LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) – Nasa’s Mars rover Perseverance, the most advanced robotic astrobiology lab ever flown to another world, neared the end of its seven-month, 470-million-km journey on Wednesday (Feb 17), on target for a daredevil landing attempt on the red planet. Hurtling through space across the last 240,000km of its voyage, Perseverance was headed […]
This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the pandemic. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. The Biden administration pledged nearly $200 million as a “down payment” for tracking virus variants. The Pentagon said that roughly a third of U.S. troops are declining to be vaccinated when offered, slightly more […]
The US winter storm has killed 32 people and left 3.4 million struggling to stay warm without power. The latest storm front is expected to move from parts of Texas, Arkansas and the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Northeast on Thursday. “There’s really no letup to some of the misery people are feeling across that […]
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA (BLOOMBERG) – Two months after the first Covid-19 vaccines received US clearance, the shots’ efficacy is holding up well in the real world, according to a study among more than 31,000 people immunised in four states. The report, one of the first large-scale studies to assess how vaccines are performing in practice, used […]
Lobster tails. Tiramisù. Pounds and pounds of red meat and hot dogs. The dumpsters outside a grocery store in Portland, Ore., were filled with food that employees had tossed after a snow and ice storm over the weekend knocked out power at the store. Soon, a small group began forming in the parking lot, angry […]
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – President Joe Biden supports a study on whether descendants of enslaved people in the United States should receive reparations, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Wednesday (Feb 17), as the issue was being debated on Capitol Hill. Psaki told reporters that Biden “continues to demonstrate his commitment to take comprehensive action […]
WASHINGTON — A devastating winter storm that has plunged Texas into an electricity crisis offers warning signs for the U.S. as the Biden administration seeks to prepare for a future in which extreme weather is a greater risk and America is almost entirely powered by renewable energy. Generating energy is one challenge. But an equally […]
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The White House’s top cybersecurity adviser said on Wednesday (Feb 17) an investigation into a sprawling Russian hacking operation against the United States, known as the SolarWinds hack, will take several more months to complete. White House Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said that a total […]
One of America’s most famous conservative radio hosts – who was famed for his ardent support of Donald Trump – has died of lung cancer aged 70. Rush Limbaugh died on Wednesday, with his death announced on his radio show by his widow Kathryn. Limbaugh was diagnosed with lung cancer last January, and shared candid […]
Tens of thousands of pubs face closure as beleaguered landlords ‘give up’ on the trade, the Campaign for Real Ale has warned. National Chairman Nik Antona estimates that the UK could lose more than 20 per cent of the licensed premises unless Rishi Sunak provides ‘comprehensive’ relief in the impending Budget. Mr Antona said many […]