Read the daily news to learn English

Japan enlists 1,800 people to drag a 360-tonne castle keep using ropes and rollers

To chants of “so-re, so-re”, about 1,800 people came together in northern Japan over the weekend to pull a 360-tonne castle keep a little more than two metres closer to its original resting place as part of ongoing renovations. The keep – a fortified tower within a castle – had to be moved to repair a wall that was damaged in a major earthquake. Rotating teams of 80 people heaved on 30-metre ropes as the keep of Hirosaki Castle in Aomori prefecture edged closer to its destination. On Saturday participants towed the building – which has been set on rails – 1.13m, while on Sunday it was shifted another 1.09m. “We had about 8,000 applications for the 1,800 slots over the last two days, roughly four times oversubscribed, so not everyone could participate,” Kensuke Hayasaka, head of the parks and green spaces division at Hirosaki City, told the Guardian. “Not only from the city, but from across Japan and overseas; a fair number from south-east Asia and from Europe and North America.” In order to preserve the historic structure, a technique known as hikiya – whereby buildings are put on rollers and moved rather than dismantled – was used. In 2015 the city put out a call for people to come and participate directly. The result was the first citizen-driven hikiya, and the first time the method has been used in any form to move a castle for a century. “Because the keep is a nationally designated important cultural property, we didn’t take it apart,” Hayasaka said. “We’re using hikiya, a building-relocation method that has existed in Japan since ancient times.” Work to preserve the castle has been going on since. The wall was completed in December 2024, with all 2,185 stones restacked in their original positions. With that task completed, this year officials again asked for the public’s help to pull the keep back to its original position. Motoharu Nakata, 61, travelled from Hiroshima at the other end of Japan. “I pulled it 11 years ago too. It’s very moving to be able to participate again. There’s absolutely no other opportunity to pull a castle – it was fantastic,” Nakata told the Sankei Shimbun. Pulling the keep by hand will continue until the end of August, with about 4,100 people scheduled to move it a total of 5m. It is a symbolic, community-building effort and the rest of the about 73m will be carried out using machinery by the end of the year. The keep at Hirosaki Castle is one of 12 such structures left in Japan, and the only one in the north-eastern Tohoku region. Seat of the Tsugaru clan, the castle was completed in 1611 but the original keep burned down after a lightning strike ignited a gunpowder store in 1627. The current structure was rebuilt in 1810 and the castle is now the centrepiece of a park that draws about 2 million visitors each year during cherry-blossom season. Major renovations mean the keep will not be accessible to tourists for years. “Once it’s back on the original base, the preservation work on the keep begins and the whole structure will be covered over,” Hayasaka said. “As things stand, we expect it to reopen to visitors in 2033.”

Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown

Colombia’s far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced a crackdown on immigrants, ordering authorities to detain and deport people who are in the country irregularly or have committed crimes. In office for just over two weeks, the millionaire former lawyer made the announcement on Sunday as the country continued to grapple with the aftermath of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on 10 August that killed more than 300 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes. De la Espriella said the first joint operations involving the police and the migration authority should begin “this very week”. “Let the coordinated operations begin to track down illegal immigrants: first, those committing crimes; second, those who have not regularised their status and who will have to be deported immediately,” de la Espriella said during a cabinet meeting held on Sunday in Barranquilla, the Caribbean city that has in effect been turned into an alternative capital. He echoed the “Americans first” rhetoric of his ally, US president Donald Trump, saying that from now on it would be “Colombians first, Colombians second and Colombians third”. The Colombian president has joined other Trump-aligned leaders in the region who have also tightened migration rules, including Argentina’s Javier Milei and Chile’s José Antonio Kast. De la Espriella’s order is facing criticism from the opposition and human rights activists, who say it will end a migration policy that endured for more than a decade under both rightwing and leftwing governments and benefited above all migrants fleeing the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Venezuela. Although he used the anti-immigration rhetoric characteristic of other far-right candidates during his campaign, his platform focused chiefly on his promise to pursue an iron-fist policy against criminal groups. In the same announcement, he also declared that all gangs involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion and smuggling were “terrorists and we will treat them as such. Whatever happens, we will defeat them, by reason or by force.” The president did not directly mention Venezuelans when discussing immigration, but they account for roughly 90% of all migrants in the country. Of the 2.8 million Venezuelans living in Colombia, about 848,000 are in an irregular situation, including 193,000 children and adolescents. The leftwing senator María José Pizarro Rodríguez reposted the president’s announcement and asked whether he was “proposing a Colombian ICE against fellow Latin Americans”, in reference to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She added that the “order to deport irregular migrants is pure xenophobia and aporophobia”. “Instead of persecuting people fleeing poverty and violence, regularise their status. There are thousands of migrants who work hard and contribute to the economies of the countries that receive them,” she wrote. The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that sources within the migration department believe the agency does not have enough staff to carry out the operations De la Espriella has promised. Analysts have also noted that under Colombian law there is no such category as an “illegal” immigrant, as De la Espriella said, but rather migrants in an “irregular” situation, since being in the country without the proper documentation is not a crime.

US threatens severe sanctions against countries with economic ties to Iran

The US has threatened to impose severe sanctions against any country or entity maintaining economic ties with Iran, hoping to achieve with economic measures what military means have so far failed to do. It is unclear, however, how far the Trump administration is prepared to go in confronting China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, which has signalled its resistance to US economic pressure to cut off links with an ally. Iran, meanwhile, vowed retaliation against any country that took part in the US-led isolation campaign. Launching what he called Operation Economic Outcast, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, called it an unprecedented campaign and compared it with the D-day Normandy landings, a turning point in the second world war. “Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” Bessent said on Monday. “Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.” Asked whether sanctions would be applied to China, which bought an estimated 80% of Iran’s shipped oil last year, he replied: “We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of US sanctions. That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.” Bessent said the US had identified those that continued to deal with Iran and each violator would be given a deadline to cut ties or face US sanctions. He said the deadlines imposed would depend on individual circumstances. “Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the US dollar system,” he said. “The clock just started ticking.” Bessent said Donald Trump was “making phone calls to world leaders with specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime”, but he did not specify whether the US president would talk to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. China’s embassy in Washington told reporters: “Regarding the Iran issue, sanctions and pressure do not help resolve the problem. China calls on the relevant parties to take responsible actions and resolve the issue through political and diplomatic means.” Tehran said it would retaliate against the sanctions using a range of measures. Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi, the armed forces’ chief of staff, said the retaliation could take the form of land, sea or air operations or cyber-attacks. The announcement of secondary sanctions against Iran comes nearly six months after the the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Early expectations that the regime in Tehran would collapse or agree to Washington’s demands to give up uranium enrichment and other key elements of its nuclear programme were dashed. Hardliners appeared to strengthen their grip on government in Tehran and responded by declaring the closure of the strait of Hormuz, attacking ships that ignored its declaration. Trump imposed a counter-blockage on Iranian oil exports through the strait, leading to an impasse that has had profound effects on the global economy. Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, said: “After nearly six months without a military or diplomatic victory, Washington appears to be trying to accomplish through intensified economic strangulation what military force has so far failed to achieve. But Tehran is answering that zero-sum approach with one of its own.” The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, however, said further military action was not off the table. “By no means are we foreclosing using ‌kinetic strikes anywhere in the strait of Hormuz or around Iran,” Hegseth ⁠told reporters on Monday. In apparent anticipation of the US measures, the United Arab Emirates, a close US and Israeli ally, announced it was suspending trade ties with Iran. Turkey, another trading partner with Iran, which has been critical of the US-led campaign against the Islamic Republic, has yet to respond to the US threat of sanctions. Andrew Miller, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said: “The announcement of new economic sanctions on Iran and those countries trading with it signals what is plain to all: this war has brought the United States no closer to eliminating Iran’s nuclear programme or crippling the Iranian regime. But while sanctions can be effective, it is highly unlikely they will produce a quick settlement favourable to the United States.”

French Sunday and the Italian month off | Brief letters

As I write this, I’m enjoying my French Sunday (Polly Hudson, 23 August) with a croissant from the local bakery – open, of course – and a coffee. I’ll meet friends for lunch in a local riverside restaurant, then travel a few miles to a wonderful cafe, for even more coffee and their homemade cakes. Relaxing? Of course it is. It’s a much-needed antidote to a French Monday, particularly in rural France, where 80% of businesses, restaurants and public bodies remain closed all day in order to recover from the excesses of a “do nothing” Sunday. Roslyn Lockhart Montmorillon, France • I enjoyed James Mackay’s article on villeggiatura, the Italian tradition of taking August off, which is shown to help rather than hinder economic output (17 August). As he says, though, the point is “reclaiming life from the totalising logic of the market”. For an expansion of this idea, I recommend the work of Amintore Fanfani, Luigino Bruni and Stefano Zamagni, who deserve to be better known in Britain. Like Pope Leo, they put human dignity and flourishing at the centre of economics. Catherine McLoughlin London • Many problems have an easy solution that is wrong, but I suspect that including food standards in Ofsted results would fix this one very fast (Most English secondary schools are breaking healthy food rules, finds report, 24 August). Brian Fish Leeds • In Elgin in the 1960s, if you were caught snogging in the Two Red Shoes dance hall, a spotlight would be shone on you to kill the moment (Letters, 20 August). Mary McMurran Lancaster • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

‘Fix that little spot’: Danish PM hits back at unsolicited beauty tip from cosmetic surgeon

Sick of getting unsolicited beauty tips on social media, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, rebuffed a male cosmetic surgeon’s offer to “fix” her and advised women in similar situations to embrace self-acceptance. Frederiksen, a Social Democrat and Denmark’s second female prime minister, posted on Instagram that she had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where she was subjected to air raid sirens, when she found a message proposing some help with her appearance. She included a screenshot of the exchange in which the doctor, who was not identified, said he could “fix that little spot on your nose”. Her retort was swift and pointed: “Oh no. I’m happy with my body – I really don’t need a male plastic surgeon to have an opinion about it!” Frederiksen, who has led the EU and Nato member country since 2019 and is one of Europe’s longest-serving heads of government, said being a woman in the public eye meant regular exposure to such unwanted and superficial scrutiny. “I’ve lost count of how many messages I’ve received over the years about my appearance,” the 48-year-old wrote. “Especially that I have ugly teeth and thin hair. That I have an ugly ‘wart’ on my nose and well-meaning advice to get some Botox.” Frederiksen’s global profile has grown this year as she stood up to US president’s repeated claims on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. She is also a staunch supporter of Ukraine against the Russian onslaught. In a moment of striking candour, Frederiksen admitted annoyance with pushy beauty advice while offering her own guidance how to deal with it. She said she did not volunteer opinions about other people’s looks and said that “I’m perfectly fine with my body – as it is when you’re a woman approaching 50.” Frederiksen said she was fine to stay in conversation with the public on a range of topics but encouraged Danes to set the bar higher with their chosen subject matter. “If you’re going to write to me (and you’re more than welcome to), I hope you’ll use your time to talk about something more meaningful,” she said. “Not my nose.” Although the mean-spirited suggestions made her feel “indignant”, she said, “today, I’m sending an extra loving thought to all of you who have to put up with the ‘perfect imperfections’ we all walk around with every day.” The Associated Press contributed to this report

Burnham says UK with Ukraine ‘all the way’ despite ‘outrageous threats’ from Russia – Europe live

British prime minister Andy Burnham said that the UK will help Ukraine make its own long-range missiles by sharing classified technical information for British components. Burnham, who was in Kyiv alongside other international leaders for Ukraine’s Independence Day, said defence firm MBDA will release details on UK-made parts for the SCALP missile to Ukraine to help the country assemble the weapons. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said ⁠there ⁠will be a “diplomatic track” with Russia discussing ⁠Moscow’s stepped-up attacks in the ⁠Black Sea that have ‌curbed ‌Ukraine’s export capabilities. Ukraine ‌will also strengthen its air defences in the region, he told ‌reporters. Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s allies to ⁠deliver an ⁠air defence package ahead of ⁠the winter, with Russia expected to renew ⁠its strikes on his country’s ‌energy ‌infrastructure, Reuters reported. Addressing a Coalition ‌of the Willing meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy also asked Ukraine’s partners to help ‌cover a funding gap of 27 billion euros for its defence sector needs in ⁠2026. Britain’s Andy Burnham has urged Ukraine’s allies to provide more Patriot interceptor missiles to Kyiv, saying the country “needs more help to protect its people right now,” PA agency reported. Speaking in Kyiv as he chaired his first meeting of the “coalition of the willing”, the prime minister said the coalition was “doing everything we can all do and working with our allies outside of this coalition to dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”. The Coalition of the Willing met online today, co-chaired by Britain’s Andy Burnham from Kyiv. Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski posted a snap from the meeting, saying France’s Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni also spoke during the call. As European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, less than 100 miles (150 kilometres) north, the city of Chernihiv was attacked by Russian forces. Across three waves of attacks, a Russian drone struck an apartment building, injuring 18, the Chernihiv city council posted on Telegram. Two of the injured were children. Ukraine’s southern Odesa region came under a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Monday, with food storage facilities and energy infrastructure among the targets, regional authorities reported. Eighteen people, including two children, were injured in a Russian drone strike on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service. Ukraine’s southern Odesa region came under a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Monday, with food storage facilities and energy infrastructure among the targets, regional authorities reported. Eighteen people, including two children, were injured in a Russian drone strike on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service.

Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries collapsed, with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney vowing to respond “dollar for dollar”. As part of the proposed deal, Carney had asked provinces to lift their boycotts of US alcohol, which were introduced in response to earlier tariffs. The boycott has been part of a wider shift in Canadian shopping habits: an Angus Reid survey last month found 40% of grocery shoppers were actively checking where products came from, with most of those avoiding US products where possible. We’d like to hear from Canadians who are avoiding US goods. Which products or brands have you stopped buying and what are you buying instead? How easy has it been to make the switch? Have you found Canadian replacements or had to buy products from elsewhere?

Australia has just 12,000 sea lions left – and ‘carnage’ may await them as bird flu takes hold, scientists warn

Scientists have warned deadly H5 bird flu could cause “carnage” for Australia’s seal and sea lion populations after detection of the virus in long-nosed fur seals in South Australia. SA confirmed Australia’s first case in a mainland mammal on Saturday after a dead long-nosed fur seal found at Beachport on the Limestone Coast tested positive for H5N1. The state government announced a second suspected case on Monday in a dead long-nosed fur seal found on the Pages Islands, off Kangaroo Island, with results from CSIRO testing pending. John Woinarski, a leading mammal scientist at Charles Darwin University, said he feared the virus would quickly start affecting more seals and sea lions. “The carnage may be substantial and represent a serious conservation impact,” he said. “I fear for Australian sea lions in particular because of their small population size. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email “It’s likely in the next few weeks it will spread more quickly into the sea lion population in South Australia generally because of the proximity of the sea lion colonies to breeding seabird colonies or affected seabirds.” H5 bird flu has already affected pinnipeds in South America and sub-Antarctica, where it has caused catastrophic losses in populations of some species, particularly among pups. In 2023, H5N1 killed more than 17,000 southern elephant seal pups in Argentina and drone surveys detected more than 13,000 dead southern elephant seal pups on Australia’s Heard Island in 2025 and 2026. “In South America, we’ve seen huge infection rates in sea lions and fur seals,” said Jane Younger, an Antarctic disease ecologist at the University of Tasmania. “Then across the Southern Ocean we’ve seen really big mortality rates in southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals. “In some places, the numbers are just astronomical.” Three types of pinnipeds breed in Australian waters: the long-nosed fur seal, the Australian fur seal and the endangered Australian sea lion. The Australian government has rated all as being at very high risk from H5 bird flu. Experts say about 12,000 Australian sea lions remain – though one recent estimate put the figure at less than 10,000 – with about three-quarters of the population found in South Australia and the remainder in Western Australia. The long-nosed fur seal suspected of having bird flu was found on the Pages Islands where, the SA government reported last week, there had been mass deaths among greater crested terns. The islands are home to one of Australia’s largest breeding colonies of Australian sea lions, with long-nosed fur seals known to visit the area. Younger said while there was some uncertainty about how Australia’s seals and sea lions would fare, the mortality rates seen in South America and the Southern Ocean “make me very worried”. “There’s only 12,000 Australian sea lions in existence,” she said. “For some of these other species like elephant seals, we’ve seen many more than that killed by this virus. “Hopefully it doesn’t wipe out the species, but that’s a possibility.” Younger said seals and sea lions were vulnerable to H5N1 because they gathered in large colonies that overlapped with seabirds infected with the virus. The environment itself, including the water and beaches, could also be contaminated with the virus. H5N1 can be transmitted from birds to seals or between seals. “At the moment there’s mass mortalities in birds and that infection will cause contamination of the environment,” said Rachael Gray, a pinniped specialist at the University of Sydney’s School of Veterinary Science. “Once you get mammals infected, it’s likely you will see mammal-to-mammal transmission, which is obviously of concern because that facilitates more rapid spread between [members of] a species.” While there are no registered vaccines for treating H5 bird flu in mammals, the United States has undertaken experimental trials on a small number of seals. The SA government said last week it was investigating potential opportunities to vaccinate high-priority at-risk mammals, such as Australian sea lions at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island. The Australian Marine Conservation Society said the arrival of bird flu in SA followed significant environmental harm caused by the algal bloom. Alexia Wellbelove, the society’s campaigns director, said some species such as sea lions were in poorer condition because their food sources had been affected “meaning they are likely more vulnerable”. Wellbelove said the organisation had been calling for increased funding to target other threats to the species, such as fishing. “With reported mass mortality of terns and now the death of a long-nosed fur seal on the Pages [Islands] it is now highly likely that this vital population of Australian sea lions has also been exposed to the virus,” she said.