29 articles from SUNDAY 10.5.2020

Starwatch: Follow the Plough to find bright stars and the Northern Crown

This week is a good time to see red giant Arcturus and bright white Vega, with the Corona Borealis The northern hemisphere’s spring constellations are now well placed in the evening sky. The chart shows the view looking south from London throughout the evenings this week. The jewel is the orange star Arcturus in Böotes, the herdsman. It can be most easily located by identifying the Plough and...

UK coronavirus live: Sturgeon says 'I don't know what "stay alert" means'; official UK death toll rises to 31,855

Sturgeon’s comments come amid criticism of UK government’s new slogan and ahead of Boris Johnson’s statement at 7pmNicola Sturgeon leads chorus of disapproval over new ‘stay alert’ adviceBoris Johnson to announce five-tier coronavirus alert systemDoctors warn of second coronavirus wave as people flout lockdown rulesGlobal coronavirus updates - liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 6.34pm...

Gambling firms' social messages are ‘thinly veiled’ adverts, say MPs

UK companies accused of undermining promise to stop advertising during lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGambling firms are undermining their pledge not to advertise during lockdown by showing “thinly veiled” commercials disguised as social responsibility messages, according to MPs who have urged the government to intervene.The Betting and Gaming Council...

Fears grow in Germany of second wave of coronavirus infections

While protesters call for further relaxing of social restrictions, scientists warn of new dynamicWith the Covid-19 pandemic stretching into its third month in Europe, Germany is discovering that a competent handling of the crisis in the early stages can become a burden later on.As the kind of dramatic scenes of overstretched health services witnessed in Italy or Spain never fully materialised in...

Boris Johnson to announce five-tier coronavirus alert system

System will mirror independent terror alerts, categorising threat level on scale of one to fiveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson is expected to announce a five-tier alert system to rank the threat from coronavirus - although experts said it was not immediately clear how independent or effective the scheme would be.The current threat level from the pandemic...

Will Coronavirus Kill Astrology?

If ever there was one, Susan Miller would be a blue-chip astrologer. So in January, when she appeared on CBS New York and predicted that 2020 would "be a great year, and it will be a prosperous year," people listened.People listened when she said Capricorn would be the year's "celestial favorite," Cancer was the most likely to wed, Libra was set to score in real estate, and...

Global report: Covid-19 cases rise in Germany as Wuhan reports first infection in weeks

Global infections surpass 4m; cluster detected in Dordogne, new cases highlight risks as lockdowns easedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNew coronavirus infections rose again in Germany at the end of last week, a few days after leaders loosened social restrictions, while the Chinese city of Wuhan announced it had detected its first case in weeks, helping to push the...

'Some days it's over by 11am': schooling under lockdown around the world

Adapting, picking battles and bribery aid home schooling from Bulgaria to Bondi Beach during the coronavirus pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe words of Paula Leibowitz, an Australian education worker and mother of three, will be hauntingly familiar to parents trying to weather the pandemic, keep on top of their jobs and, most challenging of all, ensure their...

UK sends 50,000 coronavirus samples to US for testing after technical problems

Testing falls below daily target of 100,000 for seventh consecutive dayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK sent about 50,000 coronavirus samples to the US after “operational issues” meant they could not be processed in British laboratories.The news comes after testing once again fell below the target of 100,000 a day: in the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday morning...