The Guardian

More cases in South Korea while first suspected infection is recorded in Latin America Latest developmentsCoronavirus has spread further around the world as a World Health Organisation expert warned that countries outside China are “simply not ready” for a pandemic.The virus has proliferated in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East in recent days, with the death toll rising in Iran, infections in South Korea passing 1,000 and the first suspected case recorded in Latin America – even as the number of deaths and fresh cases decline at the disease epicentre in China. Covid-19 has now reached dozens of countries with Austria, Croatia and Switzerland the latest to declare cases. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/26/coronavirus-spreads-further-as-who-expert-warns-world-not-ready-for-pandemic

Author : Kate Lyons and agencies

Publish date : 2020-02-26 05:40:21

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The University of Melbourne will reimburse students’ flight, accommodation and remote study expensesAn Australian university is offering up to $7,500 in grants to students stranded in China due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus.The University of Melbourne has offered to reimburse expenses related to forfeited flights, accommodation and remote study workarounds by those students who have been affected by the Australian government’s continuing ban on entry to foreign nationals who have travelled through mainland China. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/26/australian-university-offers-up-to-7500-to-students-stranded-in-china-by-coronavirus-travel-ban

Author : Stephanie Convery

Publish date : 2020-02-26 03:22:17

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Himalayan tahr numbers reach 35,000 despite controversial culling aimed at limiting them to 10,000A non-native goat-like animal is destroying New Zealand’s fragile alpine regions, and government culling has been unable to keep up with its population booms.The Himalayan tahr was introduced to New Zealand in 1904 as hunting game for sports shooters, and has thrived in the rugged, alpine environment of the South Island. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/26/alpine-ecosystems-at-risk-as-tahr-population-booms-in-new-zealand

Author : Eleanor Ainge Roy

Publish date : 2020-02-26 02:20:49

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Expert tells nations to access the expertise of China and prepare for a potential pandemic as the outbreak spreads across Europe. Follow live newsTenerife coronavirus: 1,000 guests at hotel quarantinedIran’s deputy health minister: I have coronavirusTell us: have you been affected by the coronavirus?What is coronavirus and what should I do if I have symptoms? 1.17am GMT South Korea has reported 169 more cases of new coronavirus, mostly in and around Daegu, bringing total infections to 1,146, according to the Associated Press. 1.00am GMT The impact of months of civil unrest and now coronavirus has seen Australian airline, Virgin, lose more than $130m in earnings on its flight routes to Hong Kong, my colleague Alyx Gorman reports from the company’s half yearly call.The company had already said last year it would wind up its Melbourne-Hong Kong route, but keep the daily Sydney-Hong Kong flight, however then in February said the Sydney route would also end. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/feb/26/coronavirus-latest-updates-who-mission-director-warns-world-is-simply-not-ready

Author : Helen Davidson

Publish date : 2020-02-26 01:17:34

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Opponents seek to slow Sanders’ momentum before Super TuesdayBloomberg needs strong showing after last week’s poor performanceFull story: Sanders braced for onslaught from rivals 12.04am GMT Joe Biden has long portrayed South Carolina as his “firewall,” fortified by his support among black voters and particularly older black voters. 11.46pm GMT Of the seven candidates on stage tonight, no one needs a strong showing more than Mike Bloomberg. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/25/democratic-debate-tonight-live-bernie-sanders-mike-bloomberg-elizabeth-warren-biden-latest-news-updates

Author : Joan E Greve in New York

Publish date : 2020-02-26 00:04:09

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The former prime minister has stepped into the climate debate, with a stark warning to moderate Liberals to act. All the day’s events, live 10.34pm GMT This issue has come off the boiler – but will no doubt start ticking away again when a distraction is neededThe Migration Committee will today hold a public hearing for its inquiry into migration in regional Australia, featuring the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. pic.twitter.com/HBRXTS1n4K 10.14pm GMT Even though it seems like 600 days ago, it was only yesterday that Peter Dutton defined “leftwing terrorism” as Islamic terrorism, for reasons only he can explain – but won’t.In the midst of that word vomit, you may have missed this from Katharine Murphy:While the debate about false equivalence played out in public, Guardian Australia has also confirmed that one of the minister’s advisers cited the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion as an example of a troublesome leftwing organisation during a telephone conversation with a member of the public who sought to query Dutton’s controversial intervention in the debate.Matthew Noel, an engineering student from New South Wales, says he rang Dutton’s ministerial office in Canberra on Tuesday morning. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/feb/26/zero-emissions-climate-morrison-coalition-labor-politics-live

Author : Amy Remeikis

Publish date : 2020-02-25 22:34:15

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Yehry Rivera, 45, latest to die in spate of violence Brörán community has been trying to reclaim ancestral landA Costa Rican indigenous defender has been killed by an armed mob while trying to reclaim ancestral land – the latest in a spate of violence targeting native communities in Central America’s safest country. Related: Costa Rica indigenous leader shot amid tensions over land rights Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/25/costa-rican-indigenous-land-activist-killed-by-armed-mob

Author : Nina Lakhani in Mexico City

Publish date : 2020-02-25 20:51:14

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British-Iranian Anoosheh Ashoori is said to be worried he will be forced to movePrisoners in Iran’s Evin prison, including a British-Iranian dual national, are protesting plans for them to be transferred to a ward which they believe previously held a coronavirus victim.Sherry Ashoori, whose dual national husband Anoosheh Ashoori, 65, was jailed by the Iranian authorities for 12 years, said she has contacted the Foreign Office to warn them of the plans to transfer her husband and others to the prison’s ward 4. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/iranian-prison-inmates-fear-transfer-to-ward-that-hosted-coronavirus-victim

Author : Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Publish date : 2020-02-25 18:58:25

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Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s autocratic former president who ruled with an iron fist for three decades before being toppled during the Arab spring protests in 2011, has died aged 91. We look back at the life and legacy of one of Egypt’s most notorious leaders whose long rule descended into corruption, incompetence and human rights violationsHosni Mubarak, Egyptian president ousted during Arab spring, dies at 91 Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/feb/25/hosni-mubarak-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-egyptian-dictator-video-obituary

Author : Maheen Sadiq

Publish date : 2020-02-25 18:13:17

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Money will go to Eastern Australia Agriculture – founded by energy minister Angus Taylor – for additional water to save rare wetlandsThe federal government is spending up to $2m buying water from Queensland agribusiness Eastern Australia Agriculture in a bid to keep an internationally significant wetlands from dying, despite paying $80m to the same company three years ago for water rights for the same purpose.The $80m purchase of overland flows from Eastern Australia Agriculture has been controversial and is now under scrutiny by Australian National Audit Office. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/26/government-to-spend-millions-buying-water-from-company-it-already-paid-80m

Author : Anne Davies

Publish date : 2020-02-25 16:30:03

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Ex-Liberal leader failed to pass on allegations against Sir Cyril SmithLatest political developments – liveLord Steel has quit the Liberal Democrats after the inquiry into child sexual abuse said the political establishment spent decades turning “a blind eye” to allegations of child sexual abuseThe inquiry cited as an example the evidence of former Liberal party leader who told the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) inquiry last year how he failed to pass on allegations against prominent colleague Sir Cyril Smith, even though he believed them to be true, because it was “past history”. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/25/lord-steel-quits-lib-dems-after-child-abuse-inquiry-report

Author : PA Media

Publish date : 2020-02-25 15:14:07

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Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the EU agreeing its negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, and the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings in Manchester 1.44pm GMT Here is the full text (pdf) of the negotiating mandate agreed by the EU for the trade talks with the UK. It has been toughened up a bit since a draft version (pdf) was published earlier this month.The UK has not published its own negotiating mandate yet – it is due out on Thursday – but we already have a pretty clear idea of what it will say, partly because of what Boris Johnson said in his Brexit speech in Greenwich and partly because of what Johnson said the same day in a written ministerial statement.Given the union and the United Kingdom’s geographic proximity and economic interdependence, the envisaged partnership must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field. These commitments should be commensurate with the scope and depth of the overall envisaged partnership and the economic connectedness of the parties. These commitments should prevent distortions of trade and unfair competitive advantages so as to ensure a sustainable and long-lasting relationship between the parties. To that end, the envisaged agreement should uphold common high standards, and corresponding high standards over time with union standards as a reference point, in the areas of state aid, competition, state-owned enterprises, social and employment standards, environmental standards, climate change, relevant tax matters and other regulatory measures and practices in these areas. In so doing, the agreement should rely on appropriate and relevant union and international standards. It should include for each of those areas adequate mechanisms to ensure effective implementation domestically, enforcement and dispute settlement, including appropriate remedies. The union should also have the possibility to apply autonomous, including interim, measures to react quickly to disruptions of the equal conditions of competition in relevant areas, with union standards as a reference point.Any agreement must respect the sovereignty of both parties and the autonomy of our legal orders. It cannot therefore include any regulatory alignment …There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules.The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas – better, in many respects, than those of the EU – without the compulsion of a treaty.The UK’s primary objective in the negotiations is to ensure that we restore our economic and political independence on 1 January 2021.Besides the cooperation on conservation, management and regulation, the objective of the provisions on fisheries should be to uphold union fishing activities. In particular, it should aim to avoid economic dislocation for union fishermen that have been engaged in fishing activities in the United Kingdom waters.To reach this objective, the provisions on fisheries should uphold existing reciprocal access conditions, quota shares and the traditional activity of the Union fleet, and therefore:
We are ready to consider an agreement on fisheries, but it must reflect the fact that the UK will be an independent coastal state at the end of this year 2020, controlling our own waters.And under such an agreement, there would be annual negotiations with the EU, using the latest scientific data, ensuring that British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats. 12.47pm GMT This is from Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president.✅ Mandate approved. Ready to go. Negotiations with the #UK will begin the week of 2nd March.

We stand ready to build a close, ambitious partnership with the UK. This is good for people, good for business. #NewBeginnings Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/feb/25/brexit-eu-mandate-trade-talks-ministers-meet-to-agree-negotiating-mandate-for-trade-talks-with-uk-live-news

Author : Andrew Sparrow

Publish date : 2020-02-25 13:48:40

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President Donald Trump continues India visit amid clashesDemocrat challengers prepare for South Carolina debateIn this defining moment for America, support the Guardian’s independent journalism. Make a contribution 12.19pm GMT It is going to be a slightly unfamiliar meal for the president and his wife in India today. Trump is well known for his love of burgers and steaks, but cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion. The main dish at the banquet tonight will be goat. The banquet is for around 90 guests, and a spokesman for India’s president’s office says the chefs will prepare food with “a careful combination of spices to suit Indian and American palates.”While Trump has been focussed on talks with prime minister Modi and Indian businessmen, first lady Melania has been visiting a “happiness class” at a government-run school in the Indian capital. The curriculum dovetails with her “Be Best” initiative to teach children and young adults to be kind, avoid drugs and take care of themselves. 12.03pm GMT It has been clear for a few days now that the main Mike Bloomberg campaign strategy was going to be to turn his fire specifically on Bernie Sanders. With Sanders out in front in polling, to stand a chance of winning the nomination one of the chasing pack needs to peg him back urgently before he amounts an unassailable lead.Bloomberg’s attack today is that some internal polling that suggests Sanders’ nomination could drag down vulnerable House Democrats trying to hold onto their competitive districts. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/25/donald-trump-india-south-carolina-democrat-debate-modi-bernie-sanders-mike-bloomberg

Author : Martin Belam

Publish date : 2020-02-25 12:19:45

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Swedish citizen who went missing in 2015 sentenced for ‘providing intelligence’ abroadA Chinese court has sentenced the Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison for “providing intelligence” overseas, deepening diplomatic tensions as Sweden demanded that China release him.A court in Ningbo, an eastern port city, said on Tuesday that Gui had been found guilty and would be stripped of political rights for five years in addition to his prison term. The brief statement said Gui had pleaded guilty and would not be appealing against his case. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/gui-minhai-detained-hong-kong-bookseller-jailed-for-10-years-in-china

Author : Lily Kuo in Hong Kong

Publish date : 2020-02-25 10:45:23

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European markets try to struggle back after Dow plunged by 1,000 points last nightIntroduction: Markets calmer after Monday’s routUK’s Ricardo issues covonavirus profits warningMeggitt, Croda and Mordan also cite virus impact 9.17am GMT European stocks are under pressure again, because Italian authorities have just announced the first positive coronavirus case in the South of Italy.What was largely a Chinese issue to resolve has soon become an international problem, with European eyes transfixed on Italian efforts to curb the spread of the virus. With European borders open and the Italian ‘patient zero’ still unknown, things could easily turn from bad to worse in the efforts to keep the coronavirus at bay. With tourism to and from China plummeting, there is little reason to expect any different in Europe if this virus spreads throughout the continent. The declines seen for largely European-focused airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair highlight the increasing fear that we will see travel locked down closer to home, with obvious knock-on implications for consumer activity should that occur 9.01am GMT The rally has fizzled out! Britain’s FTSE 100 has dropped back to yesterday’s two-month closing low of 7163 points, and the Stoxx 600 index is slightly negative. Continue reading…



Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2020/feb/25/stock-market-sell-off-coronavirus-companies-croda-dow-ftse-business-live

Author : Graeme Wearden

Publish date : 2020-02-25 09:17:50

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