World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Hillary Clinton wins decisive victory over Bernie Sanders in New York primary
Twitter's appointment of new chief in China incenses rights activists
Panama Papers: US launches criminal inquiry into tax avoidance claims
France seeks to extend state of emergency until end of July
Influx of morality police to patrol the streets of Tehran
Kabul car bomb reminds us this bloody conflict is no nearer an ending
UN backs prohibitionist drug policies despite call for more 'humane solution'
'This city will never be what it was': Ecuadorians count cost after earthquake
Fidel Castro bids farewell to Cuba’s Communist party congress
EU chief to charge Google over anti-competitive practices, sources say
Blood test to detect Parkinson's disease could lead to earlier treatment
France pledges faster response to possible terror attacks after Paris delays
Syria peace talks founder after dispute over transitional government
Dilma Rousseff taunt opens old wounds of dictatorship era's torture in Brazil
German police free woman imprisoned in her mother's flat
Libel conviction of ex-detective in Madeleine McCann case overturned
Canadian town issues noise warning to mother of children playing outside
EU exit 'would damage UK's special relationship with US'
Obama faces friction in Saudi Arabia visit over 9/11 bill and Iran relationship
Senior Port Talbot staff ‘to announce buyout plan for Tata Steel plant’
India changes tack over return of Koh-i-Noor diamond
Switch to low-carbon transport could 'save UK billions'
‘We’ll make our country great again’: project shows true face of Somalis
Russian teenager born with no fingers becomes celebrated piano player
Prince William rejects tag of do-nothing royal: 'I take duty seriously'
EU referendum: Brexit would put 'special relationship' with US at risk, UK warned - Politics live
Ivory products, poached wildlife goods set ablaze in fight against smuggling
We won't solve the world's drug problem by locking up Latin American women | Maya Thomas-Davis
Mitsubishi Motors 'mishandled fuel economy tests'
Coalition demands Bill Shorten appear before Senate inquiry into donations
'World's oldest dog', 30, dies at home on Australian dairy farm
‘That thing gnawing away at all of us’: Calais and the shantytown on its doorstep | Emmanuel Carrère
Malaysia Airlines CEO Christoph Mueller resigns
Beware of 'Dangerous Love' with foreign spies, China tells its women
Brussels suspect Osama Krayem reportedly charged over Paris attacks
Argentina turns page on debt with first bond sale in 15 years
Adaptation of Trojan Women starring Syrian refugees set for UK tour
Paul Farrell on the 'surprising and disturbing' police investigation of his work – podcast
British hiker found dead in Peru
Omar Khadr engaged to human rights activist who helped in Gitmo release
Family of journalist Steven Sotloff sues Syria in US court over Isis beheading
Turkish police chiefs on trial over murder of journalist Hrant Dink
Message in a bottle, promising finder a shilling, bobs up after 108 years
EU has lost favour with citizens, commission president warns
Imran Khan on the Panama Papers: ‘The coalition of the corrupt help each other’
Audrey ‘Bobbie’ Cobden
The 'war on drugs' in numbers: a systematic failure of policy
Swiss halt Muslim family's citizenship process after refusal to shake hands
Patricio Aylwin, president who guided Chile to democracy, dies aged 97
Head of German anti-Islam group on trial for hate speech
Eyewitness: Manta, Ecuador
Story of cities #26: Delhi's modernist dream proves a far-fetched fantasy
Right to the city: can this growing social movement win over city officials?
DfID should make taxpayer pound go further on aid, says watchdog
The construction industry must step up on human rights | Mariam Bhacker
Aid facts and fiction, and terror in Burundi
IUDs, the pill and sterilisation: your experiences of contraception
Clinton and Trump wins in New York change little on national scale
Who are the Democratic superdelegates and where did they come from?
Clinton: ‘Victory is in sight’ - video
Trump wins New York: ‘We don't have much of a race any more’ – video
Sanders: New York voter rules ‘absurd and wrong’ – video
#Vets4Bernie: veterans speak out in support of Bernie Sanders – in pictures
Bernie Sanders, religion and Aipac: what matters to Jewish voters – video
Earthquake survivors pulled from rubble in Ecuador - video
Sanders and Clinton fans battle it out in New York primary – in pictures
What are superdelegates? – video explainer
Ecuador earthquake rescue operation – in pictures

Hillary Clinton wins decisive victory over Bernie Sanders in New York primary

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:50 AM PDT

Democratic frontrunner victorious, as Trump sweeps to victory in Republican race, reviving his hopes of winning nomination outright

Hillary Clinton clinched a decisive victory over Bernie Sanders in New York on Tuesday, crushing hopes among his supporters that a recent winning streak could change the direction of the Democratic presidential race.

In the Republican race, Donald Trump swept to victory in his home state, reviving his hopes of winning the Republican party nomination outright.

Twitter's appointment of new chief in China incenses rights activists

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:53 PM PDT

Kathy Chen criticised by pro-democracy activists for her government and military background as she joins social media site still blocked by Beijing

China's Communist party-controlled media has criticised "narrow-minded" and "prejudiced" online activists who are questioning Twitter's decision to appoint as its first regional chief a former member of the People's Liberation Army who once had ties to the country's security services.

Kathy Chen – a former Microsoft manager whose Twitter handle describes her as a "curious explorer" – was named as the social network's managing director for mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan last week.

Panama Papers: US launches criminal inquiry into tax avoidance claims

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 02:52 PM PDT

US attorney for Manhattan says Department of Justice has opened investigation related to revelations exposed in massive leak of documents

The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the widespread international tax avoidance schemes exposed by the Panama Papers leak, published by the Guardian and other journalistic partners.

Preet Bharara, the US attorney for Manhattan, said he had "opened a criminal investigation regarding matters to which the Panama Papers are relevant".

France seeks to extend state of emergency until end of July

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:38 AM PDT

Measures brought in after Paris attacks should cover Euro 2016 championship and Tour de France, ministers say

The French government is seeking to extend the state of emergency that has been in place since November's Paris attacks to cover the period of the Euro 2016 football championship and the Tour de France.

Manuel Valls, the prime minister, said Euro 2016, hosted by France from 10 June, was a security priority.

Influx of morality police to patrol the streets of Tehran

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:00 PM PDT

As many as 7,000 agents in the Iranian capital will be targeting women with 'bad hijab', but a new police-spotting app may give fashion rebels the edge

Police in Tehran are deploying 7,000 undercover morality agents tasked with a fresh crackdown on women defying strict rules on the wearing of the hijab, among other offences deemed un-Islamic.

Every spring, as the temperature rises and with it the desire of people to go out, the authorities in Iran tighten their grip on social norms, increasing the number of the so-called morality police deployed in public places.

Kabul car bomb reminds us this bloody conflict is no nearer an ending

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:28 AM PDT

For years, Taliban insurgents struck in the countryside. Recent violence in urban areas is start of a disturbing new chapter

The complex attack by the Taliban on an elite military unit at the heart of the Afghan capital on Tuesday morning was a bloody reminder of how the war there is spiralling to new levels of violence, and spilling into urban areas that were once deemed relatively safe.

For years Afghans fled to the capital, and other major cities, to escape the daily brutality of a war fought mostly in their rural home districts. But as the conflict has intensified nationwide, following the departure of western forces, both fear and bloodshed has spilled over into urban areas.

UN backs prohibitionist drug policies despite call for more 'humane solution'

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT

Plan adopted at special session focuses on reform and cooperation between nations but maintains policies that criminalise non-medical or scientific drug use

The 'war on drugs' in numbers: a systematic failure of policy

The first United Nations general assembly special session on drugs in almost two decades has approved an agreement that leaves in place the prohibitionist policies banning narcotics use, despite growing international discontent with the "war on drugs" – and the concerns of the nations that called the meeting.

The 2016 general assembly special session – known as UNgass – was scheduled after lobbying by Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia, countries which have suffered disproportionate violence from narco-trafficking. Leaders of the three countries have called for a more "humane solution" to the drugs problem that goes beyond a focus on enforcement and criminalisation.

'This city will never be what it was': Ecuadorians count cost after earthquake

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:36 AM PDT

In Portoviejo on the Pacific coast, one of the communities hit by Saturday's quake, the dead are still being recovered and for survivors aid is slow in coming

María Victoria Chávez's life came crashing down on her at 6:58 on Saturday evening.

Fidel Castro bids farewell to Cuba’s Communist party congress

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:45 PM PDT

Valedictory speech reinforces message revolutionary generation will stay in control even as its members age and die and relations with US are normalised

For half a century his existence has mocked the superpower that tried to kill, topple and isolate him. Fidel Castro seemed immortal, and there was nothing the US could do about it.

US presidents came and went, the Berlin Wall fell, Cuba tottered and Castro, ambushed by illness, relinquished power. But still he resisted the "biological solution" – a Washington euphemism for Castro's death. He clung to life, to defiance, and surfaced every so often to assail the capitalist enemy.

EU chief to charge Google over anti-competitive practices, sources say

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:16 AM PDT

Margrethe Vestager, European competition commissioner, is concerned the firm unfairly promotes its apps on Android phones

Europe's antitrust chief is expected to hit Google with anti-competitive charges concerning its Android mobile phone operating system.

Margrethe Vestager, European competition commissioner, is to make the announcement on Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Blood test to detect Parkinson's disease could lead to earlier treatment

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 01:41 PM PDT

Australian researchers hope discovery can be used to diagnose disorder – now done through process of elimination

Researchers have developed the world's first blood test that can detect the abnormal metabolism of blood cells in people with Parkinson's disease, which means the blood test could be used to diagnose the disorder.

At present the only way to diagnose Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological condition, is through ordering a range of tests and scans to rule out other disorders, combined with examining symptoms.

France pledges faster response to possible terror attacks after Paris delays

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 02:50 PM PDT

Specialist units will get more personnel and clearances to mobilize in 20 minutes after delayed reaction to Paris attacks drew criticism, interior minister said

France will guarantee a 20-minute response of police and military anti-terrorism units to any future militant attacks, drawing on lessons learned from November's terror attacks in Paris, its interior minister has said.

Besides more security personnel, specialist units will get new clearances to bypass the traditional carve-up of responsibilities between police and military forces that can hinder a timely armed response, Bernard Cazeneuve said.

Syria peace talks founder after dispute over transitional government

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:11 AM PDT

Negotiations stall in Geneva as HNC opposition claims a political solution is impossible with al-Assad in power

Prospects for a speedy resumption of the UN-brokered Syrian peace talks in Geneva are diminishing fast as the warring parties dig into positions that look unbridgeable, while fighting continues to threaten the already fragile cessation of hostilities agreement.

Riyad Hijab, head of the opposition higher negotiations committee (HNC), insisted on Tuesday that a political transition in Damascus would not be possible as long as the "criminal" President Bashar al-Assad remained in power.

Dilma Rousseff taunt opens old wounds of dictatorship era's torture in Brazil

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:56 AM PDT

Brazilian president says accuser's comments are 'lamentable' and says responses towards her reveal 'a degree of prejudice against women'

Dilma Rousseff impeachment: what happens next in Brazil

The old wounds and new divisions opened up by Brazil's impeachment vote were evident on Tuesday when Dilma Rousseff said it was "lamentable" that one of her accusers had glorified the torture used against her and others during the dictatorship era.

The president was referring to Jair Bolsonaro, a rightwing lower house deputy, who dedicated his vote in favour of impeachment to Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ultra, the colonel who headed the feared Doi-Codi torture unit in the 1970s.

German police free woman imprisoned in her mother's flat

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 01:02 PM PDT

Officers believe the 26-year-old, who had learning difficulties, had been held captive for a number of years since leaving a psychiatric hospital

German police have freed a 26-year-old woman with learning difficulties who was believed to have been locked away in an apartment by her own mother, possibly for years.

The young woman was found on Tuesday in a "physically rundown and neglected state" in a rubbish-strewn flat in the southern city of Rosenheim, a police spokesman said, adding that she had been sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Libel conviction of ex-detective in Madeleine McCann case overturned

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:27 PM PDT

Gonçalo Amaral had been ordered to compensate Kate and Gerry McCann after his book alleged they were involved in their daughter's disappearance

An appeals court in Portugal has overturned the libel conviction of a former Portuguese detective who published a book alleging the parents of Madeleine McCann were involved in their daughter's disappearance, the parents' lawyer said.

Lisbon lawyer Isabel Duarte told Associated Press she was notified of the court's decision to uphold Gonçalo Amaral's appeal against the order to pay Kate and Gerry McCann €500,000 (£394,000) in compensation. That ruling was handed down by a lower court in Lisbon a year ago, prompting Amaral to appeal.

Canadian town issues noise warning to mother of children playing outside

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 12:00 PM PDT

Coquitlam mayor said warning was 'extreme case' as Jana D'Addabbo got multiple complaints from neighbors for her children creating 'noise that disturbs'

At what point does the sound of children playing in the spring weather become an infraction of the law? It's a question that has stirred up a vociferous debate in the small Canadian city of Coquitlam in British Columbia, after a mother of three was told to rein in her children after repeated noise complaints from neighbours.

Jana D'Addabbo, mother to a six-year-old boy and boy and girl twins aged eight, came home Saturday to a notice of violation left on her door by a city bylaw officer. The yellow slip said her children had been creating "noise that disturbs" while they were out playing in front of their home.

EU exit 'would damage UK's special relationship with US'

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:03 AM PDT

Former US Treasury chief Larry Summers says Britain would become a 'less relevant and less significant economy' if it left EU

Britain's special relationship with the US would be significantly damaged if Britain leaves the EU, according to a former US Treasury secretary, who says Brexit would be unfortunate for the British economy, Europe, the US and the world.

In a strongly worded intervention, Larry Summers, who served under president Bill Clinton, said the move would represent the "most isolationist deed in the last century", inflicting serious damage on the City of London.

Obama faces friction in Saudi Arabia visit over 9/11 bill and Iran relationship

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:00 AM PDT

A Senate bill, which he has spoken out against, looks to enable victims of the terrorist attacks to sue the Saudi government if it is found to have been involved

Barack Obama lands in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to face some potentially awkward questions from his hosts – not least over a push by some of his political allies for the kingdom to be held responsible in US courts for any role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On his final trip to the region before leaving office, the US president is trying to smooth the ruffled feathers of Saudis, Emiratis and Bahrainis who have come to resent their long-standing ally for "tilting" towards their rival Iran and pressing too hard for domestic reforms they fear will undermine the autocratic status quo.

Senior Port Talbot staff ‘to announce buyout plan for Tata Steel plant’

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:53 AM PDT

Employees may be asked to invest up to £10,000 each under plans by management, who are looking to private investors and government support

Senior staff from Tata Steel's Port Talbot factory are expected to announce a management buyout plan for the plant.

Stuart Wilkie, the managing director of Tata Strip Products UK, was named as the leader of a group of managers who are looking for private investors and government support for their plan, which they are tipped to unveil on Wednesday.

India changes tack over return of Koh-i-Noor diamond

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:51 AM PDT

Delhi says it will make all possible efforts to bring back diamond two days after saying UK would not have to return 106-carat gem

Days after India's solicitor general told the supreme court that it would not request the return of the 106-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is now part of the British crown jewels, the government reversed track and said it would work to bring the gem back.

India's solicitor general had said on Monday that Britain shouldn't have to give the diamond back, since it was given freely to the British in the mid-19th century by the family of Punjab's Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and had been "neither stolen nor forcibly taken by British rulers".

Switch to low-carbon transport could 'save UK billions'

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:39 AM PDT

Reducing global oil demand would drive down prices and free up funds for oil importing countries to spend on other areas of the economy, report finds

A switch to low-carbon transport such as electric cars would save countries including the UK billions of pounds a year, a report has suggested.

Global policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector would reduce demand for oil, driving down prices and cutting global spending on the fossil fuel by £232bn a year worldwide between 2020 and 2030.

‘We’ll make our country great again’: project shows true face of Somalis

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:33 AM PDT

From the boy who wants peace to the activist who lost her legs in a landmine blast, their stories challenge stereotypes. Global Voices report

For many people it is easy to stereotype Somalis as agents of terrorism, annoying refugees, gun-wielding pirates or competing warlords. Not the peaceful, resilient people they really are, say the team behind Somali Faces – an online project highlighting the everyday stories of Somalis around the world.

Ever since the civil war broke out in 1991, millions of Somalis have sought refuge abroad. Some stayed in the region, others made their way to Europe and continue to do so.

Russian teenager born with no fingers becomes celebrated piano player

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 01:53 AM PDT

Alexey Romanov tells Russia Behind the Headlines about winning the heart of the nation with a Twilight performance on TV

Teenager Alexey Romanov has become a promising piano player despite a debilitating illness that has deprived him of his fingers since birth.

Sixteen-year-old prodigy Romanov from Zelenodolsk, a village in the Republic of Tatarstan, first took up music two years ago after being inspired by the works of Mozart and Vivaldi.

Prince William rejects tag of do-nothing royal: 'I take duty seriously'

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:06 PM PDT

In interviews marking Queen's 90th birthday, Duke of Cambridge says he will step up duties when time is right and tells of grandmother's influence in his life

The Duke of Cambridge has defended himself over criticism that he does not complete enough royal duties.

Speaking to the BBC to mark the Queen's 90th birthday, he said he was focusing on being a father and an air ambulance pilot but would be the "first person to accept" duties when it came for his grandmother to hand over responsibilities.

EU referendum: Brexit would put 'special relationship' with US at risk, UK warned - Politics live

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:05 AM PDT

Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen, including David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs and Vote Leave and Leave.EU being questioned by the Commons Treasury committee

9.05am BST

President Obama is coming to London later this week partly so that he can stand alongside David Cameron and declare that Washington thinks Britain should remain in the European Union and today, as a warm-up, eight senior American politicians have signed a joint article delivering the same message.

They are all former treasury secretaries (the American equivalent of chancellor) and the article appears in the Times (paywall). One of the eight, Larry Summers (treasury secretary under Bill Clinton) summed up their argument on the Today programme this morning.

[Leaving the EU] would be unfortunate for the British economy, unfortunate for Europe, unfortunate for the United States, and unfortunate for the world. It would do damage to London as a financial centre, it would do damage to Britain as a gateway to Europe, it would remove the very positive influence that Britain has within European debates that strengthen the European economy, and it would reduce Britain's very positive influence as an ally of the United States and a strong participant in the G7 and in the G20. It would be a step towards a more closed, more protectionist, less effective and less prosperous global economy...

Britain would continue to be involved in global affairs but its role without its anchor to Europe would surely be diminished. I think it would find that the rest of the world, which saw it as a crucial gateway to Europe, would see it as a less relevant and less significant economy when it was on its own. I believe that the pound would very likely come under very substantial pressure in ways that would ultimately lead to contraction in the British economy. So I do not think that words would speak loudly in the face of what would be perhaps the most isolationist deed in the last century for Britain.

I don't want to say that the United States and Britain wouldn't continue to have the close ties that come from history, but I think the special relationship would translate much less into prosperity for both our countries and I think the special relationship would have much less influence on the broad world. Much would be lost by the kind of split in the West that a British withdrawal from Europe would represent.

Ivory products, poached wildlife goods set ablaze in fight against smuggling

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:53 AM PDT

US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, hailed the Cameroon ceremony as symbolic of commitment to win war against illegal smuggling of animal products

Some 2,000 illegally trafficked elephant tusks and hundreds of finished ivory products erupted in a ball of fire on Tuesday as Cameroonian authorities conducted what was believed to be one of the largest burnings of poached wildlife goods in African history.

Setting the pyre aflame in a sandy square in Cameroon's capital, Samantha Power, America's UN ambassador, joined Cameroonian officials in hailing the ceremony as symbolic of their commitment to win the war against illegal smuggling of animal products.

We won't solve the world's drug problem by locking up Latin American women | Maya Thomas-Davis

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:00 PM PDT

Advocates say imprisoning people for drug crimes acts as a deterrent, protects society and educates criminals. But for socio-economically excluded women, it doesn't work like that

When Lorena was offered the job of transporting marijuana from her village in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas to Mexico City, the 25-year-old took the opportunity.

"It was an income that allowed us to eat, to buy milk," she explains.

Mitsubishi Motors 'mishandled fuel economy tests'

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:22 AM PDT

Shares in Japanese carmaker slump as it prepares to release details of a failed test involving its minicars in Japan

Mitsubishi Motors shares plunged after the Japanese carmaker said it was preparing to release details about misconduct in fuel economy tests.

"One of our models was found to have failed part of a fuel economy test," a company spokesman told Reuters.

Coalition demands Bill Shorten appear before Senate inquiry into donations

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:26 AM PDT

Government seeks to turn the tables on Labor, which has called a snap inquiry into donations to the NSW Liberals

The government will demand Bill Shorten appear before a Senate inquiry into political donations to answer questions about a $40,000 donation he failed to declare for eight years before revealing it in evidence to the royal commission into trade unions.

'World's oldest dog', 30, dies at home on Australian dairy farm

Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:37 AM PDT

Maggie, a black and tan kelpie was thought to be the oldest dog in the world, although her owners had no papers to prove it

A kelpie thought to be the world's oldest dog has died at home on a dairy farm in the Australian state of Victoria.

Maggie, a black-and-tan kelpie, was thought to be 30 years old.

‘That thing gnawing away at all of us’: Calais and the shantytown on its doorstep | Emmanuel Carrère

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:00 PM PDT

Once a centre of industry as well as a prosperous port, the city is now synonymous with the misery of migrants, and its residents are not enjoying their notoriety

The Hotel Meurice in Calais is rather decrepit these days but, with its reasonable rates, it has long appealed to English tourists. The problem is that English tourists – as anyone trying to make a living in Calais will tell you – have fled, fearful of migrants and the general chaos that has taken hold of the city. Monsieur Cossard, owner of the Hotel Meurice, would very much like to sell his business, but alas, nothing's selling in Calais. He would also like to take bookings from the ranks of the riot police, 1,800 of whose officers are deployed around the tunnel and the port; welcome custom for the managers of chain hotels such as Ibis, Novotel, and Formule 1. But the people who make decisions about this kind of thing at the Ministry of the Interior must have viewed the genteel decrepitude of the Meurice – its faded toiles, rickety day beds, and dusty frills and flounces – ill-suited to the rugged image of the forces of law and order.

A few months ago, however, a new clientele started turning up: journalists, filmmakers and artists from all over Europe, who came to bear witness to the migrants' misfortune. At times, you might think you were at the legendary Holiday Inn in Sarajevo, where all the war correspondents stayed at the height of the siege. After breakfast, they pull warm puffer jackets over multi-pocketed vests, grab their cameras, and get into the cars they've rented from Avis on Place d'Armes to head into the "Jungle". It's just like going to the front. Since January, the Jungle has been partially evacuated, but there are still pockets of migrants encamped about the place – enough for the press to find a story.

Malaysia Airlines CEO Christoph Mueller resigns

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 09:29 PM PDT

Mueller will finish in September, long before end of three-year contract, due to 'changing personal circumstances'

Malaysia Airlines said on Tuesday its chief executive officer, Christoph Mueller, will leave his job in September, far ahead of the end of his three-year contract, due to "changing personal circumstances".

Beware of 'Dangerous Love' with foreign spies, China tells its women

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:27 PM PDT

Dashing foreigner 'David' tempts hapless state worker 'Little Li' into handing over state secrets in cartoon posters put on display by government

China has marked "National Security Education Day" with a poster warning young female government workers about dating handsome foreigners who could turn out to be spies.

Brussels suspect Osama Krayem reportedly charged over Paris attacks

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:20 PM PDT

Swedish national, already charged over Brussels bombings, has also been charged over Paris attacks, says Belgian media

Swedish national Osama Krayem, charged in connection with the Brussels bombings, has also been charged over the Paris attacks, Belgian media reported on Tuesday, citing prosecutors.

Argentina turns page on debt with first bond sale in 15 years

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 06:17 PM PDT

Issue of $16.5bn in bonds to international markets will pay off holdout creditors from 2002 default and kickstart new president's reform agenda

Argentina has sold $16.5bn of sovereign debt in its first international bond issue since its record 2002 default.

Most proceeds from the auction, which was four times oversubscribed, will go to finally settling Argentina's messy legal dispute with investors over unpaid debt that emerged from the $100bn default that plunged millions of middle class Argentinians into poverty.

Adaptation of Trojan Women starring Syrian refugees set for UK tour

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:06 PM PDT

Queens of Syria, based on antiwar play by Euripides, will open at Young Vic in July and explore themes of loss, flight and exile

An acclaimed adaptation of The Trojan Women with an all-female cast of Syrian refugees recounting their stories of loss, flight and exile is coming to the UK for a three-week run.

First performed in Amman, Jordan, in 2013, Queens of Syria will open at the Young Vic in early July before going to venues in Liverpool, Edinburgh and elsewhere. Fifteen Syrian refugees, who had never acted until they appeared in the great antiwar tragedy by Euripides, will be on stage.

Paul Farrell on the 'surprising and disturbing' police investigation of his work – podcast

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:43 PM PDT

Guardian reporter Paul Farrell speaks to Bridie Jabour about what it feels like when you find out the Australian Federal Police asked to access your metadata

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British hiker found dead in Peru

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:21 PM PDT

Harry Greaves, 28, was last seen on 7 April setting out for a solo hike in Andes, two days before 29th birthday

A British hiker has been found dead almost a fortnight after he went missing in the Peruvian Andes.

Harry Greaves was last seen on 7 April when he set out on a solo mountain hike, two days before his 29th birthday.

Omar Khadr engaged to human rights activist who helped in Gitmo release

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:09 PM PDT

Muna Abougoush was among the people pushing for ex-detainee's release
Supporters still urging Canada to launch inquiry into authorities' actions

Nearly a year after his release from prison, Omar Khadr – the Canadian who was once one of Guantánamo Bay's youngest prisoners – is engaged to be married to a human rights activist who helped fight for his release.

News of the engagement was confirmed by CTV News on Tuesday, after the Canadian broadcaster spotted a post on Facebook congratulating Khadr and Muna Abougoush on their upcoming nuptials.

Family of journalist Steven Sotloff sues Syria in US court over Isis beheading

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:49 AM PDT

Lawsuit seeks $90m in damages from government of Bashar al-Assad for providing support to Isis militants who killed American journalist in 2014

The family of journalist Steven Sotloff is suing Syria in US court, claiming the government of President Bashar al-Assad provided support to Islamic State militants who carried out the beheading.

The lawsuit filed on Monday in federal court in Washington seeks $90m in compensatory damages plus up to three times that in punitive damages from Syria for Sotloff's 2014 killing. It is far from certain, however, that Sotloff's south Florida-based family would be able to collect money from a foreign government if they win the case.

Turkish police chiefs on trial over murder of journalist Hrant Dink

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:32 AM PDT

Heads of police intelligence among 34 defendants on trial accused of involvement in killing of Armenian newspaper editor

Senior Turkish security officials were among 34 defendants put on trial on Tuesday accused of links to the murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink a decade ago.

Lawyers for Dink's family hope the trial will prove that state authorities were involved in a conspiracy to silence the newspaper editor, although they say some key suspects continue to evade charges.

Message in a bottle, promising finder a shilling, bobs up after 108 years

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:46 AM PDT

Communication thrown into sea by Plymouth biologist in 1906 and found by German woman confirmed as oldest in the world

When the distinguished marine biologist threw his message in a bottle into the sea, asking whoever found it to contact him, he wasn't expecting a speedy response. Which is just as well, because it took just over 108 years – now officially confirmed by Guinness World Records as the oldest such message in the world.

The German woman who found it has been given the reward promised in 1908, by the scientific institution which has inherited the debt of honour: a shilling.

EU has lost favour with citizens, commission president warns

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:44 AM PDT

The EU has interfered too much in people's lives, says Jean-Claude Juncker, and Europe's citizens are losing faith in it

Europe's citizens are increasingly abandoning the European project because the EU has interfered too much with their lives, the commission president has warned.

Jean-Claude Juncker told a meeting of the Council of Europe – not an EU body – in Strasbourg that people were "stepping away" from the EU, which he said had "lost a part of its attractiveness".

Imran Khan on the Panama Papers: ‘The coalition of the corrupt help each other’

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:32 AM PDT

The cricket star turned politician hopes the tax leaks will be the downfall of Pakistan's prime minister. As he battles elitism, what does he make of his former brother-in-law Zac Goldsmith's campaign to be London mayor?

'He is caught," says Imran Khan, leaning back in his armchair with the quiet satisfaction of a man who believes his biggest political rival has been found with his fingers in the till. "He is in trouble. I think he is going to find it impossible to govern Pakistan."

Khan is contemplating the fate of Nawaz Sharif, three-times prime minister of Pakistan, and one of the most prominent politicians linked to the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. According to the leaked files published worldwide this month, Sharif's children raised £7m in loans against four flats in Park Lane, London, owned by offshore companies. Sharif denies any wrongdoing, and his son says the family never tried to conceal their assets, but Khan insists the flats were bought with money plundered from the Pakistani people.

Audrey ‘Bobbie’ Cobden

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 10:29 AM PDT

Throughout her life, first in apartheid-era South Africa and then in Canada, my stepmother Audrey "Bobbie" Cobden, who has died aged 92, fought against racism. She was also a great defender of the weak, the poor and the elderly.

Bobbie was born and grew up in Johannesburg. Her father, Sydney Dodson, who managed the piano department of a furniture business in the city, and her mother, Olive (nee Hiles), divorced when Bobbie was in her teens.

The 'war on drugs' in numbers: a systematic failure of policy

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 09:12 AM PDT

A UN meeting about ending the world's drug problem is likely to be contentious – even when it comes to the terminology used to describe the problem

The United Nations general assembly has gathered in New York for a special session to discuss how the world's nations can together combat the global drug problem. Deciding on an appropriate strategy will probably be a matter of fierce debate – but even the terminology to be used remains contentious.

Swiss halt Muslim family's citizenship process after refusal to shake hands

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:54 AM PDT

Brothers refused to shake female teachers' hands because it violated their faith but politicians say school officials' compromise went against Swiss culture

Switzerland has suspended the citizenship process for the family of two teenage Muslim brothers after the boys' refusal to shake hands with their female teachers sparked a national debate over religious freedoms.

The brothers, aged 14 and 15, had informed education officials in the northern municipality of Therwil that physical contact with women who are not family members violated their faith.

Patricio Aylwin, president who guided Chile to democracy, dies aged 97

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:29 AM PDT

Aylwin headed centre-left coalition in 1990-94 after military dictatorship
Rule praised for economic boom but criticised for caution on human rights

Patricio Aylwin, who oversaw Chile's peaceful transition to democracy with a pragmatic but cautious hand as the first elected president after a bloody 17-year military dictatorship, has died. He was 97.

Aylwin, who died on Tuesday surrounded by his family, won widespread praise for combining booming economic growth with the establishment of democracy during his 1990-1994 rule of what became one of Latin America's most stable countries. The centre-left coalition that he helped launch then ruled uninterrupted until the conservative billionaire Sebastián Pinera became president in 2010.

Head of German anti-Islam group on trial for hate speech

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:56 AM PDT

Pegida founder Lutz Bachmann was charged with inciting hatred through Facebook posts allegedly branding refugees 'cattle'

The founder of Germany's xenophobic and anti-Islam Pegida movement has appeared in court on hate speech charges for allegedly branding refugees "cattle" and "scum" on social media.

Lutz Bachmann, founder of the far-right Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the Occident movement, was charged in October with inciting racial hatred through a series of widely shared Facebook posts.

Eyewitness: Manta, Ecuador

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:37 AM PDT

Photographs from the Eyewitness series

Story of cities #26: Delhi's modernist dream proves a far-fetched fantasy

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 11:30 PM PDT

The planners of independent India's new capital failed spectacularly in their attempt to create a poverty-free modernist utopia. Their legacy is a sprawling city awash with slums and hampered by bureaucracy

Read more articles in the series here

In the late hours of 14 August 1947, on the eve of Indian independence, Jawaharlal Nehru stood at the podium of the Constituent Assembly and delivered his vision for a new capital city. "We have to build a noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell," said the country's inaugural prime minister.

Just outside parliament, however, Nehru's mansion was crumbling.

Right to the city: can this growing social movement win over city officials?

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 02:46 AM PDT

From the Taksim Square and Nuit Debout protests to bank takeovers in Barcelona and women's workshops in Delhi, the pressure for more inclusive cities is mounting. As the UN gears up for Habitat III, will governments listen?

How is public space in European cities changing?

On a grey and drizzly April morning just steps away from the University of Barcelona, dozens of men and women, holding protest banners and wearing slogan-emblazoned T-shirts, stormed into a branch of CatalunyaCaixa bank, chanting "We will never be defeated!"

Within a matter of minutes, the floor was scattered with paper, the walls plastered in posters and stickers. The room was charged with the anger and joy of protest. Bank employees sat sheepishly in a corner, as the protesters continued to sing and shout; police stood across the street, watching.

DfID should make taxpayer pound go further on aid, says watchdog

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT

Department for International Development does not fully understand how taxpayers' money is spent, parliamentary spending watchdog warns

The UK's Department for International Development does not fully understand how taxpayers' money is spent, and the value of its aid is undermined by inadequacies in the UN system, a parliamentary spending watchdog says.

The public accounts committee said DfID does a "good job" in responding to crises overseas, but urged the department to use its influence at next month's world humanitarian summit in Istanbul to secure "much needed change" to the UN-led humanitarian system. It said the department also needed to do more to track its spending in long-running crises.

The construction industry must step up on human rights | Mariam Bhacker

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:54 AM PDT

With the recent allegations of migrant workers being mistreated, all those profiting from construction projects need to face greater scrutiny

The first allegations of labour rights abuses linked to Qatar's unprecedented building binge for the Fifa World Cup in 2022 emerged in September 2013. Since then, pressure on the governments of Qatar – over worker conditions on World Cup infrastructure – and in the UAE – over Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island and the 2020 World Expo in Dubai – has been mounting.

Until now the construction industry has managed to avoid being at the centre of reporting on this issue, but in the past few weeks there have been signs that this is changing, with allegations of mistreatment by migrant workers connected to multinational firms running large-scale projects in the region.

Aid facts and fiction, and terror in Burundi

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 03:10 AM PDT

We digest the latest aid figures from the OECD and Publish What You Fund. Plus, the plight of refugees fleeing violence in Burundi.

If you are viewing this on the web and would prefer to get it in your inbox every two weeks, register for the email edition

High-income countries now spend an average of 9% of their foreign aid budgets on hosting refugees, according to the OECD. Net aid spending reached a record high last year, with domestic refugee costs accounting for the bulk of the rise. Yet Publish What You Fund claims only a quarter of of aid meets transparency standards. The campaign group analysed funds from 46 donors and found most had failed to meet commitments to publish enough details about their development projects.

Emma Graham-Harrison reports on the crisis in Burundi, where teams of thugs are crossing the borders into refugee camps in neighbouring countries to launch murderous attacks on exiles, according to survivors. More than a quarter of a million people have fled in terror but the world's attention is elsewhere.

IUDs, the pill and sterilisation: your experiences of contraception

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 02:15 AM PDT

Accessing family planning is not easy for many women, who face cultural or religious opposition, supply shortages and doctors who won't listen

More women than ever are using contraception, giving hope for a global slowdown in population growth. But despite improvements in family planning services, particularly in low-income countries, the UN estimates 225 million women and girls who would like to delay or avoid pregnancy do not have access to a modern form of contraception.

Following the publication of our interactive on contraception rates around the world, which used UN figures, we asked readers to share their experiences of accessing family planning services. There were many positive responses from women in countries including the UK, Sweden, Australia, Jamaica, Spain and Argentina, who said they experienced little or no problems accessing contraception.

Clinton and Trump wins in New York change little on national scale

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 09:37 PM PDT

Despite a strong victory in New York, Republican frontrunner still faces possibility of contested convention, while Sanders' struggle was predictable

Hillary Clinton wins decisive victory over Bernie Sanders in New York

Donald Trump secures much-needed primary win in New York

Clinton and Trump win New York primary: what we learned

Now that New York has overwhelmingly backed Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, the question many will be asking is how last night's results will affect national politics in the weeks ahead. Surprising though it may be, the answer, with 96% of the votes counted so far, is "not much".

Before New York voted, Trump had 755 of the 1,237 delegates needed to win the party's nomination. After New York had voted, Trump had obtained an extra 89 delegates – considerably more than his nearest rival, Ted Cruz (who had a total of 543 delegates and didn't win any additional ones last night), but still short of the nomination finish line of 1,237. In short, despite winning around 60% of the vote in New York, Trump still faces the prospect of a contested convention in July, albeit a slightly diminished prospect (betting markets, which predict a Trump win, have barely budged either).

Who are the Democratic superdelegates and where did they come from?

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:11 AM PDT

Superdelegates were created in the early 1980s after elected officials and party elders realized they were cut out of the nomination process

At the Democratic national convention in July, 719 people will cast votes for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders to be the presidential nomination who were not selected at any primary or caucus.

These are the so-called superdelegates, but it is not their role at the convention, nor any special powers or abilities, that makes them super. It is their stupendous ability to attract controversy.

Clinton: ‘Victory is in sight’ - video

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:36 PM PDT

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton won big in New York on Tuesday, blunting the momentum of her rival, Bernie Sanders, and taking yet another step towards clinching the nomination. 'The race for the Democratic nomination is in the home stretch and victory is in sight,' she said

Trump wins New York: ‘We don't have much of a race any more’ – video

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:53 PM PDT

Donald Trump won big in the New York primary on Tuesday, gaining nearly 60% of the vote and moving ever closer to capturing enough delegates to win the party's nomination and avoid a contested convention in July. 'It's really nice to win the delegates with the votes,' he said, taking another swipe at the nomination process that he views as corrupt and unfair

Sanders: New York voter rules ‘absurd and wrong’ – video

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 07:26 PM PDT

Bernie Sanders on Tuesday condemned strict voter registration rules in New York state as 'absurd and wrong', after more than 125,000 Brooklyn voters found they had been removed from rolls, as many discover they needed to declare as Republican or Democratic back on 9 October in order to vote. Sanders went on to lose the New York primary, with Hillary Clinton estimated to have secured almost 60% of the vote

Hillary Clinton wins decisive victory in New York primary

#Vets4Bernie: veterans speak out in support of Bernie Sanders – in pictures

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:49 AM PDT

Military veterans who support presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are the focus of a social media project by Clayton Cubitt. He combines portraits of the veterans, personal items such as tags and boots, with quotes about what Sanders means to them. #Vets4Bernie highlights the grassroots support that Sanders enjoys among the US forces

Bernie Sanders, religion and Aipac: what matters to Jewish voters – video

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 08:31 AM PDT

Must Jews feel the Bern in the upcoming New York primary? Purim revelers and Shabbat shoppers in Brooklyn talk to BRIC chief correspondent Brian Vines about their criteria for a good president and weigh in on how religion affects their politics. This is the first in a series of videos with BRIC-TV about voters and God

Visit BRIC TV on YouTube for more reporting from Brian Vines

Earthquake survivors pulled from rubble in Ecuador - video

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:32 AM PDT

Firefighters in Ecuador clap and cheer after rescuing a survivor trapped in the rubble of Saturday's earthquake. Footage shows the man being helped through a hole that was cut in the ceiling of the shopping centre in Manta. Another man was rescued from the rubble of a hotel, his hands waving in the air in a sign of appreciation to cheering onlookers. These were moments to celebrate as the death toll continues to rise beyond 400

Ecuador earthquake death toll passes 400 with many still trapped

Ecuador earthquake rescue operation – in pictures

Sanders and Clinton fans battle it out in New York primary – in pictures

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:00 AM PDT

The Democratic candidates ramped up the tension in the campaign to win the New York primary – Hillary's adopted state and the place where Bernie was born

What are superdelegates? – video explainer

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:00 AM PDT

Superdelegates play a key but controversial role in deciding a party's presidential nominee. For the Democrats, they make up around 15% of the total delegate count – meaning they can go a long way to cementing a candidate's lead, or staging their comeback. But what are superdelegates exactly? And how do candidates win their support?

Ecuador earthquake rescue operation – in pictures

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 02:00 AM PDT

The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along the country's Pacific coast, prompting a state of emergency in several areas. The death toll continues to rise. Aid is being collected and distributed to those affected, as the search for survivors in the rubble goes on

Aneka Info

World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

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