Weaving is central to cultural life in Samoa but climate change is disrupting conditions needed for plants used to make the intricate mats In the Samoan village of Neiafu, Amio Pei Ioane sits with a group of women in a weaving house. Around her, rolls of stripped pandanus leaves, the spiky-leaved plant used to make woven mats, rest in bundles. She began weaving when she was 15, assisting the village group before eventually joining the central line of weavers working on a large ceremonial mat. Now, she is the matua u‘u, or elder master weaver, offering guidance and encouragement to others Continue reading...

Russia talking down Medvedev’s influence after nuclear threats; oligarch’s superyacht goes on sale with proceeds to Ukraine. What we know on day 1,260 Lithuania has called for Nato help to boost its air defences after Russian military drones repeatedly violated its airspace. “Last Monday, a Russian military drone violated Lithuanian airspace,” said Kęstutis Budrys, the foreign minister in Vilnius. “This marks the second such incident in less than a month. Similar airspace violations have also been reported recently by other allies.” Budrys added that he and the defence minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, had asked the Nato secretary general for “immediate measures to enhance air defence capabilities in Lithuania and accelerate the full implementation of the rotational air defence model. Air defence is vital to allied security. Securing Nato’s eastern flank must remain a top priority for the alliance.” Amid the nuclear row between Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin has moved to play down the latter’s role in Russian decision-making, the Institute for the Study of War has said. The thinktank said Medvedev was subsequently being portrayed as having a “different assessment” from Putin on nuclear issues. An ISW assessment said: “The Kremlin regularly uses Medvedev to introduce nuclear threats into the Russian and international information spaces.” Medvedev, a high-ranked official who was once prime minister of Russia, as well as a proxy for Putin in the presidency, accused Trump of taking “a step towards war” by tightening an ultimatum for Russia to seek peace. Trump in response said he had moved two nuclear submarines into position “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that”. The ISW further assessed that “Kremlin officials utilised three main framings to respond to Trump’s decision to redeploy the submarines: posing Trump’s decision to redeploy the submarines as “emotional,” discounting the threat that this decision poses to Russia, and posturing Russia as a more responsible international actor than the United States … These official Russian responses ignore the Kremlin’s history of frequently using nuclear saber-rattling to push the west to make decisions that benefit Russia. On the battlefield, the ISW said that Ukrainian forces had recently advanced near Pokrovsk, which Russian forces have been trying to capture since at least July 2024. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Siversk, Toretsk, and Velykomykhailivka, the institute said. Russian claimed on Tuesday to have captured the village of Sichneve in east-central Dnipropetrovsk region. The Reuters news agency, which carried the claim, said it could not independently confirm it. Donald Trump has said he will make a decision on whether to sanction countries that purchase Russian oil after a meeting with Russian officials scheduled for Wednesday. That is when Steve Witkoff – real estate promoter, friend of Trump and officially his Russia envoy – is due to meet with Russian leadership in Moscow. A Bloomberg report suggested that Putin might agree to a ceasefire in terms of airstrike but not on the ground. Also on Tuesday, the Financial Times reported that Trump’s administration is considering additional sanctions on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers that illicitly move Russian oil. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said on Tuesday he’d had a “productive” conversation with Trump about ending the war, sanctions on Russia and the finalisation of a US-Ukraine drone deal. Ukraine, he said, had long supported US proposals for an immediate ceasefire and had proposed a number of formats to implement a halt to the fighting. “We have spoken with and proposed to Russia quiet in the skies, no missile and drone attacks and specifically no attacks on civilian infrastructure or on the energy sector. All of this has been violated by the Russians and in a very cynical fashion.” The $300m superyacht of a sanctioned Russian billionaire is being auctioned off. The 348-foot (106-metre) Amadea was seized in Fiji in April 2022 from its former owner, Suleiman Kerimov, and is berthed in San Diego California. The auction is being held by National Maritime Services, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, company. Sealed bids are being accepted until 10 September subject to a $10m deposit. The US Congress has passed legislation allowing the sale of seized Russian assets to fund humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. Continue reading...

Organizzazione promossa, la Regione Marche ha istituito le Aggregazioni funzionali territoriali per migliorare la qualità dell’assistenza. Eleonori: “Situazione in costruzione”

Il dolore del grande Dino per l’ex compagno della Nazionale: “Quando ho saputo è stato come ricevere un pugno allo stomaco. Lo ammiravo e avrei voluto giocare con lui anche a livello di club”

A 80 anni dalla prima bomba atomica della storia, oggi alle 8,15 (ora del lancio) la commemorazione davanti a S. Nicolò, per ricordare le vittime e dire una volta di più no alla guerra

Il Comune ha elaborato un sistema per impedire ai bambini di fuggire

Scontro con una Golf in via Pietà: gravissimo 79enne a cui hanno amputato un arto sul posto e l’altro in ospedale

Il sondaggio su 300 alberghi, l’indagine di Conflavoro e ‘Riviera sicura’: luglio difficile, ombre anche su agosto. Poche presenze durante la settimana

Secretly filmed images of women are spreading online, yet the authorities seem more focused on censorship than punishing the perpetrators, critics say When Ming* found a hidden camera in her bedroom, she prayed for a reasonable explanation, wondering whether her boyfriend had placed it there to record memories of their “happy life” together. But hope quickly turned to horror. Ming’s boyfriend had been secretly taking sexually exploitative photos of not just Ming and her female friends, but also of other women in other locations, then using AI technology to generate pornographic images of them. After Ming confronted him, he “begged for mercy” but became angry when she refused to forgive him, Ming reportedly told Chinese news outlet Jimu News. Continue reading...

La secondogenita di Rosaria vive a Ro Ferrarese, parla per la prima volta dal giorno della tragedia. “Nessun indennizzo dall’assassino, ora il Fondo statale. Voglio esaudire l’ultima volontà di mamma”

In prefettura la riunione dei primi cittadini di Porto San Giorgio, Porto Sant’Elpidio e Fermo: “Non abbassiamo la guardia”

L’appello di Marco Coppi, figlio dell’agricoltore trovato senza vita nel 2020. "Sono trascorsi anni ma ho fiducia in queste nuove indagini e nei magistrati. Papà era in forma, lavorava in campagna. Non ho mai visto quella donna”

Reimpiantati però 440 nuovi esemplari nel pubblico e 181 nel privato. Il consigliere Carapia: “Poca trasparenza nelle decisioni della giunta”

In un’intervista alla Verità, racconta pezzi del sistema e sostiene che l’ex sindaco sapeva. Ma continua a tacere con gli inquirenti: ecco gli scenari possibili da adesso in poi

L’uomo, in carcere per omicidio con tortura, aveva provato il suicidio a luglio nel carcere del Marino, nel giorno della visita del sottosegretario alla Giustizia Andrea Ostellari. C’è un esposto in Procura

Massimiliano Montanari, 48enne ravennate, aveva già fermato un appartamento a Reggio Emilia. “Ho appuntamento con un avvocato per valutare il ricorso, non è possibile che a pagare siano gli insegnanti”

Emergenza mare al Passetto di Ancona. Danovaro, professore della Politecnica spiega caratteristiche e rischi: “E’ arrivata con le navi di quei mari. Fiorisce con le alte temperature. Non si può escludere che possa raggiungere altre zone”

Campaigners warn ‘rhetoric towards Israel’ is driving anti-Jewish discourse after worst day for ‘anti-Jewish hate’ in first half of 2025 Reports of antisemitic incidents in the UK spiked the day after the punk duo Bob Vylan’s anti-IDF remarks at Glastonbury, campaigners have said. There were 26 incidents reported on 29 June – the highest daily total of incidents in the first half of 2025 – according to the Community Security Trust (CST), a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation. Continue reading...

Faith in young manager Fabian Hürzeler, and a reshaped defence, gives hope of a sustained push for European place Guardian writers’ predicted position: 8th (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’ prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 8th Continue reading...

NIESR suggests a rise of 5p in the pound on basic and higher rate of income tax would fill the budget gap Rachel Reeves will need to raise taxes to close a government spending gap that is on course to reach more than £40bn after a slowdown in economic growth and higher-than-expected inflation, according to a leading thinktank. In a blow to Labour’s hopes of balancing the books without breaking manifesto commitments ruling out personal tax rises, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said a number of factors would knock off course the chancellor’s plans to stay within Whitehall spending limits. Continue reading...

Marine Conservation Society calls for swift action as its litter surveys show some forms of plastic are on the rise Volunteer beach cleaners are finding more vapes than ever before as plastic pollution chokes Britain’s coastline. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) on Wednesday launches its annual beach clean, which last year involved more than 15,000 volunteers who completed more than 1,200 litter surveys. Continue reading...

Watchdog says all parties, including trustees, patrons and chair Sophie Chandauka, should not have had row in public The Charity Commission has criticised Prince Harry for allowing a row with the chair of his African charity to “play out publicly”, as the watchdog cleared him of racism. The prince was engaged in a public war of words earlier this year with the chair of the Sentebale charity, Dr Sophie Chandauka, after his resignation as a patron. Continue reading...

Intervista al parlamentare: “Il governo e alcuni membri dell’opposizione dovrebbero essere processati per aver incoraggiato e celebrato crimini di guerra”

Nuovo scontro sul ruolo della fedelissima del Guardasigilli: “Dai magistrati inaccettabile invasione”