Qerro Media Service - QMS: June 2021

Rift between states and Morrison government over AstraZeneca vaccine for under 40s grows

Queensland chief health officer says she did not want under 40s getting the vaccine, as federal government says there has been no change to advice

Multiple state governments have directly criticised the commonwealth’s new position on the AstraZeneca vaccine, with Queensland saying that it does “not want under 40s to get AstraZeneca” and Victoria accusing Scott Morrison of creating unnecessary confusion.

In a series of press conferences on Wednesday, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia all distanced themselves from the prime minister’s suggestion that people aged under 40 should approach GPs for the AstraZeneca dose.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/30/rift-between-states-and-morrison-government-over-astrazeneca-vaccine-for-under-40s-grows

Offsets being used in Colombia to dodge carbon taxes – report

Fossil fuel levy can be avoided by buying carbon offsets that may have no benefit for climate

Forest protection carbon offsets that may have no benefit to the climate have been used by polluters to avoid paying carbon taxes in Colombia, according to a report.

In 2016, a levy of about $5 (£3.60) was introduced in the South American country to cover the use of some fossil fuels. However, companies that emit carbon dioxide can avoid paying the tax by buying carbon offsets from Colombian emission reduction projects, including those that conserve threatened natural carbon banks such as peatlands, forests and mangrove swamps.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/offsets-being-used-in-colombia-to-dodge-carbon-taxes-report-aoe

UK making trade deals with countries abusing human rights, says TUC

TUC says UK should use its leverage to ensure countries respect labour and human rights

Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of rushing into post-Brexit trade deals with countries where workers’ rights are systematically violated or denied, including five out of the 10 worst offenders worldwide.

Trade union leaders and Labour said the UK government was turning its back on workers around the world and neglecting its commitment to fundamental human and labour rights in the scramble to demonstrate the benefits of Brexit by striking free trade deals outside the EU.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/30/uk-making-trade-deals-with-countries-abusing-human-rights-says-tuc

Australia Covid: Queensland says Pfizer vaccine supply will run out in days

State health minister voices anger at federal authorities on vaccine rollout amid further outbreaks and a lockdown in Alice Springs

The Australian state of Queensland has just eight days of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine left, authorities warned on Wednesday, as confusion over who should receive the AstraZeneca jab continued and outbreaks across the country grew.

The state’s health minister, Dr Yvette D’ath, said the federal government had denied Queensland’s request for more doses of the Pfizer vaccine, despite having given another state, Victoria, 100,000 doses three weeks ago.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/australia-covid-queensland-says-pfizer-vaccine-supply-will-run-out-in-days

‘I felt betrayed’: how Covid research could help patients living with chronic fatigue syndrome

People with ME/CFS face debilitating symptoms but often feel dismissed by doctors. The focus on long Covid could help change that

In the fall of 2016, Ashanti Daniel, a nurse in Beverly Hills, California, went to an infectious disease physician looking for answers about a weird illness she couldn’t shake. After falling sick with a virus four months earlier, she still felt too tired to stand up in the shower.

The appointment lasted five minutes, she said. The doctor didn’t do a physical exam or check her vitals. His assessment: her illness was psychogenic, resulting from something psychological.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/30/i-felt-betrayed-how-covid-research-could-help-patients-living-with-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

UK Covid recovery at risk as furlough scheme phased out, say economists

Business leaders also warn of renewed threat to jobs and growth as Delta variant drives up infections

Britain’s economic recovery from Covid-19 is coming under pressure amid worker shortages and lengthier pandemic restrictions, as the Delta variant of coronavirus drives up infection rates.

As the government begins to wind down the furlough scheme on Thursday – despite delaying its roadmap out of lockdown by four weeks until 19 July – the Guardian’s monthly snapshot of economic developments suggests the pace of recovery has plateaued.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/30/uk-covid-recovery-at-risk-as-furlough-scheme-phased-out-say-economists

‘I want them to feel human again’: the woman who escaped slavery in the UK – and fights to free others

Analiza Guevarra ended up in a living hell in London after fleeing poverty in the Philippines. Now, her organisation rescues scores of people in domestic servitude every year

The streets of west London were dark and empty as Analiza Guevarra walked towards a large, white mansion block in South Kensington in February 2019.

Just after 5am, she stood at a corner, well away from any street lights. “I’m here,” she tapped into her phone. Seconds later, her phone pinged back. “I’m coming, I’m carrying a green bag. Please wait for me.”

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/30/i-want-them-to-feel-human-again-the-woman-who-escaped-slavery-in-the-uk-and-fights-to-free-others

Fibromyalgia flattens me. Here’s what helps me cope with constant pain | Nikki Marshall

A flare-up starts with instant exhaustion and a brain fog so dense I might struggle to speak

Full Story: ‘The pain can feel like an evil flower blossoming inside me’

Sometimes it hits in the middle of hot yoga. One moment I’m working hard, dripping sweat; the next I’m flat on my back in corpse pose, trying – usually failing – to practise calm acceptance. When the class ends I might need help rolling up my mat.

A few months back the first twinges flared when I was the designated driver at a family gathering. I felt like a demented cattle dog trying to round up the drinkers, barking at them to skip goodbyes so I could get us home before it smashed me.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2021/jun/30/fibromyalgia-flattens-me-heres-what-helps-me-cope-with-constant-pain

Coronavirus live news: Thailand suffers record deaths; Kim Jong-un warns of ‘grave incident’ in North Korea

North Korean leader says there is ‘huge crisis’ in antivirus fight; Thailand confirms 53 deaths in 24 hours; Tokyo may extend coronavirus restrictions into Olympics period

5.09am BST

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said failures in anti-epidemic work have led to an unspecified “grave incident” that has put the safety of the country and people at risk, state media reported.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jun/30/coronavirus-live-news-thailand-suffers-record-deaths-kim-jong-un-warns-of-grave-incident-in-north-korea

‘They can’t speak freely’: Hong Kong a year after the national security law

Powerful chilling effect as dissenters are detained, often without charges, and face life in prison

One year after Beijing imposed a national security law (NSL) on Hong Kong, the city has been drastically and fundamentally changed. Political opposition has been largely crushed, pro-democracy newspapers have been forced to close or self-censor, political and advocacy groups have disbanded. Thousands of residents have fled overseas.

At least 128 people have been arrested under the NSL or by its dedicated police department, including three minors, dozens of politicians, and journalists. More than half have been charged with national security offences that carry up to life in prison, and only 17 were granted bail.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/they-cant-speak-freely-hong-kong-a-year-after-the-national-security-law

North Korea Covid outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’

Leader speaks of a grave incident and chastises officials for neglecting duties in fighting ‘global health crisis’

See all our coronavirus coverage

The leader criticised top ruling party officials for neglecting their duties, in the report on Wednesday by state news agency KCNA that did not elaborate on what happened, or how it put people at risk.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/north-korea-covid-outbreak-fears-after-kim-jong-un-warns-of-huge-crisis-in-antivirus-fight

Huawei lawyers claim emails prove US has no grounds to extradite CFO from Canada

Lawyers will try to persuade Canadian court to permit new documents to be introduced as evidence to clear Meng Wanzhou

US justice department’s battle to extradite Meng Wanzhou from Canada has taken a fresh turn as lawyers for Huawei’s chief financial officer claimed that internal emails and bank documents prove there is no grounds to extradite her to the US.

Meng, 48, was arrested on a US warrant at Vancouver airport in late 2018, and has been battling extradition to the US. Her detention infuriated the Chinese government and has helped drag relations between Beijing and Ottawa to their lowest point in years.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/29/huawei-meng-wanzhou-cfo-extradition-emails

Brazil suspends Covaxin contract after ‘serious accusations’ of irregularities

$324m deal to buy 20m doses of Indian jab has become a headache for Bolsonaro after sleaze allegations

Brazil will suspend a $324m Indian Covid-19 vaccine contract that has mired President Jair Bolsonaro in accusations of irregularities, health minister Marcelo Queiroga announced on Tuesday.

The deal to buy 20m doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin shot has become a headache for Bolsonaro after whistleblowers went public with alleged irregularities.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/brazil-cancels-covaxin-contract-after-serious-accusations-of-irregularities

‘Our town centres were dying long before the virus came’

Deprivation in Greater Manchester may have been exacerbated by Covid but its sources go back much further, say local people

The pandemic’s devastating impact on Tameside, Greater Manchester, might not be visible from a walk along Ashton-under-Lyne’s high street but, in Lee Walker’s opinion, the effect of decades of underinvestment is starting to show.

When asked about the causes of health and social inequality in Tameside, he gesticulates at the empty shops around him.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/30/our-town-centres-were-dying-long-before-the-virus-came

Northern Ireland voters split on need for Brexit checks, poll reveals

High political stakes in NI protocol shown in research released hours before unveiling of new UK-EU deal

Voters in Northern Ireland are evenly split over the need for Brexit checks on goods coming in from Great Britain, a new survey has shown just hours before a new deal between the EU and the UK is revealed.

The EU will on Wednesday say it is retreating from the threat of a trade war and confirm a “package” of arrangements to take the heat out of the bitter dispute over the sales of British sausages, secondhand cars and potted plants in Northern Ireland.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/30/northern-ireland-voters-split-on-need-for-brexit-checks-poll-reveals

Five Asian countries account for 80% of new coal power investment

China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam plan to build more than 600 coal power units

Five Asian countries are jeopardising global climate ambitions by investing in 80% of the world’s planned new coal plants, according to a report.

Carbon Tracker, a financial thinktank, has found that China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam plan to build more than 600 coal power units, even though renewable energy is cheaper than most new coal plants.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/five-asian-countries-80-percent-new-coal-power-investment

Biafra separatist leader arrested and extradited to Nigeria

British national Nnamdi Kanu has been wanted since 2015 when he was charged with terrorism and incitement

The fugitive leader of a prominent Biafra secessionist group has been arrested and extradited to Nigeria to face trial, in a move likely to inflame separatist unrest in south-east Nigeria.

Nnamdi Kanu, a British national who has lived in south London, had been wanted by Nigerian authorities since 2015, when he was charged with terrorism offences and incitement, after broadcasts aired on Radio Biafra, a digital station he founded and ran from his home in Peckham.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/biafra-separatist-leader-arrested-and-extradited-to-nigeria

Hemingway review – a gripping portrait of a literary legend

Renowned documentary-maker Ken Burns turns his attention to perhaps the most famous American writer in history, via cameos from the likes of Meryl Streep. What a treat

Those familiar with the Ken Burns style – memorably put to use to unpick such varied topics as the Vietnam war, jazz and baseball – will expect a certain standard from the renowned documentary-maker’s take on Ernest Hemingway (BBC Four). With his regular partner, Lynn Novick, Burns offers a meaty and impeccably researched look at perhaps the most famous American writer in literary history. Over six episodes, it examines the author’s life in chronological order, recruiting top-flight actors – Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels and, later, Meryl Streep as his third wife, the foreign correspondent Martha Gellhorn – to read his work and his letters, as well as letters sent to him by friends and family. It also circles the themes that came to define his work and the myths around the man that have led him to be considered, in more recent times, a controversial figure.

“He made himself the most celebrated American writer since Mark Twain,” says the narrator, just as the story begins. That “made himself” makes it plain that this is not a hagiography. This is as much about the creation of the Hemingway myth, by him and others around him, as it is the myth itself. Though as one contributor, the writer Michael Katakis, puts it, “the man is much more interesting than the myth”.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/29/hemingway-review-a-gripping-portrait-of-a-literary-legend

Australia Covid live update: NSW on alert; Queensland urgently traces case infectious in community for 10 days

The 19-year-old medical receptionist was found to have the Delta variant after she travelled to state’s north. Follow latest news

11.21pm BST

AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid says he is disappointed with the confused messaging concerning vaccines from the federal government.

One of the criticisms that the AMA does agree with of the Government’s rollout of the vaccine, is that the messaging has really been mixed and I think Australians don’t know which way is up when it comes to the vaccine program.

We would really like to see some money being put into positive advertising program, to change the general feeling around our vaccine program.

11.19pm BST

Khorshid:

Doctors make decisions in conjunction with their patients and there have been some GPs refusing to offer the AZ vaccine over the last few weeks to people who have asked for it who don’t fit in the recommended age groups because they didn’t feel able to do so.

By really making clear that doctors are covered and by making the vaccine formally available to all Australians, I think GPs will now understand that it is possible, but they will have to have that conversation with a patient and ensure that they understand. Will it mean every GP will offer AZ to under-60s, or under-40s? Probably not. I think some GPs will say, “Look, I’m not willing to do something that is against the expert advice.” But many GPs are already willing to offer it and they will feel more comfortable to do so since the PM’s announcement.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/jun/30/australia-covid-update-nsw-queensland-delta-variant-lockdown-perth-darwin-sydney-gladys-berejiklian-scott-morrison

England fans in UK can’t go to Rome for Euros quarter-final due to Covid rules

FA says it can’t sell tickets domestically for Saturday owing to Italy’s five-day quarantine period

English expatriates will be called upon to roar Gareth Southgate’s side to success in their Euro 2020 quarter-final on Saturday after Covid restrictions stopped domestic fans from travelling to Rome.

The Football Association has confirmed it will not be selling tickets to the England Supporters Travel Club, the official arm of England’s away support, following the requirement by the Italian government that all British citizens quarantine for five days on arrival in the country.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/29/england-fans-in-uk-cant-go-to-rome-for-euros-quarter-final-due-to-covid-rules

Biafra separatist leader arrested and extradited to Nigeria

British national Nnamdi Kanu has been wanted since 2015 when he was charged with terrorism and incitement

The fugitive leader of a prominent Biafra secessionist group has been arrested and extradited to Nigeria to face trial, in a move likely to inflame separatist unrest in south-east Nigeria.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/biafra-separatist-leader-arrested-and-extradited-from-uk-to-nigeria

Morning mail: vaccine confusion, Queensland lockdown, Barty at Wimbledon

Wednesday: under 40s are being refused AstraZeneca jabs by some GPs. Plus: teachers share impact of staff shortages

Good morning. Queensland is in lockdown and confusion continues for Australians seeking Covid vaccinations following the government’s backflip on AstraZeneca advice. Plus more than 200 teachers have shared their concerns with us about the state of the industry. In happier news, Australia’s Ash Barty has had success in the opening round of Wimbledon.

Some doctors who were blindsided by the government’s change in AstraZeneca recommendations are telling eager under 40s to cancel their Covid vaccination appointments because Scott Morrison’s comments on Monday do not accord with expert medical advice. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said it was given “no warning” of the announcement and was “scrambling” to work out what it meant for patients, while the Australian Medical Association said it would continue to endorse the advice that Pfizer was the preferred vaccine for under-60s. State premiers have also queried the AstraZeneca backflip and have demanded the Morrison government lower the cap on international arrivals for the next three months.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/30/morning-mail-vaccine-confusion-queensland-lockdown-wimbledon-begins

What’s behind the renewed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Tensions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government in Addis Ababa and leaders from the country’s northern Tigray region entered a new phase this week
Originally posted here: https://ift.tt/2TkqcLl

‘You can’t cancel Pride’: the fight for LGBTQ+ rights amid the pandemic

Lockdown hit LGBTQ+ communities hard but even as Pride events are called off there is hope and a promise that the parades will return

This month, for the second year in a row, there will be no Pride parade in San Francisco, arguably the city most laden with history and symbolism for the LGBTQ+ community.

It is a decision Fred Lopez, who took over as executive director of San Francisco Pride at the beginning of last year describes as “heartbreaking”.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/29/you-cant-cancel-pride-the-fight-for-lgbtq-rights-amid-the-pandemic

Greece accused of refugee ‘pushback’ after family avoid being forced off island

Story of Palestinians who hid on Samos to escape deportation to Turkey appears to be ‘proof’ that pushbacks continue, claim rights groups

On 26 April Dimitris Choulis, an immigration lawyer based on the Greek island of Samos, opened his office door to find a family of four on his doorstep. Aisha*, 31, and her three children, all from Palestine.

“She said ‘pushback,’” said Choulis, “and I understood what had happened.” These were the only people left on the island out of a group of asylum seekers who had arrived from Turkey a few days before.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/29/greece-accused-of-refugee-pushback-after-family-avoid-being-forced-off-island

The children’s graves at residential schools in Canada evoke the massacres of Indigenous Australians | William Pengarte Tilmouth

Until there is truth-telling in Australia about the colonisation process, reconciliation remains superficial

First Nations people across Australia are mourning with Canadian First Nations families as evidence mounts of hundreds of deaths of children at residential schools.

We are standing with our Canadian First Nations brothers and sisters on these recent horrific discoveries.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/the-childrens-graves-at-residential-schools-in-canada-evoke-the-massacres-of-indigenous-australians

Trump in financial and political danger as company faces possible criminal charges

New York prosecutors may soon bring indictment against Trump Organization tied to perks for top executives

Donald Trump is facing a potentially crippling financial and political blow as state prosecutors consider filing criminal charges against his family business this week.

Prosecutors in New York could soon bring an indictment against the Trump Organization related to the taxation of lucrative perks that it gave to top executives, such as use of apartments, cars and school tuition.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/28/donald-trump-organization-new-york-criminal-charges

Native mouse believed to be extinct for 150 years found off Western Australia

Gould’s mouse found on several small islands off coast of WA after population collapse on mainland

Scientists have discovered that an extinct native mouse thought to have been wiped out more than 150 years ago is thriving on islands off Western Australia.

Researchers compared DNA samples from eight extinct native rodents and 42 of their living relatives to study the decline of native species since the arrival of Europeans in Australia.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/native-mouse-believed-to-be-extinct-for-150-years-found-off-western-australia

Coronavirus live news: Philippines extends restrictions to mid-July; fears of fifth wave in Tokyo

Cases rising in Tokyo one month from Olympics; Philippine provinces battling rising infections but cases dropping in capital region

6.29am BST

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has prolonged restrictions on movement and businesses in the Philippine capital and nearby provinces until mid-July, and retained stricter Covid curbs in central and southern areas, an official said on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jun/29/coronavirus-live-news-philippines-extends-restrictions-to-mid-july-fears-of-fifth-wave-in-tokyo

‘I struggle every day with the loss of my former life’: what it’s like to live with chronic pain

Long Covid is highlighting conditions that have been around much longer than the pandemic. Ten readers share their experiences

“The endless cycle of seeing doctors and never seeing any change or improvement” is how one 43-year-old woman from the US described what it’s like to live with chronic overlapping pain conditions. Long Covid has helped highlight issues surrrounding chronic illness but many people around the world have had to cope with debilitating symptoms of chronic pain for years, often without receiving adequate professional help.

A 2011 report by the US Institute of Medicine recognised a cluster of chronic pain conditions that predominantly affect women and frequently co-occur. They were dubbed “chronic overlapping pain conditions” by the US Congress and include: vulvodynia, temporomandibular disorders, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, chronic tension-type and migraine headache and chronic low back pain.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/29/i-struggle-every-day-with-the-loss-of-my-former-life-what-its-like-to-live-with-chronic-pain

Amartya Sen: what British rule really did for India

It is true that before British rule, India was starting to fall behind other parts of the world – but many of the arguments defending the Raj are based on serious misconceptions about India’s past, imperialism and history itself

The British empire in India was in effect established at the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. The battle was swift, beginning at dawn and ending close to sunset. It was a normal monsoon day, with occasional rain in the mango groves at the town of Plassey, which is between Calcutta, where the British were based, and Murshidabad, the capital of the kingdom of Bengal. It was in those mango groves that the British forces faced the Nawab Siraj-ud-Doula’s army and convincingly defeated it.

British rule ended nearly 200 years later with Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous speech on India’s “tryst with destiny” at midnight on 14 August 1947. Two hundred years is a long time. What did the British achieve in India, and what did they fail to accomplish?

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/british-empire-india-amartya-sen

Fake delivery scam texts soar in pandemic with 60% of Britons targeted

Consumer group Which? says fraudsters are operating on ‘industrial scale’

Fake delivery scams have soared during the pandemic with more than 60% of Britons reporting receiving at least one such text in the past year, research from the consumer rights group Which? has revealed.

The scams are so prevalent that even entirely new mobile numbers, which have not been shared, are receiving fraudulent texts within days of new accounts being created.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/29/fake-delivery-scam-texts-soar-in-pandemic-with-60-of-britons-targeted

Queensland Covid update: Annastacia Palaszczuk ‘furious’ as unvaccinated hospital worker tests positive

Premier announces three-day lockdown for large parts of state after infected woman travelled from Brisbane to north Queensland

Large parts of Queensland will go into lockdown for three days from 6pm on Tuesday, after an unvaccinated hospital worker contracted Covid-19 and travelled from Brisbane to north Queensland.

The state premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the case was “very concerning” given the woman, who worked as a receptionist outside the Covid ward at Brisbane’s Prince Charles hospital, was potentially infectious for more than a week.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/29/queensland-covid-update-annastacia-palaszczuk-furious-as-unvaccinated-hospital-worker-tests-positive

Nigerian government threatens to rein in press after Twitter ban

Government could determine code of conduct for journalists under plans criticised as ‘deeply disturbing’

Media organisations in Nigeria have expressed alarm as the government prepares to follow its controversial ban on Twitter with wider regulations reining in the press and social media companies.

A new amendment proposed by lawmakers in President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressive Congress party would allow the government to determine a code of conduct for Nigerian media agencies and journalists, who could be liable to be fined and prosecuted for “fake news” and other breaches of the code.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/nigerian-government-threatens-to-rein-in-press-after-twitter-ban

‘Heat dome’ in Pacific north-west breaks records as Portland braces for 115F

Seattle, Portland and other cities broke records over the weekend and face even higher temperatures

Seattle, Portland and other cities in the Pacific north-west broke all-time heat records over the weekend, with temperatures soaring well above 100F (37.8C).

But forecasters said Monday could be even worse, with the mercury possibly hitting 110F (43C) in Seattle and 115F (46C) in Portland. The high temperatures could continue on Tuesday in some areas.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/28/pacific-north-west-breaks-heat-records

Barnaby Joyce fined for not wearing mask in breach of Covid rules after tipoff to police

Deputy PM issued $200 penalty notice after member of the public dobbed him for entering a petrol station with his face uncovered

Barnaby Joyce has been fined $200 for not wearing a mask while paying for petrol at a service station in Armidale after he was dobbed in by a member of the public.

The newly reinstated deputy prime minister used the end of an interview with Sky News’s Alan Jones to tell the story, as he waved his disposable mask in the air, while Jones attempted to wrap up the segment.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/29/barnaby-joyce-fined-for-not-wearing-mask-in-breach-of-covid-rules-after-tipoff-to-police

Bangladesh soldiers set to patrol streets as national Covid lockdown looms

Majority of country’s 168 million people will be confined to their homes by Thursday, with authorities readying military to enforce strict measures

Bangladesh authorities are preparing to enforce a sweeping national lockdown to combat a deadly resurgence of Covid-19 infections, with public transport networks closing and soldiers ready to patrol the streets.

Thousands of people were stranded in the capital, Dhaka, as authorities halted almost all public transport, leaving commuters to walk, sometimes for hours, in the sweltering summer heat.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/bangladesh-soldiers-set-to-patrol-streets-as-national-covid-lockdown-looms

2021 International Portrait Photographer of the Year – in pictures

Professional and amateur photographers worldwide were invited to enter the inaugural International Portrait Photographer of the Year competition for a chance to share in the prize pool of US$10,000 cash and make it into the top 101 images to be included in the awards book

The 2021 Martin Kantor portrait prize finalists – in pictures

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/jun/29/2021-international-portrait-photographer-of-the-year-in-pictures

Coastguard seizes half a tonne of cocaine floating off Algeria coast

Fishermen alerted authorities to ‘suspicious’ items floating in the sea

The Algerian coastguard has seized almost half a tonne of cocaine after fishers alerted authorities to “suspicious” items floating off the north-west coast.

The coastguard fished out 490kg (1,080 pounds) of cocaine split up into 442 packages from the water six nautical miles (11 kilometres) off Oran’s Cap Carbon on Saturday evening, a defence ministry statement said on Monday.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/29/coastguard-seizes-half-a-tonne-of-cocaine-floating-off-algeria-coast

Vaccines minister condemns video of Chris Whitty being harassed by ‘thugs’

Nadhim Zahawi calls for two men filmed harassing the chief medical officer in the street to be charged

Footage has emerged online apparently showing Prof Chris Whitty being accosted in public, with the vaccine minister calling for the “thugs” to face charges.

The video, which has been shared on social media, seems to show the chief medical officer struggling to get away as the people filming in selfie mode appear to manhandle him.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/29/vaccines-minister-condemns-video-of-chris-whitty-being-harassed-by-thugs

Switzerland’s Sommer saves Mbappé’s penalty to send France crashing out

This was billed as the night Kylian Mbappé would finally illuminate Euro 2020 and, as he stepped up to take France’s fifth penalty of a hitherto flawless shootout, the thought he could miss appeared flippant. Then Yann Sommer ripped up the script, flinging himself to his right and wheeling away in ecstasy, leaving the boy wonder on his knees; Switzerland were through, the favourites were out, and while France tried to claim Sommer had strayed from his line he still had a foot planted as Mbappé struck.

It capped an evening of drama that will be hard to rival. France thought they had won when Karim Benzema, twice, and Paul Pogba scored beautifully to overturn Haris Seferovic’s early goal. Switzerland had their own penalty trauma to deal with at that point, Ricardo Rodriguez having missed from the spot, but levelled in astonishing circumstances through Seferovic and a last-gasp drive from Mario Gavranovic. Mbappé missed the best chance of extra time and, when offered a chance to retrieve the situation, fell short.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-last-16-match-report

Obama: Trump broke ‘core tenet’ of democracy with ‘bunch of hooey’ over election

Ex-president calls for action to stop ‘delegitimizing of democracy’ during redistricting fundraiser

Barack Obama said on Monday that his successor in office, Donald Trump, violated a “core tenet” of democracy when he made up a “bunch of hooey” about last year’s election and refused to concede he lost.

Speaking at his first virtual fundraiser since the 2020 election, the former Democratic president said former Republican president’s claims undermined the legitimacy of US elections and helped lead to other anti-democratic measures such as efforts to suppress the vote.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/28/barack-obama-donald-trump-democracy-election-hooey

Mexico’s high court strikes down laws that ban use of recreational marijuana

Adults will be able to apply for permits to grow and consume cannabis after decision that moves country toward legalization

Mexico’s supreme court has struck down laws prohibiting the use of recreational marijuana, moving the country toward cannabis legalization even as the country’s congress drags its feet on a legalization bill.

In an 8-3 decision on Monday, the high court ruled that sections of the country’s general health law prohibiting personal consumption and home cultivation of marijuana were unconstitutional.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/mexicos-high-court-strikes-down-laws-that-ban-use-of-recreational-marijuana

Covid border restrictions and closures: where you can and can’t travel within Australia – and to New Zealand

Planning a trip across state borders during the school holidays or a weekend away? Before you leave home, check our state-by-state guide to coronavirus travel restrictions and border closures to see if you can travel into our out of Sydney, from NSW to Qld, or to Victoria, SA, WA, NT or NZ

As families prepared for winter school holidays, Covid outbreaks once again resulted in state border restrictions and forced plans to be cancelled.

State and territory health authorities are monitoring the cases and the situation is changing daily. Here is a state-by-state breakdown of where you can and can’t travel and what you need to do before you leave home.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/29/covid-border-closures-restrictions-bans-can-we-travel-victoria-vic-nsw-qld-queensland-wa-sa-act-nt-closures-where-you-can-not-go-fly-to-new-zealand-from-australia-nz

Now is not the time to abandon all Covid caution

Analysis: scientists say the Delta variant should make the government think twice about resting all its hopes on vaccines

If the new health secretary is to be believed, we are about to embark on an “exciting new journey” come 19 July. Sajid Javid, like the prime minister, appears confident that restrictions will be lifted irreversibly on that date. The data, however, is beginning to tell a different story.

When Boris Johnson said his government would be guided by “data, not dates”, the scientific community – for the most part – endorsed the cautious approach. Now, the signs are ominous. Driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant, cases are once again starting to rise exponentially. Vaccination rates have slowed. An exhausted NHS is seeing a rise in hospitalisations. Over half of all people in the UK are not fully vaccinated.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/now-is-not-time-abandon-all-covid-caution-analysis

Covid Australia update: Perth joins Sydney and Darwin in lockdown as AstraZeneca offered to under 60s

NSW is bracing for an escalation in local Covid cases, as the state government prepares a support package for lockdown-affected businesses. Follow latest updates

10.27pm BST

Hello everyone and welcome to a very weird Tuesday.

Let’s dive straight in with the huge news that came out of Scott Morrison’s late night press conference, which is that the AstraZeneca vaccine is now available to anyone over 18 in Australia as long as they are willing to accept the extremely small risk of blood clotting.

We’re hopeful a four-day lockdown and all of the measures we’re putting in place will be enough to crush and kill the virus in its tracks...

What is even more concerning is this most recent infection appears to have involved only fleeting contact with the original case...

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/jun/29/covid-australia-update-perth-sydney-darwin-lockdown-support-package-astrazeneca-pfizer-vaccine-gladys-berejiklian-scott-morrison

Coronavirus live news: South Africa tightens restrictions; Italy mask-free from today

South Africa re-introduces curfew, alcohol ban; all of Italy mask free and low risk from Monday; Australia’s Covid response team holds urgent meeting amid outbreak

6.20am BST

Authorities in South Africa have imposed new restrictions in a last ditch attempt to stem a sharp rise in Covid-19 that is ravaging the country’s economic heartland.

The wave of infections has been driven by the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, weak countermeasures and public fatigue with existing restrictions.

6.01am BST

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.

Authorities in South Africa have imposed new restrictions in a last ditch attempt to stem a sharp rise in Covid-19 that is ravaging the country’s economic heartland.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jun/28/coronavirus-south-africa-tightens-restrictions-italy-mask-free-from-today

India’s Covid gender gap: women left behind in vaccination drive

Misinformation and access issues combined with patriarchal social norms fuelling disparity in distribution across most states

Deep-rooted structural inequalities and patriarchal values are to blame for India’s worrying Covid vaccine gender gap, campaigners and academics have warned.

As of 25 June, of the 309m Covid vaccine doses delivered since January 2021, 143m were administered to women compared with nearly 167m to men, according to CoWin, India’s national statistics site – a ratio of 856 doses given to women for every 1,000 given to men. The difference is not accounted for by India’s gender imbalance of 924 women to 1,000 men.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/28/india-covid-gender-gap-women-left-behind-in-vaccination-drive

Sufferers of chronic pain have long been told it’s all in their head. We now know that’s wrong

In the first of a series looking at chronic pain and long Covid, Linda Geddes explores the growing realisation that pain can be a disease in and of itself – and the pandemic could be making it worse

‘Health systems should be prepared’: doctors brace for tsunami of long Covid

It started with headaches and neck pain, but no sooner had Tricia Kalinowski’s physiotherapist come up with a strategy to tackle these problems, then another area of her body would start to hurt: her lower back, her hip or her jaw.

“The physio was chasing the pain up and down my body,” says Kalinowski, 60, from Minneapolis, US. Eventually, she was referred to an oral surgeon, who believed the root cause of these issues was a problem with one of the joints in her jaw, so she underwent surgery to replace a thumbnail-sized disc.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/28/sufferers-of-chronic-pain-have-long-been-told-its-all-in-their-head-we-now-know-thats-wrong

Belinda Carlisle on punk, cocaine, body image and Buddhism: ‘I was born a little bit of a rebel’

As the singer for pioneering all-female band the Go-Go’s, Carlisle took on a sexist music industry – at a cost. She talks about overcoming addiction, the media’s obsession with her weight and finding happiness in her 60s

It hardly matters – who really cares about these things? – and yet it does. This year the Go-Go’s will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and earning a place at the museum in Cleveland, Ohio, for all its naffness, is still a mark of influence and recognition. “I always said: ‘Fuck them, I don’t care,’” says Belinda Carlisle, the band’s lead singer. “But when it actually happens, it’s: ‘Oh, this is not so bad.’”

The Go-Go’s have had a reappraisal in the past year, thanks mainly to a documentary by the film-maker Alison Ellwood. It tells the story of how these scrappy young LA punks put together a band (the lineup shifted until arriving at the current five members) and made history – incredibly, they are still the only female band who write their own music and play their own instruments to have reached the top of the US album charts. That was in 1982. As with many female artists, belittled for years by the male-dominated music industry and press, the recognition feels long overdue.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/28/belinda-carlisle-on-punk-cocaine-body-image-and-buddhism-i-was-born-a-little-bit-of-a-rebel

‘It opened my eyes’: Lesotho ski resort goes off-piste to keep workers

The pandemic has hit tourism but retraining and a range of initiatives have enabled staff to stay and even hit the slopes

Masiane Nthina made her way nervously from the kit room to the slopes. Shuffling with skis on her feet for the first time is not easy.

Nthina, an intern at the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation, lives close to Afriski Mountain Resort, but had never visited it. She had always viewed the resort as the preserve of the elite and thought that on her meagre wages she could not afford to go.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/28/it-opened-my-eyes-lesotho-ski-resort-goes-off-piste-to-keep-workers

Malawi’s LBGTQ+ community celebrates first Pride parade

Homosexuality remains illegal in the country, where a conviction carries a jail term of up to 14 years

For a few hours over the weekend the streets of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, were covered in rainbows, as about 50 members of the country’s persecuted LBGTQ+ community took part in the country’s first Pride parade.

The risks to those who took part are high. Homosexuality remains illegal in Malawi, and those who identify as anything other than heterosexual face arrest and imprisonment.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jun/28/malawis-lbgtq-community-celebrates-first-pride-parade

‘This is the end of times’: Lebanon struggles to find political path through its crisis

As the country suffers from hyperinflation and shortages of fuel and medical supplies, pressure is growing at home and abroad to address its governance quagmire

The lights dimmed further in Lebanon last month when two giant barges that had boosted its electricity grid were switched off. The result was six hours less power a day for most homes, or more need for generator fuel for those who could afford it.

However, fuel is also in short supply in the crisis-hit nation. Giant queues clog roads near filling stations and top-ups are limited to 20 litres, making most journeys precarious.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/this-is-the-end-of-times-lebanon-struggles-to-find-political-path-through-its-crisis

Pet lion seized from home in Cambodia capital after appearance on TikTok

Authorities investigated after defanged and declawed animal was seen in TikTok videos in Phnom Penh

Cambodian authorities have confiscated a defanged and declawed pet lion that appeared in TikTok videos taken at a Phnom Penh villa.

The 18-month-old male, weighing 70kg (154lbs), had been imported from overseas by the owner, a Chinese national, to be raised in his home, environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/pet-lion-seized-from-home-in-cambodia-capital-after-appearance-on-tiktok

New Zealand to ban most single-use plastics by 2025

Ban on plastics including cotton buds, packaging, cutlery, straws and fruit labels to be phased in from next year

New Zealanders will be farewelling their plastics – bags, ear buds, spoons and straws – as the government attempts to match the country’s reality to its “clean green” reputation.

Currently one of the top 10 per-capita producers of landfill waste in the world, New Zealand has announced it will ban a swathe of single-use plastics, including cotton buds, bags, cutlery, plates and bowls, straws and fruit labels.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/new-zealand-to-ban-most-single-use-plastics-by-2025

Canada hits record temperature of 46.1C amid heatwave

British Columbian village sets new record, with most of western Canada subject to heat warning

Canada has recorded its highest temperature on record after a village in British Columbia reached 46.1C (115F) on Sunday.

The temperature in Lytton, in the south of Canada’s western-most province, surpassed the previous national high of 45C (113F), set in Saskatchewan in 1937.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/canada-hits-record-temperature-of-461c-amid-heatwave

Hancock affair: PM has ‘serious questions’ to answer, says Labour

Sir Keir Starmer queries award of Covid contracts, issuance of aide’s parliamentary pass and leak of CCTV

Boris Johnson still has “huge questions to answer” in the aftermath of Matt Hancock’s resignation over his affair with a friend and paid adviser, Labour has said, as the government was urged to launch an investigation into a “potential abuse of public money”.

Downing Street was struggling to contain the scandal, which broke last week after CCTV footage emerged of the married health secretary and Gina Coladangelo kissing in his Whitehall office only weeks before.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/27/pm-must-answer-huge-questions-over-hancock-affair-says-labour

New Zealand may exclude NSW from travel bubble as Covid cases rise in Australia

New Zealand officials announced that the bubble would be paused until midnight on Tuesday

New Zealand is expected to exclude New South Wales from its quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia when it resumes as cases continue to mount in the wake of the Bondi outbreak.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, told Breakfast on Monday morning she anticipated the bubble would resume shortly, with the exception of New South Wales, where case numbers are highest. She said the government might introduce new preventative measures, including pre-departure testing.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/new-zealand-nz-travel-bubble-nsw-may-be-excluded-australia-covid-cases-rise

New York prosecutors set deadline for Trump on legal action – report

Ex-president’s lawyers have 24 hours Monday to say why the Trump Organization should not face charges, reports claim

New York prosecutors have given lawyers for Donald Trump 24 hours to respond with any last arguments as to why criminal charges should not be filed against his family business, according to a report on Sunday.

The deadline set for Monday was another strong signal that the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, and the New York attorney general, Letitia James, are considering criminal charges against the former president’s company as an entity, according to sources quoted by the Washington Post.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/28/new-york-prosecutors-set-deadline-for-trump-on-legal-action-report

A death at sea and why answers are so difficult to find

In March of 2020, Eritara Aati Kaierua was declared dead aboard a fishing vessel. He was working as an observer, monitoring catches to make sure no illegal fishing was taking place. Video later showed the feet of several people entering his room before he died but more than a year later no charges have been laid. This isn’t an isolated incident – since 2009 at least a dozens observers have turned up dead or disappeared with little explanation.

Reporter Bernadette Carreon explains what is happening to these workers and why answers are so difficult to find.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2021/jun/28/a-death-at-sea-and-why-answers-are-so-difficult-to-find

Hong Kong police arrest senior Apple Daily journalist at airport

Fung Wai-kong is seventh senior figure from publication to be arrested in two weeks

A senior journalist of the now-defunct Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was arrested at the airport while attempting to leave the city.

Fung Wai-kong was believed to be leaving for the UK when he was arrested on Sunday night, local media reported.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/hong-kong-police-arrest-apple-daily-journalist-airport-fung-wai-kong

UK military chiefs self-isolate after head of army catches Covid

Defence secretary and heads of Royal Navy and RAF all isolating after Gen Sir Nick Carter’s positive Covid test

The defence secretary and six of the UK’s most senior military commanders have been forced to self-isolate after Gen Sir Nick Carter, the head of the armed forces, tested positive for coronavirus.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement to the Guardian that Carter, chief of the defence staff, had tested positive for Covid-19.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/27/uk-defence-secretary-self-isolates-after-armed-forces-chief-tests-positive

US strikes hit Iran-backed militia facilities in Iraq and Syria

Pentagon says air strikes were in response to drone attacks against US personnel in Iraq

The US has carried out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria, in response to drone attacks by the militia against US personnel and facilities in Iraq.

The strikes on Sunday targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, the Pentagon said.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/28/us-strikes-hit-iran-backed-militia-facilities-in-iraq-and-syria

Beware scaling back UK furlough scheme too soon, warns Resolution Foundation

Thinktank warns of ‘dangerous complacency’ with strength of jobs market and pay growth both weaker than thought

The strength of the UK jobs market and rates of pay has been overstated, according to new research, just as the government prepares to cut back its wage support scheme for furloughed workers this week.

There is a risk of “dangerous complacency”, the Resolution Foundation warned, as people are still working fewer hours than they were before the pandemic and headline pay growth is overstated.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/28/beware-scaling-back-uk-furlough-scheme-too-soon-warns-resolution-foundation

Massachusetts gunman who killed two left ‘white supremacist rhetoric’

Two people of color killed in Boston suburb of Winthrop
DA: deceased suspect wrote ‘antisemitic and racist statements’

Authorities in Massachusetts are investigating whether a man who killed two people in the Boston suburb of Winthrop on Saturday targeted them because they were Black, after officials found “troubling white supremacist rhetoric” in the gunman’s handwriting, a prosecutor said.

The Suffolk county district attorney, Rachael Rollins, identified the gunman as 28-year-old Nathan Allen and said investigators uncovered writings that expressed “antisemitic and racist statements against Black individuals”.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/27/massachusetts-winthrop-shooting-gunman-white-supremacist-rhetoric

Thorgan Hazard strike sinks Portugal and puts Belgium in quarter-finals

Down in the stands, Kevin De Bruyne expressed the way they all felt, nerves shred, tension rising, pleading with his his team-mates to hang on. Alongside him, Eden Hazard sat too. Both men had been withdrawn, injured, now all they could do is watch as Belgium desperately hung on to a Thorgan Hazard goal that would see them go through.

If, that was, Portugal couldn’t find a way through, the pressure rising all the time.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/27/belgium-portugal-euro-2020-match-report

Pacific north-west heatwave continues with Idaho and Montana in firing line

Portland, Oregon records hottest ever days
Rattlesnakes galore: odd consequences of California drought

Much of the US Pacific north-west remained under an extreme heatwave as the weekend came to a close, with the National Weather Service calling temperatures intense, prolonged, record-breaking, unprecedented, abnormal and dangerous.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/27/pacific-north-west-heatwave-continues-with-idaho-and-montana-in-firing-line

Yabba dabba deal! California town settles suit over Flintstones house

Owner Florence Fang will apply for permits for sculptures
Town of Hillsborough agrees to pay $125,000

The owner of a controversial Flintstones-themed house has settled a lawsuit with the town of Hillsborough, in the San Francisco suburbs, which alleged she violated local codes when she put dinosaur sculptures in the back yard and made other landscaping changes that caused local officials to declare a public nuisance.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/27/yabba-dabba-deal-california-town-settles-suit-flintstones-house

Australia Covid live update: Sydney braces for surge in cases as Perth, NT and Qld battle outbreaks

Darwin is in lockdown after reporting four cases on Sunday, WA has imposed restrictions and Queensland is tracing contacts of cases with the Alpha variant. Follow the latest news live

10.24pm BST

Good morning, and what a doozy of a morning it is.

I’m Matilda Boseley, and I’ll be attempting to break down exactly what on earth is happening in Australia at the moment, with coronavirus outbreaks across three states and a territory, and lockdowns, tightened restrictions and border closures spreading nearly as fast as the virus.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/jun/28/australia-covid-live-update-bondi-sydney-nsw-cluster-delta-variant-darwin-northern-territory-perth-wa-queensland-health-vaccines-scott-morrison-dan-andrews-national-security-committee

Covid live news: half of all adults in England under 30 now jabbed

More than 4.2 million people aged between 18 and 29 have received coronavirus vaccine in the three weeks since programme began

9.16am BST

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has removed an option for visitors to apply for vaccines from a dedicated mobile app, although a hotline run by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) last week said tourists were eligible. Reuters reports:

SEHA, which operates the emirate’s health infrastructure, had said that visitors with visas issued by Abu Dhabi and passport holders eligible for tourist visas upon entry can book free vaccines, and its app had shown a ‘visitor’ function.

Vaccinations had previously been restricted to UAE citizens and residency visa holders.

9.07am BST

Australia’s New South Wales has recorded 30 new cases, authorities have said, as Sydney and its surroundings woke up to the first day of a two-week lockdown imposed to quell an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Sunday numbers, collected before 8pm on Saturday (UTC), take the number of infections linked to the Bondi outbreak to 110 and two other cases remain investigation. Some 52,000 tests were conducted. The state premier Gladys Berejiklian told a news briefing:

Given how contagious this strain of the virus is, we do anticipate that in the next few days, case numbers are likely to increase beyond what we have seen today because we are seeing that people in isolation, unfortunately, would have already transmitted to all their house contacts.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/jun/27/coronavirus-live-news-covid-vaccine-latest-updates

US fight against Covid threatened by growing vaccine gap in the south

Less than 50% of adults in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

In the United States, to bring about a long-awaited end to the Covid-19 pandemic, federal and state health officials have been urging all Americans to get vaccinated. But, amid stagnating national vaccine rates, some states in the south have been lagging behind when it comes to vaccinating their populations, raising fears of deepening regional disparities.

That raises the prospect that for a complex web of reasons much of the southern US will continue to experience the pandemic in a different way than the rest of America. That is especially worrisome as the south contains more communities that are more vulnerable to the virus.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/27/us-covid-vaccine-disparities-south

Ghislaine Maxwell began to share ‘little black book’ with Epstein as early as the 1980s

New documentary reveals sex offender used socialite for access to her famous and rich friends years from the 1980s onwards

Ghislaine Maxwell’s association with Jeffrey Epstein began years earlier than previously understood, according to a documentary investigating the socialite who became an alleged procuress for the paedophile financier.

The new information challenges the common assumption that Epstein stepped into a vacuum in her life after the death of her father, the newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, who was found in the sea near the Canary Islands in 1991.

Continue reading...

source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/27/ghislaine-maxwell-began-to-share-little-black-book-with-epstein-as-early-as-the-1980s

Featured post