The storm caused swollen rivers to burst their banks, flipped roofs on to streets, and killed at least nine people across the region
Continue reading...Category Archives: World News
End the odes to political ‘civility’. Do you really think Republicans will reciprocate? | Jan-Werner Mueller
If they’re going to achieve anything the next two to four years, Democrats must not fall for the trap of ‘bipartisanship’
For four years, Donald Trump and the Republican party have been riding roughshod over long-established norms of American democracy. They have pushed to the legal limits of what they can do (and sometimes beyond). They have not so much ignored any opposition as declared it illegitimate. In response, and in the face of intense national polarization, politicians and pundits have appealed to moderation, civility and the common good. One of the biggest proponents of that attitude is President-elect Joe Biden, who, in his victory speech, said, “We must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.” Now that Trump has lost, the political survivors of the Republican party may rush to join that chorus.
Related: Obama scolds 'petulant' Trump but reveals conservative sympathies
Continue reading...Seven migrants boarded a container for Milan. Months later their bodies were discovered
Four months after seven men entered a container in Serbia, their remains were discovered in Paraguay, underscoring the risks taken by migrants trying to reach the EU
When seven North African men climbed into a shipping container in a railway yard in the Serbian town of Šid this July, they hoped that they would emerge a few days later in Milan.
Related: Paraguay authorities find at least seven bodies in fertilizer shipment
Continue reading...Coronavirus live news: US doctors urge Trump to share Covid data; record cases in Tokyo
Medical establishment says cooperation can save lives; UK pressed to open transatlantic travel corridors; South Australia locks down for 6 days
- Republican senator Chuck Grassley tests positive
- Trump administration has ‘checked out’ as Covid-19 surges, experts say
- UK urged to open up transatlantic corridors as ‘Covid-free’ flight arrives
- UK police can resume issuing instant £10,000 Covid fines
I am handing over the blog to my colleague Alexandra Topping in the UK.
Thanks for reading but if you’re just joining, here are the main developments of the past few hours:
Businesses in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, could be asked to shorten their opening hours in order to contain an outbreak of the virus that has seen cases in the city reach a record daily high of 472 on Wednesday.
Continue reading...It was always lost on Brexiteers – but the EU is fundamentally about peace | Rafael Behr
The 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials puts the fantasy of resistance to tyrannical Brussels into proper perspective
“I would rather not shake hands with a German of my age,” says Colette Marin-Catherine. “But I give all possible credit to the generations that came after.” There is steel in the elderly voice, but no anger.
When Colette was 16, her older brother, Jean-Pierre, was deported to a German concentration camp. He was put to work as a slave labourer in underground tunnels assembling V2 rocket-propelled bombs. He died weeks before the camp was liberated by US soldiers. Brother and sister had both been active in the French resistance, but Colette escaped capture. She refused to set foot in Germany for another 74 years.
Continue reading...Hong Kong national security law pits judges against justice officials in activist’s trial
Justice department pushes to install national security judge in case as three pro-democracy legislators arrested over unruly scenes during debate
Hong Kong’s department of justice has asked that a national security judge take over the trial of an activist, even though he has not been charged with national security offences, in a move that underlines the erosion of the city’s independent legal system.
It came as a senior Chinese official called for “judicial reform” in Hong Kong and three pro-democracy legislators were arrested.
Continue reading...Australian women say Qatar has not contacted them since invasive Doha airport examinations
Women say they have had no apology from Qatar Airways or government and are considering legal action
Women who were removed from a Qatar Airways flight and subject to an intimate medical examination, sparking international outrage last month, have not received any individual apologies or been directly contacted by the airline.
Passengers on the flight, which departed Doha for Sydney on 2 October, have told Guardian Australia there has been no direct contact with them from either Qatar Airways of the Qatari government in the six weeks since the incident took place.
Continue reading...‘I can’t breathe’: the Thai dissident, his disappearance and a sister’s fight for justice
Sister of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a critic of Thailand’s government whose disappearance has spurred national protests, says ‘the truth must come out’
“I heard the sound ‘bang, bang, bang’. Personally, I thought there had been an accident. Then, he said: ‘I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe’.”
These are the words of Sitanan Satsaksit, who can recount in detail the alleged abduction of her brother Wanchalearm, a critic of Thailand’s military-backed government whose disappearance has helped spur pro-democracy protests across the country. It all happened while she was on the phone to him.
Continue reading...Philippine tradition of ‘long Christmas’ survives Covid and typhoons
Festive season usually last four months but this year as well as the pandemic there have been three strong storms
The strains of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer echo around a popular shopping mall in Quezon City, Manila. A band of mechanical snowmen, dressed in Santa hats, sway back and forth to the music, as shoppers – socially distanced – browse stacks of baubles and Christmas lights.
In the Philippines, a majority Catholic country, festive preparations are well and truly under way already. The country has one of the longest Christmas periods in the world, with celebrations beginning at the start of September and, for some, lasting as late as Valentine’s Day.
Continue reading...Failure to seal post-Brexit deal would more than halve UK growth, says KPMG
Accountancy firm warns of stalled economic recovery without EU trade agreement
Failure to strike a post-Brexit trade deal would cut the UK’s economic growth rate by more than half next year, delaying a full recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report.
The accountancy firm KPMG said the economy would suffer heavily should the UK fail to secure a trade deal with the EU before the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of December, just as the country attempts to escape the deepest recession since records began.
Continue reading...Fears of foreign policy chaos in Trump’s final days fueled by Iran bombing report
The outgoing president reportedly asked for options on bombing Iran as administration eyes last chance to achieve objectives
Fears that Donald Trump might try to wreak havoc on the world stage in his final, desperate, weeks in office appear to have been well-founded, after he reportedly asked for options on bombing Iran.
Continue reading...Trump withdrawal plan could tip Afghanistan towards more violence
Attacks up since September amid fears Taliban biding their time until US forces leave
Donald Trump’s plan for a swift withdrawal of over half the US troops in Afghanistan comes at a dangerous time for a country officially in peace talks, but grappling with escalating bloodshed and shrinking financial support from foreign donors.
Attacks are up by 50% since negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in September, a recent US government report found, above average levels for this time of year.
Continue reading...Dolly Parton partly funded Moderna Covid vaccine research
The country music icon’s $1m donation supported the latest breakthrough by Moderna and several research papers
It’s truly the greatest gift of all: a $1m donation by Dolly Parton to coronavirus vaccine research supported the development of the Moderna vaccine, which shows 95% protection from the virus.
In April, Parton donated £800,000 to research after her friend Dr Naji Abumrad of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee told her that they were making “some exciting advancements” in the search for a cure for the virus. Abumrad and Parton became friends in 2014 after the singer was involved in a car accident and treated at Vanderbilt.
Continue reading...Trump Pennsylvania court hearing due as Biden sharpens criticism of concession refusal – live updates
- Biden warns ‘more people may die’ unless Trump starts cooperating
- Trump ‘considered striking Iran’s nuclear sites’ after election loss
- Major hurdles ahead for Covid-19 vaccine distribution in the US
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Gary Younge writes for us today a typically eloquent long read on Donald Trump’s desperate fight to stop the minority vote in 2020 – and how he still lost.
According to Trump, votes were illegitimate by dint of where they were cast. “Detroit and Philadelphia are known as two of the most corrupt political places anywhere in our country – easily,” he said. “They cannot be responsible for engineering the outcome of a presidential race.”
This was a new twist in the racial logic of the American right, which has gone from blocking Black people from voting to allowing them to vote as long as their votes don’t all get counted.
Related: Counted out: Trump's desperate fight to stop the minority vote
In his report on the situation with Iran just now, Patrick Wintour mentioned those reports that Donald Trump is intending to make a significant troop withdrawal from Afghanistan before vacating the White House in January. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has issued a warning about that this morning.
Associated Press report him saying “We now face a difficult decision. We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and no Nato ally wants to stay any longer than necessary. But at the same time, the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high,” in a statement.
Continue reading...Ethiopia: troops will launch ‘final’ offensive against Tigray rebels, PM says
Abiy Ahmed says deadline for surrender has expired, paving way for push on Tigray’s capital before end of week
Ethiopian troops will launch a “final and conclusive” offensive against rebel forces in the northern region of Tigray before the end of the week, the country’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has warned.
In a series of social media posts on Tuesday, Abiy said that a three-day deadline for rebel troops to surrender had expired, paving the way for a final push on Mekelle, Tigray’s capital.
Continue reading...UK, Italy and Spain record highest daily death totals since spring – as it happened
This blog is closing now but you can follow our continuing live coverage here. Thanks for reading.
Related: Coronavirus live news: senator Chuck Grassley tests positive; airlines offer Covid testing
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Pharrell Williams announces gender neutral skincare line
Musician’s Humanrace skincare products described as being for “every individual”
The musician and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams has announced the release of Humanrace, his long awaited skincare line. Significantly, it is gender neutral.
The Humanrace products, a powder cleanser, lotus enzyme exfoliator and humidifying cream are described on the website as being for “every individual,” subtly avoiding any pronoun definition. Williams told Allure magazine: “We want to democratise the experience of achieving wellness.”
Continue reading...Iran warns of ‘crushing response’ if Trump targets nuclear site
Outgoing president reported to have looked at military options against Tehran and its allies
Iran has warned of a strong response if Donald Trump goes ahead with plans to use the twilight of his presidency to mount a strike on Iran or its allies in the region.
It was reported that Trump last week looked at options for striking Iran’s main nuclear site, but was dissuaded from taking action after his advisers warned it might lead to a larger conflict in the Middle East. The report was sourced to four US officials by the New York Times.
Continue reading...Hurricane Iota lashes Central America – video
Hurricane Iota has made landfall on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, threatening catastrophic damage. Huge waves crashed into the Colombian island of San Andrés as the storm churned through the region, lashing Nicaragua with winds of up to 155mph (250kmh).
The latest storm hit just two weeks after Hurricane Eta, which caused havoc across the same parts of Central America. The presidents of Honduras and Guatemala have called on wealthier countries to help deal with the cost of the climate crisis
- Hurricane Iota strengthens to catastrophic category 5 storm as it hits Central America
- Hurricane Iota hits Nicaragua threatening catastrophic damage
- Scientists link record-breaking hurricane season to climate crisis
• This video was amended on 17 November 2020 to remove unrelated footage that had been mistakenly included in a report by the Associated Press
Peru’s week of protests – in pictures
Peru’s capital is reeling from an intense week of pro-democracy protests marked by accusations of police brutality. The impeachment of former president Martín Vizcarra unleashed nationwide demonstrations and what analysts have called Peru’s worst political crisis in more than a decade
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