World news

• Coronavirus live: South Africa suspends use of Oxford vaccine; Hungary approves Sputnik V jab

  07-02-2021 23:56
  
  South Africa makes call after trial data showed vaccine offered only limited protection against variant; Hungary authorises Russian vaccineUK has vaccinated more than 12m peopleWhen will Britain’s Covid lockdown be lifted? Three scenariosFreedom and fairness: vaccine passport plans cause global unease‘Another wave is possible’: Paris braces for UK variantMexico’s vaccine program sees disastrous launch 10.56pm GMT Leading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the
  
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• George Shultz obituary

  07-02-2021 23:46
  
  Secretary of state to Ronald Reagan at the heart of moves to work with Mikhail Gorbachev to end the cold warMany politicians and diplomats from the 1980s lay claim to a pivotal role in ending the cold war, but the former US secretary of state George Shultz, who has died aged 100, had a better claim than most. And he was not shy in letting people know, as he did at length in his 1,184-page account of his years at the state department, Turmoil and Triumph (1993).When he became secretary of state i
  
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• South Africa halts AstraZeneca jab over new strain

  07-02-2021 22:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A study of the vaccine's effectiveness against the South Africa variant shows "disappointing" results.
  
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• George Shultz, Ronald Reagan’s longtime secretary of state, dies at 100

  07-02-2021 21:20
  
  Shultz spent most of the 1980s trying to improve relations with the Soviet Union and forging a course for peace in the Middle EastRonald Reagan’s longtime secretary of state, George P Shultz, who spent most of the 1980s trying to improve relations with the Soviet Union and forging a course for peace in the Middle East, has died. He was 100.A titan of American academia, business and diplomacy, Shultz died Saturday at his home on the campus of Stanford University, according to the Hoover Ins
  
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• Two men arrested in Larne suspected of painting anti-border graffiti

  07-02-2021 21:18
  
  Slogans condemning ‘Irish Sea border’ appeared in various parts of Northern Irish port town on SaturdayTwo men have been arrested in Larne, Northern Ireland, on suspicion of painting graffiti condemning Irish Sea border checks.A series of slogans were painted at various locations in the town on Saturday, with one stating: “Larne says no to Irish Sea border.” At about 9.40pm that evening, police received a report in relation to two males reportedly spray painting graffiti
  
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• Government hits back at claims Brexit is stifling exports to EU

  07-02-2021 20:58
  
  Whitehall rejects reports of 68% drop in goods exported and says freight flows at normal levels on some daysThe government has sought to defend its record over Brexit after freight industry leaders claimed exports to the EU had nosedived since the transition period ended on 31 December.When Boris Johnson announced on Christmas Eve that he had secured a last-minute Brexit deal he insisted there would be “no non-tariff barriers” to trade with the EU. Continue reading...
  
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• Utah police: Avalanche killed 4 local backcountry skiers

  07-02-2021 20:49 via independent.co.uk
  
  Four backcountry skiers in their 20s were killed when one of the deadliest avalanches in Utah history hit a popular backcountry skiing area
  
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• Vaccine strategy needs rethink after resistant variants emerge, say scientists

  07-02-2021 20:43
  
  Oxford vaccine shown to have only limited effect against South Africa variant of coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageLeading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the goals of vaccination programmes, saying that herd immunity through vaccination is unlikely to be possible because of the emergence of variants like that in South Africa.The comments came as the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca acknowledged that their vaccine will not protect pe
  
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• Liz Cheney raises possibility of criminal investigation of Trump for provoking violence

  07-02-2021 20:16
  
  Republican pointed to former president’s tweet attacking vice-president Mike Pence after Capitol insurrection beganLiz Cheney, the third most senior Republican in the House of Representatives, has raised the possibility of Donald Trump being criminally investigated for provoking violence during the 6 January US Capitol insurrection, pointing to a tweet attacking his own vice-president, Mike Pence, that was posted after the assault had begun. Related: Liz Cheney censured by Wyoming Republic
  
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• 'Integrity comes from the top down': whistleblower vice-chancellor vows to fight on despite exile

  07-02-2021 20:00
  
  Exclusive: expelled from Fiji, Professor Pal Ahluwalia says he remains committed to University of the South Pacific’s ‘current and future leaders’The corruption-busting university vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia, deported from Fiji over his efforts to expose financial mismanagement at the University of the South Pacific, has said he is determined to continue in his efforts to reform the university.“I believe integrity comes from the top down,” he told the Guardian fro
  
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• Myanmar: tens of thousands protest for second day despite internet blackout – video

  07-02-2021 19:07
  
  Tens of thousands of people have poured on to the streets across Myanmar for a second day of demonstrations against the military coup, demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the return of democracy.Myanmar: tens of thousands march against military coup for second day Continue reading...
  
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• More people are choosing to die at home during pandemic

  07-02-2021 19:07 via independent.co.uk
  
  National hospice organizations are reporting that facilities are seeing double-digit percentage increases in the number of patients being cared for at home
  
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• Greek PM criticised for lunch that breached Covid restrictions

  07-02-2021 19:05
  
  Kyriakos Mitsotakis went to the event that media reports say far exceeded the limit on gatheringsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Greek prime minister is facing mounting anger over claims he attended a meal that exceeded the limits on gatherings on the very day health restrictions had been tightened to thwart transmission of the virus.“[He] ought to say a very big sorry to the Greek people,” said Nasos Iliopoulos, the spokesman for the main opposi
  
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• About 130 feared dead as glacier causes dams to burst in north India

  07-02-2021 18:35
  
  Floods force evacuation of villages and witnesses report avalanche creating wall of dust, rock and waterAbout 130 people are feared dead in northern India after a Himalayan glacier broke off and caused a high velocity surge of water down a river, sweeping away one dam in its path and damaging another.A frantic rescue mission began to recover the scores of bodies washed away when an avalanche of water, mud and rocks swept down a narrow gorge in Chamoli district, in the Himalayan state of Uttarakh
  
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• Biden will not lift sanctions to get Iran back to negotiating table

  07-02-2021 18:03
  
  President has said he will seek to revive the nuclear deal, but insists that Iran must first reverse its nuclear stepsJoe Biden has said the United States will not lift its economic sanctions on Iran in order to get Tehran back to the negotiating table to discuss how to revive the Iran nuclear deal.Asked if the United States will lift sanctions first to get Iran back to the negotiating table, Biden replied: “no” in an interview with CBS News, which was recorded on Friday but released
  
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• Inmates at St Louis jail set fires and break windows in prison riot

  07-02-2021 17:58 via independent.co.uk
  
  Disturbance triggered by concerns over Covid restrictions that have limited visits and stalled court proceedings
  
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• Austria tightens border controls to slow Covid spread

  07-02-2021 17:40 via independent.co.uk
  
  Austria reports 1,317 new infections on Sunday
  
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• Superspreader Super Bowl: Maskless crowds, dance parties and bumping clubs in Florida shock health officials

  07-02-2021 17:20 via independent.co.uk
  
  Local police and leading epidemiologists say 'incredibly disappointing' scenes of large gatherings in Tampa may lead to a spike in Covid-19 cases
  
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• Car crash involving assistant coach of Super Bowl team ‘leaves girl, 5, in critical condition’

  07-02-2021 16:23 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police launch investigation into three-vehicle collision near Arrowhead Stadium
  
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• Elton John: Brexit negotiators 'screwed up' deal for British musicians

  07-02-2021 16:01
  
  Singer calls for return to negotiation as touring artists face red tape and new costs, with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood adding fresh criticism of UK governmentElton John: I learned by touring Europe in the 60s. Young artists need the same chanceElton John has said that the UK’s Brexit negotiators “screwed up” a deal for British musicians and the broader music industry, and is calling for the government to re-enter negotiations.Writing in the Guardian, John said: “Ei
  
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• 'We want our riches back' – the African activist taking treasures from Europe's museums

  07-02-2021 16:00
  
  Mwazulu Diyabanza has been fined and jailed for entering museums and forcibly removing ‘pillaged’ African artefacts. He tells our writer why the British Museum is now in his sightsMwazulu Diyabanza makes no secret of why he is in France. If coronavirus had not closed most of Europe’s museums, the Congolese activist would probably be inside one right now, wresting African objects from their displays to highlight what he sees as the mass pillaging of the continent by European col
  
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• Revealed: Queen lobbied for change in law to hide her private wealth

  07-02-2021 16:00
  
  Monarch dispatched private solicitor to secure exemption from transparency lawThe Queen successfully lobbied the government to change a draft law in order to conceal her “embarrassing” private wealth from the public, according to documents discovered by the Guardian.A series of government memos unearthed in the National Archives reveal that Elizabeth Windsor’s private lawyer put pressure on ministers to alter proposed legislation to prevent her shareholdings from being disclose
  
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• Pussy Riot: Russian protests are 'battle for hearts and minds'

  07-02-2021 15:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Punk band Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova has released a song in support of Russia's anti-government protesters.
  
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• Chile: Violence flares after police officer shoots street performer dead

  07-02-2021 15:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Social media footage shows a police officer in Chile shooting a man dead, sparking violent protests.
  
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• Scores feared dead after glacier causes dam burst in India – video

  07-02-2021 15:15
  
  As many as 150 people are feared dead in northern India after a Himalayan glacier broke and crashed into a dam, with floods forcing the evacuation of villages downstream. Videos from the scene show water surging through the dam site, washing away equipment150 feared dead as glacier crashes into dam in northern India Continue reading...
  
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• Black and blue: the secret lives of BAME police officers

  07-02-2021 15:00
  
  In 1990, BAME police officers gathered to discuss racism at work, sharing what each had thought were uniquely harrowing experiences. They explain how things have improved – and got worse
  Thirty years ago, in a nondescript hall in Bristol, an extraordinary event took place. Those who were there remember it with a mixture of pride and pain.In what is now the University of the West of England, black and Asian officers from all over the Metropolitan police area were talking about the racism th
  
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• Myanmar coup: Tens of thousands of protesters take to streets to demand release of Aung San Suu Kyi

  07-02-2021 14:11 via independent.co.uk
  
  Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since Monday
  
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• Himalayan glacier collapse triggers flood of mud and water with 150 feared dead

  07-02-2021 14:09 via independent.co.uk
  
  Environmental experts call for halt to big hydroelectric projects in state of Uttarakhand
  
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• Are share-trading apps a safe way to play the markets?

  07-02-2021 14:00
  
  After investors caused havoc on the markets last week in a battle over the shares of a video-game chain, we explore the promise and pitfalls of the apps they usedA year ago shares in struggling US video game store GameStop were worth just $3.25 a pop, yet at the end of last month they had reached $482. This stupendous surge was created by thousands of armchair traders, organising themselves on internet forums such as Reddit, who were attempting to outwit hedge funds who had placed massive bets o
  
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• ICYMI: Groundhog Day and boot-iful snow patterns

  07-02-2021 13:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Stories you may have missed this week - from predicting the winter to someone making the most of it.
  
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• Freedom and fairness: Covid vaccine passport plans cause global unease

  07-02-2021 13:46
  
  Schemes are in development from Sweden to China, but there are fears around transmission and social unrestCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt is the question being asked with increasing urgency around the world, at least in countries where the vaccine is already available: how much freedom to live life as it was before the pandemic should be granted to those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19?Its impacts range from the speed at which economies can open, to
  
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• ‘It feels like a placebo’: Mexico’s vaccine program sees disastrous launch

  07-02-2021 13:00
  
  Pace for vaccinations has slowed as government website to register crashes repeatedly and Covid death toll is third highestRodolfo spent hour after aggravating hour trying to register his elderly mother for a Covid-19 vaccination through a Mexican government website, only for the system to crash repeatedly.“I spent three days fighting with the website,” he said. “My mom would have been unable to do it without me.” Continue reading...
  
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• Nadhim Zahawi: UK has no plans to introduce Covid vaccine passports – video

  07-02-2021 12:39
  
  The vaccines minister insisted the government was not considering vaccine passports to allow those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel internationally. ‘Vaccines are not mandated in the UK ... and it would be discriminatory,’ Zahawi told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show. ‘We have no plans of introducing a vaccine passport’Coronavirus live news Continue reading...
  
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• Trump’s election fraud falsehoods have cost taxpayers $519m — and counting

  07-02-2021 12:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  The expenditures include legal fees prompted by dozens of fruitless lawsuits, enhanced personal security, and costly repairs needed after the Capitol riots
  
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• Argentina: human rights outrage at province's 'abusive' quarantine

  07-02-2021 12:00
  
  Formosa has the country’s lowest Covid death rate – but critics say that has been achieved by ‘flagrant, grave’ rights violations The Argentinian province with the lowest Covid death rate in the country has been accused by human rights groups of forcibly quarantining thousands of people under inhuman conditions to achieve that result. Related: Argentina legalizing abortion will spur reform in Latin America, minister saysContinue reading...
  
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• Myanmar: tens of thousands march against military coup for second day

  07-02-2021 11:53
  
  Large demonstrations across country despite junta blocking internet access and restricting phone linesDemonstrators in Myanmar have vowed to continue their protests until their elected leaders are released and democracy returns, as tens of thousands of people poured on to the streets of towns and cities across the country for a second day.Large crowds gathered in the main city of Yangon and elsewhere, condemning the military for ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi i
  
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• Chinese users flock to US chat app Clubhouse to evade censors

  07-02-2021 11:48 via independent.co.uk
  
  Invites to platform selling for up to 400 yuan (£45) on popular e-commerce sites
  
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• India floods: India dam swept away after glacier crashes into it

  07-02-2021 11:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dozens of people are missing and feared dead in northern India after a glacier crashes into a dam.
  
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• Outrage over French girl's rape case sparks demand for law to protect minors

  07-02-2021 11:30
  
  Campaigners call for the introduction of an age of consent as 20 firefighters face chargesProtests will take place across France on Sunday in support of a woman allegedly raped by 20 firefighters when she was between 13 and 15 years old. Her case is being examined in the country’s highest court this week and campaigners hope it will lead to an age of sexual consent being enshrined in law as it is in the rest of the European Union.Julie* says she was raped by Parisian firefighters over a pe
  
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• More deaths, worse care? Inquiry opens into NHS maternity 'systemic racism'

  07-02-2021 11:30
  
  Childbirth rights group supports examination into disproportionate health outcomesAn urgent inquiry to investigate how alleged systemic racism in the NHS manifests itself in maternity care will be launched on Tuesday with support from the UK charity Birthrights.The inquiry will apply a human- rights lens to examine how claimed racial injustice – from explicit racism to bias – is leading to poorer health outcomes in maternity care for ethnic minority groups. Continue reading...
  
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• Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes southern Philippines

  07-02-2021 11:10 via independent.co.uk
  
  Southeast Asian nation sits on geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire
  
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• Poet, pioneer... can family finally honour legacy of Franco victim?

  07-02-2021 11:00
  
  DNA tests will confirm if exhumed body is Republican heroine, María Domínguez Remón, who overcame poverty to become the first female mayorThe hair that the clips and comb once held in place, probably in a bun, is long gone, as are the feet that filled the sandals, and the clothes to which the two buttons belong.All that survives of the middle-aged woman who was murdered in 1936 and exhumed from the cemetery of the small Aragonese town of Fuendejalón last weekend is he
  
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• ‘Adoption has been a journey from ignorance to enlightenment’

  07-02-2021 11:00
  
  When I decided to adopt orphaned twins from Ethiopia, it felt like the most natural thing to do. But it raised many questions about motherhood and the bond we have with our childrenI assumed I would conceive naturally when John and I decided to start a family. I didn’t. We turned to fertility drugs with ambivalence. Reports of the mood swings the drugs sometimes caused worried me. I had only gone through one round when I broke a wooden dish-drying rack over John’s head. I don’t
  
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• When will Britain's Covid lockdown be lifted? Three scenarios

  07-02-2021 09:30
  
  At best, vaccines and lockdown could make life more normal by May. But at worst, a new mutation could undo any progressCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHopes are rising that Britain may soon put the worst of Covid-19 behind it. After a year in which the disease has paralysed the nation, killed more than 100,000 people, closed schools and universities, and brought the NHS to its knees, there are now signs of hope emerging.Most optimism stems from Britain’s v
  
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• High anxiety: super-rich find supertall skyscraper an uncomfortable perch

  07-02-2021 09:00
  
  Wealthy residents of 432 Park Avenue have complained of leaks, malfunctions and wind sway – much to the delight of earthbound New YorkersAbout six years ago, the supertall residential tower 432 Park Avenue offered rich buyers something other buildings could not: a chance to live atop Manhattan’s famed skyline and far above their millions of fellow New Yorkers below.But some of the hugely wealthy residents who have since moved into the 1,396ft structure have reportedly found that livi
  
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• UK vaccine gambles paid off, while EU caution slowed it down

  07-02-2021 08:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  The European Union has chosen a careful route in its vaccine campaign to defeat the coronavirus pandemic
  
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• War World 3 fears abate as Iran seeks 'exit route' after Covid leaves regime desperate

  07-02-2021 08:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IRAN may try to find a diplomatic breakthrough with the United States and Israel as the coronavirus pandemic has left the country weakened and the regime feeling vulnerable, according to an expert.
  
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• China plot: Tentacles of influence spreading with 'vaccine diplomacy' - as EU squabbles

  07-02-2021 08:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  CHINA is practising "vaccine diplomacy", enabling it to extend its worldwide influence - in marked contrast to the bitter squabbling which has characterised the EU's rollout, a UK-based expert has said.
  
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• Never Trumpers' Republican revolt failed but they could still play key role

  07-02-2021 07:54
  
  The attempt to pry the party away from Trump’s influence fizzled but support in Congress is greater than it may appearThe Republican rebellion failed: Donald Trump won.“I was disappointed over the last few weeks to see what seemed like the Republican party waking up,” the Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger observed on NBC’s Meet the Press last week, “and then kind of falling asleep again”. Continue reading...
  
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• EU vaccine debacle: Von der Leyen compares Covid rollout to Cold War space race

  07-02-2021 07:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  URSULA von der Leyen has criticised the aggressive pursuit of a Covid vaccine by some countries.
  
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