“Terrible”: UK minister sorry for lockdown-breaking party video
London, UKReuters Senior British minister Michael Gove on Sunday described a video showing a party at the ruling Conservative Party’s headquarters during a lockdown in 2020 as “terrible”, as COVID rule-breaking gatherings continue to hang over the government. The video was published by the Mirror newspaper just days after a parliamentary committee ruled that former […]
China urges “patience” as COVID cases rebound ahead of key congress
Beijing, China Reuters China called for “patience” with its tough COVID policies and warned against any “war-weariness” as local cases soared to their highest since August, days ahead of a pivotal Communist Party congress. Many countries are learning to co-exist with COVID-19, but China has repeatedly quashed any speculation of a let-up in its policies, […]
Postcards: Amid COVID shutdowns, Chinese women flock to skateboarding
MARTIN QUIN POLLARD, of Reuters, reports from Beijing on a new trend…
As Beijing outbreak persists, China hits back at “zero COVID” doubters
Beijng/Shanghai, China Reuters Beijing residents fretted on Friday over tightening COVID curbs in its biggest district and dozens of new cases reported daily as China’s leaders reiterated their resolve to battle the virus and threatened action against critics of their strict measures. Incurring a heavy economic cost and facing rare public criticism on its tightly-policed […]
Johnson vows changes after lockdown parties report condemns UK leadership failures
London, UKReuters British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced renewed calls to resign on Monday after a report found that alcohol-fuelled parties at his offices and residence when COVID-19 lockdown rules were in force should never have taken place. The report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the lockdown gatherings – at a time when […]
Health Insight: We’re sleeping more in lockdowns, but the quality is worse
In an article first published on The Conversation, JAKKE TAMMINEN and REBECCA CROWLEY look at what sleep scientists are saying about changing sleep patterns during pandemic lockdowns and what the implications for people’s wellbeing are…
Under the cover of lockdown, illegal logging surges in Tunisia
Gabes, TunisiaThomson Reuters Foundation As Tunisia’s streets emptied and shops shuttered after the 6pm national curfew to stem the novel coronavirus outbreak, a clandestine group headed to the forest. Over two nights in early April, a group of people in the north-west region of Ain Draham illegally felled 400 trees, a species known as Algerian […]