Nine-year tagging study sheds light upon migratory cycle of the cuckoo to help understand species’ alarming declineWhen you’ve just braved sandstorms, thunderstorms and drought during a 4,000-mile solo flight in search of romance, what is your first priority?For Carlton II the cuckoo, it appears to be a relaxing round of golf. The satellite-tagged bird became the first of a small flock of tracked cuckoos to return to his breeding grounds in record time, dashing from the Ivory Coast to southern England in seven days. Continue reading...

People in poor and rural areas are left with little access to care, with chronic diseases unchecked and a higher risk of complications if people have Covid-19Camden might seem like a strange place for a coronavirus outbreak. It’s a small, historic city in central South Carolina – just over 7,500 people. It’s neither densely packed like New York nor economically decimated like Detroit. One of its main industries is tourism, with people visiting to see civil war re-enactments and the annual horse race every spring.But on 6 March the first Covid-19 case was confirmed positive – an elderly woman whose family had visited her after traveling to Europe. Soon after that, Camden had the fastest-growing number of cases, and deaths, in the state. At one point it had the most coronavirus cases per capita in the country. Continue reading...

Brendan Murphy says he is ‘pretty confident’ most will be negative but it is necessary to monitor community transmission. Follow the latest updates

Repeal of outbound travel ban is sudden U-turn in country among first to close frontiers

The last thing I want to think about in these testing times is whether or not I need funeral insurance

Donald Trump prompted a backlash from medical experts after floating the idea that they could look into heat, light and injections of disinfectants as a cure for Covid-19. His public health advisers immediately played down the idea, and medics warn that trying such ideas could be fatal. Coronavirus response coordinator Dr Deborah Birx appeared caught off guard when Trump asked her directly if heat and light would cure the deadly disease. ‘Not as a treatment,’ Birx replied

Singer complains of ‘tasteless’ release amid coronavirus crisis by former label Big Machine, owned by frequent adversary Scooter BraunTaylor Swift has disowned a new live album released under her name, calling it tasteless and “shameless greed” amid the coronavirus outbreak.The album, Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008, was recorded when Swift was 18, around the release of her Grammy-winning second album, Fearless. The live album has been released by Big Machine, Swift’s former label that was bought by music manager Scooter Braun from its founder, Scott Borchetta. Swift has frequently criticised Braun and Borchetta – leading Braun to allege death threats from fans to his family – and is planning to rerecord and rerelease her six albums put out by Big Machine to regain some control over her back catalogue. Continue reading...

Three Uber drivers who believe they caught coronavirus from passengers before the UK lockdown started share their experiences of the illness, pay tribute to drivers who have died, and call for better safety standards for drivers in London

30 British attendees at Panama event criticise embassy and say they fear being stuck for monthsIt must have seemed like a dream adventure: a two-week festival on a beach in central America, camping out under the stars at night in what organisers called “paradise on Earth”.But because of the coronavirus outbreak, a group of 30 British workers and volunteers at the festival are stranded in a makeshift camp facing nonstop rain, a difficult relationship with the British embassy, and a sewage problem. Continue reading...

Finance minister says NZ$17m has been paid back by firms not entitled to subsidy

Toxic fumes and repiratory disease among hazards facing people reliant on informal processing plants for work and fuelBlack pools, long trenches and charred earth have become common sights in the fields of north-west Syria, signs of an informal oil economy that has developed during the war.Despite damaging both the environment and health, up to 5,000 backyard oil refineries, crucial to the livelihoods of besieged Syrians, have cropped up in recent years, identified through satellite imagery in a report by open source investigators Bellingcat. Continue reading...

Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni investigated how Italian teenagers were coping with the coronavirus lockdown, working with them to take pictures using video chat appsSome can’t wait to go out again, others don’t really want to, happy to stay home connected to the outside world only through their computer. Some are worried about the virus and others, instead, are more concerned about the climate crisis.

MPs and peers told to come up with a clear plan after previous business case was rejectedMPs and peers in charge of parliament’s restoration have been told by Whitehall’s spending watchdog that they must ensure that costs do not slip amid deepening concerns about public finances in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.The National Audit Office (NAO) has called on the group tasked with the Palace of Westminster’s multibillion-pound overhaul to take a firm grip on the process. The budget for Big Ben’s construction works alone rose by 176%, auditors said. Continue reading...

Workers in a sector with a history of exploitation face hazards including a lack of masks and overcrowded accommodationIn Sri Lanka, police have been enforcing tough lockdown measures and a strict curfew since March. The country’s inspector general has instructed police to take action against social media users who criticise the government or spread “malicious” pandemic information.An exception has been made, however, for the country’s tea pickers. A caveat on the country’s lockdown order, issued on 20 March, read: “Paddy farming and plantation, including work on tea small holdings and fishing activities, are permitted in any district.” Continue reading...

Over five days and 40 video sessions, 10 teams will try to ‘refocus’ on future relationshipBrexit talks on the future relationship between the UK and the EU resumed this week after a six-week interruption caused by coronavirus.Over five days and 40 video sessions, 10 negotiating teams were expected to provide an urgent “refocus” before the 30 June deadline for both sides to formally agree to extend the transition period if the UK asks for one. Continue reading...

The human rights watchdog UNHCR reminds the territory that charges against prominent pro-democracy figures have not gone unnoticedThe United Nations human rights watchdog is “closely following” the arrest and charging of 15 pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, reminding the territory’s government of its obligations to international law.Last week authorities arrested pro-democracy leaders and activists including 81-year-old Martin Lee QC, the founder of Hong Kong’s democratic party and internationally recognised advocate, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and veteran politician and activist Lee Cheuk Yan. Continue reading...

Journalists at Vedomosti warn paper is in danger of becoming ‘another controlled media outlet’Journalists at the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti have rebelled against their new management after the paper’s editor was accused of banning criticism of constitutional amendments backed by Vladimir Putin and the use of data from an independent pollster.In a blistering opinion article published on the newspaper’s website on Thursday, the editorial staff said the new editor had undermined trust by massaging headlines about the Russian state energy company Rosneft and blocking a recent column critical of the same company and its boss, Igor Sechin. Continue reading...

Party that switched recognition from Taiwan to China last year lost majority in elections this week over handling of the moveChina’s diplomatic ambitions in the Pacific suffered a setback on Wednesday when the party that switched recognition from Taiwan to China last year lost its majority in parliament over its handling of the move.In the second round of parliamentary elections, the governing party and allies won 22 seats out of 45, dealing a blow to President Taneti Maamau, who previously enjoyed a comfortable majority of 31. Continue reading...

Eight-year-old Corona De Vries wrote to the Hollywood star after the actor and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for Covid-19Tom Hanks has sent a letter and a Corona brand typewriter to an Australian boy who wrote to him about being bullied about his name, Corona.Corona De Vries, an eight-year-old from the Gold Coast in Queensland, wrote to the Hollywood star after the actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, spent more than two weeks in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. Continue reading...

Jenny McGee says British PM ‘absolutely’ needed to be in intensive care and tells of surreal experience of swapping emojis with Jacinda Ardern

Ski resort that became European coronavirus hotspot plans to switch to a more ‘upmarket apres-ski culture’

The pair’s blog about their enforced stay at an Auckland hotel, featuring high-class food and a mini-fridge full of treats, has caused envy worldwide

For the fifth week running, people across the UK came to their doorsteps, balconies, windows and gardens to clap for frontline workers

Broadcast on 16 May, music will build from solo in John o’Groats into quintet in CornwallThe National Trust has invited the public to experience dawn together next month with an original live music score.Musicians across the country will perform from their homes at sunrise on Saturday 16 May. Broadcast of the performance commences from 3.43am. Continue reading...

Company has struggled to meet security needs as user base has risen sharply amid coronavirus lockdownThe video-conferencing platform Zoom has released a new update this week in an effort to address an onslaught of security concerns surrounding the service.Zoom says the newest version of its app, Zoom 5.0, includes encryption and new privacy controls, updates that are part of a 90-day plan to improve security and privacy on the platform. Continue reading...

New details have emerged in Canada’s worst mass shooting, raising fresh questions about the attack and authorities’ responseEmergency crews rushing to respond after reports of gunfire in a quiet Nova Scotia town were taken aback when they encountered thick clouds of smoke at the scene.“Is there also a structure fire out this way?” one first responder asked his dispatcher. “We’re seeing huge flames and smoke.” Continue reading...

Nicolae Budurus punched Audrius Lapinskas over car mirror damage in Peterborough

Investigation to conclude in July, and Starmer says disciplinary action could be takenAn investigation into a leaked Labour document which made explosive allegations about the party’s handling of anti-Semitism claims is aiming for a swift conclusion, Labour has said.On Thursday, a meeting of Labour’s ruling body set out a timescale, with the investigation aiming to conclude in July, and drew up its terms of reference. The inquiry will look into the leaking of the 860-page report that reignited divisions as the new leader, Sir Keir Starmer, tries to unite the party. Continue reading...

Senate leader suggested states struggling to cope with coronavirus should be able to file for bankruptcy rather than seek federal aid

The New York governor on Thursday fiercely criticised Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell for suggesting states should declare bankruptcy instead of receiving more federal aid. Andrew Cuomo described McConnell’s suggestion as 'one of the really dumb ideas of all time' and said the warning against 'bailouts' for Democrat states was 'irresponsible and reckless'

Fewer than three out of 15 families in NSW far west have broadband, making digital classrooms unviableTeachers in far western NSW say they have been hand-delivering lessons to Aboriginal students at home because families don’t have reliable access the internet and many don’t have computers for their children to work on.To allow children to keep learning, Wilcannia central school teachers have been making lesson packs for their students and delivering them in person every few days, on a 9km round trip in the school minibus. Continue reading...

UK death toll rises by 616; Scotland reveals lockdown exit plan; UK ministers under pressure to offer ‘hope’ about return to normality

Virtual summit debates rescue package to protect single market from depressionEuropean Union leaders are meeting to debate a variety of trillion-euro proposals to resuscitate the single market, as they stand on the precipice of an economic slump unparalleled since the 1930’s Great Depression.Clashes over the size and scope of a coronavirus recovery fund were anticipated at the video-conference summit, which is taking place amid a global pandemic that so far has claimed more than 108,000 lives in the European Economic Area and UK. Continue reading...

Government and operators thought to be aiming to increase services by as early as 18 May

Don Reed Herring, a Vietnam war veteran, died on Tuesday evening in OklahomaThe Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren made public the news on Thursday that one of her brothers died of coronavirus earlier this week.Warren made the announcement on Twitter, saying: “My oldest brother, Don Reed, died from coronavirus on Tuesday evening. He joined the Air Force at 19 and spent his career in the military, including five and a half years off and on in combat in Vietnam. He was charming and funny, a natural leader.” Continue reading...

Mick Jagger says new single will ‘resonate through the times we’re living in’ and references coronavirus with the lyric: ‘Life was so beautiful, then we all got locked down’The Rolling Stones have released their first original music since 2012, a new – and rather apocalyptic – single called Living in a Ghost Town.Mick Jagger said the band were “recording some new material before the lockdown and there was one song we thought would resonate through the times that we’re living in right now. We’ve worked on it in isolation. And here it is.” Continue reading...

UK is suffering fastest and deepest slump in “possibly several centuries”, warns BoE policy maker Jan Vlieghe

Countries discuss Europe-wide recovery fund while German chancellor urges caution

Deaths in sub-Saharan African countries could double to more than 700,000 this year if Covid-19 crisis disrupts programmesDeaths from malaria could double across sub-Saharan Africa this year if work to prevent the disease is disrupted by Covid-19, the World Health Organization has warned.The UN’s global health agency said that if countries failed to maintain delivery of insecticide-treated nets and access to antimalarial medicines, up to 769,000 people could die of malaria this year. That figure, which would be more than double the number of deaths in 2018, would mark a return to mortality levels last seen 20 years ago. Continue reading...

Politicians say expected announcement of $12m must not have conditions attachedGreenlanders have welcomed reports that the US wants to invest in their island, but said the money had to come without conditions.The US administration is expected to announce the opening of an Agency for International Development office at the new US consulate in the capital, Nuuk, and at least $12m (£9.7m) in aid projects. Continue reading...

Car hits wall close to where car driven by US diplomat’s wife collided with 19-year-oldA car with diplomatic licence plates has crashed close to the scene of the death of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old motorcyclist who died after a collision with a car driven on the wrong side of the road by the wife of a US diplomat.The report of the new crash highlights concerns that overseas diplomats are not trained sufficiently about UK driving laws, especially driving on the left. Continue reading...

Men fled country while on bail after their arrest in 2001 and a highly-publicised trial

Vaccine expert Rick Bright claims he was fired after resisting the president’s push for an unproven Covid-19 treatment. Plus, why Bad Education is Hugh Jackman’s best ever roleGood morning. A top US government doctor has turned whistleblower after he says he was pushed out of his role in the search for a coronavirus vaccine. Rick Bright told the New York Times he believed he was dismissed as director of the US health department’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority because he resisted Donald Trump’s push to use an unproven malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a treatment for Covid-19:Contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit. Continue reading...

Doctors and nurses have been assaulted, thrown off buses and barred from their homes, accused of spreading coronavirusJovanna was walking home after a morning of hospital consultations when she heard a shout behind her. As she turned to look, she felt something wet in her face. Within seconds, her vision went cloudy and she smelled bleach.“They picked me out because I was wearing scrubs,” said the ear, nose and throat doctor from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, as she described the attack which left her with conjunctivitis and burns on her skin. “I didn’t see anything – I don’t know who it was, but I know they attacked another doctor on the same day.” Continue reading...

Families prepare for online prayers and virtual gatherings in a month of fasting typically marked by human connection

Police recorded 45,267 crimes, concentrated in big cities, 49% higher than in 2011The number of offences involving knives recorded by police in England and Wales in 2019 was the highest on record, official statistics have revealed, with big cities driving up the numbers.There were 45,627 offences involving knives or sharp instruments recorded by police in 2019, a 7% rise year on year, and 49% higher than 2011 when comparable records began, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Continue reading...

A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across Australia