December 2023
Ukraine war: US releases last military aid for Kyiv for now
3 hours ago About sharing A Ukrainian soldier near the front line in Donetsk this week By Mike Wendling BBC News The White House has approved another tranche of US military aid to Ukraine worth some $250m (£195m). The latest package includes air defence, artillery and small arms ammunition, and anti-tank weapons, US officials say….
China is ramping up the pressure for Taiwan’s election
1 hour ago About sharing Campaigning is in full swing for Taiwan’s presidential election on 13 January By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes BBC News, Taiwan The December sun is baking on the Heng Chun peninsula, the tongue of land that juts out from the bottom end of Taiwan into the Philippine Sea. A half-smoked cigarette pokes from…
RSV: Jab for winter virus could cut baby hospitalisations by 80%, study says
31 minutes ago About sharing The government’s immunisation advisory committee is considering whether to recommend the monoclonal antibody treatment nirsevimab By Fergus Walsh Medical editor Hospital admissions from a winter virus could be reduced by more than 80% if babies are given a single dose of a new antibody treatment, a study says. Respiratory syncytial…
Junior doctors’ strike: Thousands of NHS appointments hit by walkout
1 hour ago About sharing By Nick Triggle Health correspondent Nearly 89,000 NHS appointments had to be cancelled because of last week’s junior doctor strike in England. Most – just over 86,300 – were hospital check-ups and operations, but 1,500 community and mental health appointments were also affected. Overall more than 1.2 million appointments have…
Russian celebs at ‘almost naked’ party stung by backlash
51 minutes ago About sharing Nastya Ivleeva and Philipp Kirkorov were pictured during the party By Steve Rosenberg Russia Editor This is Partygate: Russia-style. What happened at a Moscow nightclub was bizarre. What happened next says so much about the current atmosphere in Russia. On 20 December, blogger and TV presenter Nastya Ivleeva threw an…
Architect of modern EU Jacques Delors dies aged 98
Delors helped create the single market, but his dreams of integration faced stiff UK opposition.
Homes flooded and travel disrupted by Storm Gerrit
Fire crews help people in Cupar leave their homes Jonathan Geddes BBC Scotland News 27 December 2023, 09:41 GMT Updated 7 minutes ago Homes have been flooded and travel disrupted as Storm Gerrit brought snow, high winds and heavy rain to much of Scotland. Highland Council said a “major incident” was declared on A9 after…
The Uncanny Façades of “May December”
Books & the Arts / December 27, 2023 The Uncanny Façades of May December The Uncanny Façades of “May December” Todd Haynes’s discomfiting and hypnotic suburban melodrama examines topics the director knows well: sex, taboo, and control. Beatrice Loayza Ad Policy Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in May December….
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year—From Covid
Society / December 27, 2023 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year—From Covid If we want to mitigate the great existential threats to our survival—from microbes to the warming planet—we’re going to need bolder thinking than “getting back to normal.” Gregg Gonsalves Ad Policy (Shutterstock) I cannot believe I am writing another column on Covid….