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- Belarus: US draws up sanctions for ‘ongoing abuses’ after plane incident
- Sasha Johnson: 18-year-old charged with conspiracy to murder
- Senate Republicans block creation of US Capitol attack commission
- ‘Black Wednesday’ for big oil as courtrooms and boardrooms turn on industry
- San Jose gunman stockpiled weapons and 22,000 rounds of ammunition
- Patrick Byrne: pro-Trump millionaire pushing election conspiracy theories
- Hair waste from salons recycled to mop up oil spills on sea shores
- ‘More people could die’: four killed in Colombia protests as talks with government stall
- Joe Biden stakes out position against discriminatory abortion rule
- Australian scientist discovers ‘chocolate frog’ in New Guinea swamps
- Outrage and delight as France ditches reliance on meat in climate bill
- Coronavirus news: expert warns against lifting England restrictions too soon; Vietnam detects hybrid of UK and India variants
- Vague messaging risks causing rise in English Covid cases, say scientists
- Greece unveils first EU Covid passport as ‘fast lane to travel’
- Ireland to allow international travel again from 19 July
- Sinéad O’Connor: ‘I’ll always be a bit crazy, but that’s OK’
- Oligarch v sheikh: Champions League final’s battle of the billionaires
- ‘I cringe at it now’: what happened to the kids of reality TV?
- ‘I was losing my mind’: can baby sleep gurus really help exhausted parents?
- Blind date: ‘Describe him in three words? Confident, charming, intelligent’
- Greentea Peng: ‘A pop star? I have no interest in being a pop star’
- UK weather: watch out for sunburn this bank holiday, says Met Office
- Escapist dreams: why Germans love TV romances set in Cornwall
- Woman shot dead in Lesotho as factory workers’ clashes with police escalate
- Joe Biden seeks Republican buy-in but how long before patience snaps?
- As Covid brings Argentina to its knees, the choice is clear: cancel Copa América now
- Five thoroughbred horses die in truck crash in NSW upper Hunter
- Argentina sends out DNA kits in drive to identify thousands ‘disappeared’ under dictatorship
- Protesters call on banks to ‘drop African debt’ in wake of Covid
- Covid in England: what is the impact of lifting restrictions on 21 June?
- Republicans’ blocking of the Capitol commission shows how deep the rot is
| Belarus: US draws up sanctions for ‘ongoing abuses’ after plane incident Posted: 28 May 2021 09:26 PM PDT White House says the US, the EU and other allies will target key members of President Lukashenko's government The Biden administration has said it is drawing up a list of targeted sanctions against key members of the Belarusian government which forced the landing of a passenger jet and had a journalist on board arrested. The White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday the United States was also suspending a 2019 agreement between Washington and Minsk that allowed carriers from each country to use the other's airspace, and taking other actions against the government of President Alexander Lukashenko. Continue reading... |
| Sasha Johnson: 18-year-old charged with conspiracy to murder Posted: 28 May 2021 02:47 PM PDT Black Lives Matter activist, 27, remains in critical condition after shooting in early hours of Sunday An 18-year-old has been charged with conspiracy to murder over the shooting of Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson. The 27-year-old remains in a critical condition in hospital after being injured at a party in Peckham, south-east London in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading... |
| Senate Republicans block creation of US Capitol attack commission Posted: 28 May 2021 10:00 AM PDT Republicans killed effort to set up a 9/11-style inquiry into the 6 January attack despite broad support for such an investigation Senate Republicans have blocked the creation of a special commission to study the deadly 6 January attack on the Capitol, dashing hopes for a bipartisan panel amid a Republican push to put the violent insurrection by Donald Trump's supporters behind them. Republicans killed the effort to set up a 9/11-style inquiry into the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob despite broad popular support for such an investigation and pleas from the family of a Capitol police officer who collapsed and died after the siege and other officers who battled the rioters. Continue reading... |
| ‘Black Wednesday’ for big oil as courtrooms and boardrooms turn on industry Posted: 28 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT Campaigners sense turning point as shareholders, boards and The Hague act to force Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell to cut pollution The world's patience with the fossil fuel industry is wearing thin. This was the stark message delivered to major international oil companies this week in an unprecedented day of reckoning for their role in the climate crisis. In a stunning series of defeats for the oil industry, over the course of less than 24 hours, courtrooms and boardrooms turned on the executives at Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron. Shell was ordered by a court in The Hague to go far further to reduce its climate emissions, while shareholder rebellions in the US imposed emissions targets at Chevron and a boardroom overhaul at Exxon. Continue reading... |
| San Jose gunman stockpiled weapons and 22,000 rounds of ammunition Posted: 28 May 2021 04:38 PM PDT Officials say the guns Samuel James Cassidy used to kill nine of his coworkers at a California rail yard appear to be legal A gunman who killed nine of his co-workers at a rail yard in San Jose, California, had stockpiled weapons and ammunition at his home, including 12 guns and 22,000 rounds of ammunition, authorities said on Friday. The guns he used to open fire on his co-workers appear to be legal, officials said. They have not said how he obtained them. Continue reading... |
| Patrick Byrne: pro-Trump millionaire pushing election conspiracy theories Posted: 28 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT Weekend rallies with Roger Stone and Michael Flynn show key influence of libertarian helping to fund Arizona election audit This Memorial Day weekend, several prominent conservative allies of Donald Trump, who have promoted almost nonstop his false narratives about the 2020 election results, are slated to hold rallies in Florida and Texas endorsed by the wealthy libertarian Patrick Byrne. Billed as featuring the Trump confidant Roger Stone, the retired general Michael Flynn, Byrne and other pro-Trump stalwarts, the dual events underscore that Byrne – who has been leading private fundraising for the politically driven vote audit now under way in Arizona's largest county – seems intent on funding and pushing conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections. Continue reading... |
| Hair waste from salons recycled to mop up oil spills on sea shores Posted: 29 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT Hairdressers from UK and Ireland sign up to initiative to protect environment and power National Grid Hair cuttings from salons are being used to mop up oil spills and hair bleaches, and dyes are being burned to create energy as part of a scheme to make the hairdressing industry greener. Over the past 10 months, 550 salons across the UK and Ireland have signed up to the Green Salon Collective (GSC), an initiative that reduces salon waste through recycling and education programmes. Continue reading... |
| ‘More people could die’: four killed in Colombia protests as talks with government stall Posted: 28 May 2021 07:47 PM PDT Officials confirm deaths during Friday protests marking a month of demonstrations Four people have died in Colombia as tens of thousands of protesters marked a month of demonstrations across the country, while talks between the government and the national strike committee were stalled. Related: Colombia politician tells protesters hurt by police to 'stop crying over one eye' Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden stakes out position against discriminatory abortion rule Posted: 28 May 2021 01:42 PM PDT President's budget proposal seeks to end Hyde amendment that limits insurance coverage of terminations for nearly 8m women For the first time in nearly 30 years, a US president has released a budget that doesn't ban federal funding for abortion. On Friday, Joe Biden released his full budget proposal for fiscal year 2022, and in keeping with his campaign promise on abortion access, Biden did not include the Hyde amendment, an annual budget rider that bans federal Medicaid money from being used for almost all abortions. (There are exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or that would threaten the pregnant person's life.) Continue reading... |
| Australian scientist discovers ‘chocolate frog’ in New Guinea swamps Posted: 28 May 2021 08:30 PM PDT Litoria mira has been declared a new species, despite looking very similar to the Australian green tree frog An Australian scientist has discovered a new species of frog, the "chocolate frog", in rainforest swamps of New Guinea. Steve Richards, a frog specialist at the South Australian Museum, first found the spotted the cocoa-coloured creature in 2016 in incredibly challenging habitat. Continue reading... |
| Outrage and delight as France ditches reliance on meat in climate bill Posted: 29 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT Environment minister Barbara Pompili says proposals will help country to meet net zero emissions The country that gave the world foie gras, coq au vin and le steak frites is being asked to ditch its meat-heavy diet in favour of vegetarian options, as France embarks on a historic "culture shift" that will bring sweeping changes to all aspects of society, the French environment minister has said. Meat will be off the menu at least one day a week in schools, while vegetarian options will be standard in public catering, and chefs will be trained in how to prepare healthy and toothsome plant-based meals. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 29 May 2021 02:46 AM PDT Victoria records five new cases of Covid-19 taking Melbourne outbreak to 35; UK MPs urge action to save music festivals from another 'lost summer'
The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou shut down a neighborhood and ordered its residents to stay home on Saturday for door-to-door coronavirus testing following an upsurge in infections. Guangzhou, a business and industrial center of 15 million people north of Hong Hong, has reported 20 new infections over the past week.
Infections in Germany continue on a downward trend, according to the country's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), with health authorities having reported 5,426 new cases within one day to the institute, down from 6,419 a week earlier. The seven-day incidence on Saturday morning stood at 37.5 nationwide, down from 39.8 on Friday and 66.8 in the previous week. |
| Vague messaging risks causing rise in English Covid cases, say scientists Posted: 29 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT Experts argue that a repeat of past failings could lead to an increase in transmissions over bank holiday As confusion over whether people should really be travelling to "amber list" countries grew earlier this month, Boris Johnson stressed that his government was trying to move away from "endlessly legislating everything" to relying on guidance and trusting the public to do the right thing. This vague messaging approach, scientists say, has been a persistent feature of the Covid response in England – to the public's detriment – and now risks exacerbating a rise in Covid cases as people across the country gear up to travel to see their friends and family over the bank holiday. The continued risks of catching and spreading coronavirus haven't been sufficiently explained to the public. Continue reading... |
| Greece unveils first EU Covid passport as ‘fast lane to travel’ Posted: 28 May 2021 07:52 AM PDT Prime minister says system will be up and running before 1 July deadline and in time for tourist season The Greek government has unveiled the first EU Covid passport, described by the country's prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as a "fast lane to facilitate travel", after a successful dry run of the technology. At a launch in Athens, Mitsotakis, who had led calls for a way to open up Europe in time for the summer tourism season, said the system would be up and running in Greece before a deadline set by Brussels for 1 July. Continue reading... |
| Ireland to allow international travel again from 19 July Posted: 28 May 2021 01:20 PM PDT Common travel area with Britain will not be restored due to concerns over India variant Ireland will adopt the European Union's Covid-19 certificate to help citizens move more freely across the bloc and allow the resumption of international travel from mid-July. The country's government said it will broadly apply the same approach to arrivals from elsewhere including Britain and the US. Continue reading... |
| Sinéad O’Connor: ‘I’ll always be a bit crazy, but that’s OK’ Posted: 29 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT After a life marked by abuse, fame, scandal and struggle, the Irish singer-songwriter says she never lost faith Sinéad O'Connor has been pretty much invisible for the past few years. There's a good reason, though, she tells me with her usual disregard for social niceties. "I've spent most of the time in the nuthouse. I've been practically living there for six years." She pauses, takes an intense drag on her fag, and warns me off being similarly politically incorrect. "We alone get to call it the nuthouse – the patients." O'Connor is a music great – her 1990 version of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U is one of the most transcendent five minutes in pop history, the solitary tear falling from her eye in the accompanying video one of its most beautiful images. The single topped the charts worldwide, as did the album it was taken from, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. Astonishingly, in the 31 years that have passed, she has never had another UK Top 10 hit single and only one Top 10 album. And yet she remains a household name. Continue reading... |
| Oligarch v sheikh: Champions League final’s battle of the billionaires Posted: 29 May 2021 01:30 AM PDT When it comes to wealth, there's little between Chelsea's Roman Abramovich and Manchester City's Sheikh Mansour Welcome to the battle of the billionaires. On the pitch the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City in Porto on Saturday will be the biggest match of most of the players' careers. On the touchline it is also the culmination of a 13-year struggle between two of the world's richest people – and their wallets – for world football supremacy. Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who bought Chelsea in 2003, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family who purchased Manchester City in 2008, have collectively spent more than £3.7bn on buying players since they bought the clubs. Continue reading... |
| ‘I cringe at it now’: what happened to the kids of reality TV? Posted: 29 May 2021 02:00 AM PDT Whether lurking in the background of The Real Housewives, or starring in their own show, a generation have had their childhoods captured on screen. How did it change them? Shane Keough's mother, Jeana, is a former Playboy model. His father, Matt, was a professional baseball player. He grew up in a sprawling mansion and wanted for little. When a TV executive called Scott Dunlop decided to make a reality show about the rich, glamorous and drama-loving residents of Orange County, California, he had the Keough family in mind. In 2006, the Keoughs featured on the first episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County on the US network Bravo. Over the next decade, Real Housewives became a global franchise of women with acrylic nails lustily splashing glasses of wine in each other's faces. There are now Sydney housewives, Cheshire housewives, even The Real Housewives Of Hungary (Feleségek Luxuskivitelben). Continue reading... |
| ‘I was losing my mind’: can baby sleep gurus really help exhausted parents? Posted: 28 May 2021 10:00 PM PDT Growing numbers of frazzled parents are paying a fortune to people who claim they can help them get a good night's rest. Are they being taken for a ride? Plus a doctor's top tips for children of all ages By the time her baby was four months old, Zara, a psychologist and executive coach from Surrey, was able to open a bottle of wine and have "a bit of an evening". He was sleeping in four-hour stints, waking twice in the night. Then, at four and half months, his sleep pattern changed: "It was five wakes, then six, then eight," Zara says. She was so exhausted she ended up Googling "can you die from sleep deprivation?". "I was broken, emotional, confused, sleep-deprived and catastrophising," she says. "He wouldn't be down for longer than 20 minutes, and I was losing my mind. Using a sleep consultant was the best money I've ever spent; £250 to give me the confidence to trust my child to get himself to sleep without me." Continue reading... |
| Blind date: ‘Describe him in three words? Confident, charming, intelligent’ Posted: 28 May 2021 10:00 PM PDT Joseph, 24, release engineer, meets Beti, 25, doctor What were you hoping for? |
| Greentea Peng: ‘A pop star? I have no interest in being a pop star’ Posted: 28 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT Likened to Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse, the south Londoner's nu-soul sound looks set to reign supreme this summer – whether she likes it or not A polluted intersection on the A1 does not seem like Greentea Peng's natural habitat. Its ear-splitting soundtrack – of screaming horns and the odd exploding crisp packet – could not be further from the 26-year-old's preferred sonic mode: blissed-out, dub-inflected psychedelic soul that speaks of renouncing ego, embracing love and bringing down Babylon. But it is her chosen location: the south London-born musician, otherwise known as Aria Wells, discovered this Turkish roadside cafe on her current visit to the capital and has returned repeatedly. "This place does amazing baklava," she enthuses, before asking a slightly confused waitress to dollop some chilli sauce into her soup. Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading... |
| UK weather: watch out for sunburn this bank holiday, says Met Office Posted: 29 May 2021 02:00 AM PDT Forecasters expect 'very high' UV levels in southern England, and warn people not to be caught out Forecasters are warning of a bank holiday sunburn risk as UV rays are expected to reach very high levels during the sunshine this weekend, after weeks of cooler weather. The Met Office is anticipating UV levels of 8 in the south of England on Monday, which is considered "very high" for the UK and requires extra sun protection. Continue reading... |
| Escapist dreams: why Germans love TV romances set in Cornwall Posted: 29 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT Films based on British writer's stories have loyal following in Germany and are now even listed as a key draw for G7 diplomats Strolling along Padstow harbour, Grace Kent and Dr Robert Hayford are tumbling into each other's eyes over fish and chips, paisley scarves blowing in the Cornish breeze. Yet in spite of the quintessentially English setting, they whisper their sweet nothings in German. This is a scene from Wie verhext, which translates as Bewitched, a German TV production that premiered in national broadcaster ZDF's Sunday prime-time slot at the start of this month. Inspired by the short story Tea With a Witch by the British novelist Rosamunde Pilcher, it is the latest instalment in one of the most enduring cross-cultural links between the two European nations, entering its third decade in spite of Brexit, Covid-19 and the author's death in 2019. Continue reading... |
| Woman shot dead in Lesotho as factory workers’ clashes with police escalate Posted: 28 May 2021 05:40 AM PDT Trade unions say they have lost control of protests over pay as employers cite impact of Covid for restraint A woman has died after being shot during violent clashes between factory workers and police in Lesotho as trade unions say they have lost control over angry protests over pay. Demonstrations spilled over into violence in what is the second week of industrial action, with looting and damage to several businesses in the capital Maseru. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden seeks Republican buy-in but how long before patience snaps? Posted: 29 May 2021 02:00 AM PDT Talks continue on a compromise over infrastructure but GOP intransigeance on a Capitol riot commission does not bode well It's become a familiar process in the Joe Biden era. Biden and Democrats say they will work with Republicans. Republicans say they want a seat at the negotiating table. Then the prospect of Democrats going alone begins to hover over the negotiations. Continue reading... |
| As Covid brings Argentina to its knees, the choice is clear: cancel Copa América now Posted: 29 May 2021 01:00 AM PDT My country has been ravaged by Covid, but will still play host to an international tournament in two weeks' time. Conmebol and Argentina president Alberto Fernández should be ashamed Conmebol found a simple solution for its recent problems with the upcoming Copa América. It just wasn't a very good one. Weeks of anti-government protests in Colombia, that have left at least 43 dead, forced South American football's governing body to move the tournament from the co-host country, to Argentina, a nation that has been brought to its knees by Covid-19. At the time of writing, roughly two weeks before the tournament is scheduled to kick off in Buenos Aires, only just more than 5% of Argentina's population is fully vaccinated. Continue reading... |
| Five thoroughbred horses die in truck crash in NSW upper Hunter Posted: 28 May 2021 09:44 PM PDT Two men were taken to hospital after the truck crashed into a tree south of Muswellbrook Five thoroughbred horses have died in a truck crash in the New South Wales Hunter region. It is understood the broodmares were recently purchased by a large racehorse stud at a major national auction. Continue reading... |
| Argentina sends out DNA kits in drive to identify thousands ‘disappeared’ under dictatorship Posted: 28 May 2021 05:17 AM PDT Move is part of groundbreaking effort to name 30,000 murdered by regime after 1976 coup The Argentinian government has sent hundreds of DNA testing kits to its consulates around the world in a groundbreaking effort to put names to unidentified victims murdered in the "Dirty War" waged by the brutal military dictatorship four decades ago. Last month, the Argentinian authorities, in collaboration with the National Commission for the Right to Identity, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo movement and investigators from the Argentinian Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), launched its international Right to Identity campaign, committed to putting a name to every woman, man and child killed by the military junta in Argentina in the 1970s and early 80s. Continue reading... |
| Protesters call on banks to ‘drop African debt’ in wake of Covid Posted: 28 May 2021 04:39 AM PDT World's poorest nations saddled with 'imprisoning' debt, hampering responses to the pandemic, say activists protesting HSBC meeting Activists at a demonstration outside the annual general meeting of HSBC in London have demanded the bank and other financial giants provide debt relief to African countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. In an attempt to highlight the role of private creditors in the debt crises of the world's poorest countries, campaigners with "drop the debt" banners gathered outside HSBC's AGM at the Southbank Centre. Continue reading... |
| Covid in England: what is the impact of lifting restrictions on 21 June? Posted: 28 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT From face masks to working from home, we examine what the government may risk ditching From face masks to the rule of six, we've got used to Covid restrictions over the past 14 months. But next week the government in England is expected to unveil its review of social distancing rules, ahead of the potential full unlocking of society on 21 June. Although it's unlikely that recommendations on handwashing and ventilation will be dropped, others, such as restrictions on household mixing or the 1-metre-plus rule, could be lifted. Doing so would help the hospitality and travel industries, allowing pubs, restaurants and other indoor venues to increase their capacity, and more people to travel abroad for work or holidays. However, with coronavirus resurfacing in some areas of the UK, and the rise of new variants, some have questioned whether this is a good idea. Continue reading... |
| Republicans’ blocking of the Capitol commission shows how deep the rot is Posted: 28 May 2021 10:54 AM PDT Analysis: one of America's two major parties now falls outside the democratic mainstream but are Democrats taking the existential threat seriously? The question now is not so much whether the Republican party can be saved any time in the foreseeable future. It is what Joe Biden and the Democrats should do when faced with a party determined to subvert democracy through any means necessary, including violence. On Friday Republicans in the Senate torpedoed an effort to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the deadly insurrection by Donald Trump's supporters at the US Capitol on 6 January, deploying the procedural move known as the filibuster to stop it even being debated. Continue reading... |
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