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The Guardian

Coronavirus live news: China mourns 'martyrs' as US urges everyone to wear face masks (sam., 04 avril 2020)
China honours those who died fighting virus; Donald Trump opts out of call for Americans to wear non-surgical masks; World Bank warns of ‘major global recession’. Follow the latest, live Latest developments: at a glance ‘Mask wars’: US faces more accusations of Covid-19 outbidding Focus turns to US as coronavirus continues to spread around world US coronavirus – live updates See all of our coronavirus coverage 5.23am BST Here’s a bit more detail on South Korea, which announced earlier that it would be extending its social distancing rules. High-risk facilities have been closed and religious, sports and entertainment gatherings banned for the past 15 days. The health minister said this morning that these measures will remain in place until daily cases drop down to 50 or lower - a number that officials believe the health system will be able to manage. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters: Our goal is to be able to control infections in a way that our health and medical system, including personnel and sickbeds, can handle them at usual level. If the number goes down to 50 or lower, stable treatment of the patients including the critically ill will be possible without much pressure on the system.” 4.50am BST The singer Pink said that she has recently recovered from Covid-19, and announced that she is donating $500,000 each to two emergency funds helping tackle the outbreak. In a statement posted on Twitter, she said that she had accessed a test through her family’s primary healthcare physician two weeks ago. (1 of 2) ❤️ pic.twitter.com/giodqm0PWf Continue reading...
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UK ministers struggle to keep promise of 100k coronavirus tests by end of April (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Frustrated NHS staff and scientists say they have labs ready but cannot get the materials Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK government’s pledge to carry out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month is unravelling, with NHS laboratory staff and scientists warning they do not have the test kits, chemicals and components they need to scale up. Boris Johnson is personally calling the major companies that make test kits to try to secure the UK supply, it has emerged, in competition with prime ministers and presidents from around the world. Continue reading...
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'I'm not going to do it': Trump rejects his own administration's advice on masks (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
The CDC has issued new guidance on wearing non-medical masks as a voluntary public health measure – and the first lady supports it Coronavirus – live US updates Live global updates See all our coronavirus coverage Donald Trump has said his administration is encouraging Americans to wear face masks in public to prevent spreading the coronavirus – but does not intend to wear one himself, despite his own wife’s advice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance for people to wear bandannas, t-shirts and other cloth-based coverings in crowded areas, especially in hot spots. Continue reading...
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Coronavirus deaths of two nurses lead to calls for more protection (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
One nurse in north London resigns after being prevented from wearing mask she bought herself Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Demands for better protection for healthcare workers are growing following the death of two nurses in their 30s, while another frontline worker quit her job after being forbidden from wearing a face mask. Areema Nasreen, 36, died shortly after midnight on Friday at Walsall Manor hospital in the West Midlands, where she had worked for 16 years. Aimee O’Rourke, 38, who joined the NHS in 2017 and worked at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother hospital in Margate, Kent, died hours earlier, on Thursday night. Both were mothers of three children. Continue reading...
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Britain’s coronavirus testing scandal: a timeline of mixed messages (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
UK government accused of over-promising and under-delivering on a variety of claims in the past few weeks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Three weeks ago, the World Health Organization told countries battling Covid-19 to “test, test, test” for the virus. Since then, the UK government has been accused of issuing mixed messages, of over-promising and under-delivering – the UK’s daily testing rate has only just passed 10,000. 11 March: Tests to be expanded Continue reading...
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Coronavirus latest: at a glance (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak Follow our latest coronavirus blog for live news and updates Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include: Continue reading...
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How is the coronavirus affecting global air traffic? (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Data shows more and more airlines are cancelling flights, but thousands of planes remain in the air Since countries around the world have gone into lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, flight and passenger numbers have made a steep downward plunge. But not all planes are grounded. We’ve taken a look at the available data to find out who is still flying. Continue reading...
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Can you pause season tickets, Sky Sports or car insurance during lockdown? (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
What you can do to suspend payments or get refunds during the coronavirus crisis You are paying monthly for your car insurance – but no longer using your car. You have an expensive season ticket for travel into work on the train – but now you are at home. You’re paying for a football TV channel – but there are no matches. And your daughter is back from her closed university – but is still having to pay residence hall fees. What payments can be frozen and what refunds can you request during the coronavirus crisis? Continue reading...
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UK doctors' coronavirus deaths highlight crucial role of BAME medics (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Tributes point to fact that first four to die were all from minority ethnic backgrounds Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage As tributes were paid to the first four doctors who died from coronavirus in the UK, it did not go unnoticed that, profession apart, they also had another striking similarity – they were all from a BAME background. Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, Amged el-Hawrani, 55, and Adil El Tayar, 64 and GP Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, had ancestry in regions including Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Continue reading...
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Nightingale emergency coronavirus hospital may not be needed as urgently as expected (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
London’s intensive care units were expected to be overflowing at this point but are only three-quarters full Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The new 4,000-bed Nightingale emergency hospital in London was opened by Prince Charles via videolink on Friday, but it is hoped it will not be needed as urgently as previously thought because hospitals in the capital are coping better with the coronavirus. A week ago it had been thought that intensive care units in London would be overflowing by this point, but political sources said they had been told the capital’s hospitals were three-quarters full, which is better than expected. Continue reading...
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Queen to address nation on Sunday over coronavirus crisis (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Head of state to deliver special broadcast on Covid-19 outbreak Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Queen will address the nation and Commonwealth on Sunday, delivering a message on the coronavirus outbreak in a rare special televised broadcast. The announcement by Buckingham Palace ends speculation over whether the monarch would make a statement about the unprecedented events that have forced the country into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading...
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NHS faces shortfall of ventilators as manufacturers struggle (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Companies likely to build ‘nowhere near’ enough extra machines in time for UK peak of coronavirus cases, sources reveal Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hospitals could be left without enough medical ventilators at the height of the UK coronavirus outbreak, with manufacturers struggling to build thousands of new machines in time for the likely mid-April peak in cases. The NHS already has 8,175 ventilators but the government believes up to 30,000 could be needed and has enlisted manufacturers in a wartime-style effort to boost stocks to to at least 61,000. Officials are working on deals to increase that number and are expected to announce new orders for hundreds more machines in the coming days. Continue reading...
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'Show me your ID': Tunisia deploys 'robocop' to enforce coronavirus lockdown (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
A police robot is patrolling the streets of the capital calling out suspected violators of the lockdown Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Tunisia’s interior ministry has sent a police robot to patrol the streets of the capital and enforce a lockdown imposed last month as the country battles the spread of coronavirus. Known as PGuard, the “robocop” is remotely operated and equipped with infrared and thermal imaging cameras, in addition to a sound and light alarm system. Continue reading...
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Focus turns to US as coronavirus continues to spread around world (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
US reports highest daily death toll of any nation so far while global infections pass 1m Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The focus of the coronavirus crisis has switched decisively from continental Europe to the US, with the country reporting the highest daily death toll of any nation so far. The number of Americans killed by Covid-19 was 1,169 on Thursday, while the US’s total of 245,000 confirmed cases is also by far the highest recorded by any country worldwide. Continue reading...
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Doctor with Covid-19 dies in Berlin flat after travelling from London (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Attempt to trace Ryanair passengers after man ignores instruction to self-isolate Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A London-based doctor who ignored orders to self-isolate after showing Covid-19 symptoms has been found dead at his flat near Berlin, causing concern he could have infected other people on his journey from the UK. The 58-year-old German citizen, who is understood to have worked in Britain as a locum doctor, was told by his employer to put himself into self-isolation on 19 March after developing symptoms associated with the coronavirus, but was not tested. Continue reading...
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Boris Johnson will be judged on the next four weeks. That prospect should frighten him | Jonathan Freedland (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The British public are being patient over the coronavirus crisis, but they will not forgive governmental confusion for ever Boris Johnson and his government are on probation, watched by a public whose mood could turn rapidly and brutally. For now, and on paper, Johnson has the people with him: his poll ratings have surged north of 50%, a feat last managed by a Tory government at the height of the Falklands war nearly 40 years ago. But the wisest heads in Downing Street will not be turned by those numbers. They know that there’s always a “rally around the flag” effect at moments of extreme crisis: when citizens are frightened, they want to believe their leaders have got things under control. That’s why incumbents around the world, even useless and immoral ones such as Donald Trump, have enjoyed an initial corona bounce in their ratings, almost regardless of their actions. At the start of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 Jimmy Carter saw his approval numbers leap from 32% to 61% – only for him to crash to defeat a year later. Johnson will know that one day, and perhaps quite soon, he, too, will be judged. He can point to some concrete achievements. The opening today of what is a giant field hospital in east London’s ExCeL centre, constructed within nine days, is the prime example. Those who drooled with totalitarian envy at China’s ability to throw up a hospital in Wuhan within a week were adamant that a western democracy like Britain could never match that accomplishment, and they have been proved wrong. Rishi Sunak’s promise that the state will pay 80% of workers’ wages has won plaudits around the world, even if the chancellor has had to return repeatedly to his economic rescue package, tweaking it to catch those groups he left behind first time around. And the government has imposed a national lockdown that has been largely observed, one that might even see a flattening of the infection curve in the next week or so. Continue reading...
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The Guardian view on immunity passports: an idea whose time has not come | Editorial (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
A phone app seems better than a passport as a way out of the lockdown. This system will need to be temporary, installed at users’ discretion and have privacy at its core Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage If ministers think immunity passports or wristbands are the answer to resolving the immediate coronavirus crisis, they are asking the wrong question. Such a system, if implemented, would see one group of people granted the right to retrieve the civil liberties they had lost in the lockdown, and another group hanging around at home while they waited to contract a virus that can kill those it infects. This does not mean that serological testing (for antibodies) is unimportant. It will be vital to get a sense of how far the infection has spread, to gauge how many of us had Covid-19. The science is not clearcut. Those who had coronavirus may not have known it – or they may have been painfully aware of its murderous potential. While people with antibodies are believed to have protection from reinfection, no one is sure how long that protection will last. A passport may give people a sense of false security about the disease. Continue reading...
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Martin Rowson on Prince Charles opening NHS Nightingale - cartoon (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
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Despite what Matt Hancock says, the government's policy is still herd immunity | Anthony Costello (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Tests alone are no good. We urgently need a community surveillance programme to stop the spread of Covid-19 • Coronavirus latest updates • See all our coronavirus coverage When the lockdown is lifted, will the virus return? Of course it will. Matt Hancock has said we will do 100,000 tests each day by the end of April, but Britain still doesn’t have a way to control the virus that goes beyond lockdown. Without a proper programme of community surveillance and contact tracing, we won’t stop the spread of coronavirus. As patients pour into hospitals again, a series of national lockdowns will follow. It’s a pattern that could go on for years – until we have a vaccine. The problem with Hancock’s plan is that testing alone won’t break the chain of community transmission. To stop the spread of a virus, tests must be linked to community surveillance and contact tracing. This ensures that people who have the virus, and people they have come into contact with, can be identified quickly and quarantined at home to prevent the virus spreading. The government’s tests will measure how many people have had the virus, and will show whether health workers are immune – but without community surveillance, tests alone won’t prevent its spread. Continue reading...
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Great-grandmother's secret to beating Covid-19… marmalade sandwiches (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Rita Reynolds, 99, is believed to be the oldest person in Britain to recover from coronavirus Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage As the coronavirus crisis continues, it’s more important than ever to highlight the best in the people around us. Here is the latest dose of positive news. Ninety-nine years and counting Continue reading...
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Covid-19: a good time to dig out good news (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The Upside succumbs to coronavirus positivity: silver linings, survivor stories and funny interludes Last week we began with a paradox. This week we have another for you which we have shamelessly borrowed from our fellow travellers at Christian Science Monitor: It’s one of the paradoxes of the coronavirus crisis: Local papers are going under even as both readership and public need for solid information soar. With advertisers pulling out, can other financial models offer hope? Continue reading...
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Watch the Snowden-inspired thriller Wild by Mike Bartlett – video (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
Written by Doctor Foster’s Mike Bartlett, the gripping drama Wild, staged at Hampstead theatre in 2016, is now available to watch online until 10pm on Sunday 5 April Michael Billington: this whistleblower thriller turns the world upside down Continue reading...
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Trekking to Everest base camp – by climbing the stairs at home (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Virtual expedition team ascends 5,364 metres over five days in indoor mountain climbing challenge April in Nepal usually means thousands of trekkers trudging up to Everest base camp. This spring the mountain is free of crowds but the trekkers are still trudging – up stairs, back steps, even up ladders in a virtual push to reach an altitude of 5,364 metres. Led by trail runner Rory Southworth, a team of about 30 climbers will reach their target this evening after five days of climbing. Southworth decided to organise a group challenge after receiving positive feedback online for three solo hikes during the first week of lockdown. “I did Snowdon on my bottom step; Ben Nevis on the seven stairs down to my garden; and ran up the hill at the back of my garden 29 times to scale Scafell Pike. For this challenge, I wanted to bring people with me on the journey. There was a lot of negativity among the outdoor community about being confined at home and I wanted to give people a reason to exercise indoors.” Continue reading...
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Donald Trump fires intelligence watchdog who sparked impeachment process (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
Michael Atkinson, inspector general for the intelligence community, alerted Congress to whistleblower complaint Donald Trump has fired the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment, prompting fierce criticism from Democrats. The US president chose a Friday night, with America consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, to tell the House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committees of his decision to dismiss Michael Atkinson. Continue reading...
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Keir Starmer poised to be announced new Labour leader (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Allies say scale of anticipated win will determine extent to which he can transform party Keir Starmer’s plans to transform the Labour party will be dictated by the scale of his anticipated victory on Saturday, key supporters have said, as senior Jeremy Corbyn supporters expressed concerns they could be purged from key positions. Allies of the former director of public prosecutions say they will be watching to see whether he can achieve an emphatic win before assessing how quickly he can remake the party in his own image, with a clearout of those responsible for the damaging 2019 election defeat. Continue reading...
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Alex Salmond's lawyer quits as head of Scottish legal body (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Gordon Jackson was filmed on train talking about Salmond and sexual assault trial The lawyer who helped secure Alex Salmond’s acquittal over allegations of sexual assault has quit as the head of Scotland’s advocates body after a furore over remarks he made about Salmond and his accusers. Gordon Jackson QC announced on Friday he was standing down as the dean of the Faculty of Advocates, one of the most powerful posts in Scotland’s legal profession, because he is under investigation for professional misconduct. Continue reading...
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Bill Withers, influential soul singer behind Ain't No Sunshine, dies aged 81 (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Lean on Me and Lovely Day singer dies of heart complications, according to a family statement Alexis Petridis on Bill Withers, the brilliant folk-soul star who said it all with time to spare Bill Withers, the influential US soul singer who wrote Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine and Lovely Day has died aged 81 of heart complications, according to a statement from his family. Withers wrote and recorded several other major hits including Use Me and Just the Two of Us, before retiring in the mid-1980s and staying out of the public eye. Continue reading...
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'Why are people buying boob tubes': fashion workers' anger at owners and consumers (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Warehouse staff at Pretty Little Thing and Boo Hoo say they cannot observe distancing rules Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Warehouse workers for the fast fashion brands Pretty Little Thing and Boo Hoo are begging consumers to stop ordering non-essential items such as £6 boob tubes and £8 false eyelashes after orders at one depot more than tripled in a week. Morale is said to be “rock bottom” at Pretty Little Thing’s fulfilment centre in Tinsley, Sheffield, where workers doing 12-hour shifts said they were processing orders for 400,000 items this week, up from 120,000 in a “normal” week. Continue reading...
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Maryland: Kennedy relatives missing after canoe found overturned (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Daughter and grandson of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend missing Governor identifies missing as relatives of Robert and John F Kennedy Authorities in Maryland were searching on Friday for the daughter and a grandson of the former lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay did not return to shore. Governor Larry Hogan identified the missing people as Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her eight-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean. Continue reading...
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L&G to pay £750m dividend despite Bank of England warning (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Regulator asked insurers to consider cancelling payouts amid looming recession Legal & General is to press ahead with a £750m dividend payment to shareholders, defying a warning from the Bank of England that insurers should consider cancelling the payouts as the coronavirus pandemic pushes the UK into recession. The FTSE 100 insurer’s shares slumped by 10% on Friday as investors predicted it would follow the lead of Britain’s largest banks, who cancelled their dividends at the behest of the Bank of England. Continue reading...
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Men acquitted of Daniel Pearl murder kept in detention in Pakistan (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Provincial government issues order despite court’s ruling to overturn the four’s convictions Pakistani authorities have ordered four men including a Briton convicted of the 2002 murder of the US journalist Daniel Pearl to be detained for three months despite a lower court’s ruling to overturn their convictions. The high court in the province of Sindh on Thursday acquitted the four, including Briton Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for masterminding Pearl’s murder. The other three were sentenced to life. Continue reading...
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Silent film reel shows staff connected to Bletchley Park for first time (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Footage, preserved in original canister, shows people who worked at secret wartime site Unique and “astonishing” film footage has emerged of men and women who worked for one of Britain’s most secret second world war units. The 11-minute silent film shows smiling staff who worked for MI6 Section VIII at Whaddon Hall in Buckinghamshire, a secret site connected to Bletchley Park. It was at Whaddon that some of the nation’s most skilled wireless operators would send out messages that had been decrypted by codebreakers. Continue reading...
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Guardian journalists triumph at British Press Awards (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Robert Booth named specialist journalist of the year for reporting on ‘social wrongs and lost voices of Britain’ Guardian journalists shone at the annual British Press Awards, picking up plaudits for reporting ranging from exclusives on the Grenfell Tower disaster to exposés of technology companies listening in on conversations. Robert Booth, the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, was awarded specialist journalist of the year for his “painstaking and in-depth reporting that highlights the social wrongs and lost voices of Britain”. Continue reading...
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Slavery in New Zealand: inside the story of the Samoan chief who abused power for profit (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Joseph Auga Matamata lured villagers to his adoptive country promising work and study, reaping ‘bags of cash’ from their unpaid forced labour When Loto* saw the police arrive at the rural property in New Zealand where he had been held captive for nearly two years, the man who had imprisoned him there told him to run. Instead, Loto quietly waited to be discovered by police. Loto had spent 17 months being held as a slave on a property in Hastings on New Zealand’s North Island. He was never paid for his work and was subject to cruel beatings from Joseph Auga Matamata, a 65-year-old Samoan chief, or matai. Continue reading...
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Bill Withers: his 10 greatest songs, from Lovely Day to Lean on Me (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Withers negotiates heartbreak, history, Harlem and more across his high-quality discography – here are the brightest moments Continue reading...
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It's only a matter of time before Raheem Sterling gets it in the neck for coronavirus | Marina Hyde (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
In this week’s shifting blame game, health secretary Matt Hancock has kicked Premier League footballers into touch One of the great rules of British public life is that sooner or later, everything ends up being blamed on footballers. No matter how alien our new world looked at the start of the coronavirus shutdown, you could say one thing for sure: eventually, this will be the fault of Raheem Sterling. I know that so-called experts will rewind through the testing failures, to the herd immunity row, to the 250,000-strong Cheltenham Festival, to the shifting epicentre of the pandemic, to Spain, to Italy, to South Korea, to air travel, to Wuhan, to patient zero, to the bat in the Chinese wet market. But in a very real sense – perhaps the realest – this whole thing traces way back beyond all that. Back, in fact, to UK humankind’s oldest enemy: young men who play in the Premier League. Continue reading...
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Weatherwatch: parasite forecast allows lambs to safely graze (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Parasitic roundworms can infect lambs with a potentially fatal disease. Accurate localised weather forecasts allow farmers to move lambs to safer pastures At this time of year, sheep farmers in the UK start keeping an eye on a website linked to local weather stations making forecasts: not of rain or sun, but parasites. Nematodirus or thread-necked worms, are parasitic roundworms that infect lambs when they start eating grass. The infection is usually mild, but lambs ingesting large numbers of worm larvae can suffer severely, with a mortality rate of up to 30%. Nematodirus hatching is triggered by specific weather conditions. A cold snap followed by several days of temperatures of 10C or more will produce mass hatching and extremely dangerous conditions. This tends to be in April or May in southern England, but might be in June in Scotland, with a local variation due to differences in microclimate. Continue reading...
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Which states have done the least to contain coronavirus? (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Some states are stubbornly defying expert advice to order residents to stay home – even as cases rise Coronavirus – latest US updates Coronavirus – latest global updates See all our coronavirus coverage While most states in the US have ordered their citizens to stay home as they deal with the coronavirus outbreak, some are stubbornly defying expert advice – even as cases continue to rise. The urgent need for action was made clear on Thursday, when Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, issued a plea for states to force people not to leave their homes. Continue reading...
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From mouldy showers to junk drawers: how to clean the 10 things annoying you most (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Over the past week you may have noticed dust and dirt that you never clocked before. Here’s an expert guide to getting your home sparkling clean You have never spent so much time at home, and once you have exhausted Netflix, your eyes may alight on all the filth you’ve never noticed before. Have you ever dusted your ceiling? Of course you haven’t. But now is the time to do it, because you don’t have anything better to do. Here are all the other jobs you were previously too busy to worry about, but which will provide a sense of achievement – or at least a little exercise. Continue reading...
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The devastating impact of Covid-19 in New York – podcast (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The Guardian US health reporter Jessica Glenza reports from New York, where medical facilities and staff are being overwhelmed by the Covid-19 outbreak New York City is a densely populated city that welcomes millions of visitors every month – which in part explains why it’s been hit so hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. With more than 2,000 deaths and a staggering 84,000 cases across the state, New York has now overtaken Wuhan in terms of the sheer number of Covid-19 patients. The Guardian US reporter Jessica Glenza tells Mythili Rao about the seismic impact the virus is having on medical facilities and its staff, some of whom have said their hospitals are like war zones Continue reading...
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On the NHS frontline – podcast (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
Laura McClelland is a consultant anaesthetist in an intensive care unit at a busy south Wales hospital. She describes being on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19 The biggest daily rise in coronavirus deaths took place this week, and south Wales has become a hotspot for Covid-19. Anushka Asthana talks to Laura McClelland, a consultant anaesthetist in an intensive care unit at a busy south Wales hospital. She describes the impact the virus has had on her and her colleagues and the patients and their families she is treating. At a time when the NHS is struggling to cope, she urges people to stay at home, noting that this is not just a virus that affects older people – she is treating people ranging from their 20s to 80s. Continue reading...
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From Houseparty to Zoom: our digital lives in lockdown - podcast (Wed, 01 Apr 2020)
The lockdown across the world has led people to desperately seek out new tools for maintaining their work and social lives online. But UK technology editor Alex Hern argues he’s been living this way for years The sudden lockdown imposed on millions of people around the world has seen a transition of nearly every aspect of daily life migrate online. From business meetings to religious services and house parties, there are tech solutions which, if not quite as satisfying, have quickly become the new normal. But for the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, this has been no revolution. He tells Anushka Asthana that for as long as he can remember, he has lived and worked online. Continue reading...
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Exit Jeremy Corbyn – just as Corbynism has never been more relevant | Andy Beckett (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
As Labour’s leader steps down, the world has seldom looked more responsive to the radicalism he stood for • Coronavirus latest updates • See all our coronavirus coverage In many ways, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership ended this week exactly as his enemies always hoped it would. Heavily defeated in a general election, dismissed since as a political irrelevance, and criticised even for questioning the government’s inept handling of the coronavirus crisis, Corbyn probably has a lower reputation now than at any time since he first stood for leader, to much derision, in 2015 – and perhaps even since he became an MP, in 1983. The recent attacks on him for appearing in the House of Commons and working in his Westminster office during the crisis at the age of 70, despite official advice that older people should stay at home, have in a sense taken the years of assaults on his legitimacy to their logical conclusion. To many of his critics, Corbyn has no right to exist as a significant public figure. Yet this drastic shrinking of his status has also coincided, thanks to the crisis, with a huge expansion of what governments do. And expanding the state’s role in society and the economy is what much of Corbyn’s career has been devoted to. Corbynism was – and is – primarily a politics about addressing emergencies: the stark inadequacies of modern capitalism, the damage caused by austerity, and the accelerating effects of the climate crisis. Continue reading...
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The Guardian view on Trump and coronavirus: endangering American lives | Editorial (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The abject failure of the administration has magnified this crisis. The president is already trying to pass the buck Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Even in these extraordinary times, the sight of the president of the United States presenting a slide which announced as a “goal” the death of up to 240,000 of its citizens was almost beyond belief. To hit the lowest end of the target, a staggering 100,000 American deaths, would show that his administration had done “a very good job”, Donald Trump claimed this week. The highest end would be more than double the US casualties in the first world war. This could only be considered a positive outcome because the alternative is so shocking: without mitigation measures, if people fail to stay at home as advised, the US could be heading for between 1.5 million and 2.2 million deaths. The US is now the new centre of the pandemic, with more than a fifth of the million cases reported worldwide, and more than 5,000 deaths. The vast majority of Americans – more than 300 million – are now under some form of lockdown, though the stringency of restrictions varies greatly and a few states are still holding out. Those measures have come too late to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed. Continue reading...
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My ICU is three times capacity. And still the coronavirus tide keeps coming | Anonymous (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
NHS Nightingale is at least a week too late, London’s hospitals are overloading, and I am angry, says this NHS consultant Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage I am angry. I am angry that NHS Nightingale will come too late. Intensive care units are becoming overloaded across the London region. Continue reading...
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There are still NHS staff without proper PPE – their lives are at risk | Jessica Potter (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Full PPE is crucial in the fight against coronavirus. Public Health England’s advice has not gone far enough Coronavirus latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Just before the ICU unit where I work dealt with its first case of Covid-19, I was tested to ensure the FFP-3 masks I would need fitted safely. This involved walking up and down while a bitter chemical was sprayed to ensure there were no leaks in this suffocating face-covering. These masks are in short supply internationally, yet I’ve seen celebrities posing for selfies wearing them. Two weeks down the line and I am well into the routine of donning and doffing my personal protective equipment. As a doctor working in intensive care, I am fortunate to be provided with a surgical cap, goggles, mask, long-sleeved gowns, two pairs of gloves and an apron. However, we hear from many people across the UK who are still waiting for theirs. It is hot work and we stay in the same gear to do the ward round, wiping ourselves with disinfectant between patients to minimise the risk of transferring other infections between them. Some colleagues have died. These healthcare workers are no longer only those working in another country, but people we have worked with before, people in our own hospitals, our friends. The danger we feel is very real. Continue reading...
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Out of the coronavirus crisis, a new kind of Britain must be born | John McDonnell (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
In the depths of the second world war, many said ‘Never again’. Now, as then, we must plan for a future based on solidarity and quality of life John McDonnell calls for wealth tax to pay for coronavirus measures As the personal tragedies arising out of this crisis mount up, of course our energies must be devoted to saving lives, and comforting and caring for one another. The early equating of this crisis to wartime never really took hold for me and many others, especially younger generations. But it did remind me that even in the depths of the second world war, many like Orwell, Laski, Bevan and Attlee looked back on the experience of the 1930s and said, “Never again.” They started dreaming, describing, debating and planning the society they would construct for the future. That is the vital role the left and progressives can play now. Continue reading...
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Coronavirus: a test strategy that failed | Letters (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Readers comment on the UK government’s response, suggesting it moved too late, is negligent and is spreading the wrong message – again Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Sarah Boseley (‘Absolutely wrong’: how UK’s coronavirus test strategy unravelled, 1 April) refers to the government’s mathematical modelling taking precedence over the basic, tried-and-tested public health approach. Do we never learn? It was mathematical modelling that developed “products” that led to the banking crisis of 2008. Despite the years of austerity there are resources in local government that we have also failed to use. There have been environmental health officers (EHOs) up and down the country desperate to help their public health colleagues – for example, with tracing contacts after testing (if there had been any). They would also have been more effective at getting messages out to the public, particularly those most vulnerable or living in multi-occupied houses. Many EHOs have been left twiddling their thumbs for too long when their whole reason to exist is to protect public health. Continue reading...
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Premier League clubs could ask players to take 30% wage drop (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Salary drop would come via cuts, deferrals or both League gives £125m to lower clubs and £20m to NHS and needy Coronavirus – latest updates | See all our coronavirus coverage Top-flight players may ultimately be asked to take a 30% drop in their annual pay, via wage cuts, deferrals or both, the Premier League’s 20 clubs agreed at a meeting on Friday to consider football’s response to the financial crisis caused by its suspension during the coronavirus pandemic. The league also announced that it will accelerate £125m due to the EFL and National League, although a large portion of that is parachute payments to individual clubs previously relegated from the top flight, not for distribution to stricken smaller clubs. Continue reading...
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Talking Horses: millions will tune in for ITV's Virtual Grand National (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
The strict UK lockdown means that this virtual race could pull in more viewers than the actual Aintree spectacular could Around lunchtime on Saturday, somebody somewhere will hit “enter” on their keyboard and, a fraction of a second and many millions of calculations later, it will generate the result of the 2020 Virtual Grand National. A few hours after, many millions of viewers – more, perhaps, than might have watched the real thing – will tune in to ITV to watch as the computer’s thought processes get the full CGI treatment and its calculation becomes (virtual) reality. If algorithms are not your thing, think of it as the rolling of a 100-sided dice, with Tiger Roll’s name on about 16 of the faces and the other 39 virtual horses distributed around the remaining 84 faces in proportion to the computer’s idea of their chance. Poor old Double Shuffle, at 100-1, is only there once, but in the unlikely event that his name does come up, it should guarantee a healthy return for NHS Charities Together, which will receive all bookmakers’ profits on the virtual race. Continue reading...
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'I was called a big mouth': Ons Jabeur, Tunisia's tennis trailblazer (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The 25-year-old fought through derision for following a career in tennis and has always called the shots on her journey to becoming the first Arab woman to break into the top 50 By the time Ons Jabeur had finished her rhapsodic three-set win over the world No 3, Karolina Pliskova, in Doha at the end of February, the crowd had ascended to a state of sheer delirium. It was the best win of her career and, for the audience, a mixture of proud Tunisians and other Arab nationalities scattered around Doha, it was a rare sight of one of their own thriving in this alien sport. And so they chanted her name before, during and after points, cheering endlessly into the night. Related: LTA readies £20m support package for most 'severely affected' in tennis Continue reading...
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England's cricketers to hand back £500,000 and donate to charities (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Gesture equivalent to a 20% pay cut for men’s team players England women offer three-month wage reduction England’s cricketers have announced they will make a donation of £500,000 to their employers and selected charitable causes as the sport continues to grapple with cashflow issues caused by the coronavirus. This gesture by the centrally-contracted men’s players is the equivalent of a combined 20% pay cut for the next three months but allows them to have a say in where some of the money goes, with the squad set to decide their chosen charities in the next week. Continue reading...
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LTA readies £20m support package for most 'severely affected' in tennis (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Player grants and loans to be provided during suspension LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd to take 20% wage reduction The LTA will provide financial support for players, coaches, officials and tennis venues during the suspension of the WTA, ATP and ITF tours, the organisation announced on Friday. The value of its support is expected to amount to around £20m in order to “protect the grassroots” of the sport in Great Britain as well as help those most severely affected. The package will be aimed at the players whose finances have been hit hardest by the pandemic through a variety of grants and interest-free loans, including new grants for ATP and WTA singles players ranked between 101 and 750 and doubles players ranked between 101 and 250 who currently do not receive funding. Continue reading...
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Anthony Yarde's grandmother dies of coronavirus days after father's death (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Follows death of his father as a result of the pandemic ‘People are still going out when they don’t need to,’ says boxer British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde has announced his grandmother has died from the coronavirus only a few days after his father’s death as a result of the pandemic. Related: Anthony Yarde urges people to stay home after father dies of coronavirus Continue reading...
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Olympic men's football age limit raised to 24 after Tokyo Games postponement (Sat, 04 Apr 2020)
Fifa alters rules for intended under-23 men’s tournament Countries can still select three over-age players Fifa has extended the age limit for the men’s football tournament at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics to 24 from 23. Following the Games’ postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the amended rule retains the original stipulation regarding teams being based around players born on or after 1 January 1997, but given the Olympics’ move to 2021 this now means older players will be allowed to participate. It means players eligible for the intended under-23 tournament in 2020 can still play in Japan at age 24 next year. The men’s football tournament will kick off before the 23 July 2021 opening ceremony in Tokyo. Continue reading...
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Jamie Vardy's shot at golden boot is one of season's great unfinished subplots | Barney Ronay (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Spare a thought for the Premier League’s current top scorer, whose own season is one of the great unfinished subplots There have been a lot of lists doing the rounds this week of the best foods to boost your immune system. These seem to be mainly things such as oily fish, yoghurt, spinach, elderberries, ginger and raw shaved garlic, although having followed these ingredients to the letter I can confirm they don’t actually make for a very nice sandwich. From a Premier League perspective there are some notable absences from the roster of miracle foods. Cheese and ham omelettes. Shotgunned cans of Red Bull. Skittles dissolved in vodka. Chewing tobacco. Watered-down port drunk from an old Lucozade bottle. Continue reading...
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Life in lockdown: how our jobs turned upside down – video (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
All over the country, people turn the camera on their lives and show how Covid-19 has changed their experience of work. A medical courier at the heart of the crisis demands basic rights, a worker at an empty airport pulls together a union hardship fund - and people in a range of jobs try to navigate the buckling benefits system and the government's scheme to help people who are no longer working. What burns through is the sudden urgency of people joining together to avoid the worst Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Music: Bells by Phil France on Gondwana records - more info here  Continue reading...
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No TV, no sat nav, no internet: how to fix space's junk problem – video (Wed, 01 Apr 2020)
As Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos's Project Kuiper race to create high-speed internet using satellites orbiting Earth, there's a small problem that could get in the way: debris. From dead spacecraft that have been around since the dawn of the space age to flecks of paint smashing windows on the International Space Station, rubbish is clogging up our orbits. And with objects moving as fast as 15,500mph (25,000 kmph), the satellite services we've come to depend on are at constant risk of collision. So how to fix the problem with junk in space? Ian Anderson investigates Continue reading...
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Norway's hazmat booksellers: keeping Oslo reading during coronavirus - video (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
Two Oslo bookshop owners choose to go delivery-only to keep their business afloat at the start of lockdown. Pil Cappelen Smith and Anders Cappelen deliver books wearing full hazmat suits and gas masks in order to raise local awareness of the seriousness of the situation. But as the global crisis worsens, they embark on one last delivery run before deciding to shut up shop completely Continue reading...
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Coronavirus cabaret: the online show combating social isolation – video (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
How can a community keep in touch when it can’t physically be together? A group of performers have set up what they say is the first global cabaret to tackle the social isolation of coronavirus lockdowns. Getting ready for the show, activist Dan Glass says there is a lot to learn from his own HIV diagnosis, which left him socially isolated for years Continue reading...
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How the resale revolution is reshaping fashion – video explainer (Thu, 20 Feb 2020)
We're buying more clothes than ever, but it's not all fast fashion. More than half of 25- to 34-year-olds buy secondhand or vintage clothes, and resale apps such as Depop, Stock X and Vestiaire Collective are tapping into the millennial and generation Z market. But if people are buying secondhand they're not buying new. Grace Shutti investigates how the fashion world is responding Continue reading...
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Who is most at risk from coronavirus and why? – video explainer (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
The best thing to do when trying to understand a new virus like Covid-19 is to look at the data. The Guardian's science correspondent Hannah Devlin uses the latest figures to explain who is most at risk of contracting this coronavirus, why men are more likely to die from the disease, and the reasons health workers could be particularly vulnerable What is coronavirus – and what is the mortality rate? Coronavirus mapped: which countries have the most cases and deaths? Continue reading...
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HS2 wood clearance to go ahead as Chris Packham legal bid fails (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
High court has decided there was ‘no real prospect of success’ for judicial review The clearing of ancient woods for HS2 is to proceed this month after the high court refused an emergency injunction and judicial review of the government’s decision to proceed with the high-speed railway. HS2’s felling of woodlands in spring when birds are nesting has been widely condemned by wildlife charities but the conservationist Chris Packham’s attempt to halt “enabling” works was rejected after the court decided there was “no real prospect of success” for a judicial review. Continue reading...
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Next Labour leader will have to rise to challenge of coronavirus crisis (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Keir Starmer is expected to win contest and his supporters say he is ideally suited to the job If anyone needs reminding how much the political world has changed in a few weeks, it is useful to recall that Labour’s leadership campaign was timed to finish this weekend so that a new leader could carry the contest’s momentum into May’s local elections. Those elections, usually seen as an important marker in the political calendar, have instead been postponed along with parliament and most of the UK economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...
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Public inquiry into No 10's Covid-19 response inevitable, peer says (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Bob Kerslake says lessons will need to be learned as UK may face same situation again Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The scale of the coronavirus outbreak and the response it has required from government means a large-scale public inquiry is now inevitable, a former head of the civil service has said. Sir Bob Kerslake said the scope of the decision-making undertaken by politicians and officials had been vast, and, as some of it had already been challenged, there would need to be a chance to reflect upon the UK’s response in case of another pandemic. “There will need to be some sort of inquiry after we get through this to learn lessons,” said Lord Kerslake, who is a crossbench peer. “This is one where we might face the same situation again. Continue reading...
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UK retail footfall down 85% over two months, Google data reveals (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Visits in some areas come to almost complete halt as coronavirus lockdown hits Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Footfall at British retailers is down 85% over the past two months, according to location data gathered by Google, with some areas effectively coming to a complete halt as the government’s lockdown hits. Visits to retail and recreation establishments in Rutland, Britain’s smallest county, were down 100% compared with the pre-February baseline, while four other areas – Bath and North East Somerset, Midlothian, Nottinghamshire and York – all recorded drops of 90% or more. Continue reading...
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UK road travel falls to 1955 levels as Covid-19 lockdown takes hold (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Motor traffic and air pollution decline steeply, with walking and cycling in cities also down Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The coronavirus outbreak has brought Britain to a near standstill, with road travel plummeting by as much as 73%, to levels not seen since 1955. All forms of travel have plunged in urban areas. Walking, cycling and car and van journeys are all down by about three-quarters, while bus numbers have fallen by 60%. The number of large lorries has declined by just 40% as essential supplies continue to be transported. Continue reading...
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Human remains found at former home of jailed Yorkshire stalker (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Police dig up plot at cottage in Chop Gate on edge of North York Moors Human remains have been discovered at the former home of a military historian who was jailed for stalking and for possessing an arsenal of illegal weaponry. For the past four days there has been a heavy police presence at the former home of Kenneth Ward. Ward, 72, was jailed in December 2011 for indecent exposure and weapons offences after police found a huge haul of weapons including a loaded Luger pistol under his pillow and the cockpit of a second world war fighter plane with working machine guns at his remote cottage. Continue reading...
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John McDonnell calls for wealth tax to pay for coronavirus measures (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Shadow chancellor says the cost need to be borne by those with the broadest shoulders McDonnell: out of the crisis, a new kind of society must be born Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage John McDonnell has called for a wealth tax on the richest in society and a windfall levy on the banking industry to fund the government’s emergency response to the coronavirus crisis, as the social and economic costs of the outbreak rapidly mount. In his final act as shadow chancellor before Labour elects a new leader on Saturday, McDonnell said the rebuilding job for Britain after Covid-19 should prioritise fully funded, publicly owned and democratically controlled public services. Continue reading...
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Muhammad Siddique obituary (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
My father, Muhammad Siddique, who has died aged 80, came from a farming family in a small village in Pakistan to rise to principal level as a corporate tax officer at HM Revenue and Customs. When Muhammad first arrived in the UK in 1963, living in a bedsit in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, he struggled to get a job commensurate with his qualifications, instead working in a biscuit factory, where he complained about the colourful language used by his fellow workers (my father never swore). Continue reading...
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UK promises first repatriation flights from India next week (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Announcement from Delhi embassy comes after criticism of government for failing to act Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Thousands of British nationals stranded in India after the country went into coronavirus lockdown are to be flown home on charter flights that will begin next week, the Foreign Office has said. The high commissioner in Delhi, Jan Thompson, made the late-night announcement on social media after days of criticism that the British government was not doing enough to get people out of a country where restrictions have triggered food shortages and been enforced with police brutality. Continue reading...
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Coronavirus: UN says warring countries have responded to ceasefire call (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
António Guterres says ‘to silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Eleven countries locked in long-term conflicts have responded to a UN call for a worldwide ceasefire, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said as he promised to pursue the drive in the weeks ahead. The United Nations is deeply concerned that in countries with already fragile health systems, the backdrop of war will make it near impossible to contain a coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading...
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Member of banned Turkish folk group dies after hunger strike (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Singer Helin Bolek, 28, of Grup Yorum, was protesting against government’s treatment of group A member of a popular folk music group that is banned in Turkey has died on the 288th day of a hunger strike. The singer and a colleague had started the strike while imprisoned to protest at the government’s treatment of their band, according to a post on the group’s Twitter account. Grup Yorum, known for their protest songs, said Helin Bolek, 28, had died on Friday at a home in Istanbul where she had been staging the hunger strike in an attempt to pressure the government into reversing its position on the band and its members. Continue reading...
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Oceans' capacity to absorb CO2 overestimated, study suggests (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Research into North Atlantic plankton likely to lead to negative revision of global climate calculations The North Atlantic may be a weaker climate ally than previously believed, according to a study that suggests the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has been overestimated. A first-ever winter and spring sampling of plankton in the western North Atlantic showed cell sizes were considerably smaller than scientists assumed, which means the carbon they absorb does not sink as deep or as fast, nor does it stay in the depths for as long. Continue reading...
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Mexico murder rate reaches new high as violence rages amid Covid-19 spread (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
March sees 2,585 homicides – highest monthly figure on record Mexico tries to pour resources into containing coronavirus Mexico’s homicide rate raced to a new record in March, as violence raged even as Covid-19 spread across the country and authorities urged the population to stay home and practise social distancing. Mexico registered 2,585 homicides in March – the highest monthly figure since records began in 1997 – putting 2020 on track to break last year’s record total for murders. Continue reading...
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Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro hits out at 'dictatorial' Rio beaches ban (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
President again undermines efforts to tackle coronavirus by criticising state’s governor Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Brazilian president has further undermined efforts to control the spread of coronavirus by criticising what he called “dictatorial” moves to stop citizens going to the beach. In an interview on Thursday, Jair Bolsonaro hit out at Rio de Janeiro’s governor, Wilson Witzel, who this week ordered the state’s 17 million citizens to stay at home – and off the sands. Continue reading...
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Edible insects set to be approved by EU in 'breakthrough moment' (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Food safety agency’s decision could put mealworms, locusts and baby crickets on menus It is being billed as the long-awaited breakthrough moment in European gastronomy for mealworm burgers, locust aperitifs and cricket granola. Within weeks the EU’s European Food Safety Authority is expected by the insect industry to endorse whole or ground mealworms, lesser mealworms, locusts, crickets and grasshoppers as being safe for human consumption. Continue reading...
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Italian shoe designer, Sergio Rossi, dies aged 84 (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
One of world’s most respected cordwainers may have died from coronavirus in Cesena The Italian footwear designer Sergio Rossi has died at the age of 84. Having been admitted to hospital a few days ago in Cesena, a city in Emilia-Romagna, one of the regions hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, it is being reported that he may have died from the disease. Announcing news of the designer’s death on Friday morning, the brand’s chief executive, Riccardo Sciutto, told the fashion website Women’s Wear Daily: “He was a master, it was a great pleasure to have met him. He was our spiritual guide and he is today more than ever.” Continue reading...
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Tiger King and a bloody mary: Hilary Mantel, Simon Armitage and other writers on lockdown life (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Simon Armitage pogos to neo-punk, Anne Enright craves for Cary Grant, The Seventh Seal cheers up Julian Barnes, Diana Evans works out to hip-hop and Jeanette Winterson talks to herself … writers reveal how they’re surviving the corona crisis Continue reading...
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'Working with him was all adrenaline': Rory Bremner on writer John Langdon (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The comedian looks back on the brilliant, pun-packed career of his friend, writing partner and master of the one-liner You may not know the name John Langdon, who died on 23 March, but you’ll very probably have laughed at his jokes or even read his pun-packed posters on the London Underground in the 1980s. When the story of BBC Radio Light Entertainment is written, the legend of Langdon will feature large, not least because he wrote the famous Week Ending sketch about Derek Jameson (“a man who thinks erudite is a type of glue”) for which the tabloid editor sued the BBC and lost. But to me, he was my best friend, my greatest encourager and, for over 35 years, my constant writing partner. He’d appreciate the irony of now being the late John Langdon, as that was a salient part of his reputation – his inability to deliver scripts on time, or rather, his infallible ability to produce far too many jokes at the very last minute. “Do you want it funny or do you want it Friday?” he’d say, knowing that producers invariably wanted it Friday. But he, equally invariably, managed, through a combination of chaotic genius and perfectionism, to push it into the small hours of Saturday. One producer blamed the break-up of his marriage on the fact that his wife wouldn’t believe him when he insisted he was working late editing John’s scripts and decided he must be having an affair. Barry Cryer would say John was like Brigadoon, the Scottish village that appeared out of the mist one day every 100 years. Continue reading...
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Only fools and naval forces: why David Jason's Ghostboat is best forgotten (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The ITV drama about a haunted submarine is available to rediscover on BritBox – but perhaps it was better off at the bottom of the ocean Today I am going to tell you about a 14-year-old television programme. It isn’t being revived. It won’t be airing on any traditional channels any time soon. And yet it has occupied my mind completely for the past few days. I am talking about the 2006 David Jason vehicle Ghostboat. I know you have questions. “What is a Ghostboat?” you are asking. “Can a show called Ghostboat possibly live up to the absurd promise of its title?” “Why is it called Ghostboat and not Ghostship?” Continue reading...
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Masks, meals and Skype: self-isolating in Sicily - a photo essay (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
World Press Photo-winning Italian journalist Alessio Mamo talks about his experience of living in isolation in Sicily with his partner Marta, who tested positive for coronavirus Covid-19 has been living in my apartment for the past 15 days. It falls asleep inches from my head and wakes up beside me. I breathe its breath. I’ve always been reluctant to call my apartment “home” here in Catania. Over the past 10 years I’ve traversed the Middle East, photographing cities, their inhabitants and the conflicts that have ravaged that area of the world for decades. The streets of Baghdad, Mosul, Kabul, Amman, Khartoum and Tehran have been my home. I’d always considered those 50 sq metres in Catania as a pied-à-terre, a place to keep my clothes and my photo archive. I never could have imagined that after documenting the desperation of refugee camps in Iraq or mass graves in Sinjar, or aboard an ambulance collecting the dead among the Kurdish resistance in northern Syria, that I’d have to confront the world’s biggest story in my own small apartment. Continue reading...
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Coffee & Kareem review – fast, filthy and fitfully funny Netflix comedy (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
A handful of amusing lines and a standout turn from Glow’s Betty Giplin can’t elevate this crass and convoluted spin on a familiar buddy movie setup There’s a better movie buried underneath the many corpses in the crude and confused Netflix comedy Coffee & Kareem, one of their algorithmically assembled weekend options patchworked together from a stack of search terms. It’s an attempt to update a buddy movie formula that flourished most in the 1980s with films like 48 Hours, Turner & Hooch and Tango & Cash but with a half-open eye on the current climate. The most recent theatrical attempt, the Kumail Nanjiani/Dave Bautista-starring Stuber, flopped last summer while Netflix has seen its own, the Mark Wahlberg/Winston Duke vehicle Spenser Confidential, reportedly score huge streaming numbers, despite a small issue of quality. Related: Uncorked review – sub-par Netflix wine drama is far from vintage Continue reading...
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Paul McCartney: where to start in his solo back catalogue (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
In Listener’s Digest, our writers help you explore the work of great musicians. In this instalment, the post-Beatles career of Sir Paul McCartney Paul and Linda McCartney – Ram (1971) Continue reading...
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'They achieve incredible things': how Women's Squads are building safer futures in Bangladesh (Fri, 14 Feb 2020)
Thanks to British Red Cross grants and training, women in a deprived area of Bangladesh are learning new skills and working together to protect their communities Lying just above sea level, close to the coast, with a network of canals winding through its heart, the southern Bangladeshi city of Barishal has been called the “Venice of the East” – and like Venice, it’s a city in peril from rising tides. But there the similarity ends, because many of its residents face perils unimaginable to their Italian counterparts, with nothing like the same resources available to tackle them. Continue reading...
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‘I don’t want my girls to miss out’: life as a mother and provider in climate-hit Bangladesh (Mon, 16 Mar 2020)
For Mishti, running a boat to ferry passengers on the river in Barishal is a means for supporting her family, but the effects of climate change and cyclones can make life on the water perilous Every year, thousands of hectares of land crumble into the restless rivers that wind through the old provincial city of Barishal in southern Bangladesh, swallowing homes and sinking communities deeper into poverty. Perched precariously on a massive river delta, the city’s erosion has long been a part of life, devouring both the land and the livelihoods of its people, washing away their hopes and dreams. Yet the adversity of the elements, to which Bangladeshis seemed to have adjusted as best they can, is worsening day by day. Rising sea levels, monsoons, cyclones and the increasing melting of the Himalayan glaciers, where the rivers of the delta originate, make Bangladesh one of the world’s most vulnerable areas to climate change. Continue reading...
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Flood-hit Bangladesh: how women are leading the disaster response – in pictures (Mon, 09 Mar 2020)
The women of Barishal are on the frontline of the climate crisis, but together they are achieving incredible things. With the help of the British Red Cross they are setting up small businesses – from sewing to selling firewood – and leading the response to environmental disasters with women’s squads The British Red Cross campaign, It Starts With Her, is helping women in Barishal to learn new skills, improve their lives and make their communities more resilient to disasters. Through UK Aid Match, every pound you give to the British Red Cross up to the value of £2m will be doubled by the UK government. With your help, they can support thousands of strong women – and, as a result, their communities – to be even stronger. To donate, visit donate.redcross.org.uk Continue reading...
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'Everything I do is for my son': how mothers in Bangladesh are starting their own businesses (Mon, 17 Feb 2020)
Women in this flood-hit area are supporting their families through small businesses backed by the British Red Cross. From tailoring to tea making, the success of these enterprises is inspiring other young women to follow suit In the sprawling urban slums of Barishal, where monsoons and flooding are inescapable, life for women is hard. They are more likely to miss out on getting an education, and without the proper knowledge and skill set, many struggle to make a living. As they are more likely to live in poverty, they are more affected by disasters. But despite these challenges, with the help of livelihood grants from the Red Cross, many women in Barishal are finding innovative ways to eke out a living. Rina, 37, from Palashpur, wakes up early every day to start preparing for work. From a side road of a small slum with heavy foot traffic, she has been running a successful tea stall for the last two years. Brightly coloured crisp packets hang like a banner across her shopfront, where Rina sells roughly 160 cups of tea a day at 5 taka (under 5p) a cup. Continue reading...
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How to eat: takeaway while under coronavirus lockdown (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
You’re trapped at home and you fancy ordering in. Should you use a delivery app? How do you tip? Do you need starters? And is being able to order precisely what you want, even now, a fundamental human right? Loth as How to Eat (HTE) is to break the fourth wall, it will come as no surprise to learn that this month’s topic is not what was originally planned. Over the years, HTE has stood firm against some implacable foes: people who put mayo on bacon butties, those who refuse to accept whipped cream with scones, but even it must bend in the whirlwind that is a global pandemic. April had been marked down as the month HTE would consider Kate Bush’s favourite breakfast, shakshuka (think about it). But with going for a leisurely brunch now a remote possibility, HTE must pivot indoors and consider what – for those who can still afford it – has become the highlight of the food week: the takeaway. Continue reading...
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How can I shift some of the mental load of family life on to my husband? (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Take responsibility for what you consider most important and let him do the rest in his own way, says Annalisa Barbieri My husband and I have three young children. He works full time and I work part time in a demanding, stressful job. He is a hands-on dad, sharing practical childcare duties when not at work. The problem is that I take the lion’s share of the mental load when it comes to family life: all the planning, organising and ultimate responsibility. If something slips through my net, he won’t catch it. I have tried to redress this. We tried to divide tasks evenly, into practical ones and “thinking ones”, such as remembering when the kids are due a dentist appointment. My husband keeps up with his tasks to a variable extent, but it’s 50/50 whether he’ll notice that something is needed/due. Continue reading...
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The idea of moving home is now our chief distraction – and a source of hope | Coco Khan (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
My boyfriend and I are tempering the worry with Pinterest boards and appliance reviews Last year my boyfriend and I were supposed to move into our own place, but a change in our circumstances meant we could not. Still, we were determined to make it happen. Just as soon as the time was right. But we do not live in right times, we live in wrong times; a perpetual state of uncertainty where each year there is another emergency (climate, political, medical, all of the above), and another personal battle to fight fire in. Eventually, a right-enough time did arrive. The owners of the flat we’re currently in said they wanted to sell up; an unexpected tax rebate delivered some extra cash; and when a place we loved (but were previously pipped to) became available, we thought: “Now is as good and bad a time as any.” Continue reading...
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Need a DJ to get the party started? Call me – in about 15 years’ time | Romesh Ranganathan (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
I’ve bought the gear. When I get better, my wife might even let me out of the garage When I first started this column, I found “midlife crisis” a possible misnomer, because I saw myself as just a cool guy in his 40s, someone younger guys look at and go, “You know what? When I get to his age I hope that I’m as much of a legend as he is.” However, this week I have run towards the midlife crisis with my arms open wide, ready to embrace it, move in with it, and resent it as the early magic of the relationship wanes. This week, I bought DJ equipment. I am not saying that I am too old to DJ. I am friends with DJ Yoda, who is about my age and is one of the best DJs in the world. Every time I see him release a mix or play a club, I am filled with envy. In fact, it is highly possible that I am jeopardising our relationship by getting this equipment. I am hoping that he is not going to see this and take it to mean that I think I can be a DJ. Continue reading...
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How have you been affected by the cancellation of the Edinburgh festivals? (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
If you were planning on performing or attending the festivals, we’d like to hear from you The cancellation of this year’s Edinburgh festivals, including the world-famous fringe, will be felt far and wide. This year, the August festivals were due to welcome 25,000 artists from around the world, along with audiences of more than 4 million. We want to hear how the cancellation will affect you, whether you are a performer who was planning to take a show to a festival, an arts worker, an Edinburgh resident or a fringe lover. Continue reading...
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What wildlife can you see from your home? (Wed, 01 Apr 2020)
If you are locked down in an urban area due to coronavirus, we want to know what flora and fauna you can see from your home Locked down in a city? What can you see out of the window? We would love you to share your photos of the wildlife you can see from your home. Did a fox just dart out into the road? Is there a bumble bee sidling up to your 10th floor flat? Can you see a rare flower pushing its way up in a crack in the pavement? Cities are full of flora and fauna and with the streets largely empty of traffic and people the signs of urban wildlife are more evident than ever. Continue reading...
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How are you affected by coronavirus in the South West of the UK? (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
If you live in the south-west England or Wales, we’d like to find out about the impact of coronavirus on you and your community. Share your stories You can help us document about how coronavirus is affecting people in the South West and Wales by sharing your stories and news tips. We want to hear from people working in the healthcare system in Wales and the south west of England, key workers, small business owners, teachers and anyone whose daily life is affected by the new measures. Continue reading...
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Send us a tip on your favourite travel souvenir for a chance to win £200 towards a Sawday's stay (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
Tell us about something you picked up on your travels that brings back great memories or takes you back in time Given that we’re all stuck at home for who knows how long, our travel memories are especially poignant. So this week we want you tell us about a souvenir or memento you picked up on your travels that has a special place in your heart or still brings a smile to your face. It could evoke happy memories of the trip itself, or be all about the place you bought it – a magical shop, a colourful market stall or the even more colourful owner. Perhaps it’s a unique, beautiful artefact that now has pride of place in your home. Please ensure your tip stays around 100 words. Continue reading...
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Coronavirus: the week explained (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Testing strategies in the spotlight ... face masks re-evaluated ... cruise ships still in limbo Welcome to our weekly roundup of developments in the coronavirus pandemic. With lockdowns continuing in countries around the world, scientific advances are being made, even as new stumbling blocks appear. A crucial biological mechanism by which the coronavirus infects humans has been unpicked Continue reading...
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'You're all we've got': fear and hope on Spain's coronavirus frontline (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Carers, wildlife rangers and scientists are among the workers shocked to find themselves fighting to keep their country afloat Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage What María would most like to do at the end of each long day’s siege at the care home where she works is yield to the small source of comfort she has denied herself for almost a month now. “I’d like to hug my children, but I’m so scared that I haven’t done that for three weeks,” says María, who asked to use a pseudonym. “I haven’t been tested – so I don’t know whether I’m positive.” Continue reading...
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'They're leaving us to die': Ecuadorians' plead for help as virus blazes deadly trail (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Dead bodies kept in homes or dumped on roadsides as authorities and hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19 in Andean nation’s second city Democratic leaders given poll boost for handling of crisis It has been three days since Reynaldo Barrezueta passed away at his home in Ecuador’s biggest city – and still his body lies in a coffin on the sitting room floor. “The authorities are just leaving us to die,” said his son, Eduardo Javier Barrezueta Chávez, who has spent the last 72 hours pleading with authorities remove his father’s corpse – so far to no avail. Continue reading...
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Beers, deer and heroes: heartwarming moments in coronavirus Britain (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
An overview of some of the initiatives to put smiles back on faces in these dark and distressing times See all our coronavirus coverage Despite the torrent of sad and unsettling news about the spread of coronavirus around the UK, many people are doing their best to bring cheer – and beer – to those who deserve it most. Continue reading...
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'If it comes, it will overwhelm us': Malawi braces for coronavirus (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Concern is growing that a woefully inadequate health system will leave Malawi unable to cope when Covid-19 arrives Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage When the overcrowded, long-distance bus from Johannesburg arrived at the Malawian border post of Mwanza last week, one passenger was dead. Fearing he had picked up Covid-19 in South Africa and infected all his fellow travellers, the guards sent everyone to a hastily built quarantine centre for 14 days. The man had died of other causes but Malawi, which is well used to devastating diseases like HIV and Aids, cholera and malaria, is taking no chances. Along with São Tomé, Comoros, South Sudan and Burundi in Africa, it is one of the last countries in the world not to have confirmed a single Covid-19 case yet. Continue reading...
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'We will starve': Zimbabwe's poor full of misgiving over Covid-19 lockdown (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
Unable to access state benefits, food and even running water as the country shuts up shop, people in Harare fear the worst Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Nelson Mahunde, 70, trudges along the deserted streets of Harare’s central business district to collect his monthly pension. In one hand, he clutches a pension letter; with the other, he hold on firmly to his walking stick. Continue reading...
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The week in wildlife – in pictures (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including a veiled chameleon and other animals enjoying the quieter streets Continue reading...
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NHS tribute and flowing lava: Friday's best photos (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...
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Masked statues around the world – in pictures (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
As the medical importance of face masks has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, so has their symbolic value. Statues from Melbourne to Buenos Aires have been decorated with protective masks Continue reading...
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Richard Burton and Liz Taylor on the set of Villain – in pictures (Fri, 03 Apr 2020)
In 1971, Richard Burton starred opposite Ian McShane in gritty British gangster flick Villain, inspired by Ronnie Kray and filmed on location in and around London. We go on the set of a film that was part of the same Brit-crime movement that gave us Performance and Get Carter, and which has since been hailed as a neglected classic. •Villain is available now on digital platforms, DVD and Blu-Ray Continue reading...
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Eddie Large – a life in pictures (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
Large, from comedy duo Little and Large, has died from coronavirus aged 78. Here’s a look back at his career Large by name, large by nature: Eddie was the big man of 80s British TV comedy Continue reading...
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High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world - in pictures (Thu, 02 Apr 2020)
Lockdowns have brought silence to some of the world’s busiest places. Transport hubs normally teeming with people such as New York’s Grand Central station or Istanbul’s Eminönü ferry docks are all but deserted. Reuters photographers captured the hush that had descended on some of the world’s best-known places on the same day, at noon Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Continue reading...
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