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

0 komentar

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


Pompeo arrives in Kabul to try to revive flagging Afghan peace talks

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 01:33 AM PDT

Attempt to save stalled Afghanistan peace process comes as most world leaders have curtailed travel due to coronavirus

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has arrived in Kabul on an urgent visit to try to move forward a US peace deal signed with the Taliban last month, a trip that comes despite the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when world leaders and statesmen are curtailing official travel.

Since the signing of the deal, the peace process has stalled amid political turmoil in Afghanistan, with the country's leaders squabbling over who was elected president.

Continue reading...

Energy storage boom stalls in Europe

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:01 PM PDT

Slowdown in large-scale clean energy projects started before coronavirus crisis due to lack of state support

Europe's energy storage boom stalled last year due to a slowdown in large-scale schemes designed to store clean electricity from major renewable energy projects, according to the European Association for Storage of Energy (Ease).

A new study by consultants Delta-EE for Ease found that the European market grew by a total of 1 gigawatt-hours in 2019, a significant slowdown compared with 2018, when the energy storage market exceeded expectations to grow by 1.47GWh.

Continue reading...

Hungary to consider bill that would allow Orbán to rule by decree

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:00 PM PDT

Government says legislation is a necessary response to coronavirus but critics fear it is open to abuse

Hungary's parliament will this week consider an emergency bill that would give prime minister Viktor Orbán sweeping powers to rule by decree, without a clear cut-off date.

The bill seeks to extend the state of emergency declared earlier this month over coronavirus, and could also see people jailed for spreading information deemed to be fake news. The government has portrayed the move as a necessary response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, but critics immediately labelled the legislation as dangerously open-ended and vulnerable to abuse.

Continue reading...

‘A manatee is worth more alive’: the mission to save Africa’s sea mammals

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT

Once branded 'rogue animals', the elusive creatures were on the brink of extinction, but hope is rising for their survival

It is a blistering day in the Senegalese coastal town of Joal and a group of biologists are standing in a motorised dugout canoe, scanning the cyan waters for floating manatee dung.

Suddenly, a bobbing brown mass appears in the distance.

Continue reading...

Great Barrier Reef watchers anxiously await evidence of coral bleaching from aerial surveys

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 12:32 PM PDT

Planes will this week cover areas in the southern half of the reef that escaped earlier bleaching but may have undergone high levels of heat stress

The full impact of coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef will become clearer this week as aerial surveys of hundreds of reefs are completed in the bottom two thirds of the world's biggest reef system.

An aerial survey carried out last week over almost 500 individual reefs between the Torres Strait and Cairns revealed some severe bleaching of corals closer to shore, but almost none on outer reefs.

Continue reading...

Brazilians protest over Bolsonaro's muddled coronavirus response

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:41 AM PDT

Citizens make anger known by hitting pots and pans from their windows and balconies

Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, is facing an intensifying public backlash after his muddled reaction to the coronavirus crisis sparked five successive nights of protests and predictions that his political authority had sustained a potentially fatal blow.

Brazil has recorded 1,128 coronavirus cases and 18 deaths, with the country's health minister last week saying the public health system was likely to collapse by the end of April.

Continue reading...

Zagreb hit by earthquake while in coronavirus lockdown

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:06 AM PDT

Croatian capital hit by its biggest quake in 140 years, according to PM, causing damage and injury

A strong earthquake has shaken the Croatian capital, Zagreb, bringing much of the population on to the streets after social distancing regulations to prevent the spread of coronavirus had been put in place.

The quake, which struck shortly after 6am local time on Sunday, caused widespread damage, including to the city's cathedral, and the evacuation of hospitals. A 15-year-old was in a critical condition and 16 others were injured as a result of the quake, Croatian authorities said on Sunday afternoon.

Continue reading...

One in five animals at controversial Welsh zoo die in space of a year

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Exclusive: deaths at Borth Wild Animal Kingdom in 2018 revealed after it reopened last month

A zoo in Wales that made headlines in 2017 after a lynx escaped suffered the deaths of one in five of its animals in 2018, it has emerged.

Borth Wild Animal Kingdom near Aberystwyth reopened last month in defiance of the council after closing temporarily in January following a "directive" to shut its most dangerous animal enclosures since it does not have enough firearms-qualified staff in the event of an animal escaping.

Continue reading...

Girl, seven, stabbed to death by woman in Bolton park

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 01:00 PM PDT

Police say 30-year-old suspect held after 'totally unprovoked and random' attack on Sunday

A woman has been arrested after the "totally unprovoked and random" murder of a seven-year-old girl in Bolton.

The 30-year-old suspect, who has not been named, did not know the girl, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said.

Continue reading...

Urgent call to head off new debt crisis in developing world

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 08:59 AM PDT

Covid-19 crisis is raising borrowing costs for poorer nations just as commodity exports, tourism and remittances sent home fall

Rapid action is needed to head off the risk of a new debt crisis in the world's poorest countries amid evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic is raising borrowing costs and hitting commodity exports, according to a leading campaign group.

A Jubilee Debt Campaign report said some of the world's most vulnerable nations were being hit by a double whammy of increasing debt interest bills and the tumbling price of oil and other raw materials.

Continue reading...

Dionne Warwick on singing, psychics and the hell of segregation: 'We all bleed red blood'

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:00 PM PDT

The great pop vocalist talks about Elvis, Bacharach and David, her cousin Whitney Houston – and her experience with Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice

Dionne Warwick is 79 and on fire. In 2019 she released two albums, kicked off a Vegas residency and won a lifetime achievement Grammy award. This year she has already done a turn on the US version of The Masked Singer – the reality TV show where artists perform songs incognito – and a UK tour is planned for autumn.

As the sweet, mellow voice behind the hits Walk on By and Do You Know the Way to San Jose, she was one of the first artists in the series to be correctly identified by the show's judging panel. "The fortunate, or unfortunate thing about my voice is it's so distinctive," she says. Obscuring it would have been impossible, she adds. "I don't know how to do that."

Continue reading...

Coronavirus: PC Andrew Harper murder trial jury dismissed

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:54 AM PDT

Jury dismissed in trial of three teenagers after three jurors went into self-isolation

Mr Justice Edis has discharged the jury in the Old Bailey trial of three teenagers for the murder of PC Andrew Harper after three jurors went into self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More details soon …

Continue reading...

Coronavirus news: Germany reports first sign of new infections levelling off - live updates

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 04:03 AM PDT

France likely to extend lockdown; Norway to set up UN fund for poorer countries; Japan Olympics chief pushes back on call for postponement

The Guardian's Rome correspondent Angela Giuffrida has filed this detailed piece on what other countries may learn from the experience in Italy, where many people struggled with the lockdown on daily life.

A national lockdown came on 10 March but the measures only really started to hit home a couple of days later, when bars, restaurants and other non-essential shops were closed across the country.

Related: Italy struggled to convince citizens of coronavirus crisis. What can Europe learn?

Sports fans must accept that it will be many months before packed crowds will be returning to watch live competition, writes Sean Ingle, the Guardian's chief sports reporter.

There's a sense that many still do not "get it," he writes, citing suggestions that the football season could be completed by mid‑July and that the Olympics could take place a week or two after.

My expectation is that this is something that is going to be around for a long period of time. There are no silver bullets on the horizon. We are talking months and months – and perhaps even next year and beyond.

Related: Enough of this epic delusion: coronavirus makes sport in front of fans a long way off

Continue reading...

'If the hotels go down, everything does': the tourism hotspots hit by slowdown

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT

From Costa Rica to the Caribbean, beaches are closed and carnivals called off as coronavirus takes toll

It is high season on Espadilla beach in Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio national park. Normally, spring breakers, honeymooners and retirees from around the world would be jostling for space on the pristine white sands overlooked by rainforest-covered hills.

But Costa Rica closed all its beaches on Friday to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Locals tell of mass sackings and the cancellation of thousands of hotel reservations. The shorefront is blocked off with yellow hazard tape and the vultures that linger on the beach each morning seem increasingly ominous.

Continue reading...

Job losses from Australia's coronavirus shutdown will be 'devastating'

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:57 PM PDT

Employers must decide whether to stand down or lay off workers as restaurants, bars and clubs shut their doors

Employers in the hospitality sector were scrambling to develop plans to either stand down hundreds of thousands of workers or lay them off, as restaurants, bars and clubs shut their doors at noon on Monday.

One of the largest employers, Crown Resorts, which employs an estimated 18,500 workers and contractors, made a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange on Monday afternoon.

Continue reading...

The isolated tribes at risk of illness from Amazon missionaries

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

As evangelical Christians use their influence with Brazil's government to cast their net ever wider, indigenous people vulnerable to common diseases face a growing threat

A radical group of evangelical Christian missionaries set on converting every last tribe on Earth has raised fears that deadly diseases – and even the coronavirus – will spread in the Brazilian Amazon. The group has based its newly bought helicopter right beside a reserve with the world's highest concentration of isolated indigenous groups, who have little resistance to common illnesses.

There are more than 100 isolated indigenous groups in Brazil, all highly vulnerable to common diseases such as measles and flu, and 16 of them live in the same reserve in the Javari Valley, a vast, remote area the size of Austria. Covid-19 could wipe out any of them.

Continue reading...

Can a face mask protect me from coronavirus? Covid-19 myths busted

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 02:51 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).

Continue reading...

This virus is ravaging rich countries. What happens when it hits the poor ones? | Nesrine Malik

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:00 PM PDT

Horror over the west's failure to contain Covid-19 will pale by comparison if it sweeps the developing world

Though Africa has fewer coronavirus cases and a slower rate of infection than the UK, many countries in the continent have passed dramatically more extreme measures to prevent its spread than Britain has. In my birth country of Sudan, after only one case and one death was registered, all schools and universities were shut down. Several other nations, such as Egypt, have taken the ultimate precaution and closed their airports.

There is no denial here, no mixed messaging, and no unfounded promise of how soon we will send the virus packing.

Continue reading...

Australia's coronavirus rescue package is a step in the right direction – but we needed a leap | Stephen Koukoulas

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:30 AM PDT

The measures taken in response to the coronavirus crisis will support growth, but they will be slow to come into effect and aren't enough

• Follow our Australian live blog
Follow our global coronavirus live blog
What the $189bn economic rescue package means for you
Why Australia is easing superannuation access for those worst-hit

The $66bn second stage of the government's economic policy response to the coronavirus crisis is a genuine effort to underpin the economy as it lurches towards the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s great depression.

Unfortunately for those losing their jobs, their hours of work and their businesses, there is an unseemly delay before most of the measures reach the bank accounts of those in need.

Continue reading...

US cities in coronavirus quarantine, seen from above – in pictures

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 12:29 AM PDT

Many US states and cities have told their citizens to stay home and avoid contact with other people. These images show how empty schools, parking lots and city streets have become

Continue reading...

Manhattan streets empty as New York City goes into coronavirus lockdown – video

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:52 PM PDT

New York City streets were empty on March 22 as the city's lockdown went into effect, requiring residents to stay home. Coronavirus cases in the city have risen sharply to 15,000, half of the 30,000 total across the US

Continue reading...

Australia shuts down, in the fight against Covid-19 – in pictures

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:13 PM PDT

Australia's major cities, buildings and even beaches are either closed or deserted as the government steps up measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Prime minister Scott Morrison announced late on Sunday that from midday Monday venues such as bars, clubs, nightclubs, cinemas and gyms would be closed, and restaurants would be restricted to offering takeaway. Schools remain open but parents have the option to keep children at home, while Victoria is bringing forward school holidays from Tuesday

Continue reading...

'Invisible enemy': Trump says he is 'wartime president' in coronavirus battle - video

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:40 PM PDT

US president says the country is at war with coronavirus, while accusing China of not asking for help at the beginning of the crisis 'out of pride'. Trump also said the US economy will 'skyrocket' once the coronavirus outbreak is contained

Continue reading...

'No getting on the beers' at home with mates, says Andrews, amid coronavirus clampdown – video

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 04:57 PM PDT

After announcing pubs and restaurants will temporarily close in Victoria – as they will around Australia – state premier Daniel Andrews told the public it is not appropriate to 'have your mates around to home and get on the beers'. Andrews also announced he would bring forward school holidays and established a 500-strong police taskforce to enforce the physical distance rules

Continue reading...

Boris Johnson threatens stricter measures if people flout social distancing rules – video

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 11:50 AM PDT

Boris Johnson has threatened to introduce stricter measures if people do not follow the government's advice on social distancing, saying that if people do not follow the rules then 'we will have to bring forward further measures'. The prime minister reiterated that people must stick to the two-metre social distancing rule, but added: 'It is very important for people's mental and physical wellbeing that they should be able to get out and exercise'

Continue reading...

Indians bang pots and pans to applaud health workers fighting Covid-19 – video

Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:24 AM PDT

People across India have taken to their balconies to praise emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontline in trying to defeat Covid-19. Millions of people were in lockdown on Sunday as the government imposed a one-day curfew to test the country's ability to fight the pandemic

Continue reading...


Posting Komentar