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- Taiwan welcomes support from major allies after Aukus pact riles China
- Russians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid
- World’s largest tree wrapped in fire-resistant blanket as California blaze creeps closer
- Faroes PM pledges dolphin hunt review amid outcry at carnage
- Eitan Biran: the cable car crash survivor at centre of custody battle
- ‘They left us to die’: UK’s Afghan aid staff in hiding from Taliban
- Waste from one bitcoin transaction ‘like binning two iPhones’
- Japan’s race for new prime minister kicks off with tight battle for leadership
- North Korea fired ballistic missiles from train amid rising tensions with the South
- Message in a bottle from Japan washes up on Hawaii beach after 37 years
- Coronavirus live news: Cambodia starts vaccinating six-year-olds; Africa jabs shortfall ‘raises risk of deadly variants’
- Long Covid in children and adolescents is less common than previously feared
- NSW Covid update: state to trial seven-day home quarantine for international arrivals
- New Zealand extends Australia travel bubble pause as Covid cases drop to 11
- San Marino’s abortion referendum reveals social fissures
- ‘How is Pauli Murray not a household name?’ The extraordinary life of the US’s most radical activist
- ‘Everything just kept getting bigger!’ Genesis on prog, 80s stardom and Phil Collins’s health
- ‘It helped me get away from crime’: Cape Town’s College of Magic – a photo essay
- Experience: I got pulled into a conveyor belt by my scarf
- A new start after 60: ‘I was fired at 64 – so I faced my fears and started my first company’
- ‘On the world stage’: Chorley prepares to host G7 speakers’ conference
- Shamima Begum, regardless of her new image, remains the UK's responsibility | Gina Vale
- US and UK battle to contain backlash to Aukus pact | First Thing
- ‘About damn time’: First Nation gets clean water after 24-year wait
- Woman aged 40 charged with murder after three children found dead in New Zealand home
- People in west Sydney made to feel like criminals in own homes, inquiry told: as it happened
- The Activist: reality TV show to be ‘reimagined’ as documentary after backlash
- New Zealand’s pandemic housing policy has baked in Māori inequality for generations | Iain White
- Aukus deal showing France and EU that Biden not all he seems
- Which countries are enforcing mandatory Covid jabs – and how?
- It’s not all about populism: grassroots democracy is thriving across Europe | Richard Youngs
- Wildfires in California threaten world's biggest tree – video
- Antony Blinken chuckles as Republican senator makes Joe Biden mute button claims – video
- ‘Stab in the back’: France accuses US of sinking Australia submarine deal – video
- China struck by 6.0-magnitude earthquake – video
| Taiwan welcomes support from major allies after Aukus pact riles China Posted: 16 Sep 2021 10:26 PM PDT Australia and US pledge stronger ties, EU calls for trade deal and Johnson refuses to rule out getting involved in a conflict involving the island Taiwan has welcomed support from major allies after a US-Australia ministerial forum pledged stronger ties with the island and the European parliament called for a bilateral trade deal. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry also cautiously noted the British prime minister's refusal to rule out getting involved in a war with China over the island, but said Taiwan was not asking anyone to fight on its behalf. Continue reading... |
| Russians head to the polls amid anger over economy and Covid Posted: 16 Sep 2021 09:00 PM PDT Ruling United Russia party polling at near-historic lows but likely to find a way to keep control of State Duma Russians will head to the polls beginning Friday for parliamentary elections that could serve as a platform for popular anger over the economy, a crackdown on dissent and the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ruling party United Russia is likely to find a way to maintain a stranglehold on its control of the State Duma. While stifling political opposition and independent media, the Kremlin is trying to solve a simple maths problem: how can it prop up the numbers of United Russia, which is polling at near-historic lows, without provoking the kind of protests that broke out over widespread incidents of crude voter fraud in 2011. Continue reading... |
| World’s largest tree wrapped in fire-resistant blanket as California blaze creeps closer Posted: 16 Sep 2021 08:14 PM PDT Efforts underway to protect General Sherman and other giant trees from wildfires threatening Sequoia national park Firefighters have wrapped the base of the world's largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they tried to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning in California's rugged Sierra Nevada. The colossal General Sherman tree in Sequoia national park's giant forest, some of the other sequoias, the Giant Forest Museum and other buildings were wrapped as protection against the possibility of intense flames, fire spokesperson Rebecca Paterson said. Continue reading... |
| Faroes PM pledges dolphin hunt review amid outcry at carnage Posted: 16 Sep 2021 09:00 PM PDT Faroese have been killing whales since Viking times but many islanders now oppose annual slaughter In a parked car overlooking the ocean sit two of the biggest whale killers in the Faroe Islands. They look exhausted, but not from hunting. Ólavur Sjúrðaberg, 75, and Hans J Hermansen, 73, have been on the phone constantly since a mass killing of 1,428 white-sided dolphins in the Faroe Islands on Sunday sparked international outrage and led the Faroes prime minister to announce on Thursday that the government would review the dolphin hunt. Neither Sjúrðaberg nor Hermansen participated in the killing, but they are the current and former chairman of the Faroese Whalers Association, founded in 1992 to explain and defend the traditional killing of whales in the islands, known as the "grind", and ensure it is as efficient and respectful as possible. Continue reading... |
| Eitan Biran: the cable car crash survivor at centre of custody battle Posted: 17 Sep 2021 01:14 AM PDT Six-year-old is now in Israel after alleged abduction by grandfather, four months after tragic accident That a single person survived when a cable car crashed in northern Italy was nothing short of a miracle. Eitan Biran, aged five at the time of the accident, is believed to have been saved by the protective embrace of his father, Amit, as the cable car plummeted to the ground. Continue reading... |
| ‘They left us to die’: UK’s Afghan aid staff in hiding from Taliban Posted: 16 Sep 2021 10:00 PM PDT Evacuation of employees, not contractors, 'splitting hairs', says HRW, warning of days left to save lives Afghan employees who worked as contractors on UK aid projects fear for their lives after not being granted resettlement in Britain. The Guardian has been in contact with four families who said they had been targeted by the Taliban because they worked for the UK government, and have now been forced into hiding. Continue reading... |
| Waste from one bitcoin transaction ‘like binning two iPhones’ Posted: 16 Sep 2021 11:00 PM PDT Study highlights vast churn in computer hardware that the cryptocurrency incentivises A single bitcoin transaction generates the same amount of electronic waste as throwing two iPhones in the bin, according to a new analysis by economists from the Dutch central bank and MIT. While the carbon footprint of bitcoin is well studied, less attention has been paid to the vast churn in computer hardware that the cryptocurrency incentivises. Specialised computer chips called ASICs are sold with no other purpose than to run the algorithms that secure the bitcoin network, a process called mining that rewards those who partake with bitcoin payouts. But because only the newest chips are power-efficient enough to mine profitably, effective miners need to constantly replace their ASICs with newer, more powerful ones. Continue reading... |
| Japan’s race for new prime minister kicks off with tight battle for leadership Posted: 16 Sep 2021 08:38 PM PDT Four candidates vying for head of the Liberal Democratic party include two women hoping to lead a country that has never had a female PM The campaign to become Japan's next prime minister has kicked off, with four candidates vying for leadership of the ruling party in an unusually close race. The candidates include two women hoping to lead a country that has never had a female prime minister, though both are considered long shots. Continue reading... |
| North Korea fired ballistic missiles from train amid rising tensions with the South Posted: 16 Sep 2021 07:03 PM PDT Rail-based ballistic system reflects North Korea's efforts to diversify its launch options, which now includes various vehicles and ground launch pads North Korea says it successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time and was continuing to bolster its defences, after the two Koreas test fired missiles hours apart in duelling displays of military might. Wednesday's launches underscored a return of the tensions between the rivals amid a prolonged stalemate in US-led talks aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear weapons program. Continue reading... |
| Message in a bottle from Japan washes up on Hawaii beach after 37 years Posted: 16 Sep 2021 06:50 PM PDT Discovery made by a local girl comes decades after the bottle was put into the sea by schoolchildren as part of an experiment to monitor ocean currents A glass bottle that was released into the sea 37 years ago by high school students in Japan has been found on the island of Hawaii, about 6,000km away. Students of the natural science club at Choshi High School in the eastern prefecture of Chiba released the bottle in 1984 as part of a project to investigate ocean currents, Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:20 AM PDT Cambodia hopes to reopen schools closed for months; parts of Africa could be 'breeding grounds for vaccine-resistant variants', says WHO
As the UK government prepares to announce changes to travel restrictions in England, voices across politics and science have been debating what should happen next. A shadow minister has said that the Labour opposition backs the scrapping of the amber travel list and has done "for ages" calling it "confusing". Related: UK scientist warns over relaxation of Covid travel rules
Cuba jabs toddlers As Cambodia vaccinates children over six, in Cuba a programme is under way to get jabs into the arms of two-year-olds. Continue reading... |
| Long Covid in children and adolescents is less common than previously feared Posted: 16 Sep 2021 03:00 PM PDT Review of 14 international studies suggests long Covid symptoms in children rarely last longer than 12 weeks
Children and adolescents who are infected with Covid-19 rarely have symptoms that last for longer than 12 weeks, according to a review of international research. The review, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, suggests that long Covid in children and adolescents is less common than previously feared. Continue reading... |
| NSW Covid update: state to trial seven-day home quarantine for international arrivals Posted: 16 Sep 2021 07:55 PM PDT Tourism minister announces pilot scheme as NSW records 1,284 new Covid cases and 12 deaths
New South Wales will introduce a home quarantine "pilot" for international arrivals, as the state works towards opening international borders. The pilot, which will be run as a partnership between the NSW government and the commonwealth, will trial a seven-day home quarantine program for about 175 fully vaccinated people. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand extends Australia travel bubble pause as Covid cases drop to 11 Posted: 16 Sep 2021 07:48 PM PDT Government says it's 'working hard' to ease restrictions next week as country's case numbers trend steadily down New Zealand will delay the reopening of its trans-Tasman travel bubble, as case numbers in Australia rise and numbers in New Zealand continue to drop. Deputy prime minister Grant Robertson confirmed on Friday that while the pause in quarantine-free travel had been due to expire next week, it would now be extended for at least a further 8 weeks. New South Wales announced 1,284 new cases and 12 deaths, and Victoria announced 510 new cases. New Zealand reported 11 new cases in the country, all based in Auckland. Continue reading... |
| San Marino’s abortion referendum reveals social fissures Posted: 16 Sep 2021 09:00 PM PDT Arguments flare in the tiny, extremely conservative nation ahead of a vote on finally legalising abortion It didn't take long for the debate in San Marino to turn toxic. Soon after campaigning in the lead-up to a referendum on legalising abortion officially got under way, the walls of the tiny country, landlocked within central Italy, were slapped with posters from anti-abortion activists featuring a child with Down's syndrome. The caption read: "I'm an anomaly, does that mean I have fewer rights than you?" Other posters featured the image of a foetus alongside the message: "I'm a child even at 12 weeks, save me!" Continue reading... |
| ‘How is Pauli Murray not a household name?’ The extraordinary life of the US’s most radical activist Posted: 17 Sep 2021 12:00 AM PDT She explored her gender and sexuality in the 20s, defied segregation in the 40s and inspired Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Now, a film is bringing her trailblazing achievements to light It seems inconceivable that someone like Pauli Murray could have slipped through the cracks of US history. A lawyer, activist, scholar, poet and priest, Murray led a trailblazing life that altered the course of history. She was at the forefront of the battles for racial and gender equality, but often so far out in front that her contributions went unrecognised. In 1940, 15 years before Rosa Parks, Murray was jailed for refusing to move to the back of a bus in the Jim Crow south. In 1943, she campaigned successfully to desegregate her local diner, 17 years before the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins of 1960. Her work paved the way for the landmark supreme court ruling Brown v Board of Education in 1954 – which de-segregated US schools – to the extent that Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer for the NAACP civil rights group, called Murray's book States' Laws on Race and Color "the bible for civil rights lawyers". Continue reading... |
| ‘Everything just kept getting bigger!’ Genesis on prog, 80s stardom and Phil Collins’s health Posted: 16 Sep 2021 10:00 PM PDT As they prepare what could be their final tour after 54 years, the British rock greats reflect on who they lost along the way, how they survived punk – and why Phil is skiving off his vocal practice 'Genesis have always been slightly below the radar," says keyboardist Tony Banks. "We've never been part of a current trend; we don't tend to get awards; we're just sort of … there. People that like us really like us, though, and that's all we care about." "Below the radar" may be a strange way of describing a band who have sold more than 150m albums. But, then, Genesis have always been peculiarly self-effacing. From their early-70s, Peter Gabriel-fronted iteration, where they quickly ascended to the upper echelons of progressive rock with a combination of theatrical whimsy and fiendish technical complexity, to their slicker, poppier, staggeringly successful 80s years, they remain a wildly popular – yet pleasingly eccentric – proposition. Continue reading... |
| ‘It helped me get away from crime’: Cape Town’s College of Magic – a photo essay Posted: 16 Sep 2021 11:00 PM PDT Photographer Tommy Trenchard documents students whose stories of transformation at the Hogwarts of South Africa are more than just fairytales To fans of JK Rowling's books, the story may sound somewhat familiar: a young boy living in difficult circumstances is enrolled in a mysterious school far from home, where his life is changed for ever by the transformative power of magic. Anele Dyasi's story is no fairytale, though, and the school in question is not Hogwarts, but the College of Magic in Cape Town, a unique institution that has been training some of the continent's most skilled illusionists since the 1980s. Continue reading... |
| Experience: I got pulled into a conveyor belt by my scarf Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:00 AM PDT My head was edging closer to the gap where it would be crushed. Knowing there was nothing I could do, I felt strangely at ease with my fate I had worked on and off at Argos when they needed seasonal staff since I was 17. By Christmas 2007 I was 21, and I'd picked up regular shifts again. It was December in East Kilbride, and that means it was cold. On this particular morning I was unpacking a delivery in the stockroom, where the heating wasn't working. I'd come wrapped up for warmth, a long woolly H&M scarf in a looped knot around my neck. The stockroom was across two floors, with an industrial conveyor belt connecting the upper and lower levels. I was on delivery duty upstairs alone, with my colleagues downstairs. The only reason anyone would come up would be to use the staff bathroom. Continue reading... |
| A new start after 60: ‘I was fired at 64 – so I faced my fears and started my first company’ Posted: 16 Sep 2021 10:00 PM PDT Investors told Paul Tasner, 75, he should put up his feet and enjoy retirement. Instead, he reinvented himself and launched a thriving sustainable packaging business When Paul Tasner was 64, he was called to a meeting with the chief executive of Method cleaning products where he worked as senior director of operations – only to find that the meeting was an exit interview. It was shortly before Christmas 2009; San Francisco felt festive. His wife and friends were waiting for him at a restaurant. "We said our hellos, and I said: 'I've been fired!' They all laughed." Tasner told them he wasn't joking. "Much was drunk" that night, he says, and instead of feeling anxious about the future, he began to feel good. "I know that's a weird thing to say, being fired. [But it was] a chance to do some thinking about what comes next." Continue reading... |
| ‘On the world stage’: Chorley prepares to host G7 speakers’ conference Posted: 17 Sep 2021 01:52 AM PDT Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle hopes meeting at his constituency will raise Lancashire town's profile When Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, suggested to Lindsay Hoyle, her UK counterpart, that they hold the G7 speakers' conference in "his district", she might not have realised how enthusiastically the Lancastrian would embrace the idea. Hoyle said that Pelosi had asked, "We always go to London, can we get out of London?", and so this weekend politicians from the world's richest nations will be descending on the Lancashire market town of Chorley. Continue reading... |
| Shamima Begum, regardless of her new image, remains the UK's responsibility | Gina Vale Posted: 16 Sep 2021 08:10 AM PDT She was groomed as a child and has endured trauma – and to say she now 'looks western' is an insult to British Muslims
In her first live interview since joining Islamic State (IS), on ITV's Good Morning Britain, 22-year-old Shamima Begum made her latest appeal to return to the UK. She is one of over 6,000 minors who became affiliated with IS, but ever since the grainy CCTV pictures emerged of her leaving the UK with two east London schoolmates in 2015, her case has captured international media attention. Begum's case first raises the issue of accountability of minors who become radicalised. At first, media reporting described the three girls as being "lured" into IS, comparing their childhood innocence to the monstrosity of their recruiters. The then education secretary, Nicky Morgan, wrote to their school saying, "We hope and pray for the safe return of the pupils". In the rush to explain the fact that young girls could turn away from their lives in Britain to join a terrorist organisation, the "jihadi bride" narrative took hold – a catch-all phrase that focuses on girls' romantic motives. Continue reading... |
| US and UK battle to contain backlash to Aukus pact | First Thing Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:41 AM PDT Nuclear submarine deal with Australia draws mixed response plus, message in a bottle found after 37 years Good morning. The US and Britain are battling to contain an international backlash over a nuclear submarine pact struck with Australia amid concerns that the alliance could provoke China and prompt conflict in the Pacific. Continue reading... |
| ‘About damn time’: First Nation gets clean water after 24-year wait Posted: 16 Sep 2021 10:03 AM PDT Residents of Shoal Lake 40 can drink from taps thanks to a new water treatment facility but dozens of communities lack access Residents of a First Nations community in Canada, who were deprived of clean drinking water for nearly a quarter of a century, can now drink from their taps after a water treatment facility became fully operational earlier this week. Shoal Lake 40, a community on the Manitoba-Ontario border, has been under drinking water advisory since 1997. Continue reading... |
| Woman aged 40 charged with murder after three children found dead in New Zealand home Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:42 AM PDT Two children aged two and a six-year-old, who were all siblings, had recently moved from South Africa to the town of Timaru A woman has been charged with murder after three young children who had just moved to New Zealand from South Africa died at a home on the South Island. The incident occurred late on Thursday at a home in the town of Timaru. Police said emergency services found a woman at the address who had been hospitalised in a stable condition. Continue reading... |
| People in west Sydney made to feel like criminals in own homes, inquiry told: as it happened Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:12 AM PDT Gladys Berejiklian announces NSW home quarantine trial; NSW youth corrections officer dies of Covid. This blog is now closed
That's where I will leave you for tonight. Here's what we learned:
The Victorian government is introducing some extraordinary measures to prevent anti-lockdown protestors entering Melbourne tomorrow. AAP reports that Melburnians heading into the city for a Covid-19 vaccination will have to show proof to pass through police roadblocks as the CBD is effectively turned into a no-go zone for Saturday's planned rally, with public transport to and from the city suspended from 8am to 2pm and road checkpoints set up. If you do not intend to attend for that vaccination appointment, that's fine. There are alternative appointments available on other days. We'd appreciate it if you could go online or give us a call and make those changes now so we don't have staff standing around waiting for you to come forward." Continue reading... |
| The Activist: reality TV show to be ‘reimagined’ as documentary after backlash Posted: 16 Sep 2021 03:24 AM PDT CBS says it will drop X-Factor-style competition from celebrity-fronted show after widespread criticism A reality TV show that planned to pit activists against each other in an X-Factor style contest judged by celebrities is to be drastically "reimagined" after it sparked a backlash from campaigners. The Activist, which had been due to air in the US in late October, prompted incredulity among many campaigners and elsewhere when its format was revealed last week, with many labelling it a "tone-deaf" distortion of true activists' values. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand’s pandemic housing policy has baked in Māori inequality for generations | Iain White Posted: 16 Sep 2021 06:52 PM PDT In Jacinda Ardern's 'team of 5 million', some players have been rewarded very differently to others The only thing more predictable than rising house prices is the tenor of stories as monthly data from governments or the real estate sector are reported. Record highs in particular places, predictions of trends from economists. Or, the young couple who managed to "get on the housing ladder", but upon reading you realise it was with financial help from parents. However, behind these articles a much larger housing story has gradually unfolded. An account of huge and growing inequality. How a government policy designed to respond to the global pandemic and the fear of economic recession has not just created significant wealth, but distributed it in such a concentrated way that it will change the nature of Aotearoa New Zealand for generations to come. Continue reading... |
| Aukus deal showing France and EU that Biden not all he seems Posted: 16 Sep 2021 09:09 AM PDT Analysis: the western alliance is the main victim – and China will win out unless US can soothe Paris's anger Fury in Paris at Australia's decision to tear up plans to buy a French-built fleet of submarines is not only a row about a defence contract, cost overruns and technical specifications. It throws into question the transatlantic alliance to confront China. The Aukus deal has left the French political class seething at Joe Biden's Trumpian unilateralism, Australian two-facedness and the usual British perfidy. "Nothing was done by sneaking behind anyone's back," assured the British defence minister, Ben Wallace, in an attempt to soothe the row. But that is not the view in Paris. "This is an enormous disappointment," said Florence Parly, the French defence minister. Continue reading... |
| Which countries are enforcing mandatory Covid jabs – and how? Posted: 16 Sep 2021 06:07 AM PDT Joe Biden has introduced a vaccine mandate affecting millions, but some countries have gone further Following the decision by the US president, Joe Biden, to introduce a vaccine mandate for millions of workers, and the UK government's decision to row back on its push to require vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded events, where does the issue of insisting on vaccination stand globally? Continue reading... |
| It’s not all about populism: grassroots democracy is thriving across Europe | Richard Youngs Posted: 16 Sep 2021 03:30 AM PDT Protests, citizens' assemblies, local referendums and mutual aid groups are pushing back against attacks on civil society The past decade has been a bruising one for the health of European democracy. The dramatic authoritarian turns in Hungary and Poland have attracted most attention, but nearly all European governments have chipped away at civil liberties, judicial independence and civil society. With Covid accentuating many of the challenges posed by populism, disinformation and a collapse in public trust, the narrative of democracy labouring in deep crisis is now well established. Yet as the threats have mounted, so have efforts to defend and rethink Europe's democratic practices. Continue reading... |
| Wildfires in California threaten world's biggest tree – video Posted: 17 Sep 2021 01:52 AM PDT Firefighters have wrapped the base of the world's largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they tried to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning in California. The colossal General Sherman tree in Sequoia national park's giant forest is among the trees to be wrapped in aluminium as wildfires close in on the Giant Forest Continue reading... |
| Antony Blinken chuckles as Republican senator makes Joe Biden mute button claims – video Posted: 16 Sep 2021 05:42 PM PDT The Republican senator Jim Risch pressed the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, over rumours someone in the White House has the ability to cut off the president's microphone when he speaks. While Blinken chuckled throughout the questioning, Risch continued to press his claims after an earlier video from the White House featuring Biden cut off during a briefing. 'It's been widely reported that somebody has the ability to push the button and cut off his sound and stop him from speaking,' Risch said. Blinken replied: 'Anyone who knows the president, including members of this committee, knows that he speaks very clearly and very deliberately for himself' Continue reading... |
| ‘Stab in the back’: France accuses US of sinking Australia submarine deal – video Posted: 16 Sep 2021 05:50 AM PDT France has expressed fury over Australia's surprise decision to scrap a huge submarine deal in favour of nuclear-powered subs from the US, describing it as a 'stab in the back' from Canberra and a strain on its friendly relationship with Washington. 'We had established a relationship of trust with Australia, this trust has been betrayed,' said the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian Continue reading... |
| China struck by 6.0-magnitude earthquake – video Posted: 16 Sep 2021 01:37 AM PDT China has launched an emergency response after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the south-western province of Sichuan on Thursday, killing at least three people. A total of 6,904 people have been evacuated and dozens injured, according to state media reports Continue reading... |
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