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

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


Coronavirus live news: Trump suspends WHO funding as Denmark begins to reopen schools

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:43 AM PDT

US to investigate World Health Organization's response to crisis; global cases pass 1.98m with 126,000 deaths; Spain's daily death toll falls again

Calls and messages to Italy's biggest network of women's shelters have surged during the coronavirus lockdown.

Between 2 March and 5 April, 2,867 women turned to centres operated by D.i.Re, the Women against Violence Network, 74.5% more than the monthly average registered during 2018.

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Spain in 24 hours fell again on Wednesday to 523, from 567 reported the previous day, the country's health ministry said.

The daily death toll brought the total number of fatalities to 18,579.

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'Crime against humanity': Trump condemned for WHO funding freeze

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:22 PM PDT

Timing of move during Covid-19 crisis is deplored by UN chief and experts who say it will cost lives

Leading health experts have labelled Donald Trump's decision to cut funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "crime against humanity" and a "damnable" act that will cost lives.

The move also drew a rebuke from the head of the United Nations, who said the WHO was "absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against Covid-19".

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Trump turns against WHO to mask his own stark failings on Covid-19 crisis

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 06:29 PM PDT

Dishonest decision to pull funding from World Health Organization will endanger public health

Donald Trump's declared suspension of funding of the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic is confirmation – if any were needed – that he is in search of scapegoats for his administration's much delayed and chaotic response to the crisis.

The US is the WHO's biggest donor, with funding over $400m a year in both assessed contributions (membership fees) and donations – though it is actually $200m in arrears.

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Oil slides to 18-year low as Covid-19 recession fears hit markets - business live

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:50 AM PDT

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Opec supply cuts deal fails to prop up crude prices

Back in the UK, British banks have issued a total of 6,020 loans worth £1.1bn through the much-criticised coronavirus business interruption loan scheme.

New figures show the banks have doubled the number of approved applications in just the last week, after a slow start.

Here's more reaction to the slump in oil prices.

Economist Daniel McLaughlin says the markets are anticipating an even steeper recession (so even less demand for crude):

Oil keeps falling, WTI now back below €20, taking equities down as well. The IEA forecast 29mbd fall in April and 23mbd in q2. Consensus economic forecasts shifting to steeper near term plunge in global GDP but still expecting activity to rebound strongly, which may be wrong.

OIL: crash continues with a -2.8% smackdown towards $19 after President Pump and OPEC failed trump economic gravity pic.twitter.com/2nLdQ7P9BA

Global oil demand in April will drop to a level last seen 25 years ago. @IEA says that global crude oil storage is more than likely to fill up completely (~80% of capacity, which is typical maximum due to logistics) by June despite the OPEC+ production cuts | #OOTT

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China’s top official in Hong Kong pushes for national security law

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:59 AM PDT

Luo Huining says region's pro-democracy movement is threat to 'one country, two systems' principle

Beijing's top official in Hong Kong has called for controversial national security laws, shelved since 2003, to be urgently passed to combat radical violence, foreign interference and pro-independence forces in the region.

The comments, from the head of China's liaison office in Hong Kong, Luo Huining, come amid escalating accusations of overreach by Beijing into the city's legislative council and judiciary.

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'Like a spiral UFO': world's longest animal discovered in Australian waters

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:00 PM PDT

Along with up to 30 new marine species, scientists have found a 150-ft example of a siphonophore, a string-like deep-sea predator

Scientists exploring the deep sea off Australia's coast have discovered as many as 30 new marine species – and what may be the longest animal ever seen.

The discoveries were the result of expeditions into Western Australia's underwater canyons. One of the biggest discoveries was a siphonophore measuring an estimated 150 feet (46 metres). Siphonophores are deep-sea predators made up of many small clones that act together as one and spread out like a single long string in the water. Researchers think this particular siphonophore may be the longest yet found.

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Obama endorses Biden for president in attempt to unite Democratic party

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:43 AM PDT

Former president announces support for presumptive nominee, his former VP, in statement

Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden for president, casting his former vice-president as the experienced statesman and unifying leader that will be needed to confront the public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic that will probably be the defining issue of the 2020 presidential election.

Related: Stage set for Biden v Trump as Democrats seek return to Obama era

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Construction on HS2 can begin, government says

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:10 AM PDT

Formal notification says firms can start work as long as coronavirus safety guidelines are followed

Britain has given the green light for companies to start putting spades in the ground to build a new high speed rail line, saying work could proceed in line with coronavirus safety guidelines despite the national lockdown.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced in February that the line, known as HS2, which connects London to northern England, would go ahead.

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‘Designed for us to fail’: Floridians upset as unemployment system melts down

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 01:00 AM PDT

Officially 472,000 people in the state filed for unemployment – but the true number is much higher due to the failing system

Lynne Reback developed a rote routine while trying to file for unemployment in her home state of Florida: log into the system, watch the loading bar slowly inch across the screen, get kicked out. Then she would start over.

It took three days for Reback to get her application through Connect, Florida's online portal for unemployment insurance applications. Though it has been almost a month since her application was submitted, it is still "pending" whenever she checks its status.

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BAE Systems sold £15bn worth of arms to Saudis during Yemen assault

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:53 AM PDT

Campaigners also allege latest export values imply UK arms sales greater than government's declared figures

Britain's leading arms manufacturer BAE Systems sold £15bn worth of arms and services to the Saudi military during the last five years, the period covered by Riyadh's involvement in the deadly bombing campaign in the war in Yemen.

Figures taken from the company's most recent annual report and newly analysed by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) reveal the British arms maker generated £2.5bn in revenues from the Saudi military during the whole of 2019.

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Man believed to be Brazil’s biggest cocaine supplier arrested in Mozambique

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:16 AM PDT

Gilberto 'Fuminho' Aparecido dos Santos caught after more than 20 years on the run

One of Brazil's most wanted people, an alleged drug baron accused of running international cocaine operations for the country's biggest gang, has been arrested in Mozambique.

Gilberto "Fuminho" Aparecido dos Santos, believed to be the leader of the First Capital Command (PCC), was arrested in an international sting that included agents from Brazil, Mozambique and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Mozambican police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday.

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Ireland’s Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil close to forming coalition government

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:25 AM PDT

Party leaders agree to seek 'full and equal partnership' for five years and rotate taoiseach role

Ireland's ruling Fine Gael party and its longtime rival Fianna Fáil have moved closer to forming an unprecedented coalition government.

Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, and Micheál Martin, the Fianna Fáil leader, agreed on Tuesday to seek a "full and equal partnership" for five years, during which they would rotate the position of taoiseach. The pair will brief their parties on the details on Wednesday.

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Concerns over Polish government tightening abortion laws during Covid-19 crisis

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:07 AM PDT

With street protests now an impossibility, human rights groups fear that Poland's conservative government will push through 'dangerous legislation'

Poland's parliament will this week discuss a controversial proposal to tighten abortion laws in the country, as opposition politicians and women's rights groups warn that the country's conservative government may use the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic to push through the legislation.

Poland already has some of the strictest legislation in Europe on abortion, and previous attempts to tighten the laws further were abandoned after mass protests in 2016. The proposal comes from a citizen initiative, and it is unclear if the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will support it, but president Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has said he would sign the law if it reaches his desk.

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Amazon fires two employees who condemned treatment of warehouse workers

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 01:52 PM PDT

User experience designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa say they lost their jobs after circulating a petition about Covid-19 risks

Amazon has fired two employees after they publicly denounced the company's treatment of warehouse workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The user experience designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa said on Tuesday they had been fired after internally circulating a petition about health risks for Amazon warehouse workers during the Covid-19 crisis. Costa had worked at the company for more than 15 years and Cunningham had been an employee for more than five.

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Self-isolating animals: eight species that have mastered social distancing

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:00 PM PDT

WWF has compiled a list of animal species whose social behaviours make them self-isolation experts. Humans are social beings: we rarely go a day without some form of interaction – either in the workplace, at the shops or at home. The coronavirus crisis is forcing people around the world to spend more time than ever alone, prompting many to rely on digital communication to connect to loved ones.

For many species in the animal kingdom, however, self-isolation is not a new concept. It's in their instinct. From land mammals to ocean species, many choose to live in solitude outside of essential activity: to eat and to breed

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‘Will we die of hunger?’: how Covid-19 lockdowns imperil street children

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:00 PM PDT

For millions of young people, coronavirus restrictions have made access to food, water and shelter even more precarious

Timothy, a teenager on the streets of Mombasa, wonders how he will eat. "Rich people can stay home … because they have a store well stocked with food," he says. "For a survivor on the street your store is your stomach."

However, says another, if the rumours are true and street children are arrested in the city during the Covid-19 crisis, he'd be happy to go to Shimo women's prison, because there "you are sure to get free food, shelter and medical services".

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Music can boost your productivity while working from home – here's how

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:30 AM PDT

Music has been shown to improve both productivity and cognitive performance, especially in adults

If you're attempting to work from home, a conundrum has likely presented itself: how can you get anything done in a distracting environment amid unsettled times?

Your streaming service or record collection may hold the answer. Beyond providing background noise, music has been shown to improve both productivity and cognitive performance, especially in adults. Listening to music can help people manage anxiety, become motivated, and stay productive. You just need to know how to make the right playlist.

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Trudeau warns Canada's coronavirus shutdown likely to remain for weeks

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:52 AM PDT

Prime minister said 'we're going to have to remain vigilant' until vaccine is found as infections climb across the country

Justin Trudeau has warned that Canada's economic shutdown is likely to remain in place for weeks, as coronavirus infections continue to climb across the country.

"I know people are interested in when things will go back to normal. The reality is, it's going to be weeks still," the prime minister said on Tuesday. "It is going to be important to get our economy going – but we're going to have to remain vigilant until such a time as a vaccine is found."

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Australia coronavirus live news: Morrison rules out pay cuts for ministers or senior public servants – latest updates

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 02:43 AM PDT

South Australia launches coronavirus testing blitz; federal and state disagreement about students attending school. Follow all the latest news, live

We showed you some video earlier of a 94-year-old woman leaving the Austin hospital in Melbourne after recovering from coronavirus.

AAP has some more on that story:

My colleague Naaman Zhou has a new story about Rita Wilson.

Wilson has given an interview with the American TV channel CBS in which she says she experienced "extreme side effects" after being treated with the experimental Covid-19 drug chloroquine in an Australian hospital.

Related: Rita Wilson tells of 'extreme side effects' of experimental Covid-19 drug chloroquine

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Deep inequalities of social distancing in South Africa – in pictures

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:00 PM PDT

In densely populated townships and cities, the army and police have been patrolling the streets to enforce strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus

All photographs by Jérôme Delay for AP

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Food rations to 1.4 million refugees cut in Uganda due to funding shortfall

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 07:54 AM PDT

World Food Programme announce 30% relief reduction, as farms and businesses shut in Covid-19 lockdown, fuelling hunger fears

Food rations have been cut to more than 1.4 million vulnerable refugees in Uganda by the World Food Programme (WFP) because of insufficient funds.

Announcing a 30% reduction to the relief food it distributes to refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from neighbouring South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, the WFP in Uganda warned that further cuts could follow.

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Republicans tried to suppress the vote in Wisconsin. It backfired

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:42 AM PDT

Wisconsin Republicans lost a state supreme court race on Monday after pushing to hold an election amid the Covid-19 pandemic

In the end, it wasn't even close.

Less than a week after forcing Wisconsin voters to risk their health and go to the polls, Wisconsin Republicans suffered a stunning defeat on Monday night.

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'I feel fear and guilt': an NHS junior doctor on the effect of getting Covid-19

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 04:41 AM PDT

Rosie Hughes has tested positive for the coronavirus that has killed so many of her patients

I am a junior doctor. In the past few weeks I have seen dozens of people die from Covid-19. I am 25 years old. I've been working in the NHS for just over eight months at a major metropolitan hospital. When my colleagues and I decided to apply for medical school six years ago, we knew that we were signing up for a challenge. We were under no illusion that it would be an easy ride. But I don't think any of us imagined that we would be on the frontline of a pandemic less than a year into our careers.

I have cared for patients from admission until death and I have held their hands when they have been too breathless to speak. I have fought hard for a patient to be considered for ventilation despite knowing that they didn't meet the criteria. I stayed with them after my shift had ended, gowned and gloved, and watched them take their last breaths, knowing that a few months ago they might have stood a chance. I ring families to tell them that their loved one who came into hospital for something totally unrelated now has coronavirus and will not survive.

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Giving thanks for healthcare workers around the world – in pictures

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 12:38 AM PDT

Communities find bold ways to thank healthcare workers during the coronavirus crisis

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'It’s about leadership’: Ardern takes 20% pay cut over coronavirus – video

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:10 PM PDT

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she and her ministers along with public service CEOs will take a 20% pay cut for six months. 'If there was ever a time to close the gap between different positions, it's now,' Ardern said during a coronavirus press update. She said the the move was to acknowledge New Zealanders who have lost jobs, taken pay cuts or who were reliant on wage subsidies during the Covid-19 outbreak. 'And while it in itself won't shift the government's overall fiscal position, it is about leadership', she said. The pay cut will not affect frontline public-sector workers such as nurses, police and health care professionals.


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Trump spoiling for a fight over reopening economy, says Cuomo - video

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 12:06 PM PDT

The New York governor has brushed off Donald Trump's claim that the president has the ultimate say on when and how to reopen the economy. Andrew Cuomo says Trump's assertion is inaccurate and unconstitutional, adding: 'There are many things you can debate in the constitution because they are ambiguous. This is not one of those things that is ambiguous.'

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Barack Obama endorses Joe Biden for president – video

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 10:29 AM PDT

Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden for president, coming off the electoral sidelines to help unite the Democratic party before what will almost certainly be a historically divisive election campaign

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The coronavirus 'propaganda' video Trump played to media

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 04:12 AM PDT

Donald Trump has used a press briefing on coronavirus to play a propaganda-like video praising his record on the pandemic. Prior to playing the video, which comprised clips from his preferred network, Fox News, the president said: 'Most importantly, we're going to get back on to the reason we're here, which is the success we're having.'

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Can you get coronavirus twice? – video explainer

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 03:52 AM PDT

A serious concern since the emergence of Covid-19 has been whether those who have had it can get it a second time – and what that means for exiting this crisis.

The Guardian's science correspondent, Hannah Devlin, looks at how our bodies fight coronavirus when infected, how we develop immunity and if we can get reinfected with Covid-19

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