The world at a glance
Raqqa, Syria
Isis losing its “capitals”: The two main strongholds of Islamic State – Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq – were both on the verge of being fully recaptured this week. In Raqqa, the de facto capital of Isis’s self-proclaimed caliphate, Syrian Democratic Forces entered the Old City – close to the city centre – for the first time on Tuesday, after US air strikes breached what were described as two “small” sections of the historic Rafiqa Wall. The Us-led coalition said some 2,500 Isis fighters remain in Raqqa, with 100,000 civilians. In Mosul, Iraqi forces recaptured the ruined Grand al-nuri Mosque, from which Isis declared its “caliphate” in June 2014: Isis’s territory is said to have shrunk to just a 500-square-metre patch, where 300 fighters are holed up. Hundreds, however, are believed to have escaped.
Equatoria, South Sudan
Killing fields: South Sudanese government troops and rebel forces are using hunger as a weapon of war in the southern region of Equatoria, according to a report by Amnesty International. Fighters accuse civilians of feeding or being fed by the enemy, and are cutting supplies and looting villages as a form of collective punishment – in a region that has already been ravaged by civilian massacres and gang rapes. “It is a cruel tragedy of this war that South Sudan’s breadbasket – a region that a year ago could feed millions – has turned into treacherous killing fields that have forced close to a million to flee in search of safety,” said Amnesty. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Equatoria since fighting spread there last year.
Doha
Qatar cut off: Qatar’s foreign minister said this week that its government is willing to hold talks with the four Arab governments – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – that have imposed an embargo on the vastly wealthy Gulf state; but added that it would not be dictated to and that the list of its neighbours’ 13 demands was unrealistic. The four nations broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar last month: this week they had extended by 48 hours – until midnight on Tuesday – the deadline for Qatar to comply. The demands included ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the news network Al Jazeera and cutting ties with Iran. In response to the crisis, Qatar announced it would be dramatically ramping up production of natural gas, one of the fuels that made it rich.
Pyongyang
Missile fears: North Korea says it has conducted its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – with an estimated range of least 4,160 miles. If confirmed (and Pyongyang has lied about its tests before), it could mean the regime is close to being able to attack the mainland US – and could already hit Alaska. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (above) was quoted as describing the test as a “gift” to the “American bastards” to mark Independence Day, while Pyongyang declared itself a “fully-fledged nuclear power”. The US and South Korea responded by staging ballistic missile drills.
Tokyo
Abe trounced: His reputation already badly damaged by an influence-peddling scandal, Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has now suffered a humiliating blow in elections for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was trounced by Tokyo Citizens First, a party founded just months ago by Tokyo’s charismatic governor, Yuriko Koike, a former LDP member. The result has sparked widespread speculation that Koike (pictured) is now in pole position to become Japan’s first female PM.
Manila
Anthem law: Filipinos will be required to sing the national anthem with appropriate gusto under legislation passed by the lower house of parliament last week. When the anthem, Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land), is played at public gatherings, “the singing shall be mandatory and must be done with fervour”, according to the draft law, which must now be approved by the Senate. First-time offenders would face large fines, while repeat offenders could be
jailed.
Hong Kong
Xi’s warning: China’s President Xi Jinping made a three-day visit to Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of the territory’s return to Chinese rule last week – and used the opportunity to issue a firm warning that Beijing would not tolerate challenges to its authority there. “Any attempt to endanger China’s sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government… or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland… is absolutely impermissable,” he said. He also lamented China’s “humiliation” at the hands of the 19th century British colonists. After Xi left, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demand universal suffrage – specified as an “eventual goal” under the “one county, two systems” principle that guarantees Hong Kong a “high degree” of autonomy until 2047 ( see page 14).
A committed rock star
Growing up in working-class Manchester, Liam Gallagher dreamed of becoming a rock star. “I spent the first 19 years of my life going: ‘What is this s***? It’s raining all the time, there’s no air in the football, the mushrooms have all been picked,’” he told Will Hodgkinson in The Times. “I was digging holes in the street, thinking: ‘I’d rather have the shakes from rock’n’roll than from a pneumatic drill.’” If he hadn’t made it big with Oasis (the band he formed with his songwriter brother, Noel), what might have become of him? “I’d be in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester, smoking spice with the other zombies, pissing my pants and dribbling out of my ears.” Instead, he is rich, famous and – despite the breakup of Oasis – still living the dream. “It’s a good life, rock’n’roll. But you have to commit to it. There’s more to being in a band than writing songs, you know. There’s always something that needs throwing out of a window, someone who needs flicking on the nose, and that line’s not going to snort itself.”
The bones lady
Kathy Reichs has lived among bones for more than 40 years. The forensic anthropologist – and author of 18 bestselling crime novels – started out studying ancient remains at the University of North Carolina. But then the local police started bringing her more recent bones to inspect. “If they had a case that stumped them, it was, ‘Let’s take it to the bones lady,’” she told Caroline Graham in The Mail on Sunday. “Bones ‘speak’ to me. They tell me how old a person was, if they were right- or left-handed, if they had babies.” Reichs has worked on countless murder cases, testified for the UN on the Rwandan genocides, and even helped the Catholic Church identify a saint: Jeanne Le Ber, a Canadian recluse who died in 1714. “Before they could canonise her, they wanted to make sure the remains in the grave were truly hers. We knew she spent a lot of time praying and worked as a seamstress. I analysed the remains and found arthritis in the knees, as you would from someone who prayed a lot, and notches in her teeth from repeatedly passing thread through her mouth.”
Miller’s first role
Sienna Miller’s career got off to a tricky start. For one thing, she first became famous when she began dating Jude Law, back in 2003, before any of her films had come out. “It meant that I was something before I was an actress, I was somebody’s girlfriend who wore nice clothes,” she told Chris Harvey in The Daily Telegraph. Plus, there’s the inherent sexism of the industry. “I remember when I first started, going for an audition and they’d said to wear a short skirt and a T-shirt, and they made me stand there so they could film my whole body, and then turn around and film it from the back.”