Australians in India are the latest group to feel abandoned by their government amid virus fears.

Local residents tested out the 500m walkway, which spans a gorge in Portugal's Arouca Geopark.

Germany's top court rejected some of the activists' arguments but agreed that the country's climate act violates their fundamental rights by not specifying emissions reduction targets after 2030.

(Image credit: Christoph Schmidt/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images)

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Guatemalan ambassador to the United States Alfonso Quiñónez about the announcement this week of U.S. aid to help control migration and meet humanitarian needs.

Many Indians are dying without COVID-19 tests or medical care. Crematoriums are overwhelmed, and scientists say India's real death toll may be many times higher than the official government count.

U.N. efforts to start talks over the divided island of Cyprus failed for now — leaving the long standoff between Greeks and Turks in place.

The new rules are also aimed at shutting down the churches "envelope" culture — requiring a limit on the value of gifts that cardinals and managers can receive.

(Image credit: Vatican Pool - Corbis/Corbis)

Civil servants said firms referred via political connections could receive ‘hand-holding’ service, emails show

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The Cabinet Office minister Lord Agnew, the health minister Lord Bethell and one of Matt Hancock’s most senior officials were among the “main routes” through which well-connected people were referred to a “VIP” channel to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a court has heard.

In internal emails revealed as part of a legal challenge brought by the Good Law Project (GLP), civil servants explained that the “VIP route”, or “high priority lane”, provided companies referred via political connections with a personal service including “hand-holding”. One official, whose name has remained confidential, explained to Max Cairnduff, a Cabinet Office procurement director, that referrals came from a handful of “main routes”, including Bethell, Agnew and Jonathan Marron, the director general of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) “working to Matt Hancock”. Companies referred by Bethell, the official said, “require a personal response”.

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Hailstones as big as 4 inches (10cm) in diameter have been reported.

Burkina Faso and Mali have battled Islamic insurgencies for years, like much of the Sahel. But are negotiations with insurgents part of the answer?

Boris Johnson is facing questions over how expensive works on his Downing Street flat were paid for.

If you have fallen victim to fake texts and emails claiming to be from Royal Mail or other delivery firms, we would like to hear from you

The move to online shopping together with confusion over customs charges after Brexit are providing new opportunities for scammers.

Police, trading standards and delivery firms have all warned Britons of a surge in texts and emails claiming to be from Royal Mail and other couriers asking recipients to click on a link and input personal details so that a parcel can be delivered. Some claim that a redelivery fee is due, while others say that a customs charge has to be paid. Once they have a person’s details, the criminals can use them for fraudulent applications for loans and services.

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With U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan by September, many young women are worried about losing their rights and freedom if the Taliban returns as part of the new government.

We are looking to speak to Covid-19 vaccinators, testing centre marshals, and lab assistants who have been employed by private companies

Are you working as a Covid-19 vaccinator, testing centre marshal, or lab assistant? Were you hired through an agency?

The Guardian is looking to speak to people who have been employed by private companies to assist with the pandemic response, with a focus on payroll arrangements.

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John Nichols

In response to the president’s address and in an exclusive interview with The Nation, the new congressman calls for transformative change.

The post Jamaal Bowman Explains How Progressives Will Make Biden’s Presidency Even Bolder appeared first on The Nation.

India is facing a surge in Covid cases while attempting to ramp up its vaccine production.

Modi is facing what appears to be the country’s biggest crisis since independence.

Joan Walsh

Scranton Joe, once the neoliberal senator from Delaware, translated left ideas into unthreatening but inspiring language Wednesday night. Which is a huge accomplishment.

The post Last Night Was Joe Biden’s Moment. May There Be Many More. appeared first on The Nation.

Did campaigning for state elections in India help coronavirus to spread?

Peter Krykant, who operates a van in Glasgow where people can safely take illegal drugs, is running for Holyrood as part of a campaign calling for the Scottish government to establish legal sites. 

A former heroin addict, he is pushing for drug reform in Scotland, which has a reported drug deaths rate 15 times higher than the European average. "People are dying out there,' says Krykant, who is able to treat addicts who overdose in his van. Could interventions such as his change Scotland's status as Europe's drug deaths capital?

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