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- Germany convicts former Assad regime agent in historic Syria torture verdict
- SolarWinds hack was work of 'at least 1,000 engineers', tech executives tell Senate
- EU 'catching up' with UK Covid vaccination rollout – Von der Leyen
- Meatless school menu sparks political row in France
- Cattle stranded at sea for two months are likely dead or ‘suffering hell’
- Iranian officials should be charged over shooting down of Ukrainian plane, UN expert says
- Police say Tiger Woods 'lucky to be alive' after car crash in California
- Justin Trudeau says US leadership has been 'sorely missed' during first meeting with Biden
- London has more dollar millionaires than New York
- Woman awarded $7,700 for five years of housework in China divorce ruling
- North Korean defector spends six hours walking around heavily guarded border unnoticed
- Coronavirus live news: Belgium warns of 'serious delays' to vaccine rollout as many EU AstraZeneca jabs left unused
- All people with learning disabilities will be invited for Covid vaccines, says care minister
- First Covax coronavirus vaccines delivered to Ghanaian capital
- Woman with Covid should be allowed to die weeks after giving birth, judge rules
- Feed your moths and hide your trousers: the expert guide to making clothes last forever
- Medal of dishonour: why do so many people cheat in online video games?
- 'Lynching was treated as a celebratory event': Adrian Younge on the history of US racism
- Aung San Suu Kyi tattoos flourish among Myanmar's resistance
- Hot houses: the race to save bats from overheating as temperatures rise
- Kate Humble on walking – and how to improve it: ‘The rhythm is really good for your brain’
- Rapist John Worboys loses appeal against life sentence
- Last public statue of Spanish dictator Franco is removed
- Biden to host bipartisan economy meeting amid supply chain fears – live updates
- Mexican president under fire for defending politician accused of rape
- Covid committee condemns 'secretive' Morrison government for withholding key information
- 'Shot at by both sides': Families flee as Taliban battles for territory in Kandahar
- Yazidis have been forgotten during Covid. They need justice, jobs and a return home | Nadia Murad
- Sri Lanka at 'tipping point’ with risk of return to past atrocities, activists warn
- Four key questions on a Covid certification scheme in England
- Victorian house rolls through San Francisco to new address – video
- Art, unlocked: Italy's museums quietly reopen – in pictures
- The science behind England’s Covid exit plan – podcast
- Capitol mob 'came prepared for war', US Senate hears testimony – video
| Germany convicts former Assad regime agent in historic Syria torture verdict Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:49 AM PST Eyad al-Gharib found guilty of aiding and abetting a crime against humanity A court in Germany has found a former Syrian regime official guilty of being an accomplice to crimes against humanity, in a historic first victory for efforts worldwide to bring legal accountability for atrocities committed in Syria's long war. Eyad al-Gharib, a 44-year-old former colonel in the Syrian intelligence service, carried out orders in one of Bashar al-Assad's notorious prisons. Continue reading... |
| SolarWinds hack was work of 'at least 1,000 engineers', tech executives tell Senate Posted: 23 Feb 2021 04:39 PM PST True scope of the breach, which affected 100 companies and several federal agencies, is still unknown Tech executives revealed that a historic cybersecurity breach that affected about 100 US companies and nine federal agencies was larger and more sophisticated than previously known. Continue reading... |
| EU 'catching up' with UK Covid vaccination rollout – Von der Leyen Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:44 AM PST Commission president responds to fresh criticism over shortages of vaccine doses in bloc The EU is "catching up" with the UK's coronavirus vaccination programme, the European commission president has insisted in response to renewed criticism of the rollout among the 27 member states. Shortages of vaccine doses continue to blight national plans across the bloc, with Belgium the latest to warn of "serious delays" to its schedule, with vaccination of people over 65 postponed to the end of March. Continue reading... |
| Meatless school menu sparks political row in France Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:31 AM PST Temporary decision by Green mayor of Lyon to take meat off menu met by protests A decision by the Green mayor of Lyon, seen by many as the country's culinary capital, to temporarily take meat off the menu in school canteens during the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a major political row in France. Government ministers have accused the mayor, Grégory Doucet, of "ideological" and "elitist" behaviour after the measure, which is also being studied by several other cities including Paris, came into force in Lyon's schools on Monday. Continue reading... |
| Cattle stranded at sea for two months are likely dead or ‘suffering hell’ Posted: 24 Feb 2021 04:13 AM PST Two livestock ships have been refused entry to multiple countries on health grounds since leaving Spain in December One of two livestock ships at sea since mid-December with thousands of cattle on board is now at the Spanish port of Cartagena, but the fate of its cargo is unclear. The two vessels left from different ports in Spain before Christmas to deliver their cargoes of animals, but were each refused entry by various countries including Turkey and Libya, owing to suspected outbreaks onboard both ships of the bovine disease bluetongue. Continue reading... |
| Iranian officials should be charged over shooting down of Ukrainian plane, UN expert says Posted: 23 Feb 2021 03:37 PM PST In letter to Tehran, human rights advocate outlines six-month investigation into disaster Many high level Iranian officials should be charged for the shooting down of a Ukrainian commercial airliner in January 2020, a UN human rights expert has said, describing the killing of the 176 people aboard as a "profound and serious indictment" of the country's civil and military authorities. Agnès Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, delivered a 45-page letter to the Iranian government which was made public on Tuesday, outlining her findings from a six-month investigation into the disaster, and complaining about the lack of Iranian cooperation, which has left many of her questions unanswered. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Police say Tiger Woods 'lucky to be alive' after car crash in California Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:20 PM PST
Tiger Woods has had surgery for multiple fractures of his right leg after a car accident that a Los Angeles police officer said he was "very fortunate" to have survived. The golfer was "awake and responsive" after the operation to insert a rod into his tibia and stabilize his ankle with pins, according to a statement by his TGR foundation on Tuesday night. Continue reading... |
| Justin Trudeau says US leadership has been 'sorely missed' during first meeting with Biden Posted: 23 Feb 2021 06:06 PM PST Canadian PM congratulates US president on rejoining Paris accord, saying 'it's nice when the Americans are not pulling out all the references to climate change'
The Canadian prime minister added: "And I have to say as we were preparing the joint rollout of the communique on this, it's nice when the Americans are not pulling out all the references to climate change and instead adding them in." Continue reading... |
| London has more dollar millionaires than New York Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:01 PM PST One in 10 Londoners hold assets worth more than £720,000 as Covid crisis makes the rich richer London has overtaken New York as home to the highest concentration of dollar millionaires in the world, according to a report that reveals how much money the very richest people in the world have made during the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 875,000 Londoners are dollar millionaires (denoting assets worth more than £720,000), according to an annual study of the fortunes of the world's wealthiest people by the property consultants Knight Frank. Continue reading... |
| Woman awarded $7,700 for five years of housework in China divorce ruling Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:32 PM PST Case is believed to be the first to set a monetary value on housework since the implementation of a new civil code A Chinese divorce court has ordered a man to pay his wife the equivalent of US $7,700 as compensation for housework during their five-year marriage. Under a new civil code that came into effect last month, a person may seek compensation from their partner during a divorce if they were the primary carer for children or elderly parents, or did most of the unpaid household work. The amount should be negotiated, but if that fails then it will be decided by court. Continue reading... |
| North Korean defector spends six hours walking around heavily guarded border unnoticed Posted: 23 Feb 2021 09:10 PM PST Embarrassment for South Korea's military after guards fail to heed alarms despite man being picked up by five sets of CCTV cameras South Korea's military is facing criticism over security lapses along the country's heavily armed border with North Korea after a man was able to cross into the South despite being spotted multiple times by surveillance cameras. The man, wearing a wetsuit and flippers, reportedly swam to South Korea in the early hours of 16 February, but evaded capture for more than six hours, according to the Yonhap news agency. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2021 04:21 AM PST Belgium delays vaccination of over-65s to end of March; unsubstantiated claims leaves doses unused in fridges; Ghana gets first Covax shipment
The South African government is to unveil its spending plans today as the continent's most industrialised economy grapples with the fallout from pandemic repercussions on top of a recession. "There's not a lot of money and we need to have a pro-poor and pro-growth balance," University of Johannesburg business lecturer Daniel Meyer told AFP.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has insisted that fresh problems hampering the supply of AstraZeneca's vaccines can be resolved, after the group admitted it could deliver only half the expected amount to the bloc in the second quarter. She told the German regional daily Augsburger Allgemeine: The vaccine manufacturers are our partners in this pandemic and they have also never faced such a challenge. New questions are always arising that we can generally resolve amicably. Continue reading... |
| All people with learning disabilities will be invited for Covid vaccines, says care minister Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:08 AM PST Adults with less severe conditions will be invited for jabs, says Helen Whately, after advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation All adults on the learning disability register will be invited to get a coronavirus vaccine following advice from the Joint Committtee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Those with severe learning disabilities are already included in priority group six, while adults with less severe conditions are not prioritised but the JCVI said the health service should now invite all those on the GP learning disability register after analysis found they were at higher risk of death and serious illness. Continue reading... |
| First Covax coronavirus vaccines delivered to Ghanaian capital Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:10 AM PST Scheme seeks to offset 'vaccine nationalism' and ensure poor countries do not face delays Covax has delivered its first Covid-19 doses in a milestone for the ambitious programme that seeks to offset "vaccine nationalism" by wealthy countries and ensure poor ones do not wait years to start inoculating people. An aircraft carrying 600,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine landed in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Wednesday, where jabs will be administered to frontline health workers on Tuesday. Vaccine doses will arrive on Friday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and will be given from Monday. Continue reading... |
| Woman with Covid should be allowed to die weeks after giving birth, judge rules Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:12 AM PST Court says doctors can stop life support for woman in her 30s in a coma, against family's wishes A woman in her early 30s, who has Covid and remains in an induced coma after giving birth to a son, should be allowed to die, against the wishes of her family, a judge has ruled. Mr Justice Hayden said doctors could lawfully stop providing life-support treatment, as evidence showed they were no longer preserving the woman's life, but prolonging her death. Continue reading... |
| Feed your moths and hide your trousers: the expert guide to making clothes last forever Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:00 PM PST Orsola de Castro is a fashion designer who became a re-use revolutionary. Now she has written a book to help people care for their clothes – and the planet There is a rip in the armpit of Orsola de Castro's jumper. She raises her hand high in the air so I can see it: a slash of pale skin peeks from tomato-red wool. This "memory hole", as De Castro describes it, tells the story of the jumper's long life. It was owned by her cousin, then her daughter. "It is very old Benetton, from when Benetton was still made in Italy. You can't see it on Zoom, but this is really nice wool," she says, arm still aloft. De Castro, 54, is an activist, a lecturer, a former designer and a co-founder of not-for-profit movement Fashion Revolution. With the release of her book Loved Clothes Last, she has also become a kind of anti-Marie Kondo. She advocates "radical keeping", not decluttering. "The only antidote to throwaway culture is to keep. So I am an obsessive keeper," she says. Continue reading... |
| Medal of dishonour: why do so many people cheat in online video games? Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:00 AM PST Online cheating has become an infestation – but the idea of bending the rules has been part of gaming culture from the start Fall Guys had only been online for two days when it started. This bright, silly multiplayer game, in which rotund Day-Glo bean people race toward a finishing line avoiding giant tumbling fruit pieces – a sort of digital equivalent of a school sports day, albeit a slightly hallucinogenic one – had tens of thousands of players, but it didn't seem like it would attract cheaters. Surely it was too frivolous, too much about the shared joy of slapstick comedy? Yet in they came: players using speed hacks (a type of cheat that increases the speed your avatar can run at) to win races against other Day-Glo bean people. A totally meaningless, seemingly reward-free victory. Why? For many, cheating utterly ruins the experience of a multiplayer video game. Even if you are not directly affected, it breaks the social contract. "When people play a competitive game together, they conjure the world of that game into existence through mutual agreement: this is the aim, these are the restrictions on how we can achieve that aim," says game designer Holly Gramazio. "When you realise that someone is cheating, it can disrupt that mutual agreement and call the whole experience into question." Continue reading... |
| 'Lynching was treated as a celebratory event': Adrian Younge on the history of US racism Posted: 24 Feb 2021 04:00 AM PST Already a law professor turned soul composer, Younge explains his latest project, encompassing an album, podcast and short film "I'm sacrificing myself to deliver a message," says the composer, multi-instrumentalist and now podcast-maker Adrian Younge. "We aren't aware enough of black history, nor of the integral role black people have played in building America. There is an educational sterilisation going on and it's my duty to make people understand that history of racism – something America has pioneered." With more than 400 years to cover since US slavery began, Younge's project to educate the public is a vast and complex one. Yet, speaking on a video call surrounded by analogue recording equipment in his LA studio, it is a story Younge believes he has spent his life and career building up to. "This is my What's Going On project, my record talking about why we are in the place that we are in," he says. "It's as if James Baldwin hooked up with Marvin Gaye to make a record produced by David Axelrod. It's psychedelic soul but it is very professorial at the same time. There's so many layers to it." Continue reading... |
| Aung San Suu Kyi tattoos flourish among Myanmar's resistance Posted: 23 Feb 2021 08:19 PM PST Studios report surge in requests for tattoos of the deposed civilian leader – and some are using their profits to support protesters In the last three weeks, Ye, 37, has inked more images of Aung San Suu Kyi than throughout his 19 years of tattooing. "We love and respect her because she has sacrificed so much for us," he says, showing a photo of his latest artwork – a lifelike rendering of the deposed Myanmar leader, complete with jasmine flowers, on a woman's back. Continue reading... |
| Hot houses: the race to save bats from overheating as temperatures rise Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:30 AM PST Chimneys for bat boxes and a flying fox heat stress forecaster are among efforts to prevent deaths from effects of climate crisis Steve Latour and his wife were enjoying their usual early morning coffee in the sun outside their lake house in the Kootenay region of British Columbia when they heard noises coming from the bat box attached to the side of the house. Every summer, about 150 Yuma myotis bats return to the box, using it as a maternity colony to give birth to pups and take care of them until they are ready to leave for hibernation in the autumn. Continue reading... |
| Kate Humble on walking – and how to improve it: ‘The rhythm is really good for your brain’ Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:00 AM PST The TV presenter thinks our newfound love of walking will persist after lockdown. She talks about hiking around Britain's coast, the joy of newborn lambs and the true meaning of liberation It is a rare day that Kate Humble doesn't get up and get outside, walking out from her farm in the Monmouthshire countryside. "I want to be outside for the first hour or two of the day: no phone, no distractions. I'm sure we all wake up with a million things going on in our heads, all these disjointed thoughts, worries and anxieties. For me, that part of the day, when all I have to think about is one foot going in front of the other and not falling over, creates a headspace that allows all my thoughts to settle in a way that feels much more manageable." Humble is a walker – she wrote a 2018 book on the subject, and is presenting a new TV series on it – but the last year has turned many of us into walkers, too. Whether for exercise, to break the monotony or to snatch the chance to walk and talk with a friend, for those of us lucky enough to be physically able and safe to venture beyond the front door, a stroll has become a highlight of the day. "We're scrabbling to find positives of this situation, and I think one is that it has turned our focus back on to what's on our doorsteps, whether it's the wildlife in our gardens, or the beauty of our urban parks," says Humble. As an ambassador for Living Streets, the charity that campaigns for a better walking environment in towns and cities, Humble hopes the pandemic may speed up the shift away from car-dominated urban spaces. With fewer cars on the road, "I think people have realised that walking is often quicker, healthier, just generally a nicer way of getting around." Continue reading... |
| Rapist John Worboys loses appeal against life sentence Posted: 24 Feb 2021 04:01 AM PST Black-cab sex attacker loses challenge over sentence for spiking drinks of four women The black-cab rapist John Worboys has lost a court of appeal challenge against his life sentence for spiking the drinks of four women. More to follow … |
| Last public statue of Spanish dictator Franco is removed Posted: 23 Feb 2021 01:39 PM PST Monument in north Africa commemorates the fascist leader's earlier role in the Rif war of the 1920s The last public statue in Spain of the former dictator Francisco Franco has been removed from the city gates of Melilla, a Spanish enclave and autonomous city on the north-west African coast. Without much fanfare, a group of workmen took down the statue on Tuesday, using a mechanical digger and heavy drills to chip away at the brick platform on which the statue stood, before lifting it off by a chain around its neck and carting it away in bubblewrap on a pickup truck. Continue reading... |
| Biden to host bipartisan economy meeting amid supply chain fears – live updates Posted: 24 Feb 2021 04:01 AM PST President will meet group from both houses ahead of expected executive order over chip shortage
White House chief of staff Ronald Klain has already been using news of that letter from CEOs to push again his line that Biden's Covid economic package has got bipartisan support everywhere except in Congress itself. It's bipartisan! https://t.co/NBoMh4iFmV
CNN have been boasting of a scoop this morning from Phil Mattingly, that president Biden's Covid economic rescue plan is to get the backing of more than 150 top business leaders in a letter today. Mattingly writes: The group of executives includes the top executives representing some of the powerful business interests in the US, ranging from bank and investment firms like Goldman Sachs and Blackstone, to technology companies like Google, Intel and IBM, to hospitality companies like Loews Hotels & Co and airlines including American and United Airlines. Top executives from real estate, insurance and utility firms also signed on to the letter. "Previous federal relief measures have been essential, but more must be done to put the country on a trajectory for a strong, durable recovery," the executives wrote in the letter addressed to bipartisan congressional leaders that will be sent Wednesday. "Congress should act swiftly and on a bipartisan basis to authorize a stimulus and relief package along the lines of the Biden-Harris administration's proposed American Rescue Plan." Continue reading... |
| Mexican president under fire for defending politician accused of rape Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:00 AM PST Amlo again clashes with women's rights activists as he dismisses complaints against Félix Salgado Macedonio, candidate for governor A growing row over a gubernatorial candidate facing accusations of rape has once again pitted Mexico's populist president against women's rights campaigners. Félix Salgado Macedonio has registered to run for governor in southern Guerrero state with the ruling Morena party, despite accusations of sexual violence and rape by five women dating back as far as 1998. Continue reading... |
| Covid committee condemns 'secretive' Morrison government for withholding key information Posted: 24 Feb 2021 02:00 AM PST Report lays out 'multiple instances' where the Coalition used public interest immunity to block access • Doctor did not get vaccine training before giving nursing home residents excessive dose The Senate committee probing the Morrison government's management of the pandemic has excoriated the government for deploying public interest immunity claims to "wilfully obstruct access to information crucial to the committee inquiry". The second interim report by the committee, tabled on Wednesday night, lays out "multiple instances" where important information sought by the committee during the inquiry had been withheld by government on grounds of public interest immunity. Continue reading... |
| 'Shot at by both sides': Families flee as Taliban battles for territory in Kandahar Posted: 23 Feb 2021 11:15 PM PST Villages in southern Afghanistan have become frontline of conflict as peace talks stall and uncertainty surrounds US withdrawal The people who lived in Spairwan village spent two days huddled in their homes, besieged by fighting, before the Taliban came and told them all to leave the area. Qayoom and his family were among 10,000 families pushed out of their homes as government and Taliban forces battled for territory in southern Afghanistan last month. Qayoom found his new home was to be a couple of large sheets propped up over cold, bare earth, a shelter among many others in a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) on the outskirts of Kandahar city. But the shelter barely checks the icy blasts of bitter winter winds. Continue reading... |
| Yazidis have been forgotten during Covid. They need justice, jobs and a return home | Nadia Murad Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:30 PM PST Survivors of Islamic State brutality are pushed further into the margins as the pandemic causes the world to turn inward Staring at the same four walls day after day, unable to find work, reunite with relatives, or send your children to school. The Covid pandemic has rendered this bleak picture a reality for many people across the globe. Yet for many who have survived or are living through conflict, these hardships are hardly novel. For the Yazidi ethnic minority in Iraq, Islamic State's 2014 genocide created adversity long before the pandemic ever did. For more than six years, hundreds of thousands of Yazidis have been in camps for internally displaced people (IDP) staring at the same four walls of their tents. They are unable to find work because Isis razed their farms and businesses. They cannot reunite with relatives still in Isis captivity or attend the burials of family members whose bodies remain in mass graves. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka at 'tipping point’ with risk of return to past atrocities, activists warn Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:00 PM PST Civil rights groups say situation 'getting worse on a daily basis' as UN human rights chief expresses alarm over deepening impunity Sri Lanka could descend swiftly back into violence and human rights abuses unless decisive international action is taken, the UN high commissioner for human rights and civil rights groups warned. In a speech to the human rights council on Wednesday, Michelle Bachelet is expected to issue a stark warning that the Sri Lankan government has "closed the door" on ending impunity for past abuses and is facing a return to state repression of civil society and a militarisation of public institutions. Continue reading... |
| Four key questions on a Covid certification scheme in England Posted: 23 Feb 2021 10:00 PM PST The government is reviewing the options on proof of vaccination or testing status
The idea of vaccine certificates has gained traction in England, as the government weighs their potential usefulness in reopening sectors of society against concerns about privacy and discrimination. As ministers prepare to launch a review into whether to introduce the documents, here are the key questions to be answered. Continue reading... |
| Victorian house rolls through San Francisco to new address – video Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:21 AM PST After 139 years at 807 Franklin Street in San Francisco, a two-storey Victorian house has a new address. The green home with large windows and a brown front door was loaded on to giant dollies and moved to a location six blocks away on Sunday. Onlookers lined the sidewalks to snap photos as the structure rolled – at a top speed of 1mph – to 635 Fulton Street
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| Art, unlocked: Italy's museums quietly reopen – in pictures Posted: 23 Feb 2021 11:00 PM PST After Italy's government loosened Covid-19 restrictions in much of the country – including Lazio, the region that contains Rome and Vatican City – newly reopened museums are offering local visitors the opportunity to enjoy artworks undisturbed by the usual crowds of international tourists Continue reading... |
| The science behind England’s Covid exit plan – podcast Posted: 23 Feb 2021 07:00 PM PST Nicola Davis runs through the science behind the government's decision to begin lifting lockdown restrictions, a four-stage plan that starts with the reopening of schools and could see the return of nightclubs on 21 June On Monday Boris Johnson announced a four-stage plan for England, paving the way for schools to welcome pupils, sports fans to fill stadiums once again and nightclubs to reopen their doors. There is a five-week gap between each phase of the plan, intended to allow four weeks for data to emerge about the impact of the changes, plus a week's notice for the next stage of easing to be introduced. The Guardian science correspondent Nicola Davis talks to Rachel Humphreys about the science behind the government's decision to begin easing out of lockdown. Some, including Johnson's own backbenchers, have criticised the pace of reopening as too slow. But, Nicola says, experts on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), whose analysis was published alongside the plan, have stressed the need for caution. 'Decisions about changes to restrictions are best made based on epidemiological data rather than based on predetermined dates,' they advise. Continue reading... |
| Capitol mob 'came prepared for war', US Senate hears testimony – video Posted: 23 Feb 2021 12:30 PM PST The former Capitol police chief, Steven Sund, said during a joint hearing on security failures that the insurrectionists during the 6 January attack 'came prepared for war'. Senators investigating the attack on the US Capitol last month heard testimony on training and equipping the Capitol police as the former police chief of that department and other security officials testified publicly for the first time Tuesday. Continue reading... |
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