Dominic Cummings loves to theorise about complexity, but he’s getting it all wrong

Anna Ahmatova, David Malouf, Yukio Mishima and more explore the emotion that tears us apart but leads us into compassion, writes Christos TsiolkasI was an adolescent when I first came across the letters of St Paul. Though I had been raised Greek Orthodox, at 13 I had joined an evangelical church in the hope that God would banish my shame. The shame of being different. The shame of hurting my immigrant parents’ honour. The shame of being gay. At that age, all I could hear from Paul was his admonishment in his first letter to the Corinthians that my homosexuality would banish me for ever from God’s love and grace. I battled with that for over two years before finally abandoning my faith. It was a relief to declare myself atheist, and a relief to begin the slow, difficult process of extricating myself from shame.In my late 20s, however, I experienced another form of shame. I had betrayed a man I loved. I had betrayed my ideals. In a state of misery I found myself walking into a small Uniting Church. My body fell to weeping and prayer – for aid from a God in whom I no longer believed. On the pew in front of me there was a copy of the New Testament and I began to read it. I read Paul’s letter to the Romans and this time I heard the voice of a man struggling with doubt and confusion, shame and regret. And I heard his words of solace and compassion. My novel Damascus is my attempt to reconcile these two versions of Paul. It is the story of a man, not a saint, since it is the living, breathing, conflicted man who interests me. This is the man we can still hear 2,000 years later through the letters he left us. Continue reading...

UK experts say easing physical distancing would depend on rigorous testing and isolation

Human trials will begin imminently – but even if they go well and a cure is found, there are many barriers before global immunisation is feasible

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

Debate on adjournment until 21 April will take place once emergency laws passCoronavirus - latestSee all our coronavirus coverageParliament is to close for Easter a week early amid fears that coronavirus has been spreading fast through Westminster.Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the House of Commons, laid a motion saying parliament will adjourn on Wednesday night for a month until 21 April. Continue reading...

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you see a doctor?

As a prostate cancer surgeon, I’m concerned we may be losing sight of those who aren’t getting the treatment they need to stay alive

Li Keqiang’s comments come as Hubei province - except for Wuhan - lifts travel restrictions for the first time in two months

A bubble has finally been burst – but will we now attend to the other threats facing humanity?

Brazil’s president uses national televised address to dismiss state-based health measures ‘scorched earth’ tactics

WHO says US could be next virus hotspot; EU urged to evacuate Greek refugee camps; Greta Thunberg says she believes she had Covid-19. This blog is now closed.12.43am GMTThat’s it for this live blog. Follow me, Helen Sullivan, to the link below for the latest coronavirus pandemic news:Related: Coronavirus live news: India locks down population of 1.3bn as Hubei eases restrictions12.36am GMTNew Zealand has declared a national state of emergency, Reuters reports. More on this soon. Continue reading...

Covid-19-related developments throughout the Pacific Islands

Physical distancing on the roads | Geordie greetings | Clocks going forward | Receiving the Guardian | The Archers | Unseen, not herd

Lockdown may lead to awkward conversations as government issues clarification

Monitoring of adults aged 40 or over shows any activity is good and doing more is betterIt may be worth dusting off the fitness tracker when you head out on your government-approved stroll: researchers have found higher step counts are associated with a lower risk of early death.While the figure of 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal, researchers have long criticised the fact it has its roots in a Japanese marketing campaign, rather than scientific research. Continue reading...

Corporate chiefs may not like it – but a heavy-handed state is now essential to help the country truly adapt to our new way of life

Covid Symptom Tracker will also help experts understand who is most at risk of disease

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have spanned the globe, and now exceed 380,000. Travel bans and closed borders have been put in place in an attempt to curtail the spread

Rightwing governments have denied the problem and been slow to act. With coronavirus and the climate, this costs lives• Coronavirus latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has brought urgency to the defining political question of our age: how to distribute risk. As with the climate crisis, neoliberal capitalism is proving particularly ill-suited to this.Like global warming, but in close-up and fast-forward, the Covid-19 outbreak shows how lives are lost or saved depending on a government’s propensity to acknowledge risk, act rapidly to contain it, and share the consequences. Continue reading...

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumonia

Covid-19 essential guide: how is it different from the seasonal flu, can you pick it up from public transport and how sick will I get?Coronavirus – latest updatesWhat are the coronavirus symptoms?The Covid-19 virus is a member of the coronavirus family that made the jump from animals to humans late last year. Unusually for a virus that has made the jump from one species to another, it appears to transmit effectively in humans. The virus also appears to have a higher mortality rate than common illnesses such as seasonal flu. The combination of coronavirus’s ability to spread and cause serious illness has prompted many countries, including the UK, to introduce or plan extensive public health measures aimed at containing and limiting the impact of the epidemic. Continue reading...

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near you

Ministers call on mobile companies to send mass broadcast to reach up to 60m people

Millions will be able to move around the region after weeks of stringent measures to stem the spread of Covid-19

Sarah Boseley speaks to Prof Deenan Pillay about how the virus contaminates surfaces and why headlines about how long it can survive may be misleading. And, following a number of listener questions, we find out whether or not Sars-CoV-2 can survive in a swimming pool Continue reading...

Here are some questions that all chemotherapy patients should ask their oncologistFrom a clinic emptied of patients but not their problems, I begin a series of phone consults, the first of which is to an increasingly fatigued man who lives alone. For a while I have rued the day someone suggested he have chemotherapy because now he has poured all his energies into having intensifying toxic treatment for a terminal illness. I know that he appreciates seeing the nurses but suddenly the stakes have risen.Careful not to sound punitive, I say: “Let’s consider a chemotherapy break.” Continue reading...

To watch Trump is to witness the awesome and terrifying power of the American president over life and death – a burden he is unqualified to bear

This blog is now closed.

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

As borders close and social distancing increases, what are our responsibilities to the people who keep working?Amid coronavirus-induced stockpiling and empty supermarket shelves, politicians have been quick to assure us of the reliability of Australia’s food supply systems.Writing for the Guardian last week, agriculture minister David Littleproud slammed “ridiculous” panic-buying, saying: “It is important to understand that Australian farmers produce enough food for 75 million people: three times what we need”. Farmers, he continued, are “calmly going about the business of food production”, “preparing to sow and pick their crops and making sure their produce makes it to market”. Continue reading...

Prime minister escalates UK response to coronavirus with series of strict measures

Sources say existing models will be used to meet expected demand for 30,000 machines

More than 7,500 returning clinicians will expand NHS workforce to help tackle outbreak

However well-intentioned, a laissez-faire strategy for fighting coronavirus has not worked. Now is the right time for the government to give the public clarity and firm parameters

Foreign Office asks up to 1m British citizens to cut short trips and come home straight away

Nick Dennison says he made decision in effort to reduce risk to his son who has cancer

The solution to today’s paradoxical probability poserEarlier today I set you the following puzzle, set by Peter Winkler.Team A and Team B are perennial football rivals. Every year they meet for a series of games. The first team to win four games gets to take home the Golden Teapot and keep it for a year. Continue reading...

Health experts say attempt to build herd immunity is a ‘mad experiment with 10m people’

The government’s dithering and lack of transparency will cost many thousands of lives

The scale of coronavirus in the UK means we need a clear framework on who should be treatedTim Cook is an ICU doctorCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage

‘Largest scale experiment ever’ shows what is possible as satellite images reveal marked fall in global nitrogen dioxide levels

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have spanned the globe, and now exceed 339,000. Travel bans and closed borders have been put in place in an attempt to curtail the spread

Studies show that young people are at less risk of serious illness – but as invisible carriers they may be key to spreading the virus

Footage of officials berating citizens for flouting Covid-19 quarantine rules goes viral

Human trials will begin imminently – but even if they go well and a cure is found, there are many barriers before global immunisation is feasible

Health secretary says behaviour risks lives of NHS workers and others in tougher coronavirus stance than PM

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumonia