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- Jabbed adults infected with Delta ‘can match virus levels of unvaccinated’
- Vanuatu strips Syrian businessman of controversial ‘golden passport’ citizenship
- More than 1,000 civilians have died in Myanmar unrest, say activists
- Spanish village tells tourists to suck up roosters and braying donkeys
- Meat-rich diet of 14th-century monks caused digestive issues, research finds
- Harry and Meghan ‘believe royals did not take accountability for concerns’
- Saving ozone layer has given humans a chance in climate crisis – study
- Dementia risk lower for people in stimulating jobs, research suggests
- ‘Green steel’: Swedish company ships first batch made without using coal
- ‘They deserve a place in history’: music teacher makes map of female composers
- Coronavirus live news: Japan reports record cases ahead of Paralympics, New Zealand cluster grows
- Hong Kong reportedly lets Nicole Kidman skip Covid quarantine
- UK vaccine watchdog expert sceptical about booster jabs for all adults
- ‘No one wanted to read’ his book on pandemic psychology – then Covid hit
- What I learned from an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker
- How a lone aid worker in Gaza ended up on trial for the largest theft of aid money in history
- Hot summer nights: ‘At a festival for the first time, I felt autonomous, desirable and free’
- Born to be wild: India’s first captive-bred endangered vultures are set free
- Brazil’s first transgender pastor: ‘All humans have flaws, being trans isn’t one of them’
- Swimming superstar Ellie Cole on diversity, accessibility and bringing people joy
- Leeds murder suspect Mark Barrott arrested in Scotland
- How the Covid pandemic has led to more Channel crossings – video explainer
- Sabaya review – extraordinary documentary shows struggle to free women kidnapped by Isis
- Biden says US troops may stay in Afghanistan past 31 August deadline – video
- Vaccine program to open for Australians under 40 as rollout hits key milestone
- Open letter urges Boris Johnson to act on promise and evacuate Afghan journalists
- The Afghanistan debate showed that Boris Johnson’s flaws lead directly to tragedy | Zoe Williams
- Taliban face financial crisis without access to foreign reserves
- Boris Johnson struggles to justify Afghanistan stance to hostile MPs
- Joe Biden announces Covid booster shots from September – video
- Grizzly Flats: the California town leveled by the Caldor fire – in pictures
- Caldor fire turns sky red in California and Nevada – video
- Emotional wounds have been 'torn open', says Afghanistan veteran Tom Tugendhat MP – video
- 'I wouldn't stay on holiday whilst Kabul was falling': Starmer slams Johnson in Commons – video
- ‘Where is global Britain on streets of Kabul?’: Theresa May blasts UK failure in Afghanistan – video
| Jabbed adults infected with Delta ‘can match virus levels of unvaccinated’ Posted: 18 Aug 2021 04:01 PM PDT Researchers say implications for transmission remain unclear but reaching herd immunity even more challenging Fully vaccinated adults can harbour virus levels as high as unvaccinated people if infected with the Delta variant, according to a sweeping analysis of UK data, which supports the idea that hitting the threshold for herd immunity is unlikely. There is abundant evidence that Covid vaccines in the UK continue to offer significant protection against hospitalisations and death. But this new analysis shows that although being fully vaccinated means the risk of getting infected is lower, once infected by Delta a person can carry similar virus levels as unvaccinated people. Continue reading... |
| Vanuatu strips Syrian businessman of controversial ‘golden passport’ citizenship Posted: 18 Aug 2021 09:01 PM PDT Abdul Rahman Khiti has approval for citizenship revoked after Guardian revealed sanctioned businessman among more than 2,000 people who bought passports Vanuatu has reportedly revoked the citizenship of a Syrian businessman who was granted approval to receive a Vanuatu passport earlier this year, after a Guardian investigation into the country's controversial citizenship by investment scheme. Abdul Rahman Khiti is believed to be the first individual approved for citizenship of Vanuatu under the development support program, which allows foreign nationals to purchase citizenship for US$130,000, to have his Vanuatu citizenship revoked. Continue reading... |
| More than 1,000 civilians have died in Myanmar unrest, say activists Posted: 18 Aug 2021 04:35 PM PDT Junta accused of 'killing lives and democratic hopes' in bloody crackdown since the February coup Myanmar's security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi from power six months ago, according to an advocacy group. The country has been in turmoil since 1 February, when the armed forces seized power in a lightning coup, triggering dissent as protesters demanded a return to democracy. Continue reading... |
| Spanish village tells tourists to suck up roosters and braying donkeys Posted: 19 Aug 2021 12:10 AM PDT Posters in Ribadesella warn visitors unhappy about reality of rural life they 'may not be in the right place' Some called in to complain about braying donkeys. Other tourists dialled up officials in the northern Spanish village of Ribadesella, population 5,700, to notify them of the mess left behind by wandering cows. "Last week we had a lady who called us three or four times over a rooster that was waking her up at 5am," said Ramón Canal, Ribadesella's mayor. "She told us that we had to do something." Continue reading... |
| Meat-rich diet of 14th-century monks caused digestive issues, research finds Posted: 18 Aug 2021 04:01 PM PDT Change in papal law in 1336 to allow twice-weekly consumption caused problems at Muchelney Abbey It may have seemed a good day for medieval monks when a papal decree allowed them to start eating meat including mutton, beef, pork and venison. It was not so good for their bowels. Research by English Heritage sheds light on the day-to-day lives and digestive troubles of monks at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset – in particular the consequence of a change in papal law, in 1336, which permitted the twice-weekly consumption of meat from four-legged animals. Continue reading... |
| Harry and Meghan ‘believe royals did not take accountability for concerns’ Posted: 19 Aug 2021 01:48 AM PDT Book claims couple felt Queen's response to their Oprah interview fell short of addressing problems The Duke and Duchess of Sussex believe the royal family did not take accountability for the concerns raised in their Oprah Winfrey interview, an unauthorised biography of the couple has claimed. Harry and Meghan used their March interview with Winfrey to make a series of explosive allegations against the royal family, accusing an unnamed royal – not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh – of racism, the institution of failing to support a suicidal Meghan, and touching on troubled relationships with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge. Continue reading... |
| Saving ozone layer has given humans a chance in climate crisis – study Posted: 18 Aug 2021 07:44 PM PDT CFC chemicals once used in refrigerators would have driven 2.5C of extra warming by 2100 if they had not been outlawed, researchers claim The ozone-wrecking chemicals once commonly used in refrigerators would have driven 2.5C of extra global heating by the end of the century if they had not been banned, research has found. Modelling by climate scientists found that the 1987 Montreal protocol curbing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) gave humans a fighting chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C as set out by the Paris agreement. Continue reading... |
| Dementia risk lower for people in stimulating jobs, research suggests Posted: 18 Aug 2021 04:10 PM PDT Findings of large study support the idea mental stimulation could delay onset of symptoms, says lead author People with mentally stimulating jobs have a lower risk of dementia in later years than those who have non-stimulating work, research has suggested. Scientists looked at more than 100,000 participants across studies from the UK, Europe and the US focused on links between work-related factors and chronic disease, disability and mortality. Continue reading... |
| ‘Green steel’: Swedish company ships first batch made without using coal Posted: 18 Aug 2021 06:57 PM PDT Hybrit sends steel made with hydrogen production process to Volvo, which plans to use it in prototype vehicles and components The world's first customer delivery of "green steel" produced without using coal is taking place in Sweden, according to its manufacturer. The Swedish venture Hybrit said it was delivering the steel to truck-maker Volvo AB as a trial run before full commercial production in 2026. Volvo has said it will start production in 2021 of prototype vehicles and components from the green steel. Continue reading... |
| ‘They deserve a place in history’: music teacher makes map of female composers Posted: 18 Aug 2021 09:00 PM PDT Interactive tool features more than 500 women who are often forgotten in the classical music world Two siblings, both considered child prodigies, dazzled audiences across Europe together in the 18th century, leaving a trail of positive reviews in their wake. But while Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart went on to be celebrated as one of the world's greatest composers, the accomplishments of his sister – Maria Anna – were quickly forgotten after she was forced to halt her career when she came of age. However, a new tool is seeking to cast a spotlight on female composers throughout the ages, pushing back against the sexism, stigmatisation and societal norms that have long rendered them invisible. Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus live news: Japan reports record cases ahead of Paralympics, New Zealand cluster grows Posted: 19 Aug 2021 02:35 AM PDT Critical care beds are reaching capacity in Japan while New Zealand is racing to contain a cluster in Auckland that has grown to 21
A fantastic long read here from Anand Pandian, a US anthropologist who struck up an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker. Related: What I learned from an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker
The effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 declines faster than that of the AstraZeneca jab, according to a new study published on Thursday. "Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech have greater initial effectiveness against new COVID-19 infections, but this declines faster compared with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca," researchers at Oxford University said. Continue reading... |
| Hong Kong reportedly lets Nicole Kidman skip Covid quarantine Posted: 19 Aug 2021 12:50 AM PDT Actor said to be given exemption to film Amazon TV series, as territory braces for tougher travel rules As Hong Kong braces for more draconian Covid-19 travel restrictions to take effect from Friday, the Australian actor Nicole Kidman received an exemption from the government to skip quarantine, media reported. The exemption was given to allow her to film an Amazon television series called The Expats, the news website HK01 reported, a move that contrasts sharply with the up to three weeks of mandated hotel quarantine residents must undergo after entering the Chinese-ruled territory. Continue reading... |
| UK vaccine watchdog expert sceptical about booster jabs for all adults Posted: 19 Aug 2021 12:57 AM PDT Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to decide on Thursday which groups should get third shot The UK's vaccine watchdog is to decide on Thursday which vulnerable groups will be given booster shots against coronavirus, but it is expected to rule out a general rollout of third jabs. Prof Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, confirmed the group would be discussing the issue on Thursday morning. Continue reading... |
| ‘No one wanted to read’ his book on pandemic psychology – then Covid hit Posted: 18 Aug 2021 11:00 PM PDT Australian psychologist Steven Taylor published what would turn out to be a prophetic book, and it has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemic In October 2019, a month or so before Covid-19 began to spread from the industrial Chinese city of Wuhan, Steven Taylor, an Australian psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, published what would turn out to be a remarkably prophetic book, The Psychology of Pandemics. Even his publishers had doubts about its relevance and market potential. But in the 22 months since, the book has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemic, passed around and marked up like waypoints along a new and dreadful global health journey. Continue reading... |
| What I learned from an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:00 PM PDT Frank's views were disturbing, a brazen assertion of white privilege. But with our fates more clearly tied together than ever, I needed to understand him On 11 March 2021, I took a selfie at the Baltimore Convention Center and pressed send. I'd just received my first dose of a Covid vaccine. "Feels pretty momentous," I texted an acquaintance. "It was exactly one year ago that our university shut down." Frank wrote back immediately from his small town in southern Michigan. "Momentous, yes. But not for the reasons you subscribe to," he wrote. Related: Battle for the Soul: can Joe Biden beat Trump's Republicans in the war of words? Continue reading... |
| How a lone aid worker in Gaza ended up on trial for the largest theft of aid money in history Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:00 PM PDT Mohammed El Halabi is accused of stealing relief money and giving it to Hamas for their war effort against Israel. But five years on, the evidence against him looks seriously flawed At about 9am on 12 July 2016, dozens of Israeli security officers stormed through the gates of the Augusta Victoria hospital complex in East Jerusalem. They surged past the hospital, which mostly serves the local Palestinian population, and through the main car park to a three-storey building where the offices of the international charity World Vision were located. The officers, some armed with rifles, ordered the charity's few dozen staff into a meeting room and seized their phones to prevent them contacting the outside world. According to witnesses, they were kept there for the next four hours. Occasionally, Israeli police and intelligence agents called an employee out of the room for questioning, while others roamed the offices, searching through files. Continue reading... |
| Hot summer nights: ‘At a festival for the first time, I felt autonomous, desirable and free’ Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:00 PM PDT Estranged from my parents at 17, I jumped at the chance to go on holiday to Spain. I danced, drank too much – and had a row that taught me about friendship When I was 17, there was a lot I knew little about. I didn't know about burning in the sun or how to use euros; I had never swum in the ocean. I was part of a big family and we were poor. As my parents were out of work, they couldn't afford to take the nine of us on holiday. Continue reading... |
| Born to be wild: India’s first captive-bred endangered vultures are set free Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:15 PM PDT Numbers of the country's carrion-loving birds dropped by over 97% in the 1990s. Now, a successful breeding scheme is giving them a boost In February, the doors of an aviary in West Bengal's Buxa tiger reserve were flung open. Eight critically endangered captive-bred white-rumped vultures cautiously emerged and within minutes were mingling with wild vultures, devouring the meat of carcasses left out by a team of researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The birds were raised in a nearby breeding centre by BNHS, led by assistant director Sachin Ranade, as part of efforts to save India's Gyps vultures. Gradually, some of the released vultures perched on trees with their wild cousins, while others returned to the wire-mesh aviary where they had spent the previous few months getting acclimatised to their surroundings. Continue reading... |
| Brazil’s first transgender pastor: ‘All humans have flaws, being trans isn’t one of them’ Posted: 18 Aug 2021 11:00 PM PDT In a country with shocking brutality against LGBTQ+ people, Alexya Salvador is using her faith to help others like her Desperate calls from LGBTQ+ youths contemplating suicide or from their parents after they have made an attempt on their lives often punctuate Alexya Salvador's day. When they do, she drops everything to talk. As a transgender woman, she recognises the anguish in their voices. "I feel their pain in my body because I went through this," she says. "My family went through this." Continue reading... |
| Swimming superstar Ellie Cole on diversity, accessibility and bringing people joy Posted: 18 Aug 2021 03:01 PM PDT The six-time gold medallist is campaigning for WeThe15 – a global human rights movement that will feature at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Ellie Cole is a bonafide Australian sporting champion. Yet as other women athletes, or sportspeople of colour, or other minorities can attest, success is no shield sometimes. Related: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics briefing: two more weeks of glory and despair Continue reading... |
| Leeds murder suspect Mark Barrott arrested in Scotland Posted: 19 Aug 2021 02:36 AM PDT Barrott, 54, arrested in Elgin area of northern Scotland four days after death of his wife, Eileen, at their home in Leeds A man suspected of murdering his wife and then going on the run from police has been arrested in Scotland early on Thursday morning. West Yorkshire police took the rare step of naming Mark Barrott, 54, as a suspect in the murder of his wife, Eileen Barrott, at their home in Leeds on Sunday. Continue reading... |
| How the Covid pandemic has led to more Channel crossings – video explainer Posted: 19 Aug 2021 12:28 AM PDT A record number of people are expected to cross the Channel to the UK in small boats this year to claim asylum. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, more than 10,000 people have already made the dangerous and potentially fatal 21-mile journey across the busiest shipping lane in the world. On 4 August, 482 migrants crossed the Channel – a record for a single day. The Guardian journalist Diane Taylor explains what is driving people to take the enormous risk Continue reading... |
| Sabaya review – extraordinary documentary shows struggle to free women kidnapped by Isis Posted: 18 Aug 2021 06:00 AM PDT Hogir Hirori's film follows Mahmud as he and his team of volunteers infiltrate the dangerous al-Hawl camp in Syria to liberate Yazidi women trafficked as sex slaves The first 20 minutes of Hogir Hirori's extraordinary documentary has the beat of a gripping thriller, full of hushed voices, car chases, and the terrifying sounds of gunfight. Much of it shot at night, the film follows Mahmud, a member of an organisation called the Yazidi Home Center (YHC), and his trips with other volunteers to the dangerous al-Hawl camp in Syria which holds people with Isis links. The group's goal is to retrieve and rescue Yazidi women who were kidnapped and sex-trafficked by Isis. Termed "sabaya" by their captors, the women endured unimaginable abuse, leaving them with debilitating lifelong trauma. Intertwining with these tense, heartbreaking moments is the mundane daily life at Mahmud's house, which doubles as a temporary shelter for the women. Recurring moments of his mother making food or his young son playing about the courtyard act as a calming balm to the victims' psychological hurt, a semblance of the normality that hopefully awaits them in their home town in Sinjar. Sabaya is also especially poignant in how it doesn't see Mahmud as a heroic figure. There's a moving matter-of-factness to his routine of checking the continuous messages from people seeking their loved ones or his calm confrontation with Isis sympathisers who hide the Yazidi women in the camp. Continue reading... |
| Biden says US troops may stay in Afghanistan past 31 August deadline – video Posted: 19 Aug 2021 12:48 AM PDT Joe Biden has said American troops may remain in Afghanistan past 31 August, as the evacuation of US citizens continues. The president told ABC News: 'If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay until we get them all out.' The comments came after Biden denied the withdrawal of troops could have been handled better. Large crowds continue to arrive at Kabul's airport, creating a logistical hurdle as countries try to evacuate citizens. The US says it is unable to escort citizens to the airport but can continue to secure airstrip, enabling flights to take off Continue reading... |
| Vaccine program to open for Australians under 40 as rollout hits key milestone Posted: 19 Aug 2021 02:22 AM PDT It is understood Scott Morrison did not advise state and territory leaders of the decision to make 16-39 year olds officially eligible from 30 August before the announcement The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has announced that all Australians aged over 16 will be eligible for vaccination from 30 August, officially opening the program to an extra 8.6 million Australians. Federal cabinet signed off on the new measure on Thursday as the country reached a milestone of more than half of Australians aged over 16 receiving a first dose, and a new record day of 309,010 doses administered. Continue reading... |
| Open letter urges Boris Johnson to act on promise and evacuate Afghan journalists Posted: 18 Aug 2021 09:22 AM PDT The Guardian and other UK media demand action for those who have helped report from Afghanistan • UK media repeat call for evacuation of Afghan colleagues Dear prime minister and foreign secretary, When British media organisations wrote to you earlier this month about the grave Taliban threat to Afghan journalists and translators who had worked with us, you responded almost immediately. You recognised their vital contribution to a free press by reporting on the British mission in Afghanistan and promised colleagues at risk a path to safety. President Biden did the same in the United States. Continue reading... |
| The Afghanistan debate showed that Boris Johnson’s flaws lead directly to tragedy | Zoe Williams Posted: 18 Aug 2021 09:17 AM PDT For Starmer, the point was 'what are the human consequences when power is held by someone so unfit?' The initial shock of a packed House of Commons, recalled in recess for an emergency debate on Afghanistan, was how unfamiliar the packed green benches now look. Even before the pandemic, arguably since the prorogation of parliament, there's been a question mark over the point of it all; does a debate have to end in a vote, in order to have meaning? Is it otherwise just theatre, and if so, what democratic purpose does it serve? The answer used to be very simple: it was to test and challenge the policy of the executive. It may have been ritualistic, but the ritual was dense with significance, indicating that no prime minister had the power simply to announce, every one must persuade. Continue reading... |
| Taliban face financial crisis without access to foreign reserves Posted: 18 Aug 2021 08:29 AM PDT Analysis: As the US freezes Afghan reserves and Germany halts aid, the new rulers may find they are far short of what is required to govern Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are likely to face a rapidly developing financial crisis, with foreign currency reserves largely unreachable and western aid donors – who fund the country's institutions by about 75% – already cutting off or threatening to cut payments. While the hardline Islamist group has moved in recent years to become more independent of outside financial supporters including Iran, Pakistan and wealthy donors in the Gulf, its financial flows – amounting to $1.6bn (£1.2bn) last year – are far short of what it will require to govern. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson struggles to justify Afghanistan stance to hostile MPs Posted: 18 Aug 2021 08:03 AM PDT Analysis: PM fails to make convincing defence of foreign policy amid criticism from across the Commons Other leaders have had the luxury of being able to deliver an uninterrupted televised address. But Boris Johnson had to justify the ignominious retreat from Afghanistan in front of a testy, and at times hostile, House of Commons – dominated by critics from his own side asking if Britain could have been better prepared and if the collapse of the Kabul government could have been averted. It was an occasion the UK prime minister struggled to rise to, not helped by the format that Downing Street had opted for: a general debate, which meant MPs were allowed to rise and seek to intervene as Johnson spoke, generating a crescendo of background noise after he had completed a line or two. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden announces Covid booster shots from September – video Posted: 18 Aug 2021 08:23 PM PDT Joe Biden says his administration plans to make Covid-19 vaccine booster shots available from 20 September as infections rise from the Delta variant. Americans who had their initial course at least eight months ago will be initially eligible. The president defended the decision to recommend boosters while other countries are yet to deliver their first shots. "We can take care of America and help the world at the same time," he said. "In June and July, America administered 50 million shots here in the United States and we donated a hundred million shots to other countries." Continue reading... |
| Grizzly Flats: the California town leveled by the Caldor fire – in pictures Posted: 18 Aug 2021 01:15 PM PDT Houses were reduced to piles of ash and cars to twisted metal as the blaze rushed through the El Dorado county town Continue reading... |
| Caldor fire turns sky red in California and Nevada – video Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:00 PM PDT The sky over parts of Nevada and California turned red and orange as the Caldor fire, which erupted over the weekend, exploded in size on Tuesday and ran through the town of Grizzly Flats, destroying many buildings and forcing residents to leave. Two were injured. Officials estimated that the blaze had blown through 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres)
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| Emotional wounds have been 'torn open', says Afghanistan veteran Tom Tugendhat MP – video Posted: 18 Aug 2021 06:59 AM PDT In an impassioned Commons speech during the debate on Afghanistan, the Conservative MP speaks about the impact of the Taliban takeover on veterans. He criticises Joe Biden's assertion that the Afghan army did not adequately resist the Taliban
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| 'I wouldn't stay on holiday whilst Kabul was falling': Starmer slams Johnson in Commons – video Posted: 18 Aug 2021 06:02 AM PDT Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has castigated the government over its reaction to events unfolding in Afghanistan, saying the prime minister's response to the Taliban 'arriving at the gates of Kabul' was 'to go on holiday', and that the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, could not 'coordinate international response from the beach'.
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| ‘Where is global Britain on streets of Kabul?’: Theresa May blasts UK failure in Afghanistan – video Posted: 18 Aug 2021 04:45 AM PDT The former prime minister Theresa May has suggested her successor, Boris Johnson, had hoped 'on a wing and a prayer it'd be all right on the night' once the US and its allies had withdrawn from Afghanistan. Johnson has faced anger from MPs about the UK's failure to prepare for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, as he made the case in parliament that Britain could not have stayed in the country 'without American might'
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