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

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


Another day not at the office: will working from home be 2020's most radical change?

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:00 PM PDT

During lockdown millions started WFH – and most of us don't want to go back. In just a few months the landscape of work, family and city life has altered dramatically - but are all the changes positive?

There's a man sitting at the first-floor window of the house that lies on the other side of my back fence. It's early August, the weather is sweltering, and his window is wide open. He's talking on a hands-free phone, laughing in that ingratiating manner that suggests a large payday is at stake. He speaks in a fashionable sales patter that sounds similar to real conversation, but crucially isn't, and he's practically broadcasting his pitch to the neighbourhood. WTF? I want to shout, but I already know the answer: WFH.

With the exception of Covid-19 itself, working from home has been the big story of 2020. I've been home-based for more than 20 years and for most of that time, before my neighbour began advertising his WFH status, I was a local exception, left to my own devices in tranquil isolation. No one was much interested in the emotional dynamics of my daily work regime. But since the lockdown emptied the nation's offices, it's become a national topic of conversation.

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Global preparation: how different countries planned for the second wave of Covid-19

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:29 PM PDT

Lockdowns brought temporary relief to some but, everywhere, test and trace is key

The first wave of coronavirus swept through a world unprepared. Authorities struggled to test for the disease, and didn't know how to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Lockdowns brought the virus under temporary control in some places, including the UK, buying a window for the revival of education and the economy, and time to prepare for future waves that epidemiologists said were almost inevitable.

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‘We’re suddenly drowning in people’: Argentinians flock to Uruguay amid pandemic

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:00 AM PDT

About 15,000 to 20,000 Argentinians are estimated to have moved to Uruguay since the pandemic began

Agustina Valls' phone is ringing off the hook.

"It started as a trickle when the pandemic first hit Argentina, but now we're getting over 20 calls a day," she said from her office in Uruguay's luxury beach resort of Punta Del Este.

Valls runs a thriving business guiding well-off Argentinians through the red tape of acquiring Uruguayan residence – a skill she learned arranging her own residency application after marrying a Uruguayan lawyer last October.

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US airlines facing ‘Thelma and Louise’ moment as government aid set to expire

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:00 AM PDT

Funding used to protect workers will expire on 30 September, and airlines have already announced huge layoffs

US airlines are facing what one leading analyst calls a "Thelma and Louise" moment as the industry approaches a government-funding deadline that could decide its future.

On 30 September a government aid packages used to protect workers expires, the airlines have already announced huge layoffs but what comes next could be even worse.

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Trump vows to nominate a woman for US supreme court vacancy within a week

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 06:05 PM PDT

President says he has 'obligation' to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Donald Trump has promised to put forward a female nominee in the coming week to fill the supreme court vacancy created by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay.

Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of "Fill that seat", the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats' objections.

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Thai protesters call for reform of monarchy and general strike

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 10:58 PM PDT

Demands for curbs on king's wealth were unthinkable until emergence of radical grassroots movement

Thousands of Thai protesters have marched near the Grand Palace in Bangkok to hand over a series of demands for democratic reforms, including changes to the country's powerful royal family, in a direct challenge to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Protesters, who had camped overnight in the capital following a major pro-democracy rally on Saturday, also called for a general strike.

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Coronavirus live news: India sees 92,000 new infections; China faces fifth wave, expert says

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:09 AM PDT

India now has 5.4m cases; China fears winter infections; NZ records new cases

As the UK battles with the overwhelming demand for Covid-19 tests, its health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Friday that the country needs to come together to keep the infection levels down while we await the cavalry on the horizon.

The cavalry, he said, would come in the shape of the science that will bring a vaccine, effective treatments and the ability to undertake mass testing. Detecting cases, tracking contacts and containing the spread of infection remains our strongest weapon.

Related: Matt Hancock's Covid cavalry is not yet on the horizon. We need a global approach now

The UK is at a tipping point, its health minister Matt Hancock has said, warning that – unless people follow the government rules – the virus will spread and further restrictions will be needed. He told Sky News:

The nation faces a tipping point and we have a choice. The choice is either that everybody follows the rules ... or we will have to take more measures.

There are a few people that are breaking the rules and something has to be done about that. I have to say that I think that is not going to be the silver bullet, that isn't going to deal with the problem we're in.

We've got rising infection rates, I think the whole country is concerned about that, but we have a testing system, just as we need it to be effective, is barely serviceable and this is a major problem.

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Unholy row as leading London church axes musicians, 'using Covid as a cover'

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 10:50 PM PDT

St Martin-in-the-Fields jettisons ensembles to focus on in-house provision at a time when freelance performers 'on their knees'

Ten London musical ensembles claim they have been "summarily dismissed" by one of the capital's most prestigious churches in an "act of callous and unchristian behaviour".

The orchestras and choirs have put on concerts regularly at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square for 30 years, paying a hire fee for the venue and commission on ticket sales.

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John Turner, former Canadian prime minister and friend of Princess Margaret, dies at 91

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 05:49 PM PDT

The dashing lawyer, who lost the top job after just 79 days in 1988, caused a stir when he danced with the British royal

John Turner, a Liberal party politician who served stints as Canada's justice and finance ministers before a very brief turn as prime minister, has died at age 91.

Marc Kealey, a former aide speaking on behalf of the family, said Turner died peacefully in his sleep at home in Toronto on Friday night.

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Trump says he approves TikTok Oracle deal which may include Walmart

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 03:15 PM PDT

  • President says he will allow Chinese-owned app in US
  • Walmart could acquire stake and seat on global board

Donald Trump has said he "approves a deal in concept" that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the US, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app.

Related: China attacks US 'bullying' over ban on Tiktok and WeChat

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Medicane Ianos turns towards Crete after sweeping across Greece

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 09:58 AM PDT

Two dead, one missing and nearly a thousand rescued as floods damage Thessaly in wake of rare Mediterranean storm

After pounding parts of western and central Greece meteorologists have predicted a rare Mediterranean hurricane-like storm, or medicane, is headed south towards the island of Crete.

Authorities struggling to contain the impact of the cyclone, Medicane Ianos, said two people had died and at least one was missing as torrential rain and gale-force winds wielded a trail of destruction.

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The search for life – from Venus to the outer solar system

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:06 PM PDT

While the discovery of the normally microbe-produced phosphine on our toxic neighbour is astonishing, other candidates for life are more promising

It remains one of the most unexpected scientific discoveries of the year. To their astonishment, British scientists last week revealed they had uncovered strong evidence that phosphine – a toxic, rancid gas produced by microbes – exists in the burning, acid-drenched atmosphere of Venus.

Related: If we don't find life on planets like Venus, doesn't it make us that bit more special? | Charles Cockell

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Western Australian toddler found safe after missing for 12 hours in dense bushland and poor weather

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:58 AM PDT

Joy and tears after three-year-old found hungry but smiling after wandering off from his parents' home south of Perth

Western Australian man Chris O'Reilly says he could have "ran on water" when news came through that his three-year-old son had been found safe after going missing in dense bushland south of Perth.

The toddler had wandered off from his parents' home at 7:30am on Saturday morning, after going to play outside.

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So long, Southsea: last sultan of Zanzibar quits UK after 56 years in exile

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:25 PM PDT

Deposed royal who fled to UK after 1964 revolution finally reunited with family in Oman

After more than half a century of living in Southsea, Portsmouth, with its unpredictable British weather, shingle beaches and Victorian pier, relocation to the Gulf state of Oman might take some adjustment.

But for Jamshid bin Abdullah al-Said the 91-year-old last sultan of Zanzibar, it was the next best thing to going home.

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More than 100 cats – and owner – evicted from Spanish flat

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 02:18 PM PDT

Huge clan is believed to have originated from a pair of cats taken in three years ago

Animal charities in southern Spain were urgently seeking homes for 110 cats on Saturday after they and their owner were evicted from a flat in the Valencia region.

Spama Safor, an animal shelter in the south-eastern seaside town of Gandia, had initially thought there were only 96 cats in the flat. But by Saturday evening, the charity said it had removed a total of 110 cats and urgently needed help to shelter them "at least until they are vaccinated or sterilised".

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Issa Rae: ‘It’s astounding that our talent hasn’t been recognised’

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT

The woman behind cult HBO comedy Insecure has been making and starring in her own series for years. What took Hollywood so long to notice?

Issa Rae, one of the first black women to create and star in a premium cable series and potentially the hardest-working person in Hollywood, is putting in overtime with the aim of having it all. She is Emmy-nominated. She is Golden Globe-nominated. She is a writer, an actor and an executive producer, often all at once. Her hit HBO show, Insecure, which just aired its fourth season, has transformed her into the patron saint of black millennial creatives. She is the black Madonna, adorning endless mood-boards.

Fans, black fans specifically, don't simply watch Insecure, we live-tweet it, we argue about it, we create petitions for it to be extended to one hour, much to the chagrin of its creator. "We sold a half-hour comedy," Rae tells me when I press her on fan demands for longer episodes, "and I literally have no desire to make an hour show!" A bad Zoom connection means I can't see her, but I can hear the smile. She is warm, witty, and a total potty-mouth. "Even hearing people say: 'This is how you can make it an hour, you can do this, you can do that…' OK, well we don't want to!"

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Covid scepticism behind high Bolton infection rate, says local MP

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:13 AM PDT

Exclusive: social media hashtag #thinkingforyourself bolsters residents refusing to follow rules

Covid scepticism in Bolton has led to it having the highest infection rate of coronavirus in the country, a local MP has said, as a #thinkingforyourself social media trend gains traction.

With 169 cases for every 100,000 people, the Greater Manchester town has the highest rate in England and has featured among the worst-hit areas in Europe. Health officials said infections had been doubling every four days.

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Charleston aims to force fossil fuel companies to pay $2bn to combat climate crisis

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:30 AM PDT

South Carolina city sues large oil firms, claiming they concealed knowledge that their product would cause damage to coastal cities around the world

Charleston, the architectural jewel of the US south, has survived the ravages of revolutionary wars, an earthquake and even a siege waged by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. But the city now needs saving from its largest existential threat yet – the climate crisis.

Flooding has, in recent years, become a regular menace to streets lined with colonial and Georgian buildings. Protecting the historic core of South Carolina's largest city from being consumed by the rising seas now comes with such a hefty price tag – around $2b – that Charleston is pinning its hopes on a bold gambit to force fossil fuel companies to foot the bill.

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Justice and the Rohingya people are the losers in Asia's new cold war

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:29 PM PDT

Attacks against the Muslim minority in Myanmar have gone unchecked as regional players focus on their own interests

The persecution, ethnic cleansing, and attempted genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state is an affront to the rule of law, a well-documented atrocity and, according to a top international lawyer, a moral stain on "our collective conscience and humanity". So why are the killings and other horrors continuing while known perpetrators go unpunished?

It's a question with several possible answers. Maybe poor, isolated Myanmar, formerly Burma, is not important enough a state to warrant sustained international attention. Perhaps, in the western subconscious, the lives of a largely unseen, unknown, brown-skinned Muslim minority do not matter so much at a time of multiple racial, ethnic and refugee crises.

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Matt Hancock’s Covid cavalry is not yet on the horizon. We need a global approach now

Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:15 AM PDT

The UK has done well on building capacity. But only wide access to simple, effective tests will allow us to manage life under coronavirus

As the UK battles with the overwhelming demand for Covid-19 tests, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Friday that the country needs to come together to keep the infection levels down while we await the cavalry on the horizon.

The cavalry, he said, would come in the shape of the science that will bring a vaccine, effective treatments and the ability to undertake mass testing. Detecting cases, tracking contacts and containing the spread of infection remains our strongest weapon.

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How Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death could affect Senate races – and Trump v Biden

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 01:46 PM PDT

Susan Collins of Maine is among vulnerable Republican senators as polls indicate voters trust Biden more on justice picks

On the question of supreme court nominees, the Republican senator Susan Collins has repeatedly threaded the same political needle. It is one with a shrinking eye.

Related: Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed America long before she joined the supreme court | Moira Donegan

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Tributes to Ruth Bader Ginsburg – in pictures

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 02:46 PM PDT

Americans from across the nation paid tribute to supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who has died

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'An amazing woman': Donald Trump reacts to death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg – video

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 03:03 AM PDT

The US president reacted with visible surprise when reporters informed him the 87-year-old supreme court justice had died. 'She led an amazing life,' Trump said, just after coming off stage at a rally in Minnesota. 'What else can you say? She was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. I'm actually saddened to hear that.'

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Biden: successor to 'giant' Ginsburg should be decided by US election winner – video

Posted: 19 Sep 2020 03:02 AM PDT

Joe Biden says there is no doubt the next US supreme court justice should be chosen by the winner of the country's presidential election, following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.

'She was fierce and unflinching in her pursuit of the civil legal rights of everyone,' Biden said of Ginsburg, who had sat on the supreme court since 1993. 'Her opinions and her dissent are going to continue to shape the basis for law for a generation.'

Biden said her replacement should be selected by the winner of the election in November, citing precedent established by Senate Republicans in 2016, when they blocked Barack Obama's attempt to replace justice Antonin Scalia in an election year

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