Sydney Morning Herald World News
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 17:15:04 +1100Octopus dreams more like gifs than visions: scientist
A new octopus study suggests the creatures experience short bursts of ‘active sleep’ not unlike humans, but without the “complex symbolic plots”.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 15:02:19 +1100NASA downgrades threat of giant asteroid collision in next century
Astronomers have long been worried about the uncomfortably close orbit of the asteroid Apophis. But now they say it won’t crash into Earth for at least 100 years.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 13:59:01 +1100Junta leader promises elections, hosts Russians and issues threats
Myanmar celebrates Armed Forces Day by broadcasting a threat to protesters: “You can be in danger of getting shot to the head and back”.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 12:44:58 +1100Dozens killed as passenger trains crash in southern Egypt, flipping carriages
The accident happened when someone activated the emergency brakes of a passenger train, which stopped abruptly and was struck from behind by another train.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 12:25:21 +1100Ships take U-turn to avoid Suez Canal jam, sail into pirate-infested waters
As other ships risk the detour through the world’s most dangerous shipping route, there are plans to try to refloat the Ever Given at high tide on Sunday.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 12:12:04 +1100Twin trials and sparkly Band-Aids: testing COVID vaccines on children
Coronavirus vaccine trials are being conducted on children to work out the safest dosage to protect young ones.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 11:45:37 +1100In Kabul’s streets, wild dogs rule the night
Almost every city in the world has to deal with street crime, and some with dog packs. But few, if any, have to navigate such an underworld while also confronting unrelenting war.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 10:51:34 +1100AstraZeneca is safe and effective ‘but nobody cares’: scientist
Oxford medical researcher Sir John Bell has lamented the reputational damage the AstraZeneca vaccine has sustained on the world stage this week.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 10:00:50 +1100Biden invites Morrison to climate summit, urges lift in ambition
The invite marks a welcome change for Morrison from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision not to ask him to join a similar summit last year.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 01:53:52 +1100Dominion Voting sues Fox News for $US1.6b over 2020 election claims
Dominion argues the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.
Sat, 27 Mar 2021 00:01:00 +1100#FreedomLobster, #FreedomPineapple: new food alliance driven by China’s trade wars
Lobster sales across Australia have continued to surge as restaurants and pubs put them on the menu. Taiwan says it wants to work together as it weathers a trade strike on its pineapple growers.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 22:13:22 +1100‘Badge of honour’: China sanctions won’t deter British MPs from condemning regime
The new sanctions come as Communist Party media called on Chinese consumers to boycott H&M, Nike, adidas and other Western brands.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 17:16:45 +1100‘Horrific’: Men forced to rape family members in Tigray, says UN
Condemned by the US, Ethiopia’s Nobel peace prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has acknowledged atrocities and withdrawn Eritrean troops from Tigray.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:31:58 +1100How do you free a ship stuck in the Suez Canal?
A huge ship is wedged in one of the world’s most critical waterways. How hard will it be to get it out? And what will be the fallout?
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:21:17 +1100‘Armed federal agents guarding me all the time’: Anthony Fauci’s post-Trump life
America’s top infectious disease expert looked on in horror as Donald Trump publicly humiliated him and his approach to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. But he refused to quit – and is still in his post.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 13:17:51 +1100The Muslim dentist who could be Israel’s kingmaker
The surprising star turn of Mansour Abbas could signal the softening of Israel’s long-standing taboo against Jewish parties partnering with Arab parties.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 12:55:47 +1100Gallery: The best photos from around the world
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors. Follow us on SMH Twitter and AGE Twitter
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:23:59 +1100Life after Trump: Biden’s first press conference a test for battle-scarred media
Trump called journalists “the enemy of the people” but he drove readership. How will the press corp manage a less confrontational, less newsworthy era?
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:30:40 +1100Europe slams the brakes on vaccine exports until its needs are met
Vaccine exports from Europe will be blocked to many countries as leaders of Austria, France, Italy and the Netherlands argue about getting their fair share.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 08:54:17 +1100‘Yes or no?’: Congress fumes over Big Tech’s answers on misinformation
Social media has been widely blamed for amplifying calls to violence and spreading misinformation that contributed to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:32:59 +1100Alan Turing, an early thinker on computing, featured on Britain’s new 50 pound note
Alan Turing’s work provided a theoretical basis for modern computer science and artificial intelligence.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 06:02:18 +1100Joe Biden expects to run again in 2024, vows to out-compete China
Biden also announced a plan to administer 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of April at his first press conference since entering the White House.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 02:46:30 +1100Ship blocking Suez Canal like ‘beached whale’ could be stuck for weeks
“It is like an enormous beached whale. It’s an enormous weight on the sand,” said those trying to free the ship, conceding the job could take weeks.
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 02:18:12 +1100Colorado shooting suspect makes his first court appearance
The suspect’s defence lawyer asked for a health assessment “to address his mental illness” but provided no details about what he might suffer from.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 23:35:33 +1100Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says his ‘condition has worsened’
The supporters of Alexei Navalny said they were concerned by a deterioration in his health and his lawyers said they had not been allowed to visit him in prison.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 23:21:11 +1100Johnny Depp loses bid to appeal against ‘wife beater’ libel ruling
Depp will continue to pursue a $US50 million defamation lawsuit against his former wife Amber Heard in a US court over an opinion piece she wrote.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:52:27 +1100French fine wine still fine after orbiting Earth
Researchers in Bordeaux are analysing a dozen bottles of the precious liquid that returned to Earth in January after a sojourn aboard the International Space Station.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:32:12 +1100‘Virus is out of box’: Australia’s locally made vaccines to be sent to PNG
As India halts vaccine exports to tackle its own rising infections, medical authorities are urging Australia to rush a million local doses north.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:29:41 +1100North Korea launches ballistic missiles after Biden dismisses first attempt
North Korea has a history of testing new US administrations with missile launches aimed at forcing the Americans back to the negotiating table.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:05:34 +1100Evergreen ship stuck in Suez Canal imperils shipping worldwide
The Ever Given, a ship belonging to Taiwan-based shipping company Evergreen Marine, is still blocking the crucial waterway blocking oil, gas and grain supplies.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 14:16:37 +1100‘Robustly effective’: AstraZeneca’s corrected US data shows vaccine is 76 per cent effective
The new data may not resolve challenges that the vaccine’s reputation faces, because repeated missteps have sown confusion and distrust.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:54:27 +1100After more than 300,000 deaths, Bolsonaro calls for COVID ‘coordination’
The outbreak is reaching its worst ever stage in the country, fanned by a patchy vaccine rollout, an infectious new variant and a lack of nationwide public health restrictions.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:32:17 +1100Gallery: The best photos from around the world
Gallery: The best photos from around the world
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:31:32 +1100‘It will not be easy’: Biden hands Kamala Harris problem he couldn’t fix
Biden’s decision gives a high-profile assignment to his Vice-President, a daughter of immigrants who has forged a reputation as an ally of immigration advocates.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:24:26 +1100‘Greed’ and ‘capitalism’ behind Britain’s vaccination success, Boris Johnson reportedly says
Meeting attendees were adamant the British PM’s “jestful” comments weren’t aimed at the European Union, where vaccinations are struggling.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:05:17 +1100In the red: Pope orders salary cuts for cardinals to save jobs of employees
A senior Vatican prelate said it was believed to be the first time in living memory that a Pope had taken such action.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:10:56 +1100China’s ‘blatant coercion’ of Australia is a lesson for the world, says Antony Blinken
America’s top diplomat called on democratic nations to work together to counter China’s “aggressive actions” and technological advancements.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 07:14:14 +1100Chinese hackers used Facebook to target Uighurs in Australia, elsewhere, company says
The hacking group used fake Facebook accounts to pose as fictitious journalists, students, human rights advocates or members of the Uighur community.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 05:54:37 +1100Be as kind and tough as Tony Abbott, British government urged on asylum
Britain’s Home Secretary set out a new plan for immigration for Britain aimed at punishing those who travel to the UK by boat seeking asylum.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 03:47:55 +1100Icelandic volcano could continue to erupt for years, experts say
Thousands of Icelanders have flocked to the site of the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 kilometres south-west of the capital.
Thu, 25 Mar 2021 03:36:27 +1100India reports new coronavirus variant as daily deaths reach year’s high
The new variant found in India has two mutations in the spiky protein that the virus uses to fasten itself to cells, which might help the virus spread more easily.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 21:36:08 +1100Giant ship runs aground in Suez Canal, blocking traffic
The 400-metre long container ship Ever Given’s hull became wedged length-ways across the canal.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 18:10:29 +1100Shot in her father’s arms, seven-year-old the youngest victim of ‘crackdown on anarchy’
Of all the tales of brutality and heartache out of Myanmar over the past seven weeks, few could be more shocking than that of Ma Khin Myo Chit.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 16:03:36 +1100‘Behaving very badly’: NATO boss has Australia’s back on China ‘bullying’
Jens Stoltenberg, who is expanding the role of NATO, wants like-minded democracies to “stand together” and up to China.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 14:03:33 +1100Gallery: The best photos from around the world
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 12:07:28 +1100Can Biden succeed on guns where Obama failed? He must try
Another week, anther mass shooting in the United States, but there is at least some glimmer of hope that the new President can reform US gun laws.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 11:54:17 +1100‘More than Trump’: Attacks on Asian-Americans surge along with COVID
New York politician Ron Kim has seen the surge in violence up close. He says it’s too easy to heap the blame on Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 10:04:04 +1100‘Nothing much has changed’, says Biden after North Korea missile launches
The launches came days after the sister of Kim Jong-un threatened the United States and South Korea for holding joint military exercises.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 08:55:02 +1100Eradicating COVID-19 is not realistic say Britain’s top health advisers
The Chief Scientific Adviser said the public should expect recurrent infections, particularly in winter and that COVID-19 would become a circulating virus, like others have done over thousands of years.
Wed, 24 Mar 2021 08:27:58 +1100AstraZeneca to publish full US trial results after criticism of ‘outdated’ data use
NIAID Director Dr Anthony Fauci called the whole issue a really unfortunate unforced error.