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Coronavirus could push half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam warns

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Nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost without urgent action, says charity More than half a billion more people could be pushed into poverty unless urgent action is taken to bail out poor countries affected by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to offer debt relief to the worlds poorest countries and whether to increase the funds available to the IMF through the creation of special drawing rights (SDRs), a form of international currency that can be used to help struggling countries. The UN, which…

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‘One big virtual love-in’: how children’s book authors are creating online sanctuaries

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Authors are going online in real time to engage children and create a safe place where imaginations are fired The childrens author and illustrator wunderkind live on Instagram. And they are pure magic. Jeffers, in quarantine in Belfast, is reading a story a day, having started with his first ever book How to Catch a Star. According to Jeffers, [This is] for all you folks stuck at home in the coming weeks due to Covid, I will be reading one of my books every weekday, and talking about some of…

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How Mexicans help satisfy British demand for blood plasma

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A growing source of the UKs blood plasma is from Mexicans crossing the border into the US and donating at high frequencies, which some experts fear could risk their health The first time I went, I wanted to cry, said Luca, a mother of three, describing how her economic situation would compel her to do the journey from her home in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Jurez to line up outside a blood plasma donation center in El Paso, Texas. There are more than 800 such facilities in the…

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Church sorry for saying that sex is just for married heterosexuals

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Church of England archbishops acknowledge pastoral guidance jeopardised trust The archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised over a statement issued by Church of England bishops last week which an open letter saying the guidance had made the C of E a laughing stock, added: We await the evidence that they have truly heard and taken onboard our concerns by what comes out of the Living in Love and Faith report. I along with thousands who signed our letter look forward to understanding what a issued a statement saying I…

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Vivian Suter: the rainforest-dwelling artist who paints with fish glue, dogs and mud

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She was ignored for decades, but now Suter has been rediscovered as a pioneering eco-artist. We meet her, and her 97-year-old collagist mum, in the wilds of Guatemala A large dog romps across a blue and white canvas, leaving a trail of brown paw prints. Oh well, shrugs Vivian Suter. Theyre part of the work now. I dont think anyone will mind. I realise Bonzo one of three Alsatian crossbreeds that shadow the artist wherever she goes in her Guatemalan home has just put the finishing touches to an artwork…

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Its Day of the Triffids for todays Britain, but with antidepressants as the monster

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Controversial look at dependence on drugs in sci-fi film by Austrian director Jessica Hausner has divided critics An award-winning science-fiction thriller billed by critics as a modern Day of the Triffids takes a provocative approach to Britains growing dependence on mood-lifting chemicals and antidepressants. Little Joe, released in UK cinemas in February, and starring Ben Whishaw, Emily Beecham and Kerry Fox, has odd, disturbing story of a newly bred plant designed to spread joy. On set in a vast greenhouse laboratory, the acclaimed Austrian director Jessica Hausner first told her…

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From renewables to Netflix: the 15 super-trends that defined the 2010s

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It was the decade of austerity, fracking, populism and internet lies. But not everything about the 2010s was terrible The plastics backlash Garbage, including plastic waste, is seen at the beach in Costa del Este, Panama City. Photograph: Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images It was once the height of metropolitan chic: the dash into Starbucks for a skinny decaf caramel latte en route for work, the takeaway cup a mark of upward mobility. Those were the days of Sex and the City, when the culture of doing everything on the…

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Thank you to … the stranger who knew I needed to cry for my mother

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In this series writers celebrate someone who changed their lives. Here Samantha Morton recalls the person who arrived out of nowhere to provide comfort in her grief Dear stranger, I often wonder if you were an angel. The feast of the assumption was upon me again. I was feeling frightened, lost, alone, raw; riddled with the unexpected sucker punch of grief. I was filming far away from home, from my friends and family and the things that grounded me, things that had always helped me cope in the past. At…

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Bill Cosby Fast Facts

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(CNN)Here’s a look at the life of comedian and actor Bill Cosby. Birth name: William Henry Cosby Jr. Father: William Henry Sr., US Navy mess steward Mother: Anna (Hite) Cosby Marriage: Camille (Hanks) Cosby (January 25, 1964-present) Children: Evin, 1976; Ensa, 1973-2018; Ennis, 1969-1997; Erinn, 1966; Erika, 1965 Education: Attended Temple University, 1961-1962; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.A, 1972; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Ed.D, 1977 Military service: US Navy, 1956-1960 Other Facts More than 50 women have publicly accused Cosby of raping or assaulting them over the past…

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‘I wont be able to have healthy food’: millions of Americans to lose lifeline as Trump cuts food stamps

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The Trump administration is rolling out new rules that will reduce Snap benefits, and make millions of Americans ineligible to receive them When James Fauntleroy lost his sales job in the summer he quickly found his social security disability benefits did not provide enough to live on. So he turned to a vital lifeline relied upon by many Americans on hard times food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap). Fauntleroy, 35, initially received an approval letter, which noted he would receive $197 a month starting immediately.…

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Animal magic: how my pet saved me

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From Wolfy the lurcher to Trixie the hamster, these affectionate animals helped five people get their lives back on track I put myself on peternity leave and we hung out: Kate Spicer, 49, journalist, and Wolfy the dog, 9, London There were a lot of things that were a bit awry about my life. The main problem was that I went out and didnt come home. Id go on these benders that were incredibly destructive to my wellbeing. And then when I was working, Id never leave the house. Id…

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