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Revealed: how Angolan ruler's daughter used her status to build $2bn empire Leaks show how Isabel dos Santos became Africa’s richest woman at expense of Angolan stateProfile: Isabel dos SantosThe diamond deal that rocked AngolaThe complex financial schemes that helped Africa’s richest woman amass a fortune at vast cost to the Angolan state can be revealed for the first time after a huge leak of confidential documents from her business empire.Isabel dos Santos, who is known as “the princess” in Angola, the oil-rich nation her father ruled as president for almost four decades, has long denied that her estimated $2.2bn (£1.7bn) fortune is the result of nepotism or corruption. Continue reading... Go to Source

How Angola's state oil firm was left with just $309 in its account Inquiry into Isabel dos Santos’s management of Sonangol turns on a series of events before her sackingThe diamond deal that rocked AngolaRevealed: how Angolan ruler’s daughter built $2bn empireThe transfers began on 16 November 2017, with $38m wired (then £32.3m) to a bank account in Dubai. A little later another sum, this time $15m, exited, followed by a third for $4m. At the start of the day, the bank account of Sonangol, Angola’s state oil company, had contained $57m. By sunset, it had just $309.The story of these payments, as told by a Sonangol bank statement and internal report, lies at the centre of an Angolan government investigation into Africa’s richest woman. Continue reading... ...

Prince Harry gives emotional speech on decision to step down Duke of Sussex says he and Meghan had ‘no other option’ than to take ‘leap of faith’The Duke of Sussex has expressed his sadness over his decision to step down from royal duties in his first public remarks on the move, saying he had taken a “leap of faith”.Giving a speech at a private dinner in London for his charity Sentebale, Prince Harry said: “Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations without public funding. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Labour leadership: Jess Phillips vows to stop acting 'statesmanlike' Outspoken candidate concedes she ‘stopped being real’ in Saturday hustingsHustings are a bad way to decide who would make a good Labour leaderThe Labour leadership contender Jess Phillips has pledged to stop trying to appear prime ministerial as she battles to secure a place on the ballot paper after what she described as an “awful” first hustings in Liverpool on Saturday.Writing for the Guardian, Phillips acknowledges that it looks highly unlikely anyone but the two frontrunners, Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey, would win the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. Continue reading... Go to Source

Huge dust storms in Australia hit central New South Wales Videos posted to social media show the clouds turning day into night in some areas Damaging winds produced by thunderstorms across central New South Wales have whipped up dust storms that turned daytime into night in some towns.The Bureau of Meteorology issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings on Sunday evening for inland NSW with the associated winds generating massive dust clouds. Continue reading... Go to Source

Extinction Rebellion listed as 'key threat' by counter-terror police Awareness training across London led to ‘intelligence’ tip-offs, according to reportA police force in London labelled Extinction Rebellion one of its “key threats” in a counter-terrorism assessment and provided awareness training on the climate crisis group across the capital, resulting in “intelligence” tip-offs, the Guardian can reveal.City of London police grouped the environmental protest group alongside “far-right organisations” in an assessment of its counter-terrorism operations seen by the Guardian. Continue reading... Go to Source

Grenfell survivors criticise 'out of touch' Boris Johnson Families feel they have fallen down agenda amid row over inquiry panel memberGrenfell survivors have accused Boris Johnson of downgrading the government’s interest in the disaster and said he is out of touch with what they are going through.As pressure rose on the prime minister to rescind his appointment of a public inquiry panel member revealed to have links to the combustible cladding company involved in the tower’s refurbishment, community leaders said: “Grenfell families have dropped down the agenda for Downing Street.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Media treatment of Meghan and Harry racist, say Labour candidates Rebecca Long-Bailey, Dawn Butler and Jess Phillips hit out at press coverage of SussexesRebecca Long-Bailey has condemned the treatment of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the media as “intrusive and racist”, after the Queen announced plans for them to step back from royal duties.Ten days after the couple announced they planned to give up their position as senior members of the royal family and move to North America, the monarch issued a statement on Saturday night setting out a new arrangement that would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Liverpool v Manchester United: Premier League – live! Updates from the 4.30pm GMT game at AnfieldBurnley 2-1 Leicester | Live scoreboardGet in touch! Email Simon or tweet him 5.47pm GMT59 mins: Impossible miss! Martial plays a one-two with Pereira, chests the ball down, and lashes the ball goalwards from 12 yards or so, but it flies over the bar! 5.45pm GMT57 mins: A chance for an equaliser! Fred intercepts Alexander-Arnold’s poor long throw on the halfway line and runs without any kind of challenge into Liverpool’s penalty area, where he shoots wide of the near post. “As frustrating as the whole situation was around the first disallowed goal, I take some small crumb of satisfaction from the fact that De Gea picked up an insanely unnecessary yellow card,” write...

Labour antisemitism row: Corbyn under fire over Karie Murphy peerage nomination Party leader criticised over nomination amid investigation by Equality and Human Rights Commission Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised for nominating his former chief of staff Karie Murphy for a peerage while the party is still being investigated over its handling of antisemitism.Murphy’s name emerged in the Sunday Times as one of several put forward by Corbyn – together with those of his former deputy, Tom Watson, and the outgoing Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow. Continue reading... Go to Source

House of Lords may move out of London to 'reconnect' with public Tory plan a symbol of Boris Johnson’s aim to ‘level up’ rest of UK with capitalThe government is considering moving the House of Lords outside London – potentially to York – as one of a range of options to “reconnect” politics with the public, the Conservative party chairman, James Cleverly, has confirmed.Asked about the plan, which was reported in the Sunday Times, Cleverly said: “It’s one of a range of things that we are looking into. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry and Meghan to give up HRH titles and repay £2.4m Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give back taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home and drop official dutiesAnalysis: couple sought half-in half-out deal, but are ‘out’ The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give up using their Royal Highness titles and return £2.4m to the taxpayer to cover the costs of refurbishing their Windsor home as they leave their roles as senior member of the royal family.The Queen said in a statement that this “constructive and supportive way forward” would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. In a rebuff to critics of her granddaughter-in-law, the Queen added that she was “particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickl...

Comme des Garçons in row over 'white models in cornrow wigs' Fashion house accused of cultural appropriation over wigs used in men’s show The fashion house Comme des Garçons has been accused of cultural appropriation after white models sported what appeared to be black hair wigs during its men’s fall/winter 2020 show. In a post on Instagram, the industry watchdog Diet Prada said the label had put “white models in cornrow wigs”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson to cabinet: shape up or I’ll sack you within weeks Top ministers are warned to stay off TV with reshuffle alert part of plan by Dominic CummingsBoris Johnson is to tell cabinet ministers that they must focus all their energy on developing policies for post-Brexit Britain – or face the sack in a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle within weeks.In an extraordinary move, Johnson will tell his most senior ministers that they must concentrate on “delivery” and hard work that will help “level up” the country, rather than “touring TV studios” and trying to raise their personal profiles in the media. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry and Meghan to drop HRH titles and repay £2.4m Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give back taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home and drop official dutiesAnalysis: couple sought half-in half-out deal, but are ‘out’The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give up using their Royal Highness titles and return £2.4m to the taxpayer to cover the costs of refurbishing their Windsor home as they leave their roles as senior member of the royal family.The Queen said last night in a statement that this “constructive and supportive way forward” would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. In a rebuff to critics of her granddaughter-in-law, the Queen added that she was “particularly proud of how Megha...

Jess Phillips claims Labour leadership rivals ‘kept quiet’ on antisemitism Birmingham MP’s accusations force other contenders to defend their records during hustings for leadershipJess Phillips has accused her rivals in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn of “keeping quiet” about antisemitism, as the party’s failure to root out racism in its own ranks triggered heated exchanges at the first leadership hustings.For the first 40 minutes, the five surviving contenders engaged in civilised debate and avoided any personal criticism of one another, broadly agreeing on the shortcomings of the last election manifesto and the need to end factionalism. But, after the panel was asked about antisemitism, Phillips’s remarks changed the mood . Continue reading... Go to ...

No screening for new Sars-like virus at UK airports – yet Experts decide no need for checks as member of Coronavirus family infects up to 1,700 in ChinaHealth officials have ruled out introducing screening for passengers at UK airports, despite mounting fears over a deadly new virus from China. Three big US airports yesterday announced they would introduce screening. Related: Expert questions effectiveness of coronavirus airport screening Continue reading... Go to Source

Police fire teargas as gilets jaunes protests return to Paris Clashes come on 45th day of strike with 59 arrests and claims police beat protesterFrench police fired teargas under a rain of projectiles, used stun grenades and arrested dozens of people on Saturday as thousands of “yellow vest” anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Paris.Demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing the police, the president, Emmanuel Macron, and his pension reforms that have triggered the longest French transport strike in decades. Continue reading... Go to Source

Long-Bailey: we must become 'salespeople for socialism' Labour leadership candidates set out priorities at first hustings event of campaignLabour leadership hustings - liveLabour activists must become “salespeople for socialism”, Rebecca Long-Bailey has said as the party’s leadership candidates clashed in their first hustings event of the campaign.Long-Bailey, a frontrunner who is backed by allies of Jeremy Corbyn, said she was kept awake at night by the problems of inequality and the climate crisis but also the question of how to present socialism as mainstream. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lecturer says she faced online abuse after Question Time clash with Laurence Fox Rachel Boyle described actor as a ‘white privileged male’ in row over media coverage of Duchess of SussexA mixed-race university lecturer accused of being racist by the white actor Laurence Fox has been bombarded with hate messages via social media, she has told the Observer.Rachel Boyle, a researcher on race and ethnicity at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, clashed with Fox during a television discussion about press coverage of the Duchess of Sussex. Continue reading... Go to Source