Top story: Trump strikes different tone on Turkish referendum
Good morning, this is Claire Phipps bringing you Tuesday’s top stories.
While European leaders reacted with wariness to the – slim and contested – referendum result that has gifted sweeping new powers to the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his US counterpart has offered congratulations “on his victory”, the White House and Ankara said.
The phone call between Donald Trump and Erdoğan did not delve into the diplomatic delicacies of what the US state department had earlier noted as “irregularities on voting day”. Since an attempted coup last year, Erdoğan has promised to “cleanse all state institutions”, sacking or detaining tens of thousands, and closing media outlets. But he is viewed by Trump as an important ally against Isis.
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Nuclear options — North Korea has cranked up the rhetoric again with a warning to the US that its activities around the Korean peninsula risk “a dangerous situation in which a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment”. On the heels of a visit by US vice-president Mike Pence to Seoul, Pyongyang stands “ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US”, said its deputy UN ambassador, Kim In-ryong, with deputy foreign minister Han Song-Ryol bragging of the potential for weekly missile testing. The last one didn’t end well – but, warns Paul Mason, nuclear war is no longer the unthinkable threat.
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Heads together — The Duke of Cambridge has joined his brother, Prince Harry – whose candid revelations about his struggle to cope with the death of their mother have been praised by experts – in speaking out about men’s mental health and suicide. Prince William said he would be encouraging his own children to be open about their feelings: “There may be a time and a place for the stiff upper lip, but not at the expense of your health.”
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Your child awaits — In latest “flying: is it worth it?” news, 10-year-old Cole Doyle was bumped off an overbooked Air Canada flight, while the rest of his family were allowed to check in. Could an adult switch places to allow the boy to board, his parents asked? By all means give up the seat, they were told – but it will probably be offered to a frequent flyer instead. Perhaps mindful of United Airlines’ turbulent reaction to the forcible removal of a passenger last week, Air Canada was swifter to offer what it called “very generous compensation”.
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Stabbing charges — Three teenagers will appear in court today charged with the murder of Syed Jamanoor Islam in east London. The 20-year-old was one of three people stabbed to death in the capital in just over 24 hours last week. Read more on the Guardian’s series focusing on knife crime, Beyond the Blade, here.
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No spoilers — Monday night saw two of the most talked-about (online commented-about, at least) TV shows of the last few years come to a close on UK screens, with Girls and Broadchurch both bowing out. The briefing will avoid incurring early morning wrath by merely steering the interested: millennials head here and here; for the Tennant-Coleman seaside showdown try here.
Lunchtime read: Bashar al-Assad – how a doctor turned tyrant
Syria’s president trained in medicine, specialising in ophthalmology during his studies in London. Now he stands responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Syrians and the targeted destruction of hospitals. As Ranjana Srivastava – herself an oncologist – writes: “It would take a doctor to predict the psychological devastation and desperate surrender of a people robbed of gauze for a bleeding wound, antibiotics for a festering sore, surgery for a lodged bullet.”
Sport
Brighton & Hove Albion can consign memories of uncertainty to history, after they sealed their promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Wigan. Manager Chris Hughton dedicated the achievement to the club’s supporters and staff, who stuck with the club during their 34-year absence from the top flight.
Mesut Özil supplied respite for Arsenal but despair for Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win at the Riverside Stadium, while John Terry wants to stay in the Premier League after announcing he’ll leave Chelsea at the end of the season.
In rugby, England’s Joe Launchbury and Jonathan Joseph are set to miss out on the Lions squad, a selection process that Gerard Meagher labels “a hell of a job”. Giles Richards offers five things we learned from the Bahrain Grand Prix, while Mercedes might reconsider team orders to stop the threat of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is on the comeback trail from a serious hand injury suffered in a knife attack, and has entered the French Open draw.
Business
Asian shares reversed on Tuesday amid continued uncertainty about North Korea, although the steepest falls (more than 1%) came in Australia where the central bank warned about falling wages amid soaring house prices.
The pound has benefited from a slight drop in the dollar, currently buying $1.26, while it will now fetch you around €1.18.
The papers
The Duke of Cambridge’s call to action on men’s mental health makes the front pages of the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph.
The Times has that story too, but leads instead on “Europe fears” of a fresh refugee crisis following Erdoğan’s referendum win in Turkey. The Guardian runs with a report from Asad Khel, the Afghan valley devastated by the US Moab (“mother of all bombs”).
Meanwhile, the Mirror looks to the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann; the Financial Times expects US tax reform to stall; and the i has a grinning Kim Jong-un boasting of North Korea’s readiness for nuclear war..
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