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- Shamima Begum loses court battle over UK citizenship
- Joe Biden speaks to Saudi Arabia's King Salman before release of Khashoggi murder report
- Blair says collaboration on Covid could have cut three months off crisis
- Alex Salmond to testify at Holyrood over claims of conspiracy against him
- Pompeii vexes board with appointment of German director
- Russian diplomats leave North Korea on hand-powered rail trolley
- Prince Harry defends Netflix's The Crown in James Corden interview
- Airbus reveals planes sold in last two years will emit over 1bn tonnes of CO2
- Woman who set herself on fire in Lesbos refugee camp may face arson charges
- Pakistan passes ‘historic’ bill banning corporal punishment of children
- Lawyer for Britney Spears' father responds to fans over conservatorship
- Coronavirus live news: first travellers to leave UK quarantine hotels; France could impose regional lockdowns
- Words matter: how New Zealand's clear messaging helped beat Covid
- Will I have to wear a mask after getting the Covid vaccine?
- ‘Doctors are paying for supplies': inside a stretched Burkina Faso Covid ward
- 'Shivering under a pile of six blankets, I finally lost it': my week in frozen Texas hell
- 'It was tribal and sexual': Alice Cooper on the debauchery of Detroit rock
- Sienna Miller: 'I go in and negotiate as if I’m a man'
- Creature comfort: why TV nature shows are good for mental health
- From Daft Punk and Beyoncé to the Band: the best ever live albums
- The Glasgow Effect: examining the city's life expectancy gap – a photo essay
- Prince Harry tours LA with James Corden on open air bus – video
- Kidnappers abduct schoolchildren in Nigeria
- Democrats' $15 minimum wage rise under threat after Senate’s parliamentarian ruling – live updates
- 'A cause for worry': Mexico's monarch butterflies drop by 26% in year
- Briton sentenced to two weeks in jail for breaking Singapore Covid rules
- Cabinet minister accused of historical rape in letter sent to Australian prime minister
- Colombian police killed 86 people in 2020, report reveals
- Purim in Covid times – in pictures
- Kenya's Serene Haven school opens doors to teenage mothers - in pictures
- Four children thrown to safety from burning building in Istanbul – video
- Police shoot into crowd in Myanmar as first pro-military rally takes place – video
| Shamima Begum loses court battle over UK citizenship Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:52 AM PST Begum, who fled Britain six years ago as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State in Syria, loses landmark case Shamima Begum, who fled Britain as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State in Syria, has failed to restore her British citizenship after the supreme court ruled on Friday that she had lost her case. The judgment from the UK's highest court is a critical – and controversial – test case of the UK's policy to strip the citizenship of Britons who went to join Isis and are being detained by Syrian Kurdish groups without trial. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden speaks to Saudi Arabia's King Salman before release of Khashoggi murder report Posted: 25 Feb 2021 02:45 PM PST White House says president 'affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law' Joe Biden has spoken with Saudi Arabia's King Salman for the first time as president, ahead of the publication of a US intelligence report expected to implicate the Saudi crown prince in the 2018 murder of dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A White House account of the call did not mention the report, but did say, in another context, that Biden "affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law" and that the two discussed working on "mutual issues of concern". Continue reading... |
| Blair says collaboration on Covid could have cut three months off crisis Posted: 25 Feb 2021 10:00 PM PST Former prime minister tells the Guardian the world must be better prepared for the next pandemic World leaders could have cut the length of the Covid outbreak by three months if they had collaborated on vaccines, testing and drugs, Tony Blair has claimed as he launched a report on preparing for the next deadly pandemic. The former Labour prime minister urged the UK to take the lead in developing a new "health security infrastructure" that would ensure countries coordinate better in identifying emerging new threats as well as developing, testing and manufacturing vaccines and treatments. Continue reading... |
| Alex Salmond to testify at Holyrood over claims of conspiracy against him Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:16 AM PST Former first minister to give evidence as feud intensifies with former allies including Nicola Sturgeon Alex Salmond is due to give evidence at Holyrood on his allegations of a Scottish government conspiracy against him, with MSPs expected to issue a last-ditch order seeking the release of evidence. The former first minister is expected to testify on oath from 12.30pm after weeks of wrangling over his appearance, and legal battles over the publication of his allegations against his former protege Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish National party. Continue reading... |
| Pompeii vexes board with appointment of German director Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:56 AM PST Archaeologist Gabriel Zuchtriegel takes controversy in his stride as he develops programme for site Gabriel Zuchtriegel is used to ruffling a few feathers. In 2015, the German archaeologist was hired to manage Paestum, a vast park of ancient Greek ruins in the southern Italian region of Campania. He was among the first crop of foreigners picked to direct an Italian museum or cultural site as part of what was a contentious drive to revamp the management of the country's heritage. Not only was he foreign, but he was the youngest person in charge of a major site. Six years on, Zuchtriegel, now 39, provoked a fresh quarrel last week after being appointed director of one of the world's most treasured archaeological sites: Pompeii. Within hours, two of the park's board members resigned, with one of them telling the press that Zuchtriegel, who was credited by the culture minister, Dario Franceschini, for having done an "incredible job" at Paestum, didn't have enough experience to take the helm at Pompeii. Continue reading... |
| Russian diplomats leave North Korea on hand-powered rail trolley Posted: 25 Feb 2021 09:42 PM PST Coronavirus pandemic meant the envoys and their families had to travel home in an unconventional way In normal times, most diplomats can expect to end a foreign posting with an official – if not always fond – farewell from their hosts and a comfortable journey back to their native country. But for one group of Russian envoys and their families, the coronavirus pandemic meant there was only one way home – under their own steam on a hand-pushed rail trolley. Continue reading... |
| Prince Harry defends Netflix's The Crown in James Corden interview Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:10 AM PST Duke of Sussex says he is happier with series than news stories about Meghan or his family The Duke of Sussex has defended the Netflix series The Crown, and revealed the Queen sent one-year-old Archie a waffle-maker for Christmas, in an interview with James Corden for The Late Late Show. Appearing on the US TV show, Prince Harry also spoke about his life in Los Angeles, California, and his and Meghan's hopes to change the world "in some small way" as he criticised the "toxic" British press. Continue reading... |
| Airbus reveals planes sold in last two years will emit over 1bn tonnes of CO2 Posted: 25 Feb 2021 11:30 PM PST Landmark emissions disclosures cover 22-year lifetime of 1,429 aircraft sold in 2019 and 2020 Planes sold by Airbus in 2019 and 2020 will produce well over 1bn tonnes of carbon dioxide during their lifetimes, according to landmark first estimates of the aerospace manufacturer's emissions. Airbus sold a record 863 planes in 2019, which would translate to 740m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over a 22-year period, according to figures seen by the Guardian. It sold 566 planes last year, for which lifetime emissions would be 440m tonnes. Continue reading... |
| Woman who set herself on fire in Lesbos refugee camp may face arson charges Posted: 25 Feb 2021 09:00 PM PST Pregnant Afghan woman, who has not been named, forced to give testimony to a prosecutor from her hospital bed A pregnant Afghan woman who was severely injured after setting herself on fire in a refugee camp on Lesbos has been forced to give testimony to a prosecutor from her hospital bed as Greek authorities explore potential arson charges against her. The 26-year-old woman, who has not been named, had been granted asylum by Greek authorities and had been scheduled to fly to Germany with other recognised refugees last week. But officials said doctors had advised against her making the journey because she was in the final stage of pregnancy. Continue reading... |
| Pakistan passes ‘historic’ bill banning corporal punishment of children Posted: 25 Feb 2021 10:30 PM PST Ban on violence against children will only apply in Islamabad, but campaigners hope rest of the country will follow suit Pakistan has passed a bill banning corporal punishment for children in a move described as "historic" by rights activists. It comes amid a number of high-profile cases of schoolchildren being badly beaten and even killed in schools, religious institutions and workplaces. Continue reading... |
| Lawyer for Britney Spears' father responds to fans over conservatorship Posted: 25 Feb 2021 06:25 PM PST Father Jamie Spears 'saved Britney's life' says lawyer in response to the #FreeBritney movement that has advocated for the pop star Fans of Britney Spears who believe her father should be ousted from his role overseeing her conservatorship "have it so wrong", his lawyer has said. The pop star's finances and personal affairs have been controlled since 2008 by a contentious legal agreement that has given her father, Jamie Spears, control over her estate, career and other aspects of her personal life. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:58 AM PST Some of first people to check into quarantine hotels in UK 'released'; French PM says worrying spread in 20 areas; global deaths pass 2.5m
Ivory Coast was due to receive a shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from the sharing facility Covax today, becoming the second country to benefit from a programme meant to ensure fairer distribution amid a global scramble. A plane carrying 504,000 doses was expected to touch down in the commercial capital Abidjan from 10:00am local time, according to the GAVI vaccines alliance, the World Health Organisation and other partners in the scheme.
Mark Machin, head of Canada's largest pension fund, received a Covid-19 vaccine shot in the United Arab Emirates ahead of millions of Canadians, according to the Wall Street Journal, as sources in the Canadian government described it as "troubling." The chief executive of the $379 billion Canada Pension Plan Investment Board arrived earlier this month in the UAE with his partner and received the first dose of a vaccine while Canada continues to have one of the developed world's slowest rollouts, the WSJ added. UPDATE: Head of Canada's largest pension fund says he received a COVID vaccination while on a "very personal" trip to Dubai. |
| Words matter: how New Zealand's clear messaging helped beat Covid Posted: 25 Feb 2021 05:15 PM PST One year on from the nation's first case of coronavirus, Aotearoa has largely eliminated the virus - communications played a key part in its success "Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives." The catch cry of pandemic Britain under Boris Johnson, revived last month, might sound familiar to New Zealanders now enjoying their "unstoppable summer". Johnson's three-part slogan reportedly derived last March from a suggestion by Ben Guerin, a 25-year-old Kiwi who advised on the Conservatives' social media strategy. His attention had been caught by a phrase that was increasingly prevalent in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's messaging back home: "Stay at home, save lives." Continue reading... |
| Will I have to wear a mask after getting the Covid vaccine? Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:00 AM PST With Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine close to distribution in the US, the end of the pandemic seems a big step closer. But not everything will return to normal right away Public health authorities want people to keep wearing masks and social distancing, even after they receive a vaccine. This might seem counterintuitive – after all, if someone gets a vaccine, aren't they protected from the coronavirus? The answer is complicated: the vast majority of people who are vaccinated will be protected from Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus, even though they do not display any symptoms. Continue reading... |
| ‘Doctors are paying for supplies': inside a stretched Burkina Faso Covid ward Posted: 25 Feb 2021 11:30 PM PST In a country where pneumonia, malaria and TB are much bigger killers, doctors say 'resource-intensive' Covid-19 is diverting precious resources
Blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors and oximeters were needed. Even the ink in the printers had to be replaced. Continue reading... |
| 'Shivering under a pile of six blankets, I finally lost it': my week in frozen Texas hell Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:00 AM PST February was the peak of my pandemic depression – and then came the 'Arctic blast' As for so many, February was the peak of my pandemic depression. It nearly marked the first anniversary of the Covid lockdown, and the demise of my social life. But quarantining in San Antonio, Texas, brought an entirely new set of challenges. My breaking point was around midnight last Tuesday, during the "Arctic blast" which, prior to last week, sounded like a refreshing juice-box flavor for children. Our house was 40F (4C). My father was outside boiling water on the grill so we could have a hot drink to get us through the night. My only link to the outside world was a horrendous internet connection, so I couldn't even doom-scroll my way out of this frozen hellscape. Continue reading... |
| 'It was tribal and sexual': Alice Cooper on the debauchery of Detroit rock Posted: 25 Feb 2021 10:00 PM PST When the shock-rocker returned to the place of his birth in the 60s, he found a raw paradise of unsegregated rock'n'roll. As Cooper releases an album celebrating the city, he and his peers relive one of the US's greatest music scenes In the beginning there was the production line; the hammering and the pumping and the noise. Always the noise. "Detroit was an industrial city," says Alice Cooper. "It was like Newcastle. Everybody worked for Ford or Chevrolet or GMC. Everybody's parents worked on the assembly line. The kids were street kids. I think the Detroit sound has something to do with working with big machines; it made people feel at home hearing big, loud, rock music." Continue reading... |
| Sienna Miller: 'I go in and negotiate as if I’m a man' Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:00 AM PST The actor talks about the struggle for pay parity, sympathising with Britney Spears, fond memories of Chadwick Boseman – and her frustration at tabloid headlines overshadowing her work No excuses for lateness in the era of Zoom, perhaps, but cut Sienna Miller some slack. The 39-year-old has just appeared on This Morning, where she struggled valiantly to pitch her new film Wander Darkly, in which she plays a woman who may or may not have survived a car crash. ("It's really hard to describe!") Then she dashed to the bathroom to scrape off all that TV-friendly makeup. Now here she is in her bedroom, with her fresh, non-shiny face framed by bright blond locks. "Like a normal person again," she says cheerfully. Yeah, right. Take her current lockdown viewing habits. In between homeschooling Marlowe, her eight-year-old daughter with her former partner Tom Sturridge, and shooting a six-part Netflix thriller, Anatomy of a Scandal, she has been watching the documentary Framing Britney Spears. She identifies with the public suffering of that beleaguered star. She even recognises the faces of individual paparazzo who once hounded and harassed her, too. Continue reading... |
| Creature comfort: why TV nature shows are good for mental health Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:30 AM PST From Planet Earth to Springwatch and beyond, programmes about animals in the natural world can soothe the nervous system and raise the spirits Few of us would anticipate feeling an emotional connection with a swarm of ants. But in episode three of A Perfect Planet, when a colony of fire ants build a raft using their bodies to survive flooding in the Amazon, only the concrete-hearted would fail to be moved by their resilience. As the raft sailed across the water, I sobbed. Emotion is often close to the surface when watching wildlife programmes; something I do a lot. It goes hand-in-hand with my need to smell forest mulch, stare at lichen and stalk woodpeckers most days to feel alive. From being a child whose personality was rooted in The Really Wild Show and a magnifying glass, to a grown woman who will watch anything from Winterwatch to Netflix's 72 Dangerous Animals to get a fix, these shows have always been a sanctuary: a source of wonderment and comfort. But this passion is far from singular. Continue reading... |
| From Daft Punk and Beyoncé to the Band: the best ever live albums Posted: 26 Feb 2021 01:00 AM PST Can't get to a gig? No problem. Here's a collection of classics that evoke the sweaty euphoria of the real thing Stepping into a venue full of sweaty strangers is still a frustratingly distant prospect, so as live music IRL continues to be benched, our only option is to dig into the giddy world of concert albums. Where better to start than with Daft Punk's relentlessly pumping Parisian electronica party, complete with unbridled whoops of glee and synth singalongs from a rightly jazzed home-town crowd. It's now tinged with an added wistfulness following this week's announcement that the pair have split up after 28 years. Continue reading... |
| The Glasgow Effect: examining the city's life expectancy gap – a photo essay Posted: 25 Feb 2021 11:00 PM PST Documentary photographer Kirsty Mackay examines the causes of the 'Glasgow Effect' in a highly personal project. She looks at Glasgow's excess mortality in comparison to the UK average and shifts the focus from the individual to government policy.
In Glasgow people's lives are cut short: male life expectancy in Possil is 66, in Penilee three young people took their own lives within the space of one week this June, suicide in Glasgow is 30% higher than in English cities, male life expectancy is seven years short of the UK average and women's is four years less. This is not isolated to areas of deprivation – Glaswegians across all social classes experience a 15% reduction in life expectancy. We have known about the "Glasgow Effect" for more than a decade. However, the root causes for Glasgow's excess mortality are not in the public domain. The explanation lies in government policy – not with the individual and their lifestyle choices. Local and central government policies created an environment where segregation, alienation, mass unemployment, the generational trauma that followed, poverty and deprivation constitute a public health concern. During the 1970s and 80s Glasgow was in a "managed decline". Unbeknown at the time, the city was starved of funding from Westminster. Continue reading... |
| Prince Harry tours LA with James Corden on open air bus – video Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:58 AM PST Prince Harry reveals Archie's Christmas present from the Queen in a television appearance on The Late Late Show. While touring Los Angeles on an open air bus, the Duke of Sussex gives an interview to James Corden and opens up on why he withdrew from royal duties Continue reading... |
| Kidnappers abduct schoolchildren in Nigeria Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:23 AM PST Surge in armed militancy in north of country has led to widespread breakdown of security Kidnappers have abducted schoolchildren in north-west Nigeria's Zamfara state, a spokesperson for the state governor has said. Thehy declined to say how many people were taken or provide further details. A police spokesperson for the state did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. Continue reading... |
| Democrats' $15 minimum wage rise under threat after Senate’s parliamentarian ruling – live updates Posted: 26 Feb 2021 02:53 AM PST Elizabeth MacDonough rules that Federal minimum wage rise cannot be part of Covid recovery bill going through Senate
Not unexpectedly, the news that the US has carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in Syria has also exposed division within the Democrats. It was the first specific military action authorised by president Joe Biden as commander-in-chief. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops. Today's airstrike demonstrates @POTUS' resolve to prevent Iran from targeting America's personnel and allies with impunity. It was a strong act that will surely send a message to Tehran that our country will not abide destabilizing actions from its forces or its proxies. Great question. https://t.co/79K8uyzwGi
If Senate Democrats can't find a path forward to get the wage increase enacted – one option might be to pair it with tax penalties for companies not paying the wage, which might then overcome the ruling – it will set up a clash with the progressive side of the party, which was already very vocal about the developments last night. Washington Rep Pramila Jayapal, who leads the Democrats' progessive caucus in the House, said that "the advisory opinion" of an "unelected parliamentarian" should not be allowed to stand in the way of the policy. Let's be clear: raising the minimum wage is COVID relief. The current federal minimum wage is a starvation wage. It keeps families trapped in poverty, erases the dignity of their work, and allows billionaires and big corporations to exploit workers. Workers need – and deserve – a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour. Tonight's ruling only makes it more clear than ever that the Senate must reform its archaic rules, including reforming the filibuster to allow populist and necessary policies like the $15 minimum wage to pass with a majority of the Senate. The filibuster is killing democracy. Continue reading... |
| 'A cause for worry': Mexico's monarch butterflies drop by 26% in year Posted: 25 Feb 2021 02:09 PM PST Butterflies had bad year after four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging and extreme climate conditions The number of monarch butterflies that reached their winter resting grounds in central Mexico decreased by about 26% this year, and four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging, drought and other causes, making 2020 a bad year for the butterflies. The butterflies' population covered only 2.1 hectares (5.2 acres) in 2020, compared to 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) the previous year and about one-third of the 6.05 hectares (14.95 acres) detected in 2018, according to government figures. Continue reading... |
| Briton sentenced to two weeks in jail for breaking Singapore Covid rules Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:56 AM PST Nigel Skea, 52, from Southampton, flouted coronavirus quarantine order to visit fiancee A British man has been sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined just over £540 for breaking a coronavirus quarantine order in Singapore to visit his fiancee. Nigel Skea, 52, from Southampton, is the first Briton to be jailed for flouting coronavirus rules in the city-state. Continue reading... |
| Cabinet minister accused of historical rape in letter sent to Australian prime minister Posted: 26 Feb 2021 01:20 AM PST The letter, forwarded to police, includes a statement from the alleged victim who claims she was raped in 1988 when aged 16 Three police agencies have been notified of a letter sent to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, making an allegation of rape against a federal cabinet minister relating to his time before entering parliament. The ABC's Four Corners first reported the letter on Friday night. It included an attachment reportedly from a now-deceased woman alleging she was raped in 1988. The letter urged Morrison to establish an independent investigation into the alleged sexual assault. Continue reading... |
| Colombian police killed 86 people in 2020, report reveals Posted: 25 Feb 2021 03:00 AM PST Instances of violence pointed to 'structural and systematic' abuses within the police force and sparked calls for reform Police officers in Colombia killed 86 people last year, according to a local NGO which reported "structural and systematic" abuses in the South American nation's police force. Temblores, an non-governmental organization that monitors state violence, also documented 7,992 cases of assault and 30 cases of sexual violence, with migrant communities and Afro-Colombians often the victims. Continue reading... |
| Purim in Covid times – in pictures Posted: 26 Feb 2021 12:24 AM PST Israel has set a curfew to limit festivities for the Jewish holiday when revellers don costumes and party into the night. Similarly muted celebrations have taken place around the world Continue reading... |
| Kenya's Serene Haven school opens doors to teenage mothers - in pictures Posted: 25 Feb 2021 11:00 PM PST Private school in central Kenya is welcoming pregnant teenagers, teenage mothers and their babies to ensure they have the chance to finish an education otherwise denied to them by stigma, logistics and lack of money Continue reading... |
| Four children thrown to safety from burning building in Istanbul – video Posted: 25 Feb 2021 01:26 PM PST A mother rescued four children by throwing them from the window of a burning apartment block in Istanbul, Turkey. Neighbours caught the children with blankets spread out below as black smoke billowed from the building. Local authorities said the children were in good health. The mother was hospitalised as a precaution before being discharged Continue reading... |
| Police shoot into crowd in Myanmar as first pro-military rally takes place – video Posted: 25 Feb 2021 08:20 AM PST Police officers shot into a crowd of pro-democracy protesters in Yangon's Tamwe township in Myanmar, as thousands continued to rally against the military coup across the country. Hundreds of people took part in the first pro-military demonstration in Yangon on Thursday, with the crowd a fraction of the size of anti-coup protests Continue reading... |
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