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- Kyiv urges Russia to pull troops back from Ukraine border
- Portugal general election: PM Antonio Costa wins surprise outright majority
- US urges North Korea to join direct talks after latest missile test by Pyongyang
- Spotify to direct listeners to correct Covid information after Joe Rogan controversy
- Foreign journalists in China subject to rising intimidation, survey finds
- Trump pardon promise for Capitol rioters ‘stuff of dictators’ – Nixon aide
- Rafael Nadal hails greatest comeback to win ‘unexpected’ 21st grand slam title
- Boris Johnson to try to regain control with Brexit bill and policy blitz
- India homeless shiver through New Delhi cold snap as scores die from exposure
- Joe Biden demands release of Mark Frerichs, US Afghanistan hostage
- Kansas man held on charge of threatening Joe Biden
- Australia urged to spend more on Covax program amid criticisms of ‘vaccine diplomacy’
- Young people who lost jobs in pandemic in UK ‘returning to insecure work’
- ‘Like sewage and rotting flesh’: Covid’s lasting impact on taste and smell
- ‘Felt like a bullet’: Bhutan prime minister mourns rare Covid death
- ‘The outrage had been percolating…’ The winner of our graphic short story prize 2021
- Ukraine: west’s fears of imminent attack not shared in Kyiv
- Gin twist: Japan reinvents the spirit with the help of green tea and oysters
- Sport, politics and Covid collide at the Beijing Winter Olympics
- Fruit pickers lured to Portugal by the dream of a ‘raspberry passport’
- Ruth Slenczynska: the pupil of Rachmaninov still releasing music at 97
- A local’s guide to Cádiz, Spain: ancient sites, beach bars and great tapas
- Northern parts of UK without power due to Storm Malik now face Storm Corrie
- My support for sports projects in Israel is not ‘sportswashing’ | Letter
- Libya elite told to end ‘game of musical chairs and focus on elections’
- Deep freeze for US east coast after nor’easter brings thick snow
- Reader call-out: how are you coping with the rising cost of living in New Zealand?
- Australia news live updates: CMO says Omicron subvariant ‘not cause for concern’; 35 Covid deaths in Victoria and NSW; school returns
- ‘We pray for rain’: Ethiopia faces catastrophic hunger as cattle perish in severe drought
- Powerful nor’easter brings blizzards and thick snow across US east coast – video
- 'Nowhere to hide': Truss to pave way for tougher Russian sanctions amid Ukraine tensions – video
| Kyiv urges Russia to pull troops back from Ukraine border Posted: 30 Jan 2022 11:44 AM PST Call comes after Nato stresses need for EU countries to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas Kyiv has urged Moscow to pull back its troops from Ukraine's border and continue dialogue with the west if it is "serious" about de-escalating tensions that have soared amid fears of a Russian invasion. "If Russian officials are serious when they say they don't want a new war, Russia must continue diplomatic engagement and pull back military forces it amassed along Ukraine's borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine," Kyiv's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted on Sunday. Continue reading... |
| Portugal general election: PM Antonio Costa wins surprise outright majority Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:57 PM PST Prime minister says parliamentary victory 'doesn't mean absolute power' but he will no longer need to negotiate to form a coalition Defying all odds, Portugal's ruling centre-left Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday's snap general election, securing a strong new mandate for the prime minister, Antonio Costa. The result, boosted by a higher than expected turnout despite the coronavirus pandemic, came as a surprise after the Socialists had lost most of their advantage in recent opinion polls. It means Portugal will have a stable government to oversee the application of EU pandemic recovery funds. Continue reading... |
| US urges North Korea to join direct talks after latest missile test by Pyongyang Posted: 30 Jan 2022 02:48 PM PST
The US on Sunday made a direct appeal to North Korea to join direct talks with no preconditions about its nuclear and missile programs, after Pyongyang sent a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into space. "We believe it is completely appropriate and completely correct to start having some serious discussions," a senior Biden administration official told reporters. Continue reading... |
| Spotify to direct listeners to correct Covid information after Joe Rogan controversy Posted: 30 Jan 2022 04:04 PM PST Streaming platform publishes rules for creators and announces plan to tackle misinformation, including 'content advisories' Spotify is adding a message that will direct listeners to correct Covid-19 information as controversy over misinformation shared on Joe Rogan's podcast continues to grow, with the streamer losing billions in market value and more musicians withdrawing their music. On Sunday, the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, released an official statement setting out the streaming platform's plan to tackle misinformation. New content advisories will direct listeners of any podcast that discusses coronavirus to a dedicated website that "provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources". Continue reading... |
| Foreign journalists in China subject to rising intimidation, survey finds Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:00 PM PST Report says heightened dangers have prompted at least six to leave and many others to develop emergency exit plans The Chinese government is finding new ways to intimidate foreign journalists, their Chinese colleagues and their sources, and harassment has reached such a high level that at least six have left the country, according to a key report. The methods include online trolling, physical assaults, hacking and visa denials, as well as what appears to be official encouragement of lawsuits or threats of legal action against journalists, "typically filed by sources long after they have explicitly agreed to be interviewed". Continue reading... |
| Trump pardon promise for Capitol rioters ‘stuff of dictators’ – Nixon aide Posted: 30 Jan 2022 09:57 AM PST
Donald Trump's promise to pardon supporters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021 was "the stuff of dictators", Richard Nixon's White House counsel warned. Trump made the promise at a rally in Conroe, Texas, on Saturday. Continue reading... |
| Rafael Nadal hails greatest comeback to win ‘unexpected’ 21st grand slam title Posted: 30 Jan 2022 11:15 AM PST
Rafael Nadal described his Australian Open triumph as his greatest comeback after he recovered from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev to win a record-breaking 21st grand slam title. Nadal defeated Medvedev, the second seed, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in five hours and 24 minutes, the second longest grand slam final. It is the first time in Nadal's career he has come back from two sets down in a slam final and the Spaniard has now won at least two singles titles at all four grand slam tournaments. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson to try to regain control with Brexit bill and policy blitz Posted: 30 Jan 2022 04:01 PM PST PM hopes to move on from parties scandal with plans to make it easier to scrap EU laws and tackle cost of living crisis Boris Johnson will attempt to seize back control of the government agenda this week with a policy blitz, a Brexit bill and flying visit to Ukraine, as Westminster remains in the grip of paralysis over the Sue Gray and police inquiries into No 10 parties. Amid frustration in No 10 at the uncertainty surrounding the report on rule-breaking parties in Downing Street, sources said Johnson was determined to deflect public outrage with a schedule of high-profile announcements and photo opportunities that he also hopes will show MPs he remains focused. Continue reading... |
| India homeless shiver through New Delhi cold snap as scores die from exposure Posted: 30 Jan 2022 04:42 PM PST City records coldest January day in nearly a decade while temperatures across month plummet 2-6C below normal India's capital, New Delhi, is shivering through an unusually harsh bout of winter cold, blamed for killing scores of homeless people and leaving other hard-up residents struggling to keep warm. The sprawling city's 20 million inhabitants are accustomed to year-round weather extremes, from blistering summer heat to torrential downpours and thick, toxic smog at the end of autumn. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden demands release of Mark Frerichs, US Afghanistan hostage Posted: 30 Jan 2022 01:56 PM PST
Joe Biden on Sunday called for the release of Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped in January 2020 in the Afghan capital, Kabul. He is believed to be held by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network. Continue reading... |
| Kansas man held on charge of threatening Joe Biden Posted: 30 Jan 2022 10:30 AM PST
A Kansas man who attempted to travel to Washington was arrested on Saturday on charges of threatening Joe Biden, authorities said. Scott Merryman was in the Washington county detention center in Hagerstown, Maryland, awaiting a court appearance on Monday, a detention center official said. Continue reading... |
| Australia urged to spend more on Covax program amid criticisms of ‘vaccine diplomacy’ Posted: 30 Jan 2022 08:30 AM PST Distribution of nearly 18m Covid vaccine doses to Pacific and south-east Asia has come at expense of global effort
Australia has distributed 18m doses of Covid-19 vaccine to neighbouring countries but is being urged to dedicate money and resources to Covax – the global vaccination mechanism – so that the world's least-inoculated countries can access vaccines. Australia's "vaccine diplomacy", focusing on bilateral donations to the Pacific and south-east Asia has come at the expense of commitments to the global Covax facility, to which it has committed zero doses and only $130m. Continue reading... |
| Young people who lost jobs in pandemic in UK ‘returning to insecure work’ Posted: 30 Jan 2022 04:01 PM PST Resolution Foundation thinktank report says third of 'returners' on temporary or zero-hours contracts Young people who lost their jobs during the pandemic in the UK have returned to less secure work, often in gig economy roles, according to research from a leading thinktank, which also found almost 50,000 more men under the age of 24 are now economically inactive. A report by the Resolution Foundation published on Monday found young people had returned to work rapidly in late 2021, with unemployment now slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels, but a third of the 18- to 34-year-olds back in the workplace were now in atypical, insecure work. Continue reading... |
| ‘Like sewage and rotting flesh’: Covid’s lasting impact on taste and smell Posted: 29 Jan 2022 11:30 PM PST Many sufferers have been left unable to eat due to long-term distortions to their senses Four months after getting sick with Covid, Anne-Héloise Dautel couldn't eat anything at all. "I just wanted to vomit, I was gagging at everything around me," she said. "I couldn't even stand my own smell. I was showering five times a day." Coffee, toothpaste, shampoo and roast meat were the worst. By the time she went to hospital, she weighed just 46kg. Severe weight loss and kidney failure are some of the impacts of smell and taste distortions which leave people unable to eat or drink things they loved, like coffee or bacon, because they smell like rotting flesh or sewage. Continue reading... |
| ‘Felt like a bullet’: Bhutan prime minister mourns rare Covid death Posted: 29 Jan 2022 10:42 PM PST The remote Himalayan nation of around 800,000 people has recorded fewer Covid fatalities than almost any other country Bhutan's success in avoiding coronavirus is almost unrivalled but a rare patient death – just the kingdom's fourth – shows more work was needed to fight the pandemic there, its leader says. The remote Himalayan nation of around 800,000 people, sandwiched between China and India, has recorded fewer Covid fatalities than almost anywhere else in the world. Continue reading... |
| ‘The outrage had been percolating…’ The winner of our graphic short story prize 2021 Posted: 30 Jan 2022 12:00 AM PST A funeral in Germany provides the setting for our winning story in this year's Cape/Observer/Comica award for emerging cartoonists. It was a year of fierce competition – and much pandemic-fuelled anxiety
There can't be many things more cheering on a dark January night than having to tell someone they've won a prize, and when I telephone Astrid Goldsmith to give her just such a bit of good news, her reaction is everything I hoped it would be. For a while, Goldsmith, an animator who lives in Folkestone where she makes stop-motion films in her garage, struggles to speak in full sentences. She is just so thrilled. "That is the greatest compliment," she says, when I tell her that her story, A Funeral in Freiburg, the winner of this year's Observer/Jonathan Cape graphic short story prize, brings to mind the work of that genius Posy Simmonds. "I love her tone. I always have." Goldsmith's entry is based on a real event: the funeral of her paternal grandmother in Germany in 2015. "The outrage had been percolating for a while," she says, with a laugh. "But I only came to write it after my first baby was born, while I was breastfeeding: I drew it all on one of those trays with arms that invalids use in bed." Her story revolves around the difficulties involved in organising a Jewish funeral service in a place – Freiburg, in the Black Forest – where the rabbi has been imprisoned for embezzlement, and the Jewish cemetery is full. The woman in charge is, very difficult, refusing even to believe that Gisela Goldschmidt was really Jewish (at the age of 18, Astrid's grandmother fled Germany for Zimbabwe, only returning after the war was over). Her rules and regulations, not to mention her insistence on the performance of certain rituals, infuriate the Goldsmith family. But what choice do they have? It is a case of her way, or no proper funeral at all. Continue reading... |
| Ukraine: west’s fears of imminent attack not shared in Kyiv Posted: 30 Jan 2022 09:59 AM PST Analysis: Kyiv's interpretation of Russian buildup diverges from UK and US leaders, who in recent days have ratcheted up invasion warnings Britain's politicians and intelligence chiefs have stepped up warnings about the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine over the past week, yet it is not clear, despite a drumbeat of activity, that a military attack is any more certain. That drumbeat has been matched in Washington, but, significantly, the concern is not shared in Kyiv. As Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Friday, high tensions with Russia are not new "We have been in the situation for eight years," he said. Continue reading... |
| Gin twist: Japan reinvents the spirit with the help of green tea and oysters Posted: 30 Jan 2022 02:45 AM PST Sales of the drink soar as distillers target a whole new market The setting is unmistakably Japanese: a mountainous backdrop and, out of view but menacingly close, an active volcano. And nestling amid barren rice paddies seeing out the winter, a distillery producing a spirit whose roots lie far from rural Kagoshima. The administrative district on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu is famed for shochu, a spirit, often made with sweet potatoes or barley, that has sustained family-run businesses here for centuries. Continue reading... |
| Sport, politics and Covid collide at the Beijing Winter Olympics Posted: 30 Jan 2022 02:00 AM PST The Games will open on Friday in a country that hopes sport will be the talking point. But political twists or a resurgent virus could leave the event skating on thin ice Hosting the Winter Olympics during a pandemic was always going to test the Chinese government, by putting its ever-growing ability to exercise political control and virus containment on a collision course with its enthusiasm for international prestige and status. The 2022 Winter Games, which open on Friday, are being held at a time of particularly intense western criticism of China over human rights abuses, from the mass persecution of Uyghurs in far western Xinjiang – labelled a genocide by the United States – and other groups including Tibetans, to the crushing of Hong Kong's freedoms. Continue reading... |
| Fruit pickers lured to Portugal by the dream of a ‘raspberry passport’ Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:00 AM PST Farm workers from south Asia describe exploitative conditions at the heart of Europe's soft fruits industry Three days after Sagar* arrived as a worker in Portugal from Nepal, he began to worry he had made a terrible mistake. "I had expectations to get good work, good money," he says. "But the reality was different." The only job Sagar, 21, could find was on one of the country's berry farms in Odemira, a rural region on the south-west coast. Earning less than the legal minimum wage to work 16-hour days in 40C heat, he knows he is being exploited. But quitting could jeopardise his residency application – and that's a risk he cannot afford to take. Continue reading... |
| Ruth Slenczynska: the pupil of Rachmaninov still releasing music at 97 Posted: 30 Jan 2022 07:05 AM PST Pianist who has played for five US presidents says great composer taught her to incorporate colour in music The greatest lesson Ruth Slenczynska learned from the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov was that sounds have colour. Nearly 90 years ago, the nine year-old Slenczynska was practising one of Rachmaninov's preludes when he asked her to join him at the window. It was springtime in Paris, and the avenues were lined with mimosa trees laden with fluffy, golden blossoms. Continue reading... |
| A local’s guide to Cádiz, Spain: ancient sites, beach bars and great tapas Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:00 AM PST Dancer Pilar Gil on where to eat, dance and take a sunset stroll in one of Europe's oldest cities The Mercado Central de Abastos is the heart of Cádiz and where we locals go to buy our fresh fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables. It also has a lot of cafes where you can order anything from fried fish to an empanada. My favourites are Lady Papa's, which serves traditional tapas dishes, and a vegan stall called Las Niñas Veganas – it's not easy to find vegan or gluten-free food in Cádiz, so this is special. Continue reading... |
| Northern parts of UK without power due to Storm Malik now face Storm Corrie Posted: 30 Jan 2022 02:31 PM PST Over 14,000 homes in Scotland and north-east England have no electricity, and await 90mph winds in fresh storm Thousands of homes in Scotland and north-east England are still without power after Storm Malik hit, as northern parts of the UK brace for winds of up to 90mph with the arrival of Storm Corrie. Northern Powergrid, which supplies north-east England, confirmed 7,000 homes were still without power on Sunday evening. The Scottish government said that about 7,500 households are expected to be without power by the end of Sunday and warned they could be waiting until Tuesday before their service will be restored. Continue reading... |
| My support for sports projects in Israel is not ‘sportswashing’ | Letter Posted: 30 Jan 2022 10:27 AM PST Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel Start-Up Nation pro cycling team, says his sports initiatives look to build bonds of coexistence and understanding Jonathan Liew's decision to attack my support for sports projects in Israel as "sportswashing" is perhaps the most ringing endorsement of why such bridge-building efforts are needed (Sportswashing is associated with certain countries – why not Israel?, 24 January). When our liberal and open country holds its massive annual Gay Pride parade – the largest (if not the only one) in the Middle East, Israel is accused of "pinkwashing". When Israel leads in environmental issues and breakthroughs in climate change technologies, Israel is accused of "greenwashing". When our generous and supremely capable NGOs like IsraAid or Save a Child's Heart provide support to communities in need around the world, we are accused of "aidwashing". Continue reading... |
| Libya elite told to end ‘game of musical chairs and focus on elections’ Posted: 30 Jan 2022 09:01 AM PST UN special adviser Stephanie Williams warns of resurgence of Islamic State if country is divided Libya's political class should stop conducting musical chairs to stay in power and focus instead on preparing for nationwide elections to be held by June, the special adviser to the UN secretary general has said. Stephanie Williams also warned of a possible resurgence of Islamic State if Libya were to fall back into total division. Continue reading... |
| Deep freeze for US east coast after nor’easter brings thick snow Posted: 30 Jan 2022 01:39 PM PST Massachusetts sees power outages in worst of storm, with dangerous wind chills following in its wake The US east coast fell into a deep freeze on Sunday, after a powerful nor'easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands. Dangerous wind chills were expected after the storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine. The weather may have contributed to at least four deaths in New York, all on Long Island. Continue reading... |
| Reader call-out: how are you coping with the rising cost of living in New Zealand? Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:22 PM PST We want to hear from readers in Aotearoa about how rising inflation is affecting them and how they are dealing with it Inflation in Aotearoa has hit a three-decade high, and New Zealand households are facing an increase in food, petrol and housing costs. It's showing no sign of slowing – inflation hit 5.9% at the end of 2021, and ANZ, New Zealand's biggest bank, expects it to continue rising in 2022. We'd like to hear from readers in New Zealand about whether you've noticed increasing prices, and how you're managing financially in this climate: have certain essentials become unaffordable recently? What are they? Are rising prices affecting the way you shop, or your cooking and budgeting? Where have you noticed changes the most? Are you pushing for more pay from your employer, or trying other strategies to cope with the pressure of rising living costs? What are your concerns for the year ahead? Continue reading... |
| Posted: 30 Jan 2022 05:58 PM PST Omicron subvariant 'not cause for concern': CMO; Victoria records eight Covid deaths and 10,053 new cases; NSW records 27 deaths and 13,026 cases; ACT records 537 cases; NSW treasurer discusses frustration over federal government inaction; Josh Frydenberg responds to Coalition's Newspoll slump. Follow updates live
Josh Frydenberg has confirmed that Scott Morrison's position as prime minister is safe ahead of the upcoming federal election. Rowland: Is Scott Morrison the best person to lead the Coalition to the election? Yes, he is. He will be the first prime minister since John Howard to serve a full term and to go to an election. And Australians know that he's working hard every day to deliver the best health and economic outcomes. Now, of course, he's been subject to some pretty hard personal attacks and obviously that – that's taken its toll, but I know he is very resilient and I know he's also very focused to work hard for the Australian people. I asked that question, the Liberal party has a pretty brutal history about dispatching leaders who aren't worked for them, so his job is safe, is what you're saying? Yes, I am. You have only got four months until the election and voters have been hearing your message certainly on the economy for weeks now, but they're still, according to this poll, they're not buying what you're selling. That's a worry, isn't it? Well, as you just said, you know, polls will come and go and we know that there is still a number of months to the next election and the Australian people will make their decision then and there after what will be, no doubt, a hard-fought campaign. But many political obituaries were written ahead of the 2019 election and many false prophecies were made by those in the media, dare I say it, and our political opponents and they turned out to be wrong. Continue reading... |
| ‘We pray for rain’: Ethiopia faces catastrophic hunger as cattle perish in severe drought Posted: 29 Jan 2022 11:30 PM PST Animal carcasses litter the land in areas where the rains have failed, as millions go without enough food and water in a country already grappling with civil war The circumference of Nimo Abdi Duh's upper arm measures just 12cm and, while the number means nothing to her, it does to the health workers treating her. Nimo, two, like so many children in the arid lowlands of Ethiopia, is suffering from malnutrition. "We have been affected by the drought," says her mother, Shems Dire, looking anxiously on. "We don't have milk to give to the children. My child is sick due to lack of food, and this happened because of the drought … Our cattle have been harmed by the drought. We have lost so many. Continue reading... |
| Powerful nor’easter brings blizzards and thick snow across US east coast – video Posted: 30 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Gusty winds and falling temperatures plunged the US east coast into a deep freeze after a powerful nor'easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people |
| 'Nowhere to hide': Truss to pave way for tougher Russian sanctions amid Ukraine tensions – video Posted: 30 Jan 2022 03:16 AM PST The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said plans to allow for tougher economic sanctions against Russia would be announced ahead of a diplomatic trip to Ukraine and Russia over the next two weeks. The UK has offered to deploy land, air and sea forces to bolster the defence of Nato countries on their northern and eastern borders as tensions over Russia's military ambitions in Ukraine deepen Continue reading... |
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