Sydney Morning Herald World News
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 18:29:55 +1000Japan tops 10,000 coronavirus cases per day
Hospitals are now filling up in Tokyo with half of all beds already occupied and three more prefectures hosting events are going into a state of emergency.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 18:08:54 +1000Gallery: The best photos from around the world
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:55:17 +1000Israeli ship attacked off the coast of Oman
The region has become the site of several ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran since Trump withdrew America from the nuclear deal in 2018.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:27:30 +1000Hong Kong waiter sentenced to nine years in jail under security law
The sentence sets a precedent as to how similar cases will be dealt with by the city’s traditionally independent courts, as dozens arrested under the legislation await their fate.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 16:49:10 +1000AstraZeneca creator says Australia’s mixed messages on vaccine may cost lives
Dame Sarah Gilbert made the intervention amid a heated debate over whether the wider use of the vaccine could have prevented lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 16:38:34 +1000Amid political turmoil, Malaysia directs vaccine surge at virus hotspot
Malaysia’s rowing politicians have joined forces to flood Selangor and Kuala Lumpur with extra vaccines, aiming to vaccinate all adults there by mid August.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:17:50 +1000Samoa’s new leader scraps Belt and Road port deal
Fiame Naomi Mataafa has confirmed she will cancel the Beijing-backed project but hasn’t closed the door to China as regional competition between Beijing and Washington intensifies.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:10:58 +1000Delta Variant as contagious as chickenpox: CDC internal report
An internal report from the Centres for Disease Control found the Delta variant is more transmissible than SARS, Ebola, the cold, the flu and smallpox.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 14:19:52 +1000Gallery: 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, 30 Jul 2021 13:39:56 +1000Afghan forces face enemies within as Taliban infiltrate crumbling ranks
As a senior US official admitted: “If you don’t have fuel, the Afghan army doesn’t fight. And if they’re not being paid, they don’t fight.”
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:50:02 +1000Facebook told to restore ‘racist’ posts by German court
The ruling challenges a core practice of Facebook’s moderation system, which often removes users’ comments without giving a clear reason why.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 09:47:54 +1000Tasmania among best places to ride out global societal collapse, paper says
But if the skies were to darken, seas swell and economies crumble, the best place to ride out global collapse of civilisation, would be New Zealand.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 08:42:23 +1000COVID-19 could lead to cognitive decline, new research suggests
One study showed that losing the ability to smell, which has been commonly reported among COVID-19 patients, is correlated with cognitive troubles.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 07:26:02 +1000‘Death Kitty’ ransomware appears to hit South African ports
The hackers left a ransom note on Transnet’s computers, claiming they encrypted the company’s files, including a terabyte of personal data and financial reports.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 06:37:33 +1000Biden pushes federal workers - hard - to get vaccinated, wants cash incentive for public
US President Joe Biden is calling for state, local and US territorial governments to provide $US100 ($135) payments for every newly vaccinated American.
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 03:42:19 +1000Israel to offer third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination dose to older citizens
The announcement makes Israel the first country to offer a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:11:19 +1000Breakthrough COVID infections a reality check on road to normality
Rare but rising cases of “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections are complicating America’s return to normality and offer a preview for Australia as it reopens.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:59:50 +1000China sends sharp-tongued ‘wolf warrior’ to US as ambassador
The first-time ambassador and frequent critic of the West will instantly become Beijing’s most important overseas envoy.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:45:36 +1000First images of Sean Turnell inside Myanmar jail as he receives jab
The Australian economist is being held at a Myanmar prison reportedly rife with COVID-19 as the strife-torn nation faces an alarming outbreak.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:55:26 +1000‘Bizarro world’: Pro-Trump radicals target Capitol policeman after he testified about riots
“This is what happens when you tell the truth in Trump’s America,” Fanone, a 20-year veteran cop, told CNN. “I’m in good company.”
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 08:05:46 +10003500-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh tablet could return home to Iraq
The tablet, which bears fragments of one of the world’s oldest works of literature, has passed through dealers in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and most recently the US.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 06:53:41 +1000‘Police are knocking’: Russian authorities raid home of investigative journalist
Russian opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists have faced increased government pressure from the regime of Vladimir Putin.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 05:42:51 +1000‘Progress we can all enjoy’: England reopens its doors to Europe, US
The British government said it was able to reopen international travel safely due to the country’s successful vaccination program.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 05:00:00 +1000‘Beacon of hope’: Whole nation jabbed in just a week
In the extraordinary vaccination effort, health workers even trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages atop steep mountains to administer doses.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:49:00 +1000Johnson’s fight over the right to party - with proof of a jab
The public approves but Boris Johnson faces political and business opposition to his plans for vaccine passports.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 03:16:11 +1000Woman convicted of swapping pebbles for gems in audacious London heist
The woman secretly swapped seven pebbles for $7.94 million worth of diamonds during the heist at a luxury jewellery store in London’s Mayfair district.
Thu, 29 Jul 2021 02:50:50 +1000Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine gets slightly weaker over time
The vaccine had a sky-high efficacy rate of about 96 per cent against symptomatic COVID-19 for the first two months, but then declined about 6 per cent every two months after that, a study showed.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 18:16:23 +1000Qantas flight organised for ‘vulnerable’ Australians stuck in Indonesia
The Australian government is working with the airline to organise expat flights from Indonesia, which has become the global epicentre of the COVID-19 virus.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:57:17 +1000Gallery: The best photos from around the world
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:06:47 +1000‘Justice for Noor’: Outcry over beheading of ex-diplomat’s daughter
The killing of 27-year-old Noor Mukadam on the grounds of an Islamabad mansion has roused anger over Pakistan’s record of protecting women from violence.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 12:55:16 +1000‘Most significant expansion’: China builds nuclear missile silos in desert
The vast site, spread over nearly 500 square km in the Xinjiang region, is thought to house 110 silos for launching weapons.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 12:20:07 +1000‘Pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli settles debts by selling Wu-Tang Clan album
The notorious entrepreneur, due for release from jail in October 2022, said he was “pleased with the sale price and RIP ODB”.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:48:07 +1000Joe Biden to require vaccines for all federal workers: report
The US President plans to announce “next steps” in the effort to get more Americans to get the vaccination, as the country copes with outbreaks of the Delta variant.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:14:54 +1000US health authority says vaccinated people should wear masks indoors
The change by the CDC was warranted but “I think we will get blowback because I think people might view it as backtracking,” said a Cornell University public health official.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 08:03:15 +1000YouTube on track to overtake BBC as main source of news for young Britons: regulator
YouTube is used for news by 33 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds, up from 30 per cent last year and 27 per cent in 2018.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 07:13:36 +1000Who hired the hitman? Police officers demand answers from Capitol riot committee
Often tearful, sometimes profane, the officers called the rioters “terrorists” engaged in an “attempted coup” during a 3-1/2 hour congressional hearing.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 05:53:30 +1000I wouldn’t sign a China trade deal now: Tony Abbott
As prime minister, Abbott struck the China-Australia free trade deal in 2014 and lauded it as one of his government’s biggest achievements in office.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 03:44:56 +1000London judges reverse course to reopen $9b Brazil dam lawsuit against BHP
The Court of Appeal made a U-turn by agreeing to reopen the lawsuit against the mining giant, reviving a case over a dam rupture behind Brazil’s worst environmental disaster.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 03:19:36 +1000Atlanta spa shooter pleads guilty to four murders
In his first public comments since the massacre, Robert Aaron Long calmly described how he purchased a firearm and went to the spas earlier this year.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:24:02 +1000Blast in Germany industrial park kills one, four others missing
The explosion has been classified as “an extreme threat” and residents have been told to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 21:46:04 +1000‘We will not flinch’: US defence chief calls out China on first trip to South East Asia
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Western superpower was committed to a constructive relationship with China, but took aim at Beijing’s conduct.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:31:38 +1000Hong Kong waiter convicted of terrorism in security laws’ first verdict
Tong Lim, who has been held without bail for almost a year, pleaded not guilty after he drove a motorcycle into a group of police officers at a protest in 2020.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 16:32:05 +1000Gallery: The best photos from around the world
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:27:07 +1000Once cast as Duterte enemy, Filipino weightlifter raises spirit of a nation
Hidilyn Diaz, daughter of a tricycle driver, is a national heroine for winning the Philippines’ first gold medal. Two years ago, she feared for her life.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 12:44:55 +1000Iraqi teen’s viral video brings fame, and threats of violence
In the few weeks since the 17-year-old posted the video urging Joe Biden for help, the number of people “liking” his Instagram page exploded to more than 4.2 million.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 12:29:16 +1000Race for the moon: Bezos offers to spend billions to join Musk in NASA contract
The long-shot bid to persuade the space agency to change course comes after Elon Musk’s SpaceX was selected in April as the primary contractor to build the moon lander.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 09:12:47 +1000California, NYC to require state employees to get COVID-19 vaccine
The announcements are the “opening of the floodgates” as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates..
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:36:47 +1000US drug authority urges Pfizer, Moderna to expand child testing of vaccines
Appearing at a televised town-hall-style meeting in Ohio last week, President Joe Biden said that emergency clearance for pediatric vaccines would come “soon.”
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +1000Most 18- to 24-year-old Britons no longer wearing face masks in public
But one government adviser said public behaviour has changed more “gradually” and “cautiously” than expected post-“Freedom Day”.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 06:57:45 +1000Tunisian president denies he staged a coup: ‘review your constitutional lessons’
Saied called on Tunisians to remain calm and not to respond to any provocations. He also urged people not to take to the streets.