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Other politicians lambast US president for calling off trip because Greenland not for sale

The Danish prime minister has said she is surprised and disappointed that Donald Trump has called off his planned visit to the country over Copenhagen’s refusal to sell Greenland to the US.

Mette Frederiksen said the US president’s decision would not affect strategic, military or commercial cooperation between their two countries. She had previously said his Greenland proposal was absurd.

Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen

2.25pm BST

This is from my colleague Jennifer Rankin in Brussels.

Donald Tusk will meet Boris Johnson at the Biarritz G7 summit on Sunday.

Ahead of the G7, Tusk will meet Michel Barnier on Thursday.

2.23pm BST

Speaking during his visit to the port of Holyhead Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of no-deal Brexit planning, was also asked what he thought the chances of no deal were. He replied:

Different people put a different statistical likelihood on it. My view is that there is a chance that it might happen therefore we need to be ready for it and many of the things that we would do anyway as we leave the single market and the customs union we would do or need to do in the event of leaving without a deal.

There are a series of particular facilitations and easements that can be introduced alongside technology which can help ensure that we have as effective a flow of goods over the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland border as businesses will need.

It all depends on the willingness of the EU, in particular the European commission, to commit to making sure that some of the work that’s already being done is expedited.

If the EU commit to this approach then it’s perfectly possible for us to have a transition or implementation period and then to work on all the steps that are required in order to give confidence that we can continue to have a solution of the island of Ireland that works in everyone’s interest.

Former Vatican treasurer, and most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of child sexual assault, maintains innocence after losing appeal

The most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of child sexual abuse, Cardinal George Pell, has lost his appeal against his conviction, but maintains he is innocent.

In a brief statement issued after the decision the Vatican reiterated that Pell maintained his innocence, and that it was now “Pell’s right to appeal to the high court”.

Incident is believed to be first clash with insurgents since revocation of special status

A suspected militant and a police officer have been killed in a gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir in what is believed to be the first clash with insurgents since the revocation of the territory’s special status.

Tensions remain high in the region, where there is a heavy security presence on the streets and a continued block on mobile and internet services. In Kashmir’s main city, Srinagar, posters appeared overnight urging people to defy a ban on public gatherings and join a mass march after Friday prayers this week to protest against Delhi’s decision to strip the region of its autonomy.

Two US officials say drone was brought down on Tuesday south-east of the capital Sana’a

A US military MQ-9 drone has been shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, south-east of the Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a, two US officials have said.

A Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defences had brought down a US drone.

Police say they caught him filming on Metro after allegedly uploading videos for a year

Police in Madrid have arrested a man accused of filming the intimate parts of more than 500 women without their consent while they travelled on the Metro.

The accused made the videos, a practice known as upskirting, using a mobile phone concealed in a backpack. Police say he then uploaded at least 283 of these videos on to pornographic sites where they were viewed millions of times. Police have identified 555 victims, some of them underage.

Upcoming review out of Tokyo will reportedly say missile programme poses ‘serious and imminent threat’

Japan’s government will reportedly state that North Korea is capable of miniaturising nuclear warheads in a forthcoming defence report, it has emerged.

Tokyo will upgrade its estimate of the regime’s nuclear capability, having said last year only that the technical feat was a possibility, the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said on Wednesday, without citing sources.

President’s remarks seemed to refer to a perception that Jewish Americans have a dual loyalty to both America and Israel

Donald Trump used an apparently antisemitic trope when accusing Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats as showing “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty”.

The remarks came as part of a barrage of disparaging comments that threaten to re-ignite an ongoing feud with the Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They seemed to refer to a perception that Jewish Americans have a dual loyalty to both America and Israel.

Texas lawsuit says school personnel drew on the student’s scalp after it was deemed his haircut violated the dress code

Parents of a black teenager in Texas are suing their Houston-area school district after three white middle school personnel used a marker to blot out a design on their son’s scalp.

The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed Sunday against the Pearland independent school district (ISD) and the three staff members of Berry Miller junior high who used the marker to color the student’s scalp.

Sony expresses disappointment over push by Disney – the parent company of Marvel – for greater share

Sony Pictures, the studio that owns the rights to comic book character Spider-Man, has spoken out about the split with Disney that will see the webslinger booted out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A statement released by Sony on Tuesday night said the company was “disappointed” by Disney’s demand for a greater stake in the Spider-Man films and by its proposal to scale down the involvement of Marvel president Kevin Feige in the movies.

From power cuts to infrastructure failure, the impact of climate change on US cities will be huge – but many are already innovating to adapt

Between record heat and rain, this summer’s weather patterns have indicated, once again, that the climate is changing.

US cities, where more than 80% of the nation’s population lives, are disproportionately hit by these changes, not only because of their huge populations but because of their existing – often inadequate – infrastructure.

In the Netherlands, where there are more bikes than people, serious money is being spent encouraging even more people to get on their bikes

In a nation with more bikes than people, finding a space to park can be a problem. The Dutch city of Utrecht is unveiling an answer at its railway station on Monday morning: the world’s largest multistorey parking area for bicycles.

The concrete-and-glass structure holds three floors of gleaming double-decker racks with space for 12,500 bikes, from cargo bikes that hold a family to public transport bikes for rent.

To protect itself from destructive flooding, the city has built a park designed to store and recycle rainwater

In Alicante it never rains but it pours. The city in southeast Spain goes without rain for months on end, but when it comes it’s torrential, bringing destructive and sometimes fatal flooding.

Or at least, it used to. In San Juan, a low-lying area of the city, authorities have built a new park with a twist. Called La Marjal, it serves as a typical recreation area and a nature reserve – but its primary purpose is to store, and then recycle, rainwater.

Kindergarten to join other businesses operating inside Staro SajmiĆĄte, in Belgrade, Serbia, as long-planned Holocaust memorial remains unbuilt

The greying, box-like building that houses the Savsko ObdaniĆĄte kindergarten has had many uses over the years.

At one point it was a restaurant; when you step through the front doors you find yourself surrounded by musty, brown 1970s-style dining furniture.

The former child star is having a ball as foul-mouthed Roman Roy in HBO’s compulsive dynasty drama. So why did it take him 29 years to enjoy his job?

‘I’m enjoying the fuck out of my job!” Kieran Culkin announces, with the same foul-mouthed ebullience one might expect from his character in Succession, the compulsive drama about a vicious media dynasty. It becomes easy to imagine that it’s his small-screen persona sitting in front of you in a conference room in HBO’s New York office, only without the fancy jewellery and stinging bile.

New York? “It’s fucking impossible to live here!” Ratings? “I don’t give a fuck!” Erm, Only Fools and Horses? “I fucking love that show!”

London protests were disruptive but made rational case, officer tells court where three activists are on trial

A senior Scotland Yard officer giving evidence at the first group trial of Extinction Rebellion activists behind mass protests in central London said the demonstrators had provoked “soul searching” and proved articulate and rational as they made their case.

The protests, in April this year, had found support even among the public facing severe disruption from the demonstrations, he said.

Bombing believed to be linked to Timothy Mtambo’s role at forefront of mass protests over alleged rigging of elections

The home of a leading human rights activist in Malawi has been petrol bombed in what is believed to be a targeted move to stop mass demonstrations planned for next week.

Three bombs were thrown at the car and home of Timothy Mtambo, the chairman of Malawi’s Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), and the executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRC).

John Kasich, Mark Sanford and Jeff Flake among those reportedly in various stages of weighing a run against the president

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2.52pm BST

A new Trump administration regulation would allow the government to detain families crossing the border indefinitely.

The new rule would abolish the current 20-day limit on how long families can be held in custody. It would effectively replace the decades old Flores agreement, which provided oversight on immigrant children being detained by the government.

2.39pm BST

So what do people in Denmark think about Trump’s decision to call off his trip to the country?

Not much, it seems – with one former Danish foreign minister comparing Trump to “a clown in a circus”.

Shocking act in Tepexco is just one example of wider malady blighting countries from Bolivia to Brazil

Socorro Muñoz fled indoors as the laurel-lined square outside her shop became a public execution ground one sunny afternoon in early August.

“I didn’t want to see,” the 62-year-old storekeeper explained as she relived the moment a tide of Latin American lynchings swept into Tepexco’s picturesque Plaza de la Constitución, leaving seven alleged kidnappers dead.

China says it detained Simon Cheng after he made business trip two weeks ago

The family of a UK consulate worker who was detained in mainland China during a trip from Hong Kong nearly two weeks ago have voiced their fears for his safety and said they feel helpless.

China said later that Simon Cheng, 28, had been made to serve 15 days of administrative detention in Shenzhen.

Jadestone CEO says it could cover the cost of cleaning up a major spill, even though company has never made a profit

The new operator of the site of Australia’s worst ever oil spill has dismissed concerns it might not have the financial capacity to clean up should disaster strike again.

Ten years ago on Wednesday an estimated 40 million litres of oil leaked from a faulty rig in the Montara field, in the Timor Sea, and for 10 weeks spread over tens of thousands of square kilometres of ocean.

Corruption watchdog accused of promoting ‘toxic’ workplace culture that silenced critical voices

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has been accused of promoting a “toxic” internal environment of bullying and harassment, making it the latest high-profile charity to come under fire over its workplace culture.

Seven current and former staff members said the organisation had “failed in its duty of care” to staff. They accused managing director Patricia Moreira of promoting a culture that enabled “bullying”, silenced critical voices, and used “gagging orders” – confidentiality clauses in termination agreements, especially at the charity’s headquarters in Berlin. Leaked internal emails and documents including a staff survey corroborate their accounts.

Climate emergency and population growth blamed for deteriorating water quality, with ‘cocktail of chemicals’ changing as countries become richer

The planet is facing a mounting and “invisible” water pollution crisis, according to a hard-hitting World Bank report, which claims the issue is responsible for a one-third reduction in potential economic growth in the most heavily affected areas.

The study, which assembled the world’s largest database of water pollution, assesses how a combination of bacteria, sewage, chemicals and plastics suck oxygen from water supplies and transform water into poison for people and ecosystems.

US-Taliban agreement will not be successful without involvement of government and citizens, say Afghan women’s rights groups

Afghanistan could “return to chaos” with the wrong peace deal, say women’s rights groups in the country. A poorly negotiated agreement without proper representation of Afghan citizens and a clear counterterrorism strategy would place the democratic gains of the past 18 years at risk, says Suraya Pakzad, founder of the Voice of Women Organisation.

Talks between the US and the Taliban are running alongside campaigning for twice-postponed presidential elections, now due to take place on 28 September.

A reintegration programme has helped 360 girls leave armed groups in Yambio county but for many the trauma of sexual violence persists

Late one night in April 2015, 13-year-old Patricia* and her sister, who was 11, were kidnapped from their beds by rebel forces fighting the government in South Sudan.

The girls were taken from their home in a raid on their village by the South Sudan National Liberation Movement in Yambio county, not far from the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

By cancelling his state visit to Denmark, the US president has again showed his thin skin

Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to cancel his state visit to Denmark after it rejected his unsolicited offer to buy Greenland at a knockdown price took most people by surprise, not least his own ambassador.

“Denmark is ready 
 Partner, ally, friend”, tweeted Carla Sands, the neophyte US envoy to Copenhagen who was previously an actor and chiropractor. Hours later, it was off.

President could call snap election, seek new coalition or install caretaker government

“This government ends here,” said Giuseppe Conte, as he announced his resignation as Italy’s prime minister on Tuesday. After almost two weeks of twists and turns, what happens next is far from clear.

The president, Sergio Mattarella, is now calling the shots in a crisis triggered when Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the League’s tenuous relationship with the Five Star Movement (M5S) in an attempt to capitalise on his popularity and become PM.

Scott Morrison should bring strong climate commitments to next year’s forum to avoid a repeat of this year’s summit

Last week at the close of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu I described the leaders’ discussions as frank and fierce. It is now well-known that the leaders debated the text of the Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Action Now for many hours. I do not want to comment on the tone of the debate, as many others have done that already.

Instead, as incoming Pacific Islands Forum chair, Vanuatu has a message for Australia: we ask that Australia prepares well ahead of the next forum meeting in 2020 and comes to the table ready to make real, tangible commitments on climate change.

The heads of counter-terrorism policing and MI5 have warned far-right criminality is growing

In his paper on how the far right became part of the mainstream, the academic Joe Mulhall said far-right demonstrations had grown to sizes not seen since the 1930s.

The “Free Tommy [Robinson]” event in August, the “Day of freedom” march in May and the “Brexit betrayal” demonstration in December all attracted large numbers of people.

US president criticizes Jewish Americans who support the Democratic party and also defended Israel's decision to bar representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country

• Trump backs further away from tightening gun controls – US politics live
  

Dozens of inflatable mattresses cartwheeled across a park in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday as strong winds whipped through the neighbourhood. Robb Manes, who filmed the bizarre spectacle, described it as the ‘great mattress migration of 2019’. According to local reports, the mattresses had been set out for an open-air film screening called the Bed Cinema later that day

Conte has told Italy's senate he is stepping down because of a decision by the far-right League, which is led by the interior minister, Matteo Salvini, to pull the plug on its populist alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. Conte says he will officially inform the country's president, Sergio Mattarella, of his decision later on Tuesday.

• Italian PM resigns with attack on 'opportunist' Salvini
  

A young woman who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide after having a stillborn child has been acquitted by a judge at a retrial in a case that drew international attention to El Salvador’s strict abortion laws. Evelyn Beatriz Hernández, now 21, had served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence

• El Salvador rape victim acquitted over stillbirth murder charge

US representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib call on their colleagues to visit Israel in an emotional press conference on Monday, following the country’s decision last week to deny them entry after pressure from Donald Trump. Omar said it was important that Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should not 'succeed in hiding the cruel reality of the occupation from us'

• 'We have an obligation': Ilhan Omar calls on lawmakers to visit Israel

The Democratic presidential candidate offered a public apology on Monday to Native Americans over her past claim to tribal heritage, directly tackling an area that has proved to be her biggest political liability. 'Like anyone who has been honest with themselves, I know I have made mistakes,' the Massachusetts senator said at the start of her appearance at the forum in this pivotal early voting state

• US politics live – latest updates 

Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he was considering an attempt to buy Greenland. His interest in the largely autonomous Danish territory was met with indignation in both Greenland and Denmark, with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, echoing the words of her Greenlandic counterpart, Kim Kielsen: 'Greenland will not be sold.'

• Trump confirms he is considering attempt to buy Greenland
• Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland?