World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

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World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk


Biden and Sanders confront coronavirus crisis in first one-on-one debate

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 08:24 PM PDT

Democrats face off in TV studio without audience, standing far apart and bumping elbows instead of shaking hands

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders auditioned in real time for the job of president on Sunday night during the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic primary, as the world confronts the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic and American public health officials warned the worst is yet to come.

The fast-escalating national emergency dominated the prime-time encounter between two candidates with starkly different visions for the country. Yet Biden and Sanders vigorously agreed on the need for a much more aggressive government response to the virus, which had already resulted in 3,244 confirmed cases in the US, with 62 reported deaths, as of Sunday night.

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Japanese man who killed 19 at centre for disabled sentenced to death

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 11:05 PM PDT

Satoshi Uematsu fatally stabbed 19 people with disabilities at care facility where he once worked in 2016

A man who stabbed to death 19 residents at a care home in Japan for people with disabilities has been sentenced to death.

Satoshi Uematsu, a former employee of the Tsukui Yamayuri En (Tsukui Lily Garden) facility in Sagamihara, south-west of Tokyo, carried out the attack in 2016, in which residents were targeted as they slept.

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Masked men, murder and mass displacement: how terror came to Burkina Faso

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 10:00 PM PDT

A campaign of indiscriminate killings has driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Now there are fears for the state's survival

The road south towards Kaya is no longer safe, but thousands take it every day. They come on foot, piled on to scooters or next to donkeys straining at their carts. They testify to atrocities by masked men that are never claimed and whose motives remain unexplained. Women and children are everywhere. The men are looking for work, in hiding, or dead.

A landlocked nation of 19 million people in the heart of west Africa, Burkina Faso was celebrated only a few years ago as a stable, vibrant young democracy. Now it is being eaten away at its eastern and northern fringes.

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Qatar World Cup: report reveals 34 stadium worker deaths in six years

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Latest figures show nine stadium worker deaths in 2019 alone, as human rights organisations criticise delay in implementing labour reform

Nine migrant labourers working on the stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar died in 2019, the "supreme committee" organising the event has announced, bringing the number of deaths on World Cup projects to 34, since construction began six years ago.

31 of the deaths, including the nine who died last year, are classified as "non-work related", a term the supreme committee uses to describe deaths that largely occur off the worksite, most of which are attributed to sudden and unexplained cardiac or respiratory failure.

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Rail firms could be allowed to run fewer trains because of coronavirus, Shapps suggests - Politics live

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:56 AM PDT

Rolling coverage of the day's political developments as they happen

Echoing a point made by Grant Shapps in his Today interview this morning (see 9.20am), Prof Jason Leitch, the Scottish government's national clinical director, told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland today that the government advice to the over-70s, which is due soon, would not include telling them to cut off all contact with others. They should have more family contact, not less, he said.

And, even though this has been characterised as people being asked to stay at home, he said that people would not have to stay at home all the time: He explained:

We will almost certainly, as a four-country UK, we will move to a position in the next few weeks where we will ask those groups [the over-70s and those with pre-existing conditions] to not stay at home in the social isolation way that we are telling the symptomatic to do so, but to reduce their social contact.

It might be mosques, it might be churches, it might be bingo ... and pubs [that people have to avoid]. What we are not suggesting, unlike those with symptoms, is that those people would cut off family contact and not be able to receive visitors.

The Labour MP Kate Osborne, who represents Jarrow, says she has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

I have been diagnosed with Coronavirus (#covidー19uk) following a period of self isolation and subsequent testing.

I will continue to self isolate until I have fought off the illness, but in the mean time I would encourage everyone to band together and support the most vulnerable in our communities.

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Spain's king renounces inheritance and cuts father's income over 'offshore fund'

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 05:07 PM PDT

Royal household responds after report named King Felipe as a beneficiary of an alleged offshore fund set up by his father in 2008

Spain's King Felipe VI has renounced his personal inheritance from his father and stripped the former king Juan Carlos of his annual stipend after it was alleged that Felipe VI was poised to receive millions of euros from a secret offshore fund with ties to Saudi Arabia.

The statement issued by Spain's royal household on Sunday evening came after a report named King Felipe as a beneficiary of an offshore fund set up by his father in 2008. At the time, Juan Carlos was still in power.

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Offshore aquifer found off South Island could help New Zealand tackle droughts

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 09:29 PM PDT

Rare discovery made of freshwater aquifer that could contain as much as 2,000 cubic kilometres of water

An aquifer has been discovered under the Pacific ocean off New Zealand's coast, with scientists saying some of the South Island could draw on it for their main freshwater supply.

Joshu Mountjoy, a marine geologist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), said the discovery was one of the few times a significant offshore aquifer had been located anywhere in the world. As climate change begins to bite it could become a crucial source of freshwater for nearby drought-prone regions such as the Canterbury plains.

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Iran's ambassador to UK reveals bilateral talks over £400m debt

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 12:06 PM PDT

Envoy says Britain is taking a new approach to the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe without acknowledging any link to the debt

The Iranian ambassador to the UK says the British government is taking a new approach to the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, adding bilateral talks were taking place over the payment of an outstanding £400m debt owed by the UK to Iran.

Hamid Baeidinejad said the two sides were looking at novel ways for the debt to be paid.

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'Dead Sea Scrolls fragments' at Museum of the Bible are all fakes, study says

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 10:00 PM PDT

  • Washington museum hired experts to examine purchases
  • Artefacts came from controversial 'Post-2002' collection

When Steve Green paid millions of dollars from his family fortune for 16 fragments of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, it seemed the perfect addition to their new Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.

Related: Trade in Dead Sea Scrolls awash with suspected forgeries, experts warn

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Israel's opposition head Benny Gantz wins support to form government

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 10:37 AM PDT

Blow to Benjamin Netanyahu who appeared to come out ahead in recent election

Israeli political parties have backed the opposition leader, Benny Gantz, to form a government, in a shocking blow to Benjamin Netanyahu after he appeared to come out ahead in an election held earlier this month.

The dramatic news came as a Jerusalem court postponed the prime minister's corruption trial due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Climate change forces cognac makers to consider other grape varieties

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 03:41 PM PDT

Hotter, drier summers are making the French region's star grape, Ugni blanc, ripen too quickly and lose acidity

Cognac makers are considering overturning longstanding tradition and turning to new grape varieties, as the main cultivar required to make the spirit struggles with the effects of global warming.

Cognac's star grape, Ugni blanc, which accounts for 98% of the vines in the Cognac region, is ripening quicker and losing acidity as summers become hotter and drier.

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In search of junub, the hippie spirit of Iran's south

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Photographer Mykolas Juodele captures the relaxed atmosphere of Iran's Persian Gulf islands

Among Iranian youths, junub carries much more meaning than just its literal definition of south. It has long been synonymous with an adventurous trip, a breath of fresh air and a sense of freedom. When winter cold comes to most of Iran, in its southern provinces young Iranians scatter around the remote beaches and mountains of the Persian Gulf islands.

Here, they enjoy the company of other open-minded Iranians and ­­­­­relative safety to pursue their personal freedoms, engage in creative activities, exchange ideas and form long-term connections that last far beyond the beaches of Hormoz or Hengam. The Iranian travellers discover their country, reconnect with nature and bind closely with the local communities, which thrive from the constant influx of tourists and travellers.

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Investigation reveals number of 'ghost trains' lying idle in Britain

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 05:01 PM PDT

Channel 4's Dispatches reveals carriages that could be used on busy commuter routes are sitting still in depots

At a time of rising fares and growing passenger dissatisfaction, an investigation has revealed that thousands of unused trains are standing idle in rail sidings and depots across the country.

According to industry experts, the unused "ghost trains" worth at least £3bn and containing over 110,000 seats are being stored across at least half a dozen sites, including Crewe, Worksop, Ely and Long Marston.

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Coronavirus updates: global infections outstrip China cases as US ramps up response - live news

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 03:19 AM PDT

New York closes schools; CDC advises against gatherings of more than 50 people, US Fed cuts interest rates to near zero; deaths jump in Europe. Follow the latest news.

A further 125 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Malaysia, bringing the total number of cases to 553, Rebecca Ratcliffe, the Guardian's south east Asia correspondent, reports.

Most of the cases are linked to a religious gathering at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, which was attended by 16,000 people. There is also growing concern that a Hindu gathering which attracted 30,000 people in Penang state on 8 March, could have fuelled transmission.

A school in Muswell Hill, London, has closed for a "deep clean" after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Parents: School closed on Monday 16th March for deep clean. Please see parentmail 16th March for further details.

Further to our message on Friday we have learnt this weekend that a member of staff has Covid-19.

In order to ensure that our site is safe for students and staff we are closing the school tomorrow to undertake a deep clean of the buildings. This is following advice from Public Health England. We will be open as normal on Tuesday.

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Democratic primary delegate count – latest

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 03:06 AM PDT

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are competing to become the Democrats' nominee for president

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are the only major candidates to remain in the Democratic primary race after an initially crowded field gradually winnowed down. Elizabeth Warren was the last major candidate to drop out after a disappointing result on Super Tuesday.

The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests, in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and US territories, by which the party selects its presidential nominee. In these votes, the goal for the Democratic candidates is to amass popular support that translates to a number of pledged delegates.

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Roasted, curried, sweetened ... guinea pig meat returns to the plates of Peru

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Growing demand for cuy meat, which has long been a national delicacy in Peru, is providing rural women with livelihoods

The growing popularity of guinea pig meat in high-end restaurants in Peru is helping to create an environmentally friendly industry led by women.

Top chefs in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia have brought traditional cuy meat back on to the national menu with roasted, curried and even sweetened versions.

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Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I see a doctor?

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:18 AM PDT

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals.

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The RBA is trying to un-stick a market gummed up by coronavirus fear – but there's only so much it can do

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 12:47 AM PDT

Australia's central bank has thrown almost $15bn into credit markets and plans to spend more, but will it work?

Since Friday, the Reserve Bank of Australia has thrown almost $15bn into credit markets in a bid to get them moving again.

And there's plenty more where that came from.

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‘It became part of life’: how Haiti curbed cholera

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 11:00 PM PDT

When cholera broke out just months after a devastating earthquake, Haiti's health system was pushed to the brink. The extraordinary rearguard action that followed offers an object lesson in dealing with a public health crisis

Marie Millande Tulmé was at work in a prison when she received a call confirming her fears: the gruesome sickness spreading rapidly across her nation was indeed cholera.

The head nurse for Haiti's Central Plateau region at the time, Tulmé was investigating rumours that prisoners were getting violently ill and that two had died. "I thought: 'Haiti will perish,'" she says, recalling her reaction when Haiti's national laboratory phoned with the news. "Because I knew that cholera was grave. That it spreads easily."

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Can a face mask stop coronavirus? Covid-19 facts checked

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 08:41 AM PDT

The truth about how you can catch coronavirus, who is most vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won't get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

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Trump tells US 'relax, we're doing great' as global coronavirus cases outstrip China – video

Posted: 16 Mar 2020 02:35 AM PDT

Donald Trump urged Americans to refrain from panic-buying basic supplies during the coronavirus pandemic as the administration announced plans to expand testing for the virus. 

'You don't have to buy so much', the US president said during a press briefing at the White House on Sunday evening, adding that people should 'take it easy. Just relax'

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Biden and Sanders bump elbows in 'hands-off' Democratic debate – video

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 11:16 PM PDT

Democratic president candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders faced off in TV studio without an audience on Sunday night.  The two stood far apart and bumped elbows instead of shaking hands in a nod to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Sanders said the first thing he would do to tackle the crisis is ' shut this president up right now because he is undermining the doctors and scientists who are trying to help the American people'. Biden drew on his experience tackling the Ebola crisis and emphasised the importance of listening to the experts. Biden also said he would pick a woman as his running mate.

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Coronavirus: more than 100 million Europeans on lockdown – video report

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 10:25 AM PDT

More than 100 million Europeans are living under lockdown after Spain joined Italy in imposing a national quarantine to combat coronavirus, with a wave of further restrictions on travel coming into effect worldwide.

The World Health Organization announced that Europe was the new centre of the Covid-19 outbreak, with hundreds of thousands of cases. The UK is yet to impose the level of restrictions seen in the rest of Europe but the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said new measures will be announced in the coming weeks

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Europe empties its streets to slow coronavirus – in pictures

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 09:16 AM PDT

Several European governments have ordered partial or complete lockdowns to stem the spread of Covid-19, leaving once-buzzing streets all but silent

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Madrid claps for healthcare workers amid coronavirus lockdown – video

Posted: 15 Mar 2020 03:33 AM PDT

People living in Madrid stood on balconies and leaned out of windows to clap and cheer doctors and healthcare workers on Saturday evening following a campaign launched on social media to show appreciation after the Spanish government declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus.

People have been ordered to stay at home for two weeks unless they have to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital as Spain has become the country most affected by the coronavirus in Europe after Italy.

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