Brazil rejects G7 funding after deriding “colonialist” mindset
The Brazilian government has vowed to reject an offer of aid from G7 countries to help tackle record fires in the Amazon rainforest. Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the G7 summit in Biarritz, had said on Monday that $20m (£18m) of funding could be immediately released to fund more fire-fighting planes. Brazilian officials gave no reason for rejecting the money but far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has accused Macron of adopting a “colonialist” mindset towards the country. In a reference to the Notre Dame fire earlier this year, Bolsonaro’s chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, said: “Macron cannot even avoid a predictable fire in a church that is part of the world’s heritage, and he wants to give us lessons for our country?”
Corbyn prepared to do “everything necessary” to stop no-deal Brexit
Labour is ready to do “everything necessary” to stop a no-deal Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn has said as he prepares to meet opposition leaders to discuss parliamentary efforts. In an article for the Independent, Corbyn wrote: “The battle to stop no-deal Brexit isn’t a struggle between those who want to leave the EU and those who want continued membership. It’s a battle of the many against the few who are hijacking the referendum result to shift even more power and wealth towards those at the top.” Corbyn intends to stage a confidence vote in the government after parliament returns from the summer recess on 3 September but a lack of support for the Labour leader becoming interim prime minister means the vote is not expected to succeed.
Trump willing to meet Iranian president to discuss new nuclear deal
Donald Trump has said he is open to meeting Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to discuss a new nuclear agreement. “Iran is not the same country it was two and a half years ago when I came into office,” Trump told reporters at a joint G7 press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron. Earlier this year, the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by Barack Obama and imposed strict sanctions on the Iranian economy. Trump said: “We are not looking for leadership change … we’re looking for no nuclear weapons, no ballistic missiles and a longer period of time.”
Italian parties close to agreement on new government
Italian party leaders are close to reaching an agreement to form a new government after the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) abandoned its opposition to the reinstatement of technocrat Giuseppe Conte as prime minister. The populist Five Star Movement is holding talks with the PD following the collapse of its 14-month coalition with the far-right League. Italian president Sergio Mattarella has given the parties until Wednesday to form a new administration in order to avoid an early general election.
“Bank of mum and dad” one of UK’s top 10 mortgage lenders
Parents spend so much money helping their children get onto the housing ladder that they are now among the UK’s 10 biggest lenders, a new survey has found. The average parental contribution for homebuyers this year was £24,100, up by more than £6,000 compared to last year, according to Legal & General. In total, parents have given £6.3bn, high enough to rank “the bank of mum and dad” 10th if it was a formal lender.
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