Top story: ‘Nafta has negative connotations’

Hello, it’s Warren Murray bringing you the news of this moment.

Donald Trump has declared he will strike a new trade deal with Mexico while ripping up the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) and threatening a trade war with Canada. The president invited reporters into the Oval Office, where in front of them he called his Mexican counterpart, Enrique Peña Nieto, by speakerphone in an awkward exchange about the proposed deal.



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“I like to call this deal the United States-Mexico trade agreement, I think it’s an elegant name,” said Trump. Nafta reduced most trade barriers between the US, Mexico and Canada. But Trump and other critics say it encouraged US companies including car manufacturers to move south of the border for lower wages. Talks to overhaul Nafta have proven contentious, with major disputes centred on car production and Canada’s protection for its dairy farmers. Trump has proposed slapping heavy tariffs on cars made in Canada, boasting that negotiation “could end in one day and we take in a lot of money the following day”.

No deal? No problem – As she begins her three-day Africa trip, Theresa May has said a no-deal Brexit “wouldn’t be the end of the world”, though it “wouldn’t be a walk in the park” either. The prime minister sought to downplay a controversial warning by Philip Hammond, the chancellor, that no deal would cost £80bn in extra borrowing and inhibit long-term economic growth. “What the government is doing is putting in place the preparation such that if we are in that situation, we can make a success of it, just as we can make a success of a good deal,” said May. The PM will set a condition that the UK ensure its overseas aid spending matches “wider national security priorities” as well as tackling poverty, in a speech due to be delivered in Cape Town later today.

Immigration rules snowball – The Home Office has made more than 5,700 changes to the immigration rules since 2010, a Guardian analysis has revealed. The result is a visa system that is nearly impossible to navigate, according to senior judges and lawyers, with the rules more than doubling in length to almost 375,000 words. More than 1,300 changes were made in 2012 alone, with the advent of the hostile environment policy, and at some points the Home Office has published new sets of changes only a week apart. The Law Commission is working to simplify the rules, which immigration lawyers have criticised and Lord Justice Irwin has called “something of a disgrace”.



Dirty air and the brain – Air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence, according to new research conducted in China but relevant across the world, with 95% of the global population breathing unsafe air. High pollution levels led to drops in test scores on language and arithmetic. “Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, adding that for the elderly, for men, and for less-educated people “it may be a few years of education”. The findings are “extremely worrying”, says Rebecca Daniels, from the UK public health charity Medact. “The UK’s air is illegally polluted and is harming people’s health every day … government must commit to bringing air pollution below legal limits as soon as possible.”

‘Lived and died a proud American’ – A message of hope and courage from John McCain has been delivered to his fellow Americans after the war hero-turned-senator for Arizona died aged 81. “We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil … Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.” Donald Trump paid belated tribute to his persistent critic by ordering flags to be kept at half mast at the White House and other government buildings.

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Our editorial sees McCain’s legacy as one of a maverick who stood up for principles now lacking in Republican ranks. Suzanne Moore writes that his choice of the rogue Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his 2008 presidential running mate unleashed a “proudly ignorant” streak in the American political psyche that manifests in today’s far-right anti-politics.

Splash hit – London’s new drinking fountains have proved popular, with more than 8,000 litres of water dispensed from just two of them, in Liverpool Street station, in under a month. An initial 20 are being installed across the capital to tackle the issue of single-use plastic water bottles. Cities including Bristol and Hull have also installed fountains in recent years.

Lunchtime read: The man who was raised by wolves

Abandoned as a child, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja survived alone in the wilds of Spain for 15 years. But living with people proved to be even more difficult. The little boy who would become the “wolf child” was sold into slavery by his father in the poverty that followed the Spanish civil war, and sent by his slavemaster to tend goats alongside a shepherd in the Sierra Morena.

When the shepherd disappeared, Marcos was left in total exile from the world of humans. He hunted to survive, befriended the animals around him and was at one stage mothered by a she-wolf. In 1965 he was discovered by a park ranger and dragged back into a civilisation he could not comprehend and still struggles with today.

Sport

An angry José Mourinho demanded “respect, respect, respect” for his three Premier League titles after Lucas Moura’s double deepened the gloom for a much-changed Manchester United side in a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at Old Trafford. Andy Murray said he was “very happy to be back” after the former world No 1 battled past James Duckworth on his return to the US Open. In the women’s draw, Simona Halep’s US Open campaign lasted an hour and 15 minutes as she became the first women’s top seed in the Open era to lose in the first round of this championship, while Serena Williams cruised past Magda Linette in straight sets to start her campaign on a winning note.

Chris Ashton’s chances of a swift England recall have suffered another blow after Sale Sharks confirmed their winger will be ineligible to play any rugby before the national head coach, Eddie Jones, names his autumn squad. A commanding innings of 104 from Lizelle Lee, struck in 58 balls including six sixes, took Surrey Stars to their first Kia Super League title with a 66-run win against Loughborough Lightning. And the Italian national champion Elia Viviani won the first sprint stage of the Vuelta a España, demonstrating raw speed to edge out Giacomo Nizzolo and the world champion Peter Sagan.

Business

Asian shares have advanced and the US dollar hovered near one-month lows as a US-Mexico deal to overhaul Nafta boosted risk appetite. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.6% for a second straight day of gains. Australian shares and Japan’s Nikkei both rose 0.7%. The Hang Seng gained 0.6% while Shanghai’s SSE Composite index held steady and the blue-chip CSI300 index slipped 0.1%.

The pound has been trading at $1.287 and €1.102 overnight.

The papers

The Guardian leads today on “High pollution levels causing huge reduction in intelligence”. The Mail splashes on a report that calls for police to “Beat gun violence with more stop and search”. The Express is also preoccupied with crime: “Violence against elderly soars to new high”.

The Mirror leads on a payday loan firm’s demise: “Wonga need a loan”. The Times has an education story on its front: “Weak pupils expelled as heads ‘game’ exam tables”, while the Telegraph maintains focus on antisemitism in the Labour party: “Labour MP used taxpayer’s money to gag Jewish aide”. The Financial Times takes a global view on the news, with “US and Mexico in breakthrough on restructured trade agreement”.

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