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- 'One big wave' – why the Covid-19 second wave may not exist
- New Zealand to start charging some travellers for coronavirus quarantine
- Ditch the gloves, buy a litter-picker, but don’t carshare! How to be eco-friendly in a pandemic
- Global report: downsized hajj pilgrimage begins amid Covid-19 restrictions
- Five Eyes alliance could expand in scope to counteract China
- ‘I want to stand up to Trump’: Portland protesters unleash fury over BLM, Covid-19 and economy
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert: academic 'terrified' and suffering inside Iran's Qarchak women's prison
- Mexico’s activists brace for landmark supreme court abortion ruling
- Outcry in New York after police force protester into unmarked van
- 'He never yielded': mourners pay respects to John Lewis outside Capitol
- Minneapolis protests: 'Umbrella Man' who broke windows is white supremacist, police say
- Record 212 land and environment activists killed last year
- 'Unforgivable': Japan decries wartime sex slave statue likened to PM Shinzo Abe
- Loss of bees causes shortage of key food crops, study finds
- Australia after the bushfires
- Coronavirus: Heathrow boss says UK risks 'playing a game of quarantine roulette'
- Ireland isn't really a utopia – it's just its neighbour is a gurning claptrapocracy | Séamas O'Reilly
- Measles stalks Central African Republic in Covid’s shadow – in pictures
- Joe Biden’s climate bet – putting jobs first will bring historic change
- Caetano Veloso: 'Bolsonaro is so confused, so incompetent'
- UK mortgage approvals rise four-fold; stocks struggle ahead of Fed decision – business live
- 'He makes it so much nicer': Brett Sutton the 'silver fox lining' of Victoria's second-wave lockdown
- Measles vaccination disruptions due to coronavirus put 80 million children at risk
- US missionary accused over Uganda child deaths settles out of court
- Coronavirus near me: are UK Covid-19 cases rising in your area?
- Spain or the UK: where are you safer from coronavirus?
- End of UK-Spain air bridge as much about politics as hard data
- I'm optimistic about a Brexit deal - despite the gloomy outlook | Charles Grant
- Airport coronavirus testing 'not a silver bullet' to avoid quarantines, says Oliver Dowden – video
- Dining out during the coronavirus pandemic - in pictures
- Trump halts daily briefing amid questions about support for 'alien DNA' doctor – video
- William Barr: 'I don’t agree there is systemic racism in police departments' – video
| 'One big wave' – why the Covid-19 second wave may not exist Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:00 PM PDT With no evidence of seasonal variations, the WHO warns the initial coronavirus pandemic is continuing and accelerating The Covid-19 pandemic is currently unfolding in "one big wave" with no evidence that it follows seasonal variations common to influenza and other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, the World Health Organization has warned. Amid continued debates over what constitutes a second wave, a resurgence or seasonal return of the disease, Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, insisted that these discussions are not a helpful way to understand the spread of the disease. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand to start charging some travellers for coronavirus quarantine Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:49 PM PDT Costs set at NZ$3,100 for the first adult, $950 for each additional adult and $475 for each child Some travellers returning to New Zealand will have to pay the costs of their quarantine, after the government partially backed down from a controversial plan to bill all arrivals for their two-week isolation stay. The costs will apply only those who chose to leave the country after the charges are imposed and then return, or those staying in New Zealand for fewer than 90 days, the government said on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Ditch the gloves, buy a litter-picker, but don’t carshare! How to be eco-friendly in a pandemic Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:00 PM PDT Can you wash your disposable mask at 20C – and should we still be going for reusable coffee cups? Experts answer your environmental dilemmas With planes grounded, roads clear, emissions slashed and less noise and light pollution, at first it seemed the coronavirus pandemic might have an environmental benefit. But now the temporary respite is over and, as we venture back outside, it is clear that in other ways, things have got worse. Online shopping (with its excess packaging), disposable masks and gloves, the manufacture of visors and screens and an increase in takeaway food and drink have meant a boom in plastic just as people were starting to wake up to its environmental impact. The International Solid Waste Association estimates that single-use plastic has grown by up to 300% in the US. Some of it is necessary for now – the disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) that health and care workers use, for instance – but for the rest of us, if we are to live with this pandemic for the foreseeable future, it's probably time to get into better habits. Here is some advice from experts. Continue reading... |
| Global report: downsized hajj pilgrimage begins amid Covid-19 restrictions Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:40 PM PDT US deaths near 150,000; half of people living in Mumbai slums have had the coronavirus; China records 100 new cases Muslim pilgrims have begun the annual hajj in the holy city of Mecca in a dramatically downsized version as the hosts, Saudi Arabia, try to prevent any outbreaks of coronavirus during the five-day pilgrimage. The hajj, one of the five pillars or most important practices of Islam and an obligation for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings as around 2.5 million people descend on the city from all over the world. Continue reading... |
| Five Eyes alliance could expand in scope to counteract China Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:00 PM PDT Plans mooted to pool strategic resources and lessen west's dependency on China The Five Eyes intelligence alliance could be expanded to include Japan and broadened into a strategic economic relationship that pools key strategic reserves such as critical minerals and medical supplies, according to centre-right MPs working internationally to decouple the west from China. The coronavirus crisis has revealed the west's key strategic dependencies on China, and plans will be announced shortly under Five Eyes auspices for a major increase in production of rare and semi-rare metals from Australia, Canada, and America in order to reduce dependency on Chinese stocks. Continue reading... |
| ‘I want to stand up to Trump’: Portland protesters unleash fury over BLM, Covid-19 and economy Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:00 AM PDT Protesters say they're demonstrating for multiple reasons as concern grows that the nightly battles play into Trump's hands Some come early and leave before the atmosphere turns and the trouble begins. Others sit out the peaceful demonstration and arrive in time for the nightly showdown to the beat of drummers rallying Portland's ad hoc force of protesters against "Trump's troops". But each evening follows the same broad ritual in downtown Portland in support of Black Lives Matter and against Donald Trump's deployment of federal paramilitaries even as the protests have swelled to draw in organized groups of mothers, military veterans and first time demonstrators pushed too far by the president. Continue reading... |
| Kylie Moore-Gilbert: academic 'terrified' and suffering inside Iran's Qarchak women's prison Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:16 PM PDT Exclusive: sources inside Qarchak say British-Australian lecturer is unwell as friends and colleagues condemn government's strategy Kylie Moore-Gilbert was tearful, terrified and unwell inside Qarchak women's prison before she was forcibly moved from quarantine into the general prison population, sources inside the jail have said. Details of Moore-Gilbert's condition emerged as friends and colleagues publicly condemned the Australian government's "quiet diplomacy" strategy, which they argue has failed to help her. Continue reading... |
| Mexico’s activists brace for landmark supreme court abortion ruling Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:00 AM PDT The ruling could set a precedent; in states that have restrictive regulations, injunctions could be granted to allow the procedure Activists on both sides of Mexico's abortion debate are bracing for a potentially historic supreme court hearing on Wednesday which could lead to decriminalisation across the country. The case before the five judges of the high court's first bench involves an injunction granted in the eastern state of Veracruz, which ordered the local legislature to remove articles from its criminal code pertaining to abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Continue reading... |
| Outcry in New York after police force protester into unmarked van Posted: 28 Jul 2020 11:03 PM PDT Video shows plain-clothes officers carrying the protester away while uniformed police stand guard, actions criticised as 'abusive and indefensible' Police officers in New York have been filmed arresting a female protester by forcing her into an unmarked minivan in east Manhattan. Footage of Tuesday's arrest drew sharp criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, which called the arrest "dangerous, abusive, and indefensible," in a post on Twitter. Continue reading... |
| 'He never yielded': mourners pay respects to John Lewis outside Capitol Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:51 PM PDT Kept outdoors by coronavirus threat, hundreds view casket of congressman and civil rights icon Born in Citronelle, Alabama, in the early 1950s, Frankie Blevins grew up with the cruelties imposed by the Jim Crow south: racially segregated drinking fountains, restrooms and restaurants. On her family's first road trip, her mother packed food to sustain them for the entire trip, knowing they would not be allowed to stop for provisions along the way. Continue reading... |
| Minneapolis protests: 'Umbrella Man' who broke windows is white supremacist, police say Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:56 PM PDT Man sought to incite racial tension and sparked chaos at peaceful demonstrations, police say Police say a man captured on surveillance video breaking windows at a south Minneapolis auto parts store in the days after George Floyd's death is suspected of ties with a white supremacist group and sought to incite racial tension. The man's actions soon led to an arson fire, the first of several that transformed peaceful protests into chaos, police say. He has been dubbed "Umbrella Man" for dressing in an all-black outfit that included hood, gas mask and black umbrella. Continue reading... |
| Record 212 land and environment activists killed last year Posted: 28 Jul 2020 05:01 PM PDT Global Witness campaigners warn of risk of further killings during Covid-19 lockdowns A record number of people were killed last year for defending their land and environment, according to research that highlights the routine murder of activists who oppose extractive industries driving the climate crisis and the destruction of nature. More than four defenders were killed every week in 2019, according to an annual death toll compiled by the independent watchdog Global Witness, amid growing evidence of opportunistic killings during the Covid-19 lockdown in which activists were left as "sitting ducks" in their own homes. Continue reading... |
| 'Unforgivable': Japan decries wartime sex slave statue likened to PM Shinzo Abe Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:17 PM PDT Pair of bronze statues shows a male figure kneeling and bowing before a 'comfort woman' in South Korea Japan has reacted angrily to statues in South Korea that appear to depict the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, prostrating himself before a young woman who represents tens of thousands of wartime sex slaves. The pair of bronze statues, set up in a privately run botanical garden in the eastern county of Pyeongchang, shows a male figure kneeling and bowing before a seated "comfort woman" – a euphemism for the tens of thousands of girls and women, mostly from the Korean peninsula, who were forced to work in frontline brothels run by the Japanese military before and during the second world war. Continue reading... |
| Loss of bees causes shortage of key food crops, study finds Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:01 PM PDT
A lack of bees in agricultural areas is limiting the supply of some food crops, a new US-based study has found, suggesting that declines in the pollinators may have serious ramifications for global food security. Related: 'Murder hornets': race to protect North America's honeybees from giant invader Continue reading... |
| Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:00 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus: Heathrow boss says UK risks 'playing a game of quarantine roulette' Posted: 29 Jul 2020 12:42 AM PDT Airport's call for passenger Covid-19 tests comes as it reports a £1bn loss The chief executive of Heathrow airport said the UK government must urgently introduce a passenger testing regime or face playing a game of "quarantine roulette". The renewed call for testing came as Heathrow reported a £1bn loss in the first half of the year after passenger numbers plummeted because of coronavirus. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:00 AM PDT The country's mild competency over coronavirus can appear to be stone-cold genius compared with the UK's blundering mess 'I think being a woman is like being Irish," wrote Dublin-born novelist Iris Murdoch, "everyone says you're important and nice, but you take second place all the time." I sometimes think this sentiment reflects my own wariness as an Irish person of taking too many compliments from overseas, and explains why I find congratulations for the country's current government a bit unsatisfying. The Economist recently called Ireland "an unlikely diplomatic superpower", while a leader on these pages praised the "enviable beauty" of the Irish political climate. After years of alternating between calling Ireland's Brexit tactics cynical and naive, even the Telegraph this month praised Ireland for "taking over the Eurozone" and "extending their grip" on the continent's institutions. Having negotiated its way through the Brexit morass, swerved the worst of Covid-19, secured a seat on the UN security council, and won a historic EU judgment that means they have the right to insist the world's richest country does not pay us any tax – hurrah! – Ireland's place in the global hierarchy appears on the rise, and the UK has continued marvelling at the shrewd cunning of their plucky little neighbour. Continue reading... |
| Measles stalks Central African Republic in Covid’s shadow – in pictures Posted: 29 Jul 2020 12:30 AM PDT Photographer James Oatway of MSF witnessed the misery caused by this preventable disease, as vaccination programmes are disrupted around the world Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden’s climate bet – putting jobs first will bring historic change Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:22 AM PDT The presumptive Democrat presidential nominee is picking a path through the perilous politics of the economy and the climate crisis Faced with a disgruntled climate voter during the primary season who wanted him to be tougher on the oil and gas industry, Joe Biden shot him one of his infamous "why don't you go vote for someone else" responses. But that was six months ago. Continue reading... |
| Caetano Veloso: 'Bolsonaro is so confused, so incompetent' Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:15 AM PDT The musician, 77, exiled to London under Brazil's military dictatorship says he fears the president's 'ultra-reactionary bunch' will not let go of power easily Half a century has passed since agents of the Brazilian dictatorship appeared on the doorstep of the music legend Caetano Veloso and announced: "You'd better bring your toothbrush." Six months of detention and confinement later he was forced into European exile, spending the next two and a half years as a resident of Chelsea, West Kensington and Golders Green, where he would rehearse what remains his most celebrated album, Transa, in the vestry of a local church. Continue reading... |
| UK mortgage approvals rise four-fold; stocks struggle ahead of Fed decision – business live Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:44 AM PDT
Meanwhile, the Bank of England's chief economist Andy Haldane has conducted a regional visit via online meetings with businesses and community groups in northeast England. He said he saw mixed signals about the economy, and that estate agents had seen a rapid rise in activity since reopening in mid-May. Haldane voted against expanding the Bank's stimulus programme last month. While the outlook is inevitably uncertain, given the possibility of further job losses, most felt relatively upbeat about the outlook. So far, then, so good. People previously 'just about managing' have suddenly found themselves struggling, increasingly reliant on food banks.
Jane Goodland, corporate affairs director at advisory and wealth management firm Quilter, says "financial education and wellbeing are vital to the success of our nation": The FCA's Financial Lives survey presents, yet again, astounding figures, revealing that 46% of UK adults display a characteristic that could make them vulnerable. And this is before the impacts of Covid-19 are felt. These sobering figures focus the mind, particularly when we see some groups are hit more than others such as those who rent, are unemployed or are over 75. The pressure is on for companies, government and charities to tackle this financial vulnerability. A huge challenge when it comes to customer vulnerability is recognition. It may be that the client or customer doesn't recognise themselves as vulnerable or even omits facts that might help them be identified as such. It becomes even harder in a digitised age when people may set up a bank account, pension, ISA etc and go years without speaking to anyone from their financial institution. There needs to be a focus on how we evolve our systems and employee training so they are attuned to even the slightest hint at vulnerability. Continue reading... |
| 'He makes it so much nicer': Brett Sutton the 'silver fox lining' of Victoria's second-wave lockdown Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:43 AM PDT The chief health officer is seen as a ray of hope by his growing fan club during Melbourne's dark days of Covid-19 Cross-stitch and Yoga With Adriene? So last lockdown. Victorians enduring a second lockdown have a new hobby: expressing their devotion to the state's chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton. Continue reading... |
| Measles vaccination disruptions due to coronavirus put 80 million children at risk Posted: 28 Jul 2020 11:15 PM PDT The onset of Covid-19 has devastated immunisation programmes, leaving huge numbers of infants unprotected from deadly diseases Tens of millions of children around the world have been denied life-saving vaccines against measles in both rich and poor countries due to Covid-19 disruptions, with fears of further outbreaks this year. Since March, routine childhood immunisation services have been disrupted on a scale unseen since the 1970s, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Data collected by Unicef, the Gavi Alliance, WHO and Sabin Vaccine Institute found in May that immunisation programmes had been substantially hindered in at least 68 countries, leaving 80 million children under the age of one unprotected from diseases including measles, tetanus, polio and yellow fever. Continue reading... |
| US missionary accused over Uganda child deaths settles out of court Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT No liability admitted over deaths of two children at NGO run by Renee Bach and her organisation Serving His Children Lawyers for US missionary Renee Bach have reached an out of court settlement with two mothers whose children died after being treated at a centre she ran in Uganda. Without admitting liability, Bach and the organisation she founded, Serving His Children (SHC), have agreed to pay Zubeda Gimbo and Annet Kakai 35,000,000 Ugandan Shillings each (£7,335), according to a judgment on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus near me: are UK Covid-19 cases rising in your area? Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:22 AM PDT Latest updates: how has Covid-19 progressed where you live? Check the week-on-week changes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland The map shows local authorities where the number of cases has increased week-on-week and where it has fallen. Some of this is due to natural fluctuations, especially in areas where there are very few cases, and so a rise from 1 to 2 is a doubling. Increased testing also means that more cases may be being detected than previously, although the impact of this between one week and the next is likely to be slight. Continue reading... |
| Spain or the UK: where are you safer from coronavirus? Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:21 AM PDT Spain has criticised the UK's restrictions on the grounds parts of Spain have low infection rates. What do the figures say? Sudden changes to travel guidelines between the UK and Spain have provoked criticism from the Spanish government and upended travel plans between the two countries for thousands of travellers. Here are some of the key figures that indicate how Covid-19 is being managed in the UK and Spain. Continue reading... |
| End of UK-Spain air bridge as much about politics as hard data Posted: 28 Jul 2020 06:11 AM PDT Decision based on Covid-19 risk but also on lessons of past slow decision-making The abrupt closure of the Spain-UK air bridge came from nowhere for thousands of British tourists and an industry trying to get back on its feet. Whitehall sources insist the swift and blanket nature of the decision – to advise against non-essential travel to Spain and impose quarantine measures on travellers arriving from the country - came because government scientists had been concerned by the coronavirus infection figures from Spain. Continue reading... |
| I'm optimistic about a Brexit deal - despite the gloomy outlook | Charles Grant Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:00 AM PDT Both Brussels and London have moved in talks, and both grasp the political advantages of even a minimal free trade agreement • Charles Grant is the director of the Centre for European Reform After six rounds of talks, the UK and the EU are far from reaching an accord on their future relationship. Both sides are warning that failure – meaning that Britain would leave after the transition period on 31 December without a deal – is a real prospect. Those working for Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, complain that the British have wasted July by refusing to offer meaningful compromises. Failure is certainly possible. But a deal this year is more likely, for several reasons. First, there has been more progress than one might suppose from the public comments of Barnier and David Frost, the UK negotiator. The EU has hinted at a softer line on fisheries and state aid, and agreed that an arbitration mechanism rather than the European court of justice should adjudicate on disputes. Continue reading... |
| Airport coronavirus testing 'not a silver bullet' to avoid quarantines, says Oliver Dowden – video Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:38 AM PDT Oliver Dowden has dismissed the idea that coronavirus testing at airports could avoid the need for travel restrictions such as the two-week quarantine placed on people returning to the UK from Spain. 'It's not the case that you can simply test somebody and be sure they don't have the disease,' the culture secretary told BBC Breakfast. 'At this stage, it's just not the case that we can simply test at the border and give people that assurance.' Continue reading... |
| Dining out during the coronavirus pandemic - in pictures Posted: 28 Jul 2020 11:00 PM PDT Around the world, whether seated in bubbles or next to teddy bears, customers are coming to terms with the new norms of eating out Continue reading... |
| Trump halts daily briefing amid questions about support for 'alien DNA' doctor – video Posted: 28 Jul 2020 06:50 PM PDT Donald Trump in his daily coronavirus briefing praises as 'very impressive' a doctor who dismissed the use of face masks, backed hydroxychloroquine and reportedly claimed that alien DNA is used in medical treatments. When asked about reports Dr Stella Immanuel believes scientists are creating a 'vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious', the US president claimed she had had success in using hydroxychloroquine before adding: 'I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her.' On the topic of Dr Anthony Fauci's enduring popularity with the US public, he said: "So why don't I have a high approval rating with respect – and the administration – with respect to the virus? We should have it very high ... but nobody likes me. It can only be my personality, that's all.' Continue reading... |
| William Barr: 'I don’t agree there is systemic racism in police departments' – video Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:28 AM PDT Attorney general William Barr has said he does not generally believe there is systemic racism in US police departments. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas questioned Barr on whether he considered the killing of George Floyd to be indicative of a systemic problem in policing. Amid crosstalk between Lee and Barr, the attorney general said: 'I don't agree there is systemic racism in police departments generally in this country.' Continue reading... |
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