The Guardian news (unofficial)

2021-09-28 08:00:06 American siblings return home after three years under Chinese ‘exit ban’

Cynthia and Victor Liu’s release follows the US ending a legal case against Huawei executive Meng WanzhouTwo American siblings prevented from leaving China since 2018 have returned to the United States, their release coming shortly after the United States ended a legal case against a top Huawei executive.Cynthia and Victor Liu returned to America over the weekend, according to a US official, after more than three years during which they were not allowed to leave China under an “exit ban” despite not facing criminal allegations. Their father, former bank official and fugitive Liu Changming, is wanted in China to face fraud charges. Continue reading...

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#China #Huawei #World_news Open / Comment

2021-09-28 07:20:15 After SPD win in Germany, is Europe’s centre left on the rise?

Analysis: some say Covid has increased voters’ sense of social justice, but the picture remains unevenSocial democracy is back, according to jubilant SPD officials. And after Germany’s oldest political party edged the narrowest of wins against its conservative CDU/CSU rival, there is indeed a temptation to believe that Europe’s centre left is stirring.Not everywhere, though: in France, the Socialist party shows no sign of recovering from its near-obliteration in 2017, when it failed to make the second round of the presidential election and crashed from 280 MPs to 30 and just 7.4% of the vote. Continue reading...

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#Europe #Germany #German_federal_election_2021 #World_news Open / Comment

2021-09-28 07:20:11 Slow moving turtle delays five planes at Japan airport

Airport workers occasionally remove stray cats and racoon dogs from the runway but turtle sightings are rareTurtles on a Runway probably will never rival Snakes on a Plane for dramatic effect, but one reptile has made headlines after an innocent amble along the tarmac at Japan’s second-busiest airport, delaying five planes.The turtle, which weighs just over 2kg, was seen moving slowly along the tarmac at Narita international airport near Tokyo on Friday morning, prompting a pilot preparing for takeoff to contact air traffic control. Continue reading...

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#Japan #Asia_Pacific #World_news #Animals Open / Comment

2021-09-28 07:20:06 Gibraltar cave chamber discovery could shed light on Neanderthals’ culture

Researchers find space in Gorham’s Cave complex that has been closed off for at least 40,000 yearsResearchers excavating a cave network on the Rock of Gibraltar have discovered a new chamber, sealed off from the world for at least 40,000 years, that could shed light on the culture and customs of the Neanderthals who occupied the area for a thousand centuries.In 2012, experts began examining Vanguard Cave, part of the Gorham’s Cave complex, to determine its true dimensions and to see whether it contained passages and chambers that had been plugged by sand. Continue reading...

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#Gibraltar #Neanderthals #Europe #World_news #Evolution Open / Comment

2021-09-28 05:20:06 Bond is back. Where’s he going next?

He’s a lucrative cultural export – and as unreconstructed as secret agents come. Now, as Daniel Craig’s final instalment finally hits the cinemas, many are calling for a new kind of 007 – but is the franchise too conservative to make the leap? Guardian film editor Catherine Shoard surveys the history of an $8.5bn cultural institutionThroughout the coronavirus pandemic, blockbuster after blockbuster gave up on the cinema and went straight to our TV screens – but one franchise was simply too huge to take that route. Now, after endless delays, No Time To Die is finally coming to the big screen. And Daniel Craig’s last James Bond movie is as close to a guaranteed box office success as you are likely to find.But as well as a commercial titan, the James Bond series has always told us something about a certain idea of Britishness – white, male, misogynist, and reluctant to give up on the idea that only he can save the world. And as Amazon pays $8.45bn (£6.17bn) to buy studio MGM and take control of the character’s future, many are sceptical that calls for a new breed of secret agent – one who might even be a person of colour, or a woman – will be heeded with such a loyal and conservative fanbase to keep onside. Continue reading...

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#No_Time_To_Die #Film #Culture #James_Bond Open / Comment

2021-09-28 04:40:06 Power shortages in China hits homes and factories prompting global supply fears

Factories were closed to avoid exceeding limits on energy use imposed by Beijing to promote efficiencyWidening power shortages in China’s north-east have left homes without power and halted production at numerous factories, while some shops operated by candlelight as the economic toll of the squeeze mounted.Residents in the north-east, where autumn temperatures are falling, reported power cuts and appealed on social media for the government to restore supplies. Continue reading...

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#China #Supply_chain_crisis #Asia_Pacific Open / Comment

2021-09-28 04:00:10 US records largest annual increase in murders in six decades

National murder rate rises nearly 30%, with figure increasing across all regions and from small towns to citiesThe US has experienced its largest-ever recorded annual increase in murders, according to new statistics from the FBI, with the national murder rate rising nearly 30% in 2020 – the biggest jump in six decades.Nearly 5,000 more Americans were murdered across the country last year than the year before, even as rape, robbery, and other property crimes fell, according to FBI figures. Continue reading...

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#US_news #US_crime #US_gun_control #US_policing Open / Comment

2021-09-28 04:00:06 UK sends warship through Taiwan Strait for first time in more than a decade

The move challenges Beijing's claim to the sensitive waterway and marks a rare voyage by a non-US military vesselBritain sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait on Monday for the first time since 2008, a move that challenges Beijing’s claim to the sensitive waterway and marks a rare voyage by a non-US military vessel.HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain’s aircraft carrier strike group, sailed through the strait on a trip from Japan to Vietnam, Britain’s defence ministry said. Continue reading...

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#UK_news #Taiwan #World_news Open / Comment

2021-09-28 02:20:07 Smokers much more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19, study suggests

Data also finds smokers more likely to die from disease compared with those who have never smoked Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSmokers are 60%-80% more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and also more likely to die from the disease, data suggests.A study, which pooled observational and genetic data on smoking and Covid-19 to strengthen the evidence base, contradicts research published at the start of the pandemic suggesting that smoking might help to protect against the virus. This was later retracted after it was discovered that some of the paper’s authors had financial links to the tobacco industry. Continue reading...

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#Smoking #Coronavirus #Health #Science #Society Open / Comment

2021-09-28 02:00:06 North Korea fires projectile into Sea of Japan – reports

Latest of several launches within a month signals further ramp-up of hostility towards neighbours North Korea has launched at least one projectile into the Sea of Japan, Yonhap news agency has reported, citing South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff.The Japanese news agency Kyodo also reported that North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Tuesday, citing the Japanese government. Continue reading...

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#North_Korea #Asia_Pacific #World_news Open / Comment