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Temperature records expected to be broken as minister warns heatwaves could become norm

National high temperature records set mostly in late July or August are likely to be broken across Europe this week as an unprecedented, potentially deadly early summer heatwave sweeps across the continent, meteorologists say.

Weather experts expect previous June highs to be approached and possibly exceeded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, with all-time records likely to be broken in some countries.

Minister says Islam forbids such a move as country prepares to breach nuclear deal

Iran will never pursue a nuclear weapon, its foreign minister has claimed, saying Islam prevented the country from doing so.

Iran has previously said it is ideologically opposed to acquiring nuclear weapons and seeks nuclear power only for civilian purposes. But in the current unpredictable climate it is possible Donald Trump could pick up Javad Zarif’s remarks as a signal to talk.

Frontrunner to be PM gives rabble-rousing speech at private garden party

• Today’s political developments - live updates

Boris Johnson has been filmed at a private garden party telling Conservative members that the NHS absolutely needs to be reformed, as he fired them up for a general election by asking them to be ready to “wallop Jeremy Corbyn”.

The frontrunner to be Conservative leader and prime minister was videoed giving a rabble-rousing stump speech to members in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday, the day after the Guardian revealed that police had been called to his girlfriend’s flat following a late-night altercation.

Results suggest environmental factors could play a role in female reproductive health

Air pollution has been linked to a drop in activity of a woman’s ovaries, researchers have revealed.

Experts say the findings suggest the female reproductive system is affected by environmental factors, although the study does not look specifically at the impact of air pollution on fertility.

Legislative gaps in Britain blamed in European report that encountered ‘mafia networks’

An EU agency has highlighted the heightened risk of foreign domestic workers in the UK enduring slavery-like conditions but conceded its pan-European study of labour conditions had been impeded by “mafia networks”.

The study (pdf) by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) found exploitative employers had a feeling of impunity across Europe but that legislative gaps in Britain were raised as one of its particular concerns.

Relatives say more than 30 people stuck at sea told to go home or lose food and water

More than 30 migrants from Bangladesh who were trapped on a merchant ship off Tunisia for three weeks have been sent back to their home country against their will, according to relatives.

They were among 75 migrants rescued on 31 May by the Maridive 601, an Egyptian tugboat that services offshore oil platforms, only to spend the next 20 days at sea near the Tunisian coast.

Foreign minister says there are ‘individual incidents’ that can be compared to UK knife crime

Pakistan’s foreign minister has sought to dismiss accusations of Christian persecution, claiming there were “individual incidents” comparable to knife crime in the UK.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking during a visit to Brussels, said reports of religious minorities being targeted in Pakistan did not constitute a trend and the recent claims of Christian persecution were an example of “western interests” that “want to paint Pakistan in a particular way”.

UK ambassador says Berlin is willing to hear fresh ideas for Irish border problem

Germany will fight to the last hour to prevent the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal and is willing to hear any fresh ideas for the Irish border backstop, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said.

Speaking at a car manufacturers’ summit in London, Peter Wittig said Germany cherished its relationship with the UK and was ready to talk about solutions the new prime minister might have for the Irish border problem.

Dmytro Firtash, confidant of ousted Ukrainian president, faces bribery-related charges

Austria’s highest court has upheld a decision making it possible to extradite the Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash, paving the way for him to face bribery-related charges in the United States.

Before his 2014 arrest, Firtash wielded significant political influence in Ukraine, where he had made a fortune from deals to import gas from Russia and central Asia and built a business empire worth billions.

Angie Zelter, 68, wanted judge to take ‘urgency of the climate emergency’ into account

The first person to face trial over the Extinction Rebellion protests in April has been found guilty of a minor public order offence for blocking a road in central London.

Angie Zelter, 68, was given a conditional discharge at Hendon magistrates court on Tuesday after being arrested for lying in the road near Parliament Square on 17 April. She had been taking part in protests in which thousands of people blocked key sites across the capital over 10 days to highlight the escalating climate emergency.

Royal criticised for continuing to promote practice by backing the Faculty of Homeopathy

Prince Charles has been criticised for continuing to endorse homeopathy by becoming a patron of an organisation dedicated to promoting it.

The Faculty of Homeopathy, which supports registered medical professionals with homeopathic practice, described the Prince of Wales’s patronage as an “enormous honour”.

In 2013 the Irish capital was ranked among the world’s top 20 bike-friendly cities, but only a small part of the promised cycle network was ever built

One sunny May afternoon in Dublin, as the Spice Girls prepared to kick off their Spice World 2019 tour at Croke Park stadium, the coaches bringing their fans unwittingly sparked another reunion – the city’s cycle activists.

It had been two years since the direct action group I Bike Dublin had mobilised to protect cycle tracks from car parking – uniting around twice a week under the hashtag #freethecyclelanes – but as police officers directed coach drivers to park in the bike lane by Dublin Bay, blocking the track, the protesters were back.

We rounded up half a century of protest posters and stickers from campaigns which helped Amsterdam become the ‘cycle capital of the world’

Bike City Amsterdam by Fred Feddes and Marjolein de Lange is published by Bas Lubberhuizen

Chongqing’s population is estimated at just below 10 million but that rises to more than 31 million if the built-up surroundings are included. Belgian photographer Kris Provoost finds that in a city so large, individuals can get lost

High unemployment and living costs are driving people from the metropolis – but some rural residents aren’t happy about the new arrivals

Su Ava has been up since 5am. There have been new lambs to check on, goats, cats and dogs to feed, beehives to inspect, orders to fill, and she has also made a visit to her under-construction workshop.

Her current life making and selling cheese, honey and tahini in Turkey’s beautiful Çanakkale region could not be more different to her old one in Istanbul. The work can be exhausting but, Ava says, she would not give it up for anything.

Her memoir of life with her abusive adoptive mother, the Hollywood superstar Joan Crawford, was perhaps the first ever to document child abuse from the point of view of the child. Now 80, is she finally free from the fallout?

It is Christina Crawford’s 80th birthday on the day we meet, and she is energetic after an opening night. A couple of days earlier, Mommie Dearest, the musical based on her blockbuster 1978 memoir of the same name, had a run-through at Birdland, the renowned New York jazz venue, and she is hoping the show will find backing for a full production. “It was sold out, it was fabulous,” she says, looking glamorous and spry, before issuing what has become a standard warning: “The musical had absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I want to put that in big capital letters.”

The movie she is referring to is, of course, the 1981 adaptation of Christina’s memoir that starred Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, Christina’s adoptive mother, whose abuses, soberly detailed in the book, were turned by the movie into high camp. As chronicled in Mommie Dearest, Crawford slapped, kicked, punched and tried to strangle her daughter, while subjecting her to a severe schedule of cleaning and other household chores, driven by the movie star’s alcoholism and who knows what else. “We didn’t have a language for it,” says Christina. “We didn’t have laws for it. We didn’t have a social context for it, and we had shame. A tremendous amount of shame, coupled with fear. It wasn’t easy.” She laughs at the understatement. The publication of Mommie Dearest, perhaps the first memoir ever to document child abuse from the point of view of the child, changed the landscape of victim representation and was an early precursor to today’s more robust state of victims’ rights. “I’m not a martyr, but I think, looking back, it is truly amazing to me what one person can do.”

Three people could face jail if found in contempt of court over Blackpool protest

Three anti-fracking protesters have gone on trial accused of breaking an injunction designed to stop disruption of a fracking site in Lancashire.

Katrina Lawrie, Lee Walsh and Christopher Wilson took part in a “lock-on” at Preston New Road, near Blackpool, on 24 July last year, less than a fortnight after a judge granted an injunction to the energy company Cuadrilla.

• Trump boasts US ‘by far the most powerful military force’
• President mocks writer who accused him of sexual assault
• Sign up for the US briefing and get a new perspective

4.36pm BST

A bit more context on those incendiary tweets just sent by the president on Iran.

Trump threatened “overwhelming force” and “obliteration” should Iran attack “anything American”.

4.20pm BST

With the first round of Democratic presidential primary debates set to take place tomorrow, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, currently polling at between 0-1% has tried sharing some of his debate preparation with the public.

We’ll leave you to judge:

Lucky to have the talented, debater Dante de Blasio helping me get ready for Wednesday! pic.twitter.com/my51wahM6S

Former ambassadors say far-right leader has cuddled up to rightwing nationalists, irked China, infuriated Middle Eastern partners, and jettisoned its position as climate crisis leader

It has long been considered one of the jewels of Latin American statecraft; a shrewd, dependable and highly trained foreign service that helped make Brazil a global climate leader and soft power heavyweight.

But six months into the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, even veteran diplomats struggle to mask their horror at the wrecking ball being taken to the country’s nearly two century-old foreign office, known as Itamaraty after the Rio palace where it was once housed.

Jeremy Hunt calls for investigation into ‘violent scenes’ during protests

The UK is suspending future sales of teargas and other crowd control equipment to Hong Kong until an independent investigation is held into allegations of police brutality during mass protests earlier this month.

The foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who is campaigning to be the next prime minister, said no new export licences would be approved until concerns about human rights abuses were “thoroughly addressed”. His statement appeared to leave existing export licences untouched, including open licences not due to expire until 2020.

State education minister James Merlino announces move aimed at reducing classroom distraction and cyberbullying

Students at Victorian public schools will be banned from using their phones from next year.

In an effort to reduce distractions and cyber bullying, and hopefully improve education outcomes, students will have to switch off their phones and store them in lockers during school hours until the final bell, Education Minister James Merlino has announced.

Political, security and cultural complications – not least a refusal to believe that Ebola exists – have thwarted efforts to overcome DRC’s deadly outbreak

Moise Kitsakihu-Mbira has lost his brother, his grandson and 11 other family members to Ebola. When he himself fell sick he sought treatment in secret. His family don’t believe the virus exists and think a man in their village poisoned them.

Refusal to believe in the existence of Ebola is one difficulty for doctors who say the current outbreak of the deadly virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the “most complex public health emergency in history” and warn it could drag on for months.

The Pacific island nation best known as a holiday destination is grappling with a growing drug problem

• The new drug highway: Pacific islands at centre of cocaine trafficking boom
• Bust in Budi Budi: the day a fisherman hauled in $50m worth of cocaine

In the early hours of a Saturday morning in the city of Nadi, on the west coast of Fiji’s main island, Isaiah* is sitting in a Burger King drinking Fanta through a straw and explaining how he became a drug dealer.

He started five years ago, aged 13, selling cigarettes and marijuana. Now he sells cocaine and methamphetamines.

Visa decision overturned for British resident Nina Saleh, 48 hours after Guardian and others published her story

A woman who was refused a visa to return to London after travelling to Pakistan to adopt a baby has been told she can come home.

Nina Saleh has a Norwegian passport but full UK residency rights after living in London for 20 years. She was refused a visa to return home with baby Sofia three times, despite going through a stringent and lengthy adoption process in the UK with British authorities’ involvement.

From Colombia to Zimbabwe, members of a global network of rape survivors are demanding an end to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war

All photographs by Raegan Hodge of the Dr Denis Mukwege Foundation

Carmen was raped by armed guerrilla forces in Colombia. Ekhlas was kidnapped by Isis in Iraq and forced into sexual slavery. Grace was taken by rebels from her classroom in Uganda, “given” to a soldier and impregnated twice before finally fleeing to safety.

Today, these women are all members of the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Rape, known as Sema, which translates to “speak out” in Swahili. The network represents roughly 2,000 rape survivors and 90 years’ worth of conflict across 21 countries in Africa, South America, the Middle East and Europe.

Survey of 25,000 people in Middle East and North Africa also shows 52% of 18- to 29-year-olds are thinking about migrating

The Arab world is turning its back on religion and on US relations, according to the largest public opinion survey ever carried out in the region.

A survey of more than 25,000 people across 10 countries and the Palestinian territories found that trust in religious leaders has plummeted in recent years.

Every stage of the plastic lifecycle releases harmful carbon emissions into the atmosphere, contributing to global heating

• Upset about the plastic crisis? Stop trying so hard

Plastics are among the most ubiquitous materials in our economy, our lives, and our environment. They are also among the most pervasive and persistent pollutants on Earth.

In recent years, stark images of beaches, waterways and wildlife filled with plastic have spurred demands for action to address plastic pollution. These calls are coupled with growing concern that plastic and its toxic additives pose serious risks to human health at every stage of the plastic lifecycle. Far less attention has been paid to the impacts of this same lifecycle on the Earth’s climate. This is a dangerous oversight.

Bernie Sanders has a radical plan to wipe out undergraduate and graduate debt for all Americans. Here is what’s at stake

Going to university in the US is expensive – costing an average of over $34,000 a year in tuition and fees at private universities – which means for most Americans, the only way of viably pursuing higher education is to take out a student loan.

We make good-faith efforts to help the planet by recycling, but what we really need to do is even simpler

• All the plastic ever made: the fate of 8.3bn tons

Did you ever decide to get off a jammed freeway and take the backroads even though deep down you knew that it wouldn’t be any faster? Are you constantly switching to the faster lane on a busy freeway even though you notice that cars sticking to their lanes keep catching up with you?

Both are examples of action bias, the phenomenon in which people prefer doing something over doing nothing, even if the likely outcome of the action is worse than the outcome of inaction. Research has shown that actively managed portfolios tend to do worse than passive investments. And one study found that soccer goalkeepers prefer to jump left or right during a penalty-kick, even though the best thing would be to stay put in the middle.

Outside pick for opposition party built on voters’ good faith shown in March elections

Ekrem İmamoğlu was not a well-known figure in Turkish politics before March’s fateful local elections.

But by standing his ground in the fierce battle to become mayor of Istanbul, even after Turkey’s electoral board cancelled his victory, he has become President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most high profile challenger in years and the unexpected new hope for Turkish democracy.

The Guardian visits three gay bars in Texas, Mississippi and Indiana, where the owners and punters share how important those spaces remain for a community threatened by Trump

The US president has signed an executive order placing ‘hard-hitting’ new sanctions on Tehran amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Trump said the measures were a ‘strong and proportionate response to Iran’s increasingly provocative actions’ after a US drone was shot down last week

The Stonewall rebellion in 1969 started a revolution in LGBT rights in the US. Ed Pilkington revisits the story 50 years on with those who were there. Plus: Lucy Siegle on the rise of fast fashion

On the evening of 27 June 1969, gay men and their trans and lesbian peers gathered as usual at a bar called the Stonewall Inn. What followed would change the course of LGBT rights in the US and the wider world. A police raid on the bar in the early hours of the following day descended into violence as supporters came out on to the streets and stayed there defiantly.

The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington has tracked down some of those who took part in the rebellion and joins Anushka Asthana to discuss what happened and the growing recognition of LGBT rights in the decades that followed.

Soap, toothbrushes and blankets are some of the items migrant children detained in the US do not need, a Trump administration official has claimed. Sarah Fabian, a lawyer for the US Department of Justice, argued at the US court of appeals for the ninth circuit that such children do not always require certain sanitary products

A bug-eyed, dreadlocked pooch called Scamp the Tramp took top honours on Friday at the 31st annual World's Ugliest Dog contest. Scamp beat 18 other contestants at the event, held in Northern California. Organisers say the contest is about bringing attention to the needs of rescue dogs.

• Scamp the Tramp is champ at World's Ugliest Dog Contest

Donald Trump has said the US air force was 'cocked and loaded' to attack three Iranian targets, but he withdrew the order with 10 minutes to spare after being told the airstrikes might kill as many as 150 people. The strikes were planned in retaliation for Iran shooting down an unmanned US surveillance drone

• Trump says he stopped airstrike on Iran because 150 would have died
  

The European council president, Donald Tusk, and the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, raised some laughs after the leaders of the member states failed to reach agreement on who should take the bloc's top jobs. 'I note with some pleasure that it is not easy to replace me,' Juncker told a press conference. He will step down as commission chief in October