News

What the papers say – January 27

A sombre statistic about the human toll of the pandemic dominates the front pages on Wednesday.

2021-01-27T04:42:19Z

U.S. restores relations with Palestinians

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the U.S. is restoring relations with the Palestinians and will resume supporting assistance programs that deliver humanitarian aid to refugees, a reversal from former President Donald Trump's policies. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills said the new policy is "the best way to ensure Israel's future as a democratic and Jewish state while upholding the Palestinians' legitimate...

2021-01-27T06:39:48Z

A thorn in Biden’s side or the butt of his jokes: Who is Fox reporter Peter Doocy?

There were so few press conferences during the Trump administration that at one point the podium in the press briefing room was literally gathering cobwebs. The Biden administration has resumed regular press briefings, and no journalist so far has made more of an impression in the Brady Briefing Room than Fox News’s Peter Doocy. He’s quickly developed a reputation for asking the president awkward questions — and occasionally provoking mildly...

2021-01-27T01:42:38Z

Australia Day reveller trying to flee police gets stuck in mud

A Victorian man trying to flee police after Australia Day celebrations in Cairns had to be rescued by officers instead after becoming stuck in the mud.

2021-01-27T04:27:28Z

UK Covid death toll passes ‘dreadful’ 100,000 milestone, ONS figures show

The number of Britons to die with Covid now exceeds 100,000, it was revealed today. Official data from the Office for National Statistics reported that a total of 103,704 UK citizens have had Covid on their death certificates. The figures include deaths registered up to January 15, with the grim six-figure milestone being breached as a result of a further 7,766 Covid deaths in the most recent week across the UK. The ONS’s data is different to...

2021-01-26T11:36:32Z

Cut juries from 12 to seven to combat delays in justice, says Labour

Cut juries from 12 to seven to combat delays in justice, says Labour

2021-01-27T06:37:06Z

i’s Magic Breakfast appeal: Primary school breakfasts to continue thanks to charity’s expansion

A primary school whose funding for school breakfasts was due to end will now be able to continue offering pupils a nutritious start to the day

2021-01-27T06:31:54Z

Country diary: the camera captures a world curtained by fog

There is a vague hump shape, like a sleeping dinosaur under the trees and the camera is hunting for it. I catch the “tick-tick-tick” whirr of anguished electronics by my side as it struggles to find an edge on which to focus. My eyes learn from the camera about how we really see at a distance in freezing fog. Normally dark tree trunks are not dark at all but are filmed with a milky wash, and the spread of branches dissolves into the white of the...

2021-01-27T05:35:43Z

Boris Johnson 'deeply sorry for every life that has been lost' to Covid

Boris Johnson 'deeply sorry for every life that has been lost' to Covid

2021-01-26T21:51:30Z

Home secretary expected to announce mandatory hotel quarantine for some travellers

An announcement on mandatory hotel quarantine for some travellers is expected later today, a move that could deal a further blow to an already struggling tourism industry.

2021-01-27T04:23:08Z

This Is How I’m Teaching My Kids About The Anti-Semitism They’ll Face

How do you tell your children that if they’d been born just six decades earlier they probably would have been murdered? Or, if they were lucky, have to be hidden by strangers and live in fear of discovery, far from the protection of their parents? My children grew up in Amsterdam. For four years we lived in the street where the Gestapo had been located in the city. Our street was also where the ‘Central Office for Jewish Emigration’ and the...

2021-01-27T06:16:43Z

Virus-plagued Italy in political turmoil after PM quits

Conte, a once obscure law professor, has already led two governments of different political shades since taking office after the 2018 general election.

2021-01-27T03:42:31Z

GFA law ‘tweaked’ for Protocol

The government’s quiet amendment of Good Friday Agreement legislation to allow MLAs to pass the NI Protocol without cross community consent is a serious breach of the peace deal, unionists have said.

2021-01-26T18:46:17Z

COVID-19 pandemic forces Chelsea Flower Show to move to autumn

The Chelsea Flower Show has become the latest event to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

2021-01-27T05:12:38Z

Ozughan Altun: Shop worker who stabbed love rival in the heart with pair of scissors jailed for murder

A shop worker who stabbed a love rival through the heart with a pair of scissors before leaving him to die in the street has been jailed for life. Ozughan Altun, 31, became obsessed with 24-year-old Michael Paul Baptista as they vied for the affections of a woman. In a showdown outside Altun’s family shop in Walthamstow, Mr Baptista threw a string of punches at Altun’s face. In response, Altun pulled out scissors he had armed himself with and...

2021-01-27T06:23:42Z

NI approach to pandemic should be less inward-looking, virologist says

The race between different countries to deliver vaccines should recognise that people will have to travel and trade, Dr Lindsay Broadbent added.

2021-01-27T02:57:00Z

The DUP needs to admit it was wrong to put trust in Boris Johnson

A letter from Raymond McCord:

2021-01-27T06:32:06Z

Specieswatch: dexters – the small cattle breed that is booming

Dexters are the smallest breed of cattle in Europe and among the hardiest, which makes them popular in conservation and rewilding projects. They are a third the size of a Friesian milking cow and other European commercial breeds of cattle. All these varieties go by the same Latin name, Bos taurus taurus , to distinguish them from Asiatic and African species. Although they are now bred all over the world, dexters originated in the west of Ireland...

2021-01-27T06:07:48Z

Sentencing hearing to take place for teenager who admitted harassing Ian Wright

Patrick O’Brien, 18, admitted to harassing the former Premier League star and sending him messages that were grossly offensive, obscene and menacing.

2021-01-27T02:57:02Z

Josh Hawley accuses Democrats who filed ethics complaint of conspiring with Lincoln Project

Republican Senator Josh Hawley has accused Democrats who filed an ethics complaint against him of working with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. Seven Democratic senators have called for an investigation into Mr Hawley and Ted Cruz in the wake of the deadly Capitol riot that left five people dead. Both senators have faced widespread criticism amidst calls for them to resign for their role in trying to challenge Joe Biden’s election victory. Mr...

2021-01-26T12:43:57Z

Sen. Patrick Leahy at home following brief hospitalization

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is resting at home following a brief stint in the hospital. Leahy, 80, is president pro tempore of the Senate, and on Monday was sworn in to preside over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. In a statement, David Carle, a spokesman for Leahy, said the senator did not feel well on Tuesday evening, and went to George Washington University Hospital "out of an abundance of caution." Carle said Leahy was...

2021-01-27T03:26:10Z

This year, no one was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

There will be no new members of the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, as none of the players on the ballot received the votes necessary. There were 25 players on the Baseball Writers' Association of America's ballot, but none of them reached the 75 percent voting threshold needed for enshrinement. All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling came closest, but was still 16 votes shy. He has a long history of making inflammatory and offensive remarks, and he...

2021-01-27T02:24:52Z

UN global climate poll: ‘People’s voice is clear – they want action’

The biggest ever opinion poll on climate change has found two-thirds of people think it is a “global emergency”. The survey shows people across the world support climate action and gives politicians a clear mandate to take the major action needed, according to the UN organisation that carried out the poll. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) questioned 1.2 million people in 50 countries, many of them young. While younger people showed the...

2021-01-27T05:05:45Z

David Attenborough warns planet is on the verge of another mass extinction event

In the latest episode of A Perfect Planet, Sir David Attenborough warns that the planet is 'collapsing' in a terrifying message

2021-01-26T20:37:18Z

France's Dalin holds slender lead in Vendée Globe sailing race as finish nears

French sailor Charlie Dalin retained a slim lead as exhausted skippers entered the final hours of the Vendée Globe, locked in the tightest battle in the solo round-the-world race's history. After sailing more than 28,650 nautical miles, Dalin, on board Apivia, was less than 382.57nm off Les Sables d'Olonne where the leading boats are expected to conclude their maritime odyssey on Wednesday. The ninth edition of sailing's 'Everest' could still...

2021-01-27T06:31:11Z

Johnson strikes a different tone 12 months on from first UK Covid case

The UK has one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in the world but the vaccine programme offers hope.

2021-01-27T02:56:58Z

Emmerdale foreshadows Al Chapman murder twist with chilling death comment?

Emmerdale's Al Chapman could regret crossing Debbie Dingle and Priya Sharma, as the village turns against him

2021-01-26T20:06:55Z

Kerry aims to talk US back into a lead role in climate fight

From a wood-paneled library in his Boston mansion, new climate envoy John Kerry is talking the U.S. back into a leading role in global climate action, making clear the nation isn't just revving up its own efforts to reduce oil, gas and coal pollution but that it intends to push everyone in the world to do more, too. Kerry’s diplomatic efforts match the fast pace of domestic climate directives by the week-old Biden administration, which created...

2021-01-27T05:07:18Z

Six of the 10 unprovoked shark attack deaths last year were in Australia

Unprovoked shark bites killed 10 people around the world in 2020 with six of the deaths in Australian waters, according to international figures. The number of unprovoked shark bites and encounters in Australia was only slightly above average, with 18 incidents recorded by the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File (Isaf). The average over the last five years is 16. The 10 deaths from shark bites globally was higher than the...

2021-01-27T02:00:01Z

NI coronavirus vaccine slowdown revealed: Acceleration of roll-out promised but summer target out of reach at current rates

Northern Ireland won’t hit its target of this summer for mass vaccination of the population against coronavirus at current rates, the latest figures show.

2021-01-26T18:31:20Z

Sam McBride: Scenes at another republican funeral put uncomfortable focus on Sinn Fein – but also the PSNI

The crowd at Eamonn McCourt’s funeral has focused uncomfortable attention not just on Sinn Fein, but also on the PSNI.

2021-01-26T21:01:33Z

California man arrested, accused of sending threatening messages to brother of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

On the same day a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol earlier this month, the brother of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received threatening text messages from a person who told him the lawmaker was "putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words," the congressman's office confirmed on Tuesday. The incident was included in a federal criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan. According to the document, Jeffries' brother, Hasan...

2021-01-27T04:25:20Z

AstraZeneca boss says EU vaccine supply 'glitches' are because it signed deal 3 months after UK

AstraZeneca's chief executive has hit back at the EU by saying that "glitches" in the supply of coronavirus vaccines to the bloc are due to it signing its contract three months after the UK.

2021-01-27T05:56:54Z

Farmers back at protest camp after deep challenge to PM Modi

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of farmers who stormed the historic Red Fort on India's Republic Day were again camped outside the capital Wednesday after the most volatile day of their two-month standoff left one protester dead and more than 300 police officers injured. The protests demanding the repeal of new agricultural laws have grown into a rebellion that is rattling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. On Tuesday, more than...

2021-01-27T04:06:59Z

Cambodia's cash-strapped cyclo drivers treated to pedal-in movie

Cambodia's cash-strapped cyclo drivers treated to pedal-in movie

2021-01-27T04:34:01Z

Covid vaccine ‘sceptic’ pharmacist faces jail for deliberately spoiling hundreds of doses

A pharmacist faces prison after he admitted deliberately spoiling hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine. Steven Brandenburg could serve up to 10 years behind bars after agreeing to plead guilty to damaging a batch of the Moderna vaccine being distributed in Wisconsin. Officials from Advocate Aurora Health Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin, announced in December that an employee had intentionally removed the doses from a freezer, but...

2021-01-27T06:27:43Z

HS2 protesters to occupy tunnel network under central London park

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2021-01-27T02:41:47Z

Positive COVID-19 tests linked to Australian Open downgraded to eight

Positive COVID-19 tests linked to Australian Open downgraded to eight

2021-01-27T05:46:26Z

Biden pledges 'wartime' effort to increase COVID vaccine supply

President Biden pledged a 'wartime' effort to increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines for Americans.

2021-01-27T02:57:12Z

Vietnam's Communist Party chief nominated for re-election: state media

Vietnam's Communist Party chief nominated for re-election: state media

2021-01-27T04:43:34Z

Mexican president felt unwell before commercial flight, took COVID-19 test later - spokesman

Mexican president felt unwell before commercial flight, took COVID-19 test later - spokesman

2021-01-27T03:18:25Z

Another pandemic-causing ‘Disease X’ could be around the corner, scientist warns

Another pandemic-causing ‘Disease X’ could potentially be around the corner and it is a matter of when, not if, a leading scientist has warned. However, it is difficult to tell when such a disease may emerge, and the precise mechanism of how it comes out is always unpredictable. Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, said that while pandemic flu is at the top of the list for outbreaks to be...

2021-01-27T03:53:30Z

Japan PM apologises after lawmakers' night club outings

Japan PM apologises after lawmakers' night club outings

2021-01-27T04:48:32Z

Tyrannosaur babies 'born ready' to hunt and kill

The babies of a ferocious group of meat-eating dinosaurs, that included T-rex, were huge, fully toothed and clawed and “born ready” to kill, according to analysis of recently uncovered embryonic remains.

2021-01-27T03:23:21Z

Indonesian volcano unleashes river of lava in new eruption

Authorities raised the volatile volcano’s danger level in November.

2021-01-27T06:27:53Z

Your morning briefing: What you should know for Wednesday, January 27

UK’s Covid death toll could reach 150,000 before pandemic ‘burns out,’ Sage scientist warns The UK could see another 50,000 deaths from coronavirus, a scientist advising the Government has warned after the grim milestone of 100,000 was reached. Boris Johnson insisted he takes “full responsibility” for the response to the pandemic and said “we did everything we could” to minimise suffering. Professor Calum Semple, who sits on the Government’s...

2021-01-27T06:38:26Z

No new players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

No new players were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in 60 years years as Curt Schilling falls just 16 votes short and accused steroids cheats Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are also denied entry.

2021-01-27T02:57:12Z

Security tight at India's historic Red Fort after clashes with farmers

Security tight at India's historic Red Fort after clashes with farmers

2021-01-27T06:23:37Z

Basketball fans in LA remember Kobe Bryant one year after deadly crash

Basketball fans gathered across Los Angeles on Tuesday to remember Kobe Bryant, one year to the day after the former NBA superstar perished in a helicopter crash with daughter Gianna and seven others. Fans laid flowers and Los Angeles Lakers memorabilia at a makeshift memorial outside the Staples Center, the arena where Bryant became a city icon during a two-decade playing career. Bryant, 41, his daughter and fellow passengers died on January 26...

2021-01-27T03:22:09Z

Newly found Fukushima plant contamination may delay cleanup

TOKYO (AP) — A draft investigation report into the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown, adopted by Japanese nuclear regulators Wednesday, says it has detected dangerously high levels of radioactive contamination at two of the three reactors, adding to concerns about decommissioning challenges. The interim report said data collected by investigators showed that the sealing plugs sitting atop the No. 2 and 3 reactor containment vessels were as fatally...

2021-01-27T06:06:58Z