Top story: Trump’s ‘disturbing’ human rights rebuff
Hello – Warren Murray pointing you towards the big stories this morning.
Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations has branded its human rights council a “cesspool of political bias” as she announced the US is resigning from the Geneva body. “When a so-called human rights council cannot bring itself to address the massive abuses in Venezuela and Iran, and it welcomes the Democratic Republic of Congo as a new member, the council ceases to be worthy of its name,” said Nikki Haley.
The Trump White House has criticised the council for targeting Israel while ignoring atrocities elsewhere. Haley argued the US had spent a year in pursuit of reforms while the council’s flaws deepened. Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, called the announcement “regrettable”, adding: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the human rights council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the council from within.”
The Democratic National Committee said: “Trump’s withdrawal is especially disturbing given his persistent praise for despots and dictators with abysmal human rights records, not to mention his administration’s cruel mistreatment of immigrant families seeking asylum.” Human Rights Watch said it typified the Trump administration’s “one-dimensional” human rights policy where “defending Israeli abuses from criticism takes precedence above all else”.
Quick catch-up – Does what it says on the tin …
> The Brexit “meaningful vote” amendment is back in the Commons today, with both the government and its rebel MPs insisting they are not for turning. The head of GCHQ is warning that Europe’s safety depends on a security deal with the UK.
> An inquiry into the deaths of hundreds of elderly people at Gosport War Memorial hospital is expected to report today that the blame lies not just with the doctor involved but also those who failed to monitor her and investigate, including the government.
> The American military is reportedly preparing for North Korea to hand over the remains of soldiers missing since the Korean war. Trump said after his meeting with Kim Jong-un: “We’re getting the remains, and nobody thought that was possible.”
> Canada’s parliament has legalised cannabis. The law has passed through the country’s Senate and is expected to be take effect within a few months.
> Tennis star Boris Becker’s claim of diplomatic immunity against bankruptcy proceedings in London has been punctured by the Central African Republic, which says his official passport is a fake and he is not one of its envoys.
‘Don’t you have kids Mr President?’ – An extraordinary bipartisan backlash continues against Donald Trump for separating immigrant children from their parents. The president has told Republicans in Congress that he is “1,000% behind” them on ending the practice but demanded they fix it by legislating immigration reforms. Emotions have run high on Capitol Hill: “Mr President, don’t you have kids? Don’t you have kids, Mr President?” the Democratic congressman Juan Vargas yelled as Trump walked past. Trump’s homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, was taunted as she ate at a Mexican restaurant, at a time when the administration is forcing families from Mexico apart. “If kids don’t eat in peace, you don’t eat in peace!” shouted one protester.
Alert after tube blast – An explosion at Southgate tube station in north London last night has been blamed on a battery short-circuit. Three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and two more taken to hospital, said the ambulance service. One witness told how people fled after a “quick burst” of flames that was accompanied by a “very rapid whooshing sound”. Anti-terror police were notified but the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, later confirmed the incident was non-suspicious.
‘Why do they need phones?’ – More schools across the UK should ban mobile phones, says the culture secretary, Matt Hancock. “I enthusiastically support using technology for teaching,” he writes in today’s Telegraph. “But we also need to teach children how to stay safe with technology. Why do young children need phones in schools?” Studies have shown that even having a phone on a table or in a bag affects a child’s learning, says Hancock, whose portfolio includes digital policy. Hancock told the Guardian: “I allow my children to do their homework online but I don’t let them on to social media … They don’t have phones. Why do they need phones? They’re children, they’re 11.”
‘David Ricardo was talking tosh’ – This is great. Ordinary people teaching other ordinary people about “the most potent social science of them all”: economics. Aditya Chakrabortty sits in on the free class put together by the charity Economy, and delivered by volunteers, where topics normally seen as the preserve of bankers and professors are broken down in terms of people’s everyday lives. In the age of austerity and Brexit it could not be more timely. “That tearing sound you can hear,” Chakrabortty writes “is the veil that normally partitions economics from society and politics.”
World Cup
First up let’s get you started with our daily liveblog on the latest from Russia, followed by separate liveblogs for the day’s matches: Portugal v Morocco, Uruguay v Saudi Arabia and Iran v Spain. The first round is over and there is good news for those who subscribe to the theory that a successful tournament is one at which the host nation does well. As Russia posted their second win in two games, a 3-1 win over Mo Salah’s Egypt, the hosts effectively booked a place in the last 16. There were also wins for Senegal, 2-1 against Poland, and Japan with the same scoreline against 10-man Colombia.
So what have we learned from the first round of action? Here are 10 things we’re wiser to, including No 6: England have vim. They may, however, be without Dele Alli against Panama on Sunday – a game in which Raheem Sterling and his supporting cast must find their shooting boots – after the Tottenham player suffered a minor thigh strain in Monday’s victory over Tunisia.
Get the podcast and email – Our World Cup podders are reluctant to talk about England today but not short on other topics of conversation, including the Japanese fans who cleaned up after themselves at the end of the game, prompting their Colombian counterparts to follow suit. And don’t forget we’ve got your inbox covered with the World Cup Fiver email – subscribe to receive it each weekday.
Lunchtime read: The migrants who died seeking a better life
To mark this World Refugee Day, the Guardian is distributing the List – an accounting of the 34,361 migrants and refugees known to have died trying to find a new home within the borders of the EU. Compiled by the European anti-racism network United for Intercultural Action, the List is promulgated by the artist Banu Cennetoğlu who explains to our chief culture writer, Charlotte Higgins, why she has made it her personal mission.
The List only details reported deaths; many more go undocumented, taking place at sea, in the backs of trucks, in camps, at the hands of far-right hate groups, or when extreme despair results in suicide. We have taken a closer look at a handful of case studies, while the full list comes free with today’s print editions of the Guardian. You can also download the List as a PDF.
Sport
Eoin Morgan basked in his proudest day as England’s one-day captain and heralded the finest performance under his watch following an astonishing 242-run victory over Australia in which their own world record total was smashed to pieces. Andy Murray, the patron saint of lost causes, celebrated 342 days away from tennis by pushing the mercurial Nick Kyrgios all the way over three thrilling sets at Queen’s Club, but he remains cautious still about continuing his comeback at Wimbledon.
England’s Mike Brown has hit back at the fan who abused him and Joe Marler following the second Test defeat in Bloemfontein. Research from Women in Sport has found 40% of women in the sports industry say they face discrimination because of their sex but 72% of their male colleagues say they see no inequality. And there were “no incidents of any significance” on the first day of Royal Ascot, where heightened security measures were in place to prevent any repeat of the drunken violence that marred a meeting at the same course in May.
Business
Chinese stocks have suffered another poor session amid concerns about escalating trade tension with the US. The Dow Jones industrial average went into the red for the year on Tuesday in response to the increasingly belligerent comments from both sides. And athough some Asian markets rallied overnight as investors sought bargains after recent price falls, the Shanghai Composite was down 0.6% in lunchtime trade as state media promised Beijing would “never run out of bullets” in any trade dispute.
The FTSE 100 is set to rise 0.5%, according to futures trading, while the pound buys $1.315 and €1.136.
The papers
“GCHQ chief warns Europe of need for Brexit security deal,” says the Guardian, whereas the Times has: “Intelligence chief wades into Brexit security row”. In each case the story is about the head of GCHQ intervening in the Brexit debate.
The FT leads with “US-China trade face-off sparks global market jitters” while the Telegraph repeats a minister’s call to “Confiscate children’s phones at school gate”. The Mail has “NHS boss: Don’t go soft on cannabis”, in light of William Hague’s comments that cannabis should be legalised.
The Mirror has a story about the breakdown of Ant McPartlin’s marriage, with “Ant’s wife ‘suspected months ago’”. The Sun gets two of its favourite topics on the front with: “Harry topples Meghan … Kane that is, as 3 Lions ratings thrash wedding”, about how viewing figures for the England vs Tunisia World Cup match exceeded those for the royal wedding. The Express says that due to the rising cost of living and poor returns on savings “23m face working until they drop”.
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