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- Coronavirus live news: WHO says UK variant detected in 60 countries as Beijing steps up Covid measures
- Syria's White Helmets awarded £1.17m to make PPE
- US woman who tweeted about dream gay lifestyle in Bali to be deported
- Limiting air pollution 'could prevent 50,000 deaths in Europe'
- Giuseppe Conte wins confidence vote in Italy's senate by slim margin
- UK government rejects 'musician passports' as stars attack 'shameful' touring deal
- Two Fox News executives depart in wake of Arizona election night call
- Furious Kent residents step up fight over Brexit lorry park
- David Perry QC quits prosecution of Hong Kong activists
- Far-right extremists take over UK land sales Facebook page
- US coronavirus death toll passes 400,000 amid grim forecast over winter
- Food to go? Covid threatens Hyderabad's famous street food carts
- Tokyo Olympic Games unlikely to go ahead, says London 2012's Sir Keith Mills
- Van Morrison to start legal action over Northern Ireland Covid ban on live music
- Why you shouldn’t work from bed (and a guide to doing it anyway)
- Music review – Sia’s controversial film about autism lacks coherence and authenticity
- Olympic gold winner's sexual abuse case is a turning point for Greece
- 'One of a kind': calls to protect Alabama's 60,000-year-old underwater forest
- Cobra Kai: from dumped YouTube gambit to Netflix smash hit
- ‘People are hungry’: why Tunisia's youth are taking to the streets
- Tell us: are you being affected by bad weather in the UK?
- Biden inauguration: Trump to leave White House for Florida before ceremony - live updates
- Mexico archaeologists reveal tale of cannibalism and reprisal from conquest
- Victoria, NSW and Queensland record no local cases – as it happened
- 'It gives us hope': migrants stranded in Mexico buoyed by prospect of Biden reform
- Landmark hearing to examine handling of domestic abuse cases by UK courts
- Biden prepares ambitious agenda even as he cleans up Trump's mess | Analysis
- Even in a Moscow jail, Alexei Navalny is dangerous to Putin
- Europe can only fix its relationship with Africa if it exorcises its colonial ghosts | Shada Islam
- Joe Biden will launch presidency with appeal for unity – but whose unity?
- Washington on edge before Biden inauguration - in pictures
- Biden and Harris hold vigil for 400,000 Covid victims as bells toll across US – video
- 'The best is yet to come', says Trump in pre-recorded farewell address – video
- 'The mob was fed lies': McConnell blames Trump for Capitol attack – video
- 'I know these are dark times but there is always light,' says tearful Biden – video
- Guatemalan security forces block Honduran migrant caravan heading to US – video
| Posted: 20 Jan 2021 02:38 AM PST North Korean defector numbers plunge amid pandemic; UK coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries: WHO; Beijing introduces new Covid measures
Jeanne Becart, mayor of the Paris suburb of Garches, said public health officials told her to get ready to administer 1,200 Covid-19 vaccines a week. But for this week, the vaccination centre she set up has only been allocated 420 doses. "I am a bit angry," Becart said inside the vaccination hub off the town square, where over the course of Monday the 15 volunteers, nurses and doctors on duty between them vaccinated 90 patients.
The Portuguese economy minister Pedro Siza Vieira has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in self-isolation, his office reported late on Tuesday, the third cabinet member to be diagnosed with the virus in a week. He had already been in quarantine at home since Saturday as a precautionary measure after Fthe fnance minister Joao Leao tested positive following a meeting with top EU officials. Continue reading... |
| Syria's White Helmets awarded £1.17m to make PPE Posted: 19 Jan 2021 09:30 PM PST Civil defence service has already made more than 2m masks, protective gowns and face shields Syria's White Helmets, who rescue victims from the rubble of airstrikes, have added making personal protective equipment to their efforts saving lives in areas of the country outside Bashar al-Assad's control. The civil defence service's uniform-making unit has recently pivoted to manufacturing PPE with the help of a £1.17m award from a nonprofit organisation funded by the UK, US, Canadian and Dutch governments. Continue reading... |
| US woman who tweeted about dream gay lifestyle in Bali to be deported Posted: 19 Jan 2021 08:52 PM PST Kristen Antoinette Gray accused of breaching Indonesia visa by promoting the island, selling her e-book and offering consulting An American woman is being deported from Bali over suspected immigration violations after her tweets that celebrated the Indonesian resort island as a low-cost, queer-friendly place for foreigners to live went viral. Kristen Antoinette Gray arrived in Bali in January last year and ended up staying through the coronavirus pandemic. Her posts on Twitter, including comparisons between Bali and Los Angeles, offers to advise on travel, and links to buy her e-book, began going viral in Indonesia on Sunday. Continue reading... |
| Limiting air pollution 'could prevent 50,000 deaths in Europe' Posted: 20 Jan 2021 01:32 AM PST World Health Organization estimates air pollution kills more than 7 million people each year Limiting air pollution to levels recommended by the World Health Organization could prevent more than 50,000 deaths in Europe annually, according to research. The WHO estimates air pollution kills more than 7 million people each year and is one of the leading causes of sickness and absence from work globally. Continue reading... |
| Giuseppe Conte wins confidence vote in Italy's senate by slim margin Posted: 19 Jan 2021 02:40 PM PST Prime minister faces leading an even more unstable coalition after exit of Matteo Renzi's party Italy's prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has managed to cling to power, but he will plough ahead with an even more fragile government as the country battles to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and recession. Conte, who has led two different administrations since 2018, was supported by 156 lawmakers in the senate on Tuesday, with 140 voting against and 16 abstaining. Conte also won a vote of confidence in the lower house on Monday. Continue reading... |
| UK government rejects 'musician passports' as stars attack 'shameful' touring deal Posted: 20 Jan 2021 12:53 AM PST Minister says UK is not pursuing a touring waiver, as stars including Elton John and Sting say musicians 'shamefully failed' by Brexit The UK government will not pursue a waiver scheme that would allow British musicians to tour the EU without the need for visas, carnets and work permits for each individual member state. The announcement comes as over 100 artists including Sting, Bob Geldof and Elton John have signed an open letter published in the Times on Wednesday, calling on the government to negotiate paperwork-free travel for British musicians touring in Europe. The signatories say musicians have been "shamefully failed" by the government's Brexit deal with the EU. Continue reading... |
| Two Fox News executives depart in wake of Arizona election night call Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:24 PM PST Correct decision to declare the state for Biden took anchors by surprise and infuriated Donald Trump and supporters Two top news executives who were involved in the Fox News Channel's election night decision to call Arizona for Democrat Joe Biden are out at the network. Bill Sammon, senior vice-president and managing editor at Fox's Washington bureau, announced his retirement to staff members on Monday. The following day, the politics editor Chris Stirewalt was let go as part of a restructuring of Fox's digital operations. Continue reading... |
| Furious Kent residents step up fight over Brexit lorry park Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:00 PM PST Locals condemn lack of consultation over customs clearance site for 1,200 lorries Residents of a village near Dover have mounted what they describe as a "David and Goliath" battle to try to reverse government plans to turn fields at the ends of their gardens into a giant Brexit customs clearance site for 1,200 lorries. The local Anglican priest and former president of the chamber of commerce accused the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, and the transport minister, Rachel Maclean, of a "clear abuse of power" over the lack of notice and consultation over the consequences of their plans. Continue reading... |
| David Perry QC quits prosecution of Hong Kong activists Posted: 19 Jan 2021 09:09 PM PST British barrister was called 'mercenary' by UK foreign secretary for taking on case against pro-democracy figures The British QC hired to run the prosecution of senior Hong Kong activists, including the media mogul Jimmy Lai, has pulled out of the case after widespread pressure, the territory's government has said. David Perry QC had been instructed by the Hong Kong justice department to prosecute 76-year-old Lai and eight others including the democracy figure Martin Lee and the veteran activist Lee Cheuk-yan. The group are charged with public order offences for organising and taking part in an unauthorised assembly. Lai, who is in jail on remand, is facing multiple separate charges including under the national security law. Continue reading... |
| Far-right extremists take over UK land sales Facebook page Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:00 PM PST A Facebook page with 40,000 members created for people buying plots of land has been taken over by rightwing conspiracy theorists On 14 January, the 40,000 Britons who had joined the Facebook group Land for Sale UK awoke to find their newsfeed transformed. Until then, the group had been a moderately sized message board for people looking to buy or sell small parcels of land. "We'd love a patch of land in the Falmouth and Penryn area to let the kids roam, grow fruit trees," read one typical post. Continue reading... |
| US coronavirus death toll passes 400,000 amid grim forecast over winter Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:42 AM PST Thousands more deaths expected this season as more transmissible strain spreads and vaccinations move slowly More than 400,000 Americans have now been killed by the coronavirus, a horrific marker of the misery the virus has spread across the country, as the rate of deaths from Covid-19 increases. The latest death toll comes as thousands more deaths are expected in a bleak American winter with widespread Covid transmission, as a more transmissible strain spreads across the country and a mass vaccination campaign gets off to a slow start. Continue reading... |
| Food to go? Covid threatens Hyderabad's famous street food carts Posted: 19 Jan 2021 10:00 PM PST Despite government loans and staff trickling back to work, the pandemic has made survival precarious for the city's vendors On a normal working day, Venkateshwara Rao would be ready by 4pm, stationed on the pavement waiting for office workers to emerge and order their favourite varieties of idli and dosa from his bandi, a food cart grandly named Kavyajyotika Tiffin Centre. "When the lockdown was lifted, but with many restrictions still in place, the inflow of customers plummeted. However, the last few weeks have been good with a handful of workers back in offices and people lining up for takeaways at my bandi," says Rao. Continue reading... |
| Tokyo Olympic Games unlikely to go ahead, says London 2012's Sir Keith Mills Posted: 19 Jan 2021 10:48 AM PST
Sir Keith Mills, the deputy chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games, is unconvinced that the delayed Tokyo Olympics will take place. Tokyo organisers and the International Olympic Committee are adamant the Games will start in July despite a fresh wave of infections sweeping the globe. Continue reading... |
| Van Morrison to start legal action over Northern Ireland Covid ban on live music Posted: 19 Jan 2021 05:57 PM PST Music legend stirs further pandemic controversy, challenging Northern Ireland government's recent 'blanket ban on live music' in court Van Morrison will challenge the Northern Irish government in court over its "blanket ban" on live music in licensed venues arising from coronavirus restrictions, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Solicitor Joe Rice said the Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who has released several protest songs against Covid-19 rules in recent months, will ask the high court in Belfast to review the policy. Continue reading... |
| Why you shouldn’t work from bed (and a guide to doing it anyway) Posted: 19 Jan 2021 10:00 PM PST It may not be recommended, but, from necessity or choice, many of us find ourselves working from them. Here's how to set up your perfect bed office Everybody who knows what they're talking about will tell you not to do it, but the lure of bed is hard to resist for any home worker. Or it may have become a necessity. With children home schooling, or in a cramped flatshare, your bed may be the only place you can get any peace (although many people living and working with chronic illness will be rolling their eyes at the idea that working from bed has only just been invented). During the first lockdown, one survey, by Uswitch.com, found a quarter of home workers had worked from bed. Ten months into the on-off lockdown, more of us are doing it than ever. "We've found that up to 40% of people who have worked from home during lockdown have worked from their bed at some point," says Catherine Quinn, president of the British Chiropractic Association. Continue reading... |
| Music review – Sia’s controversial film about autism lacks coherence and authenticity Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:17 PM PST The pop star's directorial debut is a hodge-podge of giddy numbers and narrative tropes, and its star, Maddie Ziegler, lacks credibility Australian pop star and songwriter Sia Furler's feature directorial debut Music is in effect two very different films with wildly disparate tones, stuck together using a sludgy mixture of by-the-book drama and hipstery eclecticism. One – a collection of music sequences presented in spanking bright colours, with sets and costumes that seem designed to replicate the experience of taking magic mushrooms during a fashion show or contemporary art exhibition – is nothing but self-conscious. Continue reading... |
| Olympic gold winner's sexual abuse case is a turning point for Greece Posted: 19 Jan 2021 09:00 PM PST Action brought by sailor Sofia Bekatorou likely to end patriarchal country's taboo on discussing treatment of women When the Olympic gold medallist Sofia Bekatorou appears before a public prosecutor on Wednesday to reveal the sexual abuse she allegedly endured at the hands of a senior sport official, all of Greece will be watching. For the sailing champion who shot to fame in the 2004 Athens Olympics, the court proceedings will mark the official end of the fear she says has kept her silent for more than two decades. But as she paves the way for more women to speak out, she will lift the veil on a subject considered so taboo in Greece it was never previously aired in public. Continue reading... |
| 'One of a kind': calls to protect Alabama's 60,000-year-old underwater forest Posted: 20 Jan 2021 02:30 AM PST Efforts are under way to designate site of submerged forest off the Alabama coast a marine sanctuary When divers jump into a particular stretch of water off the coast of Alabama, they travel back to a time before humans arrived in the new world. Submerged below the waters are the remains of a cypress tree forest that grew 60,000 years ago, but was inundated by the Gulf of Mexico and preserved from decomposition beneath sediment. Nothing like Alabama's underwater forest, in terms of age or scale, has ever been found. Continue reading... |
| Cobra Kai: from dumped YouTube gambit to Netflix smash hit Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:37 PM PST Turning a sequel to The Karate Kid into a TV series might not have sounded wise but this blockbuster show has found life in a tired franchise A modern TV reboot of classic 80s teen film The Karate Kid sounds like an almost comically bad idea. It's the sort of suggestion you can imagine a creatively desperate TV executive leaving for himself in a panicky Partridgean voice note while drunk on a Tuesday night. So many ways it could go spectacularly wrong, and virtually none where it could go right. And yet, with that very same back-of-a-fag-packet premise, Cobra Kai – the smash new Netflix series – has gone miraculously right, racking up 73 million viewers, according to the streamer's latest figures. Related: 'There's chunks of wisdom': How The Karate Kid launched MMA careers Continue reading... |
| ‘People are hungry’: why Tunisia's youth are taking to the streets Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:15 PM PST Unemployment – especially among the young – falling living standards and lockdowns have sparked riots across the country Ettadhamen, a marginalised district on the outskirts of Tunis, wears unrest well. Over the weekend and into this week, violent protests have dominated life in this overlooked and restive place. The district is not unique. Over the past few days, protests have erupted in working-class neighbourhoods in at least 15 locations across Tunisia, in response to declining living conditions, poverty and endemic unemployment, especially among the country's young people. Continue reading... |
| Tell us: are you being affected by bad weather in the UK? Posted: 20 Jan 2021 02:19 AM PST If bad winter weather in the UK has affected you or your community we would like to hear from you The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow for most of Scotland as well as a severe flood warning for those living near the River Severn in Shrewsbury. Commuters were advised to expect traffic disruption as the working week began. Continue reading... |
| Biden inauguration: Trump to leave White House for Florida before ceremony - live updates Posted: 20 Jan 2021 02:26 AM PST
Today's inauguration ceremony will be quite unlike any seen in Washington DC before. Kevin Freking at Associated Press has put together a handy guide of what is different this year. Joe Biden's oath of office is actually the only essential part of the day. The Constitution sets out a 35-word oath for the new president. Most presidents make it 39 by tacking on "so help me God" – a tradition whose origins are unclear. Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in Biden; Justice Sonya Sotomayor will swear in Kamala Harris as vice president. The ceremony will start at 11am in Washington – 4pm in London – and Biden will be sworn in at noon ET (5pm GMT). Harris is sworn in before that.
Images of a heavily militarized Washington have left local residents disoriented, and prompted condemnation from military veterans in Congress "I expected this in Baghdad. I never imagined this in Washington," said Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts congressman who fought in Iraq, to the Guardian. "It's hard to see the pantheon of our democracy fortified like the war zones I used to know," tweeted Jason Crow, a Colorado congressman, saying that he had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan "so we could enjoy peace at home". Related: 'This is not freedom': a militarized US Capitol is being called a 'war zone' Continue reading... |
| Mexico archaeologists reveal tale of cannibalism and reprisal from conquest Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:42 AM PST A convoy of Spaniards and allies was ritually sacrificed in 1520 at Tecoaque – 'the place where they ate them' – before Hernán Cortés wreaked revenge New research suggests Spanish conquistadores butchered at least a dozen women and their children in an Aztec-allied town where the inhabitants sacrificed and ate a detachment of Spaniards they had captured months earlier. The National Institute of Anthropology and History published findings on Monday from years of excavation work at the town of Tecoaque, which means "the place where they ate them" in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. Continue reading... |
| Victoria, NSW and Queensland record no local cases – as it happened Posted: 19 Jan 2021 11:36 PM PST Two tennis players have tested positive, but hard lockdown of those who shared flights remains. This blog is now closed
That's where I will leave you for today. Here's what we learned:
In US news, outgoing president Donald Trump has used his final hours before Joe Biden's inauguration to pardon or commute the sentence of 143 people including allies including former White House aide Steve Bannon. Trump leaves office on Wednesday US time, when Biden is sworn in as the nation's next president. Among the wave of pardons issued was Bannon, a key adviser in Trump's 2016 presidential run. Related: Donald Trump pardons Steve Bannon amid last acts of presidency Continue reading... |
| 'It gives us hope': migrants stranded in Mexico buoyed by prospect of Biden reform Posted: 20 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST The president-elect has promised to do away with 'Remain in Mexico' policy, raising hopes that asylum seekers claims will be treated seriously Selma López, 31, has spent nearly a year holed up in a two-room house not far from Mexico's border with the US, along with her 11-year-old son Darikson and another woman who also made the long journey from Honduras in search of a new life. Related: Remain in Mexico policy needlessly exposed migrants to harm, report says Continue reading... |
| Landmark hearing to examine handling of domestic abuse cases by UK courts Posted: 19 Jan 2021 09:37 AM PST Family lawyers hope test appeals involving allegations of partner rape and coercive control will help update approach of family courts A landmark hearing in the court of appeal is under way to examine how cases of domestic abuse are handled by judges in the family courts. It concerns four conjoined appeals which feature allegations including marital or partner rape and coercive control, which emerged during private proceedings to address disputes centred on access to children. Continue reading... |
| Biden prepares ambitious agenda even as he cleans up Trump's mess | Analysis Posted: 20 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST Analysis: The new administration faces no shortage of obstacles to progress – but Biden is setting his sights high nonetheless The last time a Democratic president took control of the White House, the wreckage he inherited was so great, there was little else his incoming team could prioritize. Twelve years ago, Barack Obama's blunt-spoken chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, liked to describe the Republican legacy – a financial crisis, deep recession and two wars – as a giant shit sandwich wrapped in a red ribbon. Continue reading... |
| Even in a Moscow jail, Alexei Navalny is dangerous to Putin Posted: 19 Jan 2021 08:36 AM PST Analysis: release of investigation into Putin's wealth shows opposition leader is still determined to expose Russian president For more than a decade, Vladimir Putin has refused to say Alexei Navalny's name in public, referring to him as "that gentleman", or more recently, the "patient", a reference to his suspected poisoning by FSB agents. In the logic of politics, Putin is simply trying not to give the Russian opposition leader free advertising. But his linguistic game also points to a rivalry that has become deeply personal, stoked by a decade of attacks against friends and family, and made urgent by the understanding that Navalny will not back down despite the threat of death by poisoning or prison. Continue reading... |
| Europe can only fix its relationship with Africa if it exorcises its colonial ghosts | Shada Islam Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:36 AM PST Paternalism and racism must be tackled if the EU is to rebuild trust with a young, economically dynamic continent Black Lives Matter protests last summer sparked an uncomfortable reckoning for many European nations with a legacy of slavery and colonialism. Excavating this dark history via revised school curriculums and initiatives such as Black History Month is difficult. But it is badly needed, and not just to dispel the self-congratulatory and entirely false narratives about Europe's "civilisational" past still being driven by nationalist and populist politicians. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden will launch presidency with appeal for unity – but whose unity? Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:19 AM PST Analysis: The convergent crises call for a united response, the president-elect argues, but Republicans say that means forgetting Trump's alleged role in insurrection When Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday, the new president will appeal for national unity from the steps of the US Capitol, where two weeks ago a mob, incited by Donald Trump, stormed the building in a violent attempt to prevent this very moment. Though their efforts failed, the bloody insurrection exposed the fragility of America's commitment to a peaceful transfer of power, underscored by Trump's absence at his successor's inauguration ceremony. Continue reading... |
| Washington on edge before Biden inauguration - in pictures Posted: 20 Jan 2021 12:58 AM PST Central Washington is an armed fortress, fenced off with razor wire and surrounded by 25,000 national guard troops before the inauguration of the president-elect, Joe Biden – a stark contrast to previous inaugurations, when the US capital has erupted in days of celebration Continue reading... |
| Biden and Harris hold vigil for 400,000 Covid victims as bells toll across US – video Posted: 19 Jan 2021 04:56 PM PST Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have honoured nearly 400,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 at a ceremony in Washington. 'Between sundown and dusk let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection, remember all whom we lost,' the president-elect said. A nurse from Michigan, Lori Marie Key, sang Amazing Grace and the gospel singer Yolanda Adams sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. The memorial took place at the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial, with 400 lights to commemorate the dead. The memorial also included 400 bell tolls at the national cathedral and churches across the country
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| 'The best is yet to come', says Trump in pre-recorded farewell address – video Posted: 19 Jan 2021 03:26 PM PST The White House has released Donald Trump's farewell address, a 20-minute pre-recorded video of the president touting his accomplishments in office. 'I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism,' Trump said celebrating his controversy-laden presidency. 'I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices'. The outgoing president also offered a message of encouragement to his successor, but avoided saying Joe Biden's name. He ended by hinting at a possible political future, even as he awaits the start of his second Senate impeachment trial. 'Now, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration, I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning'
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| 'The mob was fed lies': McConnell blames Trump for Capitol attack – video Posted: 19 Jan 2021 01:44 PM PST Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, acknowledged the violent mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this month was 'provoked' by Donald Trump, going on to say that the inauguration of Joe Biden would be 'safe and successful'. Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said: 'The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people' Continue reading... |
| 'I know these are dark times but there is always light,' says tearful Biden – video Posted: 19 Jan 2021 12:18 PM PST Joe Biden shed a tear as he took to the stage to deliver a farewell address to a Delaware crowd ahead of his inauguration on Wednesday, saying: 'I know these are dark times, but there is always light.' Speaking at the Major Joseph R 'Beau' Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, named for Biden's late son, who died of brain cancer in 2015, the president elect said things 'can change, they can and they do'. Continue reading... |
| Guatemalan security forces block Honduran migrant caravan heading to US – video Posted: 19 Jan 2021 06:17 AM PST Guatemalan security forces blocked hundreds of migrants advancing towards the US on Monday. The government said the road in eastern Guatemala reopened to traffic on Monday after troops and police officers launched teargas and pushed them back down the highway. Security forces closed in on the migrants just beyond the village of Vado Hondo, some 55km from the borders of Honduras and El Salvador. The removal of the group was the latest effort by Guatemalan authorities to break up the caravan, which authorities said numbered close to 8,000 people ,within hours of its departure for the US last week. Continue reading... |
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