Category Archives: World News

Hilary Mantel and JK Rowling add lots to auction for global vaccine rollout

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Fundraiser running until 21 May also includes chances to consult with star agent Jonny Geller and have a character named after you in a Sarah Pinborough novel

A literary auction raising money to help vaccinate the world against coronavirus has made more than £23,000 so far, as book lovers bid to win signed novels by authors including Hilary Mantel, as well as mentoring sessions from star publishers and agents.

Bidding at Books for Vaccines for a personal consultation with literary agent Jonny Geller has reached £1,000, while a signed box set of the Wolf Hall trilogy, with handwritten first sentences from Mantel, has topped £600. The auction is running until 21 May, with other lots including the chance to have a character named after you in the next novel by Sarah Pinborough, author of the Netflix hit Behind Her Eyes, a signed copy of Marian Keyes’s novel Grown Ups, and the chance to write the dedication at the front of Jill Mansell’s new novel.

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Coronavirus live news: India suffers record daily deathss; Tokyo doctors call for Japan Olympics to be cancelled

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India deaths rise by record 4,329 in 24 hours; Singapore authorises use as it tackles increase in infections

Leaders of the world’s largest economies back “voluntary licensing” of Covid vaccine patents, the draft conclusions of a summit show.

The draft document, seen by Reuters, lists commitments of G20 nations- and other countries- and is to be adopted on Friday at a Global Health Summit in Rome, one of this year’s major events to coordinate global actions against the pandemic.

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Biden breaks silence on ceasefire eight days into Israel-Gaza conflict | First Thing

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Joe Biden expresses support for ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers Hamas. Plus, the ‘patriotic millionaires’ shaming Jeff Bezos

Good morning

Joe Biden has expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers Hamas for the first time, but stopped short of calling for an immediate halt to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages.

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Rijksmuseum slavery exhibition confronts cruelty of Dutch trade

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Amsterdam show includes 140 objects ranging from Rembrandt portraits to human collars and ankle chains

The aim of a first exhibition on the Dutch slave trade to be shown at the Rijksmuseum, launched on Tuesday by King Willem-Alexander, is not to be “woke” but to be a “blockbuster” telling a truer story of the Golden Age, the director general of the national institution has said.

Taco Dibbits said his museum had no intention of taking sides in a political and cultural debate but that the royal visit, broadcast live on national television, highlighted that the wealth bestowed and cruelty endured was not just relevant to the descendants of those enslaved.

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Indian mosque bulldozed in defiance of high court order

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Local officials in Uttar Pradesh demolish mosque that had stood since time of British rule

A local administration in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has defied a state high court order and bulldozed a mosque, in one of the most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a mob of Hindu nationalist rioters in 1992.

The mosque, in the city of Ram Sanehi Ghat in Uttar Pradesh, had stood for at least six decades, since the time of British rule, according to documents held by its committee.

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China divorces drop 70% after controversial ‘cooling off’ law

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Law requires couples to wait 30 days before formalising divorce – but some say it has made young people more likely to avoid marriage

The number of divorces in China dropped more than 70% in the first quarter of this year, after a controversial law forcing a “cooling-off period” for couples came into effect.

According to data published by the ministry of civil affairs, 296,000 divorces were registered during the first three months of 2021, down from 1.05m in the previous quarter, and 1.06m in the same time period the year before, according to state media.

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Israel unleashes wave of airstrikes on Gaza as Biden issues statement supporting ceasefire – video

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The Israeli military has launched another heavy wave of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militants' tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. Early on Tuesday morning, three massive blasts shook Gaza City. Confirmation is being sought as to what caused the explosions. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signalled Israel’s bombardment would continue despite mounting global pressure to stop the bloodshed. After a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Monday afternoon, the US president, Joe Biden, issued a statement expressing support for a ceasefire, but did not say it should be immediate. In the last week, at least 200 Palestinians, including 59 children, have been killed in the attacks by Israel

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Leonardo DiCaprio pledges $43m to restore the Galápagos Islands

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Environmentalist actor, with other conservation groups, aims to rewild the entire archipelago and other Pacific islands in Latin America

Leonardo DiCaprio has announced a $43m (£30.4m) pledge to enact sweeping conservation operations across the Galápagos Islands, with his social media accounts taken over by a wildlife veterinarian and island restoration specialist.

The initiative, in partnership with Re:wild, an organisation founded this year by a group of renowned conservation scientists and DiCaprio, the Galápagos National Park Directorate, Island Conservation, and local communities, aims to rewild the entire Galápagos Islands, as well as all of Latin America’s Pacific archipelagos.

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Locked out of school: Pakistan’s digital divide has students struggling

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When Covid shut schools, fees still had to be paid even if rural pupils could not access online lessons

Iqbal Khan works as a chauffeur in Lahore. His children are in his home village in a rural area north of Peshawar. Both of these very different areas of Pakistan have the same problem for many of their young people: no means of getting access to an education.

Online learning was not an option for Khan’s children as the pandemic locked down schools across cities and countryside. Even as he worked to pay the school fees, his two sons, aged 16 and 13, were unable to access any lessons as their schools went digital.

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Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine has approved storage period extended

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Increased flexibility of vaccine expected to have ‘significant impact’ on rollout in EU member states

The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine can be stored at fridge temperature for much longer than previously recommended, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The previous advice was the vaccine needed to be kept at an ultra-low temperature, between -70C and -80C, until a few days before use when it could be transferred to a standard medical fridge.

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Petra Diamonds pays £4.3m to Tanzanians ‘abused’ by its contractors

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Firm settles over allegations claimants were shot, stabbed and beaten by guards at mine that produced one of Queen’s favourite gems

The British mining company Petra Diamonds has agreed to pay £4.3m in compensation to dozens of Tanzanians who allegedly suffered serious human rights abuses at a mine famed for producing a flawless pink diamond for one of the Queen’s favourite brooches.

The 71 Tanzanian claimants, represented in the London high court by the British law firm Leigh Day, alleged grave violations by the company, among them being shot, beaten, stabbed, assaulted, detained in cramped and filthy holding cells, and handcuffed to hospital beds.

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Parent trap: why the cult of the perfect mother has to end

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Worldwide, mothers are overworked, underpaid, often lonely and made to feel guilty about everything from epidurals to bottle feeding. Fixing this is the unfinished work of feminism

It’s the middle of a dark, November night, and I’m about to have my first baby. But instead of the joyful experience I’d hoped for, I am being rushed into the operating theatre to have an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic. I have a dangerous complication and my son’s life is at risk. Four hours earlier, I’d been sent home by a midwife who told me I couldn’t stay in hospital and have an epidural because labour wasn’t properly “established”.

It’s a week later and I’m back home with my son who, thankfully, made it. But I’m struggling. If someone asks me how I am, in a kindly voice, my voice cracks. I’m spending a lot of time sitting on the bed in a milk-stained dressing gown. In a few days, my partner will go back to work.

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‘Urgent. Oxygen needed’: Nepalis mobilise to take charge in Covid crisis

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Amid political turmoil and an overwhelmed health system, young activists are stepping up in response to the pandemic

A ping and: “ICU bed needed. Please it’s urgent.” Another ping: “Where can I find Remdesivir. EMERGENCY.” Ping: “Very urgent oxygen cylinder needed, patient at last stage.” The messages never let up; a constant stream of posts pleading for hospital beds, oxygen, plasma and medicine.

It’s not Nepal’s government helpline, but an online group set up by a 24-year-old public health graduate.

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EU sidelined and divided as war rages again in Middle East

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Analysis: internal tensions and differences with the US have left the bloc unable to take a clear position on Israel-Palestine

If the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, wanted to symbolise the Joe Biden administration’s determination not to become embroiled in the Israel-Palestine issue, he could not have timed better his current trip to Copenhagen, Reykjavik and Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Important discussions on the Arctic and the climate crisis may be on the agenda, but the chilly north is a distance from the tunnels, rocket fire and screams of those suffering in the latest war in the Middle East.

It may well be that in his numerous calls to key regional actors on the plane to Denmark Blinken made more progress in inching Israel, and Hamas, towards a ceasefire the US had been reluctant to demand in public.

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Twenty firms produce 55% of world’s plastic waste, report reveals

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Plastic Waste Makers index identifies those driving climate crisis with virgin polymer production

Twenty companies are responsible for producing more than half of all the single-use plastic waste in the world, fuelling the climate crisis and creating an environmental catastrophe, new research reveals.

Among the global businesses responsible for 55% of the world’s plastic packaging waste are both state-owned and multinational corporations, including oil and gas giants and chemical companies, according to a comprehensive new analysis.

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Coronavirus live: Italy eases night-time curfew; Germany to offer vaccines to all over-16s

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Italy relaxes restrictions in areas with low cases; Germany will scrap its vaccine priority list from 7 June; Taiwan posts 333 new cases in worsening outbreak

This blog is now closed. You can stay up to date with our latest coverage of the pandemic below.

New York State this week will drop face mask requirements in most public spaces for those vaccinated against Covid-19, conforming to the latest US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, the governor, Andrew Cuomo, said on Monday.

In California, the governor, Gavin Newsom, said his state would keep its mask order in place for another month, despite the CDC’s new recommendations.

Unvaccinated people should continue to wear a mask.

Related: A year of living dangerously: how Andrew Cuomo fell from grace

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Israel-Gaza conflict: 200 Palestinians killed in a week, say officials

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Benjamin Netanyahu signals Israel’s bombardment will continue as Joe Biden issues statement supporting ceasefire

Two hundred Palestinians, including 59 children, have been killed during a week of attacks in Gaza, health officials in the territory have said, as Benjamin Netanyahu signalled Israel’s bombardment would rage on despite mounting global pressure to stop the bloodshed.

After a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Monday afternoon, US president Joe Biden issued a statement, supporting – but not demanding – a ceasefire and did not say it should be immediate.

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‘Covid casino’ case collapses as police in Canada accused of stealing watches

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The owner of a mansion allegedly used for illegal gambling during pandemic will not face charges after police accused of theft and planting evidence

A police investigation into an alleged underground casino operating out of a mansion north of Toronto has fallen apart after officers were accused of stealing two luxury watches and planting evidence.

Police in Ontario said in September they had seized more than $10m in assets, firearms, cash and liquor as part of a months-long investigation into illegal gambling.

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More than 3,000 migrants reach Spain’s north African enclave Ceuta in a day

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Unprecedented influx comes amid tensions with Morocco over Western Sahara independence leader hospitalisation in Spain

More than 3,000 migrants, a third of them presumed to be minors, crossed into Spain’s northern African enclave of Ceuta on Monday, in an unprecedented influx that left Spanish officials scrambling to bolster police presence in the tiny territory.

Ceuta, along with nearby Melilla, has long been a magnet for African migrants hoping to cross into Europe, despite being heavily protected and fortified with a double fence. The mass crossing into Ceuta comes amid heightened tensions between Madrid and Rabat over Spain’s decision to allow a Western Sahara independence leader to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain.

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