3 h. ago New coronavirus found in bats as virus 'transported to China for human tests'

Scientists have discovered a new coronavirus that may spread to humans and the disease is closely related to one that kills about 35% of those it infects

Politics

6 h. ago Pandemic fears as NEW coronavirus is discovered in bats by China

Researchers from Brazil and colleagues affiliated with the University of Hong Kong detected the new strain after swabbing the mouths and rectums of bats.

Events

5 d. ago Five years on from the pandemic, the right’s fake Covid narrative has been turbo

Before the next outbreak, we need a serious conversation about how to cope, but first, the more strident, misguided voices must be mutedLaura Spinney is a science journalist and the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the WorldOnce, we all respectfully listened to what epidemiologists said. We queued up for vaccines, observed distancing lines and confidently asked unmasked passengers on public transport to cover their faces. A tyrannical virus ruled over us, and we did everything in our power to limit its ravages.Five years on from the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the masked passenger who is suspect, nobody notices the scuffed distancing lines and trust in vaccines has taken a tumble. A different narrative has invaded the conversation: it wasn’t the virus that ruined our lives, but the response.Laura Spinney is a science journalist and the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the WorldDo you have an opinion on th...

Events

8 d. ago China’s conviction of 1,500 prisoners of conscience a ‘crime against humanity’

Report by rights group claims Beijing disproportionately targets women activists, Tibetans and Uyghurs through arbitrary detention

Events

2 w. ago Scientist verdict on new bat coronavirus in China and 'potential for human spillover'

Experts have had their say on whether the new coronavirus found in China has epidemic potential

Science

2 w. ago New bat coronavirus found in China sparks concerns over pandemic five years after Covid

Scientists in Wuhan have identified a new bat coronavirus, but are humans at risk?

Events

2 w. ago Deadly new coronavirus strain HKU5 found in bats 'can spread to humans,' expert confirms

Experts warn that a new bat coronavirus has the potential to spill into humans, similar to Covid-19, with the virus in the same group at the bugs responsible for the MERS-CoV virus

Events

2 w. ago New bat strain of coronavirus discovered by researchers in Wuhan

The potential for human infection has yet to be explored

Science

2 w. ago If road deaths were a virus, we’d call it a pandemic. Safer transport helps us all – and we need it urgently | Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Jean Todt

Deaths on the road costs countries up to 5% of GDP. Centring transport around people, not cars, can propel developmentIf you had to guess the leading cause of death for children and young people around the world, what would you say? Malaria perhaps? Pneumonia? Suicide? They’re all high up there, but no, it’s road accidents.Cars have been around for more than 120 years, and we know how to prevent these tragedies. Yet road crashes still claim more than two lives every minute – killing nearly 1.2 million people every year. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Discovery of potential pandemic virus in China raises global health concerns

Researchers in China have discovered a new coronavirus in bats that they say has the potential to spread to humans, after the world was recently hit by the COVID-19 pandemic

Events

2 w. ago New bats' coronavirus found in China uses the same human receptor as Covid

Chinese team has found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission a month after the UK revealed it is set to launch a national pandemic “wargames" in a bid to prepare for any future end-of-the-world virus

Science

3 w. ago New 'deadly' coronavirus discovered in Chinese bats with high chance of infecting humans

An expert team in China led by virologist Shi Zhengli, known as "batwoman" for her work on coronaviruses has uncovered a new variant called HKU5-CoV-2 at Wuhan labs

Events

3 w. ago New coronavirus found in Chinese bats has 'higher potential to infect humans'

Another coronavirus with a higher potential to infect humans than other coronaviruses has been discovered in bats by scientists in China - it is understood to be related to MERS

Science

3 w. ago Even Trump can be cajoled into advancing human rights – you just have to know which buttons to press | Kenneth Roth

The signs aren’t good so far, but playing on Trump’s desperation to be seen as a great dealmaker would pay dividendsKenneth Roth is a former executive director of Human Rights Watch. His book, Righting Wrongs, is published on 25 FebruaryThe common wisdom is that Donald Trump’s foreign policy will be a disaster for human rights. Certainly his penchant for embracing autocrats and breaching norms bodes poorly, such as his outrageous proposal to force two million Palestinians out of Gaza – which would be a blatant war crime – or his suggestion that Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion. But Trump also likes to cut a deal, as shown by his paradoxically positive role in securing the current (precarious) Gaza ceasefire. If Trump the dealmaker can be nudged in the right direction, he might, against all odds, be brought to play a productive role for human rights.As executive director of Human Rights Watch, I spent more than three decades devising strategies to pressure or cajole leaders ...

Politics

3 w. ago Even Trump can be cajoled into doing the right thing – you just have to know which buttons to press | Kenneth Roth

In decades spent convincing world leaders to protect human rights, I’ve learned a thing or two about working with his typeKenneth Roth is a former executive director of Human Rights Watch and author of Righting WrongsThe common wisdom is that Donald Trump’s foreign policy will be a disaster for human rights. Certainly his penchant for embracing autocrats and breaching norms bodes poorly, such as his outrageous proposal to force two million Palestinians out of Gaza – which would be a blatant war crime – or his suggestion that Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion. But Trump also likes to cut a deal, as shown by his paradoxically positive role in securing the current (precarious) Gaza ceasefire. If Trump the dealmaker can be nudged in the right direction, he might, against all odds, be brought to play a productive role for human rights.As executive director of Human Rights Watch, I spent more than three decades devising strategies to pressure or cajole leaders to better respect ri...

Politics

3 w. ago 'Mystery' HMPV virus spreads as more countries detect first cases after 'mask up' demand

Cases of Human Metapneumovirus caused chaos in China before spreading to the UK and more countries, and it has now been detected in another country for the first time

Politics