Prime minister declares month-long state of emergency after earthquake felt across the CaribbeanAt least 304 people have died, with 1,800 injured and hundreds missing after Haiti was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that reduced churches, hotels and homes to rubble, in the latest tragedy to hit a Caribbean nation already mired in profound humanitarian and political crises and still reeling from the recent assassination of its president.The earthquake on Saturday, which struck the country’s south-west at 8.29am local time, was felt across the Caribbean and rekindled painful memories of the devastating 2010 quake that killed more than 200,000 people. The prime minister, Ariel Henry, has declared a month-long state of emergency. Continue reading...

Woman, 18, is in intensive care in Abidjan as emergency plan to identify her contacts beginsIvory Coast has recorded a case of Ebola, its health minister has said, the first occurrence of the deadly disease in the country in nearly three decades.Officials at the Institut Pasteur confirmed the case after testing samples taken from an 18-year-old Guinean woman, health minister Pierre N’Gou Demba said on RTI state television. Continue reading...

Mazar-i-Sharif was a government stronghold and its loss leaves only Kabul and another city unconqueredThe Taliban captured Mazar-i-Sharif, the country’s fourth-largest city and the government’s last major stronghold in the north on Saturday, as they tightened their grip on the country and closed in on Kabul.The US president, Joe Biden, said America would not reverse its decision to leave Afghanistan, despite the Taliban advances. “I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan – two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war on to a fifth.” Continue reading...

We must not repeat the mistakes of the Windrush era, say clergyThe Church of England must not repeat its lack of welcome to the Windrush generation when thousands of Hong Kong Chinese people move to the UK in what could be the largest planned migration for decades, say clergy of Chinese heritage.Many of those who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean in the 1950s and 60s were discouraged from attending or even turned away from Anglican churches. Last year, Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, spoke of his shame at the C of E’s record of racism. Continue reading...

The hot summer of 1967 was full of cruising and drinking, sleeping on roofs, and listening to music late into the night• Read other authors on their memorable urban summersThere was a hit song in the 1960s by the Lovin’ Spoonful called Summer in the City all about how the days were hot and gritty, everyone looking half-dead, but the nights passionate and fun, full of sex and dancing. That was certainly my experience of the summer of 1967, an especially hot one when New York became a tropical city full of cruising and drinking, of people sleeping without air conditioners on the cindered roofs of their buildings, sharing wine coolers out of Mason jars, and attending late-night horror movies. In the Village on Sixth Avenue and West Third Street, there was always a pickup basketball game going, the beautiful shirtless bodies slathered in sweat. Continue reading...

Drawing on writers from Anton Chekhov to Kit de Waal, Donal Ryan explores the art of writing short fiction. Plus Chris Power on the best books for budding short story writersThe first story I wrote outside of school was about Irish boxer Barry McGuigan. I was 10 and I loved Barry. He’d just lost his world featherweight title to the American Steve Cruz under the hellish Nevada sun and the only thing that could mend my broken heart was a restoration of my hero’s belt. Months passed and there was no talk of a rematch, so I wrote a story about it.My imagined fight was in Ireland, and I was ringside. In my story I’d arranged the whole thing. I’d even given Barry some tips on countering Steve’s vicious hook. It went the distance but Barry won easily on points. He hugged Steve. His dad sang “Danny Boy”. I felt as I finished my story an intense relief. The world in that moment was restful and calm. I’d created a new reality for myself, and I was able to occupy it for a while, to feel a joy I’d created by moving a biro across paper. I think of that story now every single time I sit down to write. I strive for the feeling of rightness it gave me, that feeling of peace. Continue reading...

Robert Webb, AJ Odudu, Tom Fletcher and Nina Wadia are among the celebrities getting their dancing shoes on for Strictly. But who will succeed … and who on earth is Tilly Ramsay?The 2021 Strictly Come Dancing line-up has been unveiled in full, which can only mean one thing. It’s Christmas already. Merry Christmas everyone!But who are these brave celebrities who have dared to develop a close friendship with a professional dancer that has a statistically high likelihood of ending their marriage? Below you will find them all, ranked from worst to best in terms of probable success. Continue reading...

A round-up of the coverage of the struggle for human rights and freedoms, from Thailand to Mexico Continue reading...

Mother of Oscar in Derbyshire says her son and his cockapoo were ‘like peas in a pod’

Here are the current coronavirus hotspots and Covid-19 public health exposure sites in Queensland and what to do if you’ve visited them.

With a few cheap items and a good routine it’s possible to start or continue a fitness regimen at homeThe longer lockdown progresses, the more ovals and homes around Sydney resemble makeshift gyms. Some trainers have shifted everything but treadmills and ellipticals outside, while others rely on a few key items to train themselves and others while the gyms are closed.So what do you need if your gym is shut and you want to keep training? Not much. And what you do need won’t break the bank. Continue reading...

Covid has hastened Australia’s inward drift, but now is not the time to disengage from our struggling neighbourThe effects of living in Fortress Australia are profound on the psyche. Yes, many of us may feel safer, but the longer we stay locked away from the world, the more our horizons shrink.Every bar or beach around the world used to ring with the sound of an Australian accent. Now it’s so strange to encounter an Australian abroad that an expat friend recently told me, almost excitedly, he had met another Australian in Athens. The man had approached his table on hearing his accent – it was as if Stanley had come across Livingstone himself in Tanzania (“Dr Livingstone, I presume?”), such was the wonder at encountering a fellow countryman. Continue reading...

The Australian star of slow-burn social thriller The White Lotus talks wealth, race and classIn the penultimate episode of the first season of The White Lotus, a couple on their honeymoon – whose relationship is already fraying – get a tour of their new hotel suite. Leading them is resort manager Armond, who points out that they can, actually, see the beach from this room – they just need to step onto the patio, and peer around the volcano.There’s no better metaphor for the tensions, big and small, that have been percolating since the moment these guests first arrived in Mike White’s new HBO series – a show that’s become a rare moment of appointment viewing in our various states of lockdown, and which was renewed for a second season last week. Continue reading...

Researchers speculate that smoke helps spread the virus and weakens lungs, making symptoms more severePollutants in smoke billowing from huge wildfires in the west of America have probably caused an increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths across several US states, new research has found.Last year more than 10m acres of land were torched by wildfires, with five out of the six largest fires ever documented in California occurring within just a few months. The burning trees, shrubs and buildings gave off enormous plumes of smoke containing small particles of soot. Continue reading...

Investigation launched into deaths of West Mercia police officer and child at address in WorcestershireA serving police officer and a three-year-old child have been found dead at a house in Worcestershire.West Mercia police said officers attended an address in Cairndhu drive in Kidderminster following concerns for the welfare of a man and a young child. Continue reading...

Una Stubbs – the actor whose long career took in Summer Holiday, Worzel Gummidge, Till Death Us Do Part and most recently Steven Moffat’s Sherlock – has died aged 84.

More than 1,700 people call on officials to preserve character of Costa Natura near EsteponaMore than 1,700 people have called on officials in Spain to preserve the character of the country’s oldest official nudist beach in a row with a newly-installed bar they say limits the practice of naturism in the area.The Costa Natura beach, a narrow stretch of sandy shore near the southern Spanish town of Estepona, was designated the country’s first nudist beach in 1979. Continue reading...

Minister says there are plans for 2,000 new housing units for Jewish settlers in Palestinian territoriesIsrael is preparing to resume settlement building in the occupied West Bank after a hiatus of almost a year, the country’s defence minister has said.A planning council committee is expected to meet next week to approve 2,000 new housing units for Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territories, Benny Gantz said on Wednesday, as well as about 1,000 units for Palestinians living in the West Bank’s Area C, which is under Israeli military control. Continue reading...

Inquest into death of convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman hears victims’ statements on injuriesA man wounded in an attack in Streatham in south London on 2 February 2020 overheard a paramedic say “he’s not going to make it” after he was stabbed in the side by the recently released convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman.The inquest into Amman’s death, taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice, heard that the man feared he was going to bleed to death after the attack in Streatham High Road. Continue reading...

Plans being considered in event of Kabul falling to Taliban, as US and Turkey negotiate on airport securityUS and other western military planners have begun laying the groundwork for the emergency evacuation of embassies in Afghanistan in the event of Kabul being threatened by the Taliban’s accelerating campaign.Some countries have already begun to withdraw staff, and the US and Turkey are negotiating a security plan for the airport in the capital that would be essential for any evacuation. Continue reading...

Zahra Joya started Rukhshana Media so Afghan women could tell their stories in their own words. Now she is battling to keep it going as long as she canDespite years of development, investment and progress in the Afghan media industry, 28-year-old Zahra Joya often found she was the only woman in a newsroom. “It was a lonely space, dominated by men who made the decisions about which stories were important, and which were not,” she says.Joya, who is from the persecuted Hazara community, felt she faced discrimination because of her ethnicity and sex. “There were so few women journalists in Kabul,” she says. “There would hardly be women reporters covering political events or press conferences even though these stories affect us greatly.” Continue reading...

Hindu boy, accused of urinating in madrassa library, was youngest Pakistani to be charged for the crimePolice in Pakistan have dropped blasphemy charges against an eight-year-old Hindu boy after media and government pressure over his arrest.The boy, the youngest Pakistani ever to be charged with the crime, was accused of intentionally urinating on a carpet in the library of a madrassa, where religious books were kept, in July. Continue reading...

She tamed Keith Moon, got laughed into bed by Bob Dylan and went to a young David Bowie’s house for tuna sandwiches – but the blues singer’s 72 albums are what really define her“No one has understood how deeply rooted in music I am because they got distracted by my tits,” Dana Gillespie complains.Now 72, the singer and songwriter’s curvaceous figure ensured she regularly appeared in both tabloids and films from the 1960s to 80s but, she says, this was a mere sideline: music was always her mission in life, it’s just that the British refuse to take her seriously. In Austria and Germany – where she has enjoyed hit singles and hosted a long-running radio show – they do. Ditto in India, where she records devotional music with leading Indian musicians. But in Britain she is too often been relegated to “lover of” status for her string of flings with the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Michael Caine. “I’m Britain’s best-kept secret,” says Gillespie, and she may well be correct. Continue reading...

Updated advice outlines four-tier system and urges caution as Coalition MPs speak out against requiring workers to be vaccinated

With his new film, Parallel Mothers, to be shown at Venice film festival, we take a look through the director’s ribald, pell-mell and beautifully colour co-ordinated outputAirline staff and passengers take drugs and act out their sexual fantasies as their plane prepares for an emergency landing. Not so much Airplane! as a sexed-up The High Life, but frothier. Best watched with tequila, poppers and the campest chums you can find. Continue reading...

During the night of 12-13 August 1961, communist East Germany began building a barrier to close off East Germans’ access to West Berlin. See how the Guardian and Observer reported eventsThe Observer, 13 August 1961 Continue reading...

Arrest of David Smith, 57, on suspicion of spying for Russia sparks calls for review of embassy contractorsScotland Yard officers have been involved in the case of a British embassy employee arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia for “a number of months”, the Metropolitan police commissioner has said.A 57-year-old British national, David Smith, was detained on Tuesday after a joint investigation by British and German authorities. Continue reading...

Staff at Kronotsky nature reserve rescue other eight people onboard minutes after tourist flight came downA helicopter carrying 16 tourists and crew on a sightseeing trip in the far east of Russia crashed into a lake on Thursday, with eight people including a child feared dead and two others in serious condition, local officials have said.The Mi-8 helicopter sank after crash-landing at Kuril Lake in the mountainous Kamchatka peninsula in poor visibility. The tourist passengers were from Saint Petersburg. Continue reading...

Antony Blinken says legislation ‘threatens media freedoms’, as ruling party’s long-term prospects take a hitWashington has said it is “deeply troubled” by a controversial media bill in Poland that with its chaotic passage through parliament has raised questions over the ruling Law and Justice party’s (PiS) long-term prospects.The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the bill, widely seen as targeting Poland’s largest independent TV station, TVN, whose news channel TVN24 has often been critical of the populist government, “threatens media freedoms”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Roland Rudd, pro-EU group’s former chair, resigns along with director Richard ReedRoland Rudd, one of the leading campaigners in the fight to keep Britain tied closely to the EU, has stepped down as a director of the company behind the People’s Vote group.In a move one insider said marked as a “sorry end” to the slow decline of the movement forged during the fierce battle over Brexit, Rudd and another director, Richard Reed, resigned and handed over the reins of PV Campaign Ltd to Mark Kieran. Continue reading...

Prime minister lays out cautious reopening strategy that could see quarantine-free travel for vaccinated people early next year

Lower house votes to strip the disgraced celebrity of her mandate in latest dramatic chapter of a saga that has gripped countryBrazilian lawmakers have voted to expel the gospel star turned congresswoman Flordelis over her alleged involvement in the murder of the husband with whom she had raised more than 50 children.In the latest dramatic chapter of a saga that has gripped Brazil, 437 members of Brazil’s 513-member lower house voted to strip the disgraced evangelical celebrity of her mandate as a result of “conduct incompatible with parliamentary decorum”. Continue reading...

The move by the country’s biggest power consumer could signal the end for AGL’s Bayswater power station

Victims’ families demand comprehensive declassification review of all documents, particularly into Saudi Arabia’s role in attacksFamilies of 9/11 victims say an FBI offer to release some documents from its investigation into the attack has not gone far enough, and are demanding a comprehensive declassification review of all relevant material, particularly on Saudi Arabia’s role.The FBI offer on Monday followed a call by some victims’ families and first responders for Joe Biden to stay away from ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the attack next month, if the president failed to honour a campaign pledge to lift the secrecy surrounding the multi-agency investigations. Continue reading...

Former prime ministers argue unnecessary attacks on Beijing could harm Chinese Australians and undermine multicultural societyFormer Australian prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd have urged the federal government not to ramp up rhetoric against China for domestic political purposes, arguing it could harm social cohesion.Turnbull said he worried “that some of the political rhetoric, if played for the local rightwing media peanut gallery, can actually undermine something that is very precious, which is the success of our multicultural society”. Continue reading...

Panel says country should also continue to pursue ambitious Covid elimination strategy, even after border reopensNew Zealand should take a phased approach to reopening its border but not before a high percentage of the population is vaccinated, according to an expert governmental advisory panel.The advice’s release comes a day before the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is expected to make an announcement on the government’s approach to the reopening of the country on Thursday. Continue reading...

For 20 years, Angus Andrew has made Liars one of rock’s most interesting, slippery acts – and by microdosing drugs to help understand his fears, he’s written his masterpieceOne night, Angus Andrew woke to a blood-curdling scream. Rushing out into the darkness of the bush around his house in a remote part of Australia’s Ku-ring-gai Chase national park, he encountered a giant python attacking a kangaroo. “You could hear the kangaroo trying to breathe, I tried to bash the snake off it but my wife was all ‘nature, nature, you have to let it happen’,” he says. “The roo’s eyes are stuck in my brain – it was visceral.”Surrounded by menacing beasts, with no roads, shops, sewerage, or running water, isolation characterises the latest in a very long line of homes and workplaces for the sole remaining member of Liars, the alt-rock band Andrew co-founded 20-odd years ago. Though they emerged from the New York scene that also spawned the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem, Liars perplexingly remain a cult concern. Continue reading...

National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology says south-eastern crater now measures 3,357 measureMount Etna’s south-eastern crater has grown in height after six months of activity, Italy’s volcano monitoring agency has said, making Europe’s tallest active volcano taller than ever.Etna’s youngest and most active crater has risen to a record of 3,357 metres (11,000 feet) above sea level, said the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV), based in the Sicilian city of Catania. Continue reading...

Abiy Ahmed issues call for all eligible civilians to ‘show your patriotism’ amid fighting with Tigrayan forcesThe Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has issued a call for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting rages in multiple regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation.“Now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the defence forces, special forces and militias and show your patriotism,” Abiy’s office said in a statement released less than two months after he declared a unilateral ceasefire against Tigrayan rebels. Continue reading...

New regulations part of government efforts to incentivise those without jabs amid a rapidly rising case rate

Man arrested on suspicion of murder and rape after discovery of Megan Newborough’s body near villageA family have paid tribute to their “treasured daughter” who was found dead on a country lane in Leicestershire, as a man was arrested on suspicion of her murder and rape.Megan Newborough, 23, was reported missing on Saturday. Her body was discovered on a road near the village of Woodhouse Eaves in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading...

Public support for Yoshihide Suga’s cabinet dipped below 30%, despite widespread support for going ahead with the GamesPublic support for the government of Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, has slumped to an all-time low, despite evidence that most people support the decision to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics during the coronavirus pandemic.Suga had been hoping to bask in the afterglow of the Games, which ended on Sunday, but support for his cabinet has dipped below 30% for the first time since he became prime minister last September, largely over its response to a recent surge in infections. Continue reading...

Schools in north of country have become prime targets for ‘bandits’ with 1,000 students taken this yearMore than 200 schoolchildren remain abducted by armed “bandit” groups in northern Nigeria, among more than 1,000 students taken this year as schools in northern Nigeria have become prime targets.A startling absence of security and – according to many communities – a reluctance to meaningfully engage armed threats have rapidly turned much of northern Nigeria into a haven for kidnap gangs and a hell for thousands of families. Many of the victims are schoolchildren, with several mass kidnappings this year, mirroring and eclipsing the kidnap of almost 300 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014. Continue reading...

Ruling comes as verdict expected in trial of fellow Canadian Michael SpavorA Chinese court has upheld a death sentence against Canadian citizen Robert Schellenberg.Schellenberg has been detained in China since 2014, when he was accused of attempting to smuggle 225kg of methamphetamine to Australia. He has maintained his innocence. In December 2018 he was sentenced to 15 years but after he appealed a retrial was ordered and the Dalian intermediate people’s court instead ordered his execution. Continue reading...

Tuesday: A landmark report warns rapid and drastic emission reductions needed to stop man-made climate crisis. Plus: Yassmin Abdel-Magied shares poem for poetry month.Good morning. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has published a landmark report and it’s a “wake-up call to the world”. Drastic action is desperately needed to avoid a global climate catastrophe. We have the details of the report, plus plenty more in today’s Morning Mail.Human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in “unprecedented” ways, with some of the changes now inevitable and “irreversible”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned in its landmark report released on Monday that only rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases in this decade can prevent widespread devastation and extreme weather. Within the next two decades, temperatures are likely to rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which would be “catastrophic” for Pacific island nations and could lead to the loss of entire countries due to sea level rise. Continue reading...

Analysis: the end of restrictions in the UK has not led to a surge in cases, but coronavirus remains unpredictable

Treasury department emails show discussion was had about linking proxy advisers with compulsory super

When Gabriella met Natsumi they had no shared language – but that did not stop them from becoming fast friendsWhen my family first landed in Perth at the start of January, it was 40C. The stifling heat was such a contrast to the European winter we had left behind.It’s one of the things I remember about migrating to Australia with my mum and step-dad when I was six; that and the extremely long flight leaving Budapest – with stopovers in Helsinki, Karachi and Singapore. Continue reading...

Bridge opened on Monday to allow wooden ship through, before its arms got stuck in raised positionA technical fault has left Tower Bridge stuck open, causing major rush-hour traffic problems in the capital with pedestrians and vehicles unable to cross.The London landmark, one of several bridges over the River Thames that connects central and southern parts of the city, was scheduled to open this afternoon to allow a large wooden tall ship to pass through. But City of London police said the 127-year-old bridge had been closed to traffic and pedestrians after a “technical failure” left it stuck in its raised position. Continue reading...

Provider joins EE in bringing back charges for people to use their phone in mainland Europe from next yearVodafone is to re-introduce charges for UK customers who use their phones in Europe, despite Britain’s biggest mobile companies previously saying that they would not bring back roaming costs after Brexit.Vodafone said that new customers and those upgrading will have to pay up to £2 a day to use their monthly allowance of data, calls and text messages in mainland Europe. Continue reading...