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Prosecution of 10 Hong Kongers detained in mainland China after allegedly attempting to flee to Taiwan also began on Monday Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old former lawyer and citizen journalist who was arrested in May while reporting from Wuhan, has been sentenced to four years in jail. Zhang was arrested for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – an accusation commonly used against dissidents, activists and journalists – with her video and blog reports from the Wuhan lockdown. Last month she was charged with disseminating false information. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2M6Xg5z

Runaway success of the story of Tanjiro – a boy who shows remarkable resilience in the face of obstacles – comes despite the coronavirus pandemic Not even a pandemic has been able to stop an animated film set a century ago from becoming Japan’s highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing sales from Hollywood blockbusters, the Harry Potter series, and even the works of the revered Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki . Since its release in mid-October, Demon Slayer has generated ticket sales of ¥32.47bn [$313m], according to figures released on Monday by its distributors. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aK51IX

Australian golf great first went to hospital on Christmas Day Returned with fever, severe headaches and a loss of taste Greg Norman is back in hospital in Florida with “hideous” Covid-19 symptoms after the Australian golfing great tested positive. Related: Greg Norman in hospital with 'mild symptoms' after positive Covid-19 test Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/37U3Hl0

Little-discussed reversal of thinking means plans for formal co-operation look dead Plans for the UK to re-establish formal foreign and security policy links with the European Union, frozen during negotiations over a trade deal, may never be revived, as UK foreign policy focuses on bilateral links in Europe and developing new alliances in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. The freeze marks a little-discussed reversal of thinking from Theresa May’s era, when the political declaration at the time of Britain’s withdrawal spoke about negotiating deep cooperation between the UK and EU. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2L3O01x

After almost 12 months of charting developments as Covid sweeps the world, I look forward to better news next year Join the million-plus people supporting independent Guardian journalism In February this year, when I was offered the job of liveblogger and reporter on the Guardian’s foreign desk in Australia, my boss told me to read up about the new coronavirus. “It looks like you’ll probably be doing a bit of that,” she said. Nearly ten months after boarding the flight from Beirut , where I was living at the time, to Sydney, I have liveblogged the pandemic for eight hours a day, five days a week. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mSpvBT

Beloved bird that inspired toys and a picture book remembered by conservationists as a ‘precious taonga [treasure]’ A much-loved and extremely rare white kiwi has died following surgery, prompting an outpouring of grief among conservationists in New Zealand. Manukura the North Island brown kiwi hatched in captivity in May 2011 with a rare genetic trait, leucism, that gave her striking white plumage. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3hkXNMO

Marco Springmann, a public health expert, tells Anushka Asthana why cutting out animal products is the best route to a healthy diet – and why veganism is good for the planet This week we are revisiting some of our favourite episodes from 2020. This episode was first broadcast on 23 January 2020 Veganism is having a moment. From ‘Veganuary’ promotions to whole lines of products in fast-food chains such as KFC and Greggs, there is a concerted effort to lure customers away from meat and dairy. But with the boom comes a deluge of quackery and misinformation. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/38DbF1c