Everyday hormone-disrupting chemicals could affect our immune system’s defenses against infections

Prime minister and his partner announce birth of ‘healthy baby boy’ at a London hospitalBoris Johnson’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds, has given birth to their baby boy.A statement released by the couple said they had a “healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning”. Continue reading...

The Lunchbox star, who has died aged 53, was a vital bridge between Bollywood and Hollywood, and possessed a strong romantic appeal

A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across AustraliaGood evening, and welcome to our daily roundup of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Calla Wahlquist bringing you the main stories on Wednesday 29 April. Continue reading...

Political activists wait to find out if they will be included in government pardon scheme to stop the spread of Covid-19It has been two months since Andi Rizky last saw her uncle Jimmy, a drug offender in Cilegon Prison, Banten province, in person. Since the middle of March, the prison has banned visitors because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.In 10-minute video calls to replace the visits, the pair have discussed the Indonesian government’s plan to release thousands of prisoners. Continue reading...

Trump’s transformation of the federal judiciary means the stakes have never been higher in an election than they are for DemocratsHe is 37 and less than 10 years out of law school. He had never tried a case, nor served as co-counsel at trial, when he was tapped last year for America’s federal bench. But he did go on Fox News to push the cause of Brett Kavanaugh when Trump’s supreme court pick was mired in sexual abuse claims two years ago.And now he is bound for the second highest court in the land. Continue reading...

Khan, who had a string of Anglo-American successes under his belt, including Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and Jurassic World, has died in Mumbai• A life in picturesIrrfan Khan, the Indian-born actor who achieved considerable success in both Bollywood and the west, has died aged 53. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit of Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital on Tuesday with a colon infection.In March 2018, he revealed he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour, but after extensive treatment he recovered well enough to shoot Angrezi Medium, the film which would turn out to be his last, and whose release this March was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has selected its Nature Photographer of the Year 2020.The winning image is part of a series of photographs taken in Dortmund’s north by Peter Lindel. Compared with many international nature photography hot spots, this region has little to offer. Lindel spent a lot of time and blood, sweat and tears working on this project on his doorstep. It is a beautiful statement about the long-term exploration of a single species and region. Continue reading...

Exclusion from government Covid-19 relief has left many reliant on private food donations, as fears raised over protection from transmission after lockdown

Impact of pandemic could be felt by world’s poorest for years to come, international development secretary tells MPsThe coronavirus pandemic threatens to undo 30 years of international development work, with a bleak picture for the world’s poorest, the international development secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, told MPs.Giving evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the effectiveness of UK aid, Trevelyan said her biggest fear was that the secondary impact of the health crisis would be felt by the world’s poorest for years to come. Continue reading...

Many countries are looking to ease the restrictions brought in to tackle coronavirus Continue reading...

Wharfedale, Yorkshire: There are moments of beauty, but the silence can also be eerie and strange, or mask an underlying hostilityIn Lower Wharfedale, there are new kinds of silences everywhere. Around Beacon Hill, on the Chevin, the seismic roar of aircraft booming off to Edinburgh or Alicante from the airport nearby has given way to the white noise of a sunny heath in April; a silence textured with the bee-charged buzz of a goat willow, the delicate song of a dunnock, or the soft gloops of mating frogs in a pond. Along the verdant stretch of the Wharfe near Otley Mills, where peace is usually eclipsed by the rush of traffic on the A660, birdsong glitters in the fresh green trees like sun in a stream, and a dipper alerts me to its presence with the tiniest of chirps.Related: Name that song - it's the perfect time to learn to identify birds Continue reading...

WHO official warns of fresh outbreaks as jabs for 12 million children are delayed

Despite North Korean leader’s absence from key events, experts in the South say he is most probably at resort town of Wonsan

State Labor leader Jodi McKay says families ‘have been battling’ for 19 days to get adequate care and were not always being given the choice to transfer sick relatives to hospitalFollow the day’s Australian coronavirus news liveSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notifications

As medics and carers report widespread shortages of protective equipment, the government is facing pressure to explain why it appears the UK went into a pandemic under-resourced. Daniel Boffey and Rob Davies unpick the strategy and its failuresWith reports of medics using bin bags in place of personal protective equipment (PPE), the government is under growing pressure to explain its preparedness for a pandemic and its efforts since the crisis struck to protect frontline workers.The Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief, Daniel Boffey, describes how the government declined to take part in a joint EU procurement scheme at the same time it was failing to secure enough equipment from other sources. Meanwhile Rob Davies has been investigating how British firms such as Burberry have switched from fashion to the production of PPE. And the government’s attempts to dramatically increase the stockpile of ventilators as manufacturers take up the challenge to produce established and new designs. Continue reading...

As the number of cases rises, so does the number of those who have died. Here is a state-by-state list of virus-related fatalities

For the first time, and only for this year, movies that debuted on a streaming service without a theatrical run will be eligibleThe Academy Awards will for the first time allow films that debuted on a streaming service without a theatrical run to be eligible for nominations, a break with tradition in direct response to the coronavirus pandemic.The Academy announced the new criteria for the Oscars in a statement on Tuesday. The change is not permanent, however, and will only apply to films released this year. Continue reading...

President claims economy will rebound and suggests US, currently testing 200,000 a day, will be testing 5m ‘very soon’

Camilla praises Silver Swans tutorials, while Prince Charles will appear in a Thomas the Tank Engine specialThe Duchess of Cornwall has turned to ballet as part of a keep fit regime, joining lessons with three “ancient friends” that leave them groaning, huffing and grunting, she has said.Camilla, 72, has become a cheerleader for Silver Swans ballet tutorials aimed at the over-55s, designed to improve core strength balance and flexibility. Continue reading...

Dr Sirous Asgari, in Ice detention despite having been exonerated in a sanctions trial, had warned of ‘inhumane’ conditions

Mike Pence triggered a storm of controversy on Tuesday by failing to wear a face mask on a visit to the Mayo Clinic’s facilities in Minnesota. Pence leads the US government’s coronavirus taskforce, but his staff have claimed he does not need to wear the protective covering because he is regularly tested for the coronavirus.

Wednesday: independent schools offered early funding to return to face-to-face teaching. Plus, doctors on alert for rare coronavirus complication in childrenGood morning, this is James Murray bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 29 April. Continue reading...

Former Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of state Hillary Clinton has endorsed Joe Biden for president, saying the former vice-president has 'been preparing for this moment his whole life'

The key workers describe anxiety of being on frontline amid rising death toll in their industry

Secretive investigation condemned - but home secretary still to face Rutnam at employment tribunalPriti Patel is expected to be cleared this week of bullying senior civil servants in three separate government departments, Whitehall sources have confirmed.The home secretary had been accused of breaching the ministerial code by mistreating staff at the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for International Trade. Continue reading...

Findings underscore partisan divide over voting as Democrats push to ease restrictions while Republicans defend themAs America hurtles towards the critical 2020 presidential election during the Covid-19 pandemic, less than half of Democrats are confident it will be fair and accurate, according to a new national survey from the Pew Research Center.Just 46% of Democrats are confident in the fairness and accuracy of the November election, the survey found. Even fewer are confident all citizens will be able to vote if they want to. Continue reading...

Myer launches ‘pop-up’ collection booths as online sales surge while luxury brand stores reopen their doors

He arguably paved the way for the terrible experiences of generations of Indigenous people

From lockdown to PPE, the government is under pressure to provide more clarity

Dr Lorna Breen worked at New York-Presbyterian Allen hospital and was ‘truly in the trenches’, her father said

Hardest hit region in Canada with over 1,600 deaths plans to reopen elementary schools and child care facilities on 11 May

Many over 70s fear health risks, loneliness and inconvenience of extended period of isolation

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as UK retailers report cashflow problems and layoffs amid the pandemic

Some experts have warned that the recent anti-quarantine rallies and counter-protests taking place nationwide could cause a surge in coronavirus cases in America. Guardian US writer Adam Gabbatt explains where these protests originated and who is behind them

Lockdown is an unlikely ally for Ron Finley, who has set about revolutionising attitudes to gardening in inner city areas

A steep drop in police reports indicates isolation may be making it harder to get helpIt was 2.30am when Daniel Jiménez was woken by his neighbour’s screams. When he went outside his home in the Los Pajarillos neighbourhood of Valladolid in north-east Spain, he saw a woman being dangled from a third-storey window by her husband. Another neighbour rushed out with mattresses to help break her fall but he was too late. She fell to her death.Although the circumstances of the killing of the 56-year-old woman are still under investigation, the interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, declared it a crime of gender violence, making the woman the third victim of femicide since Spain’s strict lockdown came into force on 14 March. Continue reading...

Although offering insights into the artist’s technique, gallery has yet to solve Vermeer’s biggest mystery

Businessman held on suspicion of murder in case first treated by police as kidnappingOne of Norway’s wealthiest men has been arrested in connection with his wife’s disappearance in 2018 and held on suspicion of murder or complicity to murder in a case police had earlier thought was a kidnapping.Tom Hagen, a media-shy real-estate investor and owner of an electric company, was detained on his way to work, the chief police investigator, Tommy Broeske, said. Continue reading...

Pandemic spotlights racial disparities, with black workers expected to feature disproportionately in the 26m recent unemployment claimsJust two months ago in the Cabinet Room of the White House, sitting at a table surrounded by a handful of his black supporters, Donald Trump once again praised his job creation record. “Black people right now are having the best, statistically, the best numbers that you’ve ever had, and it’s really an honor,” he said. “Nobody has done more for black people than I have. Nobody has done more.”That was 27 February and Trump was also still claiming he had done an “incredible job” with the looming coronavirus pandemic. Now the virus has led 26 million Americans to file for unemployment. While the US Bureau of Labor Statistics will not release unemployment figures broken down by race until the beginning of next month, economists are certain that black Americans are suffering the brunt of Covid-19’s economic impact and will probably suffer the most dramatic consequences of the looming recession. Continue reading...

The e-RMB has reportedly been adopted into the monetary systems of several citiesChina will begin trialling payments in its new digital currency in four major cities from next week, according to domestic media.In recent months, China’s central bank has stepped up its development of the e-RMB, which is set to be the first digital currency operated by a major economy. Continue reading...

You don’t need a glut of garden apples or courgettes to create mouth-watering preserves that will last you through the months aheadMore than any domestic appliance, preserving is the home cook’s secret weapon. If you have a vegetable garden, fruit trees or an allotment, it is the age-old way of making the summer glut and autumn harvest last through the winter dearth when there is nothing to grow or pick. Even with year-round fresh produce in the shops, a gleaming row of gem-hued jars filled to the brim with crunch and spice can brighten up the most lacklustre meal.The idea of making your own kimchi or bottling a batch of chutney might scare you off. But all you need is a few key ingredients and some patience. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Continue reading...

As businesses in Seattle closed their doors, many storefronts nailed plywood over their windows – but it created the feeling of a ghost town. So artists came together to create something beautiful and uplifting, turning these wooden coverings into murals. Sydney Pertl, who created one of the murals in Pioneer Square, says the response has been amazing Continue reading...

Report by Center for Media and Democracy finds SPLC-designated hate groups receiving income via mainstream platformsDozens of hate groups and racist media outlets are receiving income via mainstream payment processors such as Amazon, Stripe and DonorBox, according to a new report by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).The groups still receiving donations and sales via such platforms include promoters of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that motivated the Christchurch shooter, an organization cited as an inspiration by mass shooter Dylan Roof, and several groups that participated in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville that ended in the killing of a protester. Continue reading...

Unlike airlines, rail companies are refunding passengers unable to use tickets, even non-refundable singles

The British ambassador to Portugal, who has been posting videos of himself playing the piano in honour of health workers in the UK and Portugal, has become something of an internet sensation. Chris Sainty began sharing his performances on Twitter during the Covid-19 lockdown. In a video where is he is playing the tune of You’ll Never Walk Alone, he wrote: 'It is for the bravest of the brave: the nurses, carers and doctors of the NHS and the SNS’

President says US is conducting ‘serious investigations’ into Beijing’s handling of coronavirus

The Pentagon on Monday formally released three unclassified videos taken by Navy pilots that have circulated for years showing interactions with 'unidentified aerial phenomena'.