New zealand leaves

A fourth tremor has hit New Zealand after thousands were already evacuated amid fears of a tsunami. The country's emergency management agency went on to say that the large waves have now passed and therefore the threat level for a tsunami has been downgraded. People living on parts of the coast were told to evacuate their homes and get to high ground immediately following a third quake with a magnitude of 8.1 shortly before 8pm GMT. It had struck off the north-east of the country near Kermadec Islands Region. That quake followed an earlier one that measured 6.9 followed by another measuring 7.4. The fourth tremor measured a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale, it has been reported. At around 10pm GMT people on the ground began reporting that the sea was going out in Whangarei, with streams and rivers also emptying. An hour later the first of the waves were spotted racing towards the coast. Hundreds of residents were chaotically fleeing homes, workplaces and schools to … [Read more...] about New Zealand earthquakes: Fourth tremor hits as thousands evacuated in tsunami fears

The great-grandaughter of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst has called for more women in power to prevent further gender inequality made worse by the pandemic. Ahead of International Women’s Day, activist Dr Helen Pankhurst - whose grandmother was Emmeline’s daughter, campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst - said the UK’s predominantly male leadership has risked women’s lives throughout the Covid-19 response. Her damning comments come as it’s revealed that 77% of frontline workers are women - but only a quarter made up the coronavirus taskforce tackling the pandemic in the UK. Dr Pankhurst, 56, told the Sunday Mirror: “We need more women in leadership because otherwise women are marginalised. What do you think? Share your views in the comments below... “You must have that lens of someone in policy-making who understands - it doesn’t work if you only have the male perspective. “Policies need to reflect women’s realities - and at the moment just 34% of women are MPs. And that … [Read more...] about Inspirational Women of the year from Oxford vaccine creator to Marcus Rashford’s mum

A lawmaker from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) stepped down on Monday after over a government deal to procure face masks. Nikolas Löbel announced that he would resign from his parliamentary mandate with immediate effect and would not run for the Bundestag again. "In order to avoid further damage to my party, I am resigning my Bundestag mandate with immediate effect," Löbel said. He had previously announced the immediate termination of his membership in the center-right party's parliamentary group and issued an apology. Löbel confirmed on Friday that he was involved in businesses that dealt with face masks. Following the announcement, a second senior conservative lawmaker announced he would leave the conservatives parliamentary group. Georg Nüsslein , who is facing a probe over the scandal, said although he is leaving the group, he plans to hold on to his seat. Senior conservative lawmaker Georg Nüsslein, who is under investigation … [Read more...] about German lawmaker resigns over face mask scandal

JEFF Bezos has decided to step down as Amazon's CEO almost three decades on from when he founded the company back in 1994. On February 2, 2021, the shock announcement was made that after amassing billions during the coronavirus pandemic, Bezos will be replaced by Andy Jassy later this year. Why is Jeff Bezos stepping down as CEO of Amazon? Jeff Bezos ' decision to step down came after Amazon reported a blowout holiday quarter, with profits more than doubling to $7.2billion and revenue jumping 44 per cent to $125.6billion. The record revenues for its core Christmas quarter saw the company exceed $100billion for the first time with help from the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon is now worth $1.6trillion. Bezos said Amazon's latest results showed it was the right time to make the transition. The 57-year-old added that it will free up some of his time for other things. Bezos wrote: "Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it's consuming. … [Read more...] about Why is Jeff Bezos stepping down as CEO of Amazon?

The Bank of England governor has sounded a relatively optimistic note on the economy, predicting that the coronavirus shock would cause less long-term damage than most recessions. Andrew Bailey also told a Resolution Foundation event that he expected to cut the Bank's unemployment forecast following last week's budget and that the Bank's forecasts suggested the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown could leave a 1.75% dent in Britain's permanent output level - lower than some forecasters and smaller than the 3% hit expected by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In a speech, the governor said "I see reasons to believe that the longer-term negative economic effects of the COVID shock will be smaller than we have seen in the past, particularly in the 1980s and early 1990s." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Tax burden to reach highest level since 1960s However Mr Bailey added that arguably a deeper concern was two trends which … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Bank of England governor downplays fears of deep scarring