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- 'They've jumped the gun': scientists worry about Russia's Covid-19 vaccine
- 'Like a prison sentence': the couples separated by Covid-19
- Canberra residents stuck at NSW-Victoria border given four days to travel home to ACT
- 'Good day for our country': Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick
- Belarus protests: more than 6,000 arrested, says interior ministry
- Coronavirus live news: Auckland back in lockdown; Paris marathon cancelled as cases rise
- Covid-19: UK economy plunges into deepest recession since records began
- QAnon supporter denounced for racism wins Georgia Republican primary
- Thailand protesters 'cross the Rubicon' and risk all to criticise the monarchy
- Hero's welcome for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai after release on bail
- European banks urged to stop funding oil trade in Amazon
- Stonehaven: reports of serious injuries after train derails in Aberdeenshire
- Japan PM sparks anger with near-identical speeches in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Social media users inspire outrage against Egypt's alleged sexual abusers
- 'Could I feel what they were doing? Yes': Rob Delaney on the pain and pleasure of his vasectomy
- School exams and Covid: what could the UK have learned from EU?
- 'Entire families are arriving at our shores': Covid drives Tunisian exodus
- Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate – US politics live
- Brazil's black trans musicians: 'When we join forces, we're dangerous!'
- Disability care agency banned after degrading death of Adelaide woman Ann Marie Smith
- Polio vaccinations resume in Pakistan and Afghanistan after Covid-19 delays
- In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden may have found the anti-Trump
- England's contact-tracing saga is at the heart of the government's failures
- If ever there was a moment for change in Lebanon, this must surely be it
- Five 'safe and legal' asylum alternatives to cut Channel crossings
- Idaho goat 'Mr Mayhem' becomes unlikely paddleboarder – video
- New Zealand crashes back into Covid-19 reality after first cases in 102 days – in pictures
- Kamala Harris: memorable moments from Joe Biden's VP pick – video
- Lebanon: vigil and protests mark one week since devastating Beirut blast – video report
- Russia approves Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine despite testing safety concerns – video
- Ardern changes Auckland Covid-19 rules as New Zealand records first local cases in 102 days – video
- 'No life is a good price': Belarus opposition leader posts video from Lithuania – video
| 'They've jumped the gun': scientists worry about Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:04 AM PDT Rising chorus of concern over Sputnik V vaccine stems from opaque development and lack of mass testing In 1977, Scott Halstead, a virologist at the University of Hawaii, was studying dengue fever when he noticed a now well-known but then unexpected feature of the disease. Animals that had already been exposed to one of the four closely related viruses that cause dengue and produced antibodies to it, far from being protected against other versions, became sicker when infected a second time, and it was the antibodies produced by the first infection that were responsible, allowing the second infection to hitchhike into the body. Continue reading... |
| 'Like a prison sentence': the couples separated by Covid-19 Posted: 11 Aug 2020 09:00 PM PDT A campaign has highlighted plight of unmarried couples from different countries parted for months Sarah flew home to Germany in April, leaving her boyfriend, Fares, behind in Jordan, unsure when they might see each other again. "She thought it might take a couple of months," Fares said. Inside, he was steeling himself for as long as six months apart, although "I didn't tell her that," he says. Continue reading... |
| Canberra residents stuck at NSW-Victoria border given four days to travel home to ACT Posted: 11 Aug 2020 06:28 PM PDT New South Wales relents on decision to prevent Canberrans transiting through the state after six-day standoff
Canberrans stuck at the Victorian border have been given four days to return home, after New South Wales relented on its decision to prevent them transiting through the state. The New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard said a resolution had been reached on Wednesday, and that drivers must take a direct route and only travel between 9am and 3pm. Continue reading... |
| 'Good day for our country': Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:15 PM PDT Party leaders and progressive groups appear largely united behind Joe Biden's choice of running mate Democrats from all corners of the party appeared largely united behind Joe Biden's selection of the California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday. The responses came almost immediately after Biden unveiled Harris as his choice for the vice presidential nominee, less than a week before the Democratic national convention, where Biden will be formally nominated as the presidential candidate for his party. Continue reading... |
| Belarus protests: more than 6,000 arrested, says interior ministry Posted: 12 Aug 2020 04:00 AM PDT Opposition leaders jailed or driven out of country amid crackdown on protests over election results Authorities in Belarus say they have arrested more than 6,000 people during three nights of violently suppressed demonstrations against vote-rigging in Sunday's disputed presidential election, as more footage and accounts emerged of police beating and violently detaining protesters. Opposition leaders have been jailed and driven out of the country in a massive crackdown following the election, which the election commission said was won in a landslide by President Alexander Lukashenko. Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus live news: Auckland back in lockdown; Paris marathon cancelled as cases rise Posted: 12 Aug 2020 06:38 AM PDT France cancels marathon as cases pick up; WHO warns displacement of people in Beirut risks accelerating spread; four new cases in Auckland
Tourism giant TUI and the German government have agreed to a second massive aid package, in a sign of how the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are still battering the industry. The Hanover-based company agreed to a €1.2bn ($1.4bn) package with German public lender KfW, intended to bolster the firm through its winter 2020/21 season.
The grandmother of Brazil's first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, has reportedly died of Covid-19. Despite the huge number of deaths - the second highest toll after the US - Bolsonaro has been criticised for failing to offer words of comfort to the families of victims. |
| Covid-19: UK economy plunges into deepest recession since records began Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:06 PM PDT GDP falls 20.4% – the worst of any G7 nation in the three months to June
Britain has entered the deepest recession since records began as official figures on Wednesday showed the economy shrank by more than any other major nation during the coronavirus outbreak in the three months to June. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic prosperity, fell in the second quarter by 20.4% compared with the previous three months – the biggest quarterly decline since comparable records began in 1955. Continue reading... |
| QAnon supporter denounced for racism wins Georgia Republican primary Posted: 11 Aug 2020 07:43 PM PDT Videos have shown congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene voicing racist, antisemitic and Islamophobic views Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed racist views and support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th congressional district. Greene beat the neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in north-west Georgia, despite several Republican officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expressed racist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim views. Continue reading... |
| Thailand protesters 'cross the Rubicon' and risk all to criticise the monarchy Posted: 11 Aug 2020 08:46 PM PDT Anger has been building since 2014 coup in which prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power, with students now holding rallies almost daily Thai protesters have broken a long-standing taboo, risking lengthy jail terms to criticise the king, after weeks of student-led pro-democracy rallies that have swept across the country. Over recent weeks, high school and university students have targeted the government of prime minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, calling for its dissolution and for democratic reforms. Now, some protesters have begun openly criticising the country's wealthy and powerful monarchy. Continue reading... |
| Hero's welcome for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai after release on bail Posted: 12 Aug 2020 02:31 AM PDT Apple Daily founder and pro-democracy activist returns to office following arrest under national security law The Hong Kong pro-democracy figure and media mogul Jimmy Lai received a hero's welcome as he returned to his newspaper after being arrested on allegations of foreign collusion, while Chinese state media labelled him a "genuine traitor". Lai, his sons, senior executives from his Next Digital media company and others including the activist Agnes Chow were detained under Beijing's national security law on Monday. Hundreds of police officers also raided the offices and newsroom of Apple Daily, the popular tabloid Lai founded, in a move decried as an assault on press freedom. Continue reading... |
| European banks urged to stop funding oil trade in Amazon Posted: 12 Aug 2020 12:01 AM PDT Indigenous people in headwaters region say financing harms communities and ecosystems Indigenous people living at the headwaters of the Amazon have called on European banks to stop financing oil development in the region, as it poses a threat to them and damages a fragile ecosystem, after a new report found $10bn in previously undisclosed funding for oil in the region. The headwaters of the Amazon in Ecuador and Peru are home to more than 500,000 indigenous people, including some who choose to live in voluntary isolation. The area, covering about 30m hectares (74m acres), hosts a diverse rainforest ecosystem, but it is threatened by the expansion of oil drilling. Continue reading... |
| Stonehaven: reports of serious injuries after train derails in Aberdeenshire Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:41 AM PDT Smoke seen billowing from track near flood-hit town amid reports of an engine fire Emergency services have been called to a major train derailment near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, where smoke could be seen billowing from the track amid reports of an engine fire and serious injuries. Four passenger carriages came off the track at Carmont, just west of Stonehaven, as a Scotrail high-speed train travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street. Continue reading... |
| Japan PM sparks anger with near-identical speeches in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:26 PM PDT 'It's the same every year. He talks gibberish and leaves,' says one survivor after plagiarism app detects 93% match in speeches given days apart Survivors of the atomic bombings of 75 years ago have accused Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, of making light of their concerns after he delivered two near-identical speeches to mark the anniversaries of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A plagiarism detection app found that Abe's speech in Nagasaki on Sunday duplicated 93% of a speech he had given in Hiroshima three days earlier, the Mainichi Shimbun reported. Continue reading... |
| Social media users inspire outrage against Egypt's alleged sexual abusers Posted: 11 Aug 2020 09:00 PM PDT Survivors who say alleged assailants go unpunished have begun publicly shaming them online Egypt is witnessing a wave of online outrage targeting rape culture and sexual assault, as survivors use social media to shame alleged abusers and demand change. A growing number of social media accounts gather survivors' testimony and attempt to shame alleged attackers, angry at elite perpetrators they say routinely go unpunished. Continue reading... |
| 'Could I feel what they were doing? Yes': Rob Delaney on the pain and pleasure of his vasectomy Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT The actor and comedian decided it was time to have the procedure after he and his wife had had four children. Here he writes candidly about the experience, and why it was the kindest cut I got a vasectomy a few months ago. A vasectomy is when they cut and tie off the vas deferens, which are these little tubes in your ball sack (scrotum) so that there's no sperm (sperm) in your jizz (semen) when you bust (ejaculate). I did this because my wife and I don't want her to get pregnant again. It doesn't mean we don't want any more kids, it just means that if we did have any more, they'd have to be adopted or stolen or left to us because friends or family with young kids died in a plane crash or had their brain stems blown apart by less-lethal rounds fired at them at point-blank range while they were waiting in an 11-hour line attempting to vote in November. I figured after all my wife, Leah, and her body had done for our family, the least I could do was let a doctor slice into my bag and sterilise me. Leah had taken birth control for decades, which is a giant pain in the ass and also decidedly sexist pharmacological slavery. IMAGINE a man having to remember to not only take a pill every day, but also having to deal with employer-provided private insurance prescription plans in the US which drop you or sell your plan to another company without telling you, among other crimes. And messing up once could land you with – for example – an ectopic pregnancy that isn't diagnosed soon enough because you're afraid to go to the doctor due to your high deductible, so you literally die and are dead, in a cemetery. I think I speak for my bros when I say: "No thanks!" Continue reading... |
| School exams and Covid: what could the UK have learned from EU? Posted: 12 Aug 2020 05:54 AM PDT Amid the coronavirus crisis, most countries avoided the rows and recriminations experienced in Britain School leaving exams were cancelled, postponed or adapted because of the coronavirus crisis in countries across Europe, but most have avoided the rows, recriminations and abrupt about-turns experienced in the UK. In a few countries, school-leaver exams were maintained or only slightly delayed. Germany's 16 states, which decide education policy, were initially divided over whether the Abitur exams that are required in order to be accepted for university should go ahead. Continue reading... |
| 'Entire families are arriving at our shores': Covid drives Tunisian exodus Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:15 PM PDT Italy is facing an influx of people trafficked on fishing boats, desperate to escape Tunisia's deepening economic crisis Unsurprisingly for a coastal town perched upon Tunisia's border with Libya, it's hot when Ahmed climbs into the back of the car outside the petrol station in Zarzis. It's clear from the outset he feels uncomfortable talking to a journalist. Nevertheless, he's here. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate – US politics live Posted: 12 Aug 2020 06:43 AM PDT
Good day, I'm Kenya Evelyn taking over for the live blog and today is all about reactions to Biden's historic nomination of California Senator Kamala Harris for vice president. We'll have all the latest as reactions pour in, including deep dives on her background and policy initiatives and input from those who've known her during childhood.
Kamala Harris has just posted her first campaign video since being named as Joe Biden's VP pick. It features a deeply personal story about how her mum inspired her decision to become a lawyer and then a politician – and includes a direct attack on Donald Trump. In the video, Harris says: I was raised to take action. My mother knew that she was raising two black daughters who would be treated differently because of how they looked. Growing up, whenever I got upset about something my mother would look me in the eye and ask: So what are you going to do about it? Right now, America needs action. In the middle of a pandemic, the president is trying to rip away healthcare. While small businesses close, he's given breaks to as wealthy donors. And when the people cried out for support, he tear gassed them. We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. But together, it's a battle we can win.@JoeBiden—I'm ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/3PJcUTYBGU Continue reading... |
| Brazil's black trans musicians: 'When we join forces, we're dangerous!' Posted: 12 Aug 2020 02:30 AM PDT Informed by baile funk, metal and more, Linn da Quebrada and Jup do Bairro – with producer Badsista – are dodging racism, transphobia and music industry resistance to tell their own stories Jup do Bairro and Linn da Quebrada first met at a festival in São Paulo through mutual friends. It didn't go well, Jup says while we wait for Linn to join our Zoom call. "I looked at her and joked: Is it Linn for linda?", meaning beautiful in Portuguese. "I remember she rolled her eyes and I thought: Yikes, game over!" But the two musicians kept running into each other. "Linn often performed at the same parties I was invited to and since we both lived far from the city centre, we'd always wait for the bus together," Jup says. In the end, they became close friends and eventually musical partners. Continue reading... |
| Disability care agency banned after degrading death of Adelaide woman Ann Marie Smith Posted: 12 Aug 2020 03:26 AM PDT NDIS quality commission says Integrity Care SA is being banned for a number of contraventions following an investigation into the 'appalling circumstances' of Smith's death The disability care provider for an Adelaide woman with cerebral palsy who died in "disgusting and degrading" conditions earlier this year has been banned from operating under the NDIS. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on Wednesday announced it was revoking the registration of the company responsible for caring for 54-year-old woman Anne Marie Smith before her death in what police described as deeply shocking conditions in April. Continue reading... |
| Polio vaccinations resume in Pakistan and Afghanistan after Covid-19 delays Posted: 12 Aug 2020 12:00 AM PDT Fight to eradicate disease getting 'back on track' after surge in cases due to pause in vaccination campaigns Polio vaccination campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the last two polio-endemic countries in the world – after a "surge" in cases. The pandemic halted campaigns in both countries in March and confirmed cases have now reached 34 in Afghanistan and 63 in Pakistan – where cases are being recorded in areas of the country previously free of the disease. Continue reading... |
| In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden may have found the anti-Trump Posted: 11 Aug 2020 04:29 PM PDT Biden's VP pick 'makes America look more like America' – and now Harris is better placed than anyone to be the first female president Joe Biden may have just chosen the anti-Trump as his running mate – and, if he wins, as his successor. The selection of California senator Kamala Harris for the Democrats' vice-presidential nomination puts a woman of colour on a major party ticket for the first time in America's 244-year-old history. Continue reading... |
| England's contact-tracing saga is at the heart of the government's failures Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:43 AM PDT Move to include local authorities in test and trace could allow politicians to pass blame in a Covid second wave The saga of the attempts to set up an English test-and-trace system is perhaps the central story of the government's Covid-19 failure. At the heart of the tale is a prime minister who promised NHS test and trace would be a "world beating" operation. Next to him sits Matt Hancock, the health secretary whose record is now indelibly associated with the smartphone app that was meant to be integral to controlling the virus, but has yet to materialise. Other key actors include Serco, the multinational outsourcing company that has previously been contracted to run everything from prisons to air traffic control – and, at a cost of £108m, was recently put in charge of recruiting and training thousands of call centre workers to establish contact with infected people and ensure that anyone they had been close to went into self-isolation. Continue reading... |
| If ever there was a moment for change in Lebanon, this must surely be it Posted: 11 Aug 2020 10:28 AM PDT Without a radical overhaul the next government could look like the one that resigned Like a break in a merciless heatwave, the fall of Lebanon's failed government has reduced by a few degrees the political temperature in the country's towns and cities. One week after the enormous explosion that levelled much of Beirut, its rulers have rightly paid a price. The power of the street had exposed the fragility of Lebanese leaders. Impunity hadn't won the day after all. But what seemed like much needed relief is more likely to be the start of a familiar pattern; the same line up of ministers who quit in disgrace will now take on a caretaker role, while those who really control the country haggle over the next incarnation of a government that is likely to look very similar to the one that has just resigned. Continue reading... |
| Five 'safe and legal' asylum alternatives to cut Channel crossings Posted: 11 Aug 2020 06:39 AM PDT Experts offer other options as UK government seeks to reduce numbers crossing in boats The government insists the way to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats is to prevent the vessels from leaving France in the first place or by intercepting the boats and returning those attempting to make a crossing. But humanitarian groups and refugee and asylum experts argue the way to reduce the number of attempted crossings is to offer alternative "safe and legal" routes to the UK to claim asylum. Continue reading... |
| Idaho goat 'Mr Mayhem' becomes unlikely paddleboarder – video Posted: 11 Aug 2020 11:53 PM PDT Meet Mr Mayhem, a five-year-old Nigerian dwarf-pygmy goat cross with a taste for life on the water. When owner Alyssa Kelley tore her lateral collateral ligament in 2019, her quest for a new hobby led her to try paddleboarding with her unlikely companion. She says the pair have taken to the water over 20 times together, with Mr Mayhem falling in twice during their early adventures. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand crashes back into Covid-19 reality after first cases in 102 days – in pictures Posted: 11 Aug 2020 09:46 PM PDT Coronavirus restrictions have been reintroduced across New Zealand after four new Covid-19 cases were diagnosed in Auckland Continue reading... |
| Kamala Harris: memorable moments from Joe Biden's VP pick – video Posted: 11 Aug 2020 04:06 PM PDT Kamala Harris, 55, has become the first black woman on a major presidential ticket in US history after democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden named her as his VP pick. From her punishing cross-examinations of Trump officials to previous clashes with Biden over racism, we look back at the California senator's key moments in politics Continue reading... |
| Lebanon: vigil and protests mark one week since devastating Beirut blast – video report Posted: 11 Aug 2020 02:49 PM PDT A third night of clashes between demonstrators and security forces broke out near the parliament building in Beirut, in which police used teargas and protesters threw stones and fireworks, in the wake of the devastating explosion that hit the city's port a week ago. The Lebanese prime minister's announcement a day before that the government would resign did little to quell the anger of a people demanding change to the political system Continue reading... |
| Russia approves Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine despite testing safety concerns – video Posted: 11 Aug 2020 08:58 AM PDT Russia has approved a controversial Covid-19 vaccine for widespread use after less than two months of human testing, including a dose administered to one of Vladimir Putin's daughters. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the country's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, said the vaccine would be marketed abroad under the brand name Sputnik V with international agreements to produce 500m doses and requests for 1bn doses from 20 countries. The vaccine's name evokes the world's first satellite to be launched into orbit, Sputnik, during the cold war space race, which was also seen as a competition for international prestige. Continue reading... |
| Ardern changes Auckland Covid-19 rules as New Zealand records first local cases in 102 days – video Posted: 11 Aug 2020 07:44 AM PDT Auckland has been swiftly put under a three-day lockdown after four cases of coronavirus were confirmed in one family in the city. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, made the announcement at a late-night press conference after 102 days without any community transmission in New Zealand. The family had not travelled overseas and the source of the infection was unknown Continue reading... |
| 'No life is a good price': Belarus opposition leader posts video from Lithuania – video Posted: 11 Aug 2020 04:37 AM PDT Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition candidate in Belarus' disputed elections, is thought to have left the country for Lithuania as clashes between heavily armed police and demonstrators escalated during a second night of protests follow re-election of longtime ruler Alexander Lukashenko. In an emotional video posted to social media, Tikhanovskaya indicated she had faced an ultimatum and urged people to 'please be careful' adding that 'children are the most important part of our lives'. Lithuania's foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, told the Guardian that Tikhanovskay had been detained by Belarusian authorities for seven hours after filing a complaint against vote-rigging Continue reading... |
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