Edinburgh festival fringe 2023 to host artists from nearly 70 countries

Executives urge audiences to ‘fill yer boots’ and watch as many shows as possible amid Covid fightback Encore! Surefire shows returning for the Edinburgh festival in 2023 The Edinburgh festival fringe is expecting to host artists from nearly 70 countries this year, with participants hungry to return to live performances after the Covid crisis, its

Influenza vaccinations recommended as cases of respiratory illness rise across Australia

Of the nearly 58,000 cases recorded across the country, 30% occurred over the last fortnightly reporting period Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast A range of respiratory illnesses are on the rise in Australia as the colder weather

Long Covid can impair quality of life more than advanced cancers, study says

Some patients’ health-related life quality scores worse than those of people with stage 4 lung cancer Many people with long Covid have a lower health-related quality of life than people with some advanced cancers, research suggests. Fatigue is the symptom with the greatest impact on the daily lives of long Covid patients, according to a

Boris and Carrie Johnson ‘hosted friend at Chequers during Covid restrictions’

Exclusive: friend ‘helped the couple plan their wedding’ in May 2021 when restrictions on indoor gatherings in place Boris and Carrie Johnson hosted a close friend, who helped plan their wedding, overnight at Chequers when a number of Covid restrictions were in place, the Guardian has been told. Dixie Maloney, a corporate events organiser, stayed

Ex-Italian prime minister and health minister cleared of Covid culpability

Court rules that Giuseppe Conte and Roberto Speranza not at fault over 6,000 excess deaths in Bergamo at start of pandemic Italy’s former prime minister Giuseppe Conte and the former health minister Roberto Speranza were not responsible for the alleged mismanagement of the country’s first phase of the Covid pandemic, a court ruled on Wednesday.

MPs call for action on pandemic-widened gap between England’s poor and rich pupils

Public accounts committee warns that without more intervention, attainment gap could take decade to return to pre-Covid levels It could take a decade for the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers to return to pre-pandemic levels in England without faster and more effective intervention, MPs have warned. The estimate was made during

Guardian’s David Conn wins Paul Foot award for Michelle Mone investigation

Reporter and his team exposed the Tory peer’s use of a government ‘VIP lane’ to provide PPE during the Covid pandemic The Guardian reporter David Conn has won the Paul Foot award for investigative journalism for his report on a Tory peer’s use of a government “VIP lane” to provide PPE during the Covid pandemic.

Poorest countries are biggest losers from economic shocks, says World Bank

Combined impact of Covid crisis, Ukraine war and tough measures by central banks taking heavy toll The world’s poorest countries are the biggest losers from a global economy failing to cope with the combined impact of the Covid pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the tough anti-inflationary measures taken by central banks, the World Bank

Covid inquiry heads for row with government over Google Spaces redactions

Inquiry lawyer says not providing complete set of messages on platform would be ‘wrong in principle’ A fresh battle over unredacted Covid documents is looming, as the public inquiry’s most senior lawyer voiced fears about a tussle with the government over messages sent on the Google Spaces platform. Hugo Keith KC said the “same issue”

What is the UK government hiding from the Covid inquiry? – podcast

The government has launched legal action to prevent the independent Covid inquiry demanding disclosure of thousands of WhatsApp messages. What does it have to hide, asks Aubrey Allegretti Next week the first full hearings will take place for the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry. It is expected to last at least three years and cover everything from