Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2020

A year for corporate titans who could lose their shirt and still make a packet

The 2020 Observer Business Agenda Awards honour showoffs, light-touch founders and even … Big Pharma Each year, our awards celebrate the physical prowess of the finance world’s most alluring tycoons – who get their very own entry on our prestigious topless calendar. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mQvzuK

Flood and wind warnings across UK as Storm Bella sweeps in

Severe flood warnings are in place and winds of 60mph are expected into Sunday, Met Office says Flood defences have been erected and gusts of more than 80mph recorded as large parts of the UK braced for Storm Bella. Related: Flood and wind warnings across UK as Storm Bella sweeps in Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2KYej9D

The bumper Boxing Day travel quiz

Panto trip this year? Oh, no there isn’t. Instead, charge everyone’s glass and take a whirl around the world with our fiendish quiz? How many countries border Germany? Six Seven Eight Nine Which country is Christmas Island an external territory of? Australia Canada New Zealand United Kingdom In which modern-day country was St Nicholas born? Israel Lapland Syria Turkey How many countries border Brazil? 6 8 10 12 Lilongwe is the capital of which African country? Zaire Malawi Eswatini Mozambique Which city would you be in if you’d landed at Louis Armstrong airport? New Orleans Chicago Nashville Kansas City Good King Wenceslas was a 10th-century ruler of Bohemia, which is in which modern-day country? Poland Slovakia Czech Republic Hungary In which country do they tuck into deep-fried Emperor moth caterpillars on Christmas Day? Colombia Australia Thailand South Africa In which country is eating KFC a Christmas tradition? Japan Mexico Egypt Taiwan

Gibraltar vets make daily patrols to check macaques for coronavirus

Authorities want to shield Europe’s only wild monkeys from threat of Covid-19 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Officials in Gibraltar are making daily patrols of the territory’s Barbary macaque population amid fears that the iconic monkeys could be vulnerable to the coronavirus. The British overseas territory has been relatively spared by the virus, documenting about 1,000 confirmed cases and six deaths. But as governments around the world wrestle with how to keep the coronavirus at bay, authorities in the Rock are grappling with an additional worry: how to shield Europe’s only wild monkey population from the virus. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3o3g3gx

Trump stain likely to dog officials' post-administration job prospects

Serving in the White House is normally a passport to a lucrative job in business or lobbying but little about the Trump presidency is normal In normal times it would go to the top of anyone’s curriculum vitae or résumé. Serving in the White House has typically been a passport to a lucrative job on a corporate board, in the lobbying industry or at a prestigious Washington thinktank. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aJGdAM

Global report: South Korea at Covid 'crossroads' as global concern mounts over variants

Norway extends UK travel ban; Japan refuses arrivals from South Africa; Turkey requires all arrivals to provide proof of negative test Japan and France report cases of coronavirus variant found in UK See all our coronavirus coverage South Korea has posted its second-highest daily number of coronavirus cases, as outbreaks at a prison, nursing homes and churches continued to grow, prompting the health minister to say the country was at a “crossroads of the third wave”. It comes as more countries restricted entry from the UK and South Africa amid fears about new Covid variants. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said there were 1,132 new coronavirus cases on Friday, not too far off the record of 1,241 logged on Christmas Eve. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3pirrVM

Daniel Howell: 'If young people aren't supported it's going to screw everybody'

In our latest report for this year’s Guardian and Observer charity appeal, we talk to the Young Minds ambassador and YouTube star • Please donate to our appeal here Daniel Howell has spent the pandemic in “a slight apocalyptic nuclear bunker”, with terrible internet. It is quite the revelation for someone who shot to stardom documenting his life on YouTube, with his channel reaching more than 6 million subscribers. Speaking over a Zoom call, the former BBC Radio 1 presenter jokes that his routine “of watering house plants” and “peering out the windows” has been interrupted. But despite the dystopian glaze overshadowing 2020, he has not found this year as hard as some. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2KQm5Ch

Covid rules out Boxing Day hunts and parades amid uncertain future

Cancellations across large swaths of UK add to controversy over hunting governing body’s webinars Traditional Boxing Day hunts across large parts of the UK have been cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions, with those going ahead elsewhere not parading through town centres prior to their yuletide meet this year for the first time in recent history. The centuries-old activity faces an uncertain future after a number of landowners suspended hunting with hounds on their property amid controversy over private video seminars held this summer by hunting’s executive body, which were infiltrated by activist group the Hunt Saboteurs who claimed they discussed how to create a “smokescreen” for illegal hunting. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3nRwzA3

Israeli jets strike Gaza after rockets fired across border

Israeli army says it targeted three Hamas sites in Palestinian territory, including a rocket-manufacturing facility Israel has targeted a number of sites in Gaza after the army said Palestinian militants had fired rockets into the south of the country. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said Israeli aircraft had struck three Hamas targets including a rocket manufacturing facility, underground infrastructure and a military post. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/37N1lUT

Millions wake up to tougher restrictions as UK Covid deaths pass 70,000

Six million more people in England enter tier-4 restrictions as new measures come into force in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales See all our coronavirus coverage Millions more people will be waking to harsher coronavirus restrictions on Boxing Day when new tier changes come into force in England. New lockdowns are set to be introduced in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while restrictions that were eased for Christmas Day in Wales will be reimposed on Saturday. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/38EFC0y

‘I expect my elderly parents to die – but to suffer alone?’: the truth about caring through Covid

Toilet-roll paranoia, terminal shortness of breath: my nonagenarian parents and I were there before it went mainstream. How would we cope with the pandemic? Two hundred and twenty days into the pandemic and I am uncertain which is the bigger threat to my father – my impatience or Covid-19. Bad news about the new lockdown, I offer. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mRPERf

Heroes, villains and top TV: John Crace dishes out his awards for 2020

Despite so many inspiring people making the news, there was room for Dominic Cummings and Chris Grayling as well In such an unremittingly grim year, one of its most uplifting features has been the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to make life more bearable and as normal as possible. From the NHS, care home and mental health workers to the delivery drivers, shop staff and waste collectors. My family, friends and colleagues have all done more than their fair share of keeping me more or less sane. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aINukA

Tim Dowling: from birds on my head to the cat's miaows – my year in numbers

In a year when reality has felt slippery, it’s good to pin down the key points in hard statistics. Here then, are mine Over the course of the last year, our enforced isolation, compounded by a proliferation of disinformation, has made reality feel a bit slippery. Now more than ever, I find it helpful to conduct my annual look back using nothing but cold, hard figures. Here, then, are my personal statistics for 2020: .66666 (recurring) Percentage of my three adult children living – and working – at home since the start of lockdown. It’s not so bad – I have learned to live with the small humiliation of delivery food arriving in the middle of meals I have cooked – but over time the pressure has taken its toll on all of us. The remaining .33333 of my descendants is in the United States with my family, but we’re still sort of connected because he set up the Deliveroo account and gets a text notification whenever anybody orders anything. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Gu

'It's as if we've learned nothing': alarm over Amazon road project

Memories of Brazil’s dictatorship as plan threatens biodiverse home of three indigenous communities Brazilian activists have voiced alarm over their government’s plans to bulldoze a 94-mile highway through a biodiverse corner of the Amazon along the border with Peru that is home to at least three indigenous communities. The planned road is an extension of the BR-364 , a 2,700-mile highway that links São Paulo with the Amazon state of Acre, and would connect the town of Cruzeiro do Sul with the Peruvian border town of Pucallpa. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aINiSo

Boeing 737-8 Max: Air Canada jet shuts down an engine and diverts after mechanical issue

Emergency signal sent from Montreal-bound plane carrying three crew before the plane was rerouted to Arizona An Air Canada Boeing Co 737-8 Max en route between Arizona and Montreal with three crew members onboard suffered an engine issue that forced the crew to divert the aircraft to Tucson, Arizona, the airline says. Shortly after the take-off, the pilots received an “engine indication” and “decided to shut down one engine”, an Air Canada spokesman said on Friday. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/37MsBTw

Shoppers desert central Sydney after premier's Boxing Day Covid call, but throng to some suburbs

Trade was at a ‘record low’ in the central business district, but images of Westfield Parramatta showed crowds packed together NSW Covid hotspots – list of venues and case locations NSW premier calls on shoppers to avoid Sydney’s Boxing Day sales Retailers reported a substantial fall in the number of shoppers at Sydney’s Boxing Day sales on Saturday after the New South Wales government pleaded with people to stay away amid fears of further coronavirus outbreaks in the city. On Friday the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, urged people not to attend shopping centres on Boxing Day , saying the government would “prefer people do not go to the CBD tomorrow” as the state continues to grapple with the northern beaches Covid-19 outbreak . Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mNNnqb

Mary Wollstonecraft statue becomes one of 2020's most polarising artworks

Maggi Hambling’s north London sculpture aimed to provoke debate – and a survey of passersby shows it has certainly done that “It’s marvellous, I think it is unbelievably beautiful,” said Hilary Everett, a retired social worker, as she walked past one of the most controversial, most debated and most polarising public artworks of 2020. But Michaela Crimmin, a reader in art passing by a few minutes later, disagreed: “I loathe it. There’s no aesthetic to it. This is one of the very few public outdoor spaces in our area and to put this there is very brazen. I object to the material, I object to the shape of it and I think the actual sculpture looks ridiculous on that plinth.” Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2KtFp8K

Boat capsizes on Uganda's Lake Albert, leaving 26 dead

Twenty-one people rescued after sinking in high winds, with official saying no more survivors expected At least 26 people died when their boat sank on Lake Albert, which marks the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ugandan officials have said. The boat was carrying passengers between two Ugandan locations in the lake’s north-east on Wednesday when it “hit a strong wind” and went under water, local official Ashraf Oromo said on Friday. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WKULrN

Man arrested after fatal stabbing in Queensland on Christmas Day

Paramedics were unable to revive the wounded man after what police said appeared to be a domestic dispute A 33-year-old man has been arrested in Queensland after another man was fatally wounded in a Christmas Day altercation. The incident appeared to be a domestic dispute, with a disturbance having started inside a North Ipswich house before people moved into the front yard, Det Acting Ins Heath McQueen told reporters on Saturday. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2L0icLi

Ex-England cricketer and commentator Robin Jackman dies aged 75

Former seamer played four Tests and 15 ODIs Follows dead of old Surrey teammate Edrich Former England and Surrey bowler Robin Jackman has died at the age of 75. Jackman played in four Tests and 15 one-day internationals for his country, while he took 1,402 wickets in a 399-game first-class career between 1966 and 1982. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WNWywa

Australian golf great Greg Norman tests positive for Covid-19

Two-time British Open champion in hospital in the US Initially tested negative but ‘mild symptoms’ persisted Australian golf great Greg Norman has revealed he tested positive for Covid-19 on Christmas Day. The 65-year-old two-time British Open champion, who now lives in the United States, announced the news in an Instagram post containing photos of him in a hospital bed. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/37MeD42

China to overtake US as world's biggest economy by 2028, report predicts

Centre for Economics and Business Research says it expects this to happen half a decade sooner than it forecast a year ago China will overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy before the end of the decade after outperforming its rival during the global Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report. The Centre for Economics and Business Research said that it nowexpected the value of China’s economy when measured in dollars to exceed that of the US by 2028, half a decade sooner than it expected a year ago. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2JitgCK

Fancy dress and scratch carols: nine festive challenges from TV's Taskmaster

Comic and creator Alex Horne has dreamed up some of the silliest, toughest challenges ever seen on TV. Just the person to organise your household’s games at Christmas... When I created Taskmaster, it was never meant to be suitable for family Christmases. The host, Greg Davies, is a sweary giant, the comedians are often uncouth and the show was on late-night TV. Now, 10 years later, we’ve made a board game, a bleeped show on Sunday afternoons, and far more children shout “little Alex Horne” at me than I’d like. And so here are some tasks that kids and adults can all try together at Christmas. Apologies for any uncouth swearing induced. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3hjL4u4

The King William’s College quiz 2020

Where was Osburga’s son guilty of negligent baking? Who escaped by dropping on to Randal’s circus elephant? What made Miss Barker feel quite tipsy? Three down, 177 to go, in the toughest quiz of them all General knowledge paper 2020-21, No 116, sat by the pupils of King William’s College, Isle of Man “Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est” Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3poxFU9

I was five and visiting a psychiatric hospital. I had the time of my life!

I toddled round the ward giving sweets to old women and wondering why so many of them were clutching teddies. It taught me not to be scared of people with mental illness I was two when my mum became a consultant psychiatrist at Lancaster Moor hospital. Opened in 1816 as Lancashire’s first “lunatic asylum”, it was a forbidding place, looming over the M6 like a gigantic haunted mansion. It had neo-gothic towers and echoey corridors and always felt deserted, even though there were still a thousand patients when Mum started working there. At its peak, there were 3,200 people living inside its blackened walls, many in locked wards. Some had transferred from Lancaster Castle, a prison right in the centre of the city where the Pendle witches stood trial . The hospital complex was like a village: there were two churches, one Anglican and one Catholic, and it had a farm, a bowling green and its own generator. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/37Nz7JV

She Come by It Natural; Dolly Parton, Songteller review – no Dumb Blonde

Two books, one by Sarah Smarsh and a ‘life in lyrics’ by Parton, offer a reminder that the singer is a social unifier, a musical trailblazer and a business genius In 1977, Dolly Parton was interviewed by Barbara Walters in a TV special. The singer was 31 and, having not long extricated herself from a professional partnership with the country singer Porter Wagoner, had conquered the pop charts with the album Here You Come Again . Walters asked if puberty came early for Parton and, gesturing to her breasts, inquired: “Is it all you?” She then invited Parton to stand up so viewers could inspect her figure, and asked why she bothered with the makeup, the wigs and the clothes. “You don’t have to look like this,” Walters said, wagging a finger at her. Walters isn’t the only one to have treated Parton like a prize cow. Oprah Winfrey once ushered her on to her feet and invited everyone to take a closer look, as did the talk show host Phil Donahue, who added: “I know guys that wouldn’t let yo

Bridgerton review – Netflix's answer to Downton Abbey is a moreish treat

Preposterous and cliche-ridden, this tale of Regency intrigue – with Julie Andrews giving a Georgian Gossip Girl touch – nonetheless leaves you wanting more It cannot be – no, most assuredly and for the good of humanity, it cannot be – that there are people out there who aspire to write like Julian Fellowes. It simply cannot be. And yet. Now has come Bridgerton (Netflix) , suddenly into our lives, and as the minutes and the hours and the eight episodes of the new costume drama roll, the thought becomes ever more inescapable. For Bridgerton is the tale, set in 1813 Bath, of the Regency rivalry between the lordly Bridgerton family and the lordly Featherington family who are each keen to be seen as the most lordly of lordly families and lord it mostly lordily over the rest of Regency Bath’s Regency high society. We are in the Regency period, btw, and Bath. I, like the writers of the show, wish to make this very clear. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.

Maradonaland: Naples plans statues and museum to honour 'Saint Diego'

City’s murals of Maradona have become pilgrimage sites since footballer’s death in November A month since the death of Diego Armando Maradona and the southern Italian city of Naples is looking more like a Maradonaland each day. After renaming Napoli football club’s San Paolo Stadium and a train station in his honour this month, local authorities are planning a large museum, commissioning statues and dedicating an entire square to the Argentinian who took the city’s football team to glory and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3rCSnBM

Massachusetts city to post climate change warning stickers at gas stations

Bright yellow stickers warn drivers burning of gasoline has ‘major consequences on human health and the environment’ Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first US city to mandate the placing of stickers on fuel pumps to warn drivers of the resulting dangers posed by the climate crisis. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aGmGRS

Android TV setup guide: All you need to get started with your new Android TV

Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority So, you’ve got yourself a brand new Android TV that you need to set up from scratch. Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basic setup process for Android TVs. Unlike Android on smartphones, there’s not much software segregation on Android TV devices. If you learn how to set up and use one, you’ve learned how to set up all of them. Besides showing you where things are on your Android TV and how to use its various features, we’ll also help you with a list of apps you might want to download to get the most out of your Android TV. So without further ado, let’s take a look at how to set up a new Android TV. Android TV: Pre-setup requirements Before you start setting up your Android TV, you need to make a note of a few things that you will need. Check that you have the following: A Wi-Fi internet connection A Google account If your TV doesn’t have Android TV built-in, you’ll need: An ex

Navalny says Russian police have raided home of ally pursuing novichok plot

Kremlin critic says Lyubov Sobol detained after visiting Konstantin Kudryavtsev, the FSB agent tricked into speaking about poison plot Russian police raided the home of opposition activist Lyubov Sobol early on Christmas Day and took her in for questioning, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and his supporters have said. Navalny’s supporters said they thought the police action was a response to her trying to knock at the door of an alleged FSB security agent in Moscow who Navalny says took part in the botched plot to poison him with novichok in August. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WKyOJC

Idi Amin challenged my father to a wrestling match – then chickened out

Uganda has never acknowledged the sporting legacy of athlete ‘Sunlight’ Okiror. Almost 30 years after his death, his son hopes this might change My father, Samson “Sunlight” Okiror, lived an extraordinary life. He was a soldier, a rebel and one of Uganda’s most famous sportsmen. A wrestler and heavyweight lifter, he could lift a car off the ground. He could tie a rope to a Land Rover and stop it from moving when the engine was turned on. He could stretch steel chains and springs. He travelled across east Africa and to Europe to train and perform. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WGyfjM

A step forward or a failure: Britons react to the Brexit deal

We asked people for their thoughts on the agreement. Predictably, views were mixed A Brexit deal has been agreed between the UK and the EU with Boris Johnson hailing it as a “jumbo, Canada-style” arrangement. The Guardian asked four people for their thoughts, with some pleased and others not. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3aEa0ek

How real is the threat of prosecution for Donald Trump post-presidency?

Legal threats range from investigations into his business dealings in New York to possible obstruction of justice charges – but all come with a political cost At noon on 20 January, presuming he doesn’t have to be dragged out of the White House as a trespasser , Donald Trump will make one last walk across the South Lawn, take his seat inside Marine One, and be gone. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3plkIui

White Christmas for UK as snow falls before Storm Bella hits

Early snowfall recorded in Humberside and Suffolk offers a bright spot amid the looming weather warnings on Boxing Day Early morning snowfall has been recorded in parts of the UK, with the Met Office declaring it a white Christmas. Reports of snow had come in from Leconfield in Humberside and Wattisham in Suffolk as of 5am on Christmas day. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WGwinA

'Make what you want seem normal': David Frost and the Brexit deal

British chief negotiator, or ‘Great Frost’ to the PM, said short-term costs of Brexit will be outweighed by long-term benefits For good or ill, David Frost knew how to get under Michel Barnier’s skin. The British chief negotiator’s habit in the negotiating room of dismissing the EU as “your organisation”, as if it was a bowling club, grated with his French counterpart. “You ask for respect for your sovereignty, David, but please respect ours,” Barnier privately chided Frost. Throughout many months of talks, theirs was never the warmest of relationships. “I don’t know if they will stay in touch,” admitted one EU source. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/38OUJF9

'Christmas gift' or 'bad timing'? Brexit deal greeted with joy and foreboding around world

Last-minute agreement assessed as either a welcome economic boost or a bad move in a world that has become dominated by uncertainty Britain should be congratulated for coming to a Brexit deal with the EU, but be wary of the very different world they are walking into, international analysts have said. Outside Europe, politicians, experts, and media took a short break from Christmas and the pandemic to welcome the end of Britain’s long and torturous Brexit process , but there was little in the way of celebration. Continue reading... Source- World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3hilyFx

Xiaomi Mi 11 series: Everything we know so far (Updated: Dec. 25)

Update: December 25, 2020 (12:30 AM ET) : We’ve updated the Mi 11 rumor hub below with details about a night mode for video recording and some information regarding the display of the phone. Read on for all the latest. Original article: November 30, 2020 (1:03 AM ET) : Xiaomi ‘s numbered Mi series phones represent the best the company has to offer in terms of software and hardware. The flagships often undercut the competition in the value for money department and bring premium specs to the table at the same time, making them some of the most exciting phones in the market. The Xiaomi Mi 11 will be the Chinese manufacturer’s first big launch for the coming year and it’s already making headlines thanks to various leaks and rumors. So without further ado, here are all the rumors and leaks regarding the Xiaomi Mi 11 price, release date, and everything we know so far. Xiaomi Mi 11 series: Name and release date Xiaomi has already confirmed that the upcoming flagship series will ca