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Only a quarter in UK get test after Covid symptoms … Biden has an eye on posterity … Countryside Code on how to ‘be nice’ Hello, Warren Murray here, and we’ve broken through into Thursday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mdWl1d

Visitors urged to ‘share the space’ but latest revision lacks clear rules over barbecues and dogs on leads Seventy years ago, visitors to the countryside were warned in rhyme that the farmer would “frown” on “lad or lass who treads his crops, or tramples grass”. Now the revised Countryside Code will encourage the unprecedented number of domestic holidaymakers to “be nice, say hello, share the space” and “make a memory” when they visit parks, coasts, woods and farmland this summer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mh4Pon

Emmanuel Macron announces three-week shutdown of schools after leaving restrictions ‘until last moment’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage France’s schools are to close for at least three weeks and travel within the country will be banned for a month after Easter in an attempt to curb a dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm hospitals, Emmanuel Macron has said. In a televised address to the nation, the French president said the government had waited “until the last moment” to impose further restrictions, winning the country “precious weeks of freedom”, but that “we now have to make one more big effort”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3sGBC8H

One of the world’s most outrageous comedians, Cho is leading the battle to end racism against Asian-Americans. She discusses hatred, hope and how humour saved her life ● Warning: this article contains discussion of suicide from the start The thing about being a standup comedian is that you can never turn off that part of your brain, not even when you are trying to kill yourself. Margaret Cho learned this in 2013 when she attempted suicide in a hotel room, using a shower curtain rail. “It started bending and I was like: Oh shit, I’m too fat to kill myself, so I had to get down,” says Cho. “I thought: I’ll go on a diet and I’ll try again when I reach my goal weight, which means I’m never going to kill myself, because I’ll never reach my goal weight.” The 52-year-old Emmy-, Grammy- and Oscar-nominated comedian, author, actor and podcaster lets out a delighted cackle. “That joke … people get really upset. They’re like: ‘You should put in a trigger warning.’ I don’t know how to do a trig...

After the pandemic nixed a stage run of Shakespeare’s tragedy, the theatre launched an ambitious film version starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor Just over a year ago, Simon Godwin was all set to direct Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre. The cast, including Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley as the star-crossed lovers, were just going into rehearsals when theatres went dark because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This production looked doomed to darkness, too. But David Sabel, the producer who created NT Live, had an inspired idea, says Godwin. “There had been discussions between him and Rufus Norris [artistic director of the National] about transforming the space into a studio and doing something digital in a way that kept the essence of the stage.” It meant that the production could be seen, in its new form, by many more people than an auditorium allows. The film, with a starry cast including Tamsin Greig and Lucian Msamati, is broadcast on Sky Arts in the UK this weekend and ...

Five people killed in Ohatchee, Calhoun County, homes destroyed and thousands left without electricity across state A series of tornadoes swept through the state of Alabama last Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction and death. The tornadoes formed from supercell thunderstorms, which later moved eastwards into Georgia. As many as eight tornadoes are believed to have formed, with one tornado reportedly staying on the ground for more an hour, covering a path of 100 miles. At least five people were killed in the town of Ohatchee, in Calhoun County, and many homes and businesses were ruined. Trees were uprooted and 35,000 people across the state were without electricity. The first lady, Jill Biden, postponed a planned trip to the state. Meanwhile, the east coast of Australia has been affected by widespread historic flooding due to prolonged heavy rainfall. New South Wales and Queensland have been worst affected, with some parts of NSW recording almost 1 metre of rain. This follows the ...

Police arrived as shots were being fired; suspect taken to hospital after being shot by officers Four people, including a child, have been killed and a fifth person injured in a shooting at a southern California office building, with the suspected shooter wounded by police. It happened at around 5.30pm on Wednesday at a two-storey office building in Orange, south of Los Angeles. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fqU7ua

P1 variant said to be partly driving cases in Brazil ; French president extends measures in 19 French departments to rest of country Batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccine fails quality control standards Rates of stillbirth and maternal death rise by a third during pandemic Outdoor mask decree met with dismay by Spain’s tourism industry Germany restricts use of AstraZeneca jab to over-60s 5.56am BST In New Zealand , the country that has, by many reckonings , led the world in responding to Covid-19, a microbiologist and science communicator at the University of Auckland has been named New Zealander of the Year. Siouxsie Wiles said the honour was “lovely, and a real privilege … I hope to do us proud”. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nOP9Pwcw7S Related: Siouxsie Wiles named New Zealander of the Year 5.40am BST Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cBlboB

Seven figures including Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted over unauthorised march Seven senior Hong Kong pro-democracy figures, including lawyer and former legislator Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, have been found guilty over their involvement in an unauthorised protest rally. The defendants were convicted on Thursday morning at the end of a four-week trial, joining two others who had pled guilty earlier. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cCwo8m

Thousands of people have been protesting against the government’s police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which would allow police to take a more proactive approach in managing protests, but many worry is an attempt to restrict the right to protest Rachel Humphreys talks to Mark Townsend , the Observer’s home affairs editor, about the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill. It would allow the police to take a more proactive approach in managing highly disruptive protests, but critics believe it is an attempt to curb the public’s right to protest. Townsend tells Humphreys that the Extinction Rebellion protests in 2019 and the Black Lives Matter protests last year both played a part in why the government is keen to pass this legislation. Guardian reporter Damien Gayle looks at why the BLM protests had such little support from the home secretary, Priti Patel, while the environment reporter Matthew Taylor discusses how the Extinction Rebellion movement and its use of civil disob...

Prioritizing broadband systems is a pillar of the infrastructure bill, which would help the a staggering 35% of people who lack access Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure bill will prioritize broadband expansion as a top goal, earmarking $100bn to bring affordable internet to “all Americans” by 2029. The plan, details of which the White House released in a fact sheet on Wednesday afternoon, seeks to reach “100% high-speed broadband coverage” across the US. It will do so while prioritizing broadband networks “owned, operated by, or affiliated with local governments, non-profits, and cooperatives” in a clear rejection of partnerships with big tech firms. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cFbohu

Our latest snapshot of key economic indicators shows the deficit soaring but unemployment holding steady A glimmer of economic hope at the end of the tunnel Andy Haldane: only a skills plan can protect against fallout Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fsc4Ze

The president has proven he has his eye on posterity. But his $2tn package will face a hard-fought political battle Joe Biden, the oldest US president ever elected, seems keenly aware of the sentiment expressed in the Broadway musical Hamilton: “History has its eyes on you.” Before taking office he reportedly read biographies of Franklin Roosevelt, who steered the nation through the Great Depression. Recently, at an eerily quiet White House, he hosted presidential historians to explore the virtues of thinking big – or more precisely, the perils of thinking small. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fxrMT4

UK prepared to play leading role in project given new impetus by Ever Given blockage, say sources The blockage of the Suez canal by the beached Ever Given container ship has prompted fresh international efforts to find an alternative to the world’s most important shipping corridor. UN officials are understood to be reviewing plans to construct a new canal along the Egypt-Israel border, having previously dismissed ideas for a much longer route through Iraq and Syria as too hazardous. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3rGl4MI

Diana to be among six women honoured as part of English Heritage’s scheme following public campaign Diana, Princess of Wales, is to be celebrated with a blue plaque in what would have been her 60th birthday year. English Heritage on Thursday announced its 2021 plaques for six women, who also include the anti-slavery campaigner Ellen Craft; Caroline Norton, who helped change Britain’s divorce laws ; and the fashion designer Jean Muir. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2QWvAmz

Drug firm in partnership with BioNTech to seek US approval after trials found vaccine ‘well-tolerated’ in school-age children Pfizer plans to seek emergency approval for its Covid vaccine in younger people after a US trial found the jab prevented the disease and was “well-tolerated” in 12- to 15-year-olds. Related: Germany restricts use of AstraZeneca jab to over-60s Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dlc4rd

Activists have called for changes to intellectual property laws in an effort to speed the global vaccination project A chorus of activists are calling for changes to intellectual property laws in hopes of beginning to boost Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing globally, and addressing the gaping disparity between rich and poor nations’ access to coronavirus vaccines. The US and a handful of other wealthy vaccine-producing nations are on track to deliver vaccines to all adults who want them in the coming months, while dozens of the world’s poorest countries have not inoculated a single person. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3sFaZ3U

The Greensill Capital affair is the exact type of lobbying row that the ex-PM warned about and vowed to eradicate In the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal – in which MPs were found to have submitted claims for among other things a £1,600 floating duck house and a £2,200 bill for cleaning a moat – the then-Conservative leader David Cameron warned that political lobbying would be “the next big scandal waiting to happen”. Cameron took it upon himself to reform “the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money”, which he said had “tainted our politics for too long”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3wdr9Uy

After being refused entry to several countries on health grounds, the surviving animals were ordered back to Spain for slaughter Read more: Stranded cattle ship ordered to dock in Spain after ‘hellish’ three months at sea After more than three months stranded in the Mediterranean, the surviving bulls onboard a livestock ship were humanely slaughtered by the Spanish authorities in Cartagena on Sunday. An official Spanish veterinary report described dire conditions onboard the Elbeik, on which 179 bulls had already died. The Elbeik and a second livestock ship, the Karim Allah, had been refused entry to multiple countries on health grounds. We look back on the events that shaped this “hellish ride”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cynNDH

The bright mind who lit up Blindness at the Donmar and the National Theatre’s panto approaches each job like a mystery After Jessica Hung Han Yun ’s first professional gig as a lighting designer, she seriously considered leaving the industry. It was Tosca at the King’s Head theatre in London in 2017. “I remember feeling like I hadn’t done this show justice but I couldn’t figure out why. At that point I wasn’t confident in myself so I wasn’t confident in my ideas. I wanted to try things but was too scared to try them so I went for a safer option.” That taught her an important lesson: “to be brave in the way you design and the way you approach work.” If you fail, she adds, there is always another way of approaching lighting. “People always think of failure as negative. It’s not, it’s also positive because you learn from it.” Since that moment, Hung Han Yun has gone out of her way to take risks. At 27, she has already won huge acclaim for the imagination and beauty of her designs. Cont...

Race equality experts question official response to racial justice movement … 2020 a devastating year for forests … and bonkbusters are back Hello, Warren Murray with you at the midway mark. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3weypj6

Singer said that she was ‘embarrassed by the light’ in which Framing Britney Spears cast her Britney Spears said she “cried for two weeks” after watching part of a high-profile documentary that explored her career. Framing Britney Spears premiered in February and examined the pop superstar’s rise to the summit of the music industry, her treatment at the hands of the tabloid media, her involuntary commitment to a psychiatric ward in 2008, and the subsequent conservatorship (an “imposed power-of-attorney-on-steroids” ) given to her father that has had him oversee her finances and personal affairs since 2008. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PGaubm

Loss of grants, driven by deep cuts to foreign aid, threatens research and international collaborations Senior scientists fear that deep cuts to government research spending will have “catastrophic” consequences for the UK, with projects cancelled midway through and some of the brightest minds moving to other countries. Hundreds of research projects tackling issues from the Covid pandemic to antimicrobial resistance and the climate crisis are already being axed after the country’s main science funder, UK Research and Innovation, told universities its budget for official development assistance (ODA) grants had been cut from £245m to £125m. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fupTqi

Research finds lower risk among those who drink up to 14 units a week – especially if they drink red wine People who consume up to 14 units of alcohol a week have less chance of developing cataracts, especially if they drink red wine, a new British study has found. Antioxidants found in wine could help explain why moderate drinkers are at up to 23% less risk of having to have cataract surgery than people who shun alcohol, the researchers believe. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3czq69F

US releases statement with 13 allies saying WHO inquiry lacks data ; hospitals in Ecuador capital working above capacity to treat Covid patients, say doctors UK and US criticise WHO’s report and accuse China of withholding data About half of people in UK now have antibodies against coronavirus Merkel, Macron and Putin in talks about using Sputnik V jab in Europe See all our coronavirus coverage 6.39am BST Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron discussed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and its use in Europe on a conference call on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Moscow’s statement said that among other subjects the Russian, German and French leaders discussed prospects for the registration of the vaccine in the EU and the possibility of shipments and joint production in EU nations. It did not say who raised the topic. Related: Merkel, Macron and Putin in talks about using Sputnik V jab in Europe 6.21am BST The US and the UK have sharply criticised a World Health Organizat...

I longed for novels about female desire - women empowered by sex and their expressions of lust. So I sat down and wrote my own The idea for my novel Insatiable emerged from a simple question: where were all the horny women? I knew that we were secretly legion. In fact, I suspected that I was surrounded by women, sitting on buses, standing in queues, staring out of the window and simultaneously entertaining all kinds of filthy daydreams. After all, millions of us had bought and read Fifty Shades of Grey. Even if half the sold copies were bought by people who wanted to mock it, that left millions of genuinely horny women unaccounted for – and buying the sequels. I was not transported in the way I had hoped; I did not find Christian sexy, I did not relish the BDSM and, most of all, I struggled to connect with the beautiful, blank lead character, Anastasia. She seemed similar to every other sort-of-horny woman I had seen on screen, a sexual object before she was a sexual subject, a perso...

Twelve months after the pandemic struck the Guardian’s economic tracker reveals real risk of lasting damage UK economy poised to recover after Covid-19 second wave Andy Haldane: only a skills plan can protect against fallout When Boris Johnson announced the first stay-at-home order, effectively shutting down whole sections of the economy, it was hoped the tide could be turned within 12 weeks. As many months later, lockdown measures are being relaxed for a third time and Britain still faces a lengthy road to recovery from the worst recession for 300 years. As restrictions ease, the chief economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane , warned that despite the reopening of the economy, the risk of a “jobs equivalent of long Covid” remains for workers across the country. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3wmG7b1

School leaders are negotiating complex, delicate situations that could affect a young person’s future for years to come “You’ve got two 15-year-olds, one of whom is from your school, one from another. They’ve had sex. Two weeks later the girl says to her school, actually she changed her mind half way through and she no longer feels it was fully consensual.” A headteacher at an independent school is outlining a typical scenario that schools are having to deal with “more frequently than you think”, often as pupils begin to find their feet sexually, go to parties, and – more often than not – drink alcohol. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3m3Pdoh

Calls for forests to be high on Cop26 agenda after loss of 42,000 sq km of tree cover in key tropical regions The rate at which the world’s forests are being destroyed increased sharply last year, with at least 42,000 sq km of tree cover lost in key tropical regions. According to data from the University of Maryland and the online monitoring platform Global Forest Watch, the loss was well above the average for the last 20 years, with 2020 the third worst year for forest destruction since 2002 when comparable monitoring began. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dkgn67

Female recruits to stop being given male underwear in a bid to up recruitment The Swiss armed forces is taking a big step to recruit more women – by no longer making female recruits wear men’s underwear. At present, all recruits are issued with “loose-fitting men’s underwear, often in larger sizes”, the BBC reported . In a trial set to begin in April, the Swiss army said women would be issued with two sets of female underwear – one for warmer months and one for colder months. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2QWElx3

The gigantic cargo ship the Ever Given blocked the world’s busiest shipping lane for a week. Michael Safi reports on what the costly nautical traffic jam can tell us about global trade The Suez canal, built in 1869, is a 120-mile strip of water that has been called a “ditch in the desert”. Nearly 20,000 ships pass through it a year, so when the Ever Given, one of the biggest vessels ever built, became wedged last week and blocked it, global trade through the canal ground to a halt. The Guardian international correspondent, Michael Safi , tells Anushka Asthana the story of the crash, including the efforts to free the ship and the impact the blockage had on the movement of trade across the globe. The retired Turkish mariner Alper Gergin explains why steering a ship of such as size is harder than handling a Boeing 747. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3czlu3c

Secretary of state takes veiled swipe at Trump administration and says change of approach is ‘in America’s interests’ The United States will speak out about human rights everywhere including in allies and at home, secretary of state Antony Blinken has vowed, turning a page from Donald Trump as he bemoaned deteriorations around the world. Presenting the state department’s first human rights report under President Joe Biden, the new top US diplomat took some of his most pointed, yet still veiled, swipes at the approach of the Trump administration. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/39swduC

Political operative went to prison before becoming a popular radio talkshow host G Gordon Liddy, a mastermind of the Watergate burglary and a radio talkshow host after emerging from prison, died on Tuesday at age 90. His son, Thomas Liddy, confirmed the death but did reveal the cause, other than to say it was not related to Covid-19. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fsmhVz

Analysis: Campaigners say women’s trust in police undermined by watchdog’s conclusions A watchdog report that deemed the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard “appropriate” has undermined women’s trust in the police, according to campaigners, attendees and the vigil’s original organisers. Organisers from Reclaim These Streets, which cancelled a planned short, socially distanced vigil after police said they could be fined tens of thousands of pounds , said the report had failed to investigate how the cancellation of the event had led to more anger and the greater likelihood of public disorder. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3sCJ5FX

Several thousand Germans head to Crete and Balearic islands as pandemic third wave spreads across EU Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The first foreign tourists may have landed in locked-down Spain and Greece , but as a third wave of the pandemic accelerates across the EU, few Europeans will be enjoying an Easter break abroad – or even away from home. German holidaymakers began arriving on Crete on Monday, with six half-empty flights landing at Heraklion airport after the tourist minister, Haris Theoharis, said some visitors could be permitted before the country’s planned reopening on 14 May. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3diYwwy

Anger as long-awaited report on race and ethnic disparities concludes ‘claims of institutional racism not borne out’ Downing Street’s official response to the racial justice movements connected to Black Lives Matter has suggested the UK should be seen as an international exemplar of racial equality, and has played down the impact of structural factors in ethnic disparities. The much-delayed report by No 10’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities is likely to spark an angry response from activist groups, with race equality experts describing it as “extremely disturbing” and offensive to black and minority ethnic key workers who have died disproportionally during the pandemic. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cBFzpN

Industry body report shows 70% decline in visitor numbers at British attractions last year A “phenomenal” summer of culture in the UK without crowds, queues or inbound tourists beckons, tourism chiefs have promised, as new figures were published laying bare just how bad 2020 was. Bernard Donoghue, the director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) , said there would probably not be another chance for people to experience the nation’s museums, galleries, zoos, castles, country houses and theme parks as they will be able to this year. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2O5Ihdw

Kremlin says leaders discussed possibility of shipments and joint production amid shortage of doses inside Europe Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron discussed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and its use in Europe on a conference call on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Moscow’s statement said that among other subjects the Russian, German and French leaders discussed prospects for the registration of the vaccine in the EU and the possibility of shipments and joint production in EU nations. It did not say who raised the topic. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3diIQcJ

Display to include eggs commissioned by Russian tsars and Fabergé pieces owned by the Queen Three Imperial Easter eggs created by Carl Fabergé are being lent by Moscow to the UK for the first time as part of an exhibition exploring the often overlooked success in London of the tsars’ favourite jeweller. The V&A on Wednesday announced details of an exhibition, opening in November, that will display some of the most jaw-dropping ornaments ever produced. More than 200 objects will go on display, with the show-stopper being three eggs lent by Moscow Kremlin Museums . They include the largest Imperial egg, the Moscow Kremlin egg, which was inspired by the architecture of the Dormition cathedral in the Russian capital. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3syxozY

The Republican narrowly escaped becoming the fifth US president to be assassinated – and there’s been no closer call since Few guests at the Washington Hilton, a vast hotel rendered in curving Brutalist concrete, notice the simple plaque tucked away near a lower entrance designed for VIPs. It marks the spot where, 40 years ago today, President Ronald Reagan was shot and injured when would-be assassin John Hinckley fired six bullets in two seconds. White House press secretary James Brady, police officer Thomas Delahanty and secret service agent Tim McCarthy were also hit. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dmid6w

Analysis: Buhari’s deputy wants to create jobs, feed pupils and cut red tape. Is he too high-profile for his critics? The role of vice-president is one that John Adams, the first person in the US to hold the position, called “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived”. Nigeria’s Patience Jonathan captured the situation in her sarcastic response to a journalist who asked about her husband, Goodluck Jonathan, when he was vice-president. She said: “He is in his office reading newspapers.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31sFEWi

Campaign viewed as one of the biggest and most consequential unionization drives in recent America history Vote counting is set to begin in an election to determine whether Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, will form a union in what is viewed as one of the biggest and most consequential unionization drives in recent America history. The contest has pitted America’s labor movement – backed by a slew of Democrat politicians and some Republicans – against one of the most powerful companies in the world. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3u3eW2Q

Joint letter signed by Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and others warns ‘nobody is safe until everyone is safe’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The world needs a global treaty for pandemics to protect states in the wake of Covid-19, akin to the settlement forged after the second world war, Boris Johnson and other world leaders have urged. In a joint article published in newspapers across the world, leaders including the UK prime minister, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, warn that a future global pandemic is an inevitability and that Covid has served as “a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3uiJuOn

Experts warn that low coverage means Covid mutations will appear … Derek Chauvin trial opens … and fungi to know and love Hello, Warren Murray here, let’s draw aside the curtains and let the news flood in. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dcRWHS

Just 39% of children or young adults in care have applications to remain in UK after Brexit Thousands of children of EU citizens who have been taken into care may become “undocumented” adults with no right to work, rent a home or receive benefits, a charity has warned. The Children’s Society has found that just 39% of children in care, or young adults who have recently left care, have had applications to remain in the country after Brexit made on their behalf. It says this is “unacceptable” and that councils across the UK need to work urgently to identify EU citizens in their care. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3w9xNLq

Directors pay for fruit and snack bundles for juniors as workers at other firms get bonuses and Pelotons Bosses at Goldman Sachs have been sending sympathy snack boxes to overworked junior London bankers in response to complaints over “inhumane” 100-hour weeks that have affected their physical and mental health. The one-off hampers, full of fruit and snacks, are understood to have been paid for by managing directors out of their own pockets, since Goldman has not offered any company-wide gifts or additional bonuses after a leaked report revealed concerns about poor working conditions earlier this month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3u6LJ70

Canada cites blood clot concerns in suspension ; WHO report understood to conclude Covid came from animals Canada suspends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for those under 55 New Covid vaccines needed globally within a year, say scientists Biden says up to 90% of adults will be eligible for vaccine by 19 April See all our coronavirus coverage 6.54am BST That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. Thanks for following along – my colleague Martin Belam will take over the blog shortly. In the meantime, I learned a new German word today that you might find useful. 6.48am BST The world needs a global treaty for pandemics to protect states in the wake of Covid-19, akin to the settlement forged after the second world war, Boris Johnson and other world leaders have urged. In a joint article published in newspapers across the world, leaders including the UK prime minister, the French president, Emmanuel Macron , and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, warn that a future global ...

Last August, Pape and his family went on a city break to Birmingham, making the most of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s discount scheme. The day after he arrived home, his symptoms began Amanda Pape didn’t want to go on a city break to Birmingham during a pandemic, but her husband, Bob, a 53-year-old lawyer, insisted. “Bob was convinced that the government would not allow people to travel if it wasn’t safe,” says Amanda, a 56-year-old former teacher. Bob was persuasive – he was a lawyer, after all – so she relented. Along with her daughter, Jazzy, 19, one of Jazzy’s friends and a child Bob and Amanda were fostering, they booked three nights in a Holiday Inn from 2 August 2020. The family, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, stayed from Sunday to Wednesday, to make the most of the government’s “eat out to help out” (EOTHO) scheme, which offered food and soft drink discounts on Mondays to Wednesdays in August. Right until they left for Birmingham, Amanda was uneasy. She was on the verge of c...

How is it that those with the power to inflict most harm are blind to the consequences of their actions? It is a truism to say that everyone knows violence when they see it, but if one thing has become clear in the past decade, it is that the most prevalent, insidious forms of violence are those that cannot be seen. Consider, for example, a photograph from January 2017. A group of identical-looking white men in dark suits looked on as their president signed an executive order banning US state funding to groups anywhere in the world offering abortion or abortion counselling. The passing of the “global gag rule” effectively launched the Trump presidency. (It was scrapped by Joe Biden soon after his inauguaration a few weeks ago.) The ruling meant an increase in deaths by illegal abortion for thousands of women throughout the developing world. Its effects have been as cruel as they are precise. No non-governmental organisation (NGO) in receipt of US funds could henceforth accept non-U...

The drama series about lottery winners is back. And this time, thanks to a very talented dog called Happy, it’s exploited kennel-workers who have hit the jackpot. The veteran TV writer reveals all There’s a dog in the new series of The Syndicate that’s small, white and fluffy. Caninewise, that’s not my cup of tea at all. Yet I was struck by its tremendous acting. This dog is a genuine talent, packing a huge range of emotions into its tiny face, while displaying considerable comic timing. As I watched the drama, written by Kay Mellor, I wondered how you would train an animal to be so skilful. Well, it turns out it’s Mellor’s own dog, Happy. Any normal person, getting such a pet for the first time at the age of 70, would just post a lot of pictures of it on Facebook. Instead, Mellor entirely rethought season four of the BBC show. As its name suggests, The Syndicate is about people who win the lottery, with a different group followed in each series. The first was set in a Leeds supermar...

The UK’s woods are full of strange specimens. But they aren’t easy to identify – even for the experts A host of otherworldly characters are squatting in the wood. Conventional toadstools make way for more gelatinous bodies slopping around fallen trees, dead wood and tree stumps during the coldest months of the year. Many are wood-decaying fungi – things that look like crusts, skin, slime and bits of brain that use enzymes to break down and digest wood and other dead plant material. Related: Scientists find two new species of fungi that turn flies into 'zombies' Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PhSTqo

Hywind Scotland is breaking world records for maximum output and now other firms are competing for sites It took 10 years to develop the first floating windfarm and it seemed to some a dangerous gamble to put it 15 miles off Aberdeen in the stormiest waters of the North Sea. But after three years of being in operation it has broken world records for maximum output. Its success even outstrips the speed with which Europe’s other offshore windfarms, those standing in shallow water, have gone from being an expensive renewable option to a mainstream power source. Floating windfarms’ worldwide potential is even greater. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fkH6Cm

Thousands face not having a valid permit after lack of deal between UK and France and flood of applications Thousands of British citizens in France have been left without a valid driving licence, or face losing theirs within months, because of bureaucratic overload and the failure of the two countries’ governments to sign a post-Brexit reciprocal agreement. “I’d say there are 3,000 who are seriously worried – for whom this has really become nightmarish,” said Kim Cranstoun, who moved permanently to France three years ago and whose Facebook group for Britons affected has more than 6,000 members. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3m0fS5i

Immunisation panel says there is ‘substantial uncertainty about the benefit’ of the vaccine given risk of rare type of blood clot See all our coronavirus coverage Canada on Monday suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots. The pause was recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization for safety reasons. The Canadian provinces, which administer health in the country, announced the suspension on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3u4HvwH

Our colleagues from The age of extinction , Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield, are back with two new episodes. We often talk as if we know what species exist in the world – but we don’t. Could misclassifying the notoriously cryptic fungi have broader implications for what we know about the environment, and how we care for it? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/39r82wr

Measures are among dozens of anti-trans legislation across the US and conservatives have filed more proposals this year than ever before Arkansas lawmakers have approved a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children, sending the governor a bill that has been widely criticized by medical and child welfare groups. Related: How trans children became 'a political football' for the Republican party Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Pjyhhl

The 46th US president took office promising a more welcoming immigration policy. But Republicans are calling a new wave of migrants at the southern border a ‘crisis’ and demanding he addresses it When Joe Biden assumed the presidency earlier this year, he inherited an immigration policy from Donald Trump that was punitive and often criticised as excessively cruel. The 45th US president had unsuccessfully attempted to build a wall across the entire southern border and vilified migrants as “invaders”. The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani tells Anushka Asthana that what she witnessed on the border in Texas was a steady influx of desperate people fleeing poverty, drought and violence. Many were families escaping together to what they hoped would be a new start. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dlYJPq

Nineteen-year-old, who has sickle cell disease, left his home on 22 March, saying he was going to visit a friend A London mother is seeking help to find her son who has been missing for over a week. Student Richard Okorogheye, 19, who has sickle cell disease, said he was “struggling to cope” with university pressures and had been shielding during lockdown, according to his mother, Evidence Joel. The Metropolitan police said officers were becoming increasingly concerned about the teenager who was believed to have left his family home in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London on 22 March. He was reported missing on 24 March. Joel told the MyLondon website: “Richard has never done anything like this. Something has gone wrong.” He would only leave the house to go to hospital for regular blood transfusions for his condition. Joel recalled him saying he was going to visit a friend, although none of them had seen him, telling her to drive safe and that he would “see me later”, she t...

Survey of experts in relevant fields concludes that new variants could arise in countries with low vaccine coverage The planet could have a year or less before first-generation Covid-19 vaccines are ineffective and modified formulations are needed, according to a survey of epidemiologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists. Scientists have long stressed that a global vaccination effort is needed to satisfactorily neutralise the threat of Covid-19. This is due to the threat of variations of the virus – some more transmissible, deadly and less susceptible to vaccines – that are emerging and percolating. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3m2bBhH

Delays likely to disproportionately affect black and minority ethnic young people, says Lords committee Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The backlog of crown court cases in England and Wales has reached “crisis levels”, with the increased remand population likely to disproportionately impact children and young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, a parliamentary committee has warned. In a damning report published on Tuesday, the House of Lords constitution committee said funding cuts had already left courts and tribunals struggling going into the Covid-19 pandemic and were exacerbated by a “regrettable” failure to plan for such a threat. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3foB1EU

Drug and those similar to it reclassified with harsher penalties for those in possession of it The drug GHB and related substances are to be reclassified from class C to class B following their use in “truly sickening” high-profile rape cases, the home secretary has said. The reclassification means those found in unlawful possession of the drugs will face tougher penalties and victims will be better protected from their use by criminals, the Home Office said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31sNkYv

Open letter by comic and other black cultural figures encourages wider vaccine take-up Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Sir Lenny Henry has warned black Britons they could be left behind if they refuse the coronavirus jab in an open letter signed by leading black figures in the UK. The letter urges black adults in the UK to make informed decisions about the vaccine and to protect themselves and the people they care for by getting vaccinated. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cvSeuj

Criticism of the junta’s deadly crackdown mounts after military fires on funeral following killing of 100 US President Joe Biden has led global condemnation of an “absolutely outrageous” crackdown by Myanmar’s junta that left more than 100 people – including several children – dead in the bloodiest day since the coup two months ago. Soldiers and police have killed hundreds in brutal suppression against weeks of mass protests demanding a restoration of democracy and the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3de2arB

Rebecca Pow says government will have to report on efforts to reduce discharge from storm overflows The environment minister, Rebecca Pow, has promised to bring in legislation to reduce discharge of raw sewage into rivers. Pow said that she would be placing a legal duty on government to come up with a plan to cut dumping by water companies by September 2022. Pressure has been growing on water companies and ministers as evidence grows of the scale of the issue and amid increasing evidence of the poor state of rivers. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3cs6EeR

Grateful families flock to beaches and holiday accommodation as stay-local rule lifted in Wales The rain was falling steadily and the Pembrokeshire coast in south-west Wales was being buffeted by strong winds, but the Moran family were not worried about the weather. “It’s great to be back,” said Jonathan Moran, a teacher from Merthyr Tydfil taking a break at Meadow House Holiday Park in Summerhill with his wife, Lauren, and three children, aged one to seven. “The last lockdown was a difficult one and we’ve been planning this break since November. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3wgYoX8

With Wet Wet Wet, Pellow was one of the biggest-selling musicians of the 90s. But heroin and alcohol soon became a problem. He talks about heroes, love and conquering his demons Marti Pellow remembers his introduction to booze clearly. He was a young boy, about 11, and he sneaked a can of beer from his father. “I knew as soon as I had my first drink that it made me feel different,” he says. “I had a fuzzy feeling in my stomach. I liked the rush of that. It made me feel light.” By the time he was 12, he would go to dances with his friends and alcohol would give him dutch courage. “I’d ask an adult to buy me a couple of cans of lager. It gave me a wee bit more confidence to ask a girl to dance; it made me feel larger than life.” Pellow went on to become the frontman of Wet Wet Wet, the blue-eyed soul band whose version of Love Is All Around, as featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral, topped the charts for 15 weeks and is still the UK’s biggest-selling love song. By the time he left We...

It’s hosted opera greats, suffragette rallies, Hitchcock films, sports events, sci-fi conventions – and, of course, the Proms and countless rock gigs. Artists from Led Zeppelin to Abba recall their moments on the hallowed stage The Royal Albert Hall is 150 years old today (and the Guardian was there to see it opened by Queen Victoria ). With a design based on a Roman amphitheatre, stacked balconies pack the audience close to the action – and at a capacity touching 6,000, the number of visitors entertained at the London venue runs to many millions. But what is it like to play as a performer? We asked artists and sportspeople for their memories of being centre stage at the iconic venue. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3lYPLf3

Pay tribute to brave campaigners, the first trade unionists, gay rights protesters and suffragettes at these landmark places around the UK A year of Covid has pushed civil rights into the spotlight as never before. As fundamental freedoms to go outside and gather have been suspended, people have nonetheless taken to the streets to protest against racial inequality and the denial of Britain’s history of slavery , and to demand safe streets for women – and even the right to protest itself . With the country slowly easing open following the winter lockdown, it feels an appropriate moment to look at travel through the prism of civil liberties, with a tour of the UK milestones on the road from feudalism to freedom. If you’ve ever wanted to pay your respects to Emily Pankhurst or the activists who helped propel racial equality laws through parliament, point your compass to these civil rights landmarks. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2O4EdKI

With public art collections closed we are bringing the art to you, exploring highlights from across the country in partnership with Art UK. Today’s pick: Dudmaston’s Still Life With Fruit, Bird’s Nest and Insects by Rachel Ruysch A luscious arrangement of late-season fruit is amassed at the base of a young oak tree. Clusters of grapes nestle between plump peaches, unhusked corn and a single, rotund gourd. Encroaching on this display is a rich woodland understorey: fungi, thistle, white dead-nettle, forget-me-not and thorny sprays of bramble. Brilliant flashes of red and orange in the form of physalis seed heads, rowan berries and corn kernels enliven this shaded spot. A chipped stone plinth is a singular vestige of what may have once been a formal garden. The scene teems with snails and insects – creatures whose short lifespans embody transience and impermanence, the hallmarks of a vanitas . So too do the ripening fruits, some on the cusp of over-maturing and rotting. White mould bloo...

Now is the best time of year to see glow caused by sunlight scattering off dust particles in space Now is the best time of the year to see the zodiacal light in the evening sky from the northern hemisphere. It’s a subtle glow that takes some effort to notice, but is always worth your time because of its gossamer beauty. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31ppVY4

Leaders rally in support of ‘father of Italian language’ after withering comments in German newspaper Italian political and cultural leaders have sprung to the defence of their much-revered poet Dante Alighieri after a German newspaper downplayed his importance to the Italian language and said he was “light years” away from William Shakespeare. In a comment piece in Frankfurter Rundschau, Arno Widmann wrote that even though Dante “brought the national language to great heights”, Italian schoolchildren struggled to understand the antiquated verse of his Divine Comedy , which was written in 1320. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3wa3152

Outdoor group socialising allowed from Monday in England ; Merkel presses German states to get tough with Covid curbs ; Dr Birx says earlier action would have mitigated US deaths Johnson urges caution as England takes first big step out of lockdown Women in Japan suffer isolation and despair amid Covid job losses Why Ursula von der Leyen’s EU vaccine strategy is failing See all our coronavirus coverage 5.50am BST German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed Germany’s states on Sunday to step up efforts to curb rapidly rising coronavirus infections, and raised the possibility of introducing curfews to try to get a third wave under control, Reuters reports. Merkel expressed dissatisfaction that some states were choosing not to halt a gradual reopening of the economy even as the number of infections per 100,000 people over seven days had risen over 100 - a measure she and regional leaders had agreed on in early March. “We have our emergency brake ... unfortunately, it is not respect...

Portuguese island’s ‘green corridor’ opens door to visitors even if they have not been vaccinated Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Sara Pedro is sat at a beach-side restaurant with friends. It is her first time dining out in three months. She is in Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, having left her home city of Lisbon’s strict coronavirus restrictions to take advantage of the more relaxed atmosphere on the Atlantic island and its “green corridor” for visitors who can show either a vaccination certificate or proof they have recently recovered from the virus. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/39k61lC

Work has also reportedly been complicated by rock under the mega ship’s bow Egyptian authorities have said that high tides and the arrival of extra tug boats could finally free the stricken container ship blocking the Suez canal as the crisis entered its seventh day. The next attempt to refloat the MV Ever Given was expected to take place on Monday evening, Egyptian authorities said, after salvage attempts were paused on Sunday to wait for the extra tugs to arrive and while more excavation and dredging was carried out under the ship. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3rw0gYg

Suicide rates among Japanese women rose sharply during the pandemic, prompting calls for support for low-income households The coronavirus had barely begun its surge across the globe when Ayako Sato was told that the nursery where she worked would temporarily close as part of Japan’s efforts to curb the outbreak. The mother of two teenage daughters expected a few weeks of belt tightening, believing it wouldn’t be long before she was working again. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PDXrr2

Thick dust carrying extremely high levels of hazardous particles blows in from drought-hit Mongolia The second sandstorm to hit China in less than a fortnight has reversed the colours of the sky, turning the sun blue and the heavens yellow. Beijing woke on Sunday morning shrouded in thick dust carrying extremely high levels of hazardous particles. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31oQSey

More than 360 vessels have been stranded since giant container ship MV Ever Given became wedged diagonally across the Suez A vast range of goods from Ikea furnishings to tens of thousands of livestock is stuck in a maritime traffic jam caused by the Suez canal blockage. More than 360 vessels have been stranded in the Mediterranean to the north of the canal and in the Red Sea to the south since the giant container ship MV Ever Given became wedged diagonally across the vital waterway on 23 March. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3sJciPi

The court of appeal upheld convictions of the Freshwater Five last week. In the final part of our miniseries, we hear how the judges reached their decision and what it means The case of the Freshwater Five, convicted a decade ago of attempting to smuggle £53m of cocaine into the UK, made it to the court of appeal in February where new evidence was heard that the men hoped would clear their names. Anushka Asthana followed the week-long hearing, sitting alongside the men’s families as the barristers argued the case. The court of appeal can consider new evidence not already heard by the original jury, and so the bar to overturning the convictions was set high. Nevertheless, the appeal had several grounds: one aspect focused on new radar data that the men hoped would show they were not close enough to the cargo ship that was alleged to be the other vessel involved in the transfer of drugs. There was also evidence that purported to show a new suspect vessel in Freshwater Bay as well as a...

Mission to check out treatment of Uighur minority is backed by Beijing, says secretary-general António Guterres The UN has begun negotiations with Beijing for a visit “without restrictions” to Xinjiang to see how the Uighur minority is being treated, secretary-general António Guterres said in an interview broadcast. At least one million Uighurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups have been held in camps in the north-western region, according to US and Australian rights groups, which accuse Chinese authorities of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labor. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31Fy6zP

Former coronavirus taskforce coordinator tells CNN deaths could have been prevented if Trump administration acted sooner The “vast majority” of the almost 550,000 coronavirus deaths in the US could have been prevented if Donald Trump’s administration had acted earlier and with greater conviction, according to one of the public health experts charged with leading the pandemic response at the time. Related: CDC ‘deeply concerned’ about rising Covid cases as vaccinations accelerate Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3d6xl7S

As soon as you’re sure you imagined them, on they go again “Thou aeronautical boll weevil / Illuminate yon woods primeval,” the Mills Brothers sang in 1952 , imploring glow-worms to “Light the path below, above / And lead us on to love”. John Keats, comparing the fairness of goddess Psyche with the bright white moon and the evening star (spoiler: she is fairer than both), refers to the star as an “amorous glow-worm of the sky”. Seamus Heaney poked a glow-worm with a blunt stick and “a tiny brightening den lit the eye” – turning the stick into a wand. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. I’m in Mozambique, it is dark, and there is a wedding tomorrow. I have just had my first – and I don’t know it yet, but only – drink in a coconut. I chose Fanta Grape. Outside at the restaurant, I see my first glow-worms. It is possible that they are fireflies, but they’re still: on the branches of what I hope are hibiscus trees, but then again, I would happily plant a hibiscus in every memory I have. Continue readi...

Businesses beset by ‘nightmare’ combination of mounting costs and paperwork as well as delivery delays Small businesses have reported a marked drop in exports to the EU as another company bemoaned the post-Brexit “nightmare” of delivery delays and increased costs. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a lobby group, said 35 of the 132 exporters it surveyed had temporarily suspended trade with the EU or stopped it permanently. One in 10 of the exporters surveyed said they were also considering giving up trade with EU customers. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31pjuEx

People infected after having vaccine may also be less likely to transmit virus, initial findings show Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A government-funded study of care home residents in England has found that their risk of infection with Covid-19 – either symptomatic or asymptomatic – fell by 62% five weeks after they received their first Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine dose. Those who were infected after having the vaccine may also be less likely to transmit Covid-19, initial findings showed. The study, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, is key, given that most clinical trials and observational studies evaluated the impact of the vaccines on symptomatic infections, but whether the vaccines can reduce asymptomatic infections – which play a crucial role in the spread of the virus – is still unclear. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3u0Pr1X

Temporary road closures and pavement widening will help restaurants, bars and pubs to reopen outdoors from 12 April Urban areas across Britain are preparing to turn their streets into alfresco dining rooms once again, as only two in five licensed premises have permanent space to trade outdoors when lockdown eases next month. Birmingham, Manchester and London are all preparing for temporary road closures and pavement widening to help restaurants, bars and pubs over the summer. Outdoor drinking and dining is due to be allowed from 12 April, with indoor service scheduled to resume on 17 May. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/39nuDdr

Facilities allowed to reopen from Monday Government hopes for increase in exercise England has been urged to “get its trainers on” and comply with medical advice on exercise, with the prime minister joining a series of English sports stars in cajoling the country to get back to sporting activity following a shutdown of grassroots facilities that has lasted for more than three months. From Monday, as part of stage 1 in the government’s reopening plan, outdoor sports facilities including football pitches, tennis courts and outdoor swimming pools, as well as golf courses and sailing clubs, are allowed to reopen. Organised team sports at all levels are also to resume. The government wants to use the moment to spark an increase in exercise, amid concerns over the health of the nation following a stark drop in physical activity during the Covid crisis and a year of intermittent lockdown. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dgM3JE

The city’s leader says that a huge financial shortfall and the levy hike will not stop redevelopment plans going ahead The home of Robin Hood is ready to welcome back international visitors following a £30m refit of the castle that, during the middle ages, played host to its notoriously villainous sheriff. But the East Midlands city will become more infamous over the next fortnight – for levying the highest rate of council tax in England , sending band D bills up £107, to £2,226. The city’s Labour council leader David Mellen says the rise is needed after a decade of austerity and the government’s failure to bridge a spending shortfall that forced all councils to increase bills by a collective £2bn before the economy is back on its feet. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3rs0H5N

Lifesaving research on fighting drought and climate change at risk after snap decision to halt crucial funding For two years, the Rwandan-born scientist Anita Etale has been leading efforts to develop cheap methods to clean contaminated water supplies, a widespread problem in Africa. Based at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa, Etale had a £300,000 grant from Britain’s Royal Society in 2019 to build a team of researchers, who went on to develop cleaning filters using maize and sugarcane stubble. “Finding cheap source materials is crucial to make affordable filters,” Etale said Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3swKDRF

Safety reps sound the alarm over lack of risk assessments, PPE and social distancing Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Millions of workers could be returning to unsafe workplaces without Covid risk assessments while the vaccines are still being rolled out and dangerous variants are circulating. A survey of union safety reps by the TUC suggests almost half of employers have not carried out a Covid risk assessment or have outdated, inadequate measures in place that may not prevent transmission of the virus. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PFlUfG

New government report includes excess deaths and shows fatalities may exceed those of Brazil, the world’s second worst-affected country Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Mexico’s government has acknowledged that the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic now stands above 321,000, almost 60% more than the official test-confirmed number of 201,429. Mexico does little testing, and because hospitals were overwhelmed, many Mexicans died at home without getting a test. The only way to get a clear picture is to review “excess deaths” and review death certificates. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3frhT9v

Led by eco-entrepreneur Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers have become the world’s first carbon-neutral football club. Now there are plans for a Zaha Hadid Architects all-timber stadium… A player miskicks the ball – skies it – and its clatter on the metal roof is the loudest sound in the Covid-emptied stand. There’s not much by way of a corresponding stand on the other side of the pitch, mostly just advertising boards and a momentarily malfunctioning scoreboard. Behind them a hillock, behind that a sunset. There’s an ill-timed tackle, a melee of angry players, a red card for the home team. But the visitors, Colchester United, look rudderless – it’s the first game for their interim manager – and 10-man Forest Green Rovers run out 3-0 winners. If much of this is a typical scene of lower-league football, as played out all over the country every week of the season, in some crucial details it is not. It’s partly the setting that’s different, on a hill outside Stroud in Gloucestershire, in a ...