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- Harry and Meghan Oprah interview live: Duke of Sussex says racism was 'large part' of reason why couple left UK
- Police in Myanmar occupy hospitals as unions call for national strike
- Half of women in UK fear equality is going back to 1970s – survey
- Young men take up arms in northern Ethiopia as atrocities fuel insurgency
- Nomadland references censored in China over critical comments by Chloé Zhao from 2013
- Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe saga nearing its end, says former Foreign Office chief
- Harvard professor sparks outrage with claims about Japan's 'comfort women'
- George Floyd: US braces for trial of police officer over killing – live updates
- Three Thai democracy activists charged with insulting monarchy
- BP to tell 25,000 office staff to work from home two days a week
- One of world's rarest toads bred in captivity for first time in Manchester
- Coronavirus live news: Italy approves AstraZeneca jab for over-65s; Vietnam launches vaccination programme
- How pandemic may finally sink Kashmir's famous houseboats
- Face masks safe to use during intense exercise, research suggests
- Going anywhere: Australian mystery holidays are back from the 1990s
- 'I always wanted a girl': scandal of Czech Roma forcibly sterilised
- Now there’s no doubt Meghan and Harry had to leave
- How we met: ‘I told my grandparents I'd met the woman I would marry’
- Shining through: Dutch artist paints farming in a new light to boost crops
- Avid Black hiker hopes to ‘break down stereotypes’ with 1,200-mile trek
- On the ground in Yemen: ‘A place of wonder overshadowed by conflict’
- Aid spending cuts may not get put to Commons vote, No 10 suggests
- Lindsey Graham: Trump may destroy Republican party but he has a ‘magic’
- Queen escapes Harry and Meghan's ire in scathing Oprah interview
- Julie Bishop takes aim at federal government ministers over handling of rape allegations
- 'Pandemic of patriarchy': Pakistani women defy threats to hold march
- Hopes, dreams and fears: the world of teenage girls through their diaries
- These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community'
- International Women's Day around the world – in pictures
- Women: an exhibition of British press photography
- 'Scream or shout': campaign group's voicemail service lets mothers rant
- Equatorial Guinea: explosions at barracks rock city of Bata – video
- 'Salam, salam, salam': thousands attend Pope's mass at Irbil stadium – video
- Biden hails Senate passage of 'desperately needed' $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill – video
| Posted: 08 Mar 2021 06:16 AM PST Duke of Sussex says racism was 'large part of' decision for couple to leave UK in new clip from interview with Oprah Winfrey
The Duchess of Sussex has said that her father was not honest with her about talking to the UK tabloids ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. In another extract from the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that she called Thomas Markle after receiving advance warning that newspapers were planning to publish stories he had contributed to, to ask him if he had worked with journalists. "'I just need you to tell me. And if you tell me the truth, we can help.' And he wasn't able to do that." — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on a conversation she had with her father regarding tabloids #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/XhPwGM0Uvl
This just in from our chief political correspondent, Jessica Elgot. The prime minister's spokesman says at the lobby briefing that Boris Johnson will respond to the Harry and Meghan interview at the press conference at 4pm today. Continue reading... |
| Police in Myanmar occupy hospitals as unions call for national strike Posted: 08 Mar 2021 02:10 AM PST Human rights group says move is a breach of international law as labour unions call for extended stop work Police in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and universities and reportedly arrested hundreds of people involved in protesting against last month's military coup, as a coalition of labour unions called a nationwide strike. Two people were killed when police fired on protesters in the northern town of Myitkyina on Monday, according to witnesses, the latest of what monitors say is more than 50 deaths linked to the uprising. Several people were injured, they said. Continue reading... |
| Half of women in UK fear equality is going back to 1970s – survey Posted: 07 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST Exclusive: impact of pandemic has fallen unequally on women, leading to calls for strategy to restore balance Women across the UK have issued a "desperate cry for help", with more than half believing that women's equality is in danger of going back to the 1970s at work, at home and in society, according to an exclusive survey. After a year that has seen women more likely to be furloughed, lose their jobs, carry the burden of home schooling and domestic drudgery, women are increasingly fearful about their futures, with almost half of those surveyed in a Mumsnet poll for International Women's Day expecting gender equality to go into reverse over the next few years. Continue reading... |
| Young men take up arms in northern Ethiopia as atrocities fuel insurgency Posted: 07 Mar 2021 09:00 PM PST Anger over violence that UN says could amount to war crimes drives recruitment in Tigray Ethiopian troops and their allies in the restive northern province of Tigray face a growing insurgency fuelled by a series of massacres and other violence targeting civilians. The country's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, launched a military offensive four months ago to "restore the rule of law" by ousting the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the political party in power in the province, following rising tensions and a surprise attack on a federal army base. Continue reading... |
| Nomadland references censored in China over critical comments by Chloé Zhao from 2013 Posted: 07 Mar 2021 10:17 PM PST Release of pioneering director's work could be hampered by interview in which she called China 'a place where there are lies everywhere' The Chinese release of Golden Globe-winning film Nomadland could be in doubt after accusations its Beijing-born director criticised China in a 2013 interview. Promotional material and references to the film by Chloé Zhao, who is based in the US, were wiped from the internet in China, days after Zhao was widely praised by Chinese media for becoming the first Asian woman in history to win a Golden Globes award for best director. State media headlines lauded her as "the pride of China", and advertised the film's scheduled release on 23 April. Continue reading... |
| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe saga nearing its end, says former Foreign Office chief Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:12 AM PST Lord McDonald says UK has been looking at repaying debt to Iran via humanitarian route due to sanctions Long-running efforts to get Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back to the UK are nearing their endgame, the recently retired head of the Foreign Office has said. Lord McDonald, permanent undersecretary at the FCDO until the summer, said for the first time that the UK had been looking at repaying a historical £400m debt to Iran through humanitarian payments that would not be subject to sanctions against the country. Continue reading... |
| Harvard professor sparks outrage with claims about Japan's 'comfort women' Posted: 08 Mar 2021 03:24 AM PST Academics reject J Mark Ramseyer's claim women were not forced into sexual slavery during second world war A Harvard University professor has sparked outrage among fellow academics and campaigners after claiming that women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military had chosen to work in wartime brothels. J Mark Ramseyer, a professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School, challenged the accepted narrative that as many as 200,000 "comfort women" – mostly Koreans, but also Chinese, south-east Asians and a small number of Japanese and Europeans – were coerced or tricked into working in military brothels between 1932 and Japan's defeat in 1945. Continue reading... |
| George Floyd: US braces for trial of police officer over killing – live updates Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:40 AM PST Jury selection is scheduled to begin for the trial of Derek Chauvin
Mike Allen at Axios has a write-up this morning of his own TV interview with Sen Joe Manchin, who he describes as "America's ultimate swing voter". Allen writes: Manchin said he'll push for tax hikes to pay for Biden's upcoming infrastructure and climate proposal, and will use his Energy Committee chairmanship to force the GOP to confront climate reality. Manchin, 73, said Biden expects, and understands, the pushback: "He's the first president we've had to really, really understand the workings of the Senate since LBJ."
Sonia Elks reports for Reuters on International Women's Day that 90% of Americans think the United States could have its first woman president within a decade, according to a new poll. A Gallup poll conducted in 74 countries showed Americans were the most likely to say they thought a woman could lead their nation by 2030. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, but was denied the presidency by the Electoral College system that the US uses to choose the president. Continue reading... |
| Three Thai democracy activists charged with insulting monarchy Posted: 08 Mar 2021 03:09 AM PST Trio denied bail as government steps up legal fight against protest movement Three prominent Thai pro-democracy figures have been denied bail in a Bangkok court after being charged with insulting the monarchy, as the government escalates a legal offensive against a youth-led movement that emerged last year. The three activists – Panusaya "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul, Panupong "Mike" Jadnok and Jatupat "Pai" Boonpattararaksa – were charged with violating royal defamation laws over a rally in central Bangkok in September, said Prayut Pecharakun, a spokesman for the attorney general. Continue reading... |
| BP to tell 25,000 office staff to work from home two days a week Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:15 AM PST Oil company plans shift to flexible working as Covid restrictions begin to ease BP has told 25,000 office-based staff that they will be expected to work from home for two days a week as part of a post-pandemic shift to flexible working patterns. The global oil company introduced the new hybrid model of working to staff last month, and expects the 60-40 split between office and home working to take effect from this summer as Covid-19 restrictions begin to ease. Continue reading... |
| One of world's rarest toads bred in captivity for first time in Manchester Posted: 07 Mar 2021 10:30 AM PST Programme may help to ensure the survival of the critically endangered variable harlequin toad One of the world's rarest toads has been bred in captivity for the first time, thanks to the scientists at Manchester Museum. The critically endangered variable harlequin toad, Atelopus varius, lives deep in the central American rainforests of Panama and Costa Rica, breeding only in turbulent streams filled with stones and boulders on which they lay their eggs. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 08 Mar 2021 06:01 AM PST Italy follows Germany and other European countries in approving vaccine for over-65s; healthcare workers first in the queue in Vietnam
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd aims to offer an extra level of Covid-19 precaution by requiring that passengers supplement negative PCR tests either with proof of they are immune to the disease or by undergoing rapid antigen testing before boarding. Reuters reports: The measures, applied to a trial flight on Monday, were tied into Israel's world-beating Covid vaccination drive and post-pandemic planning, which have drawn foreign interest. Like other countries, Israel requires negative PCR tests of incoming and departing travellers.
The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been accused of squandering public money and trying to distract from his country's Covid catastrophe by sending a high-level delegation to Israel to learn about a little-tested nasal spray that Brazil's leader has called "miraculous". The three-day mission - involving Bolsonaro's foreign minister, his son Eduardo and a friend with no scientific background - began on Sunday and was greeted with widespread derision in Brazil, as Covid death toll soared to record levels. |
| How pandemic may finally sink Kashmir's famous houseboats Posted: 07 Mar 2021 09:30 PM PST Building and repair ban had turned Dal Lake into graveyard for sinking boats even before coronavirus and Delhi crackdown Ghulam Nabi Butt may be 90 years old, but he has never forgotten the three days that George Harrison came to stay on his houseboat in October 1966. It was here, on one of Butt's first historic Clermont houseboats moored on the northern bank of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, that the Beatles lead guitarist met the Indian musician and composer Ravi Shankar and was taught to play the sitar – marking the beginning of an musical collaboration that would last decades. Continue reading... |
| Face masks safe to use during intense exercise, research suggests Posted: 07 Mar 2021 04:01 PM PST 'Limited' cardiology research also shows mask wearing likely to reduce spread of coronavirus in indoor gyms Face masks can be worn safely during intense exercise, and could reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading at indoor gyms, preliminary findings suggests. Scientists from the Monzino Cardiology Centre (CCM) in Milan and the University of Milan tested the breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels of six women and men on exercise bikes, with and without a mask. Continue reading... |
| Going anywhere: Australian mystery holidays are back from the 1990s Posted: 07 Mar 2021 01:57 PM PST Novelty trips to unknown destinations have become a surprise hit for airlines and travel agents, as all travel remains uncertain There's a lot to consider when booking a holiday these days. Will state borders stay open? What restrictions are in place? Is it safe? Is it worth the risk? The uncertainty has many Australians staying close to home; it's been a huge summer for regional road trips. But others are seizing new opportunities, strapping themselves into planes and hurtling into the great unknown. Continue reading... |
| 'I always wanted a girl': scandal of Czech Roma forcibly sterilised Posted: 07 Mar 2021 11:15 PM PST Czech MPs to debate compensation bill for women as state refuses to acknowledge 'attempted genocide' Elena Gorolová was 21 when she gave birth to her second son. "The doctor told me I would need to deliver via a C-section otherwise I would be risking the health of me and the baby." In the delivery room, a nurse gave her papers to sign. "I was in so much pain … I was in no state to think about what I was signing," says the social workerfrom the Czech Republic. She had unknowingly signed an agreement to be sterilised. Continue reading... |
| Now there’s no doubt Meghan and Harry had to leave Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PST Caught between a hate-filled media and a terrified royal family, the surprise is not that the couple struck out on their own. It's that they didn't escape much sooner A seldom remembered fact about the royal family is that, before the death of Princess Diana, it was not normal to be interested in them. Tabloids were fascinated, but it was more of a convention than news – like a splash about tomatoes causing cancer, it was the out-of-office auto reply of the industry, a fallback. The family (I seriously dislike the affectation of calling them "the Firm") survived while there was nothing to see. They were caught between two irreconcilable forces – their own culture of discretion, on one side, and intense, 24-hour scrutiny on the other – and they navigated that with a studied blandness. What did they actually care about? Manners, duty, causes, the Commonwealth. Whatever curiosity surrounded them, they simply did not reward it, and the regular response to that, after a few centuries and whatnot, was to not be terribly curious. You may recall David Blaine, the magician who lived in a glass box above the Thames for 44 days in 2003: people really wanted to know what he was doing, even though we could see what he was doing – and that was mainly nothing. There grew a peculiar resentment of gawping at something that was only interesting because it was untouchable. But we could see for ourselves that it was not interesting – and then everyone got annoyed and some of us (not me) threw eggs. Eventually, hawkers started selling eggs. That pretty much sums up the experience of the royals pre-1997. Continue reading... |
| How we met: ‘I told my grandparents I'd met the woman I would marry’ Posted: 08 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PST Charles and Yidi Outhier, 54 and 47, met on a train in the US before Christmas in 2003. They live in the suburbs of Philadelphia with their pet tortoise Charles Outhier was travelling from Austin, Texas to Tucson, Arizona to see his grandparents for Christmas at the end of 2003. "I had seen the film The Station Agent, and I thought the idea of taking a train sounded appealing," he says. "But in San Antonio, the train car I was in had separated and all the passengers continuing on were herded into two cars that would connect with an incoming train." He spent a miserable night trying to sleep on the crowded train with no air-conditioning and, once the trains connected in the morning, he went to the empty cafe car with sightseeing windows. He was soon joined by Yidi Shen, who sat down near him. "I had left China to study in Germany, and I was on an exchange programme in Wisconsin," she says. "I got a train pass to travel the country and wanted to make the most of my opportunity in the US." She had previously been travelling with friends, but had separated from them in Orlando, Florida, to go west towards California. Continue reading... |
| Shining through: Dutch artist paints farming in a new light to boost crops Posted: 07 Mar 2021 11:30 PM PST With the help of botanists, Daan Roosegaarde has created a 'light recipe' for a field of leeks to help the plants grow better By day, the field of leeks looks like any other. But, as the sun sets, blue and red light, mixed with invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation, transforms the scene into a multicoloured landscape. This LED light show is not just for effect. For a couple of hours every evening the lights are shone across the 20,000sq metre field in Lelystad in the Netherlands in a bid to make the leeks grow better. In a light installation that brings art and science together, four solar-powered units emit a tailor-made spectrum across the leafy vegetables. Continue reading... |
| Avid Black hiker hopes to ‘break down stereotypes’ with 1,200-mile trek Posted: 08 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST Emily Ford took thousands of online fans on a 10-week journey, helping shift narrative about who belongs in outdoor spaces Trekking across 1,200-miles of Wisconsin forests and prairies carrying a 65lb pack in temperatures as low as -37F was initially meant as a passion trip for Emily Ford, during her off season as a professional gardener. The 28-year-old ended up taking along thousands of online fans on her journey across the Ice Age national scenic trail, helping to further shift the narrative about who belongs in these outdoor spaces. And on Saturday, when she took her final steps across the frigid expanse with a crowd of supporters there to celebrate, she became the first Black woman known to have thru-hiked the trail. Continue reading... |
| On the ground in Yemen: ‘A place of wonder overshadowed by conflict’ Posted: 07 Mar 2021 11:00 PM PST Our Turkey and Middle East correspondent reflects on a violent, tangled conflict that touches even the youngest lives Yemen, and very dear Yemeni friends, hold a special place in my heart. But every visit is a bittersweet experience; even memories of the nicest afternoon can end up enveloped in sadness. During a 2019 trip, I was waiting for permission from the Houthi rebels to travel to the north, and got stuck in a desert town called Marib for a few days. I was tired from nonstop travel, the heat, eating badly, and trying to get any decent reporting done. Nothing happens very quickly in Yemen, if it happens at all. Continue reading... |
| Aid spending cuts may not get put to Commons vote, No 10 suggests Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:34 AM PST Denying MPs their say could head off Tory rebellion but potentially open government to legal action A planned reduction in aid spending may not go to a vote in the Commons, Downing Street has indicated, which would head off a likely rebellion by Conservative MPs but could expose the government to legal action. Pressed repeatedly on whether the cut in the aid budget from 0.7% of national income – which is set out in law under the 2015 International Development Act – would be subject to a Commons vote or a new act, Boris Johnson's spokesperson declined to confirm this. Continue reading... |
| Lindsey Graham: Trump may destroy Republican party but he has a ‘magic’ Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:50 AM PST Senator defends his refusal to abandon ex-president in Axios on HBO interview even though Trump has a 'dark side' Senator Lindsey Graham has defended his refusal to abandon Donald Trump in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the Capitol, saying that though the former president has "a dark side … what I'm trying to do is just harness the magic". Related: Lucky review: how Biden beat Trump – and doubters like Obama and Hillary Continue reading... |
| Queen escapes Harry and Meghan's ire in scathing Oprah interview Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:54 AM PST Prince Harry denied he had 'blindside' his grandmother, saying he had too much respect for her One person in the royal family escaped the ire of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their devastatingly critical tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey: the Queen. Prince Harry's hurt at being "let down" by Prince Charles; Meghan's claim that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry, and not the other way around; Harry's sadness at his rift with Prince William – all was laid bare. Continue reading... |
| Julie Bishop takes aim at federal government ministers over handling of rape allegations Posted: 08 Mar 2021 03:13 AM PST The ex-deputy Liberal leader says if someone came to her with a sexual assault allegation 'I would have felt a duty ... to inform the police' Julie Bishop has criticised how senior Morrison government ministers have handled the sexual assault allegation raised by Brittany Higgins and the historical rape allegation against attorney general Christian Porter. Porter has denied the allegation stating "it didn't happen". Continue reading... |
| 'Pandemic of patriarchy': Pakistani women defy threats to hold march Posted: 08 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PST Healthcare is focus of event to mark International Women's Day, as organisers say pandemic has led to setbacks in rights A march during the time of Covid is a difficult thing to plan safely. For Pakistan's women, determined to have their "Aurat March" today, there are other risks – to their physical safety as well as of online abuse and trolling. Noor is an organiser for this year's masked nationwide rallies. She said she could not give her surname for fear of reprisals over her work. Continue reading... |
| Hopes, dreams and fears: the world of teenage girls through their diaries Posted: 07 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST To mark International Women's Day, explore beyond the stereotypes with Masuma Ahuja's book Girlhood, a collection of diary entries from girls around the world Masuma Ahuja was tired of seeing the same stories told about teenage girls. They were either victimised or sexualised, even if an "exceptional girl" such as Greta Thunberg or Malala Yousafzai was occasionally held up as a role model for fighting back. "We have very little understanding of the day-to-day life of girls and what life looks like for them," says Ahuja. "I wanted to create a small portrait of what girlhood looks like in different places, and something that girls can pick up and feel seen by … and seen by girls elsewhere who share their own experiences." Continue reading... |
| These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community' Posted: 07 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PST More than 20 major cities have reduced police budgets in some form, and activists are fighting to ensure that is only the start After "defund the police" became the rallying cry of protests last summer, Democratic leaders spent months criticizing the slogan and worrying about its impact on elections. While party infighting was dominating headlines, local activists were campaigning to make the catchphrase a reality in cities across the US. Since the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor prompted unprecedented uprisings, some racial justice groups have successfully pressured municipal lawmakers to cut police funds and reinvest the money in services. And with reformed 2021 budgets coming into effect, cities are slowly beginning to redistribute law enforcement money to housing, mental health programs, food access and other programs. Continue reading... |
| International Women's Day around the world – in pictures Posted: 08 Mar 2021 02:04 AM PST From Indonesia to Spain, women have been staging events and protests Continue reading... |
| Women: an exhibition of British press photography Posted: 07 Mar 2021 11:00 PM PST To mark International Women's Day 2021, the British Press Photographers' Association has curated a new photographic exhibition, Women, telling the stories and highlighting the achievements of women and girls as recorded through the eyes of its visual storytellers. Organisers Vickie Flores and Isabel Infantes took the decision to include pictures taken by any of the association's members rather than just focusing on the views of women. 'One of the aims of the project was to make photographers of all genders think about how we portray women and to achieve equality and gender parity, we need the support of each other' Continue reading... |
| 'Scream or shout': campaign group's voicemail service lets mothers rant Posted: 07 Mar 2021 10:00 PM PST Pregnant Then Screwed's SOS voicemail service gives mothers the chance to 'rant, rave, scream or shout' about their pandemic experiences. Their stories are raw, emotional and sometimes painful to hear Continue reading... |
| Equatorial Guinea: explosions at barracks rock city of Bata – video Posted: 07 Mar 2021 04:27 PM PST A series of large explosions at a military base rocked the city of Bata in Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 600, state media reported. The blasts were caused by the 'negligent handling of dynamite', according to a statement from the president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Local television showed groups of people pulling bodies from piles of rubble and carrying some away wrapped in bedsheets Continue reading... |
| 'Salam, salam, salam': thousands attend Pope's mass at Irbil stadium – video Posted: 07 Mar 2021 09:51 AM PST Thousands of people filled a sports stadium in the northern Kurdish-Iraqi city of Irbil for an open-air mass held by Pope Francis. An estimated 10,000 people erupted in cheers when he arrived and did a lap around the track in his open-sided popemobile, the first and only time he has used it on this trip due to security concerns. During the mass, which was the final event of the Pope's visit to Iraq, the pontiff declared that the church in the country was 'alive'.
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| Biden hails Senate passage of 'desperately needed' $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill – video Posted: 07 Mar 2021 05:35 AM PST Joe Biden has hailed the passage of the American Rescue plan by an exhausted Senate. Lawmakers narrowly approved the bill on Saturday as the US president and his Democratic allies notched a victory they called crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums Continue reading... |
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