World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Covid news live: cases in UK universities surge as students head home; New Zealand reports first Omicron case
- Australia jumping castle tragedy: four children dead and several critically injured in Tasmania
- Ashes 2021-22: Australia v England second Test, day one – live!
- Outspoken editor of Chinese state tabloid Global Times retires
- US releases 1,500 documents about JFK assassination inquiry
- Japan PM will not attend Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony
- US rapper Logic’s song 1-800-273-8255 may have helped prevent suicides, study finds
- ‘They punished me for having books’: schools in Cameroon terrorised by armed groups
- ‘Worst fashion wage theft’: workers go hungry as Indian suppliers to top UK brands refuse to pay minimum wage
- Freakish wind storm brings ‘dust bowl’ conditions to tornado-devastated US states
- New Zealand honours ‘extraordinary’ bravery of 10 during Christchurch attacks
- Covid cases rise sharply at some UK universities as students head home
- Nearly 100 Covid cases linked to Sydney Taylor Swift party as Newcastle residents urged to postpone celebrations
- Housebound elderly people waiting weeks for Covid boosters
- US Federal Reserve speeds up taper and signals three rate hikes in 2022
- What Covid taught us about racism – and what we need to do now | Gary Younge
- ‘You immediately tell your friends to cancel their tickets’ – what’s it like to star in a flop?
- The Lost Daughter review – Olivia Colman shines in Elena Ferrante missing-kid drama
- Distraction disaster! Notifications are ruining our concentration – here’s how to escape them
- Estonia in winter: into the wilds by canoe and ‘bog shoe’
- A ‘false solution’? How crypto mining became the oil industry’s new hope
- Adrian Chiles’s Christmas Strictly diary: ‘Unused to my tight outfit, I didn’t get low enough for the lift ...’
- Chris Packham meets crown estate to promote rewilding royal land
- UK public don’t want ‘perennial fights of a permanent Brexit’ with EU – report
- ‘If I’m not on social media, I’m dead’: Qatari feminist activist feared killed or detained
- Mexican woman shot in head by US Border Patrol files claim: ‘I am looking for justice’
- Omicron variant: what do we know about Covid case numbers and combatting it in Australia?
- UK charities launch appeal to help eight million Afghans at risk of starvation
- Books that explain the world: Guardian writers share their best nonfiction reads of the year
- What burns beneath: the deadly threat of underground coal fires to children in Zimbabwe
- ‘The Taliban say they’ll kill me if they find me’: a female reporter still on the run speaks out
- Millions of unjabbed a key concern as England scrambles to vaccinate
- As Arab leaders gather in Saudi Arabia King Salman’s absence looms large
- How big is the risk of Omicron in the UK and how do we know?
- Java mouse-deer that stands just 10cm high takes first steps at Warsaw Zoo – video
- Emmanuel Macron says 'Australia behaved badly' over Aukus submarine deal – video
- Covid: people should cut down on socialising, warns Chris Whitty – video
- Fire traps hundreds of people at Hong Kong World Trade Centre – video
- La Palma’s changed landscapes – in pictures
- Covid passes approved by MPs despite Tory backbench rebellion – video
| Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:40 AM PST Students are urged to take Covid tests before leaving university amid fears of spreading the virus; Omicron has been detected in isolation facility in Christchurch
New Zealand has detected its first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in a Christchurch managed isolation facility. On Thursday afternoon, the director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said: This is a person who is in managed isolation in Christchurch. The person arrived in New Zealand on a flight from Germany via Dubai that landed in Auckland...the people on that flight were transferred to Christchurch on a chartered domestic flight trip with all our usual protocols. We fully expected we will find a case of Omicron and in fact, we are treating every border related case as if it were Omicron until proven otherwise. We have good protocols in place that are designed to stop the virus getting across the border." Continue reading... |
| Australia jumping castle tragedy: four children dead and several critically injured in Tasmania Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:24 PM PST Police say children fell about 10 metres after wind lifted a bouncy castle into the air at Hillcrest primary school in Devonport Four children have died and four have been left critically injured after they fell about 10 metres from a jumping castle that was blown into the air in north-west Tasmania. Police confirmed two girls and two boys, all in year 6, died in the tragedy at Hillcrest primary school in Devonport on Thursday morning. Continue reading... |
| Ashes 2021-22: Australia v England second Test, day one – live! Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:39 AM PST
"Let's not ask why some idiot was at a restaurant when he should have been in quarantine awaiting his test results," writes in Peter Hutchinson. I'm not sure what the details around the rules and the case are there, so I'll hold fire before I start sledging anyone. |
| Outspoken editor of Chinese state tabloid Global Times retires Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:05 AM PST Hu Xijin became leading voice of strident nationalism with millions of social media followers A Chinese state tabloid editor who became a leading voice of strident nationalism with millions of social media followers has announced his retirement. A self-described former pro-democracy protester turned outspoken newspaper editor, Hu Xijin helped usher in a new era of brash, assertive nationalism under the president, Xi Jinping. Continue reading... |
| US releases 1,500 documents about JFK assassination inquiry Posted: 15 Dec 2021 02:36 PM PST Cables, memos and other documents shed light on Lee Harvey Oswald's Soviet and Cuban embassy visits The National Archives on Wednesday made public nearly 1,500 documents related to the US government's investigation into the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy. The disclosure of secret cables, internal memos and other documents satisfies a deadline set in October by Joe Biden and is in keeping with a federal statute that calls for the release of records in the government's possession. Additional documents are expected to be made public next year. Continue reading... |
| Japan PM will not attend Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony Posted: 15 Dec 2021 09:31 PM PST Fumio Kishida does not say if other officials will attend and it remains unclear if he will join US-led boycott over human rights Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said he will not attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, but it is not clear if the country will join a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games over human rights abuses. Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Kishida said: "I have no plans at this point to attend" and did not clarify if Japan would send any officials to the event, amid reports that it was unlikely to snub the hosts altogether. Continue reading... |
| US rapper Logic’s song 1-800-273-8255 may have helped prevent suicides, study finds Posted: 15 Dec 2021 05:39 PM PST The British Medical Journal study finds song led to a rise in calls to helplines while US suicides also fell during the same period A song by US rapper Logic that references the name of a suicide prevention helpline led to a "notable increase" in the number of calls to the service and may have reduced the number of suicides, new research has found. Titled 1-800-273-8255 – the number for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – the song generated strong public attention upon its release and following two notable performances. Continue reading... |
| ‘They punished me for having books’: schools in Cameroon terrorised by armed groups Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:30 PM PST Human Rights Watch says armed separatists in anglophone regions have made schools a battleground, with hundreds of school pupils and teachers attacked, kidnapped or threatened Armed separatists in Cameroon's anglophone regions have attacked, kidnapped and threatened hundreds of school pupils in nearly five years of violence that has forced more than 230,000 children to flee their homes, a report has found. In a detailed analysis of the conflict that has gripped the English-speaking regions since 2017, dozens of students and teachers speak of brutal attacks by armed groups who have made education a battleground in their fight to form their own state. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2021 11:15 PM PST Shortfall of 16p a day leaves children living on just rice as suppliers to Nike, Zara and H&M in Karnataka underpay by estimated £41m Garment workers making clothes for international brands in Karnataka, a major clothing production hub in India, say their children are going hungry as factories refuse to pay the legal minimum wage in what is claimed to be the biggest wage theft to ever hit the fashion industry. More than 400,000 garment workers in Karnataka have not been paid the state's legal minimum wage since April 2020, according to an international labour rights organisation that monitors working conditions in factories. Continue reading... |
| Freakish wind storm brings ‘dust bowl’ conditions to tornado-devastated US states Posted: 15 Dec 2021 07:17 PM PST The powerful weather system, driven by unseasonably high temperatures, closed highways, spawned tornadoes and caused outages Less than a week after a swarm of powerful tornadoes devastated Kentucky and four other states, a freakish wind storm has brought "Dust Bowl" conditions and gusts of more than 100 mph to parts of the Great Plains and upper midwest, meteorologists said on Wednesday. The low pressure wind system, driven by unseasonably high temperatures, closed highways in western Kansas, spawned reported tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa and raised concerns about fires because of the unusual heat. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand honours ‘extraordinary’ bravery of 10 during Christchurch attacks Posted: 15 Dec 2021 04:05 PM PST Highest honours went to Naeem Rashid, who died while challenging the gunman, and Abdul Aziz who lured the attacker away from others Ten people who risked their lives to save others during the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacres have been honoured in New Zealand's most prestigious bravery awards. "The courage demonstrated by these New Zealanders was selfless and extraordinary. They have our deepest respect and gratitude for their actions on that day," said the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. "Each of them put their life on the line to save others. If not for their collective actions, the loss of life could have been even greater." Continue reading... |
| Covid cases rise sharply at some UK universities as students head home Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST Fears mass exodus before Christmas break could fuel spread of Omicron variant The number of Covid cases has risen sharply at some universities as about a million students begin to head home for the Christmas break, prompting fears that the mass migration could fuel the spread of the virus. Students have been urged to take Covid tests before they leave their university to travel to see their families – the vast majority on public transport – and again before they return in the new year, as well as getting their booster vaccinations. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2021 11:52 PM PST Some cases from the Metro theatre on Friday likely to be Omicron and at least 600 people who attended are now isolating At least 97 people have caught Covid-19 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Sydney, as NSW cases escalate to record levels. NSW Health issued an alert on Thursday evening about the "On Repeat: Taylor Swift Red Party" at Sydney's Metro theatre, with at least 600 people who arrived after 9pm on Friday deemed close contacts. Continue reading... |
| Housebound elderly people waiting weeks for Covid boosters Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST Charities say vulnerable older people 'overlooked' amid pressure to meet target of 1m top-up jabs a day Housebound elderly people are having to wait weeks to get their booster vaccine, despite being a key priority group for top-up jabs, raising fears about them being left at risk. Charities have warned that older people are being "overlooked" in the NHS's rush to deliver the 1m boosters a day that Boris Johnson has ordered to reduce the threat posed by the Omicron variant. Continue reading... |
| US Federal Reserve speeds up taper and signals three rate hikes in 2022 Posted: 15 Dec 2021 08:22 PM PST Central bank will double rate at which it cuts spending on government bonds and expects to raise borrowing costs next year The US Federal Reserve has announced that it will accelerate an end to the central bank's pandemic-era support of the US economy in a major shift that will also see a series of interest rate rises next year. The measures are a signal that US central bankers no longer view rising inflation as a "transitory" nuisance caused by supply chain problems meeting pent-up consumer demand, but an issue that now requires firm management to avert lasting damage to the US economy. Continue reading... |
| What Covid taught us about racism – and what we need to do now | Gary Younge Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST We were told coronavirus didn't discriminate, but it didn't need to – society had already done that for us. But there is a path to a fairer future if we want it In June 2020, I attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration in north London, not far from my house. My wife had found out about it from friends who'd found out about it on Facebook. We took the kids. Well over 1,000 people went; beyond my immediate circle, I only recognised a few there. The soundsystem was poor and I couldn't hear what was being said from the stage. We took a knee like Colin Kaepernick while raising a fist like the Black Panthers and held the pose for eight minutes – the length of time Derek Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd's neck. Then we clapped, chatted and made our way back to our locked-down homes. I have no idea who called the demonstration. It just happened and then it was gone. In the weeks before and after, institutions made statements; reviews were announced; social media avatars changed; museums reconsidered their inventory; Labour-led town halls went purple; curricula were revised; statues came down. Overnight, bestseller booklists were filled with anti-racist manuals and explorations of whiteness. This was the virus within the virus: a strain of anti-racist consciousness that spread through the globe with great speed, prompted by a video that had gone viral. Not everybody caught it, but everybody was aware of it, and most were, in some way, affected by it. Continue reading... |
| ‘You immediately tell your friends to cancel their tickets’ – what’s it like to star in a flop? Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST How does it feel to go back on stage night after night in a play that's been mauled by critics and deserted by audiences? Richard Eyre and other directors and actors relive their trauma Movies, TV shows and books can all get terrible reviews and small audiences, but the difference when this happens in theatre is that the actors have to go back on stage and remake the work just after critics have declared it disastrous. "It is so crushing for actors to have to go on night after night bearing the weight of failure," says Richard Eyre, artistic director of the Royal National Theatre from 1987 to 1997. "And that's one of the reasons actors are such stoics. For directors and writers, there's a sense of disembowelment you carry round if you've had a major failure – but they can just fuck off to Tenerife, and some do. Actors are obliged to soak it up." Actor Michael Simkins, who wrote the theatrical memoir What's My Motivation?, says: "If I had to articulate what it feels like to be in the middle of a play you feel is dying on its arse, it's a cold sense of dread, like battery acid in your stomach. After terrible reviews, a sort of numbness sets in that is still there for the second night. You haven't yet fully processed it. The first thing you do is tell all your friends who have booked tickets to cancel." Continue reading... |
| The Lost Daughter review – Olivia Colman shines in Elena Ferrante missing-kid drama Posted: 15 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Maggie Gyllenhaal's stylish directorial debut, adapted from Ferrante's novel, is led by a central performance of real star quality A rich, complex and fascinating performance from Olivia Colman is what gives this movie its piercing power: she has some old-school star quality and screen presence. Colman is the centre of a stylish feature debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal as writer-director, adapting a novel by Elena Ferrante: the result is an absorbingly shaped psychological drama, built around a single traumatising event from which the action metastasises. It takes place partly in the present and also in the lead character's remembered past, triggered by a calamity that she witnesses and in which she decides, insidiously, to participate. These scenes aren't simply flashbacks; they have their own relevance and urgency which run alongside the immediate action. The setting is a Greek island where Leonard Cohen is supposed to have hung out in the 1960s. A British academic arrives on holiday: this is Leda, played by Colman, a Yorkshire-born professor of comparative literature at Harvard, and she has clearly been looking forward to this break for ages, settling almost ecstatically into the vacation apartment into which her bags are carried by the property's housekeeper Lyle (Ed Harris), an expatriate American who is wizened but virile-looking. Continue reading... |
| Distraction disaster! Notifications are ruining our concentration – here’s how to escape them Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:00 AM PST Whether socialising with friends or completing a difficult task, a ping on your phone can destroy the moment. It is time to address the constant stream of interruptions Joanie (not her real name), a clinical psychologist who lives in London, has three work laptops. This is not uncommon when you're spread across different NHS services. Sometimes, she feels like the 1980s synth supremo Paul Hardcastle, who used to dart between keyboards when performing on Top of the Pops. Except that he wasn't always rudely interrupted by random notifications. "When I log on to one laptop," she says, "this automatic thing comes on called Netpresenter player. It's a ticker tape, like one of those bus-stop ads that keeps moving." She quits it, because she needs to concentrate on writing up notes before her next meeting. But it keeps coming back with annoying notifications. "I've been in the middle of a session and it's started playing music and a video – usually things like, 'Don't forget to wash your hands properly', or, 'Hey, we're all meeting for a webinar in half an hour about staff wellbeing.'" Joanie says her wellbeing would improve if it was easier to get her work done. Continue reading... |
| Estonia in winter: into the wilds by canoe and ‘bog shoe’ Posted: 15 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST The peatlands of Soomaa national park are host to a stunning variety of birds and beasts – and even the odd white-thighed bog swimmer Ahead, the jellied earth sways. As I approach a natural pool at the edge of a wide, wild expanse in central Estonia, the bog feels untrustworthy, if not quite menacing. This far into the Soomaa national park, the ground is so unsure of itself that even trees have given up. My guide, Aivar Ruukel, tells me that it's not the same animals – wolves and bears are among the creatures that patrol these lands, hoping to find a meal trapped in the mire. Elsewhere in this wilderness there are elk and raccoon dogs. Recently, wolverines from the north have been spotted, too. "People have been seeing golden jackals," says Aivar, "and normally they are in Turkey." The reason for this extraordinary menagerie is, perhaps inevitably, linked to Estonia's low human population. Despite being slightly larger than the Netherlands, Estonia has about 7.5% of its population, making it one of the most sparsely populated nations in Europe. In Soomaa, it's easy to believe these stats. Continue reading... |
| A ‘false solution’? How crypto mining became the oil industry’s new hope Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:00 AM PST Climate experts warn that plans to repurpose waste gas is not a solution, but more like placing a Band-Aid over a gaping wound In January of 2019, Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness, recently reunited prep school pals from Denver, drove out to the snow-covered plains of Wyoming to bring a piece of tech culture to the American heartland. Trembling in -20F (-29C) temperatures, they wired up a prototype of their brainchild: a machine that harnesses the "waste gas" from oil rigs to power mining for cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, the most-popular decentralized digital currency, have a notoriously large carbon footprint (bitcoin mining alone consumes about half as much electricity in a year as all of the UK). So to leverage a cheap source of energy to run their bitcoin mining operations, Lochmiller and Cavness found themselves partnering with oil companies to repurpose a byproduct, primarily methane, that's typically vented or burnt off in flares. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST I don't recall saying yes to the show. Perhaps I just stopped saying no. But all of a sudden, a champion dancer was on her way to train me – and to my dismay there was no turning back My invitation to appear on Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas Special came very late. Being a cynical soul, I assumed someone had dropped out, but I'm warmly assured this wasn't the case. I am nobody's idea of a dancer. It's not that I can't dance; I can dance with great exuberance, but only if I am alone. If anyone else is in the room, I become overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment and just kind of seize up. I know the advice is to dance like no one is watching, but I can't dance if anyone is watching. This wasn't the actual Strictly Come Dancing, one of our biggest TV shows, in which contestants, paired up with pro dancers, are subjected to the judgment of four experts and, even more harrowingly, a public vote. The Christmas Special is a bit of fun, in which half a dozen, erm, celebrities – dread word – do one dance for the purposes of general seasonal entertainment. OK, it's not as terrifying as the real thing, but it's still all about dancing. And therefore, not for me. Anyway, for most of the scant two weeks' preparation time available, I was away on holiday in an out-of-the-way village in south Wales. Can't dance, won't dance, away on holiday, no can do. Continue reading... |
| Chris Packham meets crown estate to promote rewilding royal land Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST Broadcaster says manager of 615,000-acre real estate portfolio is 'aligned' with aim of changing how land is used Chris Packham and a campaign to "rewild the royals" have had a "really good" meeting with the crown estate to ask it to consider pledging a slice of its 615,000 acres to wild nature. Packham said the crown estate was "quite clearly aligned" with the rewilding campaign group Wild Card in its determination to act to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises by changing the way land is managed. Continue reading... |
| UK public don’t want ‘perennial fights of a permanent Brexit’ with EU – report Posted: 15 Dec 2021 09:00 PM PST Report by the European Council on Foreign Relations says that more people see bloc as a key partner than the US The British public do not share the government's appetite for perpetual conflict with the EU and more people see the bloc as a key future partner than the US, according to a report on post-Brexit foreign policy. "The Johnson government seems to need the perennial fights of a permanent Brexit," the report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) thinktank, said, warning that its approach was "eroding the UK's capacity to cooperate with the EU". Continue reading... |
| ‘If I’m not on social media, I’m dead’: Qatari feminist activist feared killed or detained Posted: 15 Dec 2021 06:57 AM PST Rights groups warn 23-year-old Noof al-Maadeed is at imminent risk, despite reassurances from Qatar authorities Human rights groups are demanding Qatari authorities show proof of life for a feminist activist, amid growing fears that she has been killed or detained. Noof al-Maadeed has been missing since mid-October after returning to Qatar from the UK. The young activist fled the Gulf kingdom two years ago, documenting her escape on social media, after alleged attempts on her life. She had recently returned to Qatar after being given reassurance by the authorities that she was safe. Continue reading... |
| Mexican woman shot in head by US Border Patrol files claim: ‘I am looking for justice’ Posted: 15 Dec 2021 12:43 PM PST Marisol García Alcántara was shot shortly after arriving in the US, while riding in an SUV in Arizona Attorneys for a Mexican woman who was shot in the head by a Border Patrol agent and survived have filed a claim against the US government as a precursor to a federal lawsuit. The claim filed with the Border Patrol by Marisol García Alcántara, who had arrived in the U.S. shortly before the shooting over the summer in Nogales, Arizona, is necessary before a civil action is filed next year with the US District Court in Tucson. Continue reading... |
| Omicron variant: what do we know about Covid case numbers and combatting it in Australia? Posted: 16 Dec 2021 12:10 AM PST Research shows the vaccine-evasive new Covid variant may mean ongoing booster shots are required
Preliminary modelling showing Covid cases in New South Wales could hit 25,000 a day by the end of January made headlines on Tuesday after the health minister, Brad Hazzard, cited the figure on the same day as more restrictions were rolled back. While the University of NSW modelling did not take into account increasing booster shots or the potential reintroduction of restrictions if cases grow, Omicron has thrown previous predictions about the efficacy of vaccination and predicted case numbers into disarray. Continue reading... |
| UK charities launch appeal to help eight million Afghans at risk of starvation Posted: 15 Dec 2021 06:49 AM PST There is a 'very small window of opportunity' to intervene, say aid workers, as poverty, conflict, drought and a freeze in humanitarian funding bring Afghanistan to the brink Leading UK charities have launched a joint winter appeal to save the lives of 8 million people at risk of starvation in Afghanistan, as aid workers in the country warn of a "small window of opportunity" to intervene. A combination of conflict, economic collapse, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the country to a tipping point, according to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), the umbrella group of 15 aid agencies behind the appeal. Continue reading... |
| Books that explain the world: Guardian writers share their best nonfiction reads of the year Posted: 15 Dec 2021 02:21 AM PST From a Jacobean traveller's travails in Sindh to the tangled roots of Nigeria, our pick of new nonfiction books that shine a light on Asia, Africa and South America • Share your top recommendations for books on the developing world in the comments below You Have Not Yet Been Defeated: Selected Works 2011-2021 |
| What burns beneath: the deadly threat of underground coal fires to children in Zimbabwe Posted: 14 Dec 2021 11:30 PM PST Alisha was eight when she died after being badly burned near a coal mine in Hwange. Families who live in fear of the ground opening up under their children's feet say more must be done
An aunt pulled her to safety, but Alisha's legs were so badly burned that they had to be amputated. More than a month after the accident, the little girl died of her injuries. Continue reading... |
| ‘The Taliban say they’ll kill me if they find me’: a female reporter still on the run speaks out Posted: 14 Dec 2021 11:01 PM PST We return to the story of a journalist forced to flee as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August. Unable to return home without putting at risk everyone she loves and hounded by threatening calls, she remains in hiding in the country four months on
I am an Afghan female journalist and I have been on the run for more than four months. I have lived in numerous safe houses and the homes of people who've offered me refuge. I am constantly moving to avoid being caught, from province to province, city to city. The Taliban insurgents have been threatening to kill me and my colleagues for two years, for our reports exposing their crimes in our province. But when they seized control of our provincial capital, they started to hunt for those who had spoken out against them. I decided to escape, for my own and my family's safety. Continue reading... |
| Millions of unjabbed a key concern as England scrambles to vaccinate Posted: 15 Dec 2021 10:33 AM PST Government's 'Get boosted now' slogan means little in areas where up to 30% of people have had no vaccine at all In the Newtown ward of central Birmingham, the government's "Get boosted now" slogan means nothing to half of over-16s, because they have not had any vaccination against Covid at all. It is a similar story in Westminster and Camden in London where among the over-12s, 30% have not had a single jab. In Nottingham, a quarter of the whole population face the coming Omicron "tidal wave" unvaccinated. Continue reading... |
| As Arab leaders gather in Saudi Arabia King Salman’s absence looms large Posted: 14 Dec 2021 09:00 PM PST With the king barely seen for 20 months, the crown prince is holding the reins of power – and unbothered by who knows it Beaming in satisfaction as Arab rulers arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday, Mohammed bin Salman looked like a man in charge. As a succession of planes disgorged heads of state for a regional summit, the Saudi crown prince was there to receive them – standing in for his father at yet another big event. But as Prince Mohammed ushered leaders of Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain along a purple carpet to a reception hall, the king's absence loomed large. If the ailing monarch was to reappear in public – a once every five year gathering under his auspices would have been the time and place. Continue reading... |
| How big is the risk of Omicron in the UK and how do we know? Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:24 AM PST Analysis: Sajid Javid estimates there are 200,000 new cases a day – here's why the experts suggest that number will soon multiply When Savid Javid revealed on Monday that an estimated 200,000 people a day are getting infected with Omicron, it brought understandable concern – especially as just 4,713 cases of the variant had been confirmed in the UK so far – . So where does this figure come from – and what does it tell us about the trajectory of the surge? Confirming a Covid case is caused by the Omicron variant requires a full genetic analysis of that person's swab. According to Prof Paul Hunter at the University of East Anglia, it can take up to two weeks to return a viral sequence, meaning the figure of 4,713 Omicron cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was already out of date. Continue reading... |
| Java mouse-deer that stands just 10cm high takes first steps at Warsaw Zoo – video Posted: 15 Dec 2021 07:25 PM PST A baby Java mouse-deer has been born at Warsaw Zoo, Poland. The new arrival is around 10cm tall and its sex is not yet known. The arrival comes after Warsaw Zoo welcomed its first mouse-deer, Arnold, in 2020, before he was joined by Linda in July this year. Mouse-deer are among the smallest hooved animals on the planet Continue reading... |
| Emmanuel Macron says 'Australia behaved badly' over Aukus submarine deal – video Posted: 15 Dec 2021 05:17 PM PST French President Emmanuel Macron says Australia behaved badly after ending its submarine deal with France before opting for a nuclear powered arrangement in collaboration with the United States and United Kingdom. Macron previously accused the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, of lying to him over the abandoned $90bn submarine contract. Speaking in an interview with TF1 and LCI television stations, Macron said: "The Australians have treated us in a bad manner, industrially and strategically. We responded in the firmest manner, and it will be felt in time, believe me. The Australians behaved badly" ► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube |
| Covid: people should cut down on socialising, warns Chris Whitty – video Posted: 15 Dec 2021 01:26 PM PST Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, urged people not to 'mix with people you don't have to', amid mounting concern over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Whitty's comments were in stark contrast to messaging from Boris Johnson, who has previously said he does not want people to cancel Christmas parties
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| Fire traps hundreds of people at Hong Kong World Trade Centre – video Posted: 15 Dec 2021 01:38 AM PST As many as 350 people were trapped on the roof of a shopping centre and office complex in Hong Kong after a fire broke out in one of the city's busiest shopping districts. The cause of the fire remains unclear, though the South China Morning Post reported that it broke out in an electrical switch room. Parts of the building were being renovated, and its lower levels were shrouded in scaffolding Continue reading... |
| La Palma’s changed landscapes – in pictures Posted: 14 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Cumbre Vieja, the La Palma volcano that has been spewing lava in the Canary Islands for almost three months, has quietened but scientists have warned the lull does not necessarily mean the eruption is over. Photographer Jorge Guerrero surveys the island's changed landscapes Continue reading... |
| Covid passes approved by MPs despite Tory backbench rebellion – video Posted: 14 Dec 2021 11:25 AM PST New Covid restrictions designed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK have passed through the House of Commons, with 369 ayes to 126 noes. However, opposition from 96 Tory MPs to Covid passes meant Boris Johnson had to rely on Labour support to get that new measure through Continue reading... |
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