World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Erdoğan calls on Europe to take in more Syrian refugees
- Austria election: far-right candidate and rival tied at 50% in exit poll
- US lifts decades-long embargo on arms sales to Vietnam
- 100 thieves steal $13m in three hours from cash machines across Japan
- 'No Muslims allowed': how nationalism is rising in Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar
- Japanese pop star in critical condition after knife attack by fan
- Pakistan says US drone strike that killed Taliban leader violated its sovereignty
- Snowden calls for whistleblower shield after claims by new Pentagon source
- Iraqi prime minister announces military operation to retake Fallujah from Isis
- Greece pushes fresh austerity drive through parliament
- Barack Obama in Vietnam as US seeks to turn former enemy into major trade market
- Mount Everest: two climbers killed and 30 needing medical help
- Egypt uses oil ministry submarine in search for MS804 flight recorders
- Isis leader encourages lone wolf attacks on civilians in Europe and US
- Turkish president consolidates power as he confirms new PM
- Sanders condemns 'anointment' of Clinton as feud with party intensifies
- Screen-addicted South Koreans compete in 'space out' contest
- Israeli defence minister steps down, clearing way for hardliner
- Yemen suicide bombers kill scores in Aden
- Tajikistan votes to allow president to rule indefinitely
- Obama lifts 50-year embargo on arms sales to Vietnam – video
- Revealed: the dangerous wild animals kept on UK private property
- Chinese steel industry - in pictures
- Ken Loach wins Palme d'Or at Cannes – video
- Burundi exiles record forgotten victims of political crisis
- Police cover up naked sleepwalker in Manchester
- EU membership 'makes Britain literally ungovernable", says former PM adviser Steve Hilton - Politics live
- Rio de Janeiro: Extreme City by Luiz Eduardo Soares – review
- Campaign catchup: flagging polls and frayed ministers
- Race watchdog hails blind recruiting trial to overcome bias
- Dormitory fire kills at least 17 schoolgirls in Thailand
- China democracy activist enters second week of hunger strike
- 'I grew up in darkness': reformed perpetrator urges New Zealand to end domestic violence
- 'My dad bashed me with a machete': NZ man reveals family's violent history – audio
- Everest death: Maria Strydom's family hope to retrieve body
- Mushroom hunters scour US wildfire maps in search of elusive morel
- Philippines leader Duterte calls Catholic bishops 'sons of whores'
- Far right surge in Austria signals end of centrist politics-as-usual
- Black lives matter. So does Islamophobia. Beyoncé in a sari? Not so much | Nosheen Iqbal
- Shocking reason for exclusion of women from ordination as deacons | Letters
- Mullah Akhtar Mansoor obituary
- Exclusive: Pentagon source goes on record against whistleblower program – video
- World humanitarian summit starts amid hope, hype and fear of empty words
- How southern Africa is coping with worst global food crisis for 25 years
- Sexual health gets little attention in a crisis, with devastating results | Tewodros Melesse
- Death of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor likely to enrage Pakistan
- Nenzing shooting 'crazy', says Austria's far right presidential candidate – video
- Mount Sinabung erupts in Indonesia, covering nearby area in ash – video
- Mullah Akhtar Mansoor threat to peace, says Kerry after drone strike – video
| Erdoğan calls on Europe to take in more Syrian refugees Posted: 22 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT In an article for the Guardian, Turkish president says Europe not doing enough to redistribute the 3 million Syrians living in Turkey The Turkish president has asked Europe to welcome more of the 3 million refugees currently living in Turkey, as the main group campaigning to take Britain out of the EU suggested that higher levels of immigration from Turkey could pose a security risk if the country is admitted to the EU. Related: When the world failed Syria, Turkey stepped in. Now others must help | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Continue reading... |
| Austria election: far-right candidate and rival tied at 50% in exit poll Posted: 22 May 2016 11:33 PM PDT Freedom party's Norbert Hofer holds slim lead but postal ballots, expected to favour his opponent, are still to be tallied Austria's political future is on a knife-edge, with the candidate bidding to be the European Union's first far-right president holding a wafer-thin lead over his rival. According to the public broadcaster ORF, Norbert Hofer of the rightwing populist Freedom party (FPÖ) was neck and neck on 50% with his rival Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Green party leader who is running as an independent. Continue reading... |
| US lifts decades-long embargo on arms sales to Vietnam Posted: 22 May 2016 11:43 PM PDT Barack Obama announces removal of embargo on first visit, saying he wants to normalise relations with former enemy Barack Obama has lifted a decades-old arms export embargo for Vietnam during his first visit to the communist country, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner even as he pushes for better human rights from the one-party state. The US president announced the full removal of the embargo at a news conference, saying the move was intended to step toward normalising relations with the former war enemy and to eliminate a "lingering vestige of the cold war". Continue reading... |
| 100 thieves steal $13m in three hours from cash machines across Japan Posted: 22 May 2016 09:31 PM PDT Organised crime believed to be behind coordinated raids across stores in Japan Members of an international crime syndicate are suspected of stealing more than 1.4bn yen (US$12.7m) from cash machines in Japan in the space of less than three hours, in an audacious heist that involved thousands of coordinated withdrawals. Police believe that as many as 100 people, none of whom have been apprehended, worked together using forged credit cards containing account details illegally obtained from a bank in South Africa. Continue reading... |
| 'No Muslims allowed': how nationalism is rising in Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar Posted: 22 May 2016 07:11 PM PDT Concerns grow that Buddhist extremism may flourish unless country's new democratic leaders counter discrimination against minorities At the entrance to Thaungtan village there's a brand new sign, bright yellow, and bearing a message: "No Muslims allowed to stay overnight. No Muslims allowed to rent houses. No marriage with Muslims." The post was erected in late March by Buddhist residents of the village in Myanmar's lush Irrawaddy Delta region who signed, or were strong-armed into signing, a document asserting that they wanted to live separately. Continue reading... |
| Japanese pop star in critical condition after knife attack by fan Posted: 22 May 2016 11:27 PM PDT Mayu Tomita was about to peform concert when she was stabbed more than 20 times, allegedly by a fan upset that his gift to her had been returned A man suspected of carrying out a frenzied knife attack that left a Japanese pop singer in critical condition allegedly told police he had been angered by her refusal to accept a gift he sent her. Tomohiro Iwazaki was arrested after allegedly stabbing Mayu Tomita more than 20 times in the neck, chest, arms and back while she was waiting to go onstage in Tokyo at the weekend. Continue reading... |
| Pakistan says US drone strike that killed Taliban leader violated its sovereignty Posted: 22 May 2016 12:31 PM PDT
Pakistan on Sunday accused the United States of violating its sovereignty with a drone strike against the leader of the Afghan Taliban in a remote border area just inside Pakistan. Related: Death of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor likely to enrage Pakistan Continue reading... |
| Snowden calls for whistleblower shield after claims by new Pentagon source Posted: 22 May 2016 07:00 AM PDT Accusations that Pentagon retaliated against a whistleblower undermine argument that there were options for Snowden other than leaking to the media
Edward Snowden has called for a complete overhaul of US whistleblower protections after a new source from deep inside the Pentagon came forward with a startling account of how the system became a "trap" for those seeking to expose wrongdoing. The account of John Crane, a former senior Pentagon investigator, appears to undermine Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other major establishment figures who argue that there were established routes for Snowden other than leaking to the media. Continue reading... |
| Iraqi prime minister announces military operation to retake Fallujah from Isis Posted: 22 May 2016 11:37 PM PDT Government forces are attempting to regain control of Isis base 40 miles west of Baghdad, says al-Abadi in a TV address Iraq's prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced the beginning of military operations to retake the Islamic State-held held city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, in a televised address late on Sunday night. Iraqi forces were "approaching a moment of great victory" against Isis , said al-Abadi, who was surrounded by top military commanders from the ministry of defence and the country's elite counter-terrorism forces. Fallujah is about 40 miles west of Baghdad and has been under the control of Isis for more than two years. Continue reading... |
| Greece pushes fresh austerity drive through parliament Posted: 22 May 2016 01:16 PM PDT Alexis Tsipras gained approval by 152 of 153 of his deputies, despite many of them having previously rejected the proposals The Greek parliament has approved a fresh round of austerity incorporating €1.8bn (£1.3bn) in tax increases – widely regarded as the most punitive yet – amid hopes the move will lead to much-needed debt relief when eurozone finance ministers meet this week. Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, mustered the support of 152 of his 153 deputies on Sunday to vote through policies that many have previously rejected. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama in Vietnam as US seeks to turn former enemy into major trade market Posted: 22 May 2016 04:04 PM PDT President becomes the third US leader to visit the nation since the end of the Vietnam war US President Barack Obama has arrived in Vietnam for a landmark visit capping two decades of rapprochement between the former wartime foes, as both countries look to push trade and check Beijing's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. Air Force One touched down in Hanoi just after 9:30pm (1430 GMT) for the beginning of a three-day trip during which Obama will meet Vietnam's communist leadership and stress improving relations with the dynamic and rapidly emerging nation. Continue reading... |
| Mount Everest: two climbers killed and 30 needing medical help Posted: 22 May 2016 09:17 AM PDT Dozens need treatment for frostbite and altitude sickness on mountain after deaths of Australian woman and Dutch man Severe frostbite and altitude sickness have left more than 30 climbers on Mount Everest needing medical help, after two climbers died on the world's highest mountain over the weekend. An Australian woman and a Dutch man both died of apparent altitude sickness, the first people killed on the mountain in 2016. Continue reading... |
| Egypt uses oil ministry submarine in search for MS804 flight recorders Posted: 22 May 2016 09:04 AM PDT As teams scour Mediterranean, Egyptian president says it will take time to find out cause of crash and 'all theories are possible' Egypt has enlisted an oil ministry search–submarine in the hunt for the flight recorders of EgyptAir flight MS804, which plunged into the Mediterranean killing 66 people. The so-called black boxes could hold clues to why the Airbus A320 crashed; minutes earlier, smoke was detected in multiple places on board. Continue reading... |
| Isis leader encourages lone wolf attacks on civilians in Europe and US Posted: 22 May 2016 07:49 AM PDT Spokesman for group's media arm tells followers the US-led war is doomed to failure and urges sympathizers to take action during the holy month of Ramadan An Islamic State spokesman has urged sympathizers in Europe and the US to launch attacks on civilians there if they are unable to travel to the group's self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Related: Top US commander in Middle East makes secret Syria visit Continue reading... |
| Turkish president consolidates power as he confirms new PM Posted: 22 May 2016 09:39 AM PDT Erdoğan takes step towards stronger presidential powers with confirmation of his long-time ally as new prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey's president, has confirmed Binali Yıldırım, a close ally for two decades and a co-founder of the ruling AK party, as his new prime minister, taking a big step towards the stronger presidential powers he has long sought. Speaking to members of the party that he and Erdoğan co-founded, Yıldırım called for changes to the Turkish constitution to give more authority to Erdoğan's office and erode the powers of the prime minister. Continue reading... |
| Sanders condemns 'anointment' of Clinton as feud with party intensifies Posted: 22 May 2016 11:10 AM PDT
Facing mounting pressure to end his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders has instead escalated his feud with Democratic party leaders, signalling every intention to fight what he claims is an "anointment" of Hillary Clinton. Related: Trump and Clinton on guns: two visions of race, justice and policing in the US Continue reading... |
| Screen-addicted South Koreans compete in 'space out' contest Posted: 22 May 2016 10:00 AM PDT Participants focus on 'thinking nothing' in public park in Seoul as retreat from stress and digital overload Dozens of people in one of the world's most wired nations have taken part in South Korea's "space out" competition aimed at promoting a life free from stress and information overload. About 60 contestants spent 90 minutes sitting in a public park in Seoul without talking, sleeping, eating or using any electronic devices during the event – under the slogan of Relax Your Brain. Continue reading... |
| Israeli defence minister steps down, clearing way for hardliner Posted: 22 May 2016 09:33 AM PDT Avigdor Lieberman is expected to take over sensitive post from former military chief Moshe Yaalon Israel's defence minister has officially stepped down, capping a tumultuous week of politics in the country. The former military chief is expected to be replaced with an inexperienced hardliner in the sensitive post. Moshe Yaalon's departure cleared the way for Avigdor Lieberman, one of Israel's most polarising politicians, to take over as defence chief. Continue reading... |
| Yemen suicide bombers kill scores in Aden Posted: 23 May 2016 01:05 AM PDT Officials say two bombers targeted an army recruitment centre and the home of an army commander in southern city Yemeni security officials say that a pair of suicide bombers have killed at least 45 people in the southern city of Aden. The officials said the two bombers targeted young men seeking to join the army. One suicide car bomber targeted a line outside an army recruitment centre, killing at least 20. A second bomber on foot detonated his explosive vest among a group of recruits waiting outside the home of an army commander, killing at least 25. Continue reading... |
| Tajikistan votes to allow president to rule indefinitely Posted: 23 May 2016 01:03 AM PDT Almost 95% of voters back unlimited terms for Emomali Rahmon, who has already ruled for nearly a quarter of a century Voters in Tajikistan have overwhelmingly endorsed changes to its constitution allowing the president, Emomali Rahmon, to run for an unlimited number of terms. In a statement, the central election commission said 94.5% of votes cast in Sunday's referendum had backed the 40 constitutional changes, while only 3.3% were against. Continue reading... |
| Obama lifts 50-year embargo on arms sales to Vietnam – video Posted: 23 May 2016 12:42 AM PDT President Barack Obama announces the lifting of a decades-old embargo on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam. He is speaking at a press conference in Hanoi on Monday alongside the Vietnamese president, Tran Dai Quan. He says the move is a step toward normalising relations with America's former adversary. Photograph: Reuters/Carlos Barria Continue reading... |
| Revealed: the dangerous wild animals kept on UK private property Posted: 23 May 2016 12:27 AM PDT Councils have issued licences for thousands of animals, research shows, including lions, wolves and crocodiles Lions, wolves and deadly venomous snakes are among thousands of dangerous animals being kept on private properties across the UK, figures have revealed. Big cats including 13 tigers, two lions, eight leopards, seven cheetahs and nine pumas are prowling behind the fences of addresses up and down the land, an investigation by the Press Association has found. Continue reading... |
| Chinese steel industry - in pictures Posted: 23 May 2016 12:17 AM PDT Photographer Kevin Frayer takes a look at the Chinese steel industry, which produces more than 50% of global output Continue reading... |
| Ken Loach wins Palme d'Or at Cannes – video Posted: 22 May 2016 11:59 PM PDT British film director Ken Loach wins the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes film festival for I, Daniel Blake. It's the second time he has won the festival's top honour. I, Daniel Blake is a social-realist drama about a disabled carpenter struggling with the red tape of the benefits system. "We must give a message of hope. We must say another world is possible and necessary,' he said as he accepted the award. Photograph: AFP Photo/Valery Hache/Getty Images Continue reading... |
| Burundi exiles record forgotten victims of political crisis Posted: 22 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT With moving personal testimonies, site chronicles deaths of civilians caught up conflict over president's third term. Global Voices reports By gathering personal testimonies and information on citizen deaths, a project run by Burundians in exile is recording the stories of those killed during the current political crisis. Violence broke out last year when the president, Pierre Nkirunziza, announced plans to run for an unconstitutional third term. Clashes soon escalated, leading to a series of armed rebellions, mass arrests and assassinations. Continue reading... |
| Police cover up naked sleepwalker in Manchester Posted: 22 May 2016 10:13 AM PDT Officers lend jackets to unidentified individual who wandered out of hotel in early hours A naked sleepwalker wandered out of their hotel in central Manchester and was rescued by police officers. Greater Manchester police said the individual, whom they did not identify, was "grateful for our help [and] saw the funny side themselves". Continue reading... |
| Posted: 23 May 2016 01:04 AM PDT Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen, including George Osborne publishing the Treasury report saying Brexit would cause a recession
The EU referendum takes place a month today and campaigning is in full swing. Here are the key developments this morning. Related: Brexit would cause 'DIY recession', says Osborne [The system has] become so complicated, so secretive, so impenetrable that it's way beyond the ability of any British government to make it work to our advantage — even though I have no doubt that things have improved since the Coalition Government's early days. In this debate on the EU referendum, it's easy to throw around terms like 'sovereignty' and 'democracy'; 'freedom' and 'bureaucracy'. But in the end, we're debating not some abstract concept, but a very specific question about how our country should be run. Continue reading... |
| Rio de Janeiro: Extreme City by Luiz Eduardo Soares – review Posted: 22 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT This political history of Rio reveals a city still in the grip of its violent past It wasn't so long ago that Brazil was the shining light. For a decade this was the emerging economy that everyone envied, a country with many problems, for sure, but a vibrant democracy, endlessly cool with entrepreneurship possibilities. Now, with months to go before it hosts the Olympics, the country is in chaos; the Rio 2016 infrastructure and political system in a mess. President Dilma Rousseff is on the verge of impeachment. Supporters and detractors take to the streets. Luiz Eduardo Soares is well placed to explain and illustrate. A political scientist, activist and briefly national security chief, he casts a melancholic gaze at Brazil's most famous city, Rio de Janeiro – "Extreme City", as he labels it in the subtitle. Continue reading... |
| Campaign catchup: flagging polls and frayed ministers Posted: 23 May 2016 12:23 AM PDT Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison find themselves falling out of lockstep with each other when it comes to entitlements for politicians as Sussan Ley looks uncomfortable on Medicare, writes Elle Hunt Consider this a public service announcement: you have only a matter of hours in which to ensure that you are enrolled to vote. After 8pm, if you're not on the Australian Electoral Commission's books, tough: you'll get who you're given come 2 July. The latest polls suggest that could conceivably be a change of government, with Labor maintaining a 51-49 two-party-preferred lead and Bill Shorten continuing to gain in popularity and close the gap on Malcolm Turnbull. Continue reading... |
| Race watchdog hails blind recruiting trial to overcome bias Posted: 23 May 2016 12:37 AM PDT The Victorian government's plan to test the anti-disciminatory job interview process is welcomed by Tim Soutphommasane The federal race discrimination commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, has welcomed a plan by the Victorian government to trial blind recruiting for public service positions to overcome racial bias. The Recruit Smarter trial will see 29 public and private organisations, including state government departments, Victoria Police, Melbourne University and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, take part in an 18-month pilot program to assess which details should be stripped from a person's initial job application to ensure a more equitable selection process. Continue reading... |
| Dormitory fire kills at least 17 schoolgirls in Thailand Posted: 22 May 2016 11:35 PM PDT Several more students were missing and injured after a blaze swept through the building during the night At least 17 schoolgirls have died after a fire swept through a dormitory in northern Thailand, a police commander said adding several others were either missing or injured. "The fire broke out at 11pm on Sunday (local time, 1600GMT). Seventeen girls were killed and two are still missing, with five injured," Police Colonel Prayad Singsin, Commander of Vingpatao district in Chiang Rai said. Continue reading... |
| China democracy activist enters second week of hunger strike Posted: 22 May 2016 09:36 PM PDT Guo Feixiong was sentenced to six years in prison in November 2015 for taking part in a protest against censorship of a liberal newspaper A prominent Chinese democracy activist who was jailed in 2015 during a Communist party attack on dissent has entered the second week of a hunger strike, according to his sister. Guo Feixiong, 49, was sentenced to six years behind bars in November 2015 for taking part in a protest against censorship outside the newsroom of a liberal newspaper in southern China. Continue reading... |
| 'I grew up in darkness': reformed perpetrator urges New Zealand to end domestic violence Posted: 22 May 2016 09:06 PM PDT Vic Tamati calls on men to break the cycle of violence at a rally in Auckland protesting the death of a three-year-old A New Zealand man who abused his family for decades has made a rousing call for country to become a domestic violence-free zone. In a powerful speech in Auckland on Sunday, Vic Tamati, an anti-domestic violence campaigner, admitted to beating his own family members for 38-years. Continue reading... |
| 'My dad bashed me with a machete': NZ man reveals family's violent history – audio Posted: 22 May 2016 08:51 PM PDT Vic Tamati delivers a powerful speech at a protest against domestic violence in Auckland that was sparked by the death of three-year-old Moko Rangitoheriri at the hands of his carers. A former domestic violence perpetrator, Tamati details his realisation that 'I wasn't supposed to bash up my kids' and issues a plea to New Zealanders to reject abuse of women and children Continue reading... |
| Everest death: Maria Strydom's family hope to retrieve body Posted: 22 May 2016 08:05 PM PDT Australian climber Robert Gropel said to be 'absolutely broken' over death of wife, as Gropel's parents fly to Nepal in hope to transport him to Kathmandu The parents of injured Australian climber Robert Gropel have flown to Nepal where they hope to help their son bring his wife's body down off Mount Everest. Gropel, a Melbourne vet, reportedly suffered high-altitude pulmonary oedema while climbing the world's highest mountain with his wife, Monash University lecturer Maria Strydom, who died on Everest on the weekend. Continue reading... |
| Mushroom hunters scour US wildfire maps in search of elusive morel Posted: 22 May 2016 07:09 PM PDT After wildfires scorched a million acres in the Pacific north-west in 2015, all the signs point to a great season ahead Foragers in the US have begun checking maps outlining where the wildfires of 2015 scorched the Pacific north-west in the search for one thing: morel mushrooms. "It's going to be a good season for finding morel mushrooms, there's no doubt about that," said Brian Harris, spokesman for the Payette national forest in Idaho. |
| Philippines leader Duterte calls Catholic bishops 'sons of whores' Posted: 22 May 2016 06:16 PM PDT President-elect accuses bishops – who criticised him for calling the pope 'a son of a whore' – of hypocrisy, saying they have asked him for favours The Philippines president-elect accused the Catholic church on Sunday of hypocrisy, saying the bishops who had condemned him during his campaign had been asking favours from the government. Rodrigo "the punisher" Duterte, who won the 9 May presidential elections by a landslide, caused outrage in the church hierarchy in December after making a rambling and obscenity-filled speech cursing the pope. About 80% of Filipinos belong to the Catholic church. Continue reading... |
| Far right surge in Austria signals end of centrist politics-as-usual Posted: 22 May 2016 04:15 PM PDT If ostracism is not on the cards then outright opposition or direct engagement seem to be the remaining alternatives Even before the final tally was declared in Sunday's neck-and-neck presidential election, it was clear that regardless of who won, Austria's voters had handed a resounding triumph to the advancing legions of far-right political parties whose disturbing shadow is once again stalking the haunted byways of Europe. The massive vote in support of the hard-right Freedom party candidate, Norbert Hofer marks both a break with the past and, perhaps, a chilling return to it. From Essex to Essen and from Athens to Aarhus, the scale of the vote for the far right will be seen as a death sentence for familiar post-war, centrist politics-as-usual. Continue reading... |
| Black lives matter. So does Islamophobia. Beyoncé in a sari? Not so much | Nosheen Iqbal Posted: 22 May 2016 12:00 PM PDT Some cultural appropriation is insensitive. But not every battle is worth having if it segregates culture and distracts from battling real prejudice 'Is it OK to use the black emojis if you're not black?" As conversation starters about identity politics go, few seem more juvenile and current than this one. (FYI, to avoid the tedium of this real-life chat I had recently, it's easier to stick with your own skin tone.) And yet, here we are, at the frontier of "being woke". On one hand, this means being socially aware about issues such as #blacklivesmatter, racial profiling, privilege, Islamophobia etc – all the big guns. On the other? Not every battle is worth having. To clarify, this isn't a discussion about the very real and very insensitive cases of cultural appropriation in recent years – the most obvious being native American headdresses – a sacred tradition regurgitated as cheap and crass festival costume fodder (so two summers ago, keep up). No, what we're seeing more and more of now are the minority voices within minorities who are policing communities and culture to the point of ridicule. Take, for example, the #reclaimthebindi movement. I understand the frustration: having been embarrassed about your heritage and made fun of when you were younger for your mum's funny clothes and accent, it's jarring then to see Becky at Latitude co-opting sari tops and henna for that ethnic festival look a decade later. It's not necessarily racist, but it is definitely high on the scale of Dumb, Annoying Shit People Do. To be ranked in that same file: colour runs (the Hindu spring festival Holi reconfigured as an Instagram opportunity in Hyde Park); the fact that Black Twitter is rarely credited for setting the agenda for contemporary pop culture; Coldplay's cringe discovery of India on their last album. However, to claim that Beyoncé committed a heinous, culturally insensitive crime by wearing south Asian-style gold and henna in the video for Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend, or that only African American women can truly appreciate Lemonade, segregates culture in an aggressively retro way. It's a parody of earnestness that does us no favours. How did we even get here? Continue reading... |
| Shocking reason for exclusion of women from ordination as deacons | Letters Posted: 22 May 2016 11:49 AM PDT Francis Bown's claim that the sacrament of holy orders in the Roman Catholic church has always been confined to men (Letters, 19 May) is contradicted by the research of Cipriano Vagaggini in 1974. Pope Paul VI invited Fr Vagaggini, as a member of the official International Theological Commission, to research this matter, and the resulting work showed clearly that women were ordained to the diaconate as a sacrament of the church throughout the first millennium and beyond. Among those whose work confirms this, Professor Gary Macy of Santa Clara University reports that the shocking reason for the gradual decline in the office of women deacons in the early centuries of the second millennium was prejudicial male attitudes to menstruation. The 12th-century canonist Theodore Balsamon wrote that "the monthly affliction banished them from the divine and holy sanctuary". What the pope is playing with is surely the fire of the spirit sending gifts not on selected groups but on all and for all. • Francis Bown thinks Pope Francis is playing with fire as he sets up a commission to consider the ordination of women as deacons. Let's hope it's the fire of the holy spirit, the one which promised to guide "all who are far off, all whom God will call". I believe that offers some freedom from the necessity to adhere to the social constraints of first-century Palestine and to constantly rebuild a church fit for purpose rather than a historical re-enactment society. Continue reading... |
| Mullah Akhtar Mansoor obituary Posted: 22 May 2016 09:25 AM PDT Ruthless leader of the Afghan Taliban who bought loyalty with stacks of cash and treated opponents with brute force When he rose to power as its leader last year, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who has been killed by a US drone in Pakistan aged about 50, heralded a new era for the Afghan Taliban. Not only did he replace the movement's founder, Mullah Omar, whose myth alone united thousands of militants, even after his death, but Mansoor also embodied a decade-long transformation of the Taliban. Since its inception in 1994, the Taliban had morphed from a movement founded on fanaticism, austerity and piety to a multibillion-dollar criminal organisation. Mansoor's role was less that of a preacher than a cartel boss. Said to profit personally, and abundantly, from drug trafficking, he bought loyalty with stacks of cash and treated opponents with brute force. Continue reading... |
| Exclusive: Pentagon source goes on record against whistleblower program – video Posted: 22 May 2016 07:00 AM PDT A former Pentagon investigator has spoken on record to the Guardian about major privacy and security lapses within the government's whistleblower program. John Crane, who for 25 years worked for the Department of Defense inspector general's office, which helps federal employees expose abuse and corruption, says whistleblowers like Edward Snowden had little choice but to go outside the system. His revelations can now be made public for the first time
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| World humanitarian summit starts amid hope, hype and fear of empty words Posted: 22 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT World leaders convene in Istanbul with official optimism offset by concerns that summit may prove 'expensive talking shop' rather than catalyst for change Hundreds of world leaders and politicians will descend on Istanbul on Monday in a nominal attempt to reform the global humanitarian system, despite criticism that their summit is a photo-opportunity that will achieve little. Representatives of 175 countries, including 57 heads of states or governments, will attend the world humanitarian summit, as the outgoing UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, attempts to restructure the way the world responds to humanitarian crises. Continue reading... |
| How southern Africa is coping with worst global food crisis for 25 years Posted: 22 May 2016 02:00 AM PDT From Angola to Zimbabwe, food prices are soaring and malnutrition is on the rise as the latest El Niño weather event takes a brutal toll Drought is affecting 1.4 million people across seven of Angola's 18 provinces. Food prices have rocketed and acute malnutrition rates have doubled, with more than 95,000 children affected. Food insecurity is expected to worsen from July to the end of the year. Continue reading... |
| Sexual health gets little attention in a crisis, with devastating results | Tewodros Melesse Posted: 22 May 2016 01:00 AM PDT Women are 14 times more likely to die than men in a crisis. We are calling on the world humanitarian summit to prioritise reproductive healthcare About 125 million people are affected by crises. A quarter of those people are female and of reproductive age – and women are 14 times more likely than men to die in a crisis. On Monday global thinkers, activists and politicians will come together for the world humanitarian summit in Istanbul to tackle some of these issues. It's time for them and us to act as the world faces the largest refugee crisis since the second world war. Continue reading... |
| Death of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor likely to enrage Pakistan Posted: 22 May 2016 03:35 AM PDT The US drone attack on the Taliban chief marks an extraordinary escalation of a campaign that has been a running sore in relations On Wednesday, Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's de facto foreign minister, told a gathering of top diplomats from Afghanistan, the US and China that the 2015 leak of news that former Taliban leader Mullah Omar had been dead for more than two years "not only scuttled the Afghan peace process, it also let to the splintering of the Taliban". Days later a US drone fired a missile at Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, as he travelled in the southern Pakistan province of Balochistan. Continue reading... |
| Nenzing shooting 'crazy', says Austria's far right presidential candidate – video Posted: 22 May 2016 04:27 AM PDT Far right presidential candidate in Austria, Norbert Hofer, comments on the shooting incident in eastern Austria earlier this morning in which a man killed two people and injured several others before taking his own life at a rock concert in Nenzing, near the Lichtenstein border. Hofer said he doesn't think Austria's gun laws are at fault Continue reading... |
| Mount Sinabung erupts in Indonesia, covering nearby area in ash – video Posted: 22 May 2016 03:48 AM PDT Video from Metro TV in Indonesia shows Mount Sinabung, a highly active volcano in Indonesia's North Sumatra Province erupting on Saturday. Several people have been killed in the eruption and a nearby village has been covered in hot ash. Mount Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world's fourth-most populated country, which straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire Continue reading... |
| Mullah Akhtar Mansoor threat to peace, says Kerry after drone strike – video Posted: 22 May 2016 03:20 AM PDT Speaking from Myanmar on Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry confirms a US airstrike targeting Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansoor in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area. Kerry said the strike took place in a remote part of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region and was necessary because Mansoor was a threat to peace efforts in Afghanistan Continue reading... |
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