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- US judge delivers double setback to Prince Andrew’s abuse case battle
- Speaker defends Tony Blair knighthood after backlash
- What is aquamation? The process behind Desmond Tutu’s ‘green cremation’
- South Korean crosses demilitarised zone in rare defection to North
- Colorado wildfire: three feared dead and nearly 1,000 homes destroyed as Biden declares disaster
- UK ministers eager to ease immigration rules for Indian citizens
- New Year’s Eve: Times Square crowds return, NYC hails new mayor and Miley Cyrus battles wardrobe malfunction
- Time to stockpile olives? Shortages as delis are hit by new Brexit import rules
- Cyclone Seth: dangerous surf and ‘astronomical’ high tides expected for south-east Queensland
- Kentucky state of emergency declared as powerful storms hit
- How much longer can China keep up its zero-Covid strategy?
- Boris Johnson asks ministers to plan for Covid workplace absences of up to 25%
- Schools in England told: wear masks in class as fears mount of Omicron surge
- Two years of coronavirus: how pandemic unfolded around the world
- Wave goodbye: the battle to protect Australia’s surf breaks
- Ditching the diet – how I learned to accept the body I have
- Is that really me? The ugly truth about beauty filters
- ‘Boys and girls have equal freedom’: Kerala backs gender-neutral uniforms
- Boris Johnson quits as world runs out of Greek letters? Our supporters’ predictions for 2022
- Sands of time are slipping away for England’s crumbling coasts amid climate crisis
- A French retreat brought into sharp focus
- Exploding New Year’s Eve fireworks kill two in Germany and Austria
- Why does Austria stay silent over dual national’s arrest six years ago in Iran?
- Haiti’s New Year’s Day soup has made headlines. But let’s not be naive about its symbolism
- Australia news live update: more than 32,000 new Covid cases recorded nationwide; NSW hospitalisations pass 1,000
- ‘They lost almost everything’: photographing the terror and joy of refugees in DRC
- From horses in hospitals to education in Nepal: 2021 in pictures
- We can vaccinate 70% of the world against Covid by mid-2022. Here’s how
- Death of young woman after FGM revives calls for ban in Sierra Leone
- I’m a UK Covid scientist. Here’s a sample of the abuse in my inbox
- Desmond Tutu's daughter leads tributes as South African cleric laid to rest – video
- Wildfires sweep through Colorado destroying homes as tens of thousands evacuate – video report
| US judge delivers double setback to Prince Andrew’s abuse case battle Posted: 01 Jan 2022 03:21 PM PST Pressure grows on duke to settle alleged victim's claim before key hearing this week Two of Prince Andrew's efforts to prevent or stall the progression of Virginia Roberts Giuffre's sex assault lawsuit against him were blocked on Saturday when a US federal judge ordered the prince's lawyers to turn over key legal documents, increasing pressure to settle claims before a crucial court hearing this week. Judge Lewis A Kaplan, in a written order, told the prince's lawyers they must turn over documents on the schedule that has been set in the lawsuit brought by Guiffre who claims she was abused – aged 17 – by the prince on multiple occasions in 2001 while she was being sexually abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading... |
| Speaker defends Tony Blair knighthood after backlash Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:32 AM PST Critics say legacy of 2003 Iraq invasion makes former PM unsuitable for Queen's highest honour The former Labour prime minister Tony Blair's ennoblement this weekend, courtesy of the Queen, has been defended by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. Sir Tony, rather than Sir Anthony, as he is now known, has been made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 14 years after leaving Downing Street. But the honour has been criticised by Blair's political opponents and those who argue the legacy of his invasion of Iraq in 2003 makes him unsuitable. Continue reading... |
| What is aquamation? The process behind Desmond Tutu’s ‘green cremation’ Posted: 01 Jan 2022 05:23 PM PST The anti-apartheid hero requested an eco-friendly cremation, which uses water instead of flames to process the remains The body of Archbishop Desmond Tutu will undergo aquamation, an increasingly popular and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation methods, using water instead of fire. With aquamation, or "alkaline hydrolysis", the body of the deceased is immersed for three to four hours in a mixture of water and a strong alkali, such as potassium hydroxide, in a pressurised metal cylinder and heated to around 150C. Continue reading... |
| South Korean crosses demilitarised zone in rare defection to North Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:01 PM PST The fate of the defector is unknown after they crossed the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas A South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea's military has said. Years of repression and poverty in North Korea have led more than 30,000 people to flee to the South in the decades since Korean war hostilities ended with an armistice, but crossings in the other direction are extremely rare. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report Continue reading... |
| Colorado wildfire: three feared dead and nearly 1,000 homes destroyed as Biden declares disaster Posted: 01 Jan 2022 05:45 PM PST At least seven reported injured while cause of the blaze remains under investigation Three people are missing and feared dead after a wind-stoked wildfire roared through two towns in Boulder county, Colorado, prompting thousands of evacuations and destroying nearly 1,000 homes, authorities said on Saturday. Officials initially said there were no reports of fatalities or missing residents following the rare urban wildfire that erupted Thursday morning on the northern outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area. Continue reading... |
| UK ministers eager to ease immigration rules for Indian citizens Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:31 AM PST Offer could be on table in upcoming trade talks in Delhi in bid to access to country's growing economy Ministers are keen to ease immigration restrictions in a bid to make it easier for thousands of Indian citizens to live and work in the UK as part of forthcoming trade talks. The potential offer will be under discussion when the international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, travels to Delhi this month, reports the Times. Relaxing immigration rules for Indian citizens is a key demand from Delhi. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 31 Dec 2021 11:07 PM PST New York tradition brings some normalcy as coronavirus pandemic leads to cancellation of shows around the world A Miley Cyrus wardrobe malfunction, a celebrity rant about outgoing New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, and the traditional dropping of a six-tonne ball in Times Square were among the highlights as America welcomed the new year, and bid good riddance to the old one. The New Year's Eve tradition of crowds at Times Square returned this year, though with only 15,000 of the usual 60,000 spectators there to watch the ball, encrusted with nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals, descend as couples embraced, some still wearing their masks. Continue reading... |
| Time to stockpile olives? Shortages as delis are hit by new Brexit import rules Posted: 01 Jan 2022 05:09 AM PST Regulations likely to result in higher prices and empty shelves for delis and others After a few minutes in the queue spent eyeing up the best on offer at the local deli, it is decision time. Maybe some of the wonderful Parma ham from Italy? With a few slices of Spanish chorizo? And a piece of brie from that farm in Normandy … oh, and definitely some of the black olives from Greece. Continue reading... |
| Cyclone Seth: dangerous surf and ‘astronomical’ high tides expected for south-east Queensland Posted: 01 Jan 2022 05:08 PM PST Severe weather warnings are current, but category one system is forecast to slow and shift south-west Tropical Cyclone Seth is expected to trigger dangerous surf and abnormally high tides as it begins to head south off the Queensland coast. The category one system was about 630km east northeast of Hervey Bay and 720km northeast of Brisbane, the Bureau of Meteorology said early Sunday morning. Continue reading... |
| Kentucky state of emergency declared as powerful storms hit Posted: 01 Jan 2022 06:35 PM PST With the state still reeling from December's deadly tornadoes, the wild weather caused flash flooding, power outages and property damage Just three weeks after deadly tornadoes tore a path of destruction through Kentucky, a state of emergency has again been declared after powerful storms caused flash flooding, power outages and property damage, including from a possible tornado in Hopkinsville. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, but governor Andy Beshear declared the state of emergency on Saturday, with much of Kentucky and West Virginia under a flood warning. Portions of eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were under a tornado watch. Continue reading... |
| How much longer can China keep up its zero-Covid strategy? Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:45 AM PST As Beijing pursues its solitary path, observers are asking whether the policy is about protecting public health – or social order Desperate residents in China's western Xi'an city are running out of food after they were barred from grocery shopping in a fierce lockdown. In the southern province of Guangxi, people who broke Covid laws were recently publicly shamed by being paraded through the streets in Hazmat suits with placards round their necks. The rest of the world is learning, slowly and with some difficulty, to live with Covid-19, but in China, authorities are doubling down on their "zero-Covid" policy: trying to stamp out the disease whenever it appears, and at any cost. A single case in a border town led to 200,000 people being locked down late last month. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson asks ministers to plan for Covid workplace absences of up to 25% Posted: 01 Jan 2022 02:30 PM PST Public sector leaders told to prepare for worst case scenario after record numbers of daily infections Boris Johnson has instructed ministers to come up with "robust contingency plans" for workplace absences as it emerged that the government is concerned about the impact record numbers of daily Covid infections could have on businesses in the coming weeks. The Cabinet Office confirmed that, despite the accelerated booster programme, public sector leaders have been asked to prepare for a worst case scenario that would see up to a quarter of workers being off work due to high Covid levels in the population. Continue reading... |
| Schools in England told: wear masks in class as fears mount of Omicron surge Posted: 01 Jan 2022 02:30 PM PST Advice to secondary schools issued amid concerns over new term spike in Covid cases and Keir Starmer calls for more test kits All pupils in secondary schools in England should return to wearing masks in classrooms, ministers said last night, as fears grew that the new term could trigger a huge spike in cases of the Omicron variant. The new advice came amid mounting criticism of the government for failing to ensure availability of Covid testing kits in time for the return to schools and workplaces following the Christmas holidays. Continue reading... |
| Two years of coronavirus: how pandemic unfolded around the world Posted: 31 Dec 2021 12:00 AM PST In December 2019 the WHO was told of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. These charts show how Covid-19 has spread across the world since then Two years ago today, as New Year's Eve fireworks lit up skies across the world, news reached the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of "pneumonia" in Wuhan, China, the cause of which was unknown. There had been several cases in December and possibly as far back as November in the region. But the subsequent WHO announcement was the first time that the world at large was made aware of its existence. Continue reading... |
| Wave goodbye: the battle to protect Australia’s surf breaks Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:00 AM PST Surfing brings joy to millions and is the lifeblood of many towns. But around the country, the beaches that make it possible are under threat There's a reason surfers like to keep their best breaks a secret. For decades, wave riders have blazed a trail into little-known coastal towns – and in their wake come the planners and developers. Continue reading... |
| Ditching the diet – how I learned to accept the body I have Posted: 01 Jan 2022 04:00 AM PST A lifetime of hating my body has got me nowhere. If I can't love it, can I at least respect it? Every January, the same old battle cry: this will be the year that I get thin. Last January, I did a week-long juice cleanse, and the year before that, I fasted for three days. It wasn't quite nil by mouth, but almost. At the time, I told myself the science interested me (the fervour with which fasting evangelists assure you that a few days without food can reset your microbiome or stave off cellular ageing is compelling enough to make you ignore the health warnings). Really, though, what I wanted was rapid weight loss, minimum one dress size. I made it to 81 hours. Practically levitating with hunger, I ignored the advice to reintroduce food slowly (soups and juices before solids) by bingeing on a cheese sandwich, which I promptly threw up. Happy new year to me. Continue reading... |
| Is that really me? The ugly truth about beauty filters Posted: 01 Jan 2022 11:00 AM PST Smoother skin, slimmer faces, plumper lips … how unattainable ideals are harming young users Popping a beautifying filter on the TikTok video she was filming seemed harmless to Mia. It made it look as though she had done her makeup, took away the hint of a double chin that always bothered her, and gently altered her bone structure to make her just that bit closer to perfect. After a while, using filters on videos became second nature – until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror one day and realised, to her horror, she no longer recognised her own face. Continue reading... |
| ‘Boys and girls have equal freedom’: Kerala backs gender-neutral uniforms Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:00 PM PST Primary school pupils run free in shorts while a secondary school has gone ahead with uniform changes despite protests It's break time at Valayanchirangara primary school and the pupils run freely beneath the mango trees and palms. Girls race against the boys, hitching up their knee-length shorts, cargo green for girls and teal blue for boys, as they go. It's been three years since this small government primary school introduced gender-neutral uniforms for its pupils, and in doing so set in motion a quiet revolution that is now sweeping across the south Indian state of Kerala. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson quits as world runs out of Greek letters? Our supporters’ predictions for 2022 Posted: 01 Jan 2022 12:00 AM PST We asked the Guardian's 1m supporters to make their predictions for the year ahead. Here's what they said • New year, new resolve: become a Guardian supporter Boris Johnson steps down, to be replaced by David Frost – or Jeremy Hunt, or Michael Gove, or Peppa Pig. French presidential elections are beset by civil unrest over pandemic restrictions. Russia mounts some kind of incursion in eastern Ukraine. China waits for an opportune moment to overrun Taiwan. And the world runs out of Greek letters to attach to Covid variants. Continue reading... |
| Sands of time are slipping away for England’s crumbling coasts amid climate crisis Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:00 AM PST Along the eastern shore, seaside attractions are being demolished and millions of homes are at risk as rising sea levels speed erosion From a distance, the beach at Winterton-on-sea in Norfolk looks like the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, with hundreds of grey bodies lying motionless across the sand. On closer inspection, it becomes clear they are not fallen soldiers but a huge colony of seals taken to the land for pupping season. It's an amazing annual sight that draws tourists and nature-lovers from across the country, but another process is taking place that is pushing people back – the growing threat of coastal erosion. Just along from where the armies of grey seals lay with their white pups, there used to stand the Dunes Cafe, a much-loved beach facility with a large and loyal clientele. Continue reading... |
| A French retreat brought into sharp focus Posted: 01 Jan 2022 08:00 AM PST Photographer Serge Anton has updated his great-grandfather's home and made it his own Having spent three decades travelling the world, enjoying a nomadic lifestyle, French-Belgian photographer Serge Anton finally felt the need to settle down. And he found his personal oasis of quiet in a house he inherited, a retreat called Mon Desir. Built by his great-grandfather about a century ago in Sedan, in the heart of the French Ardennes, the house sits in a landscape full of calm – a million miles from any stress, with trees and green views wherever you look. "At first the name [which translates as "my desire"] did not particularly inspire me and it was only later I discovered how appropriate it was for me. After 30 years of travelling, I realised the house embodied a pure and strong desire: that of settling down and returning to my roots," says Anton. Continue reading... |
| Exploding New Year’s Eve fireworks kill two in Germany and Austria Posted: 01 Jan 2022 07:29 AM PST Several more injured in separate incidents despite Germany introducing ban this year on sale of fireworks for personal use Exploding fireworks killed two men on New Year's Eve, one in Germany and the other in Austria, according to local media. A 37-year-old man died in Hennef, near Germany's western city of Bonn. A 39-year-old was severely injured in the same incident and taken to hospital. Continue reading... |
| Why does Austria stay silent over dual national’s arrest six years ago in Iran? Posted: 31 Dec 2021 09:00 PM PST Iranian-Austrian Kamran Ghaderi is serving a 10-year sentence for spying and his family are still waiting for answers Six years ago on New Year's Day, an Iranian-Austrian IT businessman said goodbye to his wife and three children and boarded a flight from Vienna to Tehran via Istanbul. Kamran Ghaderi was due to return five to six days later, but instead, on 2 January 2016, he was arrested and has now spent six years in Evin prison in Tehran. In October 2016, he was sentenced to 10 years for spying for a foreign country at a trial in which neither he nor his lawyer were able to say more than two words. His sentencing was based on a confession he gave under what his wife, Harika, says was torture, in the belief she might be in danger. No written judgment has ever been given to his family. Continue reading... |
| Haiti’s New Year’s Day soup has made headlines. But let’s not be naive about its symbolism Posted: 01 Jan 2022 01:15 AM PST Sharing soup joumou on 1 January represents what Haitians bring to the world – but remembering that inequality prevails is arguably more important Whispers. Curfews. Never-ending military parades and shows of arms. Opponents' bodies exposed for children to see as some sort of macabre art. And always, that nasal voice of "Papa Doc", François Duvalier, chanting on all radio stations. Those were the days of my childhood under a dictator in Haiti. But on 1 January, Independence Day, there were three things that made a difference. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 01 Jan 2022 09:26 PM PST NSW hospitalisations rise 18% in one day to 1,066 as state records 18,278 cases and two deaths; Victoria records 7,172 cases and three deaths, Queensland 3,587 cases, South Australia 2,298, the ACT 506 and Tasmania 404; Scott Morrison monitoring for Covid symptoms after positive case attends press conference. Follow all the day's news
University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws with some thoughts on the supply of rapid antigen tests this morning. Fast rail linking Sydney and the Hunter will be prioritised under a Labor government, opposition leader Anthony Albanese says. Australia is the only inhabited continent on earth not developing high-speed rail. Fast and high-speed rail will be an important element of Labor's smart regionalisation plan that recognises that decentralisation is critical for Australia. Continue reading... |
| ‘They lost almost everything’: photographing the terror and joy of refugees in DRC Posted: 31 Dec 2021 07:00 AM PST Alexis Huguet's image of this twin girl, born as her mother fled into Congo, captures the fragility of life in the Central African Republic The picture is a joyful one. Laure, a midwife at a health facility in Ndu, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, holds a healthy newborn girl. The baby's mother, Ester, was at the health centre for a postnatal appointment after giving birth to twin daughters. A couple of weeks earlier, when she was heavily pregnant and due to go into labour at any moment, Ester was forced to leave her home in Bangassou, on the other side of a river, in the neighbouring Central African Republic. Continue reading... |
| From horses in hospitals to education in Nepal: 2021 in pictures Posted: 31 Dec 2021 02:00 AM PST The effects of Covid-19 continue to be felt, but in many places the fallout from civil war, displacement and natural disasters provide more pressing concerns. We look back on some of this year's best shots from Global Development galleries and photo essays Continue reading... |
| We can vaccinate 70% of the world against Covid by mid-2022. Here’s how Posted: 31 Dec 2021 12:15 AM PST The WHO's vaccination goal is achievable – but it will take proper funding, better vaccine distribution and jabs with longer shelf lives While western countries scramble with their booster rollout to deal with the Omicron wave, only 8.4% of people in low-income countries have had at least one Covid vaccination dose. The gap in the vaccination rates between high- and low-income countries is wider than ever. We cannot keep turning a blind eye to it. Continue reading... |
| Death of young woman after FGM revives calls for ban in Sierra Leone Posted: 30 Dec 2021 11:00 PM PST Maseray Sei, 21, was found dead after undergoing the procedure in a centuries-old ritual carried out by a secret society for women The death of a young woman in Sierra Leone, almost immediately after undergoing female genital mutilation, has sparked outrage and revived calls to end the practice. The body of 21-year-old Maseray Sei was found on 20 December at Nyandeni village in Bonthe district, southern Sierra Leone, a day after the FGM took place. Sei's family said that after the procedure the mother of two boys complained of a migraine and was in pain, with complications from FGM thought to be the cause, according to activists working on the case. Continue reading... |
| I’m a UK Covid scientist. Here’s a sample of the abuse in my inbox Posted: 31 Dec 2021 10:00 AM PST Messages may contain unhinged expletives, threatening tropes … or one of my interviews set to music "You scaremongering ignorant fucking cunt, you and your retarded team made predictions that could have fucked this country for billions of pounds, fucked Christmas for a second time and cost thousands thier [sic] jobs only to have your most pessimistic ballshit [sic] now found to be just that. How fucks like you can sleep at night is beyond me and I hope you are fucking held to account for what you have done and could have done if there weren't some people in the government with a brain." How would you like to get this in your inbox? As a senior scientist advising the government on Covid, I get this sort of email on a fairly regular basis. Indeed, (someone calling himself) Mr Roberts (who sent this) is a regular offender. What particularly upset me about this email was that it wasn't sent to me, but to a junior member of my team. Awful, isn't it? Continue reading... |
| Desmond Tutu's daughter leads tributes as South African cleric laid to rest – video Posted: 01 Jan 2022 06:06 AM PST Relatives and clergy members at the funeral for Desmond Tutu paid tribute to the Nobel peace prize-winning equality activist, who was revered in Africa for his role in ending apartheid. Tutu's small plain pine coffin, the cheapest available at his request to avoid any ostentatious displays, was the centre of the service, which also is featuring African choirs, prayers and incense Continue reading... |
| Wildfires sweep through Colorado destroying homes as tens of thousands evacuate – video report Posted: 31 Dec 2021 03:11 AM PST Two fast-moving wildfires driven by strong winds erupted in northern Colorado on Thursday afternoon, destroying close to 600 homes and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee. The fires, burning to the north and south of the city of Boulder, were fanned by gusts that whipped flames and smoke into a frenzy. Officials said during a Thursday evening news conference that the fires had already blackened 1,600 acres Continue reading... |
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