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

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


Jacinda Ardern says 2020 has been 'frankly terrible' as Auckland lockdown extended

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 10:12 PM PDT

Masks made mandatory on public transport across New Zealand as coronavirus cases continue to rise

New Zealand's biggest city will remain in lockdown until midnight on Sunday, the extra four days necessitated by the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said.

A total of 101 people have been infected by the outbreak in south Auckland, making it the largest cluster in New Zealand.

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The commute completely transformed Britain. Is it over for ever?

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT

It helped create the suburbs, with countless towns thriving due to good transport links. Now it is under threat, with potentially huge consequences for our cities and social lives

It is 7.45 on a Monday morning and I am heading for the office. It is my first visit to the Guardian for more than four months, but the prime minister wants us back at work. Commuters are reliable, law-abiding creatures of habit, cogs in a greater machine; I am doing what I am told.

On the way out of the house, I pass a 1910 Underground poster in the hall, extolling the merits of my particular suburb. "Live in a New Neighbourhood," it reads, under a picture, by the artist Alfred France, of a brown country mouse welcoming a grey town mouse to a semi-rural idyll. "24 minutes from Piccadilly Circus, including change at Baker St. 6d per day for season ticket."

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Australian theatres nervously reopen with mandatory masks and temperature checks

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 04:00 PM PDT

Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir and Adelaide's STCSA are among the main stages pushing ahead. No one expects a profit – and many will take a loss

Sydney Theatre Company has announced it is ready to open the doors of the Roslyn Packer theatre and present its first show since March.

Wonnangatta, a new drama written by the award-winning Melbourne playwright Angus Cerini and featuring the actors Hugo Weaving and Wayne Blair, will play from 21 September to 31 October in a socially distanced production for audiences numbering no more than 147 (the Roslyn Packer can usually seat 880 patrons).

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UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson urges parents to send children back to school in September

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:55 AM PDT

Prime minister tries to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos, saying risk of contracting virus in schools is 'very small'

If you missed it yesterday, the Observer's science editor, Robin McKie, has written a useful analysis explaining why Covid fatalities currently remain low when infection numbers are rising across parts of the globe, including the UK.

In areas including Oldham in Greater Manchester and Birmingham, cases of coronavirus have surged in recent weeks, although the number of deaths and cases of severe complications remain relatively low.

Related: Why do Covid fatalities remain low when infection numbers are rising?

Eurostar has announced that rail passengers will be able to travel directly from London to Amsterdam from the end of October.

The new service commences on 26 October and will enable people to travel to the Netherlands' capital in four hours and nine minutes, with tickets costing at least £40 each way.

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Christchurch gunman planned to burn mosques down, New Zealand police say

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 07:51 PM PDT

Court hears that Australian planned to attack a third mosque before he was arrested

A court in New Zealand has heard for the first time an official account of how a terrorist who murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch planned and executed the attacks – and his intentions to burn down both places of worship and attack a third.

The details of the attack were read at the beginning of a high-security hearing to decide whether the Australian man who has admitted committing the mass shootings will ever leave prison.

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Belarus: defiant protesters flood Minsk demanding Lukashenko's removal

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 10:38 AM PDT

Defence minister's threat to call in army fails to quell protests sparked by disputed election

Defiant protesters have flooded central Minsk again in a sign that even a threat to use the army was not enough to quell the uprising against Belarus's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

The vast square outside the parliament was turned into a sea of red and white by protesters waving the traditional Belarusian flag adopted by the protest movement and chanting "resign!" and "put Lukashenko in a police van!". Unofficial estimates put the crowd at 150,000 people or more.

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Coronavirus live news: France to impose reciprocal quarantine on travellers returning from UK

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:47 AM PDT

France to impose 14-day quarantine; China 'has been vaccinating' key workers; Trump authorises plasma treatment amid attacks on FDA

The Irish prime minister, , called on European trade commissioner Phil Hogan to give the public absolute assurances he did not break Covid-19 when he travelled to a golf dinner that has caused outrage in his native Ireland.

Marin said Hogan was adamant he did not breach a local lockdown while he was staying in County Kildare but given there was a discrepancy between the commissioner's public statements on the issue, he needed to provide a full public account.

Hello everyone. I am running the Guardian's global live feed from London. Please do keep in touch with me and share any thoughts, comments or news tips via any of the channels below. Thanks in advance.

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Kellyanne Conway to leave Trump White House at end of month

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 08:28 PM PDT

President's adviser cites the need to focus on her family as her husband George also steps back from his role at the Lincoln Project

The White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has announced she will be leaving Donald Trump's administration at the end of August, citing the need to focus on her family.

Conway, Trump's campaign manager during the 2016 presidential race, was the first woman to successfully steer a White House bid, then became a senior counsellor to the US president. She informed Trump of her decision in the Oval Office on Sunday.

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Arab gas pipeline explosion caused Syria blackout – state media

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 08:59 PM PDT

State news agency reports oil minister as saying blast that disrupted power across country could be a terrorist act

A possible attack on a pipeline in Syria caused a nationwide blackout overnight, the state news agency quoted ministers as saying Monday.

According to news agency SANA, the electricity minister, Mohammad Kharboutli, said an explosion on a pipeline in the Damascus area on Sunday night "led to an electricity blackout across Syria".

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Justin Townes Earle, US songwriter and son of Steve Earle, dies aged 38

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 07:31 PM PDT

Tributes are flowing for the musician, who battled addiction throughout his life

Justin Townes Earle, an acclaimed US songwriter and son of Steve Earle, has died, in news confirmed on the artist's Facebook page on Sunday night.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin," the post read. "So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys. You will be missed dearly."

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Protests in Wisconsin after video appears to show police shooting black man in the back

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 12:07 AM PDT

Video on social media appears to show officers shoot at man seven times as he leaned into vehicle

Residents have confronted law enforcement officers at the scene of a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that drew a harsh rebuke from the state's governor and prompted crowds to take to the streets after a video posted on social media appeared to show officers shoot at a man's back seven times as he leaned into a vehicle.

Kenosha police said one person was left in a serious condition in hospital after a shooting by officers about 5pm on Sunday, as police were responding to a "domestic incident".

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Children raised in greener areas have higher IQ, study finds

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:39 AM PDT

Research also found lower levels of difficult behaviour in rich and poor neighbourhoods

Children growing up in greener urban areas have increased intelligence and lower levels of difficult behaviour, a study has found.

The analysis of more than 600 children aged 10-15 showed a 3% increase in the greenness of their neighbourhood raised their IQ score by an average of 2.6 points. The effect was seen in both richer and poorer areas.

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Shinzo Abe: concern in Japan after second hospital visit in a week

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:01 AM PDT

Refusal to discuss health details fuels speculation PM may have to curtail term

Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has made his second trip to hospital in a week, prompting renewed concern over his health.

Abe, who marked 2,799 consecutive days as prime minister on Monday – beating the record set by his great uncle, Eisaku Sato – refused to discuss details of his visit to Keio university hospital.

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Rio Tinto chiefs lose millions in bonuses over destruction of Juukan Gorge

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 09:48 PM PDT

Internal review finds mining giant failed to meet Indigenous cultural heritage standards but critics say penalties are 'pocket change'

Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques has lost almost $5m in bonuses and the head of Rio Tinto's Australian iron ore group will lose more than $1m over the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site at Juukan Gorge, after an internal review found "systemic failures in the cultural heritage management system".

The mining company destroyed two rock shelters in Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia on 24 May, despite having received five separate reports on the significance of the sites, both archeologically and to the local Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people, since 2013.

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Bolsonaro tells journalist he would 'like to smash your face in' over corruption claims

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 06:54 PM PDT

Response came after Brazil's president was asked a question about mystery payments to his wife

The Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has told a journalist he would like to "smash your face in" after being questioned over reports of a series of mystery payments into his wife's bank account by a former police officer with alleged links to the Rio de Janeiro underworld.

Reports in the Brazilian media have claimed that between 2011 and 2017 at least 89,000 reais (about £12,000) were paid into the account of Brazil's first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro.

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'We want a true democracy': students lead Thailand's protest movement

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 09:00 PM PDT

Observers are astonished by how young people are challenging traditional hierarchies

Every morning when the national anthem plays out in Thai schools, students are expected to stand still in deference as the country's flag is raised. But last week some sent a defiant message, raising their hands in a three-fingered salute – a gesture borrowed from The Hunger Games that is used widely by Thailand's growing pro-democracy movement. Others gathered on school grounds to hold up sheets of blank paper.

For more than a month there have been almost daily student-led rallies spreading across the country, including a demonstration in Bangkok last weekend attended by more than 10,000 people. Observers are astonished by how rapidly the protests have spread, by how young people are challenging traditional hierarchies, and by the boldness of their demands, some of which relate to the powerful royal family.

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Wish It Was a Coming Out: older gay people in Italy – in pictures

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 11:00 PM PDT

Photographer Melissa Ianniello's long-term project investigates the double taboos of homosexuality and old age in Italy. The subjects of her intimate portraits are a group of gay men and lesbians between 60 and 90 years old, captured as couples or alone in their own homes

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I work as a medic in Syria, where an unreported Covid-19 crisis is unfolding | Anonymous

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 01:00 AM PDT

The shattered health system is unable to cope with the pandemic, and we are scared to speak out about its spread

I am a frontline healthcare professional working in a large public hospital in Syria. The country is facing an overwhelming but under-reported Covid-19 crisis among a population already beaten down by almost a decade of conflict and economic turmoil. I and my colleagues feel helpless and expect the worst.

Our nurses and doctors are suffering from a dangerous shortage of medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing. Hospitals in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and other cities across the country are overcrowded and lack the basic instruments to deal with a pandemic at such scale due to the long war, poor planning and mismanagement.

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If you felt cooped up in lockdown, think of refugees confined in camps | Moulid Hujale

Posted: 23 Aug 2020 11:15 PM PDT

From panic buying to lack of freedom, the pandemic is an opportunity to understand the lives of those forced to flee

Covid-19 has transformed the world beyond imagination, affecting almost everyone in some way.

Yet for me the changes have felt familiar – from movement restrictions to quarantines, every measure taken to prevent the spread of the virus reminds me of what it means to live as a refugee in a camp.

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First Thing: Kellyanne Conway to leave Trump's White House

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:40 AM PDT

Long-standing Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway has announced she will leave at the end of August to spend more time with her family. Plus, president authorises use of plasma treatment for coronavirus

Good morning.

Long-standing White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has announced she will leave the Trump administration at the end of August to focus on her family.

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Coronavirus: China has been giving potential vaccine to key workers since July

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:20 AM PDT

Head of National Health Commission says government has authorised 'emergency use' of treatment for staff in high-risk jobs

The Chinese government has been administering a coronavirus vaccine candidate to selected groups of key workers since July, a senior health official has said.

Zheng Zhongwei, the head of the National Health Commission's science and technology centre, told state media organisation CCTV on Sunday the government had authorised "emergency use" of a Sars-Cov-2 vaccine for workers including health workers and border officials.

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Melbourne hotel quarantine guard continued working with Covid symptoms, inquiry hears

Posted: 24 Aug 2020 02:43 AM PDT

Rydges on Swanston guard said he wasn't told of obligation to report illness and saw colleagues with similar symptoms

  • Australian stats interactive; NSW cases trend map
  • Coronavirus world map; NSW hotspots
  • Cases and deaths over time by country
  • Sign up for Guardian Australia's coronavirus email
  • A security guard at Melbourne's Rydges on Swanston hotel who contracted coronavirus received no infection control training and wasn't clear on his obligation to tell his superiors if he felt unwell, an inquiry has heard.

    The man, whose identity has been suppressed by Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry, said on Monday he had a sore throat and runny nose three to four hours into an overnight shift but finished working in the early hours of the morning.

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    Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe speak out for first time on human rights abuses

    Posted: 23 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT

    Government calls Vatican representative for talks after scathing letter accuses Mnangagwa of corruption and abuse of power

    The Zimbabwean government has summoned the Vatican representative in Harare over growing criticism by Catholic bishops of the country's human rights record.

    The move follows a scathing letter send by local clergy accusing President Emmerson Mnangagwa's regime of abusing power in its crackdown on political activists, and of rampant corruption.

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    'Cultural rights are human rights too': Kiribati gesture of welcome must be understood from the island's perspective | Katerina Teaiwa and Marita Davies

    Posted: 23 Aug 2020 01:00 PM PDT

    i-Kiribati writers say the media frenzy over the image of Tang Songgen walking on men's backs diminishes local customs and culture

    The image flew around the world, far ahead of any understanding of what it represented.

    In the grainy picture, the Chinese ambassador to Kiribati was being welcomed onto the atoll island of Marakei. A row of young men lay face-down on the ground, their backs forming a path for the ambassador and his colleagues to walk across as they disembarked from a plane.

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    Belarus: tens of thousands of protesters flood Minsk for second week – video

    Posted: 23 Aug 2020 11:40 AM PDT

    Defiant protesters have rallied in central Minsk again in a sign that even a threat to use the army was not enough to quell the uprising against authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. Unofficial estimates put the crowd that formed outside the parliament at 150,000 people or more. 

    Demonstrations have been held in the capital and other Belarusian towns since 9 August, when an election which protesters describe as rigged granted Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Demonstrators are demanding he quit after 26 years in power, and that new elections be held.

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    California wildfires: helicopter rescues firefighters as blaze advances – video

    Posted: 23 Aug 2020 10:13 AM PDT

    Dramatic footage shows the moment a helicopter rescued two stranded firefighters from advancing wildfires in California. 'Had it not been for that helicopter, those firefighters would certainly have perished,' the Sonoma county sheriff, Mark Essick, said. Firefighters have been battling blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee across the state since 15 August

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