Guardian investigation finds workers stranded on at least 50 ships with Covid-19 outbreaks, limited medical equipment, some without pay, and no end in sight

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While most cruise ship passengers have now made it back to land, another crisis has been growing – with no safe haven in sight.

Around the world, more than 100,000 crew workers are still trapped on cruise ships, at least 50 of which have Covid-19 infections, a Guardian investigation has found. They are shut out of ports and banned from air travel that would allow them to return to their homes.

From the Galapagos to Dubai crew have been left marooned amid squabbles over who is responsible for their welfare

• Revealed: 100,000 crew never made it off cruise ships amid coronavirus crisis
  

The Apex was nearly finished. A brand new cruise ship for the Celebrity Cruises line, it was a towering, 117,000-ton vessel with luxuries like a “resort deck” featuring martini-glass-shaped jacuzzis and a movable platform cantilevered off the side – known as “the Magic Carpet” – to be used as an outdoor restaurant. As the builders put the finishing touches to it, the company held parties for crew and contractors, even as the rest of the world was shutting down to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Alexandra Nedeltcheva was one of the waiters. Though she avoided the parties, she served the contractors and crew at one of the ship’s restaurants. She says she contracted Covid-19 before the Apex even left port.

Tensions aboard the Greg Mortimer have reached breaking point over allegations ship’s operators and captain pressured doctor to downplay outbreak

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After an ill-fated Antarctic expedition in which 60% of passengers and crew contracted coronavirus and spent a month stranded off the coast of South America, the successful repatriation of 132 tourists from a Australian cruise ship seemed like a rare happy ending.

But what should have been a peaceful epilogue in which the crew of the Greg Mortimer sailed safely home has become a gruesome sequel of sickness and panic – with the added possibility of a legal battle in Miami courts.

Eight cruise ships to resume operations from 1 August, sailing from Texas and Florida

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Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans to resume operations at the beginning of August despite dozens of deaths on cruise ships during the Covid-19 pandemic and investigations into the industry’s possible role in spreading the disease around the planet.

In a statement on Monday, the operator said eight cruise ships would resume operations from 1 August, sailing from Galveston, Texas, and Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida, once a no-sail order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had expired.

The pandemic reminds me of a different invisible enemy. Once again, coordinated action is the only effective response

Deja vu. In recent days I’ve had that sense more than once. Every time I come home, remove my mask and wash my hands, I start thinking whether it is safe to keep on wearing the clothes that I had on outside. What if they are contaminated by the virus? Well, I can change clothes, but what if the particles have already jumped somewhere else, and are now in my home? Some would call it paranoia. I call it deja vu. I recognise those thoughts and remember the feelings.

That is because I first experienced them more than 30 years ago, in May 1986, on a trip to Kyiv, then the capital of Soviet Ukraine. It was a few weeks after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, and I was in the city – about 100km from the disaster area – on a business trip. We already knew that there was radiation in the air. Water trucks were spraying the streets, foreign students were leaving the city, and overseas broadcasters like the BBC were telling us to stay inside. But our own government was sending confusing and distressing messages: there is absolutely no danger, but make sure you keep children inside, and pregnant women too. Oh, and close your windows when you are at home.

Editors from across the Guardian explain how they are putting the climate emergency front and centre

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The climate crisis is a story that reaches every corner of the world and on the international news desk our team of correspondents report on it from around the globe.

Guardian picture editor Fiona Shields explains why we are going to be using fewer polar bears and more people to illustrate our coverage of the climate emergency

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At the Guardian we want to ensure that the images we publish accurately and appropriately convey the climate crisis that we face. Following discussions among editors about how we could change the language we use in our coverage of environmental issues, our attention then turned to images. We have been working across the organisation to better understand how we aim to visually communicate the impact the climate emergency is having across the world.

Related: The Guardian's climate pledge 2019

Waves glow turquoise in a glorious nocturnal display from an algae bloom off America’s west coast

• Waves dazzle surfers: ‘Never seen anything like it’

Human cost of climate crisis will hit harder and sooner than previously believed, research reveals

The human cost of the climate crisis will hit harder, wider and sooner than previously believed, according to a study that shows a billion people will either be displaced or forced to endure insufferable heat for every additional 1C rise in the global temperature.

In a worst-case scenario of accelerating emissions, areas currently home to a third of the world’s population will be as hot as the hottest parts of the Sahara within 50 years, the paper warns. Even in the most optimistic outlook, 1.2 billion people will fall outside the comfortable “climate niche” in which humans have thrived for at least 6,000 years.

Tapirs in South America, hirolas in Somalia, hornbills in Indonesia, chimps in Nigeria, tamarins in Brazil and frogs in South Africa ... the ‘green Oscars’ recognise and celebrate the achievements of the animals’ grassroots protectors

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Is 'Having the Time of His Life' in Prison

Iconic hip-hop producer and Alicia Keys’s husband, Swizz Beatz, isn’t afraid to tell his guy friends he loves them.

But Davis does see a path forward: empathy and becoming educated on one another’s experiences.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) came back at Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) with the Twitter equivalent of “I can’t hear you!”...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday called for ousted Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles to testify before...

Following the ousters of the Homeland Security secretary and Secret Service director, and the withdrawal of the would-be ICE director’s...

Rep. Mike McCaul was tapped on to head a GOP House panel scrutinizing China. Disclosures show his family holds stock in a Chinese internet company.

Tapes of conference calls of FEMA and HHS officials across the country reveal widespread worries about new waves of Covid-19 infections.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn is asymptomatic and tested negative for the virus on Friday, one senior administration official said.

Zerhouni is thought to be the favorite, said two people, and one person said that Azar personally prefers Zerhouni for the role.

The industry is looking for thousands of workers across the country.

The party is downplaying expectations in next week's special election for a congressional seat in the L.A. suburbs.

TYPE 2 diabetes is a common condition which affects millions of people worldwide. There is a warning sign which lies in your gums indicating blood sugar levels are dangerously high.

HIGH blood pressure is often referred to as the "silent killer" due to its non-obvious symptoms, which when they do appear are often too late. Adding this drink to your diet will lower your reading and reduce your risk of serious health complications.

HAIR loss treatment: The quest for magic cure to help halt the process of hair loss produces numerous searches and theories. Taking this essential mineral helps strengthen hair follicles which stimulate hair growth.

HEART attack are serious medical emergencies which could be fatal. When it comes to reducing your risk of developing the condition, avoiding this type of food is strongly advised.

HOW to live longer: If you are looking to lead a long life, eating a healthy, balanced diet is the hard and fast rule to live by. The best diet to follow is still debated vigorously but there is a broad consensus emerging.

HIGH blood pressure is an ominous threat because it marks the first stage in a sequence of events that could lead to cardiovascular complications. To ward off the threat, it is important to start your day with a cereal that keeps your reading in check.

Two former Inslee campaign staffers have a message for Joe Biden: To unite the Democratic party, prioritize climate policies.

The new standards don’t do much to compel the aviation industry to reduce emissions.

Even in the face of a global pandemic.

Actor Nick Cordero’s wife, Amanda Kloots, has once again posted on her husband’s condition as he battles the COVID-19 virus. Cordero has had horrible complications since being hospitalized more than a month ago. His struggle has been memorialized by Kloots on Instagram, and she has again updated his health status. Kloots shared in an Instagram […]

Chinese authorities will allow further leisure venues, including cinemas, to gradually re-open now that the coronavirus pandemic has largely been controlled in the country, the top administrative body said on Friday. This comes after movie theaters were shuttered nationwide in January, ultimately dealing a $2.5B+ loss to the box office in just the first quarter. […]

Little Richard, the wild singer/pianist/songwriter who was one of rock ‘n roll’s pioneers, has died at age 87. His death was confirmed by his son, but the cause was not given. Little Richard’s catalog of hits is still performed by many bar bands to this day, and the songs were recorded by such acts as […]

A unique American business model taking 'paddock to plate' into the dining mainstream is being watched by Australian farmers as a way to get a better share of the food dollar.

On a property hidden in bushland are old cars, tractors, motorbikes, trucks and sulkies from a bygone era that once belonged to an Australian politician and obsessive collector.

New documents raise questions over UNSW's investigation of its star cancer researcher, Levon Khachigian.

MORNING BRIEFING: The first non-stop commercial flight between New York and Sydney will depart shortly, and a man is charged over an alleged $170,000 diamond fraud committed in 2002.

Tim Cahill may be Australia's all-time leading goal scorer, but the Socceroos legend has been inspired by a young player who was also told he won't make a top-ranked team because of his size.

Health authorities in Western Sydney want shisha smoking phased out over fears it causes cancer, saying research shows 45 minutes of smoking flavoured tobacco from a water pipe is the equivalent of smoking 100 cigarettes.

Nida Dar has overcome more than her fair share of challenges during her career and she is now looking to leave her mark on the WBBL as the first Pakistani cricketer to play in the tournament.

A Sydney jury is unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict in the case of a Kulwinder Singh, who pleaded not guilty to setting his wife Parwinder Kaur on fire in 2013. She later died in hospital.

Space advocates spruik the human benefits but critics say it costs far too much. Ever since the moon landing, space has been seen as a "giant leap" for humankind, but is it in the wrong direction?

First Nations cabaret Natives Go Wild peels back the PT Barnum legend to reveal the Indigenous stories and talent behind the spectacle.

The Qantas flight, which landed in Sydney on Sunday morning, is the first in a series of trials of "ultra" long-haul trips which could become reality by 2022.

As vulnerable patients arrive at one hospital's psychiatric ward with just the clothes on their back, a support service is ensuring access to free, clean garments of their choice.