The Guardian |
- Biden’s new goal: get 70% of Americans vaccinated by Fourth of July
- Derek Chauvin: ex-officer convicted in George Floyd’s murder asks for new trial
- Rome court to rule on two Americans accused of fatally stabbing police officer
- Kremlin bears down on Moscow bureau of US-funded radio station
- Donald Trump returns to social media with glorified blog
- ‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report
- US birth rate sees biggest fall for nearly 50 years
- Political animal: California governor hopeful greets voters with 1,000lb bear
- Myanmar junta bans satellite dishes in media crackdown
- CIA forges unity in diversity: everybody hates their ‘woke’ recruitment ad
- Times change but our values don’t: 200 years, and we’ve only just begun
- A brief history of the Guardian: liberalism, war and emerald jewels – video
- The Guardian view on our 200th birthday: reasons to be cheerful | Editorial
- The Guardian’s first ever edition – annotated
- Coronavirus live news: India deaths in record rise; Japan mulls longer lockdown – reports
- LA reports no Covid deaths for two days in a row in major pandemic milestone
- France still split over Napoleon as it marks bicentenary of death
- ‘It was truly an experiment’: how did we get to Sesame Street?
- Japanese town spends Covid funds on huge squid statue
- Mary Rose ship had multi-ethnic crew, study shows
- Defaced petroglyphs force rock climbers to reckon with sport’s destructive past
- Meghan’s first book for children explores ‘bond between father and son’
- Why do Americans die earlier than Europeans? | Samuel Preston and Yana Vierboom
- US society is fraying at the seams. We need to think about our ‘civic infrastructure’ | Jan-Werner Müller
- Looking at India from afar, I’m furious at Modi’s wilful neglect of my homeland
- Our first child is due, and I’m already in the clutches of the baby-industrial complex | Arwa Mahdawi
- Fears of a coup in France are exaggerated, but a far-right president is a real possibility
- Mahrez fires Manchester City past PSG into first Champions League final
- Seahawks’ DK Metcalf to run in 100m at USATF meet with eye on Olympic trials
- Green says NBA teams are ‘terrified’ of Stephen Curry after latest thrilling game
- Golfers warned signing for breakaway tour will lead to PGA Tour ban
- The IPL failed by ignoring stark warning signs of India’s Covid crisis | Anand Vasu
- Why the Dodgers-Padres turbo-charged rivalry is great for baseball
- José Mourinho to take over as Roma manager next season
- What shape is Rafael Nadal in as he tackles another clay court season? | Tumaini Carayol
- The fight for Hartlepool – podcast
- Why do the Carters look so tiny alongside Joe Biden and his wife Jill in this picture?
- The new Marvel megatrailer: just go limp and let it stomp all over you
- Netflix shuffle: is the new ‘play something’ feature worth it?
- The case of the Covid-compliant murder: how The Mousetrap is snapping back to life
- Britney Spears: documentaries about my life are ‘so hypocritical’
- Red Hot Chili Peppers sell rights to catalogue of hits to Hipgnosis
- ‘10,000 tiny instruments’: how Lego made the experimental album of 2021
- ‘It’s about looking around us’: New York’s Frieze art fair tackles social justice
- Darth Vader’s helmet raises charity funds in May the 4th auction
- Why won’t this giant oil pipeline reveal its secret backers?
- US south braced for more severe weather after tornadoes and hailstorms
- Biden says it’s time for richest Americans to pay ‘their fair share’ of taxes
- Thousands of Afghans flee as fighting erupts after US troop withdrawal begins
- German society ‘brutalised’ as far-right crimes hit record levels
- Anger mounts as death toll from Mexico metro overpass collapse rises to 24
- North Korea faces economic ruin amid food and medicine shortages
- Melinda Gates could become world’s second-richest woman
- Mali woman has given birth to nine babies, says health ministry
- UN condemns violent repression of Colombia protests after at least 18 die
- Carbon offsets used by major airlines based on flawed system, warn experts
- Farmer moves border stone for tractor – and makes Belgium bigger
- Dalian Atkinson’s head was kicked like a football by police officer, murder trial told
- Second vote called in latest twist in Samoa’s most dramatic election in history
- Nigerian president faces growing criticism after ‘security system collapse’
- Rwanda: blood on their hands – archive, 3 December 1994
- In the green room: the 2021 Nikon surf photography awards
| Biden’s new goal: get 70% of Americans vaccinated by Fourth of July Posted: 04 May 2021 01:58 PM PDT President urges Americans to get inoculated, saying US is 'ready to move' if Pfizer shot is approved for younger teens Joe Biden has announced a goal of ensuring 70% of American adults receive at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by Independence Day on 4 July. The US president urged people in their 20s and 30s in particular to get inoculated and said his administration was "ready to move immediately" if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 to 15. Continue reading... |
| Derek Chauvin: ex-officer convicted in George Floyd’s murder asks for new trial Posted: 04 May 2021 04:49 PM PDT Attorney Eric Nelson alleges prosecutorial and jury misconduct and errors of law at trial and says the verdict was contrary to law Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, has asked a judge for a new trial, according to a court document filed Tuesday. Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, said his client had been deprived of a fair trial, adding that there had been prosecutorial and jury misconduct and errors of law at trial and that the verdict was contrary to law. Continue reading... |
| Rome court to rule on two Americans accused of fatally stabbing police officer Posted: 04 May 2021 09:00 PM PDT Jury to start deliberations on Wednesday with prosecutor demanding students get life sentence The fate of two American students accused of killing an Italian police officer will be decided by a Rome court this week in a case being closely watched in Italy. Finnegan Lee Elder, 21, and Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 20, both from California, were in Rome on holiday when Mario Cerciello Rega was fatally stabbed on a street in the Italian capital in July 2019. Continue reading... |
| Kremlin bears down on Moscow bureau of US-funded radio station Posted: 04 May 2021 09:00 PM PDT RFE/RL faces threat of raids over refusal to pay fines for not attaching 'foreign agent' label to its content In 1991, Boris Yeltsin gave Radio Liberty, the US government-funded broadcaster that had fought for decades to bypass Soviet jamming equipment, permission to open its own Moscow bureau. Now, 30 years later, the Kremlin looks close to shutting it down. A deadline for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to pay the first of an estimated $2.4m (£1.7m) in fines will pass for the foreign broadcaster next week, threatening its bureau in Russia with potential police raids, blocked bank accounts, or the arrest of senior employees. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump returns to social media with glorified blog Posted: 04 May 2021 03:36 PM PDT Ex-president unveils retro webpage featuring series of statements resembling blogposts ahead of Facebook oversight board's decision on his suspension Banned by Facebook and Twitter, Donald Trump has gone back to the future with an online communication tool that might be described as a glorified blog. His retro webpage, billed "From the Desk of Donald J Trump", appears at DonaldJTrump.com/desk and features a small photo of the 45th president writing in a book on his desk. Continue reading... |
| ‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report Posted: 04 May 2021 02:07 PM PDT Los Angeles sheriff's department has routinely retaliated against victims' relatives who speak out, NLG and ACLU say in report Los Angeles sheriff deputies frequently harass the families of people they have killed, including taunting them at vigils, parking outside their homes and following them and pulling them over for no reason, according to a new report from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Related: 'It's a slap in the face': LA activists protest mayor's police budget increase Continue reading... |
| US birth rate sees biggest fall for nearly 50 years Posted: 04 May 2021 06:30 PM PDT The Covid pandemic has accelerated a longer-term trend towards fewer births, with the rate dropping to 1.6 children per woman The US birth rate has fallen 4% in the largest single-year drop in nearly 50 years, according to a government report. The rate dropped for mothers of every major race and ethnicity, and in nearly all age groups, falling to the lowest point since federal health officials started tracking it more than a century ago, the report due to be published on Wednesday said. Continue reading... |
| Political animal: California governor hopeful greets voters with 1,000lb bear Posted: 04 May 2021 01:13 PM PDT The bear didn't endorse John Cox, who lost the last governor's race by 24 points, unless not eating him counts as support The businessman John Cox lost California's last governor's race to Gavin Newsom by 24 points. Now he's back, and this time, he's got a bear. As Newsom faces a recall election, the Republican has launched a new campaign against him, attempting to portray the well-groomed governor as a "beauty" and himself as a "beast". To drive home this message, he has employed some nonhuman staff, including an enormous bear – an apparent homage to the California flag. Continue reading... |
| Myanmar junta bans satellite dishes in media crackdown Posted: 04 May 2021 11:07 PM PDT Anyone who installs satellite dishes could face a one-year prison sentence or $320 fine, military-controlled media reported Myanmar's military junta has banned satellite dishes, threatening prison sentences for anyone who violates the measure, as it intensifies its crackdown on access to independent news outlets. The junta, which faces unanimous opposition from the public and has struggled to maintain order, has imposed increasingly tough restrictions on communication since seizing power on 1 February. Continue reading... |
| CIA forges unity in diversity: everybody hates their ‘woke’ recruitment ad Posted: 04 May 2021 10:58 AM PDT A social media campaign featuring a self-described cisgender millennial Latin intelligence officer drew ire from right and left In its long and colourful history, US intelligence has come in for a lot of criticism, for engineering coups, drug trafficking and torture, but just over 100 days into the Biden administration it faces a new charge no one saw coming: is the CIA just too woke? A social media campaign, Humans of CIA, aimed at boosting diversity at the agency has united critics on the right and left in a moment of shared derision, albeit for different reasons. Continue reading... |
| Times change but our values don’t: 200 years, and we’ve only just begun Posted: 04 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT On the Guardian's 200th anniversary, our editor-in-chief sets out how media can help rebuild a better world beyond Covid I remember the day, in late March 2020, when I first worried that we might not be able to publish a newspaper, for what would have been only the second time in the Guardian's history. I had driven into the office – no one was taking the train any more. Classed as an essential worker, I was permitted to travel, but the streets were utterly silent, with every school, cafe and shop closed. I sat down with colleagues, spaced apart by yellow tape, to work out whether we could gather enough people to produce a print edition. We could publish the digital Guardian from anywhere, but to publish the newspaper, we needed a small number of people in the office. A handful of colleagues volunteered, but I wondered how we would be able to keep everything going. People were anxious for their families and friends and themselves – and frightened, too, for what kind of world we were entering, and what we would be left with. Continue reading... |
| A brief history of the Guardian: liberalism, war and emerald jewels – video Posted: 04 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT For the Guardian's 200th birthday, the columnist Tim Dowling looks back at some of the more colourful moment's from the newspaper's history – from our radical roots in 19th-century Manchester to our groundbreaking dispatches from the Boer war and a daring second world war evacuation plan involving an expensive emerald necklace Continue reading... |
| The Guardian view on our 200th birthday: reasons to be cheerful | Editorial Posted: 04 May 2021 11:00 PM PDT The Guardian is now one of the largest English-language news websites in the world – a success that engenders hope The bicentenary of the Guardian is a cause for celebration and reflection. The paper was born of political outsiders in a country then run by a landed aristocracy. With its roots in religious dissent and with a desire to spread a developing system of liberal and progressive values, the Guardian has been a political force ever since. It has been a mouthpiece for reform, with a seriousness of purpose and an irreverent eye. The world has changed immeasurably since 1821, but the Guardian has remained steadfastly independent, guided by its commitment to accuracy and fairness. There is a pressing need for decency and fair-dealing to return to the centre of people's lives, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic remains out of control in many parts of the globe, after months of an economic slump and deepening political polarisation. All over the world, there are problems that require leaders with greater skills than seem apparent. Too much of politics in recent years has concentrated on goals that are largely irrelevant to human welfare and ignored those things that matter. Continue reading... |
| The Guardian’s first ever edition – annotated Posted: 04 May 2021 10:00 PM PDT Ads on the front page, news on the back, and a frankly unbelievable story about a ghost: the Manchester Guardian's first edition on 5 May 1821 is full of gems. We unearth them in this annotated version Continue reading... |
| Coronavirus live news: India deaths in record rise; Japan mulls longer lockdown – reports Posted: 04 May 2021 11:19 PM PDT India deaths rise by 3,780 and cases up by 382,000; Tokyo could stay in lockdown less than three months before Olympics; more vaccine doses for poorer countries tops G7 agenda on final day of summit
India has released $6.7 billion in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and other health firms, to counter the devastating coronavirus surge gripping the country. Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das also vowed to deploy "unconventional" measures if the crisis worsens. "The devastating speed with which the virus affects different regions of the country has to be matched by swift and wide-ranging actions," Das said.
On 22 June 1918, the Manchester Guardian reported that a flu epidemic was moving through the British Isles. It was noted to be 'by any means a common form of influenza'. Eventually, it took the lives of more than 50 million people around the world. In a special episode of our Science Weekly podcast to mark the Guardian's 200th anniversary, Nicola Davis looks back on the 1918 flu pandemic and how it was reported at the time. Speaking to science journalist Laura Spinney, and ex-chief reporter at the Observer and science historian Dr Mark Honigsbaum, Nicola asks about the similarities and differences to our experiences with Covid-19, and what we can learn for future pandemics. Related: What can we learn from the 1918 flu pandemic? – podcast Continue reading... |
| LA reports no Covid deaths for two days in a row in major pandemic milestone Posted: 04 May 2021 12:49 PM PDT Just months after ICU capacities were at zero in Los Angeles, the county has made a turnaround – but officials advise that vaccination pace is slowing Just months after ICU capacity was at zero in Los Angeles, the county has made a turnaround. But officials advise caution and warn that vaccine hesitancy is posing a challenge. In January, LA buckled under the weight of a monumental Covid-19 surge: ambulances circled from emergency room to emergency room in search of empty beds and ICU capacity in the county plunged. With morgues overloaded, the national guard was mobilized to aid in the handling of bodies. Now, less than four months later, the county has reached a milestone. For two days in a row, LA reported zero Covid-19 related deaths. Continue reading... |
| France still split over Napoleon as it marks bicentenary of death Posted: 04 May 2021 09:00 PM PDT President to tread fine line as he lays a wreath to 'commemorate rather than celebrate' anniversary On 5 May 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in a surprisingly small bed surrounded by his French coterie in exile in a damp and reportedly rat-infested house on the British island of Saint Helena. His last words, uttered shortly before he expired around 5.59pm local time were relayed back: "La France, l'armée, tête d'armée, Joséphine …" (France, the army, head of the army, Joséphine). He was 51. Continue reading... |
| ‘It was truly an experiment’: how did we get to Sesame Street? Posted: 04 May 2021 11:03 PM PDT A new documentary, Street Gang, traces the early days, radical roots and creative energy of the groundbreaking childhood TV show In 1970, cast members of Sesame Street, still in its first season on public television, traveled the country to gauge interest in the iconoclastic new show and its strange, magnetic array of puppet characters. The program was, at the time, an experiment, both as a madcap mosaic of creative talent, especially puppeteer Jim Henson and his cast of singularly endearing Muppets – and as a test of television's potential as an educational medium, with eight expert-designed learning objectives measured in test groups of small children. Related: Strings attached: why we're still in love with puppet TV shows Continue reading... |
| Japanese town spends Covid funds on huge squid statue Posted: 04 May 2021 08:43 PM PDT The town of Noto sought to boost tourism in the area where squid is a delicacy A coastal town in Japan is facing criticism after it spent emergency funds intended for coronavirus measures on a giant statue of a squid to promote the local tourism industry. Noto, located in Ishikawa prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, spent ¥25m (£164,000) on the 13-metre-long marine creature, according to the Chunichi Shimbun. Continue reading... |
| Mary Rose ship had multi-ethnic crew, study shows Posted: 04 May 2021 10:00 PM PDT Analysis of remains of crew on Henry VIII's favourite warship sheds light on diversity in Tudor England One is thought to be an archer raised in the Atlas mountains in north Africa, and another may have been a carpenter who grew up in south-west Spain. Others hailed from closer to home, possibly the bustling ports of the English west country or the Thames estuary. The most in-depth study yet of a group of men who drowned when Henry VIII's favourite warship, the Mary Rose, sank off Portsmouth has provided fresh insight into the makeup of the crew, and the diverse nature of society in Tudor England. Continue reading... |
| Defaced petroglyphs force rock climbers to reckon with sport’s destructive past Posted: 04 May 2021 03:00 AM PDT Climbers still fail to recognize sport depends on stolen land, Indigenous observers say, after bolts drilled into cultural site Richard Gilbert claims he had no idea he was doing anything wrong when he drilled bolts into a rock wall in Utah to establish three new climbing routes, illegally defacing a 1,000-year-old Indigenous cultural site. Climbers know the rock Gilbert bolted as Sunshine Wall, a crag north of Moab and Arches national park hosting the centuries-old petroglyphs of the Fremont people. Gilbert has said he didn't realize the carvings' significance, even though most climbers make it a point never to disturb Indigenous cultural sites. Continue reading... |
| Meghan’s first book for children explores ‘bond between father and son’ Posted: 04 May 2021 10:51 AM PDT Duchess of Sussex draws on her life with Prince Harry and son Archie in picture book debut The Bench, published next month The Duchess of Sussex has written her first children's book, to be published next month and inspired by Prince Harry and their son Archie. In a statement Meghan said The Bench, set for release on 8 June, explores the "special bond between father and son as seen through a mother's eyes". The story has pictures by the award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson and will be published by Penguin Random House. Meghan will also narrate the audiobook edition. Continue reading... |
| Why do Americans die earlier than Europeans? | Samuel Preston and Yana Vierboom Posted: 04 May 2021 03:30 AM PDT The 'mortality penalty' that the US pays every year is equivalent to the number of Americans who died of Covid in 2020 A 30-year-old American is three times more likely to die at that age than his or her European peers. In fact, Americans do worse at just about every age. To make matters more grim, the American disadvantage is growing over time. In 2017, for example, higher American mortality translated into roughly 401,000 excess deaths – deaths that would not have occurred if the US had Europe's lower age-specific death rates. Pre-pandemic, that 401,000 is about 12% of all American deaths. The percentage is even higher below age 85, where one in four Americans die simply because they do not live in Europe. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 05:28 AM PDT As banks and post offices shut down in rural America, and flights to remote areas become more expensive, many Americans are cut off Infrastructure has been for bipartisanship what Thanksgiving is for American life in general: the last best hope for all of us coming together. For anyone who has been stuck on New Jersey Transit in a tunnel under the Hudson or felt trepidation when crossing a rusty bridge in the midwest, the need for massive investment in infrastructure is self-evident. But that has not kept Republicans from finding fault with Biden's infrastructure plan: when their busy schedule of culture warring and "owning the libs" allows it, they are making meager counter-proposals. More importantly, they attack the administration for tucking all kinds of supposed pet policies into the plan – from crazy socialist heresies like support for home care (why, when the wealthy can easily afford help themselves?) to government-financed research, which, as everyone knows, is highly ineffective because it has only ever given us things like the internet. Related: Biden raises US refugee admissions cap to 62,500 after delay sparks anger Continue reading... |
| Looking at India from afar, I’m furious at Modi’s wilful neglect of my homeland Posted: 04 May 2021 09:13 AM PDT If the government had faced reality and acted earlier, Covid might have been held at bay. But the rot runs deeper There was an air of inevitability about India's unfolding Covid disaster. Watching from afar in London, I had long feared the worst for the country of my birth. Since India has decades of underfunded health infrastructure and no cohesive national strategy, I often discussed with family and friends back home that the virus would hit its 1.4 billion people harder when the inevitable second wave came round, even with its young population and available vaccines. By late last year, my loved ones were going about their daily lives believing the pandemic had been conquered, alongside many others who attended cricket matches, weddings and religious festivals. India's road to Covid hell was paved with delusions of grandeur – a fanciful idea that the virus had been vanquished by sheer might of will, superhuman immunity, faith in an almighty God, and piecemeal restrictions. By January, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, had declared India had defeated the virus. In the months that followed, the government – and by extension citizens – acted as if it had. Between January and mid-April 2021, India's national scientific taskforce on Covid-19 did not hold a single meeting. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT Thanks to relentless marketing and advice our tiny apartment is already stuffed full of weird stuff, such as snot-suckers. But do I really need an AI-powered crib to be a good parent? A boob. A bed. Maybe a bottle? In the early days of my wife's pregnancy, I naively thought that was all a newborn baby would really need. After all, all they do is eat, poop, sleep, repeat. You don't need an arsenal of complicated equipment to deal with that, right? Wrong. Our first child is due imminently and, despite my best efforts to escape the evil clutches of the baby-industrial complex, our tiny New York apartment is stuffed with weird stuff. Reader, I have a snot-sucker. That's not a euphemism – that's a real thing you use to suck mucus out of a child's nose. I asked a friend with kids: "Seriously? Do I actually need this?" She gave me a look a lot of parents have been giving me recently. It's a look that says: "Damn, you really don't know what you're in for." Continue reading... |
| Fears of a coup in France are exaggerated, but a far-right president is a real possibility Posted: 04 May 2021 05:27 AM PDT Many people support an open letter raising the spectre of a military coup. Marine Le Pen is one of them A recent open letter to French president, Emmanuel Macron, signed by almost 50 retired army generals so far and more than 24,000 (predominantly former) servicemen, was occasion for many on the French left to raise the alarm, believing a coup d'état was either in the making or a future possibility. The top-brass signatories, led by generals Antoine Martinez and Christian Piquemal, say the country is on the verge of collapse because of immigration and crime, as well as Islamism and the support it gets from some on the left. They are angry at "cancel culture" and at any intellectual attempt to criticise the country's colonial past. These generals warn that if the situation worsens, their fellow soldiers on active duty may choose to intervene and take control. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party, endorsed the generals' call. A survey by Harris Interactive, which found that 58% of respondents agreed with the open letter's statements, stoked further fear. This gives the impression that the far right is stronger than ever. Some political pundits go as far as to say that while Macron is predicted to win another term in 2022 against Le Pen, there's a very real possibility that Le Pen will win by a small margin, sending a thunderstrike across the world. Continue reading... |
| Mahrez fires Manchester City past PSG into first Champions League final Posted: 04 May 2021 02:02 PM PDT It was the classic sucker punch, a counter-attacking masterpiece and, when Phil Foden crossed and Riyad Mahrez scooped the finish high into the Paris Saint-Germain net, the only disappointment was that the stands at the Etihad Stadium were empty. What a scene it would have been. At that point, Mahrez had two, PSG were broken, having previously hinted at getting the goal they needed to make a game of it, and Manchester City knew. Continue reading... |
| Seahawks’ DK Metcalf to run in 100m at USATF meet with eye on Olympic trials Posted: 04 May 2021 01:28 PM PDT
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who has earned a reputation as one of the NFL's fastest players, will test his speed against some of America's top sprinters on Sunday with a possible eye on the US Olympic trials. Metcalf will run in the 100m at the USATF Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, California. Continue reading... |
| Green says NBA teams are ‘terrified’ of Stephen Curry after latest thrilling game Posted: 04 May 2021 04:58 AM PDT
Stephen Curry elicited gasps from the New Orleans crowd with a pair of deep threes that put the Warriors up by 20 and pushed his point total to 17 in the first quarter. Curry's early surge was only the beginning of a 41-point performance. Draymond Green added 10 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, and Golden State took a big step toward locking up a postseason berth with a 123-108 victory over the desperate Pelicans on Monday night. Continue reading... |
| Golfers warned signing for breakaway tour will lead to PGA Tour ban Posted: 04 May 2021 03:24 PM PDT
The world's best golfers have been warned they will incur immediate suspension and most likely a career ban from the PGA Tour if they agree to join a breakaway regime being proposed by Saudi Arabia. Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, laid out his position in stark terms during a scheduled meeting with players at Quail Hollow on Tuesday afternoon. It is understood the European Tour would adopt an identical position regarding those who sign up to leave their domain, which is crucial in relation to Ryder Cup eligibility. Continue reading... |
| The IPL failed by ignoring stark warning signs of India’s Covid crisis | Anand Vasu Posted: 04 May 2021 12:00 PM PDT The IPL should have halted the competition earlier or made alternative plans but their timing was badly amiss It's better to leave people asking why you have stopped something rather than what took you so long. This is the rule of thumb applied to people retiring from public life, sports people mainly but occasionally politicians, singers, actors and others similarly in the limelight. Timing is everything. And the Indian Premier League, which was suspended for the season on Tuesday, comprehensively failed on this count. Continue reading... |
| Why the Dodgers-Padres turbo-charged rivalry is great for baseball Posted: 04 May 2021 02:00 AM PDT The rivalry between the teams was a one-sided affair for many years. After an offseason arms race, it's become the most interesting one in baseball If you ask the Los Angeles Dodgers, they may deny that they have a rivalry with the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers, after all, have won the NL West for the last eight seasons while the San Diego Padres' 2020 postseason appearance was their first since 2006. That was three presidents ago. However, their first two series this season have made it obvious that if the teams weren't rivals before, they sure are now. It was 16 April, the first regular-season game between the two teams in 2021, when Dodgers pitcher Dennis Santana hit Padres batter Jorge Mateo in extra innings, sparking a bench-clearing brawl. The Dodgers won the battle that day, battering the Padres not in a fight but where it really counts: on the scoreboard. They won 11-6 in the 12th inning thanks to a rally-starting Corey Seager home run. The Dodgers' flair for the dramatic didn't stop there. In their next game, Mookie Betts made a ridiculous game-saving catch to preserve a 2-0 LA lead. The prohibitive World Series favorites looked like they were in control. Continue reading... |
| José Mourinho to take over as Roma manager next season Posted: 04 May 2021 06:20 AM PDT
José Mourinho is to take over as manager of Roma next season, after receiving assurances he will be given significant power over transfers and time to achieve success at a club set to finish this campaign seventh in Serie A. Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham in April after 17 months and has not spent more than two and a half seasons in a job since leaving Real Madrid in 2013. He has a three-year contract at Roma and is convinced there is scope to make them serious challengers after Juventus's nine-year reign as champions was ended by his former club Internazionale. Continue reading... |
| What shape is Rafael Nadal in as he tackles another clay court season? | Tumaini Carayol Posted: 04 May 2021 08:32 AM PDT The Spaniard's ability to be fully present in every match and every point he contests feels ever more significant and special On a fine spring day in Barcelona just over a week ago, Rafael Nadal threw himself down to the earth and roared in glee at the skies above him. It was a scenario that has played out countless times over the past 16 years, particularly during this time of year. In the three hours and 38 minutes it took Nadal to overcome Stefanos Tsitsipas from match point down, he wrestled with his own serve, his nerves and with one of the most in-form players this year. His reward, his 87th title, will be only a footnote in his career when all is over. He celebrated it as one of his great victories. Continue reading... |
| The fight for Hartlepool – podcast Posted: 04 May 2021 07:00 PM PDT Hartlepool has sent a Labour MP to parliament in every election since 1964. But as old allegiances fray, Anushka Asthana looks back at how this previously thriving shipbuilding town has lost out over successive governments and wonders if the 'red wall' seat could be about to go blue at tomorrow's byelection During the 2019 election campaign the formerly safe Labour seat of Hartlepool became the focus of a three-way fight. The Conservatives, who swept away much of Labour's 'red wall' on election day, did not manage to take Hartlepool. Many of the voters it needed voted for the Brexit party instead and the town returned a Labour MP, as it had done in every election since 1964. This time though, things could be different. With Brexit no longer a focal point, this is now a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives – and according to recent polling it looks like it could be about to turn blue. Anushka Asthana visits Hartlepool to investigate why this formerly staunch Labour area appears to be falling out of love with the party. It's a trend that is decades in the making as successive governments have failed to invest and renew the skills, infrastructure and key services in the town. Continue reading... |
| Why do the Carters look so tiny alongside Joe Biden and his wife Jill in this picture? Posted: 04 May 2021 01:27 AM PDT You don't need special gear to create this optical trickery. If you have an iPhone 11 or 12 you too can loom large over a former US president Hi Carly. As our resident photography expert, I have a question. Something about this photo featuring Joe and Jill Biden and former president Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter seems … off? It sure does. Where to begin … The scale of Biden v Rosalynn is very unusual – he looks three times the size of her and even though the natural physical changes during old age may be playing a role here, I don't think ageing shrinks you that much. Also, the scale of Jimmy Carter's feet compared to the rest of his body is weird – sort of like a reverse statue of David. Finally, notice the lounge chairs, they look like they are from a doll's house. That seems unlikely. Continue reading... |
| The new Marvel megatrailer: just go limp and let it stomp all over you Posted: 04 May 2021 04:18 AM PDT Lockdown is lifting – to be replaced by mandatory MCU movies from now until eternity, from Black Panther 2 to Ant-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to Thor 4. And more … Bit of a rollercoaster, that Marvel trailer, wasn't it? The misty eyed reminiscences. The clip of a packed cinema collectively losing its mind at Endgame. And then, the climax – a punishing rabbit-punch of forthcoming MCU releases. Our first look at Eternals. Confirmation that Marvel is releasing four new movies, including the new Spider-Man, before Christmas. Dr Strange 2 next March. Thor 4 next May. Black Panther 2 next July. Captain Marvel 2 next November. Ant-Man 3 the following February. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 three months after that. A Fantastic 4 movie at some point. It just kept coming and coming. It was like one of those old Steve Jobs "One more thing" presentations, if Steve Jobs had decided to announce the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone, Apple TV, a flying car and a machine that could terraform the surface of Mars one after the other in the space of 60 seconds. Continue reading... |
| Netflix shuffle: is the new ‘play something’ feature worth it? Posted: 04 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT The streamer's new feature promises to combat endless scrolling by offering you what they think you want to watch If you log on to Netflix any time soon, you're likely to see the words "play something" dangling below the profile icons on the menu screen. Click these words and you'll be taken directly to the platform's latest experiment in home entertainment: force feeding. Related: Netflix records dramatic slowdown in subscribers as pandemic boom wears off Continue reading... |
| The case of the Covid-compliant murder: how The Mousetrap is snapping back to life Posted: 04 May 2021 10:00 PM PDT Agatha Christie's snowbound whodunnit is the world's longest-running play. Now it's leading the big reopening – with a double cast and no kissing The London West End is filled with ghost shows. Frontages still advertise productions that were frozen on 16 March last year, when the government advised against theatre-going. Some of the shows would have finished long ago, such as John Kani's Kunene and the King, starring Antony Sher, which was on a limited run. Others, including Come from Away and Les Misérables, might reasonably have been expected to survive a hiatus. Both are making plans to reopen. But only one play was entitled to assume its survival until the end of quarantining: Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, at St Martin's theatre. The whodunnit opened in 1952, and endured the cold war, IRA, al-Qaida and Islamic State terrorism to become the world's longest-running show. Due to Covid, its 69 years are no longer continuous, but the show is scheduled to resume, after a 15-month pandemic gap, on 17 May: British theatre's most invincible hit leading the return to work. Continue reading... |
| Britney Spears: documentaries about my life are ‘so hypocritical’ Posted: 04 May 2021 01:26 AM PDT Spears says films by the BBC and New York Times about her 2008 breakdown 'criticise the media then do the same thing' Britney Spears has described two recent documentaries about her mental health struggles in 2007-08 as "so hypocritical" in a lengthy Instagram post. "They criticise the media and then do the same thing?????" she wrote. In February, the New York Times and Hulu produced Framing Britney Spears, which refocused attention on Spears' ongoing conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement that believes the arrangement traps her against her will. Continue reading... |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers sell rights to catalogue of hits to Hipgnosis Posted: 04 May 2021 04:20 AM PDT Trend of artists selling rights continues, as Kid Creole and the Coconuts also sign deal Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kid Creole and the Coconuts have become the latest artists to cash in on their catalogue of hits, selling the rights to songs including Californication and Annie I'm Not Your Daddy to London-listed music royalties investment firms. The Chili Peppers are poised to sell their publishing rights to London-listed music investment firm Hipgnosis, reportedly for more than $140m (£101m). Continue reading... |
| ‘10,000 tiny instruments’: how Lego made the experimental album of 2021 Posted: 04 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT With the soothing noise of its bricks clicking against one another, Lego White Noise joins the ranks of great musique concrète – and documents a potentially doomed sound Out of my headphones comes a flow of odd, weirdly tactile sound: what could be an army of ants marching across a plain of contact mics, a landslide of scree recorded from a mile away, or perhaps the first field recording taken from Ingenuity, the tiny robotic helicopter currently flying sorties above the Martian landscape. Delicate clicks, burring friction and the waterfall-like spatiality of granular flow all galvanise my ears. It's the sort of thing that may interest subscribers to The Wire magazine, or that an underground musician usually seen sweating over a badly soldered modular synth could make in a moment of calm. This is Lego White Noise, and while it definitely sounds like experimental music, the name makes it clear that this is the work of the world's most "reputable brand". Continue reading... |
| ‘It’s about looking around us’: New York’s Frieze art fair tackles social justice Posted: 04 May 2021 08:52 AM PDT At this year's iteration of the renowned art fair, artists and institutions are highlighting the importance of art that helps toward social change When Sarah Elizabeth Lewis stepped onstage for her Ted Talk in 2017, little did she know how much she would help bridge the gap between art and social policy. "How do images alter our sense of justice?" she asked. Continue reading... |
| Darth Vader’s helmet raises charity funds in May the 4th auction Posted: 04 May 2021 09:30 AM PDT Items collected by the late David Prowse, who played Vader, go under hammer in Bristol In an auction house far, far away (well, Bristol actually), the enduring power of the force was clear. A Darth Vader helmet sold for £2,200, more than five times the top estimate, and a signed picture of Alec Guinness in his Obi-Wan Kenobi robes was snapped up for £3,100, treble what was anticipated. Continue reading... |
| Why won’t this giant oil pipeline reveal its secret backers? Posted: 04 May 2021 03:00 AM PDT Expansion will stretch hundreds miles and is fiercely opposed by numerous groups – but despite repeated calls the Canadian government has not forced the pipeline reveal its insurers Nestled in the harbors of Vancouver, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation has lived for thousands of years within an inlet set against the mountain views of the Pacific north-west. But across the water from Tsleil-Waututh Nation's reserve, less than 2km away, or a little over a mile, is a jarring juxtaposition: an industrial terminal for the large Trans Mountain oil pipeline. Continue reading... |
| US south braced for more severe weather after tornadoes and hailstorms Posted: 04 May 2021 09:32 AM PDT
The American south is still reeling from a day of severe weather throughout the region and bracing for more through Wednesday. Following reports of tornadoes, hail and severe storms, more than 90,000 people in states such as Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina were without power as of late Tuesday morning. Continue reading... |
| Biden says it’s time for richest Americans to pay ‘their fair share’ of taxes Posted: 03 May 2021 11:35 AM PDT President hit the road on Monday to promote infrastructure and welfare spending plans totaling about $4tn Joe Biden said it is time for corporations and the richest Americans to "start paying their fair share" of taxes as he hit the road on Monday in a concerted effort to promote his administration's huge new infrastructure and welfare spending plans totaling about $4tn. Speaking at a community college in Norfolk, Virginia, on Monday afternoon, the US president made the case for increasing taxes on the wealthiest in the US in order to help fund his ambitious $1.8tn American Families Plan and $2tn infrastructure plan. Continue reading... |
| Thousands of Afghans flee as fighting erupts after US troop withdrawal begins Posted: 04 May 2021 01:00 PM PDT Fighting between government forces and the Taliban has broken out in Helmand province Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes in Helmand province as fierce fighting between government forces and the Taliban erupted after the US military began withdrawing its remaining troops. Afghan forces pushed back a string of insurgent attacks on checkpoints across the southern province, where the US military on Sunday handed over a base to government forces as part of its formal pullout that began on 1 May. Continue reading... |
| German society ‘brutalised’ as far-right crimes hit record levels Posted: 04 May 2021 09:10 AM PDT Police recorded almost 24,000 far-right crimes last year – the highest level since records began Germany's interior minister has said that a dramatic rise in rightwing extremist crime demonstrates a "brutalisation" of society and poses the biggest threat to the country's stability. Horst Seehofer said politically motivated crime in general was a growing problem, pledging more police surveillance of protest groups as a result. Continue reading... |
| Anger mounts as death toll from Mexico metro overpass collapse rises to 24 Posted: 04 May 2021 02:37 PM PDT
The death toll from the collapse of an overpass on the Mexico City metro has climbed to 24, as crews worked to clear the wreckage – and anger grew over the latest in a string of catastrophes to hit one of the world's largest mass transit systems. Officials refused to speculate on the cause the disaster which sent two carriages crashing into passing traffic on the street below on Monday night. The city's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, promised a thorough investigation by an outside firm and the federal prosecutor's office – though she stood by the embattled director of the metro, Florencia Serranía. Continue reading... |
| North Korea faces economic ruin amid food and medicine shortages Posted: 04 May 2021 05:00 PM PDT Country's economy battered by more than a year of border restrictions imposed after the Covid outbreak North Korea is facing one of the worst economic crises in its 73-year history, amid shortages of food and medicines and warnings of rising unemployment and homelessness. The country's economy has been battered by more than a year of border restrictions imposed after the coronavirus outbreak, flooding caused by natural disasters, and international sanctions imposed in response to the regime's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Continue reading... |
| Melinda Gates could become world’s second-richest woman Posted: 04 May 2021 11:26 AM PDT Lack of prenuptial agreement with Bill Gates could herald $73bn divorce settlement as fears focus on future of couple's charity Melinda Gates, a philanthropist and campaigner for female empowerment, could be about to become the world's second-richest woman, with a fortune estimated at $73bn. In her divorce petition filed on Monday at King County superior court in Seattle, Washington, Melinda Gates stated that her marriage to multibillionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the richest men on the planet, had "irretrievably broken" and called on the courts to divide up the couple's combined $146bn (£105bn) fortune Continue reading... |
| Mali woman has given birth to nine babies, says health ministry Posted: 04 May 2021 05:44 PM PDT Halima Cisse was expected to have septuplets but apparently gave birth to very rare nonuplets – five girls and four boys – at a hospital in Morocco A woman in Mali has given birth to nine babies – two more than doctors had detected inside her womb – according to the country's health ministry, joining a small pantheon of mothers of nonuplets. Halima Cisse, 25, had been expected to give birth to seven babies, according to ultrasounds conducted in Morocco and Mali that missed two of the siblings. All were delivered by caesarean section. Continue reading... |
| UN condemns violent repression of Colombia protests after at least 18 die Posted: 04 May 2021 10:33 AM PDT Riot police rampage across streets, shoot protesters and charge at crowds with motorcycles in week of unrest across the country The United Nations has condemned the violent repression of protests in Colombia, after clashes between police and demonstrators left at least 18 dead and 87 people missing. In a week of unrest across the country, riot police have rampaged across the smoke-filled streets, shooting protesters at point-blank range and charging at crowds with their motorcycles. Continue reading... |
| Carbon offsets used by major airlines based on flawed system, warn experts Posted: 04 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT Guardian investigation finds carbon credits generated by forest protection schemes are based on flawed system The forest protection carbon offsetting market used by major airlines for claims of carbon-neutral flying faces a significant credibility problem, with experts warning the system is not fit for purpose, an investigation has found. Money from carbon offsets can provide vital financial support for projects seeking to protect and restore some of the most beautiful threatened ecosystems around the world. Given that nature-based solutions can make a significant contribution to the climate mitigation needed to stabilise global heating, a functioning finance channel will be important for climate change progress, and particularly for developing countries. Continue reading... |
| Farmer moves border stone for tractor – and makes Belgium bigger Posted: 04 May 2021 07:05 AM PDT French farmer could theoretically face criminal charges for moving 200-year-old marker The boundary between France and Belgium is believed to have been inadvertently redrawn by a farmer who found the 200-year-old border stone marking the divide in an inconvenient location for his tractor. The French farmer could theoretically face criminal charges after making Belgium bigger by moving the stone that has marked the border since after the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. Continue reading... |
| Dalian Atkinson’s head was kicked like a football by police officer, murder trial told Posted: 04 May 2021 10:55 AM PDT PC Benjamin Monk also alleged to have used Taser weapon on former Aston Villa player for six times longer than guideline limit A police officer murdered the former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson, first shooting him with a Taser stun gun for 33 seconds, then kicking him in the head as though striking a football, causing his head to snap back violently, a jury heard on Tuesday. PC Benjamin Monk denies murder and manslaughter following the incident on 15 August 2016 in Telford, Shropshire, which began at the home of Atkinson's father. Continue reading... |
| Second vote called in latest twist in Samoa’s most dramatic election in history Posted: 04 May 2021 04:47 PM PDT Opposition leader has denounced the decision but the prime minister has applauded it saying the next election was 'up to the Lord' Samoa will be heading back to the polls after the most dramatic election in the country's history left the country deadlocked, with threats of legal action and fears of "diversion" and "trickery". The South Pacific nation will vote again on 21 May after the Samoan head of state – a separate position to the country's prime minister – Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II announced on Tuesday he had revoked the results of the general election held on 9 April. Continue reading... |
| Nigerian president faces growing criticism after ‘security system collapse’ Posted: 04 May 2021 09:00 PM PDT Muhammadu Buhari under pressure from allies and opposition, as wave of violence leaves country on edge Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari has come under mounting pressure from critics and allies alike as the country reels from multiple security crises that have claimed hundreds of lives in recent weeks. An alarming wave of violence has left millions in Africa's most populous country in uproar at the collapse in security. Attacks by jihadist groups in the north-east have been compounded by a sharp rise in abductions targeting civilians in schools and at interstate links across Nigeria. Mass killings by bandit groups in rural towns, a reported rise in armed robberies in urban areas and increasingly daring attacks on security forces by pro-Biafran militants in the south-east have also all risen. Continue reading... |
| Rwanda: blood on their hands – archive, 3 December 1994 Posted: 04 May 2021 11:55 AM PDT 3 December 1994: When will those responsible for the massacre in Rwanda be brought to justice? As investigators close in, the ex-ministers who ordered the slaughter are living in a hotel across the border in Zaire, desperately trying to rewrite the history of genocide Rwanda's former Minister of Information, Eliezer Niyitegeka, looks more comic than intimidating. He wears a dazzling white suit, afro-hairstyle and has an AK-47 slung across his shoulder. He last set foot in Rwanda in mid-July. He and the other ministers of the ousted Rwanda government have taken refuge over the border in Bukava, Zaire. Not for them the miseries of Goma's refugee camps. Many have settled into the Hotel Riviera, where comforts include pornographic movies after midnight. The exiled regime's offices are furnished with computers and a satellite phone. Here they are attempting to rewrite the history of the Rwandan genocide. Related: Thousands massacred in Rwanda Continue reading... |
| In the green room: the 2021 Nikon surf photography awards Posted: 04 May 2021 05:09 PM PDT This year's Nikon surf photo of the year award goes to Stu Gibson for his shot Free Fall, featuring surfer Tyler Hollmer Cross taking on Shipsterns in south-east Tasmania. The winner has been selected by a panel of 13 high-profile judges from within the surfing world, including the seven-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore Continue reading... |
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