Tag: SB001

To combat the sharp rise in coronavirus infections, the UK government and the devolved administrations have imposed the “rule of six”.

The discovery that the atmosphere of Venus absorbs a precise frequency of microwave radiation has just turned planetary science on its head.

Around 60% of species are threatened with extinction and 75% are declining in numbers. Without action, these numbers will grow and more species will disappear forever.

Some UK care homes are to deploy robots in an attempt to allay loneliness and boost mental health. The wheeled machines will “initiate rudimentary conversations, play residents’ favourite music, teach them languages, and offer practical help, including medicine reminders”.

Six months after the United States signed an historic accord with the Taliban of Afghanistan, the Islamic militant group has entered into talks with the Afghan government in Doha, Qatar.

Owning shares in a gold-mining company, though, is not the same thing as owning actual gold. Since gold shares are linked both to gold prices and to the broader share market, they tend to move with the market when it falls sharply.

The Morrison government is acting to protect Australia’s fuel security as the international outlook becomes more uncertain and prices will be under increasing pressure.

It’s been a rollercoaster year for Airbnb and its much-anticipated plans for an initial public offering or IPO.

A record number of Americans are renouncing their citizenship. In just the first half of this year, 5,315 Americans gave up their citizenship. That puts the country on track to see a record-breaking 10,000 people renounce U.S. citizenship in 2020.

The decision to scrap its national ID cards and database in 2010 means the UK is one of the few developed countries not to have such an identity scheme.

Emerging research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

In order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C and avoid dangerous levels of warming, governments need to know how much carbon they can emit, and over what timeframe.

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, has led a volley of warnings by senior American politicians that the UK government should not undo the Brexit withdrawal agreement it has signed with the European Union.

Since India overtook Brazil in September to become the country with the second largest number of coronavirus cases in the world (after the US), the response of the government of Narendra Modi has come under even tighter scrutiny.

There are many more ingredients in every pill you take than what is listed on the bottle label.

With the vast majority of North America’s thousand-plus fan conventions cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual conventions (called cons) have been a bright spot for fans in an otherwise bleak year.

Security flaws in IoT devices are common. Hackers can exploit those vulnerabilities to take control of devices, steal or change data, and spy on us.

Australian National University calculations suggest JobKeeper and the boosted JobSeeker payment have saved about 2.2 million people from poverty.

CCTV cameras mounted on vans have recently been seen in public parks around Melbourne, ostensibly to nab anyone breaking lockdown rules. They are part of a joint initiative between several Melbourne councils, Victoria Police and the Commonwealth government.

England is about to re-impose nationwide restrictions on gatherings to control the spread of COVID-19. This comes less than two weeks after the end of the government’s half-a-billion-pound scheme to get people to eat out in restaurants.

The sudden stop of the global economy in 2020 has brought to everyone’s attention the interconnectedness of supply chains across countries and continents.

The key to avoiding the need for lockdown (unless and until a vaccine is widely deployed) is to keep what epidemiologist call the “effective” reproduction rate (R) below 1.

News that US President Donald Trump was fully seized of the deadly potential of the novel coronavirus, despite his sustained public dismissals, has provoked anger and surprise.

Ability to pay is the basic principle of tax fairness: people in a similar financial position should pay similar amounts of tax; people who can afford to pay more tax than others ought to pay more tax.

During the evening of September 7, Chinese and Indian troops confronted each other along their undefined, de facto border, known as the “Line of Actual Control” (LAC).

The EU is thinking about agreeing to a €4 billion trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (known as the Mercosur bloc).

CHRIS'S KITCHEN | This week our culinary guru, Chris Ark, helps us become masters of a yummy Thai curry.

The UK government seems to be doubling down on threats to leave the European Union without a deal unless the EU gives in on issues of state aid and fisheries.

The Paris climate agreement seeks to limit global warming to 1.5℃ this century. A new report by the World Meteorological Organisation warns this limit may be exceeded by 2024.

Chinese media outlets then alleged that Australia’s security agencies raided the properties of several Chinese journalists in June in connection with a foreign interference investigation involving NSW MP Shaoquett Moselmane.

The AZD1222 vaccine, considered one of the frontrunners in the global race for a COVID-19 vaccine, was developed by the University of Oxford and has been undergoing testing with British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

China has an enormous amount of debt relative to the size of its economy, especially for what is still in many ways a “developing” economy.

CHRIS’S KITCHEN | Head chef at Maze Grill, Chris Arkadieff, shows us how to serve up the perfect strip loin, with the added flavour of roast marrow sauce.

As the COVID-19 pandemic devastates the global economy, there’s an opportunity for governments to support a green-led recovery.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians will get access to 84.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses throughout 2021, provided current trials prove the vaccines in question are safe and effective.

As climate change worsens, the future of fossil fuel jobs and infrastructure is uncertain.

Many voters fear the coronavirus will force them to risk their lives at the polls. Yes, voting by mail represents a safe alternative.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed glaring deficiencies in the U.S. manufacturing sector’s ability to provide necessary products.

The forced departure from China of leading Australian journalists Bill Birtles of the ABC and Mike Smith of The Australian Financial Review robs Australia of direct coverage of events.

While there is debate about whether or not a second wave of the COVID-19 crisis is rolling in, the far bigger waves of the climate and ecological crisis are looming large on the horizon.

The world-altering coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic is thought to be just 60 nanometres to 120 nanometres in size.

Graduation ceremonies, formals, schoolies week and summer music festivals have either been cancelled or restricted.

Drones have changed how we see the world. Even more profoundly, drones have transformed how we witness the world.

Facial recognition involves using computing to identify human faces in images or videos, and then measuring specific facial characteristics.

Usernames and passwords were once good enough to keep an account secure. But before long, cybercriminals figured out how to get around this.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on Sept. 1 banning evictions of people who lost work as a result of the pandemic.

The virus does not obey a timeline. Rather, we have to beat it down to a level at which easing of restrictions is safer.

The federal government has nailed down two possible vaccine sources with supply and production agreements with pharmaceutical companies worth $1.7 billion.

It became official on Wednesday. The Australian economy is in recession for the first time in nearly three decades.

The cost of accessing small personal loans can be eye-wateringly high for those who need it most.