World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Covid live: UK cabinet ministers to be briefed on latest Covid data; Omicron identified in 89 countries, says WHO
- Scientists watch giant ‘doomsday’ glacier in Antarctica with concern
- England fightback crumbles in Ashes collapse as Australia turn the screw
- Typhoon Rai: rescue efforts continue after strongest storm to hit Philippines this year
- Furious response from DUP over Northern Ireland protocol
- UK unlikely to send troops if Russia invades Ukraine, says defence secretary
- PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ constantly cycle through ground, air and water, study finds
- Poland angers US by rushing through media law amid concerns over press freedom
- Guardian and Observer forced to cancel charity appeal telethon amid Omicron outbreak
- Nice nibbles and virtual squabbles: how to Covid-proof your Christmas
- Court rules Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers can take effect
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw: ‘It’s a misconception that people act to get attention’
- Ricky Gervais on offence, anger and infuriating Hollywood: ‘You have to provoke. It’s a good thing’
- Festive shrinkflation: tricks chocolate makers use to make us pay more
- Tim Dowling: I’m on my hands and knees, teaching our new cat old tricks
- Shane MacGowan: ‘Describe myself in three words? I’m bloody great’
- Duchess of Argyll sex scandal retold in new BBC drama series
- ‘Why can’t I give it a go?’: How Rose Ayling-Ellis’ Strictly success is inspiring deaf youngsters
- ‘I wanted the focus to be on their smiles’: Brunel Johnson’s best phone picture
- How Ida B Wells became the last hope for 12 wrongly convicted Black men
- Mark Meadows was at the center of the storm on 6 January. But only Trump could call it off
- How white mobs firebombed homes and decimated a Black community in Illinois – video
| Posted: 18 Dec 2021 04:22 AM PST Government adviser Stephen Reicher says the time to act is now World Health Organization says variant spreads significantly faster than Delta
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading significantly faster than the Delta strain in countries with documented community transmission, with a doubling time of 1.5- to 3 days, the World Health Organization has said. The Omicron variant, which was designated as a variant of concern on 26 November, has been identified in 89 countries across all six WHO regions as of 16 December, Reuters quoted the WHO as saying. Continue reading... |
| Scientists watch giant ‘doomsday’ glacier in Antarctica with concern Posted: 18 Dec 2021 12:00 AM PST Cracks and fissures stoke fears of breakup that could lead to half-metre rise in global sea levels – or more Twenty years ago, an area of ice thought to weigh almost 500bn tonnes dramatically broke off the Antarctic continent and shattered into thousands of icebergs into the Weddell Sea. The 1,255-sq-mile (3,250-sq-km) Larsen B ice shelf was known to be melting fast but no one had predicted that it would take just one month for the 200-metre-thick behemoth to completely disintegrate. Continue reading... |
| England fightback crumbles in Ashes collapse as Australia turn the screw Posted: 18 Dec 2021 04:09 AM PST
When the England brains trust held Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad back at the Gabba under a belief they might work their magic under lights in Adelaide, it is fair to assume – although perhaps we cannot be certain – the scenario envisaged was not the pair trying to eke their team past the follow-on mark with the bat. Yet here they were, England's two most decorated seamers united out in the middle and Mitchell Starc bounding in with a hard, new, pink Kookaburra ball in hand. The specialist batsmen above them had earlier produced their latest heinous collapse, the crowd was up, the famous Edwardian scoreboard on the grass hill read 220 for nine and the deficit was 253 runs. The gulf felt greater to be honest. Continue reading... |
| Typhoon Rai: rescue efforts continue after strongest storm to hit Philippines this year Posted: 18 Dec 2021 03:45 AM PST Dozens die after super typhoon pummels southern and central regions of the country At least 33 people have been killed in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, official tallies showed on Saturday, with a charity reporting "alarming" destruction on islands that bore the brunt of the storm. More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai ravaged the southern and central regions of the archipelago, knocking out communications and electricity in many areas, ripping off roofs and toppling concrete power poles. Continue reading... |
| Furious response from DUP over Northern Ireland protocol Posted: 18 Dec 2021 03:37 AM PST Lord Dodds says UK 'falling into line' with EU and retreating from commitment to trigger article 16 The government's retreat from its hardline position in negotiations with the EU over Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland has elicited a furious response from the most senior unionist in the House of Lords. Lord Dodds, the former deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has issued a veiled threat of "action" unless it restores the option of pulling the plug on the Northern Ireland protocol by using the article 16 process. Continue reading... |
| UK unlikely to send troops if Russia invades Ukraine, says defence secretary Posted: 18 Dec 2021 02:06 AM PST Minister's comments come days after Boris Johnson warns Russia of 'significant consequences' It is highly unlikely that Britain or its allies will send troops to defend Ukraine if it is invaded by neighbouring Russia, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said. US intelligence claims that Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near the border of Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as soon as early next year. Continue reading... |
| PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ constantly cycle through ground, air and water, study finds Posted: 17 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST The Stockholm University study highlights the chemicals' mobility, which has been found in penguin eggs and polar bears Toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" in the ocean are transported from seawater to air when waves hit the beach and that phenomenon represents a significant source of air pollution, a new study from Stockholm University has found. The findings, published in Environmental Science & Technology, also partly explain how PFAS get into the atmosphere and eventually precipitation. The study, which collected samples from two Norwegian sites, also concludes that the pollution "may impact large areas of inland Europe and other continents, in addition to coastal areas". Continue reading... |
| Poland angers US by rushing through media law amid concerns over press freedom Posted: 17 Dec 2021 10:53 PM PST US 'deeply troubled' by the bill, which tightens foreign ownership rules, arguing it will weaken press freedom Poland's parliament passed a media bill that detractors say aims to silence a news channel critical of the government, in an unexpected move that will stoke concern over media freedom and reopen a diplomatic dispute with the US. Critics say the legislation will affect the ability of news channel TVN24, owned by US media company Discovery Inc, to operate because it tightens the rules around foreign ownership of media in Poland. Continue reading... |
| Guardian and Observer forced to cancel charity appeal telethon amid Omicron outbreak Posted: 17 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Readers are encouraged to donate via other means after annual phone calls to journalists are hit by rise in Covid cases The annual telethon for the Guardian and Observer's charity appeal has been cancelled due to the rise in Omicron cases and renewed advice from the government to work from home. The 2021 charity appeal is focused on the fight for climate justice, supporting four charities that fight to protect the rights and livelihoods of communities hit by extreme weather events caused by the climate emergency. Donations can be made online by credit card, debit card or PayPal, or by phone on 0151 284 1126. We are unable to accept cheques. Continue reading... |
| Nice nibbles and virtual squabbles: how to Covid-proof your Christmas Posted: 18 Dec 2021 01:00 AM PST If Omicron threatens to disrupt your plans, don't panic – here's a guide to making the best of it So here we are again. Out are the plans to dust off your dancing shoes at the Christmas party, and in is the stockpiling of toilet rolls and boxes of chocolates for the long nights ahead. With a "staggering" increase in Covid cases accelerated by the spread of the Omicron variant predicted by medical advisers this week, many people are fearing that they will once again face Christmas in not-so-splendid isolation. Continue reading... |
| Court rules Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers can take effect Posted: 17 Dec 2021 08:42 PM PST Decision reverses previous ruling but Republican officials say they will appeal measure to supreme court A federal appeals court panel has allowed Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead, reversing a previous decision on a requirement that could affect some 84 million US workers. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th US circuit court of appeals in Cincinnati overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide. Continue reading... |
| Gugu Mbatha-Raw: ‘It’s a misconception that people act to get attention’ Posted: 18 Dec 2021 03:00 AM PST Shaped by her father's early life in apartheid South Africa, the actor brings political awareness to all of her roles, from Black Mirror and The Morning Show to the new BBC thriller The Girl Before As those of us who have spent more time than usual at home over the last couple of years will know, those four walls can be a sanctuary, prison or, at times, both. Beautiful, monolithic and eerily empty, the house in the new BBC/HBO drama The Girl Before is definitely both. "The house," says Gugu Mbatha-Raw with a laugh, "is the real star." At one point in the first episode, Mbatha-Raw's character Jane appears to have developed an intense relationship with it, caressing its smooth stone and glass. In The Girl Before, adapted from the bestselling psychological thriller by JP Delaney, Jane passes a rigorous vetting process before being allowed to rent this minimalist dream home. In return for cheap rent, she has to agree to around 200 strange and stringent rules set by the architect and owner. "No books?" she says, incredulous, when the estate agent reels off some of the stipulations (no pictures, no ornaments, "no children, obviously"). Jane will be watched, her every move and metric monitored, even her moods influenced, by the technologically advanced house and its creepy creator. She soon finds out that she is the second tenant – and she makes a chilling discovery about the first, Emma (played by Jessica Plummer). Continue reading... |
| Ricky Gervais on offence, anger and infuriating Hollywood: ‘You have to provoke. It’s a good thing’ Posted: 18 Dec 2021 12:00 AM PST He has made a career out of winding people up in everything from The Office to his Golden Globes speeches – but is the comedian's bark worse than his bite? Ricky Gervais's assistant leads me past a huge, empty room to the top floor of an office above a shop on a swanky London high street. Gervais is sitting behind a desk at his computer in another huge, empty room, and looks as if he's just squatted the place. There is nothing that suggests this is his office, except for the branded mugs sitting on his desk; one shows his face, the second says Tambury Gazette, the fictional newspaper where Gervais's character, Tony, works in his hit Netflix series After Life. As soon as he sees me, he swings his legs off the floor and on to the desk. I expect him to say, "Right, shoot", as his fabulous fictional creation David Brent might have done, but he reins himself in. It's 20 years since Gervais made his name with The Office, and it's often been difficult to know where Brent ends and Gervais begins. Continue reading... |
| Festive shrinkflation: tricks chocolate makers use to make us pay more Posted: 18 Dec 2021 03:00 AM PST At this time of year, manufacturers have a few new tactics to get us to buy less for more money Getting value for money might not be your prime goal when buying Christmas presents but if you are planning to snap up chocolates or sweets for the ones you love, it pays to check what you are going to get for your cash. That fancy box or tub may come at a cost (financial and environmental) – and, contrary to appearances, it might mean fewer treats for the recipient, not more. We've all heard about "shrinkflation", where companies sneak through price rises by shrinking pack sizes, but when it comes to festive confectionery, it's important to be wise to the other packaging tricks that manufacturers and retailers maybe hope we won't notice. Continue reading... |
| Tim Dowling: I’m on my hands and knees, teaching our new cat old tricks Posted: 17 Dec 2021 10:00 PM PST Instructing our kitten to use the cat flap was hard enough … even before it was terrified by two foxes having very loud sex It is a frosty morning and I am standing in the kitchen in bare feet, holding the door open for the cat. The cat dips its head low, studying the world across the threshold. "Faster, pussycat," I say. The cat sniffs at the cold air swirling in from the garden, but does not move. I begin to close the door very slowly, in a bid to create a shrinking decision window. In the space of two months the kitten has grown into a tall-eared, spooky-looking thing that I sometimes find standing on my chest staring down at me in the dead of night, its nose a millimetre from mine. It doesn't fear the dog or the tortoise, but it's still pretty wary of outside. Continue reading... |
| Shane MacGowan: ‘Describe myself in three words? I’m bloody great’ Posted: 18 Dec 2021 01:30 AM PST The Pogues frontman on vanity, a horrible heckle and why he became a vegetarian Born in Kent, MacGowan, 63, won a scholarship to Westminster school, but was later expelled. In 1982, he became frontman of the Pogues; the band's albums include Rum Sodomy and the Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God. MacGowan co-wrote the song Fairytale of New York, which he performed with Kirsty MacColl; released in 1987, it remains a festive classic. He has launched his own line of merchandise on his website. He lives in Dublin with his wife, the writer Victoria Mary Clarke. Which living person do you most admire, and why? |
| Duchess of Argyll sex scandal retold in new BBC drama series Posted: 17 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Admirers of vilified aristocrat say they hope series will allow her to be 'seen in a different light' It took the judge more than three hours to read out his damning judgment at the end of one of the longest, most expensive and toxic divorce cases of the 20th century. Margaret, the Duchess of Argyll, was, he declared with contempt, "a highly sexed woman" who was not "satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting sexual activities to gratify a debased sexual appetite". Continue reading... |
| ‘Why can’t I give it a go?’: How Rose Ayling-Ellis’ Strictly success is inspiring deaf youngsters Posted: 18 Dec 2021 01:00 AM PST Actor's achievements helping others embrace deaf identity and pursue passions on own terms Amid all the noise, glitter and razzle-dazzle, the most iconic moment of this year's Strictly Come Dancing took place in complete silence. The music paused for several seconds while deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis and her dancing partner Giovanni Pernice continued to glide elegantly across the floor. There has been a resounding (silent) cheer for Ayling-Ellis' success from the deaf community, who see her as a rare on-screen role model capable of inspiring deaf young people, who often struggle with pressures to fit into mainstream schooling, to embrace their deaf identity and pursue their passions on their own terms. Continue reading... |
| ‘I wanted the focus to be on their smiles’: Brunel Johnson’s best phone picture Posted: 18 Dec 2021 02:00 AM PST The London-born photographer on his image of Gambian football fans There's a strong Premier League following in the Gambia: just like Brunel Johnson, 14-year-old Musa is an Arsenal fan. The London-born photographer was on his way to lunch when he noticed the teen, in his favourite football shirt, huddled with friends. They were on the grounds of Spot Academy, watching game highlights on one of the older kids' phones. Brunel had been living alongside the boys for two weeks, documenting the work of the charity, which serves as a community school while providing boarding places for orphans. He'd left his digital camera in his room and knew the moment would pass if he went back for it. So he reached for his iPhone. The photograph's angle was a spur-of-the-moment decision, chosen simply to fit as many faces in as possible; he added the black and white "Noir" filter later. Continue reading... |
| How Ida B Wells became the last hope for 12 wrongly convicted Black men Posted: 18 Dec 2021 02:00 AM PST After the 1919 Elaine race massacre, the men on death row looked to the investigative journalist to use the power of the pen to save them Throughout the Red Summer of 1919 and beyond, no journalist did more to chronicle the lynchings and other forms of terror inflicted on Black people than Ida B Wells-Barnett. From East St Louis, Illinois, to Elaine, Arkansas, her pen was an instrument for justice. The 12 Black men had been tortured, smothered with rags soaked in chemicals, strapped to electric chairs, beaten with whips by white mobs trying to wring "confessions" out of them. The men had been arrested after the Elaine Massacre, during the Red Summer of 1919, when white mobs "with blood in their eyes" descended on the cotton fields of Elaine, Arkansas, killing more than 800 Black people. "Dear Mrs. Wells-Barnett," he wrote. "This is one of the 12 mens which is sentenced to death speaking to you on this day and thanking you for your grate speech you made throughout the country in the Chicago Defender paper. So I am thanking you to the very highest hope you will do all you can for your collord race. Because we are innercent men, we Negroes. So I thank God that thro you, our Negroes are looking into this truble, and thank the city of Chicago for what it did to start things and hopen to hear from you all soon." Continue reading... |
| Mark Meadows was at the center of the storm on 6 January. But only Trump could call it off Posted: 17 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Trump's former White House chief of staff has become a character of supreme interest to the Capitol attack committee, with a treasure trove of documents divulging golden nuggets of information On the morning of 29 December, eight days before hundreds of Trump supporters and far-right extremists stormed the US Capitol in the worst domestic attack on American democracy arguably since the civil war, the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows fired off an email to the head of the justice department. It was a strange message for Donald Trump's right-hand man to send to Jeffrey Rosen, acting US attorney general, given that the material in it was written entirely in Italian. It attached a letter addressed to Trump from an Italian named Carlo Goria who said he worked for a US aerospace company and then went on to regurgitate a conspiracy theory that was doing the rounds, known as "Italygate". Continue reading... |
| How white mobs firebombed homes and decimated a Black community in Illinois – video Posted: 18 Dec 2021 02:00 AM PST This is the final episode of Red Summers, a 360 video series by artist Bayeté Ross Smith covering the untold American history of racial terrorism. After the first world war, Black laborers moved to northern towns like East St Louis, Illinois, trying to escape Jim Crow in the south. In 1917, members of the White American Federation of Labor went on strike – and the company responded by hiring Black workers. Angry white workers began attacking Black people in the city. Eventually this leads to white mobs firebombing houses with Black families inside, while others outside waited to shoot and kill them. Historians estimate between 39 and 150 Black people were killed in the East St Louis riots. Just months later, another race riot in Houston broke out after member of the all-white Houston police department arrested a high-ranking soldier in an all-Black army regiment – a group that had recently returned from war. Only the Black soldiers were penalized Continue reading... |
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