World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Donald Trump unveils 'America first' foreign policy plan
- David Cameron and ex-union chief join forces on EU
- Romanian opera row intensifies as culture minister resigns
- US to release report on failings leading to airstrike on Afghanistan hospital
- Tusk rejects Tsipras request for EU summit on Greece bailout
- Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam charged with murder
- Tehran court jails three Iranian journalists for spreading propaganda
- Oklahoma court: oral sex is not rape if victim is unconscious from drinking
- Schäuble takes on bank secrecy in Germany after Panama Papers
- Austria set to bring in stringent new law on asylum seekers
- European MPs urge governments to make airdrops to Syrian civilians
- Britain urges Saudi Arabia to speed up inquiry into Yemen intervention
- Baltimore's uprising: rival gangs push for peace after Freddie Gray's death
- And on the seventh day Americans rested – but pass on religion, poll finds
- Prince had prescription drugs in his possession when he died, say law enforcement sources
- Wicked Campers' offensive slogans hard to ban says expert
- Ten inconsistencies in Donald Trump's big foreign policy address
- Should Europe pay to stop refugees fleeing oppressive Eritrea?
- British family beaten unconscious in Thailand during holiday
- Trekking in Tajikistan's Fann mountains, central Asia's 'crown jewels'
- North American professors' plea to President Rouhani: the full letter
- A year after the Bali Nine executions, Indonesia prepares firing squads again
- Catholics are top victims of Northern Ireland's republican terror groups
- Garbage pile collapse kills three in Guatemala
- British family knocked unconscious while on holiday in Thailand – video
- Solitary confinement is inhumane. I should know – I spent 30 days there | Chandra Bozelko
- Mary Jane Veloso: what happened to the woman who escaped execution in Indonesia?
- Bank of Japan shocks markets by voting against more stimulus
- UN slaps ban on renegade Libyan oil shipment
- Death row in Indonesia: the prisoners who face the firing squad
- Germany to give €1bn subsidy to boost electric car sales
- Time for Europeans to air drop aid to Syrians | Letters
- Australians back Helen Clark over Kevin Rudd for United Nations role – poll
- Bison to become first national mammal, joining bald eagle as American symbol
- New Paris museum to house billionaire's modern art collection
- Speculation mounts that Germany's spy chief was sacked over Snowden fallout
- CSI Seville: park keeper addicted to TV series helps solve murder
- David Cameron rejects peers' call to admit more refugee children
- Venezuela tops list of countries most vulnerable to low oil prices
- Jordan bans Lebanese rock band with gay lead singer from performing
- Eyewitness: Heathrow
- UK's most vulnerable and dangerous inmates live side by side in solitary
- Story of cities #32: Jane Jacobs v Robert Moses, battle of New York's urban titans
- Greenhouse in the sky: inside Europe's biggest urban farm
- Which cities have the oldest residents?
- From preserving ecosystems to building airports, Asia needs to work together | Vinod Thomas and Marco Gatti
- Liberia needs to muster the courage to ban FGM | Mary Wandia
- Donald Trump serves notice that battle with Hillary Clinton will be cage fight
- Carly Fiorina sings lullaby as she becomes Ted Cruz’s running mate – video
- Trump mispronounces Tanzania during foreign policy speech – video
- Trump vows to 'shake rust off America's foreign policy' – video
- 12-year-old girl tells how she accidentally ran a half-marathon – video
| Donald Trump unveils 'America first' foreign policy plan Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:42 AM PDT Republican frontrunner denounces establishment foreign policy in announcing new plan that hinges on an unashamedly US-centric approach Donald Trump promised to save "humanity itself" on Wednesday, arguing he would "shake the rust off America's foreign policy" if elected president with an unashamedly self-interested approach to world affairs. The businessman tried to claim the mantle of Ronald Reagan as he made claims to be developing a foreign policy strategy that would "endure for several generations" by seeking peace through strength. |
| David Cameron and ex-union chief join forces on EU Posted: 27 Apr 2016 02:14 PM PDT Prime minister and Brendan Barber say British jobs, wages and prices would be under threat if UK votes to leave the European Union David Cameron has joined forces with the former TUC general secretary Brendan Barber to issue a warning to Britain's workers that breaking away from the European Union would pose a "triple threat," to jobs, wages and prices. |
| Romanian opera row intensifies as culture minister resigns Posted: 27 Apr 2016 09:20 AM PDT Fears for national opera's future after artistic director's departure leads to cancellation of shows, pay protests and a ministerial scalp There is chaos at the Romanian national opera: a row that began when the ballet company's Danish artistic director resigned has led to shows being cancelled, dancers refusing to perform, local artists protesting over pay for foreign stars and has even claimed a ministerial scalp. The tensions, which surfaced earlier this month, have escalated to the point where government ministers and even the prime minister have stepped in to try to find a solution. On Wednesday, the Romanian culture minister resigned amid the escalating row. Continue reading... |
| US to release report on failings leading to airstrike on Afghanistan hospital Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:16 AM PDT Pentagon to declassify assessment following internal investigation of attack on Kunduz hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières The Pentagon is due to release a report on an internal investigation into one of the most infamous episodes of the war in Afghanistan: a special operations airstrike on a hospital in the north of the country that left 42 civilians dead. The report provides an official assessment of the failings that led to a US AC-130 gunship attacking a Kunduz hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, several of whose patients burned to death in their beds. The organization has called the strike a deliberate act tantamount to a war crime. Continue reading... |
| Tusk rejects Tsipras request for EU summit on Greece bailout Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:17 AM PDT European council president declined Greek proposals, instead urging eurozone finance ministers to call emergency debt meeting within days Mounting urgency has returned to Greece with the country's financial predicament igniting fears of a re-run of last summer's nail-biting drama. Rejecting a Greek request for an extraordinary EU summit to discuss its troubled bailout programme, European council president Donald Tusk instead urged eurozone finance ministers to resume talks that would avert further turmoil. The nation faces default if it fails to receive the necessary loans to cover €3.5 bn in maturing debt in July. Continue reading... |
| Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam charged with murder Posted: 27 Apr 2016 10:46 AM PDT Alleged logistical mastermind of attacks in French capital flown in by helicopter from Belgium, where he was arrested last month Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris attacks in November, has appeared before French judges on charges of murder and being part of a terrorist organisation. The 26-year-old French national was flown by helicopter from Belgium, where he was arrested last month, to Paris on Wednesday accompanied by an elite squad of gendarmes, and was questioned by anti-terrorist police before his appearance at the Palais de Justice. Continue reading... |
| Tehran court jails three Iranian journalists for spreading propaganda Posted: 27 Apr 2016 09:35 AM PDT Press freedom groups condemn sentencing of trio who work for outlets sympathetic to Rouhani administration Three journalists in Iran have been given lengthy prison sentences as the country's hardline judiciary tightens its grip on press freedom in a move seen as undercutting the moderate president, Hassan Rouhani. A revolutionary court in Tehran found the three Iranians guilty of charges including spreading propaganda against the ruling system, conspiring against officials and insulting authorities – charges often used against those held on political grounds. |
| Oklahoma court: oral sex is not rape if victim is unconscious from drinking Posted: 27 Apr 2016 01:47 PM PDT The ruling sparked outrage among critics who argue the judicial system engaged in victim-blaming and upholding outdated notions about rape and sexual assault An Oklahoma court has stunned local prosecutors with a declaration that state law doesn't criminalize oral sex with a victim who is completely unconscious. The ruling, a unanimous decision by the state's criminal appeals court, is sparking outrage among critics who say the judicial system was engaged in victim-blaming and buying outdated notions about rape. Continue reading... |
| Schäuble takes on bank secrecy in Germany after Panama Papers Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:35 AM PDT Finance minister hopes to alter fiscal code so people with money in offshore firms can no longer hide behind banks, paper shows The German finance minister wants to prevent people in Germany who have money in offshore firms from being able to hide behind their banks in future, according to a document seen by Reuters. Wolfgang Schäuble is to present the 10-point plan to the heads of Germany's federal and state tax departments on Thursday. He has stepped up his drive to combat tax evasion internationally following the publication of the Panama Papers, which revealed how offshore firms are used to stash the wealth of the world's elite. Continue reading... |
| Austria set to bring in stringent new law on asylum seekers Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:42 AM PDT MPs vote in favour of law that will allow police to reject asylum seekers at border without processing individual claims Austria is expected to bring in some of Europe's most stringent asylum legislation, days after a far-right politician won the first round of the country's presidential elections. MPs voted on Wednesday in favour of a new law that will allow police to reject asylum seekers at the border and to stop most successful applicants from applying to be reunited with their families for three years. Continue reading... |
| European MPs urge governments to make airdrops to Syrian civilians Posted: 27 Apr 2016 10:20 PM PDT British, French, German and Dutch MPs appeal for food and medicines to be dropped as UN envoy urges US and Russia to revitalise damaged peace process British, French, German and Dutch MPs – whose countries are taking part in air action against Islamic State – are urging their governments to carry out airdrops of food and medicines to relieve starving Syrian civilians trapped in areas that are besieged by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The appeal comes against a background of mounting concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria and the future of a fragile truce. Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy, briefed the security council on Wednesday night following the collapse in effect of the latest peace talks in Geneva. Continue reading... |
| Britain urges Saudi Arabia to speed up inquiry into Yemen intervention Posted: 27 Apr 2016 01:40 PM PDT Foreign minister tells committee he has complained to ambassador over 'frustratingly slow' inquiry into Saudi Arabia's military campaign in Yemen Britain has urged Saudi Arabia to complete an inquiry into its military intervention in Yemen quickly and to admit if it has made mistakes. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood said he had phoned the Saudi ambassador in London on Wednesday to complain that Riyadh was taking too long to complete an inquiry into the conduct of its controversial bombing campaign in Yemen. He said he told the Saudis that the inquiry had been "frustratingly slow", and the Saudi government "needed to put its hands up" about any mistakes made. |
| Baltimore's uprising: rival gangs push for peace after Freddie Gray's death Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:00 AM PDT Bloods and Crips say a truce formed a year ago continues to inspire them to reduce violence in the city as they look to the past to help fix the future On 27 April 2015, as police cars burned and pharmacies were looted, Bloods and Crips helped usher civilians and journalists to safety. They had formed a truce, they said, to help save their communities. Over the next week, as riot police lined the streets, some were more afraid of cops than they were of Bloods or Crips. The gangsters were appearing on national television, meeting with politicians, and working with community organizations. Continue reading... |
| And on the seventh day Americans rested – but pass on religion, poll finds Posted: 27 Apr 2016 05:38 AM PDT Although 63% of respondents say they use it as a day of relaxation only half of Americans say religious significance of Sabbath is personally important to them The proportion of Americans who say a religious day of rest is personally important to them has dropped to 50%, reflecting growing secularism over recent decades, according to a new poll. A similar question asked in a 1978 survey showed 74% of respondents saying the Sabbath had personal religious significance. |
| Prince had prescription drugs in his possession when he died, say law enforcement sources Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:46 AM PDT The Drug Enforcement Agency has been called in by the county sheriff to investigate Prince's recent presciption history. Meanwhile, with no will existing, an administrator has taken charge of the singer's $300m estate Prince had prescription painkillers on his person and at his home when he died, according to NBC News. The US TV news service says its information comes from sources in federal law enforcement. Related: Prince's former band the Revolution announce reunion in his honour Continue reading... |
| Wicked Campers' offensive slogans hard to ban says expert Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:44 AM PDT Two councils in northern NSW want the vans' 'disgusting' messages banned and one wants to bar them from camp grounds Banning Wicked Campers on the basis of their offensive slogans would require a significant change to Australia's sex discrimination law, a discrimination law expert has said. Related: Wicked Campers' repulsive slogans are nothing more than real life click bait | Jane Caro Continue reading... |
| Ten inconsistencies in Donald Trump's big foreign policy address Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:12 AM PDT How closely the Republican frontrunner's first big foreign policy speech stands up to detailed scrutiny is already the subject of fierce political debate For a speech purporting to challenge Washington's accepted wisdom, there was much that was familiar about Donald Trump's first big foreign policy address, not least the customary certainty of its delivery. A call to challenge radical Islam through "philosophical struggle" as well as military force might even have come from the lips of Barack Obama. Certainly no mainstream Republican would ever disagree with the somewhat motherhood-and-apple-pie exhortation for US presidents to view the world "through the clear lens of American interests". Continue reading... |
| Should Europe pay to stop refugees fleeing oppressive Eritrea? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:00 AM PDT As politicians grapple with the migrant crisis experts say cash will only prop up the abusive regime – not stop the exodus The migration crisis has dominated headlines and confounded politicians, but still very little is known about Eritrea, a country from which an estimated 5,000 people are fleeing each month. Despite unaccompanied children from Eritrea being the largest group to seek refuge in the UK, and despite Eritreans being one of the largest groups entering Europe in 2015 after Afghans and Syrians, even the well-informed ask, why? Why Eritrea? What's happening there? |
| British family beaten unconscious in Thailand during holiday Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:37 PM PDT Two men and a woman punched and kicked, then left lying in the street, in resort town of Hua Hin during Thai new year festival Three members of a British family were punched to the ground and knocked unconscious by kicks to the face during an attack at a Thai beachside resort. The holidaymakers, including a middle-aged woman, were attacked by several men during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok that is popular with older Europeans. Continue reading... |
| Trekking in Tajikistan's Fann mountains, central Asia's 'crown jewels' Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:00 PM PDT A national treasure leading tourists for more than 20 years, Brownbook follows Niyozkul Nematov up into these historic peaks Niyozkul Nematov is Tajikistan's "trekking guru", as one online travel site puts it, and something of a national treasure. Eager to share tales and legends about his beloved Fann mountains, Nematov has been leading tours for more than 20 years with visitors often staying at his guesthouse, run by his wife Shoista. Continue reading... |
| North American professors' plea to President Rouhani: the full letter Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:42 AM PDT Cancer and other chronic diseases are reportedly sweeping Iran's prisons and inmates are routinely denied access to proper medical care. A group of prominent professors urge the President to intervene quickly Your Excellency, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani: We the undersigned, a group of university professors in North America, write you concerning the dire circumstances of a number of political prisoners in Iran. It is our hope that you would consider intervening on their behalf and arranging for their immediate hospitalization under the care of competent and expert physicians. Continue reading... |
| A year after the Bali Nine executions, Indonesia prepares firing squads again Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:41 PM PDT Deaths of eight prisoners, including two Australians, prompted a huge outcry – and a pause in executions. But now foreigners on death row fear their own sentences could be just weeks away The chatter is ominous. Talk that the death squad is at the ready; that a new, bigger execution ground is in the making. Officials say it could be just weeks away. Related: Death row in Indonesia: the prisoners who face the firing squad Continue reading... |
| Catholics are top victims of Northern Ireland's republican terror groups Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:20 AM PDT Over last 10 years New IRA and other dissidents have mostly shot people from communities they claim to represent Almost 80% of people shot by the New IRA and other republican terror groups in Northern Ireland over nearly 10 years have been Catholics and nationalists. A study of dissident republican violence has found that from 2007 onwards the hardline anti-Good Friday agreement paramilitaries killed or wounded far more people from the communities they claim to represent than police, soldiers or intelligence services personnel. Continue reading... |
| Garbage pile collapse kills three in Guatemala Posted: 27 Apr 2016 05:40 PM PDT People picking through waste were buried when slope of refuse collapsed, possibly due to heavy rain, say Guatemala City authorities Three people are dead following the collapse of a massive slope of trash at a garbage dump in Guatemala City. Related: Trash-mapping expedition sheds light on 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' Continue reading... |
| British family knocked unconscious while on holiday in Thailand – video Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:05 PM PDT CCTV footage released by local police shows three members of a British family punched and kicked unconscious during an attack in a Thai tourist resort. The two men and a woman have now left hospital after requiring treatment after the assault by a gang in Hua Hin during celebrations for the Thai new year. Six people are said to have been arrested in the seaside resort. Continue reading... |
| Solitary confinement is inhumane. I should know – I spent 30 days there | Chandra Bozelko Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:00 PM PDT After a month in segregation, I emerged gaunt and scared of everything. I was so thin that inmates thought I'd been away getting some type of chemotherapy The isolation of solitary confinement – getting away from the shouts and chaos of the general inmate population – is almost a relief, for about the first 20 minutes. Continue reading... |
| Mary Jane Veloso: what happened to the woman who escaped execution in Indonesia? Posted: 27 Apr 2016 09:28 PM PDT Filipina who was temporarily spared at 11th hour, as the Bali Nine pair and six others were killed, remains on death row amid uncertain future A woman who was temporarily spared death by firing squad last year remains on death row in Indonesia with her life precariously wagered on an slow-moving court case. Related: A year after the Bali Nine executions, Indonesia prepares firing squads again Continue reading... |
| Bank of Japan shocks markets by voting against more stimulus Posted: 27 Apr 2016 08:37 PM PDT Despite weak inflation and household spending, central bank decides against fresh measures to stimulate economy, pushing the yen up The Bank of Japan has surprised investors by deciding against any fresh market stimulus despite shocking data that underlined the huge problems facing the country's economy. Related: Abenomics is in poor health after Nikkei slide – and it may be terminal Continue reading... |
| UN slaps ban on renegade Libyan oil shipment Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:52 PM PDT Security council blacklists Indian-flagged cargo ship for illegally transporting crude oil from Libyan port under control of splinter group The UN security council has blacklisted an Indian-flagged cargo ship for illegally transporting crude oil from a Libyan port not under government control. Related: Renegade Libyan oil shipment sets sail at behest of splinter government Continue reading... |
| Death row in Indonesia: the prisoners who face the firing squad Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:44 PM PDT Indonesia is preparing for further executions, one year after it killed eight men. Nearly half of death row prisoners were sentenced for drugs trafficking – a punishment that violates international law – and many are foreigners. Here is what we know about some of those sentenced to die Continue reading... |
| Germany to give €1bn subsidy to boost electric car sales Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:13 PM PDT Electric car buyers will receive €4,000 when they choose a purely electric vehicle and €3,000 for a plug-in hybrid Germany will subsidise electric car purchases to give a jolt to sluggish growth in the sector and help meet national climate goals with zero-emission mobility, the government said Wednesday. Car buyers will receive €4,000 ($4,500) when they choose a purely electric vehicle and €3,000 for a plug-in hybrid, with the cost shared 50-50 between the public purse and car makers. Continue reading... |
| Time for Europeans to air drop aid to Syrians | Letters Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT As members of European parliaments whose air forces are flying over Syria, we believe it is now time for our leaders to authorise urgent aid airdrops to the country's trapped and starving civilians. The denial of food as a weapon of war in Syria should have ended two months ago. Much-needed food and medicine was expected to reach desperate communities within days of a partial ceasefire and an agreement that brutal starvation sieges would be lifted. Yet two months on, many areas are still on the brink of starvation. Most have yet to see a single aid truck. While all sides have used siege tactics, the government of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for denying access to food, water and medical care to over 90% of besieged areas. In Daraya, a small town of 8,000 people on the outskirts of Damascus, the situation is desperate. Assad's snipers encircle the town, preventing people or food from entering or leaving. The result is starvation. According to the UN, some have resorted to eating grass to survive and many residents are surviving on boiled water with spices. Malnutrition is rife, meaning many mothers cannot breastfeed and no baby milk is available. Madaya, which became world news in January after many civilians starved to death, is still only occasionally accessible. Continue reading... |
| Australians back Helen Clark over Kevin Rudd for United Nations role – poll Posted: 27 Apr 2016 01:54 PM PDT Essential poll finds twice as many Australians support the former New Zealand prime minister, who has put herself forward for the role of UN secretary general Related: Helen Clark, former New Zealand PM, enters race for UN secretary general Twice as many Australians support New Zealand's Helen Clark to lead the United Nations than Kevin Rudd, a new poll shows. Continue reading... |
| Bison to become first national mammal, joining bald eagle as American symbol Posted: 27 Apr 2016 09:25 AM PDT The bison will join the bald eagle, the national emblem since 1782, as America's symbolic animal, in an effort to prevent it from going extinct The bison, an animal once hunted to the brink of extinction in America, is set to become the first national mammal of the US, putting it on a par with the bald eagle as a symbol of the nation. Congress has passed legislation, the National Bison Legacy Act, which names the hoofed beast as a "historical symbol of the United States" and establishes it as the nation's landmark mammal. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Paris museum to house billionaire's modern art collection Posted: 27 Apr 2016 08:17 AM PDT François Pinault achieves long-held ambition to display his €1.2bn treasure trove in French capital One of the world's biggest private art collections is to be housed in a new Paris museum close to the Louvre. François Pinault, the luxury goods billionaire who also owns Christie's auction house, is taking over the Bourse de Commerce in the capital to show his €1.2bn collection of modern masters. Continue reading... |
| Speculation mounts that Germany's spy chief was sacked over Snowden fallout Posted: 27 Apr 2016 06:42 AM PDT Opposition MPs say Gerhard Schindler's dismissal is sign of a pushback against attempts to overhaul the intelligence agency Speculation is mounting in Germany whether the head of the country's foreign intelligence service has been sacrificed as part of a political struggle over how to deal with the long-term fallout from the Snowden revelations. Gerhard Schindler, who has led Germany's version of the CIA since 2012, is being removed two years before he reaches retirement age, the government has confirmed. He will be replaced by Bruno Kahl, a department chief at the German finance ministry with close connections to finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Continue reading... |
| CSI Seville: park keeper addicted to TV series helps solve murder Posted: 27 Apr 2016 05:48 AM PDT Carmen Moreno collected vital evidence left behind by officers after woman was found dead in Spanish park A park keeper and big fan of the CSI series of forensic criminal investigation TV dramas helped solve a murder in southern Spain when she bagged up vital evidence overlooked by police. Carmen Moreno, who has been sweeping leaves and collecting rubbish in the María Luisa park in Seville for 28 years, went to clean up the mess the police left behind after a woman's body was found in the park. Continue reading... |
| David Cameron rejects peers' call to admit more refugee children Posted: 27 Apr 2016 05:08 AM PDT PM says refugees in Europe cannot be likened to Jewish children fleeing Germany in 1930s David Cameron has rejected an attempt by the House of Lords to force the UK to take in child refugees from Europe, arguing that they are in safe countries and not comparable to those fleeing Nazi Germany. The prime minister defended his position amid a standoff between the Commons and Lords about the plight of child refugees who have already travelled to Europe from Syria and other war-torn countries. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela tops list of countries most vulnerable to low oil prices Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:44 AM PDT IMF predicts further contraction in an already struggling economy as crude prices fail to rise fast enough For Venezuela, the rise in the price of oil to a 2016 high is much too little and way too late. Every commodity-producing country has been vulnerable to the dramatic slump in the cost of crude, but Venezuela more than most. Energy accounts for almost all of Venezuela's exports and so the drop in the oil price from $115 a barrel in the summer of 2014 to its current level of just over $45 a barrel has been a body blow to the government in Caracas. Continue reading... |
| Jordan bans Lebanese rock band with gay lead singer from performing Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:38 AM PDT Mashrou' Leila tell fans that authorities withdrew approval for gig and unofficially banned them from playing in Jordan again A Lebanese rock band with a gay lead singer have been banned from performing a concert in Jordan. Mashrou' Leila, a five-piece from Beirut, are known for their controversial lyrics covering topics such as homosexuality, gender equality, and political and religious freedom. They have been described as "the soundtrack to the Arab spring". Continue reading... |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2016 03:14 AM PDT Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| UK's most vulnerable and dangerous inmates live side by side in solitary Posted: 27 Apr 2016 02:55 AM PDT British practice differs from elsewhere in EU in using segregation to isolate prisoners at risk of self-harm or harm from others Solitary confinement, or segregation as it is known in British prisons, is used fairly sparingly in prisons in England and Wales, according to the European Prison Observatory. |
| Story of cities #32: Jane Jacobs v Robert Moses, battle of New York's urban titans Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:30 PM PDT When city planning supremo Robert Moses proposed a road through Greenwich Village in 1955, he met opposition from one particularly feisty local resident: Jane Jacobs. It was the start of a decades-long struggle for swaths of New York In 1961, Bennett Cerf, one of the founders of the publishing firm Random House, sent a copy of a new book by Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of American Cities, to the legendary city planner Robert Moses. Moses's reply was curt: Dear Bennett, I am returning the book you sent me. Aside from the fact that it is intemperate and inaccurate, it is also libelous. I call your attention, for example, to page 131. Sell this junk to someone else. Continue reading... |
| Greenhouse in the sky: inside Europe's biggest urban farm Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:12 AM PDT A disused office in The Hague has been revamped as a sprawling rooftop greenhouse, with a fish farm operating on the floor below. Are we entering a new age of urban agriculture? At the top of an empty 1950s office block that once belonged to the Dutch telecommunications powerhouse Philips, above an abandoned reception desk and six floors of vacant office space, is a shock of green. Here, on a concrete building in The Hague, is a modern experiment: Europe's largest urban farm. Tomatoes, vegetables and trendy "microgreens" are sprouting in a sprawling 1,200 sq m rooftop greenhouse. Below, on the fishy-smelling sixth floor, is a huge fish farm. Continue reading... |
| Which cities have the oldest residents? Posted: 27 Apr 2016 02:44 AM PDT By 2020, the global population of people over 60 will outnumber children under five for the first time. How will our ageing communities affect urban life – and where is the phenomenon most noticeable? One of Tokyo's many grey-haired taxi drivers once challenged me to guess his age. Trying to be polite, I pegged him at 64. "I'm 82", he grinned. Such an admission wouldn't usually inspire confidence in a passenger. But in Tokyo, where almost a quarter of the population are over 65, working so late in life isn't just a personal triumph; it's fast becoming a social necessity. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:00 PM PDT When two or more countries come together they can solve the problem better than one on its own, with far reaching benefits and greater success rates In an increasingly fragile, interconnected world, where humanitarian and development needs are a burden on budgets, cooperation is a buzzword. The scale of the challenges facing humanity, and the scope of ambitions to leave no one behind under the new global development roadmap, have placed collaboration in the spotlight. This holds true for regional development as well as humanitarian initiatives. But international projects require time and effort, and a nagging question has long been whether all that work is worth the trouble. Continue reading... |
| Liberia needs to muster the courage to ban FGM | Mary Wandia Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:37 AM PDT President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has called on others to ban female genital mutilation, yet her country is poised to miss an opportunity to end the practice When Nobel peace prize laureate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected Africa's first female head of state in 2005, expectations were high. Throughout both her terms as president, she has talked about her firm commitment to women's rights, coming out strongly in favour of the health and safety of women and girls. Last year, at an international event on gender equality, President Johnson-Sirleaf said: "Too many of our countries have yet to muster the courage to ban the irreparable harm inflicted by genital mutilation on young girls in traditional societies." It was a controversial statement, as Liberia is one of the states yet to do so – half of Liberian women and girls (pdf) are estimated to have undergone this extreme form of violence. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Donald Trump serves notice that battle with Hillary Clinton will be cage fight Posted: 27 Apr 2016 11:27 AM PDT Trump's 'woman card' comment proves he'll use anything he can against Clinton – which Democrats may use to their advantage in securing female voters As Donald Trump marched closer to the Republican nomination on Tuesday, the brash billionaire left little doubt that a general election contest against Hillary Clinton would be nothing short of a cage fight. Coming only a few days after his campaign's insistence that the American public would soon see a softer, more measured Trump, the Republican frontrunner took a swipe at Clinton over what he said was her use of the "woman's card". It was not the first time Trump had gone after Clinton on the basis of her gender, but was nonetheless emblematic of the no holds barred approach that has defined his candidacy. |
| Carly Fiorina sings lullaby as she becomes Ted Cruz’s running mate – video Posted: 27 Apr 2016 06:03 PM PDT Carly Fiorina appears so happy to be announced as Ted Cruz's potential presidential running mate that she breaks into song during her acceptance speech. The lullaby, dedicated to Cruz's two daughters, has been met with mixed reactions on Twitter, with many ridiculing the former Hewlett Packard bvoss for her impromptu performance. Continue reading... |
| Trump mispronounces Tanzania during foreign policy speech – video Posted: 27 Apr 2016 01:56 PM PDT Donald Trump drew ridicule from social media, news outlets and even the White House on Wednesday after incorrectly pronouncing the word 'Tanzania' during a major foreign policy speech. Trump made a reference to the African nation while talking about the 1998 bombing of the American embassy there. Calling it 'Tan-ZAY-nee-uh', Trump appeared unaware of his error Continue reading... |
| Trump vows to 'shake rust off America's foreign policy' – video Posted: 27 Apr 2016 01:42 PM PDT The Republican frontrunner outlined his foreign policy plan in a major address on Wednesday. Trump delivered a withering critique of Barack Obama's foreign policy, saying the Democratic president had let China take advantage of the US and failed to defeat Isis militants. He also promised to make America's allies bear more of the financial burden for their defense Continue reading... |
| 12-year-old girl tells how she accidentally ran a half-marathon – video Posted: 27 Apr 2016 02:29 AM PDT 12-year-old LeeAdianez Rodriguez describes how she ended up running a half-marathon instead of the 5km race she had originally registered for in Sunday's Rochester Regional Health Flower City Challenge in New York. Rodriguez thought she was arriving late at the starting line when the race started, so she began running with the rest of the runners. She only realised halfway through she was on the wrong course but decided to finish anyway Continue reading... |
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