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- Biden accuses Republican governors of 'Neanderthal thinking' over plans to reopen
- Brexit: loyalist paramilitary groups renounce Good Friday agreement
- Meghan accuses palace of 'perpetuating falsehoods' in new Oprah clip
- Vaccines tweaked for Covid variants will be fast-tracked safely, says UK regulator
- Israel claims Iran dumped oil in sea in 'environmental attack'
- Prince Philip has successful procedure for heart condition
- US decision not to punish crown prince puts us in grave danger, Saudi exiles say
- South Korea's first transgender soldier found dead
- China's five-year plan for economy is crucial to meeting net zero by 2060
- US House passes most ambitious police reform effort in decades
- SpaceX: Mars ship prototype explodes after first intact landing
- Coronavirus live: modified vaccines for variants to be fast-tracked; Moscow expects EU to approve Sputnik V jab
- Interpol warns fake vaccines seized in China and South Africa are ‘tip of iceberg’
- Covid deaths high in countries with more overweight people, says report
- German doctors broach ‘taboo’ subject of Covid toll on minority groups
- Julie Felix: the brilliant Black ballerina who was forced to leave Britain
- ‘I rate The A-Team four out of 10!’ The great childhood TV swap
- For Sri Lankan reporters, the ghosts of violence and intimidation loom again
- Florian Zeller on The Father: 'Anthony Hopkins took me in his arms. We knew the miracle had happened'
- 'They become dangerous tools': the dark side of personality tests
- Naomi Klein: how big tech helps India target climate activists
- How Covid derailed the great hope of the Dutch far right | Joost de Vries
- Turning plagues of locusts into chicken feed – in pictures
- Landmark US bill to 'stop voter suppression' passes first hurdle in House
- The misogynist incel movement is spreading. Should it be classified as a terror threat?
- More friends and family of Christian Porter accuser back calls for rape allegation inquiry
- Can Niger continue to beat the odds with its democratic progress?
- TikTok urged to take action over Myanmar death threat videos
- Scramble on to replace Neera Tanden after nomination met perfect storm
- US militia group draws members from military and police, website leak shows
- US House passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – video
- Myanmar: police filmed assaulting medics in CCTV footage – video
- Joe Biden accuses Republican governors of 'neanderthal thinking' for lifting mask mandates – video
- Andrew Cuomo apologises over harassment allegations but refuses to resign – video
- Moment 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits central Greece captured on CCTV – video
- Ukraine: dramatic footage shows police save four men who fell into icy water – video
| Biden accuses Republican governors of 'Neanderthal thinking' over plans to reopen Posted: 03 Mar 2021 12:33 PM PST President said US 'on the cusp' of being able to change nature of Covid crisis but 'the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking' Joe Biden criticized Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi on Wednesday, calling their decisions to end state-wide mask mandates "a big mistake". The US president said the country was on the "cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease" with the distribution of vaccines and added: "The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine." Continue reading... |
| Brexit: loyalist paramilitary groups renounce Good Friday agreement Posted: 04 Mar 2021 01:34 AM PST Loyalist Communities Council warns of 'strength of feeling' over border checks but says protests should stay peaceful Loyalist paramilitary groups have told the British and Irish governments they are withdrawing support for the Good Friday agreement in protest at Northern Ireland's Irish Sea trade border with the rest of the UK. The Loyalist Communities Council, an umbrella group that represents the views of the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando, wrote a letter to Boris Johnson and Ireland's taoiseach, Micheál Martin, warning of "permanent destruction" of the 1998 peace agreement without changes to post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland. Continue reading... |
| Meghan accuses palace of 'perpetuating falsehoods' in new Oprah clip Posted: 04 Mar 2021 01:47 AM PST Duchess of Sussex criticises 'the firm' in latest excerpt ahead of broadcast of full Oprah Winfrey interview The Duchess of Sussex has said she cannot be expected to remain silent about her experiences of palace life if the royal family is "perpetuating falsehoods" about her and Prince Harry. Dismissing the consequences of speaking out, Meghan said a lot had "been lost already". Continue reading... |
| Vaccines tweaked for Covid variants will be fast-tracked safely, says UK regulator Posted: 03 Mar 2021 11:33 PM PST Approach will be similar to how flu vaccine is modified each year to deal without fresh approval Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to deal with variants will be fast-tracked without compromising on safety or effectiveness, the UK's regulator has said. The approach will be similar to the regulatory process for the modified flu vaccine, to deal with new strains each year, with a full new approval not required. Continue reading... |
| Israel claims Iran dumped oil in sea in 'environmental attack' Posted: 04 Mar 2021 01:27 AM PST Environmental protection minister says suspect ship is now anchored in Iran but offers no evidence spill was intentional Israel's environmental protection minister has said Iran was responsible for a recent oil spill that ravaged its shores and has claimed – without evidence – the incident was a form of "environmental terrorism". Gila Gamliel said after a two-week investigation aimed at "getting our hands on the criminal ship" responsible for the tar slick, her ministry had identified a Panama-flagged tanker called Emerald, which was smuggling oil from Iran to Syria in breach of international sanctions. Continue reading... |
| Prince Philip has successful procedure for heart condition Posted: 04 Mar 2021 02:14 AM PST Duke of Edinburgh to remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days, says palace The Duke of Edinburgh has undergone successful surgery for a pre-existing heart condition, Buckingham Palace has saidy. Prince Philip, 99, is being treated at St Bartholomew's Hospital in central London, after being transferred there on Monday. Continue reading... |
| US decision not to punish crown prince puts us in grave danger, Saudi exiles say Posted: 03 Mar 2021 09:15 PM PST Dissidents decry lack of sanctions for Mohammed bin Salman over Khashoggi killing and warn of 'permanent impunity' for Saudi heir Exiled dissidents who have been warned about threats against them by Saudi Arabia said they have been put in greater danger by the Biden administration's decision to forgo direct sanctions on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – even as US intelligence agencies acknowledged that he was complicit in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The activists, including some who have previously been warned that they were possibly at risk of being hurt by agents of the kingdom, said in interviews with the Guardian that they believed the 35-year-old crown prince would be emboldened after the White House declined to sanction him. Continue reading... |
| South Korea's first transgender soldier found dead Posted: 03 Mar 2021 04:35 PM PST Police investigate death of Byun Hee-soo, who was forced out of military after becoming first soldier to have gender reassignment surgery South Korea's first transgender soldier, who was forcibly discharged after having gender reassignment surgery, has been found dead, news agency Yonhap has reported. Firefighters found Byun Hee-soo, 23, in her home in Cheongju, south of Seoul, after a mental health counsellor called emergency services to report that she had not been heard from since Sunday, the agency reported on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| China's five-year plan for economy is crucial to meeting net zero by 2060 Posted: 04 Mar 2021 02:11 AM PST Imminent economic blueprint has implications for planet – and whether Paris agreement likely to be met China is to publish a new blueprint for its economy on Friday, with vast implications for the future of the planet – including whether the goals of the Paris climate agreement are likely to be met. The five-year plan, of which this will be the 14th since 1953, forms the cornerstone of economic governance for the one-party state, and sets out social and environmental aspirations as well as GDP and industrial targets. Continue reading... |
| US House passes most ambitious police reform effort in decades Posted: 03 Mar 2021 07:16 PM PST George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would ban chokeholds and qualified immunity for law enforcement, but faces tough road in the Senate The US House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the most ambitious police reform effort in decades, for the second time on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| SpaceX: Mars ship prototype explodes after first intact landing Posted: 03 Mar 2021 06:27 PM PST Elon Musk's last two prototypes reached similarly high altitude, but crash-landed in fireballs SpaceX's futuristic Starship looked like it aced a touchdown Wednesday, but then exploded on the landing pad with so much force that it was hurled into the air. The failure occurred just minutes after SpaceX declared success. Two previous test flights crash-landed in fireballs. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 04 Mar 2021 02:17 AM PST UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland regulators to back rollout of modified vaccines without new approval; Moscow could provide vaccines for 50 million Europeans from June
France has criticised a push by Austria and Denmark to coordinate with Israel on developing new Covid-19 jabs, as EU unity frays even further over its troubled vaccine rollout, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. It says: The Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the Israeli partnership on Monday, saying the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was "too slow in approving vaccines" leaving the bloc vulnerable to supply bottlenecks at pharmaceutical companies. But France's foreign ministry defended the agency and insisted that "the most effective solution for meeting our vaccination needs must remain within a European framework".
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeing a resurgence of cases in central and eastern Europe, as well as a rise of new cases in several western European countries, Reuters is quoting the head of its European office as saying. Hans Kluge told reporters: Continued strain on our hospitals and health workers is being met with acts of medical solidarity between European neighbours. Nonetheless, over a year into the pandemic our health systems should not be in this situation. Continue reading... |
| Interpol warns fake vaccines seized in China and South Africa are ‘tip of iceberg’ Posted: 03 Mar 2021 05:25 PM PST Police in China and South Africa have seized thousands of fake doses of Covid-19 vaccine Police in China and South Africa have seized thousands of fake doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the global police organisation Interpol said on Wednesday, warning this represented only the "tip of the iceberg" in vaccine-related crime. The Lyon-based agency Interpol said 400 vials – equivalent to around 2,400 doses – containing the fake vaccine were found at a warehouse in Germiston outside Johannesburg in South Africa, where officers also recovered fake masks and arrested three Chinese and a Zambian national. Continue reading... |
| Covid deaths high in countries with more overweight people, says report Posted: 03 Mar 2021 02:00 PM PST Governments urged to prioritise obese people for vaccinations over greater risk of death from coronavirus Countries with high levels of overweight people, such as the UK and the US, have the highest death rates from Covid-19, a landmark report reveals, prompting calls for governments to urgently tackle obesity, as well as prioritising overweight people for vaccinations. About 2.2 million of the 2.5 million deaths from Covid were in countries with high levels of overweight people, says the report from the World Obesity Federation. Countries such as the UK, US and Italy, where more than 50% of adults are overweight, have the biggest proportions of deaths linked to coronavirus. Continue reading... |
| German doctors broach ‘taboo’ subject of Covid toll on minority groups Posted: 03 Mar 2021 06:36 AM PST Anecdotal evidence suggests Muslims over-represented in ICUs, but Germany has no official data German doctors are reportedly concerned about the large proportion of people from minority ethnic backgrounds among coronavirus patients in intensive care, citing a lack of proper communication with Muslim communities in particular about the dangers of the disease. Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control agency, confirmed that the issue was discussed with senior medical consultants last month, though he stressed the meeting was informal. Continue reading... |
| Julie Felix: the brilliant Black ballerina who was forced to leave Britain Posted: 03 Mar 2021 04:00 PM PST She was told there was no room for a 'brown swan' in the London Festival Ballet, so she went to the US. There she found enormous success, dancing for everyone from Michael Jackson to Prince The turning point in Julie Felix's career came in 1975. A student at Rambert ballet school in London, she was selected to dance in Rudolf Nureyev's production of Sleeping Beauty with the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet). Nureyev was the god of British ballet – and he lived up to his reputation on the first day of rehearsal, Felix recalls. "He was late, but everybody said he was always late. All of a sudden, the doors flew open and in he came. He was well renowned for these big boots he used to wear, and a big fur coat. He took the coat off like a matador and threw it so it slid across the dance studio floor. Everybody jumped up and stood to attention. He was there for probably about half an hour." At the time, 17-year-old Felix was awestruck. In hindsight, half a century later, she is less impressed: "Talk about unprofessional." In the fairytale version of Felix's life, having acquitted herself on stage with Nureyev, she would have joined the London Festival Ballet and become the first Black British dancer to begin her ascent through the ranks of a British ballet company. Instead, she was told she was a "lovely dancer", but was not going to be given a contract, "because of the colour of my skin. I would mess up the line of the corps de ballet, because you can't have a whole row of white swans and then there's a brown one at the end." Continue reading... |
| ‘I rate The A-Team four out of 10!’ The great childhood TV swap Posted: 04 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST What happens when kids and parents sit each other down to watch their favourite childhood shows – from Sesame Street to The Powerpuff Girls? Six families find out |
| For Sri Lankan reporters, the ghosts of violence and intimidation loom again Posted: 03 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST The terror of earlier crackdowns taught me to write between the lines as a journalist – now I see repressive tactics returning Terror tore through me when I heard that my friend and editor of the Nation newspaper, Keith Noyahr, had been abducted. It was May 2008; the civil war was raging and Sri Lankan troops were chalking up victories against Tamil Tiger separatists in the north. In the fog of war, government critics were being terrorised all over the country. We had learned to expect the worst when a journalist went missing. Outside Noyahr's home that night, through his six-year-old daughter's screams, I heard phone calls pleading with diplomats and politicians to save Keith's life. The journalist was released by his abductors shortly before dawn and staggered home, his head matted with blood, legs unsteady from continuous beatings. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST The French director and dramatist reveals how he pushed Hopkins into giving one of the most wrenching performances of his career in an unflinching dementia drama also starring Olivia Colman When Florian Zeller set out to turn his harrowing hit play The Father into a film, he made a minor, talismanic tweak to the main character. André is an elderly man with dementia, who suspects his daughter of plotting to steal his flat. This meatiest of roles – which demands sudden waves of confusion, charm, rage, terror and sobbing helplessness – has been quite the awards magnet: Kenneth Cranham won an Olivier in 2016 for his performance in the London production, while Frank Langella took home the Tony in New York. Zeller had a dream actor in mind for the movie version so, as he embarked on the screenplay, he switched the character's name from André to Anthony. "It was a way to make my unrealistic idea a bit more realistic," says the 41-year-old, Molière award-winning French playwright, with the sheepishness of a grown man confessing to penning Anthony Hopkins fan fiction. Continue reading... |
| 'They become dangerous tools': the dark side of personality tests Posted: 03 Mar 2021 11:33 PM PST In the documentary Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests, the discriminatory nature of a widely used tool is put under the microscope Scrolling dating apps in 2015, Tim Travers Hawkins didn't know who his type was. He didn't even know what a type was. Hawkins, a British film-maker then new to New York, "noticed something that was very different to people's profiles in the UK and that was the use of these four letters," he said to the Guardian. Curious, he looked it up. "I was like, 'Huh, that's different'." Related: 'We're all part of the story': behind Will Smith's 14th amendment docuseries Continue reading... |
| Naomi Klein: how big tech helps India target climate activists Posted: 03 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST Companies such as Google and Facebook appear to be aiding and abetting a vicious government campaign against Indian environmental campaigners
The bank of cameras camped outside Delhi's sprawling Tihar jail was the sort of media frenzy you would expect to await a prime minister caught in an embezzlement scandal, or a Bollywood star caught in the wrong bed. Instead, the cameras were waiting for Disha Ravi, a nature-loving 22-year-old vegan climate activist who against all odds has found herself ensnared in an Orwellian legal saga that includes accusations of sedition, incitement and involvement in an international conspiracy whose elements include (but are not limited to): Indian farmers in revolt, the global pop star Rihanna, supposed plots against yoga and chai, Sikh separatism and Greta Thunberg. If you think that sounds far-fetched, well, so did the judge who released Ravi after nine days in jail under police interrogation. Judge Dharmender Rana was supposed to rule on whether Ravi, one of the founders of the Indian chapter of Fridays for Future, the youth climate group started by Thunberg, should continue to be denied bail. He ruled that there was no reason for bail to be denied, which cleared the way for Ravi's return to her home in Bengaluru that night. Continue reading... |
| How Covid derailed the great hope of the Dutch far right | Joost de Vries Posted: 04 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST In 2019 Thierry Baudet looked like a plausible contender for power. Now, as the Netherlands heads for the polls, he's reduced to mimicking Trump On 20 March 2019, Thierry Baudet provided Dutch television viewers with two surprises. The first was news of his landslide victory in that day's senate elections. Baudet's far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) was a newcomer in parliament, holding just two seats out of 150 in the lower house. But that day, from scratch, Forum gained 12 of the senate's 75 seats, putting it on a par with the governing liberal party (the VVD) led by prime minister Mark Rutte. The second surprise was Baudet's victory speech. "The owl of Athena spreads her wings as evening falls," he started, and across the country, jaws dropped and drinks were spilled. The Netherlands is not a country noted for oratory. Our politicians would rather downplay their intellectual prowess than borrow from Greek mythology. Continue reading... |
| Turning plagues of locusts into chicken feed – in pictures Posted: 04 Mar 2021 01:30 AM PST The biggest swarms of the insects in a generation have devastated crops and grazing across Africa but are now being turned into sustainable, high-protein animal fodder and fertiliser
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| Landmark US bill to 'stop voter suppression' passes first hurdle in House Posted: 03 Mar 2021 10:18 PM PST Voting legislation, which also targets gerrymandering and campaign finance, needs 60 votes in Senate to become law House Democrats have passed sweeping voting and ethics legislation over unanimous Republican opposition, advancing to the Senate what would be the largest overhaul of the US election law in at least a generation. House Resolution 1, which touches on virtually every aspect of the electoral process, was approved 220-210. It would restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, strike down hurdles to voting and bring transparency to a murky campaign finance system that allows wealthy donors to anonymously bankroll political causes. Continue reading... |
| The misogynist incel movement is spreading. Should it be classified as a terror threat? Posted: 03 Mar 2021 11:29 AM PST Violence linked to the ideology has killed as many as 50 people in the US and Canada and sparked debate among counterterrorism experts and police As attacks linked to the misogynist "incel" movement mounted in recent years, authorities around the world have begun to treat the ideology as a more serious terrorism threat. Since 2014, men who call themselves "involuntary celibates" and blame women for their own lack of sexual and social status have carried out mass killings in California, Florida, and Toronto. Continue reading... |
| More friends and family of Christian Porter accuser back calls for rape allegation inquiry Posted: 04 Mar 2021 01:53 AM PST The attorney general acknowledges he may have seen the woman after 1988, despite saying he had no recollection of further contact Scott Morrison faces a growing clamour for an independent investigation into the contested rape allegation against Christian Porter, as the attorney general acknowledged he may have had contact with the woman after 1988. Hours after the prime minister had rejected the need for an arm's-length probe on the basis that would offend the rule of law, the family of the woman who alleged Porter assaulted her when they were teenagers backed "any inquiry" that would shed light on the circumstances "surrounding" her death in June 2020. Continue reading... |
| Can Niger continue to beat the odds with its democratic progress? Posted: 03 Mar 2021 11:30 PM PST Analysis: The world's poorest country has successfully organised a smooth transition of power. Could other Sahel countries follow? Niger, the world's poorest country, has peacefully and successfully organised its first democratic transition of power since regaining its independence in 1960 – a milestone that should have been splashed across the front page of every newspaper. This underreported counter-trend in a continent that has a host of rich and rabidly authoritarian rulers – and during a global crisis that UN chief António Guterres said had brought about a "pandemic of human rights abuses" – is a historic democratic moment in Niger. Continue reading... |
| TikTok urged to take action over Myanmar death threat videos Posted: 03 Mar 2021 03:05 AM PST Videos posted to Chinese-owned site show men in military gear threatening to kill protesters TikTok has been urged to take action over a flood of videos shared in Myanmar that feature men in military uniform threatening to kill anti-coup protesters, at times while brandishing weapons. Myanmar's police and army have been widely condemned for using lethal force against peaceful protesters who have held mass rallies over recent weeks calling for the return of democracy. Continue reading... |
| Scramble on to replace Neera Tanden after nomination met perfect storm Posted: 03 Mar 2021 09:53 AM PST Joe Biden's nominee for budget director faced Republican opposition over old tweets but had also clashed with progressives Neera Tanden's decision to withdraw from consideration to serve as Joe Biden's budget director marks the first major loss for the still young Biden administration, and sets off a scramble between various political factions to push through a new nominee. Continue reading... |
| US militia group draws members from military and police, website leak shows Posted: 03 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST Analysis: Membership list of American Patriots Three Percent also shows widespread network of people from variety of occupations A Guardian investigation of a website leak from the American Patriots Three Percent shows the anti-government militia group has recruited a network across the US that includes current and former military members, police and border patrol agents. Continue reading... |
| US House passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 09:57 PM PST The US House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the most ambitious police reform effort in decades. The legislation changes would ban chokeholds and 'qualified immunity' for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. California congresswoman Karen Bass, who authored the bill, cited the beating of Rodney King in 1991 and Floyd's death as the catalyst for the ambitious reform while House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said the bill was 'legislation which will fundamentally transform the culture' Continue reading... |
| Myanmar: police filmed assaulting medics in CCTV footage – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 08:20 PM PST Warning: graphic footage. CCTV footage published by Radio Free Asia has captured police stopping and shooting at an ambulance and detaining three medics onboard. The video showed police assaulting the medics, kicking them and beating them with gun butts Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden accuses Republican governors of 'neanderthal thinking' for lifting mask mandates – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 02:36 PM PST Joe Biden sharply criticized the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi, who announced yesterday that they were rescinding their mask mandates, despite public health experts' concerns about another surge in coronavirus cases. 'We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we are able to get vaccines in people's arms,' Biden said. 'The last thing we need is neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine,' Biden said. 'It still matters.' Continue reading... |
| Andrew Cuomo apologises over harassment allegations but refuses to resign – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 01:14 PM PST Andrew Cuomo made clear that he would not quit in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him. 'I'm not going to resign,' the New York governor said at his press conference. 'I'm going to do the job the people of the state elected me to do.' The Democrat apologised for engaging in behaviour that made anyone feel uncomfortable, but insisted he had never touched anyone inappropriately. A number of lawmakers of both parties have called on the Democratic governor to resign as the state attorney general investigates the allegations against him. 'I'm sorry for whatever pain I caused anyone. I never intended it, and I will be the better for this experience,' Cuomo said. Continue reading... |
| Moment 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits central Greece captured on CCTV – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 07:27 AM PST A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Greece on Wednesday, sending people rushing from their homes. There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage. Footage from a CCTV camera in a shop in the city of Larissa showed clothing racks swaying as the quake struck. The quake struck close to Tyrnavos, a town about 140 miles north of Athens, the US Geological Survey said Continue reading... |
| Ukraine: dramatic footage shows police save four men who fell into icy water – video Posted: 03 Mar 2021 04:14 AM PST Ukrainian police officers have rescued four men who fell through ice in the city of Dnipro. Video released by the national police shows the dramatic rescue operation as officers pulled the men out of the water with a rope Continue reading... |
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