world
Australia races against time to avoid an ‘in danger’ rating at UNESCO vote
The Australian government and a United Nations body are facing off this week over whether the Great Barrier Reef is “in danger” of losing its “outstanding universal value.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNES...
‘It was hard to breathe’: China flood terror as train carriage submerged
As floodwater crashed through a busy subway station in China on Tuesday, desperate passengers tried to flee while others were swept helplessly off platforms. In one train carriage, water seeped in and rose from ankle, to waist, to neck-height. Panic...
Nasa’s Perseverance prepares to drill first rock sample
The US space agency’s Perseverance rover is getting ready to take its first sample of Mars rock. The core, about the size of a finger, will be packaged in a sealed tube for eventual return to Earth. Scientists say their best chance of determining w...
People unite on social media to help flood victims
Chinese are using social media to help speed up rescue efforts after deadly floods engulfed Henan province. At least 33 people have died in the province after Zhengzhou city saw a year’s worth of rainfall in three days. From sharing public healt...
Half of Australians in lockdown again
More than 13 million Australians – about half the population – are in lockdown after a third state imposed restrictions to curb a Delta outbreak. South Australia, home to 1.7 million people, joined Victoria and parts of New South Wales in lockdown o...
12 dead and thousands evacuated in China floods
Massive floods in central China caused by record-breaking rainfall have left 12 dead and more than 100,000 people evacuated from their homes. More than a dozen cities in Henan province, including its provincial capital Zhengzhou, are affected. Foot...
Oregon Bootleg Fire: Evacuations as largest US fire burns 364,000 acres
In the US state of Oregon, the nation’s largest active wildfire has burned through more than 364,000 acres, prompting thousands of evacuations. Over 2,000 firefighters are tackling the so-called Bootleg Fire – one of the largest blazes in Oregon’s hi...
Jeff Bezos launches to space aboard New Shepard rocket ship
Billionaire Jeff Bezos blasted into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard. He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student. They ...
Boris Johnson resisted autumn lockdown as only over-80s dying – Dominic Cummings
Boris Johnson was reluctant to tighten Covid restrictions as cases rose last autumn because he thought people dying from it were “essentially all over 80”, Dominic Cummings has claimed. He also said the prime minister had messaged him to say: “I no ...
Microsoft: Chinese authorities slam ‘groundless’ hacking claims
China has slammed “groundless” claims that it carried out a major cyber-attack against tech giant Microsoft. A group of Western countries had accused China of hacking Microsoft Exchange – a popular email platform used by companies worldwide. The j...
