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| Friday briefing: Spot of Barnier trouble as Fox rejects Brussels 'blackmail' | Friday briefing: Spot of Barnier trouble as Fox rejects Brussels 'blackmail' |
| (5 months later) | |
| Top story: Frustration flares at highest levels of Brexit talks | Top story: Frustration flares at highest levels of Brexit talks |
| Good morning – Warren Murray here to round out the week. | Good morning – Warren Murray here to round out the week. |
| Temperatures have spiked again this morning in the beleaguered Brexit negotiations, with trade secretary Liam Fox warning the EU can’t “blackmail” Britain into an excessive divorce bill. | Temperatures have spiked again this morning in the beleaguered Brexit negotiations, with trade secretary Liam Fox warning the EU can’t “blackmail” Britain into an excessive divorce bill. |
| Speaking in Tokyo, Fox was asked whether Britain should agree a quick financial settlement to clear the way for trade talks. “We can’t be blackmailed into paying a price on the first part,” Fox replied. “We think we should begin discussions on the final settlement because that’s good for business, and it’s good for the prosperity both of the British people and of the rest of the people of the European Union.” | Speaking in Tokyo, Fox was asked whether Britain should agree a quick financial settlement to clear the way for trade talks. “We can’t be blackmailed into paying a price on the first part,” Fox replied. “We think we should begin discussions on the final settlement because that’s good for business, and it’s good for the prosperity both of the British people and of the rest of the people of the European Union.” |
| Hours earlier, on Thursday, Michel Barnier, the EU deal-broker for Brexit, attacked the British government’s position as nostalgic, unrealistic and lacking in trust. At a tense press conference, Barnier and the UK Brexit secretary, David Davis, exchanged recriminations over Britain’s desire to maintain common market benefits, the future of citizens’ rights, the “divorce bill” and other issues. | Hours earlier, on Thursday, Michel Barnier, the EU deal-broker for Brexit, attacked the British government’s position as nostalgic, unrealistic and lacking in trust. At a tense press conference, Barnier and the UK Brexit secretary, David Davis, exchanged recriminations over Britain’s desire to maintain common market benefits, the future of citizens’ rights, the “divorce bill” and other issues. |
| The gulf seemed wider than ever – Barnier said there had been “no decisive progress” yet Davis insisted progress had been “concrete”. Barnier did concede there had been limited “fruitful” discussions on the Irish border. But Britain’s “cake and eat it” approach has clearly worn thin with the Brussels envoy, writes Jon Henley. | The gulf seemed wider than ever – Barnier said there had been “no decisive progress” yet Davis insisted progress had been “concrete”. Barnier did concede there had been limited “fruitful” discussions on the Irish border. But Britain’s “cake and eat it” approach has clearly worn thin with the Brussels envoy, writes Jon Henley. |
| Lured into gambling – Online betting companies are effectively targeting gamblers who can least afford to lose, the Guardian can reveal. Lower-income users and those who have previously quit gambling are “among the most successfully targeted segment” using data harvested from third-party providers, according to a digital marketer who has worked with digital gambling companies. The revelations deepen concerns about the ethics and socially harmful nature of the industry. Online betting firm 888 has been penalised a record £7.8m after more than 7,000 people who had voluntarily banned themselves from gambling were still able to access their accounts. | Lured into gambling – Online betting companies are effectively targeting gamblers who can least afford to lose, the Guardian can reveal. Lower-income users and those who have previously quit gambling are “among the most successfully targeted segment” using data harvested from third-party providers, according to a digital marketer who has worked with digital gambling companies. The revelations deepen concerns about the ethics and socially harmful nature of the industry. Online betting firm 888 has been penalised a record £7.8m after more than 7,000 people who had voluntarily banned themselves from gambling were still able to access their accounts. |
| Iran nuclear deal ‘is working’ – Iran is complying with curbs on its nuclear programme, UN inspectors have reported – countering nebulous claims by the Trump administration that it is violating the deal. Tehran’s stocks of low-enriched uranium and heavy water are well below agreed limits, according to watchdog the IAEA. Trump and his officials have been trying to pick holes in Iran’s compliance with the process, known as the JCPOA, without offering evidence that Iran is in breach. All other countries overseeing the agreement – UK, France, China, Germany and Russia – have affirmed their commitment to it. Trump’s envoys are pushing for inspections of Iran’s military sites, which would be provocative. “If they [the US] want to bring down the deal, they will,” an IAEA official said. “We just don’t want to give them an excuse to.” | Iran nuclear deal ‘is working’ – Iran is complying with curbs on its nuclear programme, UN inspectors have reported – countering nebulous claims by the Trump administration that it is violating the deal. Tehran’s stocks of low-enriched uranium and heavy water are well below agreed limits, according to watchdog the IAEA. Trump and his officials have been trying to pick holes in Iran’s compliance with the process, known as the JCPOA, without offering evidence that Iran is in breach. All other countries overseeing the agreement – UK, France, China, Germany and Russia – have affirmed their commitment to it. Trump’s envoys are pushing for inspections of Iran’s military sites, which would be provocative. “If they [the US] want to bring down the deal, they will,” an IAEA official said. “We just don’t want to give them an excuse to.” |
| The facts need your help | The facts need your help |
| If you ever wonder what we stand for at the Guardian, the clue is in the name. See, when you think about it, the Iran story above says a certain amount about just how serious a risk “alternative facts” can pose when they are pushed by the powerful. We are here to make sure their version never goes unchallenged or unquestioned. And you can help. Please consider becoming a Guardian member, or you can make a one-off contribution. Thanks for reading. | If you ever wonder what we stand for at the Guardian, the clue is in the name. See, when you think about it, the Iran story above says a certain amount about just how serious a risk “alternative facts” can pose when they are pushed by the powerful. We are here to make sure their version never goes unchallenged or unquestioned. And you can help. Please consider becoming a Guardian member, or you can make a one-off contribution. Thanks for reading. |
| ‘Trojan horse’ still trotted out – It proved to be part hoax, part truth, but the story of Birmingham schools being influenced to give Islam greater emphasis continues to resonate. Five schools were placed in special measures as part of the “Trojan horse” affair, but the extent of any concerted “plot” to Islamise schools remains unclear. In today’s long read Samira Shackle seeks to pin down what happened, while exploring Britain’s lingering anxieties towards its multicultural communities. | ‘Trojan horse’ still trotted out – It proved to be part hoax, part truth, but the story of Birmingham schools being influenced to give Islam greater emphasis continues to resonate. Five schools were placed in special measures as part of the “Trojan horse” affair, but the extent of any concerted “plot” to Islamise schools remains unclear. In today’s long read Samira Shackle seeks to pin down what happened, while exploring Britain’s lingering anxieties towards its multicultural communities. |
| Moral tails – Small children are more likely to take positive moral lessons away from a story with human characters rather than talking animals, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Toronto read alternative stories about sharing – one featuring people, the other animals – to different groups of children. The children who heard the human tale demonstrated greater generosity immediately afterwards – the others did not. Lead researcher Patricia Ganea said it backed up evidence that “young children more readily apply what they’ve learned from stories that are realistic”. But fur-lined fiction author Kes Gray said there was still plenty of room for characters with “big hair, big eyes and pink twitchy noses”. | Moral tails – Small children are more likely to take positive moral lessons away from a story with human characters rather than talking animals, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Toronto read alternative stories about sharing – one featuring people, the other animals – to different groups of children. The children who heard the human tale demonstrated greater generosity immediately afterwards – the others did not. Lead researcher Patricia Ganea said it backed up evidence that “young children more readily apply what they’ve learned from stories that are realistic”. But fur-lined fiction author Kes Gray said there was still plenty of room for characters with “big hair, big eyes and pink twitchy noses”. |
| Not the Bangkok Hilton – We’ve gone to jail in Thailand so you don’t have to. Not a real one – the country’s prisons are notoriously grim – but a jail-style hostel on Bangkok’s outskirts where you can pay to put on striped pyjamas and spend a night behind bars. There’s Wifi, though, as well as air conditioning. Oliver Holmes hands down some sentences explaining this weird tourist attraction. | Not the Bangkok Hilton – We’ve gone to jail in Thailand so you don’t have to. Not a real one – the country’s prisons are notoriously grim – but a jail-style hostel on Bangkok’s outskirts where you can pay to put on striped pyjamas and spend a night behind bars. There’s Wifi, though, as well as air conditioning. Oliver Holmes hands down some sentences explaining this weird tourist attraction. |
| Lunchtime read: Sea Prayer – watch and listen in 360 degrees | Lunchtime read: Sea Prayer – watch and listen in 360 degrees |
| The Guardian today unveils a special collaboration to mark two years since the death of Alan Kurdi, the little Syrian refugee boy who drowned trying to make it to Greece. | The Guardian today unveils a special collaboration to mark two years since the death of Alan Kurdi, the little Syrian refugee boy who drowned trying to make it to Greece. |
| Sea Prayer melds an imagined letter from a Syrian father to his son – written by Khaled Hosseini, acclaimed author of The Kite Runner – with a virtual reality experience. Listen to narration by Bafta-winning actor Adeel Akhtar as this sensitively imagined story comes to life in 360 degrees. | Sea Prayer melds an imagined letter from a Syrian father to his son – written by Khaled Hosseini, acclaimed author of The Kite Runner – with a virtual reality experience. Listen to narration by Bafta-winning actor Adeel Akhtar as this sensitively imagined story comes to life in 360 degrees. |
| Sport | Sport |
| Another summer, another deadline day done and dusted. A record amount of money was spent this window following the latest Premier League TV contract, but some of the most publicised deals didn’t materialise. Headlining the deadline day deals were: Fernando Llorente and Serge Aurier to Tottenham; Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea; and Mamadou Sakho to Crystal Palace. But the deals that didn’t happen were equally of note with Alexis Sánchez and Ross Barkley staying put at Arsenal and Everton respectively. | Another summer, another deadline day done and dusted. A record amount of money was spent this window following the latest Premier League TV contract, but some of the most publicised deals didn’t materialise. Headlining the deadline day deals were: Fernando Llorente and Serge Aurier to Tottenham; Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea; and Mamadou Sakho to Crystal Palace. But the deals that didn’t happen were equally of note with Alexis Sánchez and Ross Barkley staying put at Arsenal and Everton respectively. |
| In tennis, Roger Federer’s frailties were exposed in his US Open win over Mikhail Youzhny in another five-setter, while the longest women’s match in the tournament’s history played out between the American Shelby Rogers and Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. Rogers won 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) in a match that lasted just over three and a half hours. | In tennis, Roger Federer’s frailties were exposed in his US Open win over Mikhail Youzhny in another five-setter, while the longest women’s match in the tournament’s history played out between the American Shelby Rogers and Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. Rogers won 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) in a match that lasted just over three and a half hours. |
| Business | Business |
| It has been quiet on Asian markets as investors kept their powder dry ahead of the US jobs figures later today. They are expected to show 180,000 jobs created in August – lower than the July figure, but it will satisfy the markets that the US economy is on track if the numbers also show good wages growth. | It has been quiet on Asian markets as investors kept their powder dry ahead of the US jobs figures later today. They are expected to show 180,000 jobs created in August – lower than the July figure, but it will satisfy the markets that the US economy is on track if the numbers also show good wages growth. |
| The FTSE100 is expected to drop slightly at the open this morning. The pound has been flat at $1.292 and €1.086. | The FTSE100 is expected to drop slightly at the open this morning. The pound has been flat at $1.292 and €1.086. |
| The papers | The papers |
| The Sun’s front page says the man accused of attacking police at Buckingham Palace was an Uber driver. The Mirror features the story of nine-year-old Max Johnson who has got a new heart after a campaign by the paper. | The Sun’s front page says the man accused of attacking police at Buckingham Palace was an Uber driver. The Mirror features the story of nine-year-old Max Johnson who has got a new heart after a campaign by the paper. |
| The Mail leads with reports that a study predicts nearly 40% of child nurseries will go out of business due to a new childcare scheme. The Guardian has the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator saying that the UK’s approach to the split from Europe is nostalgic and unrealistic. The Times also splashes on the Brexit dramas, saying the UK is accusing the EU of demanding billions for foreign aid after Britain has left the union. | The Mail leads with reports that a study predicts nearly 40% of child nurseries will go out of business due to a new childcare scheme. The Guardian has the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator saying that the UK’s approach to the split from Europe is nostalgic and unrealistic. The Times also splashes on the Brexit dramas, saying the UK is accusing the EU of demanding billions for foreign aid after Britain has left the union. |
| The Telegraph’s headline is “Schools face exam cheat inquiry” after the government confirmed an investigation into allegations that four public schools were involved in malpractice. The FT says Hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc beyond Houston, affecting petrol prices and energy infrastructure. | The Telegraph’s headline is “Schools face exam cheat inquiry” after the government confirmed an investigation into allegations that four public schools were involved in malpractice. The FT says Hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc beyond Houston, affecting petrol prices and energy infrastructure. |
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