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- Alexei Navalny protests: Moscow in lockdown as police detain 1,000
- Leave Hong Kong before it’s too late, say those who now call Britain home
- UK will only help EU if it does not affect our vaccine timetable, says Liz Truss
- Extraordinary voyage: on the trail of the trillion-tonne runaway iceberg
- Donald Trump's impeachment defence in disarray as lead lawyers quit – reports
- Family of Indonesian plane crash victims sue Boeing for ‘dangerous’ aircraft
- Hilton Valentine, founding guitarist in the Animals, dies aged 77
- The little island of Procida prepares to shine as Italy’s Capital of Culture
- Just £12,000 of £40m fund for displaced Chagos islanders has been spent
- The Greeks had a word for it … until now, as language is deluged by English terms
- Coronavirus live news: WHO team visits Wuhan wet market; Israel to supply 5,000 vaccine doses to Palestinians
- My grandma's survival in America defied all odds. Then Covid stole her from us
- Crushing costs of Covid care leave grieving Mexican families facing ruin
- What a great shot! Vaccination selfies become the latest social media hit
- Professor Avi Loeb: 'It would be arrogant to think we're alone in the universe'
- What trashy novels taught me about life
- 'It's endemic': state-level Republican groups lead party's drift to extremism
- Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2021
- Photographer Mick Rock: ‘Social media means we won’t see another Lou Reed’
- Honest, brave, modest: why the world can't get enough of Tom Hanks
- 'We'd be lost': parents fight to save Welsh schools facing closure
- Joe Biden talks tough on putting the world to rights. But can he deliver?
- 'Vaccine tourism': tens of thousands of Americans cross state lines for injections
- WHO team visits Wuhan market where Covid-19 first detected
- Veteran Liberal MP Kevin Andrews loses preselection battle for Menzies
- What's the difference between all the Covid vaccines?
- EU 'recognise they made a mistake' in move to block Covid vaccine exports, says Gove – video
- Police and gilets jaunes scuffle during Paris protest over new security bill – video
- Thousands march in Poland against abortion curbs – video
- Fauci: US children will 'hopefully' get Covid vaccine by late spring or early summer – video
- EU gives itself power to block Covid vaccine exports – video
| Alexei Navalny protests: Moscow in lockdown as police detain 1,000 Posted: 31 Jan 2021 03:23 AM PST Riot police and national guard troops shut down central metro stations in unprecedented measures Moscow police have paralysed the centre of the Russian capital as protests in support of the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny continued for a second consecutive weekend. More than 1,000 people were detained at rallies across the country as supporters of the Kremlin critic took to the streets to protest against his jailing, despite biting cold and the threat of arrest. Continue reading... |
| Leave Hong Kong before it’s too late, say those who now call Britain home Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:00 AM PST Former residents who have chosen to take their chances in the UK after Beijing's clampdown speak out Aragon starts work on Monday as an estate agent in London, focused on finding clients who want to move to Britain's capital from his home city of Hong Kong, a move he made himself four months ago. His job is one of the first created by a new visa scheme that opens today, giving millions of Hong Kong residents the right to move to Britain and eventually seek citizenship, in response to a Chinese government crackdown in the city. Continue reading... |
| UK will only help EU if it does not affect our vaccine timetable, says Liz Truss Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:51 AM PST Minister hints that any diversion of supplies may not happen before UK has offered vaccine to all adults The UK could help EU nations with coronavirus vaccine supplies, the international trade secretary, Liz Truss, has said, but only if it does not affect the government's timetable for vaccinating its own population. As ministers sought to smooth relations with Brussels following the EU's much-criticised and swiftly rescinded decision to impose a vaccine border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Truss sought to stress the need for international cooperation. Continue reading... |
| Extraordinary voyage: on the trail of the trillion-tonne runaway iceberg Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST Amid fears of huge damage to marine ecosystems from the giant A68a berg, British researchers are setting sail to assess its impact Polar researchers will this week embark on a remarkable expedition aimed at providing crucial information about the vast iceberg, A68a, that has been spiralling northwards from Antarctica for the last year. A group from the British Antarctic Survey will sail from the Falkland Islands on Tuesday and head towards the iceberg which has been floating in waters off the island of South Georgia for several weeks. Once on site, they will direct robot submarines to probe the water underneath the vast frozen structure and study how freshwater, melting from the iceberg, is affecting life in the ocean. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump's impeachment defence in disarray as lead lawyers quit – reports Posted: 30 Jan 2021 09:22 PM PST Butch Bowers clashed with Trump over strategy, according to reports, and leaves along with Deborah Barberi and three others Donald Trump has abruptly parted ways with the two lead lawyers working on his defence for his Senate impeachment trial, a source familiar with the situation said, leaving the former US president's legal strategy in disarray. Butch Bowers and Deborah Barberi, two South Carolina lawyers, are no longer on Trump's team, the source said, describing the move as a "mutual decision". Continue reading... |
| Family of Indonesian plane crash victims sue Boeing for ‘dangerous’ aircraft Posted: 30 Jan 2021 09:23 PM PST The lawsuit filed by the family of three victims alleges the Boeing 737-500 aircraft was defective in one or more ways An Indonesian family whose relatives died onboard the Sriwijaya Air flight that crashed into the Java Sea have filed legal action against Boeing, alleging that the aircraft was "defective and unreasonably dangerous". The Sriwijaya flight SJ-182 plummeted within minutes of taking off from Jakarta's main airport earlier this month, with 62 people on board. Continue reading... |
| Hilton Valentine, founding guitarist in the Animals, dies aged 77 Posted: 30 Jan 2021 06:54 PM PST Singer Eric Burdon pays tribute to his fellow band member who 'didn't just play but lived' their classic The House of the Rising Sun Hilton Valentine, founding guitarist of the 60s group the Animals and the man responsible for one of the most famous intros in pop history, has died aged 77. Valentine's death was confirmed by the band's label ABKCO Music, who wrote in a statement on Twitter on Saturdy night: "Our deepest sympathies go out to Hilton Valentine's family and friends on his passing this morning, at the age of 77." Continue reading... |
| The little island of Procida prepares to shine as Italy’s Capital of Culture Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:15 AM PST The backdrop for the films Il Postino and The Talented Mr Ripley braces itself to balance tourism with tradition Church bells chime and children play freely in the square named after the late actor Massimo Troisi. A restaurant serves fresh fish to the smattering of customers eating outside, and fishermen mend their nets. With clear blue skies, it seems like a typical afternoon in mid-summer. But this is late January in Corricella, a 17th-century port in Procida, and the scene pretty much sums up the pace of life on what is the smallest and least known island in the bay of Naples. Continue reading... |
| Just £12,000 of £40m fund for displaced Chagos islanders has been spent Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:45 AM PST MP representing most of UK's Chagossians says failure to use compensation money to help those facing hardship is outrageous Less than £12,000 of a £40m fund set up to compensate Chagos islanders who were forcibly evicted from their homeland by the British government has reached those living in the UK. Four years after it was announced, the Foreign Office fund has distributed less than 1% of its budget in direct support to islanders forced from their homes in the Indian Ocean. Continue reading... |
| The Greeks had a word for it … until now, as language is deluged by English terms Posted: 31 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST A leading linguist pleads for moderation as a huge outbreak of 'Greenglish', much of it Covid-related, spreads Usually, Professor Georgios Babiniotis would take pride in the fact that the Greek word "pandemic" – previously hardly ever uttered – had become the word on everyone's lips. After all, the term that conjures the scourge of our times offers cast-iron proof of the legacy of Europe's oldest language. Wholly Greek in derivation – pan means all, demos means people – its usage shot up by more than 57,000% last year according to Oxford English Dictionary lexicographers. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2021 02:59 AM PST WHO team visits Baishazhou wet market in Wuhan; Israel has come under criticism for not providing vaccines to the Palestinians; Germany delivers stark warning to vaccine companies;
Malaysia today reported 5,298 new coronavirus cases, down from yesterday's 5,728 after two days in a row of record highs, raising the total number of recorded infections to 214,959. The health ministry also reported 14 new deaths, up from 13 yesterday, bringing total fatalities from the pandemic to 760.
Dr Susan Hopkins, Covid-19 strategic response director at Public Health England (PHE), said experts expect to see an impact of the coronavirus vaccine on the over-80s over the next two weeks. We are seeing declines in all age groups at the moment. We're starting to see declines in the over-70s and over-80s. It's a bit early to say whether those declines are directly related to the vaccine. What we would like to see is a divergence in the case rate in the over-70s and over-80s who have been vaccinated from the younger age groups, to show that they are declining faster. We have learnt, as we did on the first occasion, we have to relax things really quite slowly, so that if cases start to increase we can clamp down quite fast. The NHS is going to be under pressure until the end of March, as normal in winter, but even more so with the amount of inpatients they still have with Covid-19. Continue reading... |
| My grandma's survival in America defied all odds. Then Covid stole her from us Posted: 31 Jan 2021 03:00 AM PST Abandoned by her parents at age three, she was raised by nuns and built a life from nothing. The mismanaged pandemic claimed her life too soon A few days before Christmas, I dropped groceries at my grandma Debbie's door and stood in the middle of her lawn. It was our pandemic ritual that we had perfected after nine months of lockdown. Continue reading... |
| Crushing costs of Covid care leave grieving Mexican families facing ruin Posted: 31 Jan 2021 03:00 AM PST As the death toll mounts, even for those with health insurance medical bills can run into tens of thousands of dollars For more than 50 years, Pedro Martínez would drive his truck through the mountains of Jalisco state, carrying stock for clothing business in the week, and taking his family on excursions at the weekend. Martínez, 90, was long retired when he was admitted to hospital in early October with coronavirus-linked complications. His family prayed he would soon recover and return home, but 33 days later he died, leaving them emotionally and financially ruined. Continue reading... |
| What a great shot! Vaccination selfies become the latest social media hit Posted: 30 Jan 2021 10:15 PM PST A new trend has emerged – public figures posting 'vaxxies' showing the moment they received their jab The latest social media trend involves no ice buckets, no filters and certainly no sea shanties. Now celebrities and politicians around the world are vying to post the best "vaxxies" – selfies of the moment they receive their Covid-19 vaccination. While vaxxies send out a strong message that the vaccines are safe, they are also an undeniable photo opportunity. The image of Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis being vaccinated with his shirt off went viral last week. With its unreconstructed masculinity, some compared it to photos of a bare-chested Vladimir Putin bare chested out hunting. Mitsotakis became something of a Twitter heartthrob as a result, with one user writing "Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis doing whatever it takes to sell his people on the #COVID19 vaccine." Others fretted about the prospect of Boris Johnson, who might have his vaccine live on TV, doing the same. Continue reading... |
| Professor Avi Loeb: 'It would be arrogant to think we're alone in the universe' Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST When Harvard professor Avi Loeb discovered possible signs of extraterrestrial activity, it caused a scandal in the research community. Is fear and conservatism stopping science from considering plausible evidence that there are aliens out there? By the time humanity noticed the object, it was already leaving the galaxy. 19 October 2017. Astronomers at the University of Hawaii notice an odd shape tumbling away from Earth, a bright speck hurtling through the deep dark. Informally, they name it 'Oumuamua, from the Hawaiian for "scout", and classify it an interstellar asteroid, the first known to visit our solar system. Really, nobody could be sure what it was. Asteroids are rocky and dull and commonly round, but 'Oumuamua was shiny and elongated. Astronomers had first thought it a comet, but comets have bright gassy tails, and here there wasn't one. The more data was collected, the more mysterious the object seemed. "Time after time it looked unusual," says the astrophysicist Avi Loeb, over Zoom. "At some point it crossed a threshold for me. And at that point you say, 'OK, come on!'" Loeb is the Frank B Baird Jr Professor of Science at Harvard and, until recently, the longest-serving chair of Harvard's department of astronomy. When we speak, he is in his home office – big old fireplace, books about the cosmos, a remarkable quantity of dark wood – preparing to discuss his new book, Extraterrestrial, in which he argues an exotic hypothesis: that 'Oumuamua was "designed, built and launched by an extraterrestrial intelligence". Loeb is 59, but energised like a child. "I should tell you," he warns, gently teasing, a few days after the US Capitol is stormed. "Today I'm supposed to be interviewed by Fox News. Some people said, 'Avi, don't do it. How could you do that?' And I said, 'Look, science doesn't have a political agenda – we should speak to everyone!'" Continue reading... |
| What trashy novels taught me about life Posted: 31 Jan 2021 02:00 AM PST They're derided as being frothy thrillers bursting with sex and shopping. But for Sarah Hughes, these so-called 'bonkbusters' are filled with words of wisdom about friendship and feminism It was the covers that first drew me in. Four children staring out in fear seemingly trapped behind a window, someone somewhere clearly wishing them harm; a girl with long hair in a Victorian nightdress menaced by a giant red and green plant. I turned the novels over in my hands in the Edinburgh department store. What were these books? At 12 I'd never seen anything like them. Checking that my parents and siblings were still shopping elsewhere, I settled down on the floor and cracked open the spines. Later I would beg my mum to let me buy them. Bemused, she agreed. Continue reading... |
| 'It's endemic': state-level Republican groups lead party's drift to extremism Posted: 30 Jan 2021 11:00 PM PST Despite national failures at the ballot box, radicalised state parties are fighting for Trump's election lies and defending QAnon followers In Arizona and Oregon, they rebuked opponents of Donald Trump's assault on democracy. In Hawaii, they defended followers of the QAnon conspiracy movement. And in Texas, they adopted a slogan with dark historical connotations: "We are the storm." To understand the future of the Republican party, start with the army of increasingly radicalised foot soldiers who shape it at state level. Continue reading... |
| Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2021 Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST It's not an easy time to break through, but this year brings a formidable crop of new talent. Meet our pick of those hoping to follow in the footsteps of Douglas Stuart and Sally Rooney It's a tough time to be a debut novelist, with so many of the usual channels for promoting new writing suspended or curtailed. The Observer's pick of this year's first novels will be published in a country whose bookshops are closed, and whose literary festivals have been postponed or made virtual. It therefore feels particularly important to celebrate these books, to make sure that they receive the profile and plaudits they deserve. This is the eighth year in which the New Review team has read through dozens of first novels, looking for books that leap out from the crowd, writers who speak with powerful, fresh voices. Our record is pretty good. Last year we were the first to champion Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, which went on to win a host of prizes, including the Booker. Stuart says now: "Publishing your debut novel fills you with excitement and a fair amount of anxiety. We live in a noisy world, and it can be challenging for new writers to make themselves heard above the din. To be recognised as one of the Observer's best debuts changed everything." Previous luminaries selected also include Sally Rooney, Jessie Burton, Gail Honeyman, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Sara Collins. Continue reading... |
| Photographer Mick Rock: ‘Social media means we won’t see another Lou Reed’ Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:00 AM PST The veteran, who also snapped David Bowie and Iggy Pop, talks of the birth of the 'real underground' and why it won't happen again Veteran English photographer Mick Rock embodies the music scene of the 1970s, from his famous shots of Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Freddie Mercury, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, right down to his convenient birth surname. A bystander who almost accidentally shaped the subversive look of an era, Rock is now to release images from his archive to mark the birthday of his late friend, Reed, in March. Continue reading... |
| Honest, brave, modest: why the world can't get enough of Tom Hanks Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:30 AM PST Directors, critics – even a president – have hailed the actor's qualities, and his latest movie sees them all present and correct A crowd stands, spellbound, in a muddy square in northern Texas, firelight flickering on the faces in the evening darkness. A newspaper story is being read aloud by a lone speaker, and each man and woman strains to hear the words, mouths twitching with effort and emotion. It is a news report that tells of a group of miners in peril, trapped underground elsewhere, in some other benighted place. It is an unusual scene of the sort that would perhaps be summoned up by a film director who earned his spurs in the world of news and current affairs. And it's true, News of the World, a poignant western, was directed by Paul Greengrass, alumni of British television's old World in Action team and a big believer in the power of good reporting. But there is another reason for the rapt attention of this grimy audience: they are all listening to the voice of Tom Hanks, the nearest the liberal west has to a secular evangelist. Continue reading... |
| 'We'd be lost': parents fight to save Welsh schools facing closure Posted: 31 Jan 2021 12:28 AM PST Ysgol Gynradd Mynyddygarreg primary is one of a string of village and town schools under threat The parents who send their children to primary school in the Carmarthenshire village of Mynyddygarreg have a very challenging job. They are home schooling, keeping their families safe, juggling work commitments – and at the same time fighting against the proposed closure of the cherished village school. "I feel I'm living a nightmare," said Cara Young, a parent governor and the mother of two children, Dewi, seven, and Millie, four. "I'm helping teach the children, working full time and trying to work through the closure consultation document. It's really unfair that this is hanging over us while the pandemic is happening." Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden talks tough on putting the world to rights. But can he deliver? Posted: 30 Jan 2021 10:15 PM PST The new US president faces a series of intractable foreign policy problems that won't be solved by signing executive orders Those who remember Joe Biden as a senator who preferred compromise to confrontation may have been surprised by his first hectic days as president. Biden offered a stiff finger to the leaders of China and Russia, kicked the stool from under cosy Trump-era relationships in the Gulf, fired a shot across Israel's bows, and propelled the international climate crisis to centre stage. This is fighting talk. The difficulty with Biden's blizzard of executive orders is that they are postures, not policies, mainly intended to overturn or freeze the most damaging aspects of Donald Trump's legacy. There is no sign yet of long-term answers to the complex global questions Biden identifies. This is less Truman Doctrine, more feelgood attitudinising. Declaring the "US is back" is easy. New ideas are harder. Continue reading... |
| 'Vaccine tourism': tens of thousands of Americans cross state lines for injections Posted: 31 Jan 2021 03:00 AM PST Travel between jurisdictions creates 'unfair opportunities' and disrupts infrastructure, experts say – though the impulse may be understandable With more than 50 unique vaccination plans across the United States, one's access to the Covid-19 vaccine depends in large part on where one lives. In Wisconsin, mink farmers are being considered for the next phase of vaccine prioritization. In New Jersey, smokers can get priority access to the vaccine. In Colorado, journalists fall under the category of frontline workers. This complex system has given rise to a new type of pandemic travel – dubbed "vaccine tourism" – in which people cross state or even country lines to get earlier access. Without standardized protocol, and because of the fractured American health system, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people have gotten vaccines outside their home states. Continue reading... |
| WHO team visits Wuhan market where Covid-19 first detected Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:42 AM PST Market is landmark in Chinese city traumatised as epicentre of what became the pandemic A World Health Organization-led team of experts investigating the origins of Covid-19 have visited Huanan market, the now shuttered wholesale seafood centre in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the virus was initially detected. The team arrived at Huanan amid heavy security, with additional barricades set up outside a high blue fence surrounding the market, and left in a convoy after about one hour. The experts did not take questions from journalists. Continue reading... |
| Veteran Liberal MP Kevin Andrews loses preselection battle for Menzies Posted: 30 Jan 2021 11:45 PM PST Barrister and former special forces captain Keith Wolahan topples Howard-era stalwart, who had backing from senior ministers Howard-era veteran Kevin Andrews has been rolled in a Liberal preselection battle in Victoria despite having endorsements from party luminaries and the backing of number of senior ministers in the Morrison government. Barrister Keith Wolahan, a former special forces captain, delivered the upset, winning Liberal preselection for the federal seat of Menzies comfortably on Sunday afternoon. According to party sources the vote was 181 votes to 111. Continue reading... |
| What's the difference between all the Covid vaccines? Posted: 31 Jan 2021 01:45 AM PST First there was Pfizer, then AstraZeneca, now Moderna and Novavax. How do they differ? And which might you get? Continue reading... |
| EU 'recognise they made a mistake' in move to block Covid vaccine exports, says Gove – video Posted: 30 Jan 2021 10:34 AM PST Michael Gove says European commission recognised they made an error by seeking to trigger a Brexit deal clause to prevent coronavirus vaccine shipments entering the UK. He added that it was important to cooperate with the EU to make sure the vaccination rollout was effective
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| Police and gilets jaunes scuffle during Paris protest over new security bill – video Posted: 30 Jan 2021 09:41 AM PST Demonstrators marched through Paris on Saturday to protest against a proposed security bill. Police and marchers clashed during the protests against the controversial bill. Continue reading... |
| Thousands march in Poland against abortion curbs – video Posted: 30 Jan 2021 07:52 AM PST Thousands have protested for a third consecutive night in Warsaw and other parts of Poland after the country's rightwing government implemented a court ruling imposing a near-total ban on abortion. Protesters have defied coronavirus restrictions and sub-zero temperatures to rally after the controversial judgment was given legal force on Wednesday Continue reading... |
| Fauci: US children will 'hopefully' get Covid vaccine by late spring or early summer – video Posted: 30 Jan 2021 05:43 AM PST Children in the US will 'hopefully' start to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by late spring or early summer, said Dr Anthony Fauci. Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, the head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, was speaking at a White House coronavirus briefing, an event re-instituted by the new president after falling away during the last months of the Trump administration Continue reading... |
| EU gives itself power to block Covid vaccine exports – video Posted: 30 Jan 2021 02:44 AM PST The European commission has announced that it will tighten the export rules of vaccines produced in the 27 EU countries. 'We paid these companies to increase production and now we expect them to deliver,' said the commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis. The 'vaccine export transparency mechanism' would be used until the end of March and would control shipments to non-EU countries and ensure any exporting company based in the EU first submits its plans to national authorities Continue reading... |
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