World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Syria ceasefire talks to restart in Vienna as differences remain
- Afghanistan's 'ghost soldiers': thousands enlisted to fight Taliban don't exist
- Global survey on LGBT issues finds heteronormative views still the norm
- Court condemns tobacco giant Philip Morris over secret bid to sue Australia
- Huge security operation in Hong Kong as senior Chinese official visits
- Iran arrests models in renewed crackdown on unlicensed industry
- Canada to introduce new laws against transgender discrimination
- Man accused of killing five at Calgary party thought world was about to end
- Eleventh-century Chinese letter – just 124 characters long – sells for $32m
- Marco Rubio vents frustration over media reports in late-night Twitter spree
- MH370 search: 'decreasing possibility' plane will be found, say authorities
- Glyphosate unlikely to pose risk to humans, UN/WHO study says
- Syrians returned to Turkey under EU deal 'have had no access to lawyers'
- Global warming will hit poorer countries hardest, research finds
- Underwater treasure trove discovered by amateur divers off Israeli coast
- Tokyo Olympics: Japan to 'fully cooperate' with suspicious payments inquiry
- Little blue men: the maritime militias pushing China's claims
- Poverty, corruption and crime: how India's 'gully rap' tells story of real life
- Turkish parliament debates draft law to strip MPs' legal immunity
- Thailand closes 'overcrowded' Koh Tachai island to tourists
- 'Many suffer but no one talks about it': the rise of eating disorders in Japan
- First man to receive penis transplant in the US hopes to resume a normal life
- Sinéad O'Connor found safe after going missing from suburb in Chicago
- Stalin, vodka and nuclear weapons: how not to write about Russia
- Chad’s ‘torture factories’ under spotlight at Cannes film festival
- ‘Is Bangladesh turning fundamentalist?’ – and other questions I no longer wish to answer
- Rural police would be 'sitting ducks' in terrorist attacks
- Election 2016: Shorten 'cannot deliver' on border control, says Turnbull – politics live
- Petition calls for tourists to be forced to use T-plates while driving in New Zealand
- China’s Culural Revolution targets writers - archive, 17 May 1966
- Marti Caine faces backlash for playing Sun City: archive, 18 May 1984
- Shift in Alberta wildfire prompts evacuation of oil sands work camps
- New Zealand housing crisis forces hundreds to live in tents and garages
- China breaks official silence on Cultural Revolution’s ‘decade of calamity’
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Q&A: the west must stop seeing Muslims only as victims
- Angelina Jolie describes her visit to refugee camp on Syrian border – video
- Yellowstone bison calf euthanized after park visitors picked up animal on road
- El Chapo can be extradited to US, says second Mexican judge
- RSPCA to step back from launching prosecutions for hunting
- Convicted drug smuggler Melissa Reid allowed to return to UK
- Guardian's first virtual reality project goes on show in London
- Angelina Jolie Pitt calls for generosity towards refugees
- Khat's your lot: Yemen authorities limit sales of stimulant to weekends
- World powers prepared to arm UN-backed Libyan government
- Venezuela's state of emergency: what's the situation like where you are?
- Tax hikes threaten to brew up a storm for Greece's coffee drinkers
- Story of cities #44: will Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, really close?
- Where are the world's most fire-prone cities?
- An insider's guide to Yerevan: the city where Kanye likes to swim in Swan Lake
- How do you protect women's rights on a shoestring? | Bethan Cansfield and Kasia Staszewska
- UK campaign to end violence against women must be bolder, says aid watchdog
- 30 million children have lost their homes – they must not lose their education | Kevin Watkins
- Students Speak: the UN's 'famous five' security council must change
- The $4bn destroyer USS Zumwalt – video profile
- TV weather presenter asked to cover up on air – video
- Relics of China's Cultural Revolution – in pictures
- Sandra Ávila Beltran, Mexico's former 'Queen of the Pacific', speaks out – video
- Trump on London mayor: ‘I will remember his nasty statements’ - video
| Syria ceasefire talks to restart in Vienna as differences remain Posted: 16 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will co-chair meeting of International Syria Support Group to patch up cessation of hostilities Efforts to stabilise a Syrian ceasefire and restart stalled peace talks face an uphill struggle in Vienna as the external powers most deeply involved in the crisis try to narrow their differences. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, will co-chair a meeting of the International Syria Support Group on Tuesday in an attempt to patch up an agreement reached in February on a cessation of hostilities and expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged areas. Continue reading... |
| Afghanistan's 'ghost soldiers': thousands enlisted to fight Taliban don't exist Posted: 16 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT Investigation found that 40% of troops in Helmand province are fake names or dead men, leaving Afghan border patrol filling the front line void indefinitely From about 8.30pm until well after midnight, the dark blue sky above Babaji lit up, as rockets and flares crisscrossed above this cluster of villages close to Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. At a mud fortress beyond a river bridge painted in the tricolours of the Afghan flag, 24 members of the Afghan border police dug in. They were not supposed to be there. Continue reading... |
| Global survey on LGBT issues finds heteronormative views still the norm Posted: 17 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT Views include that only 28% of respondents said they would find it acceptable if a male child always dressed and expressed themselves as a girl Two-thirds of adults would be upset if their child told them that they were in love with someone of the same sex according to a survey of 96,000 people in 53 UN member states. The survey, which was conducted by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) found that regional differences in opinion exist, but that overall the findings show "deeply entrenched heteronormative concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity". Only 28% of respondents globally said they would find it acceptable if a male child always dressed and expressed themselves as a girl. Continue reading... |
| Court condemns tobacco giant Philip Morris over secret bid to sue Australia Posted: 16 May 2016 04:43 PM PDT Tribunal rejected the move to challenge plain packaging laws, calling it an 'abuse of rights' An international tribunal has unveiled a secret ruling confirming it rejected a bid by tobacco giant Philip Morris to sue Australia over its plain packaging laws, calling the attempt "an abuse of rights". In its heavily redacted 186-page ruling dating from 17 December 2015, the permanent court of arbitration said it had no jurisdiction over the case brought by Philip Morris. Continue reading... |
| Huge security operation in Hong Kong as senior Chinese official visits Posted: 16 May 2016 11:10 PM PDT Thousands of police officers deployed as Zhang Dejiang becomes highest-ranking Communist party official to visit the territory since 2012 Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, which has been the scene of rising discontent with Chinese rule. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, is the highest-ranking Communist party official to come to Hong Kong since then-president Hu Jintao paid a visit in 2012. Continue reading... |
| Iran arrests models in renewed crackdown on unlicensed industry Posted: 16 May 2016 11:17 AM PDT Women held for violating rules on wearing the hijab as legal proceeding are brought against stylists and photographers Judicial authorities in Iran have launched another crackdown on modelling, arresting at least eight people – most of them women – for activities deemed "un-Islamic". Female models with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram are among those who have been detained for violating rules on wearing the hijab and for posting pictures of themselves online with their hair showing. Continue reading... |
| Canada to introduce new laws against transgender discrimination Posted: 16 May 2016 05:03 PM PDT Prime minister Justin Trudeau says country must set example to rest of the world that hate speech and transphobia are 'simply unacceptable' The Canadian government will introduce legislation to protect transgender Canadians from discrimination and violence, taking a firm stance on an issue that has sparked a political firestorm in the United States. Related: 'I need help': Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's plea sparks anger in Canada Continue reading... |
| Man accused of killing five at Calgary party thought world was about to end Posted: 16 May 2016 07:02 PM PDT Matthew de Grood admits stabbing five students at end-of-semester celebration in 2014 but pleads not guilty to murder as trial begins A young man in Canada who stabbed five people to death at a house party displayed erratic behaviour in the weeks leading up to the incident, telling friends the world was about to end and posting messages online about killing vampires. The trial of Matthew de Grood, 24, began on Monday, more than two years after an end-of-semester house party in Calgary, Alberta, turned fatal. De Grood is facing five counts of first-degree murder in the city's worst mass killing. Continue reading... |
| Eleventh-century Chinese letter – just 124 characters long – sells for $32m Posted: 16 May 2016 10:35 PM PDT Billionaire Wang Zhongjun bought Jushi Tie, thought to be the only surviving work by Song dynasty scholar Zeng Gong, in a Beijing auction A Chinese film tycoon has splashed out nearly £22m on a 124-character letter that was penned nearly 1,000 years ago by a Song dynasty scholar. Wang Zhongjun, a self-made billionaire who some say is China's answer to Shakespeare in Love producer Harvey Weinstein, purchased the letter at an auction in Beijing on Sunday, according to reports in the Chinese media. Continue reading... |
| Marco Rubio vents frustration over media reports in late-night Twitter spree Posted: 16 May 2016 10:03 PM PDT Former Republican presidential candidate signs off hour-long tirade saying: 'Enough for one night. Twitter isn't something you should just rush back into' Marco Rubio has little patience for speculation on his next moves since suspending his campaign for president, but he may have a future as a media critic. Related: Famous last words: the candidates who bowed out of the US campaign Continue reading... |
| MH370 search: 'decreasing possibility' plane will be found, say authorities Posted: 16 May 2016 01:05 PM PDT Australian Transport Safety Bureau says there are only 15,000 sq km of seafloor to be surveyed before search ends The Australian authority leading the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has said there is a "decreasing possibility" that the missing plane will be found. More than 105,000 sq km of seafloor in the southern Indian Ocean has been searched as of 11 May, leaving a remaining search area of just 15,000 sq km. Continue reading... |
| Glyphosate unlikely to pose risk to humans, UN/WHO study says Posted: 16 May 2016 10:53 AM PDT Chemical used in Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller 'unlikely to pose carcinogenic risk from exposure through diet' Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller brand, has been given a clean bill of health by the UN's joint meeting on pesticides residues (JMPR), two days before a crunch EU vote on whether to relicense it. The co-analysis by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation found that the chemical was "unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet". Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Syrians returned to Turkey under EU deal 'have had no access to lawyers' Posted: 16 May 2016 10:08 AM PDT Refugees report being detained indefinitely in poor conditions and not being allowed to rejoin family members in Turkey The first Syrians to be returned by plane under the EU-Turkey deal have been detained in a remote camp for the past three weeks with no access to lawyers, casting further doubts over EU claims that they are being sent back to a safe third country. With hundreds more likely to be expelled in similar fashion in the coming weeks, the returnees have warned that those following in their wake face arbitrary detention, an inscrutable asylum process, and substandard living conditions. Continue reading... |
| Global warming will hit poorer countries hardest, research finds Posted: 16 May 2016 04:49 PM PDT Tropical regions likely to suffer biggest increase in hot days and extreme weather because of climate change, say scientists New evidence that poorer countries will suffer the worst effects of climate change has shown that the number of hot days in tropical developing countries is likely to increase markedly as global warming takes hold. It has long been expected that poor people would bear the brunt of climate change, largely because so many more of the world's poorest live in tropical latitudes whereas, wealthier people tend to live in more temperate regions. Continue reading... |
| Underwater treasure trove discovered by amateur divers off Israeli coast Posted: 16 May 2016 03:28 PM PDT Pair were exploring a shipwreck near the ancient port of Caesarea when they found hoard of priceless objects dating back to the first and second centuries Two amateur divers discovered Israel's biggest haul of underwater Roman-era artefacts in three decades, it has been revealed , as the priceless objects were shown for the first time. The treasures were found last month by Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan when they were exploring a sunken ship close to the ancient port of Caesarea. "It took us a couple of seconds to understand what was going on," Raanan said. Continue reading... |
| Tokyo Olympics: Japan to 'fully cooperate' with suspicious payments inquiry Posted: 16 May 2016 04:48 AM PDT French authorities investigating payments made to a secret bank account alleged to have helped Tokyo secure 2020 Games Japan's prime minister has promised to cooperate fully with French authorities investigating suspicious payments made to a secret bank account alleged to have helped Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympics. "I have instructed the education and sports minister to fully cooperate in the investigation," Shinzō Abe told MPs on Monday. Continue reading... |
| Little blue men: the maritime militias pushing China's claims Posted: 16 May 2016 05:52 AM PDT Ostensibly civilian fishermen are 'buzzing' US navy ships and those of neighbouring countries with rival territorial claims China is using large numbers of irregular maritime militias, dubbed "little blue men", to assert and expand its control over an increasingly large area of disputed and reclaimed islands and reefs in the strategically important South China Sea, the Pentagon says. The militias, comprising hundreds of fishermen and motor boats mainly based on Hainan island, south of the mainland, have been involved in "buzzing" US navy ships and those of neighbouring countries with rival territorial claims. Continue reading... |
| Poverty, corruption and crime: how India's 'gully rap' tells story of real life Posted: 16 May 2016 04:07 AM PDT New generation of musicians rejects fake glamour of Bollywood music, using rap to show the everyday struggle to survive In the chaotic, cramped streets of the Kurla West slums in Mumbai, the familiar sounds of Bollywood music spill out of endless windows, tea stands and passing phones. It is the soundtrack to everyday life in India's biggest city – yet the songs, which speak of a life of glamour and wealth, reflect little of the world into which they are played. But, beneath the surface of the city, a new sound has begun to emerge, one which refuses to airbrush poverty, illiteracy and police brutality. Driven by a similar sense of disenfranchisement that characterised the development of hip-hop in 1970s New York, a new generation of musicians is creating India's own homegrown rap scene – labelled by some as "gully rap", slang for gutter or from the streets. Continue reading... |
| Turkish parliament debates draft law to strip MPs' legal immunity Posted: 17 May 2016 12:49 AM PDT President Erdoğan would use law to target opposition MPs, warns Selahattin Demirtaş of the pro-Kurdish HDP A push by the Turkish government to strip parliamentarians of their immunity is a clear attempt by the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to target opposition MPs and risks inflaming tensions in an already highly polarised country, the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic party (HDP) has said. Turkey's parliament will begin to debate the contentious draft law – which was proposed by Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) – on Tuesday, with a final vote expected on Friday. Continue reading... |
| Thailand closes 'overcrowded' Koh Tachai island to tourists Posted: 17 May 2016 12:42 AM PDT Andaman Sea island to close for indefinite period from October as record numbers of tourists threaten beaches and coral reefs Thailand has closed an island in the Andaman Sea to visitors in an attempt ease the negative affects of tourism on its once-pristine beach and surrounding coral reefs. Koh Tachai, an island in the world-famous Similan national park in south-west Thailand, will close for an "indefinite period" from 15 October, the Bangkok Post reported. Continue reading... |
| 'Many suffer but no one talks about it': the rise of eating disorders in Japan Posted: 17 May 2016 12:34 AM PDT Enormous cultural pressure to be thin and a lack of support for mental health issues has left sufferers struggling Akira, 37, lives in the heart of Tokyo, a metropolis that lights up like a fluorescent fairground at night. She shares the city with 13.35 million other residents, but had no one to turn to when she was suffering from anorexia and bulimia. It's an issue she has faced since she was 11. "Bulimia is very common, but in Japan people don't really care about mental health issues," she explains. "People just avoid talking about them." She could not open up to friends and family members, and so ended up joining Overeaters Anonymous, a programme that tackles a variety of food-related issues from starving to using food as a reward. Continue reading... |
| First man to receive penis transplant in the US hopes to resume a normal life Posted: 17 May 2016 12:14 AM PDT Surgeons attach dead donor's penis to 64-year-old who had his penis amputated to prevent a cancerous tumour from spreading The first man to receive a penis transplant in the US has spoken about his hopes to return to a normal life once he leaves hospital. Thomas Manning, a 64-year-old bank employee, had a dead donor's penis attached to his body by a team of surgeons in an operation at Massachusetts general hospital in Boston. |
| Sinéad O'Connor found safe after going missing from suburb in Chicago Posted: 17 May 2016 12:12 AM PDT Officials reportedly feared for Irish singer's health after she disappeared from Wilmette, Illinois, prompting search and concerned messages on Facebook Sinéad O'Connor has been found safe, local police have confirmed, after a desperate hunt was launched to find the Irish singer when she disappeared on Sunday from a suburb of Chicago. News that she had not been seen since early on Sunday morning immediately sparked alarm as reports emerged on Monday that authorities were concerned for her health. Continue reading... |
| Stalin, vodka and nuclear weapons: how not to write about Russia Posted: 17 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT From an abundance of War and Peace references to claims of extremism, Russia! debunks the most persistent stereotypes When I started blogging about Russia a decade ago it was an attempt, as an American living in the country, to debunk both the positive and negative stereotypes perpetuated by the western media. I was not the only one to be riled. Journalist Michael Idov has also listed his five major bugbears in western reporting about the country: from exclamations that on "grimy and deserted" streets stood Pizza Huts and Versace boutiques, to a tendency to start every headline with the words "From Russia with ... " Continue reading... |
| Chad’s ‘torture factories’ under spotlight at Cannes film festival Posted: 16 May 2016 05:18 AM PDT Hissein Habre: a Chadian Tragedy documentary, due to premiere at the event, sheds light on one of Africa's least-known mass killings There is a heart-stopping moment in a new documentary about the survivors of Chadian dictator Hissène Habré's torture chambers, when one of the torturers kneels down in front of his victim and begs for forgiveness. "I had to follow orders," mumbles the man, now living on the streets as an outcast. "Then why did you have to beat me so badly?" his victim asks, handing the former gendarme the rubber pipe he used to flail his prisoner's leg to a pulp. "Your superiors told you to stop, but you went on and on," adds the victim, who lost a leg as a result of the beating. Continue reading... |
| ‘Is Bangladesh turning fundamentalist?’ – and other questions I no longer wish to answer Posted: 16 May 2016 10:52 AM PDT Bangladesh is not the story of a secular country that has turned to radicalism: it is the story of a country that has, against all odds, survived, even flourished I am a novelist. I look around at the world and I make up stories about people, families, lovers and friends. More often than not, the stories take place in Bangladesh, where I was born. When I close my eyes and think of home, it's the peaty smell of the monsoon, the harsh light of the equatorial sun, the clashing sounds of the capital city, Dhaka, that come to mind. But, more often than not, people do not ask me about the peaty smell of the monsoon. The questions are about other things, the bigger things, such as religion, politics, the unaccounted bodies of the dead, the history that makes the present. I do not resent these questions – I understand why people ask them; after all, the headlines tell a particular story, and sometimes, we look for an interlocutor – someone to bridge the gap between here and there. Continue reading... |
| Rural police would be 'sitting ducks' in terrorist attacks Posted: 17 May 2016 12:21 AM PDT Hampshire Police Federation chairman says armed response units could be up to 70 miles away from possible targets Police in rural areas fear they could be "sitting ducks" during a terrorist attack, a Police Federation chairman has said. Officers in isolated areas, where potential terrorist targets, such as power plants, are located, could be left "unarmed and vulnerable" as they wait for armed officers to arrive, John Apter, the head of the Hampshire branch said. Continue reading... |
| Election 2016: Shorten 'cannot deliver' on border control, says Turnbull – politics live Posted: 17 May 2016 12:37 AM PDT Sophie Mirabella suspects Liberals of leaking against her, as Bill Shorten gets set to campaign in Adelaide. Follow all the latest updates here
Ok, that will do, with the usual thanks and salutations to my colleagues.
Do let me know if you get a call from Tony Abbott. It was good to visit @LiberalVictoria this morning and do some phone canvassing with the team. pic.twitter.com/ITItpInDyJ Continue reading... |
| Petition calls for tourists to be forced to use T-plates while driving in New Zealand Posted: 16 May 2016 10:12 PM PDT Campaign comes amid growing public concern that foreign drivers do not have the right skills to handle the country's narrow and winding mountain roads Tourists in New Zealand would have to display a 'T-plate' on their cars and sit a driving test under an idea promoted by petitioners on social media. According to the New Zealand Transport Agency less than 6% of serious crashes between 2010 to 2014 involved foreign drivers. Continue reading... |
| China’s Culural Revolution targets writers - archive, 17 May 1966 Posted: 16 May 2016 09:00 PM PDT 17 May 1966: Campaign expanded against 'figures representing the bourgeoise' 2016: China marks 50 year anniversary of the Cultural Revolution Peking, May 16 All newspapers here today used on their front pages a long article due to appear in the next edition of the party's theoretical journal Red Flag, entitled, "Criticism of the bourgeois stand of 'Front Line' and the 'Peking Daily'." Continue reading... |
| Marti Caine faces backlash for playing Sun City: archive, 18 May 1984 Posted: 16 May 2016 09:00 PM PDT 18 May 1984: The Sheffield born star ignored anti-apartheid campaigners to perform in South Africa Of course, it was irresistible casting. Marti Caine, popular gritty Sheffield folk heroine, as Fanny Brice - the Funny Girl battling her way out of the Lower East Side sleaze, to stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies. "Her rise to stardom being impaired only by her disastrous private life," as the Crucible press release has it. Caine (who shot to fame when she won New Faces in 1975) had a father who died when she was seven; a mother who gave her to the local authorities when she was nine and committed suicide when Caine retraced her; a husband she married at 17, and lost to her best friend when at last everything seemed to be going fine. With Caine's special flair for musical comedy, and this uniquely miserable background… how could anybody be better equipped to take on Fanny Brice? Continue reading... |
| Shift in Alberta wildfire prompts evacuation of oil sands work camps Posted: 16 May 2016 08:25 PM PDT About 4,000 people moved to safety, while key oil storage facility at Cheecham comes under threat from blaze that emptied city of Fort McMurray A shift in the wildfire burning around the Canadian oil sands hub of Fort McMurray has put about 4,000 people in work camps on evacuation alert, including hundreds who were given mandatory orders to leave the area. An evacuation alert issued on Monday covered 12 camps north of the city, with workers being moved south and all northbound traffic once again cut off at the city, the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo said. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand housing crisis forces hundreds to live in tents and garages Posted: 16 May 2016 07:17 PM PDT Property prices in Auckland have increased by nearly 80% in five years, leaving some families unable to buy or rent Hundreds of families in Auckland are living in cars, garages and even a shipping container as a housing crisis fuelled by rising property prices forces low-income workers out of private rental accommodation. Charity groups have warned that, as the southern hemisphere winter approaches, most of the premises have no electricity, sewage or cooking facilities. Continue reading... |
| China breaks official silence on Cultural Revolution’s ‘decade of calamity’ Posted: 16 May 2016 07:05 PM PDT After ignoring 50th anniversary, party says it gave nation 'immunity from unrest' but must now look to future China's Communist party-controlled press has broken its silence on the 50th anniversary of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution, urging readers to consign the decade of turmoil to the history books and claiming it gifted the country a "certain immunity" from civil unrest. Beijing almost completely ignored Monday's anniversary, fearing that any discussion of the party's responsibility for those disastrous years might undermine its grip on power. Continue reading... |
| Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Q&A: the west must stop seeing Muslims only as victims Posted: 16 May 2016 02:01 PM PDT Somali-born author says critics of Islam must be less squeamish about criticising practices carried out in Muslim countries such as forced marriage It is becoming increasingly difficult to criticise Islam and Muslims in western countries such as Australia, the Somali-born author and human rights campaigner Ayaan Hirsi Ali has said, because "we only see them [Muslims] through this prism of victims and victimisation". It was "perfectly fine" to question and criticise any religion, including Islam, Ali said on the ABC's Q&A on Monday night. Continue reading... |
| Angelina Jolie describes her visit to refugee camp on Syrian border – video Posted: 16 May 2016 12:43 PM PDT Hollywood actress and UN Refugee Agency envoy Angelina Jolie speaks on Monday about seeing the refugee crisis first hand. Jolie, who has visited a number of refugee camps as part of her role as envoy, said she thinks there is another side to the refugee crisis that people don't always see in news reports Continue reading... |
| Yellowstone bison calf euthanized after park visitors picked up animal on road Posted: 16 May 2016 12:37 PM PDT A calf that two men picked up in their SUV because they thought it was 'freezing' was put to sleep after it was rejected by its herd upon returning A newborn bison calf that was picked up and put into the back of car because someone thought it was cold has had to be euthanized, prompting the National Parks Service to criticize a spate of "inappropriate, dangerous and illegal behavior" by visitors to Yellowstone. Last week two visitors, reportedly a man and his son, were admonished by Yellowstone rangers after they picked up a baby bison and placed it into the back of their SUV. The bison was driven to a ranger due to concerns that the animal was cold. Continue reading... |
| El Chapo can be extradited to US, says second Mexican judge Posted: 16 May 2016 12:28 PM PDT Foreign ministry must still approve extradition after latest ruling, which follows a Texas federal court's request and comes week after similar decision A second Mexican judge has ruled that the extradition of drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to the United States can go forward, judicial authorities have announced. The process still awaits approval of Mexico's foreign ministry and it can be appealed. Continue reading... |
| RSPCA to step back from launching prosecutions for hunting Posted: 16 May 2016 11:48 AM PDT New chief executive Jeremy Cooper has outraged animal welfare campaigners with policy of leaving prosecution decisions to the police and CPS The new head of the RSPCA has pledged to continue passing information about illegal fox-hunting and farm cruelty to the police but said that in the past the charity had struck the wrong tone when championing animal rights. In an attempt to redefine the organisation's role following complaints it has become too political, Jeremy Cooper confirmed that, in future, cases would usually be handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether they should be brought to court. Continue reading... |
| Convicted drug smuggler Melissa Reid allowed to return to UK Posted: 16 May 2016 11:47 AM PDT Peruvian authorities have agreed to expel 22-year-old from Lenzie, near Glasgow, who was jailed in 2013, Foreign Office says Melissa Reid, the Briton convicted of drug smuggling in Peru, can return to the UK after authorities agreed to expel her from the country, the Foreign Office has confirmed. Reid, 22, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, and Michaella McCollum, 23, from Dungannon, County Tyrone, were jailed in 2013 after trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5m from Peru to Spain. Continue reading... |
| Guardian's first virtual reality project goes on show in London Posted: 16 May 2016 10:59 AM PDT Previously shown at Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, the Guardian's virtual reality experience 6x9 comes to UK as a physical installation It is estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 people are locked in solitary confinement in the United States. They have little or no human contact. The Guardian's first virtual reality project, 6x9 – named after the typical dimensions of a solitary confinement cell – places the viewer in a virtual cell, simulating the psychological effects of sensory deprivation. Continue reading... |
| Angelina Jolie Pitt calls for generosity towards refugees Posted: 16 May 2016 10:52 AM PDT UN special envoy criticises Donald Trump on immigration, saying 'America is built on people coming together for freedom' UN special envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt has urged the international community to respond to Europe's worst refugee crisis since the second world war with generosity and not the "politics of fear". Related: Angelina Jolie 'very disheartened' by US handling of refugee crisis Continue reading... |
| Khat's your lot: Yemen authorities limit sales of stimulant to weekends Posted: 16 May 2016 10:42 AM PDT Checkpoints are set up and patrols started to prevent midweek shipments reaching southern port city of Aden, say witnesses Authorities in south Yemen have banned the sale of khat on working days and said it will be only allowed into Aden on weekends. Checkpoints have been set up to prevent shipments of the stimulant drug from entering the southern port city, while patrols roamed markets to enforce the ban, witnesses said on Monday. Continue reading... |
| World powers prepared to arm UN-backed Libyan government Posted: 16 May 2016 10:14 AM PDT UN security council members say they are ready to respond to request for weapons to combat Isis following Vienna talks The US and other world powers have said they are ready to supply Libya's internationally recognised government in Tripoli with specific weapons to counter Islamic State, as well as to train the new Libyan government's presidential guard. They are also willing to train the Libyan coastguard to do more to stop people smuggling across the Mediterranean to Italy. Oil shipments from Libya are also to be resumed. The announcements on Monday, designed to boost the new government of Fayez al-Sarraj as the sole legitimate authority in Libya, were made following a meeting in Vienna of diplomats including those from Europe, the US and the Middle East. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela's state of emergency: what's the situation like where you are? Posted: 16 May 2016 10:10 AM PDT We want to know what it's like living in Venezuela as food shortages and power cuts become daily struggles. Share your experiences with us Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, has declared a 60-day state of emergency after a week of violent demonstrations for a recall vote and hours after US intelligence officials warned the country disintegrate. Maduro hopes the state of emergency will allow him to invoke powers to help stabilise the country and "confront all the international and national threats against our fatherland in this moment". Continue reading... |
| Tax hikes threaten to brew up a storm for Greece's coffee drinkers Posted: 16 May 2016 09:42 AM PDT Government to introduce wave of new levies, including 20% on the beverage, in attempt to keep debt-laden country afloat Greeks will be subjected to yet more taxes as the country's leftist-led government attempts to satisfy creditors in charge of disbursing bailout aid. The need to raise an additional €1.8bn (£1.4bn) in revenues to unlock further rescue funds has prompted an array of new levies, from a special import tax on coffee to extra duties on hotel bookings and a consumption tax on beer. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #44: will Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, really close? Posted: 16 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT Twenty-five years after it opened, Kenya has announced its third biggest 'city', the Dadaab refugee complex, is to be shut down. But for many residents, this sprawling slum in an inhospitable desert is the only home they know Kenya's third biggest city, after Nairobi and Mombasa, is not a city at all but a refugee camp – the world's largest. This year the Dadaab refugee complex is 25 years old: young for a city, but old for a camp that was only ever supposed to be a temporary sanctuary. Dadaab was built in 1992 for 90,000 refugees fleeing the war in Somalia. Today it is home to an estimated half a million people, 350,000 of them registered refugees – an urban area the size of Bristol, Zurich or New Orleans. Last week Kenya announced plans to close it by May of next year, to the unhappiness of many who live there. Continue reading... |
| Where are the world's most fire-prone cities? Posted: 16 May 2016 04:26 AM PDT Images of the devastated Canadian city show just how destructive fire can be to urban populations. But the risk is greatest in informal settlements, where high population density and low-grade construction can be a deadly combination With patches of lawn on fire in the front yards of his neighbourhood's suburban homes and flames rising up the trees at the back, Jared Sabovitch frantically got into his car and began driving away from his home in Fort McMurray, Alberta, the Canadian city recently overtaken by wildfires. "Hasty exit," he said as he drove, the phone in his hand recording a video he would later post to Instagram. "That might have been the last time I ever saw my house, right there." Continue reading... |
| An insider's guide to Yerevan: the city where Kanye likes to swim in Swan Lake Posted: 16 May 2016 02:58 AM PDT Water fights, buildings that look like Soviet spaceships and the clacking of backgammon boards give life to the inner courtyards of Armenia's capital Café glacé at opera park Continue reading... |
| How do you protect women's rights on a shoestring? | Bethan Cansfield and Kasia Staszewska Posted: 16 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT The answer, broadly, is with great difficulty. Well done to the UK on leading the way. Now it needs to stump up more cash for grassroots organisations The assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai, the gang-rape of a young woman on a Delhi bus and the mob killing of Farkhunda Malikzada in Afghanistan are only some of the stories that have sparked global outrage and protests at the failure of governments to prevent violence against women and girls. While the extreme level of brutality in these cases is shocking, violence against women is widespread – one in three women experiences abuse in her lifetime. The UK prioritised tackling violence against women in its development work, a move that has helped shift the issue up the international agenda – eliminating all forms of violence is a target within the sustainable development goals. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai) has released a report examining the Department for International Development's (DfID) efforts. Continue reading... |
| UK campaign to end violence against women must be bolder, says aid watchdog Posted: 16 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Icai watchdog praises development department for global leadership on tackling gender violence, but says it should listen more to women The UK's campaign to end violence against women and girls in developing countries has put the issue "firmly on the international agenda" but needs to be far bigger and bolder if it is to have real impact, the independent aid watchdog has warned. In a report, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai) praises the Department for International Development (DfID) for demonstrating global leadership on the issue and helping to increase knowledge and evidence. Continue reading... |
| 30 million children have lost their homes – they must not lose their education | Kevin Watkins Posted: 16 May 2016 04:26 AM PDT As the international community has fiddled, the education opportunities of a generation of Syrian children have burned. A new fund could help change that At the world humanitarian summit next week in Istanbul, Turkey, governments have a rare opportunity. By getting behind an initiative aimed at delivering education to some of the world's most vulnerable children, they could make this a summit that delivers something more than vague promises and a communique that is long on words and short on action. The initiative comes in the form of a ground-breaking financing mechanism. The Education Cannot Wait fund will be launched at the summit by the UN special envoy for education, Gordon Brown, and a group of development agencies, including Unicef, UNHCR – the UN refugee agency – and the Global Partnership for Education. Continue reading... |
| Students Speak: the UN's 'famous five' security council must change Posted: 16 May 2016 03:40 AM PDT We asked, you answered. Students say they would make the security council add permanent African and Latin American members and sort out tax havens if they landed the UN top job With the UN set to appoint a new secretary general at the end of the year, the spotlight is on who will step into the most powerful diplomatic post in the world. They will have a tough job ahead of them, as an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises continue unabated. We asked students to tell us what their agenda would be if they landed the top job. Below is a selection of the best responses. Continue reading... |
| The $4bn destroyer USS Zumwalt – video profile Posted: 16 May 2016 05:55 AM PDT The US navy is ready to take ownership of the Zumwalt, its largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer. The ship's angular shape makes it 50 times more difficult to detect on radar. Advanced automation will allow the ship to operate with a much smaller crew than the current generation of destroyers. It will be formally commissioned into service in October. Continue reading... |
| TV weather presenter asked to cover up on air – video Posted: 16 May 2016 05:04 AM PDT Liberté Chan is broadcasting a weather forecast on Los Angeles TV station KTLA on Sunday when a hand appears on screen offering her a grey cardigan. When she asks why she should wear it she is told the TV station has received 'a lot of emails'. 'I look like a librarian,' she says after putting on the garment TV channel sparks storm by making weather presenter cover up Continue reading... |
| Relics of China's Cultural Revolution – in pictures Posted: 16 May 2016 03:59 AM PDT Tucked away in south-western Sichuan province, a private collector stands virtually alone in exhibiting relics from the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the political upheaval, although no official commemorations are planned in China Continue reading... |
| Sandra Ávila Beltran, Mexico's former 'Queen of the Pacific', speaks out – video Posted: 16 May 2016 03:56 AM PDT Sandra Ávila Beltran has lived, worked and loved inside the upper echelons of the Mexican drug world since the late 1970s. Released last year after serving a seven-year prison sentence – including two years in solitary confinement – Ávila, 56, gave her first interview in nearly a decade. She spoke to the Guardian's Jonathan Franklin in an exclusive three-hour meeting from her home in Guadalajara Continue reading... |
| Trump on London mayor: ‘I will remember his nasty statements’ - video Posted: 16 May 2016 01:27 AM PDT Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate for US president, says he may not have a 'very good relationship' with David Cameron. Last year the prime minister said Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from the US was 'divisive, stupid and wrong'. The newly-elected mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said Trump was 'ignorant'. But in an interview broadcast on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday, Trump says: 'I will remember those statements'
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