Top story: ‘Decisions will be needed’
Good morning all, Graham Russell here with what’s happening in the middle of your week.
Arranging a Brexit deal was never going to be a swift process, but the current rate has caused enough alarm to bring together unions and business groups from across the UK and Europe to demand “pace and urgency”. The TUC and the CBI joined forces with their continental counterparts to call for progress, especially on measures to avoid a hard border in Ireland, saying the cost of disagreement would be “dire” for companies and workers.
Flashpoints in vehicle manufacturing have already been raised by Airbus and BMW, but the TUC and CBI said 23 industrial sectors, ranging from banking to broadcasting, would want “regulatory alignment” after the divorce.
Theresa May tried to allay some of the concerns on Tuesday by saying it is “right that we listen to the voice of business”. Tomorrow she is due to head to Brussels for a European Council meeting, and it doesn’t look like she has many friends there, either.
The business secretary, Greg Clark, appeared to suggest he agreed with industry concerns, in a sign of emerging cabinet divisions over the issue. “What [business] don’t want is a running debate ... Business looks with dismay where there is disagreement. That does not inspire confidence. My approach is to be very engaged with businesses,” he said.
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Moorland fire – Dozens of homes around Manchester have been evacuated as firefighters worked into the night to tackle a moorland fire that police described as a major incident. The army was on standby to help as fire crews tackled intense heat and challenging terrain, said Phil Nelson from the Greater Manchester fire and rescue service. No injuries have been reported as a result of the fires, which were revived by the heatwave. Health officials have advised people in Tameside to stay inside their homes and keep doors and windows closed.
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Child separations – US immigration authorities have been ordered by a federal judge to reunite families separated after crossing the US-Mexico border. More than 2,300 migrant children were separated from their parents after the Trump administration began a “zero-tolerance” policy in early May. The judge granted a preliminary injunction after a lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
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Dark days ahead – Today’s rampant nationalist populism and widespread rejection of multilateral alliances has brought back the spectre of 1930s politics, Tony Blair is expected to say in a Chatham House speech. The former PM will say he has never been so worried about the UK, and will criticise movements that brought Donald Trump to power, saying: “Once it is clear the populism isn’t working because, ultimately, it offers only expressions of anger and not effective answers. The populists may double down, alleging that failure is the result of half-heartedness.” Blair will call on the US president to affirm that the transatlantic alliance matters or face weakening the west in its struggle with China.
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Not content to sit idle – Google, Facebook, YouTube and the like could be forced by law to remove extremist content within 24 hours under a Labour push to replace a voluntary approach it says is failing. An amendment to terrorism legislation suggested by Stephen Doughty would also require tech companies to proactively check for extremist material and take it down within six hours. He said: “If these companies can remove copyrighted video or music content from companies like Disney within a matter of hours, there is no excuse for them to be failing to do so for extremist material.”
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Buzz of the city – Bumblebees are a cherished part of most scenes of arcadia but, frankly, it appears they would rather move to the city. Colonies planted in urbanised areas fared better than their rural cousins, with more food stores, fewer invasions from parasitic “cuckoo” bumblebees, and longer life expectancies, UK research has found. A greater risk of exposure to pesticides in the countryside might be having an effect, said researcher Ash Samuelson.
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World Cup
Argentina have a new hero and his name is Marcos Rojo. With the Albiceleste on the verge of elimination, the Manchester United defender arrived to send them through to the last 16 at the cost of Nigeria. “I knew that God was with us and would not leave us out [of the competition],” Lionel Messi said. It was all a bit too much for Diego Maradona, who celebrated the goal in exuberant fashion before he had to receive medical attention.
Harry Kane expects to start England’s final Group G fixture against Belgium as he continues his pursuit of the World Cup’s golden boot. Meanwhile, hundreds of England fans could expose a loophole in the Russian security service’s ticketing system to travel to Russia for the World Cup as excitement grows behind Gareth Southgate’s team.
Coming up today: the conclusion to Groups E and F. Jogi Löw is out to prove himself by tackling Germany’s structural flaw against South Korea, Mexico are daring to dream as they prepare to face Sweden, and Tite has warned that Neymar should not be expected to win the World Cup on his own as Brazil prepare for Serbia. Switzerland take on Costa Rica in the day’s other game; the buildup to all four matches has already started.
Lunchtime read: From fat to flat to fixated
“It was just a bit of fun. Something to tell the grandkids, maybe frame in the downstairs loo some day.” So says Men’s Health journalist Dan Rookwood, whose personal journey “from fat to flat” became the magazine’s biggest-selling issue of all time. You may think: what is the harm, but the masculine frame fetishised today can be as pernicious as the blight of uber-thin supermodels. The body plans do work, provided you are a staff journalist at a magazine with access to high-end trainers, a sympathetic boss and the time to spend hours meal-prepping protein-based meals.
Aziz Sikdar, 29, became unhappy with his body after gaining weight at university and rapidly developed an “unhealthy” relationship with food. “I always had to know the breakdown of what I was eating,” he says. “I’d binge a lot, completely overeat, then starve myself out of guilt.” Sam Thomas of the charity Men Get Eating Disorders Too points out that, because diet is imperative in achieving muscular goals, “even men who appear in prime health can be in the grip of a devastating illness”.
Sport
Not a lot fazes John McEnroe but, when asked if he felt “uncomfortable” about being paid “10 times more” than Martina Navratilova to lend his magic to the BBC commentary box at Wimbledon he trod a careful path. The LTA has been left with a bitter taste in its mouth as Maria Sharapova lost to Maria Sakkari at the Hurlingham Club after opting not to play in Birmingham this year, despite having a deal in place with the LTA. And Paul Farbrace has confirmed his interest in becoming England’s next full-time cricket head coach and made a positive first move as the interim for the Twenty20 against Australia tonight by promoting Jos Buttler to open.
Business
Dozens of America’s largest retailers, car manufacturers and agriculture businesses have united to warn of the “serious negative economic impacts” of Donald Trump’s trade disputes. Amazon, General Motors and Walmart were among those “deeply concerned”. Libya’s UN-backed government has been forced to urge the UN to block any sales from its main oil terminals after they were seized by a local strongman who decided to send the revenue elsewhere.
The pound is buying $1.322 and €1.134.
The papers
“Unions join business leaders to demand urgency in Brexit talks,” is the Guardian splash. The Daily Telegraph also has a Brexit story on the front, with “Cabinet at war over ‘Project Fear mark two’”.
The Daily Express has high hopes for Prince William’s visit to Israel, asking whether a “seemingly impossible breakthrough” in the Middle East might be achieved by “William the peacemaker” [bold bit is the headline, other bit is just a quote].
The Times has “Billions more needed for defence, says Williamson”, the FT leads with “GE takes stride towards break-up by spinning off two big divisions” and the Daily Mirror has “Stressed GPs seeing 70 patients a day”.
The Sun headline is “Fly George!”, announcing their campaign to have St George’s flag flown up and down Whitehall in support of England’s World Cup efforts, and the Daily Mail splash is “A green light for criminals” as the justice minister calls for some sentences of less than a year to be dropped to reduce the prison population.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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