Top story: ‘You can’t hide from the water’
Good morning to you, Graham Russell here bringing you the news to start your week.
Hurricane Irma continues to lash Florida with rain and wind gusts of up to 230km/h, flooding parts of Miami and bringing dangerous storm surges of more than four metres to the west coast. “You can’t hide from the water. That’s our biggest fear,” said Florida senator Marco Rubio. The scale of the damage is likely to be unknown for days but analysts say the disaster could cost $300bn.
As the category 2 storm gradually heads north towards Tampa, thousands of people remain in danger, either unwilling or unable to join the 7 million people who have evacuated. Those who stayed in Naples, on the west coast, spoke of their desperation. “I have nobody in the world,” said Della Ratta, 94, who lives alone in a first-floor condo likely to be flooded within hours. She asked her neighbours to help her but according to Della Ratta they refused, slamming the door in her face.
In the Caribbean, now picking up the pieces after the storm, the premier of the British Virgin Islands has called on the UK to provide long-term support to address a “critical’ situation. “We are a resilient people but this has shaken us to our core,” said Orlando Smith. British troops have been deployed, with the Royal Navy delivering medical supplies, including vaccines, by helicopter.
You can follow the Guardian’s liveblog here for the latest.
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Brexit – Theresa May’s parliamentary strength will face its first major test tonight in a series of votes on the EU withdrawal bill, and it’s not looking good so far. David Davis was forced last night to defend her position, saying: “A vote against this bill is a vote for a chaotic exit from the European Union. The British people did not vote for confusion and neither should parliament.” Backbenchers have been lining up to force concessions on what former attorney general Dominic Grieve called an “astonishing monstrosity” of a bill. Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit stance also faces pressure, with the TUC’s general secretary, Frances O’Grady, set to call for the UK to remain in the single market.
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Dishing the dirt – The UK is violating its obligation to protect its citizens from illegal and dangerous levels of air pollution, a UN special rapporteur has said. “I am alarmed that despite repeated judicial instruction, the UK government continues to flout its duty to ensure adequate air quality,” said Baskut Tuncak in his report, shared exclusively with the Guardian before a meeting this week. A government spokeswoman blamed the problem on “failed” EU policies. “We now have an opportunity to deliver a green Brexit,” she added.
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Cap no longer fits – The end could be nigh for the sweeping public sector pay freeze imposed in 2010 by George Osborne, with ministers expected to accept recommendations this week to breach the 1% pay cap for police and prison officers. Labour is preparing to force a vote on the pay cap on Wednesday and unions have been calling for coordinated action on what GMB national secretary Rehana Azam called a “cruel policy”.
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Apple loses X factor – The usually extremely secretive Apple might have sprung a leak, releasing the name of its new iPhone before its launch on Tuesday. Called the iPhone X, it is rumoured to cost $1,000 and will mark the product’s 10th anniversary. Expected features include 3D sensors, biometric authentication, a new messaging app called Animoji, and a distinct lack of a home button. An iPhone 8 and 8 Plus also appear set to be revealed.
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Junk all around – Primary school children living closer to fast food outlets are more likely to gain a significant amount of weight, a study has found. The study, by the University of the West of England, claims it is the first to show a link between accessibility to fast food outlets and weight gain.
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Lunchtime read: Happy birthday, Scottish parliament
Twenty years ago today Scotland voted 3:1 to establish its own parliament. It was a very different political time: Diana’s death, Britpop and Bill Clinton in the White House, writes Gerry Hassan. Since 1997, devolution has emerged as a success and the Scottish public now view the Scottish parliament, rather than Westminster, as the most important political institution. Irrespective of formal independence, Scotland already has an informal independence of the mind in how it talks, thinks and acts.
Sport
Rafael Nadal, the Peter Pan of tennis, played with the bouncing zest of his youth to breeze past Kevin Anderson in straight sets and claim his third US Open title and the 16th grand slam of his long career, writes Kevin Mitchell at Flushing Meadows. Trevor Bayliss has talked up England’s chances of claiming an Ashes victory against a flawed Australia side this winter provided they can arrest the epidemic of dropped catches witnessed against the West Indies.
Chris Froome made history in Madrid last night when he became the first rider to win the Vuelta a Espanã and Tour de France in the same year since Bernard Hinault in 1978. Mike Brown is the latest England international to condemn publicly as “ridiculous” the Premiership’s proposal to expand the season. And New Zealand, the hotbed of world rugby, must change its outdated attitudes towards women and sexual orientation, and get over its culture of entitlement, an independent review of the culture of the country’s beloved national sport has found.
Business
The financial markets in Asia have brushed aside any concerns about a possible drag on the US economy from Hurricane Irma. The Nikkei in Japan has surged 1.4% helped by a stronger dollar and, critically, the absence of another nuclear test by North Korea. The ASX200 in Sydney is up 0.8% and the Hang Seng 0.9%. The Kospi in Seoul added 0.8% as well. The FTSE100 is due to rise about 0.4% later.
The pound is down a bit at $1.318, but up ever so slightly on the euro at €1.096.
The papers
A few different leads on the front page although Hurricane Irma remains a theme.
The Mail lashes out at the government with the headline “Torment of the hurricane Brits”, reporting that those living on some Caribbean islands say they have been abandoned.
The Guardian has its exclusive on the front about how a UN special rapporteur says the UK government is flouting its duty to protect its citizens from air pollution.
The Telegraph splashes on a long-term study showing that the use of bleach in the house can lead to a greater chance of contracting a fatal lung condition.
The Mirror leads with “North Korea nuclear threat to the UK” and a warning from the defence secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, that the country could soon be in reach of Kim Jong-un’s missiles.
The Times goes with “Britain is sick man of Europe” – not a reflection on Brexit but on life expectancy. It is increasing elsewhere in the EU but not in the UK.
The Sun continues to focus on Wayne Rooney’s troubles off the field and lastly the FT, no doubt with insurance companies in mind, splashes with “Florida suffers huge devastation as Hurricane Irma strikes US”.
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