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- Coronavirus live news: confirmed Russian cases pass China's total; Afghanistan records biggest one-day rise in cases
- Wuhan discharges all coronavirus patients as Beijing takes steps to stop second wave
- NHS warns of rise in children with new illness that may be linked to coronavirus
- UK said to be studying Czech exit plan where shops now reopening
- Kim Jong-un is 'alive and well', says South Korea's security adviser
- Stock markets rally as some countries prepare to ease Covid-19 lockdowns - business live
- Per Olov Enquist, celebrated Swedish author, dies aged 85
- Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for crimes committed by minors
- F1 plans Austrian Grand Prix to start season with races behind closed doors
- China fails to stop racism against Africans over Covid-19
- Airbus warns it is 'bleeding cash' and may need more job cuts
- Bangladesh urged to open ports to allow in Rohingya refugee boats
- Hungary prepares to end legal recognition of trans people
- How to avoid Amazon: the definitive guide to online shopping – without the retail titan
- 'Horrendous': Welsh residents endure lockdown in flood-hit homes
- Moscow's motives questioned over coronavirus aid shipment to Italy
- First Thing: get ready for a long summer on lockdown
- No evidence doctored documents Angus Taylor used to attack council existed on website, NSW police say
- A rise in deaths from preventable diseases must not be part of Covid-19's legacy
- Pandemic jeopardises support for world's poor as charities lose millions
- The key areas to look at in easing the UK coronavirus lockdown
- The state we're in: will the pandemic revolutionise the role of government?
- No 10 advisers at Sage meetings: key questions that need answering
- Boris Johnson: second Covid-19 peak will be disaster if lockdown lifted too early – video
- Running free: Spanish children released from lockdown - in pictures
- Coronavirus: furloughed staff could pick fruit in June, says UK minister – video
- Stuntmen, Rolling Stones and Capt Tom at No1: the week's most uplifting clips – video
- Coronavirus: dozens arrested in Berlin protesting against lockdown – video
| Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:51 AM PDT Iran reports 96 more deaths; Spain's death toll shows slight rise; Germany calls for 'very careful' easing of lockdown; New Zealand says 'worst is over'
The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be followed by even more deadly and destructive disease outbreaks unless their root cause – the rampant destruction of the natural world – is rapidly halted, the world's leading biodiversity experts have warned, writes Damian Carrington, the Guardian's environment editor. In an article, they write: There is a single species responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic – us. Recent pandemics are a direct consequence of human activity, particularly our global financial and economic systems that prize economic growth at any cost. We have a small window of opportunity, in overcoming the challenges of the current crisis, to avoid sowing the seeds of future ones. Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a 'perfect storm' for the spillover of diseases. Related: Halt destruction of nature or suffer even worse pandemics, say world's top scientists
Contrary to information in a graphic posted earlier on the blog, the Netherlands has put forward plans to begin an easing of its lockdown – and they are proving controversial. Primary schools and daycare centres are due to reopen in the country in early May, prime minister Mark Rutte announced last week, although class sizes may be cut to accommodate health guidelines, NLTimes reported. It's a common sentiment among the general public that we should 'put a stop to it now!' But that is not really the goal here. We just want to make sure it spreads in a gradual way, so to speak, while keeping the risk to public health the healthcare system as low as possible. But we do not want to halt it completely, because in that case we would have had to opt for a complete lockdown. Hello, world. Here is the Dutch #COVID19 approach. Primary schools in The Netherlands are about to be gradually reopened with the explicit intent of allowing the virus to infect the populace, albeit 'gradually'. Please share. pic.twitter.com/jyHpqk0Wcb Continue reading... |
| Wuhan discharges all coronavirus patients as Beijing takes steps to stop second wave Posted: 26 Apr 2020 10:28 PM PDT No new patients in city at centre of pandemic but fears over new infections persist The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic began, has discharged all of its coronavirus patients, as the nation reported only three new cases and no new deaths. According to the National Health Commission, as of Sunday the number of new coronavirus patients in Wuhan was at zero. "Thanks to the joint efforts of Wuhan and medical staff from around the country," said a spokesman for the commission, Mi Feng. Continue reading... |
| NHS warns of rise in children with new illness that may be linked to coronavirus Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:35 AM PDT Doctors alerted to possibly fatal syndrome, which gives the small number of sufferers stomach pain and inflamed heart Children are falling ill with a new and potentially fatal combination of symptoms apparently linked to Covid-19, including a sore stomach and heart problems, it emerged today. The children affected, who have been seen in London and other parts of the UK in recent weeks, appear to have been struck by a form of toxic shock syndrome. Continue reading... |
| UK said to be studying Czech exit plan where shops now reopening Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:17 AM PDT Country eases coronavirus measures after quick response helped it limit cases to 7,400 Many shops outside shopping malls are reopening in the Czech Republic after the government brought forward its five-stage lockdown exit plan, amid reports that the British government is closely watching the country's back-to-business strategy. Under increasing pressure to lift parts of the UK's lockdown and limit the damage to the economy, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is understood to be studying the Czech Republic's approach to lifting the tight restrictions it imposed earlier than most countries further west, which have helped it limit cases to 7,400, with just 221 deaths. Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-un is 'alive and well', says South Korea's security adviser Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:13 PM PDT Moon Chung-in quashes health rumours, saying North Korean leader has been in Wonsan – a resort town in the country's east – since 13 April South Korea has said that Kim Jong-un, is "alive and well", downplaying rumours that that the North Korean leader was seriously ill after undergoing heart surgery. "Our government position is firm," Moon Chung-in, a special adviser on national security to the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong-un is alive and well." Continue reading... |
| Stock markets rally as some countries prepare to ease Covid-19 lockdowns - business live Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:32 AM PDT Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
French manufacturer Airbus isn't sharing today's optimism. The aerospace giant has warned its 135,000 employees that it may not survive the coronavirus lockdown unless it takes immediate action . "The survival of Airbus is in question if we don't act now." Related: Airbus warns it is 'bleeding cash' and may need more job cuts
After a risk-on morning, Europe's stock markets are all holding their gains. Investors are shrugging off the record surge in French unemployment, and Boris Johnson's caution about lifting the UK's lockdown. "Markets usually stop panicking when policy makers start to. Stocks recovered about half of their losses after massive fiscal and monetary easing was announced. With sentiment back to neutral, the outlook from here depends on the uncertain path back to normality. Continue reading... |
| Per Olov Enquist, celebrated Swedish author, dies aged 85 Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:37 AM PDT Much garlanded novelist, playwright, poet and Oscar-winning screenwriter hailed as 'a giant among European writers' Swedish author Per Olov Enquist, described as "a giant among European writers" by his publisher, has died at the age of 85. The author's family told Swedish media that he died on Saturday night after a long illness. The much-celebrated novelist, playwright and poet, known by his initials PO, was winner of the Nordic Council's literary prize and the Swedish Academy's Nordic prize. His historical novel The Visit of the Royal Physician – set in the adulterous, backstabbing world of the 18th-century Danish courts, where the mad king Christian VII's queen, the English princess Caroline Mathilde, falls in love with the court physician – won him the August prize, Sweden's most prestigious literary award after the Nobel. It also made him the only Swedish author to take the Independent foreign fiction prize, the precursor to the International Booker, in 2001. Continue reading... |
| Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for crimes committed by minors Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:03 PM PDT Kingdom has one of the world's highest rates of execution and rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials Saudi Arabia has ended the death penalty for crimes committed by minors after effectively abolishing floggings, as the kingdom seeks to blunt criticism over its human rights record. The death penalty was eliminated for those convicted of crimes committed while they were minors, Human Rights Commission president Awwad Alawwad said in a statement, citing a royal decree. Continue reading... |
| F1 plans Austrian Grand Prix to start season with races behind closed doors Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:17 AM PDT
Formula One plans to start the season in Austria on 5 July and stage between 15 and 18 grands prix this year with the opening races behind closed doors. The announcement came immediately after the French Grand Prix was cancelled and the news the British Grand Prix will be held without spectators if it goes ahead. Continue reading... |
| China fails to stop racism against Africans over Covid-19 Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:33 AM PDT African people sleeping on streets after evictions and prevented from entering shops African people continue to be barred from hotels, shops and restaurants in Guangzhou, despite Chinese officials assuring governments across Africa that discrimination resulting from efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak would stop. Racist discrimination in Guangzhou earlier this month caused outrage in Africa, provoking rare official protests to China by several countries. Continue reading... |
| Airbus warns it is 'bleeding cash' and may need more job cuts Posted: 27 Apr 2020 12:30 AM PDT Plane maker's staff told it needs to take immediate action to survive coronavirus lockdown Airbus has warned its 135,000 employees that it may not survive the coronavirus lockdown unless it takes immediate action that may involve deeper job cuts. Its chief executive, Guillaume Faury, told staff in a letter on Friday that the plane maker was "bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed", and was considering all options as it waited to see how badly demand would be affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Continue reading... |
| Bangladesh urged to open ports to allow in Rohingya refugee boats Posted: 27 Apr 2020 12:34 AM PDT More than 500 stranded on trawlers in what UN calls 'human tragedy of terrible proportions' The Bangladeshi government has been urged to open its ports and allow two boats carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees to come ashore so they can be given urgent medical care, food and water. It is believed more than 500 people, including children, are onboard the stranded trawlers, which were recently seen in the Bay of Bengal but have reportedly returned to the high seas. Continue reading... |
| Hungary prepares to end legal recognition of trans people Posted: 26 Apr 2020 03:57 AM PDT Trans people fear more discrimination as Orbán pushes through law defining gender based on 'sex at birth' Hungary's rightwing government looks likely to push through legislation that will end the legal recognition of trans people by defining gender as "biological sex based on primary sex characteristics and chromosomes" and thus making it impossible for people to legally change their gender. Trans people and rights activists say the law, which has been introduced into parliament as attention is focused on the coronavirus pandemic, will increase discrimination and intolerance towards trans people. Many will try to leave the country, while those who do not have that chance will face daily humiliations. Continue reading... |
| How to avoid Amazon: the definitive guide to online shopping – without the retail titan Posted: 27 Apr 2020 03:30 AM PDT Amazon's sales have hit £8,800 a second, while concerns persist about its tax affairs, treatment of staff and effect on small retailers. Here's how to buy everything from technology to beauty to books without it With the shutters down on high streets and retail parks around the world, meaning that home delivery is the only option for almost anything other than food and medicine, it's no surprise that Amazon is seeing business boom. The online retailer, already a one-stop shop for many people, has seen customers flock through its virtual doors in the weeks since coronavirus hit. The site is experiencing an extended period of sales at the level usually reserved for the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, with reported surges reaching $11,000 (£8,800) a second. Its share price is booming, too, making its already rich founder, Jeff Bezos, even richer. Continue reading... |
| 'Horrendous': Welsh residents endure lockdown in flood-hit homes Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:54 AM PDT Two months after storms battered south Wales, many are trapped in damp and damaged homes Back in February, the residents of Lewis Street in the village of Pentre, in the Rhondda Valley, were battling flooding as a series of storms battered south Wales. Two months on, many of them are enduring the trauma of being locked down in homes that are still damp and damaged. Continue reading... |
| Moscow's motives questioned over coronavirus aid shipment to Italy Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:50 AM PDT 'From Russia with love' package including doctors and PPE criticised as propaganda to exploit cracks in EU A Russian aid shipment sent to Italy in late March as it struggled to contain the coronavirus outbreak has raised questions about the Kremlin's motives amid cracks in EU solidarity. Related: Inside the Bergamo hospital where Russia has planted a flag Continue reading... |
| First Thing: get ready for a long summer on lockdown Posted: 27 Apr 2020 04:03 AM PDT New Zealand easing Covid-19 restrictions, but Deborah Birx says Americans can expect social distancing measures for months to come. Plus, awkward scenes with the creator of Sex Education Good morning. New Zealand has "won the battle" against widespread, undetected community transmission of the coronavirus, said the country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, who announced the lifting of some lockdown measures on Monday after just one death and one new confirmed case of Covid-19 was recorded in the preceding 24 hours. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:49 AM PDT NSW police also say they asked to interview energy minister, but all questions were answered by his lawyers New South Wales police says it found no evidence that the document Angus Taylor's office used to attack City of Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore ever existed on the council's website, casting renewed doubt on the minister's explanation. Taylor has repeatedly insisted that the false document he used to wrongly attack Moore for her travel-related emissions was downloaded from the council's own website. Continue reading... |
| A rise in deaths from preventable diseases must not be part of Covid-19's legacy Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:00 AM PDT The world may be faced with a new foe, but old ones lie in wait if lockdowns disrupt existing vaccination programmes In The Conjurer, a 16th-century painting by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, a spectator stands in rapt attention as a magic trick is performed. He bends forward, wholly absorbed by the spectacle, blissfully unaware of the man behind him casually picking his pocket. As we mark World Immunisation Week 2020, all eyes are on Covid-19. Across the globe, researchers have responded with remarkable speed and ingenuity. More than 100 vaccine candidates are in development, and several human clinical trials have begun. Though significant hurdles lie ahead, we can be optimistic that a vaccine will emerge from the fray. Continue reading... |
| Pandemic jeopardises support for world's poor as charities lose millions Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:00 PM PDT British government urged to plug shortfall as Oxfam and Christian Aid reveal huge financial impact of Covid-19 outbreak Charities are calling on the UK government for greater support as they report the loss of millions of pounds as a result of Covid-19. Oxfam said it is losing £5m a month from the closure of its shops alone, while Christian Aid last week said it expected a £6m drop in its funds this financial year. Others said they were still calculating the impact. Continue reading... |
| The key areas to look at in easing the UK coronavirus lockdown Posted: 26 Apr 2020 04:01 PM PDT From schools to shops, with jobs at risk, the government must balance the interests of economy and public safety As the prime minister, Boris Johnson, heads back to Downing Street, he faces calls from Labour to be clearer about how Britain might start lifting the coronavirus lockdown, now entering its fifth week. On Sunday, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, Dominic Raab, warned the outbreak remained at a "delicate and dangerous" stage and said it was irresponsible to speculate about steps to modify the rules underpinning government's "stay home, protect the NHS, save lives" strategy. More than 20,000 people have died from Covid-19 in NHS hospitals and thousands more in care homes. But there are growing concerns about the economic impact of lockdown. Gerard Lyons, Johnson's economics adviser when he was London mayor, warned on Sunday the UK could be the hardest-hit western economy if it does not unlock soon. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, also called on ministers to start talking to teachers, businesses, trade unions and town hall leaders and open "honest conversations with the public about what new arrangements might look like". Unions insist worker safety must not be compromised by any changes and questions remain about public appetite for risking a new peak of contagion, but plans to modify restrictions are starting to emerge. Continue reading... |
| The state we're in: will the pandemic revolutionise the role of government? Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT The state has been in retreat since the 80s heyday of Reagan and Thatcher but that could change as coronavirus delivers a shock to the system of historic proportions Ronald Reagan's 1986 wisecrack – "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help" – would not get a lot of laughs today. In much of the world, people are desperate for the government to show up and rise to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. Reagan's attitude to government solidified into orthodoxy for more than three decades, spreading abroad – particularly in the UK with the help of Margaret Thatcher – and captured the centre ground of politics in both countries. Continue reading... |
| No 10 advisers at Sage meetings: key questions that need answering Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT How and why Ben Warner and Dominic Cummings contributed to Covid-19 meetings is unclear
The government has not disputed that this is the first time Downing Street political advisers have attended Sage meetings and asked questions at them. No 10 argues that the unprecedented scale of the coronavirus pandemic made it necessary. However, the government's policies say scientific committees such as Sage should be politically neutral. Sage meetings are chaired by the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. However, a government spokesperson said Vallance "would not have to sign off" on observers or representatives from government departments. So who decided they should attend, and why and when was the decision made? Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson: second Covid-19 peak will be disaster if lockdown lifted too early – video Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:38 AM PDT Boris Johnson says there are real signs the UK is 'passing through the peak' during his first public statement since recovering from coronavirus. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, the prime minister says the lockdown should only be eased when the government is confident there will be no second peak |
| Running free: Spanish children released from lockdown - in pictures Posted: 27 Apr 2020 02:03 AM PDT After 45 days at home, children in Spain up to the age of 13 are allowed to leave their homes for an hour a day. With around 220,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 20,000 reported deaths the country has one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus: furloughed staff could pick fruit in June, says UK minister – video Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:31 AM PDT Environment secretary George Eustice said that furloughed staff could help with picking fruit in June when the British soft fruit season is at its peak. Eustice said that only around a third of the usual workforce is currently available, as the industry relies on migrant workers. He also said it was too early to talk about easing the lockdown during the UK government briefing, as daily hospital deaths fell to 413, the lowest daily number since March. Continue reading... |
| Stuntmen, Rolling Stones and Capt Tom at No1: the week's most uplifting clips – video Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:40 AM PDT With much of the world still in lockdown owing to coronavirus, people are finding new ways to keep each others' spirits up. From Captain Tom Moore becoming the oldest person to score a UK No 1 with his cover of You'll Never Walk Alone to small acts of kindness from the police, these are the week's most uplifting clips. Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus: dozens arrested in Berlin protesting against lockdown – video Posted: 26 Apr 2020 06:51 AM PDT Dozens of protesters were arrested in Berlin on Saturday for flouting lockdown rules and staging a demonstration against lockdown measures. About 200 people were involved in the protest, which was shut down by German police. Demonstrators said lockdown measures are an infringement of their constitutional rights
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