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- 'No time to waste': Biden unveils $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package
- Seagrass 'Neptune balls’ sieve millions of plastic particles from water, study finds
- Coronavirus live news: non-EU travellers can't enter France with quick-result tests; global deaths near 2m
- New York bus dangling from expressway after Bronx crash
- Billionaires add $1tn to net worth during pandemic as their workers struggle
- Indonesia earthquake: dozens dead after tremors and landslides hit Sulawesi
- North Korea rolls out submarine-launched missiles at military parade
- Businessmen with ties to Assad linked to Beirut port blast cargo
- Billionaires backed Republicans who sought to reverse US election results
- Pope’s adviser says Covid has highlighted ‘existential’ climate risk
- UK edges towards double-dip recession as GDP falls 2.6%
- New year, new outbreak: China rushes to vaccinate 50 million as holiday looms
- US officials warn ‘full resurgence’ of Covid in major population centers
- ‘The eye of the storm’: how 76 Days captured Wuhan’s Covid lockdown up close
- US suffers bleak January as Covid rages and vaccination campaign falters
- Marianne Faithfull: 'I was in a dark place. Presumably it was death'
- No power, no water, no hope: inside Europe’s largest shanty town
- The true story behind the viral TikTok sea shanty hit
- The greatest handheld games consoles – ranked!
- 'Kind of unbelievable': US Republicans in Britain mull over Trump impact
- ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without it’: the hobbies helping people through lockdown
- How the New Cross fire became a rallying cry for political action
- Biden announces coronavirus relief plan as priority to kick-start US economy – live updates
- NSW reports no new local Covid cases, as Queensland denies hotel quarantine breach – as it happened
- Black women in the UK four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth
- 'Preserve my son’s name’: families of Tunisia’s Arab spring martyrs fight on
- Argentina legalizing abortion will spur reform in Latin America, minister says
- Covid restrictions on visits to detained children and parents are 'cruel', MPs told
- Immunity passports could be the ticket to help reopen international borders | Anthony Gardiner
- Testing times: how UK government fell short, again and again
- Experts remain divided over merits of mass Covid tests in schools
- New York bus suspended from expressway after Bronx crash – video
- 'We have to act now': Joe Biden presents $1.9tn coronavirus relief package – video
- Indonesia earthquake: rescue workers search rubble with dozens reported dead – video
- Kim Jong-un puts on show of force after Workers party congress – in pictures
- How Trump reacted to two very different impeachments – video report
| 'No time to waste': Biden unveils $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:35 PM PST Plan includes $160bn in vaccination funds and $1tn in relief to families, including $1,400 stimulus checks Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9tn coronavirus relief proposal, aimed at urgently combating the pandemic and the economic crisis it has triggered. As the US faces its deadliest stage of the pandemic, Biden described the moment as "a crisis of deep human suffering". The ambitious, wide-ranging plan includes $160bn to bolster vaccination and testing efforts, and other health programs and $350bn for state and local governments, as well as $1tn in relief to families, via direct payments and unemployment insurance. Continue reading... |
| Seagrass 'Neptune balls’ sieve millions of plastic particles from water, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:15 PM PST Researchers counted particles in seaballs that washed up on beaches in Spain Underwater seagrass in coastal areas appear to trap plastic pollution in natural bundles of fibre known as "Neptune balls", researchers have found. With no help from humans, the swaying plants – anchored to shallow seabeds – may collect nearly 900m plastic items in the Mediterranean alone every year, a study reported in the journal Scientific Reports said. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:45 AM PST Lateral flow tests have allowed hauliers to travel from England to France; Indonesia records biggest daily increase in cases
Greece could ease some restrictions and reopen shops and other parts of its economy next week after a nationwide lockdown helped contain a surge in Covid-19 infections, according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The government imposed the strict lockdown, the second since the start of the pandemic, in early November following a spike in infections mainly in northern Greece and the Athens area.
Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is to meet the heads of German state administrations to discuss Covid-19 restrictions as the country surpassed two million infections and the death toll from the pandemic reached almost 45,000. The meeting is being brought forward after Merkel demanded "very fast action" to curb the virus. Continue reading... |
| New York bus dangling from expressway after Bronx crash Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:12 PM PST Seven reported injured in Thursday night collision which left rear half of articulated bus on overpass with front end touching ground below A New York City bus was left hanging suspended from an overpass after crashing off the Cross Bronx expressway, New York Emergency Management reported on Thursday night. Seven people sustained minor injuries in the crash, a police spokesperson told NBC New York. The fire department confirmed there were several units on scene. All of the injured were bus passengers. They have since been transported to hospital. Continue reading... |
| Billionaires add $1tn to net worth during pandemic as their workers struggle Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST Companies' attempts at hazard pay have been paltry and fleeting as employees are threatened for protesting working conditions Billionaires in the US have increased their net worth by more than $1tn during the coronavirus pandemic, while many of their US workers have struggled with coronavirus risks in workplaces, for little to no extra pay to work in hazardous conditions, and millions of other Americans have struggled to survive on unemployment. The Amazon CEO and founder, Jeff Bezos, added more than $70bn to his net worth during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which is now nearly $185bn. Continue reading... |
| Indonesia earthquake: dozens dead after tremors and landslides hit Sulawesi Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:15 PM PST Thousands flee for safety and higher ground after island's second quake in 24 hours At least 34 people have been killed and hundreds injured following a strong earthquake that shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island early on Friday morning, prompting landslides and destroying houses. Thousands of people fled their homes to seek safety when the 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit just after 1am local time on Friday morning. The epicentre was six kilometres north-east of Majene city in West Sulawesi. Continue reading... |
| North Korea rolls out submarine-launched missiles at military parade Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:58 PM PST Kim Jong-un smiles and waves at huge parade in Kim Il-sung Square, Pyongyang, designed to show military progress North Korea has included a developmental ballistic missile designed for launch from submarines in the military hardware put on show at a parade that punctuated leader Kim Jong-un's calls to expand his nuclear weapons program. Thursday night's parade celebrated a major ruling party meeting at which Kim vowed maximum efforts to bolster his nuclear and missile program to counter what he described as US hostility. Continue reading... |
| Businessmen with ties to Assad linked to Beirut port blast cargo Posted: 14 Jan 2021 07:00 PM PST Revelations about London company reinforce suspicions that Beirut, and not Mozambique, was intended destination of ammonium nitrate The company used to ship a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate to Beirut port, where it caused a devastating explosion last August, has been linked to three influential businessmen with ties to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a new investigation has found. The revelations about Savaro Limited – a London shelf company that was deregistered at Companies House on Tuesday – have amplified suspicions that Beirut had always been the cargo's intended destination, and not Mozambique, its official endpoint. Continue reading... |
| Billionaires backed Republicans who sought to reverse US election results Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST Guardian analysis shows Club for Growth has spent $20m supporting 42 rightwing lawmakers who voted to invalidate Biden victory An anti-tax group funded primarily by billionaires has emerged as one of the biggest backers of the Republican lawmakers who sought to overturn the US election results, according to an analysis by the Guardian. Related: Trump official admits family separation policy 'should never have been implemented' Continue reading... |
| Pope’s adviser says Covid has highlighted ‘existential’ climate risk Posted: 15 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST Focus must be on justice for those fleeing impact of extreme weather events, says new scientific adviser to Vatican The pope's newly appointed scientific adviser said the coronavirus pandemic has forced world leaders to face up to the "existential risk" of the climate crisis. Prof Ottmar Edenhofer said rich countries now had a moral duty to compensate poor countries already suffering the impacts. Continue reading... |
| UK edges towards double-dip recession as GDP falls 2.6% Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:11 PM PST Second national Covid lockdown in November ends six months of growth but decline not as bad as feared The UK economy has edged towards a double-dip recession after official figures confirmed a renewed slump in November fuelled by the second national coronavirus lockdown in England. Related: UK economy shrank 2.6% during November lockdown – business live Continue reading... |
| New year, new outbreak: China rushes to vaccinate 50 million as holiday looms Posted: 14 Jan 2021 07:00 PM PST Drive to immunise 3.5% of the population in weeks comes ahead of the lunar new year festival and as three major cities are locked down At a Shenzhen hospital, 21-year-old airport worker Wang Shuyue lines up to receive her second shot. "I feel it's safe because so many people around the country have taken the vaccine so there shouldn't be any major problems," she tells the Guardian. "I think it should be effective otherwise there wouldn't be so many people taking it." Continue reading... |
| US officials warn ‘full resurgence’ of Covid in major population centers Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:38 AM PST White House coronavirus taskforce reports advocate for 'aggressive action' amid 23m confirmed cases in US As coronavirus continues to tear across the US without any sign of slowing down, officials have warned there is a "full resurgence" in most major population centers – and that the country could see an additional 92,000 deaths in less than a month. There have been more than 23m confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US and 385,503 deaths, Johns Hopkins University's most recent data revealed. Continue reading... |
| ‘The eye of the storm’: how 76 Days captured Wuhan’s Covid lockdown up close Posted: 15 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST The co-director of the haunting documentary, filmed inside the city's hospitals during the first outbreak, explains why it is so important In the opening scene of 76 Days, the extraordinary inside story of how Wuhan's hospitals coped with the initial wave of Covid, a sobbing daughter in full PPE begs to see her dying mother. The staff refuse and restrain her. Soon after, she pursues her mother's body bag on to the street, only to watch as it is driven away. The woman crumples in the road, distraught and bereft. Such harrowing partings have since been replicated hundreds of thousands of times the world over. Yet 76 Days derives incredible strength from being a chronicle of the first outbreak. It is a journey into the unknown. The intensive care unit is full of people infected with an unidentified plague. Overwhelmed nurses bolt the doors to a ward as scores of older patients shuffle in the cold on the landing, begging to be admitted. Continue reading... |
| US suffers bleak January as Covid rages and vaccination campaign falters Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST Up to 438,000 may be killed by Covid by end of the month, CDC predicts, but epidemiologists still see reason for optimism More Americans are dying of Covid-19 than at any time during the pandemic, the most complex mass vaccination campaign in history is off to a rocky start, and more transmissible strains of the coronavirus are emergent. January is going to be a bleak month. Related: US officials warn 'full resurgence' of Covid in major population centers Continue reading... |
| Marianne Faithfull: 'I was in a dark place. Presumably it was death' Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:00 PM PST After battling Covid-19 for three weeks in hospital, Faithfull went on to finish her 21st solo album – and possibly her last. She reflects on how she might never sing again, her hatred of being a 60s muse and why she still believes in miracles Marianne Faithfull is on the phone from her home in Putney, south-west London. She sounds exactly like you would expect: as husky as her singing on every album she has made for the past 40 years and, as the daughter of a baroness, very posh. Her vocabulary is unmistakably that of someone who came of age in the 1960s: exasperation is expressed in sentences that begin: "Oh, man…"; things that vex her are "a drag". But before we begin, she offers a pre-emptive apology. Her memory, she says, isn't what it was. "It's wild, the things I forget," she says. "Short-term. I remember the distant past very well. It's recent things I can't remember. And that's ghastly. Awful. You wouldn't believe how awful it is." The memory loss is a result of Covid-19. She was in something of a purple patch in her career when the virus struck last April, midway through recording her 21st solo album She Walks in Beauty, and with a biopic based on her 1994 autobiography in the works ("It could be really good," she says of the latter, "but it doesn't require my artistic input – I lived the life, that's enough"). She doesn't remember anything about falling ill, or being rushed to intensive care: "All I know is that I was in a very dark place – presumably, it was death." Continue reading... |
| No power, no water, no hope: inside Europe’s largest shanty town Posted: 14 Jan 2021 09:00 PM PST Freezing weather from Storm Filomena, and Spain's third wave of Covid, compound dire situation in settlement outside Madrid Despite the daily trials her family has to endure – a pandemic, three months with no electricity and now days without running water since Storm Filomena froze the pipes and left Madrid under a lingering duvet of snow – Sara Benayad has not forgotten the importance of hospitality. She would welcome the powers-that-be to join her in the novel ritual into which the absence of water has forced her. Every night before bed, Benayad fills saucepans and buckets with snow that must be melted on the gas stove the next morning so there is water for washing and for the dishes. Continue reading... |
| The true story behind the viral TikTok sea shanty hit Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:29 PM PST Rediscovered song, which has a 'cheerful energy', was likely written by a teenage sailor or shore whaler in New Zealand in the 1830s Even from "the back of nowhere, far from any city" – not to mention the sea – John Archer caught wind of the sea shanty revival before anyone else. From his home in landlocked Ōhakune, Archer had noticed a sharp uptick in visitors to the New Zealand Folk Song website he set up in 1998. One 19th-century seafaring epic was of particular interest: Soon May The Wellerman Come. Continue reading... |
| The greatest handheld games consoles – ranked! Posted: 15 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST During lockdowns, handhelds have come into their own: here's our Top 20, from Gizmondo to Nintendo OK, it's here more for the amazing backstory than the qualities of the handheld itself, but Gizmondo did momentarily look like a contender back in 2004, offering text messaging, web browsing and video playback as well as mobile gaming. But then the founders burned through millions of investor funds on Regent Street stores and extravagant launch parties, and the whole thing collapsed in spectacular fashion, symbolised by one exec's (non-fatal) 200mph Ferrari crash on the Pacific Coast Highway. Continue reading... |
| 'Kind of unbelievable': US Republicans in Britain mull over Trump impact Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:00 PM PST Diaspora of expats voice loyalty, but also withering disgust over Capitol storming – and fatigue Watching history unfold in Washington DC from her home in London, Jan Halper-Hayes admitted to being slightly incredulous about the images of Donald Trump supporters storming the US Capitol. "It was kind of in some ways unbelievable," says the long-term activist in the Republican party and former vice-president of its UK branch. She claims she has received "good information" to indicate that "Antifa people" were present at the riot. Continue reading... |
| ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without it’: the hobbies helping people through lockdown Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:30 PM PST From stiles to greetings cards, map-making to whittling, niche interests have become a lifeline for people struggling through successive lockdowns It all started three years ago as an antidote to the angry, inflamed opinions on Twitter. I just thought, let's make something nice here so I started posting photos of stiles that I'd taken on my daily fell runs in the Lake District. I chose stiles simply because I have to stop at them when I run. They make you pause and look around and I like that. Once I'd started posting the pictures, it grew into something. People started sharing their own photos, locally but also in the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and more. It's a small, low key-thing to do, but heartening too. Continue reading... |
| How the New Cross fire became a rallying cry for political action Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:18 AM PST 1981 blaze in London killed 13 black youngsters and sparked protest at poor response from police and government Yvonne Ruddock's 16th birthday party was the first her mother had allowed her to host in the family home in New Cross, south-east London. But the joint celebration that started with much excitement ended in a devastating blaze that killed Yvonne, her brother and 11 others on 18 January 1981. The victims were nearly all teenagers, and all black. Twenty-seven others were seriously injured. One of the survivors was so horrified by what he saw that he killed himself two years later. Continue reading... |
| Biden announces coronavirus relief plan as priority to kick-start US economy – live updates Posted: 15 Jan 2021 02:47 AM PST $1,400 direct relief checks and federal minimum wage raise to combat impact of Covid
The mills of the gods grind slowly, but after seven long years there is finally the prospect for some justice for the residents of Flint. Overnight it was confirmed that nine people have been charged following a new investigation, including the former Michigan governor Rick Snyder and key members of his administration. Snyder and others have been accused of various crimes in a calamitous plan that released lead into the water and contributed to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. Related: Flint water crisis: ex-governor and eight others charged after new inquiry
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner David Kessler to help lead the US Covid-19 vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, the New York Times is reporting. The report comes after Moncef Slaoui, the program's chief adviser, resigned at the request of the incoming Biden team, in a plan that would see him stay in the role for a month to help with the transition. |
| NSW reports no new local Covid cases, as Queensland denies hotel quarantine breach – as it happened Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:30 PM PST Madison Keys drops out of Australian Open and Andy Murray in doubt after testing positive for Covid
With that, we'll be closing the blog for today. Here's a recap of the day's headlines:
Emergency warnings have been issued for separate bushfires threatening lives in Perth's eastern foothills and the Wheatbelt region, AAP reports. Firefighters are battling to contain an out-of-control blaze in High Wycombe, near the Perth Hills. Continue reading... |
| Black women in the UK four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth Posted: 15 Jan 2021 01:30 AM PST Disparity with white women shows need for action, doctors say, despite slight improvement in mortality rate Black women are still four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK, and women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk, according to a new report. The data shows a slight narrowing of the divide – last year's report found black women were five times more likely to die – but experts say that is statistically insignificant and not a sign of progress. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Preserve my son’s name’: families of Tunisia’s Arab spring martyrs fight on Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:15 PM PST Delays in publication of official list of those killed and wounded provokes anger and claims of government indifference Moslem Kasdallah rests on his crutches, the stump of his amputated leg on display. His voice hoarse, he yells the demands that, after years of delay, have brought him and the other wounded and bereaved of the Tunisian revolution to the steps of the government building they have been occupying since December. Some are on hunger strike, others have sewn their lips shut. Kasdallah carries a bottle of fuel and a lighter, ready to self-immolate. Continue reading... |
| Argentina legalizing abortion will spur reform in Latin America, minister says Posted: 14 Jan 2021 12:39 PM PST 'I am very confident there will be a change,' Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta says as new law goes into effect Argentina's historic decision to legalize abortion will help spur reform across Latin America, the country's gender minister has told the Guardian, as a new law allowing the practice goes into effect. The bill passed by congress on 30 December made Argentina the first major Latin American country to legalize abortion. It will be signed into law on Thursday evening by the president, Alberto Fernández, marking a turning point for a region where the Catholic church has been a major cultural and political influence for centuries. Continue reading... |
| Covid restrictions on visits to detained children and parents are 'cruel', MPs told Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:59 AM PST Prison, care home and mental health institution visit limitations failing to consider impact on family life, campaigners say Children with parents in prison have been forgotten during lockdown, campaigners have told MPs. The cross-party human rights committee is looking at the impact on the right to family life, with a focus on people in institutional settings including prisons, care homes and mental health facilities. Continue reading... |
| Immunity passports could be the ticket to help reopen international borders | Anthony Gardiner Posted: 14 Jan 2021 04:25 PM PST Though questions remain that still need answering, there are encouraging signs that proof of immunity to Covid-19 could help people return to normality As the world's biggest ever vaccination programme gets underway, so-called immunity passports are back in the headlines. A document verifying the holder's status as Covid-free could allow international borders as well as concerts and other events to reopen. So are immunity passports just the ticket, or do they remain a flight of fancy? Continue reading... |
| Testing times: how UK government fell short, again and again Posted: 14 Jan 2021 12:57 PM PST A timeline of what was promised and what has been delivered so far In mid-March, the World Health Organization had a simple message to countries on how to tackle the spread of coronavirus: test, test, test. In the chaotic months of mixed messaging and policy U-turns that followed, the UK government developed a chronic habit of over-promising and under-delivering, not least when it came to testing. We look back at the major events in the buildup of the UK's testing regime, what was promised and what has happened since. Continue reading... |
| Experts remain divided over merits of mass Covid tests in schools Posted: 14 Jan 2021 11:52 AM PST Analysis: some say lateral flow tests could help cut outbreaks, but others argue they offer false reassurance
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has put mass testing for coronavirus at the heart of his strategy to reopen schools after the lockdown. It is a controversial strategy that has divided scientists. Some believe mass testing can help reduce outbreaks at schools, while others argue it could make matters worse by giving teachers and pupils false reassurance. Mass testing relies on lateral flow tests, or LFTs, which contain antibodies that bind to the virus. When a nasal swab is tested in an LFT, any virus present in the sample sticks to the antibodies and produces a dark band, a bit like a pregnancy test's indicator. LFTs are not as accurate as the standard NHS lab-based PCR tests, but they are cheap and produce results fast – within 30 minutes. Continue reading... |
| New York bus suspended from expressway after Bronx crash – video Posted: 15 Jan 2021 12:57 AM PST A New York City bus was left hanging from an overpass after crashing off the Cross Bronx expressway, New York Emergency Management reported on Thursday night. Seven people, who were said to have been travelling in the bus, reportedly sustained minor injuries in the crash Continue reading... |
| 'We have to act now': Joe Biden presents $1.9tn coronavirus relief package – video Posted: 15 Jan 2021 12:23 AM PST Joe Biden, the US president-elect, has unveiled a $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package to tackle the virus and the economic crisis it has triggered. Vaccination and testing efforts in the US will be sustained with $160bn, a further $350bn will be issued for state and local government health programmes, and $1tn is to go families Continue reading... |
| Indonesia earthquake: rescue workers search rubble with dozens reported dead – video Posted: 14 Jan 2021 09:57 PM PST WARNING: This video contains scenes some viewers may find distressing. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia's Sulawesi island has killed dozens of people, injured hundreds and damaged many buildings, the country's disaster mitigation agency said. The epicentre of the quake was six kilometres north-east of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometres and hit at 1am local time. Rescuers are still probing the rubble Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-un puts on show of force after Workers party congress – in pictures Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:12 PM PST Pyongyang hosted a military parade to celebrate the Workers' party's 8th Congress where Kim Jong-un took the new title of 'general secretary'. Images from the parade, released by the official North Korean news agency KCNA, showed submarine-launched missiles Continue reading... |
| How Trump reacted to two very different impeachments – video report Posted: 14 Jan 2021 09:50 AM PST Donald Trump has become the first president in US history to be impeached twice after the bipartisan vote in the House of Representative accusing him of inciting violence at the Capitol on 6 January. Trump has faced impeachment before, but for very different reasons. On 18 December 2019 the House charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and withholding military aid Continue reading... |
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