in 2024-25 to £8.3bn. Continue reading...👇

Solomon Islands newspaper pledged to promote ‘truth about China’s generosity’ in return for funding The Solomon Star denies accusations of ‘giving away’ its independence by accepting thousands of dollars’ worth of equipmentLocal media in Solomon Islands have been accused of compromising their independence by entering into agreements with Chinese news organisations and accepting thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment from the Chinese embassy.Since the Solomon Islands government signed a high-profile security agreement with China in March 2022, some newspapers in the Pacific country have received cars, cameras, phones and printing machinery that costs thousands of dollars from the Chinese government, via its local embassy, according to local journalists. Some have raised concern about the gifts and the continued close dialogue between media organisations in China and Solomon Islands. Continue reading...👇

Australian teenager Yusuf Zahab ‘alive’ in Syrian prison months after reports he was killed in IS strike Family ‘overwhelmed with joy’ after video emerges of teenager, believed to be Zahab, looking healthy and speaking into a camera Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian teenager believed killed in an Islamic State airstrike in Syria more than a year ago is believed to have been found alive. His family say they are “overwhelmed with joy”.Yusuf Zahab was just 11 when he was taken into Syria by his family nearly a decade ago: his older brothers were IS fighters and recruiters.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...👇

Four Nigerians survive 14 days on ship’s rudder before Brazilian rescue Four men traveled about 5,600km before being rescued by Brazilian federal police in south-eastern port of VitóriaOn their 10th day at sea, the four Nigerian stowaways crossing the Atlantic in a tiny space above the rudder of a cargo ship ran out of food and drink.They survived another four days, according to their account, by drinking the sea water crashing just meters below them, before being rescued by Brazilian federal police in the south-eastern port of Vitória. Continue reading...👇

France begins evacuating its citizens and other Europeans from Niger Airlift follows coup that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum, as tensions grow between the two countriesFrance has started evacuating its citizens and other Europeans from Niger, days after a junta toppled the president, Mohamed Bazoum, and seized power in the west African country.Tensions between Niger and former colonial power France have escalated after the coup on 26 July overthrew one of the last pro-western leaders in Africa’s Sahel region. France’s decision to swiftly evacuate its citizens goes further than its reaction to putsches in recent years in the other former French colonies of Mali and Burkina Faso, where French citizens were not evacuated after military coups. Continue reading...👇

Barbenheimer backlash: Warner Bros apologises after its Japan arm complains Warner Bros Japan publicly criticised US counterparts over ‘inconsiderate’ reactions to art combining playful Barbie imagery with mushroom cloudsWarner Bros global headquarters has apologised after its Japan office publicly complained that the US-based company was engaging with the “Barbenheimer” movement, which promotes a double bill of the apocalyptic Oppenheimer film and the lighthearted Barbie blockbuster.There is a growing backlash in Japan against the conflation of Greta Gerwig’s playfully marketed movie with Oppenheimer, a biopic of the scientist behind the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Continue reading...👇

‘Human in a costume’ sun bear draws crowds to Chinese zoo Visitor numbers rise by 30% as footage sparks claims animal could be a staff member in a bear suitVisitors have flocked to a zoo in eastern China’s Zhejiang province after a video of one of its bears went viral with some suggesting she looked so human she could be a staff member in a bear suit.Attendance numbers at Hangzhou zoo have risen by 30% to about 20,000 a day, with some people travelling overnight, since a video of the Malayan sun bear, named Angela, became a trending topic on Chinese social media over the weekend, Zhejiang-based Chao News reported. Continue reading...👇

Aung San Suu Kyi given partial pardon by Myanmar junta Ousted leader granted clemency on five charges as part of amnesty but faces a further 14 casesMyanmar’s junta has pardoned Aung San Suu Kyi on five legal charges, military-controlled TV has announced, although the deposed leader still faces more than two decades in detention.Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained by the military since 1 February 2021 when it ousted her democratically elected government. The 78-year-old has since been sentenced for multiple charges – including incitement, electoral fraud and corruption. Continue reading...👇

Leak reveals ‘touchy’ issues for UAE’s presidency of UN climate summit Exclusive: Long list of ‘sensitive’ topics for petrostate include oil and gas production, emissions and Yemen war crimesA comprehensive list of “touchy and sensitive issues” for the United Arab Emirates, which is running the next UN climate summit, has been revealed in a document leaked to the Guardian.The document sets out the government-approved “strategic messages” to be used in response to media requests about the issues, which range from the UAE’s increasing production of oil and gas to people trafficking. Continue reading...👇

Mexican city of Chihuahua bans misogynist lyrics in live music venues Fines of up to £55,000 could be imposed on musicians who sing songs deemed to promote violence against womenAuthorities in the north-western Mexican state of Chihuahua have banned artists from singing misogynist lyrics in live music venues.Chihuahua, the capital city of the state, which borders the US, has passed a measure to prohibit musicians from performing songs that promote violence against women. Continue reading...👇

Indian sanitation workers clean up with £1.2m lottery win An impulsive decision to collectively buy a single lottery ticket resulted in the friends from Kerala collectively hitting the jackpotThe 11 women had never felt luck was on their side. The friends, some in their 20s and others over 70, all struggled to make ends meet, earning only a small salary as they collected and segregated rubbish in their town of Parappanangadi, in the south Indian state of Kerala.Yet this week, their fortunes changed. An impulsive decision to pool their small resources to collectively buy a single lottery ticket, at a cost of 250 rupees (£2.50) – the equivalent of a day’s wages – resulted in them collectively hitting the jackpot. This week, they found out they had won the monsoon bumper prize, worth 100m rupees (£1.2m). Continue reading...👇

Teenager among 15 heat-related deaths as Japan and South Korea swelter In South Korea, 12 people died from heat-related deaths last weekend, while in Japan, three people died including a 13 year-old on her way back from schoolTwelve people have died from heat-related causes in South Korea as it swelters through a heatwave, while in Japan it emerged a 13-year-old girl had died from heatstroke on her way back from a school club.South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that at least five of those who died over the weekend were farmers, and at least seven were over 70, including some in their 90s. Most of the country has been under a heatwave warning – issued when temperatures pass 35C – since Tuesday. Over the previous week, three people are believed to have died from heat-related causes. Continue reading...👇

Senegal authorities arrest opposition frontrunner, ban his party and cut internet Supporters say string of charges are intended to prevent Ousmane Sonko and his Pastef party challenging President Macky SallSenegal’s government has dissolved a major opposition party within hours of the party’s popular president and opposition leader saying a judge had ordered his arrest.Ousmane Sonko, a charismatic opposition figure widely supported by Senegal’s youth, was in prison on Monday as he awaited trial on new criminal charges, said his party’s communications director, El Malick Ndiaye. Continue reading...👇

Top US adviser to attend Saudi talks in bid to attract support for Ukraine plan Ukraine and allies seek to draw countries such as Brazil and India off the fence and back Kyiv’s proposals for ‘just and durable peace’Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, is expected to attend a meeting in Saudi Arabia this weekend at which Ukraine and its allies will try to persuade countries from the global south to back Kyiv’s proposals for ending the war.According to officials involved in planning for the meeting, it is primarily aimed at drawing neutral countries such as Brazil and India off the fence in their approach to the Russian invasion. Continue reading...👇

At least eight dead following alleged revenge attack by São Paulo police Brazil authorities call for investigation after hundreds of police officers were deployed in response to the killing of an officerAuthorities in Brazil have called for an investigation after a police operation on the coast of São Paulo state left at least eight people dead, in an apparent act of retaliation.About 600 police officers have been deployed across the Baixada Santista region in response to the killing of an officer by drug traffickers in the city of Guarujá last Thursday. Continue reading...👇

Myanmar junta extends state of emergency, forcing delay to elections Military-controlled government seemingly needs more time to organise new vote as it tackles protests and armed resistanceMyanmar’s military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government in 2021, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over.MRTV television said the National Defense and Security Council met on Monday in the capital, Naypyidaw, and extended the state of emergency for another six months starting on Tuesday because time is needed to prepare for the elections. The NDSC is nominally a constitutional government body, but in practice is controlled by the military. Continue reading...👇