Port workers should be given subsidised breaks to ensure they get the Covid-19 shot, as access is proving a bigger issue than refusals, the Maritime Union’s boss says.Many high-risk port staff like stevedores and marine technicians…
Category Archives: headline
What's there to hide? Call to lift the lid on investigation into Wellington's mayor
Several Wellington City councillors say the findings of a code of conduct complaint against mayor Andy Foster should be made public immediately. Wellington City Council is withholding the report until after it’s discussed behind…
Police break up street fiesta as Spaniards celebrate end of curfews
Impromptu street celebrations erupted across Spain as the clock struck midnight on Saturday, when a six-month national state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus ended and many night-time curfews were lifted.
In Madrid, police had to usher revellers out of the central Puerta del Sol square, where the scenes of unmasked dancing and group singing resembled pre-pandemic nightlife.
Teenagers and young adults also poured into central squares and beaches of Barcelona to mark the relaxation of restrictions.
READ MORE: Sydney's COVID-19 restrictions extended
"Freedom!" said Juan Cadavid, who was reconnecting with friends.
"(It's) a bit scary, you know, because of COVID, but I want to feel like this around a lot of people."
The 25-year-old Barcelona resident was also rejoicing at the prospect of going back to work at a Michelin-star restaurant that had been closed for the past seven months due to pandemic-related restrictions.
Local restaurants will be able to serve dinner again beginning Sunday and can stay open until 11 pm.
But a limit of four people per table remains and indoor dining is limited to 30 per cent of capacity.
Several Spanish journalists shared videos showing crowded scenes of singing and dancing in central squares across the country.
https://twitter.com/aperezvico/status/1391157876916473856https://twitter.com/Ldevega/status/1391173414262562822
With the end of the state of emergency, bans on travelling across Spain's regions have also been lifted and many curbs on social gatherings relaxed.
Only four of the country's 19 regions and autonomous cities are keeping curfews in place.
In spite of criticism from some regional chiefs and opposition figures, Spain's centre-left ruling coalition refused to extend the state of emergency, which provided a legal umbrella to enact sweeping anti-COVID-19 measures restricting fundamental freedoms.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said existing regulations should be enough to respond to outbreaks at the regional level as the rollout of vaccines is speeding up.
Spain's number of new coronavirus infections in the past 14 days fell on Friday to 198 new cases per 100,000 residents, although the central Madrid and the northern Basque regions have more than twice that rate.
Hospital occupation levels remain high, however, with more than 1 in 5 intensive-care beds in the country treating COVID-19 patients.
Elon Musk's favourite joke cryptocurrency tumbles after his SNL jokes
Investors bet right: Elon Musk mentioned Dogecoin on Saturday Night Live during his opening monologue. Well, actually, his mom did.
Maye Musk appeared at the end of her Tesla CEO son's SNL monologue to ask what he got her for Mother's Day.
"I'm excited for my Mother's Day gift," Maye Musk said. "I just hope it's not dogecoin!"
READ MORE: Move over, bitcoin. Ethereum is at an all-time high
"It is," Elon Musk said. "It sure is."
After pumping up the value of the cryptocurrency in the lead-up to Musk's SNL appearance, investors sold off Dogecoin sharply after the Musks talked about it on the show.
Dogecoin was down 40 per cent, trading as low as 44 US cents (56 cents) on Sunday.
The cryptocurrency started Saturday trading at about 70 US cents (89 cents) and was selling for about 66 US cents (84 cents) ust before SNL went on the air at 11.30pm ET (1.30pm on Sunday AEST).
Cryptocurrencies are notoriously volatile, and dogecoin has been on an absolute tear this year.
It's up more than 12,000 per cent since January and has gained 800 per cent this month alone.
Mr Musk has been the loudest and most prominent supporter of dogecoin. He frequently tweets about the cryptocurrency, and just one of his bizarre tweets to his 50 million followers can send Dogecoin surging.
That's what happened in April, when Musk tweeted "Doge Barking at the moon" and shared a photo of a painting by Spanish artist Joan Miró, which is titled "Dog Barking at the Moon."
Dogecoin started in 2013 as a joke — a nod to the "doge" meme that was all over the internet at the time. But it's no longer a joke: It's the fifth-largest cryptocurrency in the world, with a market value just south of $70 billion, according to Coinbase.
Both dogecoin and Tesla had been trading higher in anticipation of Musk's SNL appearance. Tesla futures weren't trading on Saturday night (Sunday lunchtime AEST) during the show.
It's unclear what was driving the dogecoin selloff. Perhaps investors wanted Musk to say something more supportive of the cryptocurrency.
But more likely, there was some "buy the rumour/sell the news" strategy, trying to capitalise on investors' predictions coming true by selling high.
Dogecoin traded so actively that Robinhood announced early on Sunday morning it was having issues processing crypto trades and was working to resolve the problem.
https://twitter.com/askrobinhood/status/1391247108078915588?s=21
Cane Garden woman fears for life after mysterious fire in backyard
By Monique Washington
A mysterious fire in the backyard of a Cane Garden residence has left a mother fearing for her life and those of her children. She suspects it was intentionally set.
On Wednesday (May 5) evening, Fiona Leitch and her family were at home when a neighbour called to say there was a fire in their backyard.
Speaking with the Observer, Leitch detailed the night’s experience.
“I was on the phone with a friend about 11 pm when I heard my dogs barking, and they would not stop barking. I thought they were barking at donkeys. I told my husband to go and check. Shortly after, I heard my neighbour calling ‘Fiona, Fiona, fire in your backyard’,” she said.
Leitch said that when she looked out, she saw the fire blazing, and called her husband and her brothers who quickly put it out. She noted that she was terrified and did not come out of the house until the police came.
“When the police came, they came with nothing. I was expecting them to bring a searchlight, but the officer pulled out his phone and used his phone light. You could have seen where they (possible suspects) threw the gas and where the fire was blazing. They threw the bottle there, but when we got up this morning the bottle was gone,” she said.
Leitch expressed that she was disappointed, because as of press time the police had not returned to take a statement. She said that she also fears for her children, as a similar incident happened in the past 18 months. She said that in 2019, J & T produce stall that she owns was burnt to the ground. She noted that no one was prosecuted for that incident.
Leitch added that she rebuilt the stall and started her business again, but something bad happened.
“One day I got a call that someone had thrown oil on my stall so I would not be able to use it. I could not risk doing it again, so I decided that I would not run a stall again. Another time I came home and over 1000 of my chickens were dead. I use my chickens for eggs. Someone poisoned all of them,” she said.
Though Leitch has been on the island for over two decades, the recent incidents have caused her to want to return to her native country of Guyana.
“I am feeling very scared, and feeling like right now I want to go back home. Honestly, it has been hard. I am supposed to feel comfortable like any other person. I didn’t do anything to anyone. I work hard for whatever I want. I have to work for my children. I want to be here as a mother for my children,” she said.
The post Cane Garden woman fears for life after mysterious fire in backyard appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Medical journal slams Indian leader's 'inexcusable' COVID-19 response
The Indian government has been blasted for ignoring warnings of a second wave, encouraging complacency, and failing to be transparent on COVID-19 data, in a scathing editorial in prestigious medical journal The Lancet.
The publication branded the response by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government "inexcusable."
India is currently in the midst of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreak. It reported 403,738 additional cases today, marking the fourth consecutive day it has recorded more than 400,000 cases and bringing the country's total reported infections to more than 22 million.
READ MORE: India's daily COVID-19 death toll surpasses 4000 for the first time
More than 900,000 COVID-19 patients in India are on oxygen support — about a quarter of all active cases — and a further 170,000 are on ventilators, the country's health minister, Harsh Vardhan, said on Saturday.
India has a test positivity rate of about 22 per cent, according to Johns Hopkins University, meaning it is likely not capturing all COVID-19 cases.
The health ministry also reported an additional 4092 deaths today, the second day in a row the country has recorded more than 4000 deaths in a single day.
India has now recorded 242,362 COVID-19 deaths — the third-highest death toll in the world. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimates that by August, India may have reached one million deaths.
"If that outcome were to happen, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's government would be responsible for presiding over a self-inflicted national catastrophe," the Lancet editorial warned.
READ MORE: Australian permanent resident dies in India
'Inexcusable' actions
According to the Lancet editorial, India "squandered its early successes" in controlling COVID-19.
The government failed by giving the public the impression the country had beaten the virus, which encouraged complacency and insufficient preparation, and slowed the start of the country's "botched" vaccination campaign, according to the editorial.
Despite warning about "the risks of superspreader events," religious festivals and political rallies were allowed to go ahead.
And on top of that, the government tried to control critical discussion online, by asking Twitter to remove tweets about COVID-19, including some that were critical of Mr Modi.
"Modi's actions in attempting to stifle criticism and open discussion during the crisis are inexcusable," the editorial said.
The editorial urged India to increase vaccine supply and work to create an equitable distribution system of the vaccine.
As of Saturday evening local time, 35 million people in India had received their second dose, meaning about 2.7 percent of India's 1.3 billion population are fully vaccinated, according to a press release issued by the health ministry.
The editorial also urged India to publish accurate data, expand genomic testing and explain to the public the necessity of wearing masks, social distancing, halting mass gatherings, voluntary quarantine and testing.
It noted that until April, the government's COVID-19 taskforce had not met in months.
"The consequences of that decision are clear before us, and India must now restructure its response while the crisis rages," the editorial said.
"The success of that effort will depend on the government owning up to its mistakes, providing responsible leadership and transparency, and implementing a public health response that has science at its heart."
CNN has previously contacted the chairman of the COVID-19 taskforce, VK Paul, for comment.
READ MORE: Growing number of nations across Asia ravaged by fresh COVID waves
Oxygen availability
With hospitals battling desperate shortages of oxygen, India's top court has set up a 12-member National Task Force to assess the availability and distribution of medical oxygen, according to a court order released on Saturday.
Hospitals across India have been reporting desperate shortages of oxygen despite dozens of countries pledging critical aid.
Last week the Indian government said it had installed a "streamlined mechanism" for allocating aid, but state and local authorities said they had been kept in the dark.
The taskforce has been set up to give central government input and strategies for meeting the challenges of the pandemic, according to a court order released Saturday.
"The rationale for constituting a Task Force at a national level is to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialized domain knowledge," the order said, adding that it expected leading experts.
"This will facilitate a meeting of minds and the formulation of scientific strategies to deal with an unprecedented human crisis."
Members include senior health professionals, academics and government officials.
Based on the order, the terms of reference are to "assess and make recommendations for the entire country based on the need for, availability and distribution of medical oxygen" as well as to determine the amount of medical oxygen to be allocated to states and union territories on a "scientific, rational and equitable basis."
Dunedin police officer hospitalised
A Dunedin police officer was taken to hospital after suffering injuries to the face while on duty this evening.A police spokeswoman said the officer was attending a family harm incident in the Pine Hill area this evening.While…
Shop owner punched, $9500 necklace stolen in alleged robbery
A Gold Coast shop owner who had his $9500 necklace torn from his neck in an alleged assault is already back at work.
Two men are set to face court later this month over the incident.
CCTV footage appears to show two men entering a Southport tobacconist and allegedly stealing sunglasses.
READ MORE: Man charged with drug driving after bizarre laundromat incident
The owner moves to confront them and is allegedly attacked with repeated punches, and stomped after he falls to the ground.
The two men then allegedly take the gold chain from around his neck, a piece worth $9500.
The shopkeeper gets up to go after them, minutes before police arrive.
READ MORE: Red-bellied black snake filmed climbing through tree on Gold Coast
Two men, aged 18 and 27, have been arrested over the incident and are set to face court later this month.
The shop owner was released from hospital this morning and is already back at work.
He has reclaimed his golden chain, but said he probably would not be wearing it to work again.
Boy taken to hospital after crashing go-kart into kangaroo in NSW
A teenager was knocked out and suffered serious injuries after his go-kart crashed into a kangaroo at a NSW raceway.
The 13-year-old was driving the kart at Marrangaroo, near Lithgow, when the collision took place.
He was knocked out and sustained neck, arm, and suspected spinal injuries just before 2pm today.
He was treated at the scene and then airlifted with his mother to The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, in a stable condition.
Woman dies in 50-metre fall from Queensland waterfall
A 58-year-old woman has died after falling at least 50 metres from a Far North Queensland waterfall.
Police said one of the Cairns woman's fellow walkers called emergency services after she fell from the top of Windin Falls about 1pm.
A rescue helicopter, police on foot and drones were called in to help search for the woman but she couldn't be found until about 4pm.
READ MORE: Condition 'that doesn't exist' affecting almost half world's population
According to Tourism Tropical North Queensland the falls are a roughly 90-minute walk along the Old Cairns Track, in the Wooroonooran National Park.
"Exercise extreme caution and stay back from the edges," the website warns.
"There is a natural infinity pool at the top of the falls that drops deep into the valley below."
A police spokesman said varying reports indicated the waterfall was about 50 to 100 metres high.
Police have notified the woman's next of kin and will prepare a report for the coroner.