World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Idomeni: Greek riot police move in before dawn to clear refugee camp
- No country for academics: Chinese crackdown forces intellectuals abroad
- Brazil minister ousted after secret tape reveals plot to topple President Rousseff
- French police turn water cannon on strikers at Marseille oil refinery
- Immigrants in Austria relieved after Norbert Hofer defeat
- Obama stops off for $6 dinner at streetside restaurant in Vietnam
- Rodrigo Duterte will allow Philippines dictator Marcos a hero's burial
- EgyptAir: crashed flight MS804 did not swerve, Cairo says
- Scores dead in Isis attacks on Syrian coastal cities
- World could warm by massive 10C if all fossil fuels are burned
- Purvi Patel's lawyers appeal 20-year sentence over self-induced abortion
- North Korea official rejects Trump meeting with Kim Jong-un as 'nonsense'
- India to invest $500m in Iranian port of Chabahar
- Elijah Wood: Hollywood’s child sex abuse comparable to Jimmy Savile case
- Iraqi forces launch military operation to retake Falluja from Isis
- Mount Everest death toll rises to three amid overcrowding fears
- Freddie Gray trial: officer Edward Nero found not guilty on all charges
- Mau Mau rebellion victims claim parliament was misled over torture
- Ryanair fares cut could prompt price war
- Rightwing violence surges in Germany
- Family holidays could cost £230 more after Brexit, claims David Cameron
- Iraqi troops advance on Islamic State-held Fallujah – in pictures
- Why British environmentalists should vote for Brexit | Michael Liebreich
- Story of cities #48: Cybercity, Mauritius – a vision of Africa's 'smart' future?
- MPs say malaria drug Lariam should only be used by UK troops as 'last resort'
- Greek crisis: eurozone ministers seek deal on bailout and debt relief - business live
- Barack Obama stops off at streetside restaurant in Vietnam for $6 dinner – video
- Coca-Cola production halted in Venezuela due to sugar shortage
- Bowraville murders: supreme court to rule on application for retrial
- Michael Fallon under pressure over fight against Assad and Isis in Syria
- 'Unimaginably wrong': Victoria's gay conviction apology speech in full
- Victorian premier sorry for 'abominable' laws punishing homosexuality
- Hong Kong cancels light display countdown to end of autonomy from Beijing
- Polish push to remove Soviet monuments from public display
- Insect poo turning the Taj Mahal green
- 'Our meeting is the message': Pope Francis embraces senior imam
- Mount Everest: Robert Gropel out of hospital as family tries to retrieve Maria Strydom's body
- Northern Irish women ask to be prosecuted for taking abortion pills
- People of no religion outnumber Christians in England and Wales – study
- Kenya: police and protesters clash in Nairobi – video
- Fourth member of Isis 'Beatles' identified
- Ex-president of the Maldives granted asylum in UK
- Far-right candidate narrowly defeated in Austrian presidential election
- Britain becoming more segregated than 15 years ago, says race expert
- Who are the two men who competed to be Austria's next president?
- Kenyan police in fresh clashes with political activists
- Black bears flock to claim food in evacuated Fort McMurray homes
- Volunteers with crossbows embark on Madrid wild boar cull
- 1936 Olympic gold medallist dies at 102
- UK troops failed to protect Kosovo citizens, court hears
- Story of cities #49: the long road to Rawabi, Palestine's first planned city
- An insider's guide to El-Aaiún: camel convoys and revolutionary rappers
- UN condemns new 10-year jail sentence for Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi
- Aid watchdog urges DfID to consolidate gains on water, sanitation and hygiene
- Public-private deal rejuvenates healthcare in Rajasthan – at a cost
- Humanitarian official effectively expelled from Sudan, says UN
- All roads lead to Djibouti as refugees flee Yemen even as migrants head there
- Most victims of US mass shootings are black, data analysis finds
- Donald Trump takes poll lead over Hillary Clinton – is it time to panic?
- Death of Mullah Mansoor highlights Taliban's links with Iran
- Future of national security whistleblowing at stake in US inquiry
- 'It's not fair': Baltimore residents on acquittal in Freddie Gray case – video
- India's record-breaking heatwave – in pictures
- Aftermath of bomb explosion in Syrian city of Jableh – video
| Idomeni: Greek riot police move in before dawn to clear refugee camp Posted: 23 May 2016 11:42 PM PDT No violence reported as Greek authorities order 8,000 residents of Europe's largest informal refugee camp to leave Greek police are attempting to clear Europe's largest informal refugee camp, where thousands of refugees have been stranded for months just south of the Greek-Macedonian border. Journalists and activists were barred from entry, but witnesses said about 400 riot police entered the camp at dawn on Tuesday to order the approximately 8,000 camp residents to leave. Many left voluntarily in government buses, and by 8am no violence had been reported. Continue reading... |
| No country for academics: Chinese crackdown forces intellectuals abroad Posted: 23 May 2016 09:40 PM PDT Political scientists and law experts flee to America as Beijing's grip on freedoms in China intensifies under President Xi Jinping As Chinese activist and scholar Teng Biao sat at home on the east coast of America, more than 13,000km (8,000 miles) away his wife and nine-year-old daughter were preparing to embark on the most dangerous journey of their lives. "My wife didn't tell my daughter what was going on," said Teng, who had himself fled China seven months earlier to escape the most severe period of political repression since the days following the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. Continue reading... |
| Brazil minister ousted after secret tape reveals plot to topple President Rousseff Posted: 23 May 2016 02:08 PM PDT Planning minister Romero Jucá was recorded saying 'We have to change the government' as the only means to stop a sweeping corruption investigation The credibility of Brazil's interim government was rocked on Monday when a senior minister was forced to step aside amid further revelations about the machiavellian plot to impeach president Dilma Rousseff. Just 10 days after taking office, the planning minister, Romero Jucá, announced that he would "go on leave" following the release of a secretly taped telephone conversation in which he said Rousseff needed to be removed to quash a vast corruption investigation that implicated him and other members of the country's political elite. Continue reading... |
| French police turn water cannon on strikers at Marseille oil refinery Posted: 24 May 2016 12:09 AM PDT Pre-dawn operation at Fos-sur-Mer marks escalation in dispute between President Hollande and unions over labour reforms French police using water cannon and teargas have broken up a picket by striking workers who were blocking access the Fos-sur-Mer oil refinery in the southern port area of Marseille, an official of the CGT union said. The pre-dawn police operation followed warnings from the government that attempts to strangle fuel supplies in a dispute over contested labour law reforms would not be tolerated. Continue reading... |
| Immigrants in Austria relieved after Norbert Hofer defeat Posted: 23 May 2016 11:49 AM PDT Consequences of win for far-right Freedom party had caused alarm among foreign-born residents in Vienna When Muhannad Mohamad arrived in Austria, having paid €8,000 (£6,200) for the journey from Turkey to Greece and then through the Balkans, he could not name a single Austrian politician. One and a half years on, with a decent level of German under his belt, the French literature student found himself glued to the website of the state broadcaster ORF on Monday, following the most gripping political drama the country has experienced for decades. Continue reading... |
| Obama stops off for $6 dinner at streetside restaurant in Vietnam Posted: 23 May 2016 10:28 PM PDT US president popped in for a low-key meal with TV chef Anthony Bourdain, leaving restaurant owner Nguyen Thi Lien stunned She has ladled out countless bowls of her pork noodle soup, but the owner of a Hanoi streetside restaurant says she was stunned when Barack Obama strolled in, pulled up a plastic stool and slurped down Vietnam's famed "bun cha" delicacy. The US president slipped away from his hectic Vietnam visit on Monday night to sample the dish with Anthony Bourdain, a chef and food critic who fronts a travel show about hidden culinary gems around the world. Continue reading... |
| Rodrigo Duterte will allow Philippines dictator Marcos a hero's burial Posted: 23 May 2016 06:56 PM PDT President-elect says he will also pardon former leader Gloria Arroyo but admits controversial announcements could spark nationwide unrest Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos will be allowed a hero's burial, the nation's controversial incoming president has said, in what would be a huge win for the late strongman's family as it pursues a return to power. Rodrigo Duterte also said he would pardon ex-president Gloria Arroyo, who is being detained at a military hospital while on trial for graft and vote fraud. Continue reading... |
| EgyptAir: crashed flight MS804 did not swerve, Cairo says Posted: 24 May 2016 12:13 AM PDT Statement at odds with Greece's line, which says plane en route from Paris made 'sudden swerves' before crashing into Mediterranean Sea The EgyptAir flight that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea last week did not swerve before it went down, according to senior Egyptian officials, in a sharp contradiction of comments about "sudden swerves" made by the Greek defence minister. The differing versions of events from Cairo and Athens came as an international air and naval effort continued to hunt for the black boxes and other wreckage from EgyptAir flight MS804, which plunged into the sea last week with loss of all 66 people on board. Continue reading... |
| Scores dead in Isis attacks on Syrian coastal cities Posted: 23 May 2016 06:11 AM PDT Isis claims it carried out suicide and car bomb attacks in Jableh and Tartous, which until now had escaped worst of conflict Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a series of blasts that killed more than 120 people in a loyalist coastal enclavethat has remained the most tightly controlled part of Syria throughout the civil war. The attacks targeted Tartous, which hosts a Russian naval base, and Jableh, 50 miles to the north. Both cities had been spared the destruction that has laid waste to other parts of the country over more than five years. Continue reading... |
| World could warm by massive 10C if all fossil fuels are burned Posted: 23 May 2016 08:00 AM PDT Arctic would warm by as much as 20C by 2300 with disastrous impacts if action is not taken on climate change, warns new study The planet would warm by searing 10C if all fossil fuels are burned, according to a new study, leaving some regions uninhabitable and wreaking profound damage on human health, food supplies and the global economy. The Arctic, already warming fast today, would heat up even more – 20C by 2300 – the new research into the extreme scenario found. Continue reading... |
| Purvi Patel's lawyers appeal 20-year sentence over self-induced abortion Posted: 23 May 2016 01:40 PM PDT The woman, who was convicted of feticide and child neglect in Indiana last February, generated national attention on lack of access to abortion services Lawyers for Purvi Patel, the 34-year-old whose case turned into a flashpoint in the abortion debate after she became the first woman in the US to be convicted and sentenced for attempting her own abortion, appeared in the Indiana court of appeals on Monday arguing to overturn her 20-year prison sentence. Patel was convicted in February 2015 of feticide and child neglect charges stemming from her attempt, in 2013, to use pills she bought online to end her pregnancy. Continue reading... |
| North Korea official rejects Trump meeting with Kim Jong-un as 'nonsense' Posted: 23 May 2016 02:07 PM PDT UN ambassador calls Trump's proposal to dialogue with the North Korean leader 'a kind of a propaganda … just a gesture for the presidential election' A senior North Korean official has dismissed Donald Trump's proposal to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as a "kind of propaganda or advertisement" in the election race. Last week, Trump said he would be willing to talk to the North Korean leader to try to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program, proposing a major shift in US policy toward the isolated nation. Continue reading... |
| India to invest $500m in Iranian port of Chabahar Posted: 23 May 2016 11:54 AM PDT Indian PM Modi announces deal as part of series of bilateral projects before signing transit accord with Iran and Afghanistan India has announced it will invest up to $500m (£245m) in a deal to develop a port in Iran as part of series of projects both say are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The deal and plans were announced during a visit to Iran by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, the first such trip in more than a decade. |
| Elijah Wood: Hollywood’s child sex abuse comparable to Jimmy Savile case Posted: 23 May 2016 01:58 AM PDT Lord of the Rings star draws parallels between attacks carried out by British TV personality and paedophile rings in Los Angeles Elijah Wood, the actor who took his first film role aged eight before starring in the Lord of the Rings movies, has said that organised sexual abuse of children in Hollywood is rife. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Wood said that although he had been protected as a child – mainly through the efforts of his mother, who stopped him going to parties – many of his peers were regularly "preyed upon". Continue reading... |
| Iraqi forces launch military operation to retake Falluja from Isis Posted: 23 May 2016 10:27 AM PDT Military push aided by Shia militias and US airstrikes comes amid political crisis over Baghdad government's lack of progress Iraqi forces, backed by Shia militias and US airstrikes, have launched a operation to retake Falluja from Islamic State, which has used the city as a redoubt within reach of Baghdad for more than two years. The military push on Monday came amid a political crisis that has pitched a restive public, angered by poor services and widespread corruption, against a government that has been unable to deal decisively with the terror group. Continue reading... |
| Mount Everest death toll rises to three amid overcrowding fears Posted: 23 May 2016 06:40 AM PDT Indian national is third to die while two people are missing as experts say bottlenecks may have contributed to deaths Three climbers have died and two are missing on Everest, underlining the risks involved as mountaineers return to the world's highest peak after two seasons marked by disasters. The Nepal Mountaineering Association said overcrowding and bottlenecks high on the mountain may have contributed to the fatalities. Continue reading... |
| Freddie Gray trial: officer Edward Nero found not guilty on all charges Posted: 23 May 2016 08:03 AM PDT Baltimore police officer, the first of six officers to receive a verdict in the case, found not guilty of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office A judge found a Baltimore police officer not guilty on all of the charges against him for his involvement in the death of Freddie Gray. Officer Edward Nero is the first of six officers charged to receive a verdict since Gray's death sparked uprising in the city more than a year ago. Gray, a 25-year-old African American man, died a week after his arrest from injuries he sustained in police custody, setting off weeks of protest, followed by a riot, a state of emergency and a curfew. Continue reading... |
| Mau Mau rebellion victims claim parliament was misled over torture Posted: 23 May 2016 10:25 AM PDT Compensation claim brought by 44,000 Kenyans alleges widespread atrocities of British colonists in 1950s were covered up The UK's parliament was misled over the brutal tactics used to suppress the 1950s Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya, the high court has heard. A compensation claim has been brought against the Foreign Office by 44,000 Kenyans who say they survived frequent beatings, rapes, torture, forced labour and in some cases castration, at the hands of British colonists. Continue reading... |
| Ryanair fares cut could prompt price war Posted: 23 May 2016 10:10 AM PDT Michael O'Leary's pledge to 'fill our aeroplanes' could cut summer fares by 7% and winter tickets by 12% Holidaymakers could find themselves bagging a cheaper seat on the plane this summer after Ryanair announced it would cut air fares by an average 7%, raising the prospect of a further price war between airlines. The Irish no-frills carrier said it would drop fares to keep its planes full, with demand hit by economic uncertainty and terror attacks, as lower fuel costs cut the cost of flying. Continue reading... |
| Rightwing violence surges in Germany Posted: 23 May 2016 09:22 AM PDT Interior ministry reports 'unacceptable' increase in number of hate crimes, with attacks on asylum seekers' homes soaring The number of violent crimes with a rightwing political motive rose more than 40% in Germany last year accompanying a large influx of migrants into the country, the government has said. The number of crimes committed by foreigners was also up more than 10%. German authorities recorded 1,485 violent far-right crimes last year, up from 1,029 the previous year, according to annual crime statistics. As the number of homes for asylum seekers grew, so too did attacks on them, which more than quadrupled to 923. Acts of violence against those homes increased to 177 from 26 the previous year. Continue reading... |
| Family holidays could cost £230 more after Brexit, claims David Cameron Posted: 24 May 2016 12:28 AM PDT David Cameron says falling pound could hit holiday spending and accommodation in latest warning about Britain leaving EU The cost of a family holiday could rise by £230 and new limits on duty free could put an end to "booze cruises" to the continent if Britain votes to leave the EU, David Cameron is to claim. In the latest warning about the price of Brexit, the prime minister will argue that the cost of holiday spending and accommodation could go up because of the falling pound. Continue reading... |
| Iraqi troops advance on Islamic State-held Fallujah – in pictures Posted: 24 May 2016 12:09 AM PDT Iraqi forces, consisting of special forces, soldiers, police, militia and pro-government tribesmen, have launched a major assault to retake Fallujah, the scene of deadly battles during the US occupation and one of the toughest targets yet in Baghdad's war on Isis |
| Why British environmentalists should vote for Brexit | Michael Liebreich Posted: 24 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT From phasing out coal to creating nature reserves, it is the EU which should be taking lectures from the UK, not the other way round The leading lights of the UK environmental movement would have us believe that a win by the Brexit camp on 23 June would be akin to a natural disaster. According to them, it is only our membership of the EU that renders our beaches swimmable, our water drinkable and our air almost breathable. Freed from the noble, ceaseless efforts of the ever-vigilant EU, troglodyte Britain would tear up decades of environmental legislation and return to our 1970s roots as the "dirty man" of Europe. This is complete and utter tosh. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #48: Cybercity, Mauritius – a vision of Africa's 'smart' future? Posted: 23 May 2016 02:36 AM PDT Ebène Cybercity was built 15 years ago to create a modern working environment for Mauritians and bring a hi-tech hub to this island nation. So does it offer a roadmap for Africa - or a warning of problems ahead? As the fruit bat flies, it's only 300 metres from Cyber Tower 1 to the massive food court and commercial centre that was built to service Ebène Cybercity – the hi-tech office community on the outskirts of Mauritius's capital, Port Louis. But walking from the ostentatious lobby of Cyber Tower 1 to the shops and restaurants can take 20 minutes – if you don't get lost along the way. The fastest route by foot bisects car parks, traverses overgrown vacant lots, and stumbles over temporary walkways past some of the biggest businesses on the island. Continue reading... |
| MPs say malaria drug Lariam should only be used by UK troops as 'last resort' Posted: 24 May 2016 12:23 AM PDT Report says medication, which can have severe psychological side-effects, should only be prescribed as last resort Lariam, an anti-malarial drug that can have severe psychological side-effects, should be prescribed to British troops only as a last resort in a very limited number of cases, MPs have said. The risks associated with the drug were deemed to be so great that military personnel threw them away rather than take them, the Commons defence committee heard. Roche, manufacturer of the drug, issues a "prescriber checklist" asking whether the patient has ever suffered neuropsychological conditions. |
| Greek crisis: eurozone ministers seek deal on bailout and debt relief - business live Posted: 24 May 2016 12:51 AM PDT Rolling coverage of a crucial Eurogroup meeting on Greece, plus Bank of England governor Mark Carney testifying to parliament
In an encouraging sign for Athens, the yield on Greek debt has hit the lowest level since last November. Investors are buying into Greece's government bonds, in the hope that the country is less likely to default on its bonds. That shows they are expecting Greece to receive its much needed €11bn of bailout funds from the eurogroup today.
The FT's Mehreen Kahn explains why this eurogroup meeting is a little different: Healing the Great Schism between lenders - cameo on the Brussels Briefing before #eurogroup https://t.co/HXh3AarfEc pic.twitter.com/DNHbUVVHJ5 Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama stops off at streetside restaurant in Vietnam for $6 dinner – video Posted: 24 May 2016 12:09 AM PDT President Barack Obama pops in for a low-key meal at Hanoi's famous Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant with chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who picked up the $6 bill for dinner. Crowds gather outside to get a glimpse of the US president. Surrounded by bodyguards, he stops to greet excited locals, many capturing the moment on their phones, before being whisked away in his limousine |
| Coca-Cola production halted in Venezuela due to sugar shortage Posted: 23 May 2016 03:13 PM PDT Company spokeswoman says sugar suppliers have temporarily stopped operations 'due to a lack of raw materials' as country grapples with recession The Venezuelan bottler of Coca-Cola has halted production of the sugar-sweetened beverage due to a lack of sugar, a Coca-Cola Co spokeswoman said on Monday. Related: 'We are like a bomb': food riots show Venezuela crisis has gone beyond politics Continue reading... |
| Bowraville murders: supreme court to rule on application for retrial Posted: 24 May 2016 12:43 AM PDT Gabrielle Upton refers matter directly to court rather than waiting for opinion of an independent assessor An application to hold a retrial of the murders of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville, New South Wales, more than 26 years ago will be put before the NSW supreme court. The attorney general, Gabrielle Upton, who received the application from NSW police on Tuesday, said she decided to refer the matter directly to court, rather then wait for the opinion of an independent assessor. Continue reading... |
| Michael Fallon under pressure over fight against Assad and Isis in Syria Posted: 23 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT Defence secretary faces first Commons examination since 2 December vote to extend airstrikes from Iraq to Syria The British defence secretary faces pressure to defend the twin battles to dislodge president Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State in Syria amid signs that UK ministers are looking at a decentralised model that would not guarantee Assad's departure. On Tuesday, Michael Fallon will make his first formal statement to the House of Commons since MPs voted on 2 December to extend airstrikes from Iraq to Syria. Ministers undertook to give oral statements every quarter on the conduct of the air campaign. |
| 'Unimaginably wrong': Victoria's gay conviction apology speech in full Posted: 23 May 2016 10:22 PM PDT Premier Daniel Andrews has apologised for 'abominable' historical laws that made homosexuality punishable with jail. Here is his speech to parliament in full "Speaker – it's never too late to put things right. Related: Victorian premier sorry for 'abominable' laws punishing homosexuality Continue reading... |
| Victorian premier sorry for 'abominable' laws punishing homosexuality Posted: 23 May 2016 10:08 PM PDT Daniel Andrews says crime of 'loitering with homosexual intent' in effect made being gay a thought crime Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has apologised for the "abominable" historical laws that made homosexuality punishable with jail. Related: 'Unimaginably wrong': Victoria's gay conviction apology speech in full Continue reading... |
| Hong Kong cancels light display countdown to end of autonomy from Beijing Posted: 23 May 2016 09:14 PM PDT Art installation on territory's tallest skyscraper called off after arts council accused creators of showing 'disrespect' Days after it was launched, organisers have cancelled an art installation on Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper that carried a politically provocative message about the city's relationship with mainland China. The organisers of a large-scale public art exhibition said in a statement on Sunday that they were dropping the light show on the building's exterior, which featured a countdown to the end of Hong Kong's status as a special region of China. Continue reading... |
| Polish push to remove Soviet monuments from public display Posted: 23 May 2016 06:27 PM PDT State-backed agency wants to take down memorials, tainted by Russian domineering after the second world war, and relocate them to 'educational parks' A Polish agency is campaigning to take monuments to the Soviet armed forces off the streets, dubbing them a bitter reminder of Moscow's domination, and consign them to less conspicuous "educational parks". The state-backed Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which investigates crimes from the second world war to the end of communist rule, wants local authorities to take down so-called "monuments of gratitude to the Red Army". |
| Insect poo turning the Taj Mahal green Posted: 23 May 2016 05:55 PM PDT Alarm in India as nation's biggest tourist attraction is being disfigured by excrement from swarms of mosquito-like flies Swarms of insects breeding in a polluted river near the Taj Mahal are threatening the intricate marble inlay work at the 17th century monument by leaving green and black patches of waste on its walls, archaeological experts have said. Workers were scrubbing the walls clean every day but the regular scrubbing would damage the floral mosaics and shiny marble surface, said Bhuvan Vikram of the Archaeological Survey of India. Continue reading... |
| 'Our meeting is the message': Pope Francis embraces senior imam Posted: 23 May 2016 05:14 PM PDT Meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb is first between leader of world's Catholics and highest authority in Sunni Islam since 2000 Pope Francis has embraced the grand imam of Cairo's al-Azhar mosque at the Vatican in a historic encounter both sides hope will lead to greater understanding and dialogue between the two faiths. The meeting between the leader of the world's Catholics and the highest authority in Sunni Islam marks the culmination of a significant improvement in relations between the two faiths since Francis took office in 2013. Continue reading... |
| Mount Everest: Robert Gropel out of hospital as family tries to retrieve Maria Strydom's body Posted: 23 May 2016 04:32 PM PDT Maritha Strydom says there is 'a glimmer of hope' that her daughter's body could be retrieved from 8,000m up Everest The Melbourne vet Robert Gropel has reportedly been released from hospital in Kathmandu and will now focus on retrieving the body of his wife, Maria Strydom, from Mount Everest. Strydom's mother, Maritha Strydom, said on Tuesday Gropel had been reunited with his parents, Heinz and Patricia, in Nepal after they had flown out of Melbourne 24 hours earlier. Continue reading... |
| Northern Irish women ask to be prosecuted for taking abortion pills Posted: 23 May 2016 02:47 PM PDT Three women hand themselves in at Derry police station hoping to trigger trial to highlight archaic nature of abortion laws Three women have handed themselves into a police station in Derry, stating they have procured and taken illegal abortion pills and requesting that they be prosecuted, in protest at Northern Ireland's restrictive abortion laws. Dozens of pro-choice campaigners gathered at Derry police station in support of the women as they handed themselves in for questioning. The women hope to trigger a trial to showcase the archaic nature of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act – the legislation which makes abortion in Northern Ireland illegal except in extremely rare circumstances. Continue reading... |
| People of no religion outnumber Christians in England and Wales – study Posted: 23 May 2016 02:00 PM PDT Proportion of population who identify as having no religion rose from 25% in 2011 to 48.5% in 2014, surveys show The number of people who say they have no religion is rapidly escalating and significantly outweighs the Christian population in England and Wales, according to new analysis. The proportion of the population who identify as having no religion – referred to as "nones" – reached 48.5% in 2014, almost double the figure of 25% in the 2011 census. Those who define themselves as Christian – Anglicans, Catholics and other denominations – made up 43.8% of the population. Continue reading... |
| Kenya: police and protesters clash in Nairobi – video Posted: 23 May 2016 01:07 PM PDT Police use tear gas and water cannon on political activists demonstrating over electoral authorities in Nairobi on Monday. The protesters claim their leader, the opposition's Raila Odinga, will be denied a fair chance at next year's elections. Police had banned protests in the capital but demonstrators tried to make their way to the offices of the independent electoral and boundaries commission Continue reading... |
| Fourth member of Isis 'Beatles' identified Posted: 23 May 2016 12:50 PM PDT El Shafee Elsheikh, 27, from west London, travelled to Syria in 2012 The last remaining member of a British quartet of Isis jailers who killed and tortured more than two dozen hostages in Syria has been named as a 27-year-old from west London. Dubbed "the Beatles" by their captors because of their English accents, the cell's most notorious member was Mohammed Emwazi, whose murderous exploits were filmed in high definition and distributed by the Islamist terror group. Continue reading... |
| Ex-president of the Maldives granted asylum in UK Posted: 23 May 2016 11:24 AM PDT Malé government calls diplomatic situation 'charade', after jailed former leader Mohammed Nasheed was only allowed to go to Britain on medical grounds Britain has granted political refugee status to the former president of the Maldives, who was jailed in 2015 after a trial that drew widespread international criticism for being part of a slide to authoritarianism in the country . His lawyer disclosed that Mohammed Nasheed had sought political asylum, and this was confirmed by UK diplomatic sources. Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president, was allowed to go to Britain in January for treatment on his back, after President Abdulla Yameen came under international pressure to let him leave. Continue reading... |
| Far-right candidate narrowly defeated in Austrian presidential election Posted: 23 May 2016 10:57 AM PDT Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Green party leader running as independent, pips the Freedom party's Norbert Hofer A leftwing, independent candidate has narrowly prevented Austria from becoming the first EU country to elect a far-right head of state after a knife-edge contest ended with his opponent conceding defeat. Alexander Van der Bellen, a retired economics professor backed by the Green party, defeated Norbert Hofer, of the anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic Freedom party, a day after polling closed and only when more than 700,000 postal ballots – about 10% of available votes – were taken into account. |
| Britain becoming more segregated than 15 years ago, says race expert Posted: 23 May 2016 10:32 AM PDT Prof Ted Cantle, who wrote report after 2001 race riots, identifies trends of 'more prejudice, intolerance and mistrust' in schools and workplaces British society is increasingly dividing along ethnic lines – with segregation in schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces – that risks fuelling prejudice, according to one of the country's leading experts on race and integration. Prof Ted Cantle, who carried out a report into community cohesion in the wake of a series of race riots in 2001, warned that growing divisions had led to mistrust within communities across the country. Continue reading... |
| Who are the two men who competed to be Austria's next president? Posted: 23 May 2016 10:10 AM PDT Norbert Hofer from the far-right Freedom party has been defeated by Alexander Van der Bellen, a Green-backed independent Alexander Van der Bellen, the man who narrowly saw off a far-right challenge to become – albeit largely by default – the first Green head of state in western Europe, is a tall, austere 72-year-old retired economics professor who has often called himself "a child of refugees". A Green MP for 18 years before leaving parliament in 2012 to become a popular Vienna city councillor, Van der Bellen ran as an independent – although his campaign, which benefited from broad support particularly on the centre-left aimed at keeping out his nationalist rival – was backed financially by the Greens. |
| Kenyan police in fresh clashes with political activists Posted: 23 May 2016 09:34 AM PDT Opposition supporters in running battles with officers in Nairobi and Mombasa, as protests over electoral authorities continue Police in Kenya fired teargas and water cannon at opposition protesters, who say their leader will be denied a fair chance at next year's election. At least one demonstrator was reported to have been killed in the clashes and several more seriously injured. There have been several similar protests in recent weeks by supporters of the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who lost the general election in 2013 to Uhuru Kenyatta. Continue reading... |
| Black bears flock to claim food in evacuated Fort McMurray homes Posted: 23 May 2016 09:32 AM PDT After wildfires prompted a frenzied evacuation in the Canadian city, the scent of garbage and rotting food is drawing in many of Alberta's 40,000 bears First came the wildfire; raging through the northern Alberta city of Fort McMurray and prompting the frenzied evacuation of more than 88,000 people. Then came the bears. Continue reading... |
| Volunteers with crossbows embark on Madrid wild boar cull Posted: 23 May 2016 09:27 AM PDT Fifty-five hunters aim to rid suburbs of thriving nuisance but animal rights groups say their method is inhumane A group of 55 volunteer hunters armed with crossbows are working with the Madrid authorities to cull wild boar encroaching on the city's suburbs. Declining numbers of hunters and few predators mean the population of wild boar, is increasing rapidly. The animals destroy vegetation and frequently cause traffic accidents. Continue reading... |
| 1936 Olympic gold medallist dies at 102 Posted: 23 May 2016 09:15 AM PDT Sandor Tarics, a member of Hungarian water polo team, was oldest living Olympic champion Sandor Tarics, a water polo gold medallist for Hungary at the 1936 Berlin Games and the oldest living Olympic champion, has died. He was 102. The Hungarian Olympic committee, citing information from his family, said Tarics passed away on Saturday in San Francisco. Continue reading... |
| UK troops failed to protect Kosovo citizens, court hears Posted: 23 May 2016 09:06 AM PDT Widows of two men and wife of abducted surgeon sue MoD, saying soldiers did not adequately investigate crimes British troops failed to protect the local population in Kosovo and to properly investigate murders and an abduction after they were deployed at the end of Nato's bombing campaign in 1999, the high court in London has been told. The widows of two men, and the wife of a prominent surgeon who was seized and has not been found since, are suing the Ministry of Defence, claiming their human rights were violated. |
| Story of cities #49: the long road to Rawabi, Palestine's first planned city Posted: 23 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT Is this privately financed city project in the heart of occupied West Bank a momentous trailblazer, or a colossal folly? Harriet Sherwood pays a visit In a hi-vis jacket and jeans, Shadia Jaradat pauses on a tour of Rawabi, a new city rising out of a West Bank hill, to point up at the top floor of an apartment block. "That one is mine," she says with visible pride, before continuing her exposition of Rawabi's considerable merits. This privately financed city project in the heart of occupied West Bank symbolises both a possible future for the beleaguered Palestinian people and a microcosm of the obstacles they face. Continue reading... |
| An insider's guide to El-Aaiún: camel convoys and revolutionary rappers Posted: 23 May 2016 06:47 AM PDT El-Aaiún (also known as Laâyoune) is the biggest city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It only sprang from the desert in the 1930s A sleepy, hospitable, mysterious city Continue reading... |
| UN condemns new 10-year jail sentence for Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi Posted: 23 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT UN high commissioner for human rights joins chorus of international disapproval as Tehran revolutionary court finds ailing activist guilty of fresh charges The international community has reacted with outrage after Narges Mohammadi, the ailing Iranian human rights activist already serving a six year jail term, was given a further 10-year sentence by a revolutionary court in Tehran. Mohammadi, 44, was found guilty of "establishing and running the illegal splinter group Legam", a human rights movement that campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty. Should an upper court uphold the judgment, she will have to serve the full sentence. Continue reading... |
| Aid watchdog urges DfID to consolidate gains on water, sanitation and hygiene Posted: 23 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Success of Department for International Development schemes in reaching 63 million people acknowledged, but greater focus on sustainability encouraged The UK has brought water, sanitation and hygiene improvements to almost 63 million people in poorer countries over the past few years, but its aid programmes still need to be more sustainable, targeted and detailed, according to the independent aid watchdog. In a new report, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai) says the Department for International Development (DfID) has made a "significant contribution" to extending global access to water, sanitation and hygiene, noting that DfID managed to exceed its target of reaching 60 million people through its programmes between 2011 and 2015. Continue reading... |
| Public-private deal rejuvenates healthcare in Rajasthan – at a cost Posted: 23 May 2016 05:01 AM PDT The reluctance of doctors to work in remote rural areas has set back healthcare in India's villages, but a public-private partnership in Rajasthan aims to fix that In the women's ward, two newborns are sleeping beside their mothers, one of whom is happy because hers is a boy. The other is unhappy because her child is a girl, and her sixth daughter. The ward is in the primary healthcare centre (PHC) at Bhatodi, in the middle of the countryside, on Highway No 12 in Rajasthan. Continue reading... |
| Humanitarian official effectively expelled from Sudan, says UN Posted: 23 May 2016 03:56 AM PDT Foreign ministry informs top official for UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan that his annual permit will not be renewed Sudan has "de facto expelled" a senior UN humanitarian affairs official after refusing to renew his "stay" permit for another year, a UN statement said on Sunday. The foreign ministry informed the UN in Sudan that the annual permit for Ivo Freijsen, who heads the Sudan office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will not be renewed when it expires on 6 June, according to the statement. Continue reading... |
| All roads lead to Djibouti as refugees flee Yemen even as migrants head there Posted: 23 May 2016 03:09 AM PDT Refugees sailing across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to escape Yemen's civil war are passing migrants heading in the opposite direction in search of a better life Newcomers do not want to stay long in Obock. In the summer, 50C temperatures and ferocious sandstorms sear this dusty port in Djibouti's underdeveloped north. And yet the small town has become a haven for two very different groups. Travelling south are refugees fleeing the war in Yemen, 25 kilometres away across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Heading in the opposite direction are Ethiopian migrants taking smugglers' vessels towards the very same conflict. Nearly 35,000 people have made the journey southwards across the strait (which translates as Gate of Tears) to the tiny authoritarian state of Djibouti since March 2015, when Houthi Shia rebels overthrew the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia responded with a relentless bombing campaign. Just over half are Yemeni. According to the regional mixed migration secretariat (RMMS), which monitors movements between the Horn of Africa and Yemen, the rest are Somali refugees, Djiboutian returnees and other nationalities. Continue reading... |
| Most victims of US mass shootings are black, data analysis finds Posted: 23 May 2016 11:52 AM PDT Few of the incidents in the New York Times-Reddit analysis resembled planned massacres that attracted intense media and political attention in recent years A new analysis of 358 mass shootings in America in 2015 found that three-quarters of the victims whose race could be identified were black. Related: Could more gun control have stopped 2015's deadliest mass shootings? Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump takes poll lead over Hillary Clinton – is it time to panic? Posted: 23 May 2016 10:32 AM PDT The latest presidential polling average shows the Republican candidate ahead by 0.2 percentage points. But this is not the first indication of a potential Trump win For the first time, Republican Donald Trump seems to have edged ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton in presidential polling. But only just. What does it mean and should those opposed to Trump be worried? Related: Reality check: Does the electoral map work in Trump's favor? Continue reading... |
| Death of Mullah Mansoor highlights Taliban's links with Iran Posted: 23 May 2016 07:01 AM PDT Shia state and hardline Sunni group have proved themselves willing to cooperate despite deep ideological antipathy The killing of the Taliban chief on the main highway leading from the Iranian border shines new light on the movement's complicated relationship with Tehran. Although it is Pakistan that has traditionally been condemned for secretly supporting Afghan insurgents, analysts say Iran also provides weapons, cash and sanctuary to the Taliban. Despite the deep ideological antipathy between a hardline Sunni group and cleric-run Shia state the two sides have proved themselves quite willing to cooperate where necessary against mutual enemies and in the pursuit of shared interests. Continue reading... |
| Future of national security whistleblowing at stake in US inquiry Posted: 23 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT As a former Pentagon official condemns whistleblowing system, experts hope justice department effort does more than 'rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic'
Former head of the CIA David Petraeus, in an interview published in the Financial Times on 6 May, was asked if Edward Snowden should be prosecuted. "Unquestionably," said Petraeus. Related: Snowden calls for whistleblower shield after claims by new Pentagon source Continue reading... |
| 'It's not fair': Baltimore residents on acquittal in Freddie Gray case – video Posted: 23 May 2016 01:32 PM PDT A Baltimore judge on Monday acquitted police officer Edward Nero in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. Nero had been charged with arresting Gray without justification in April 2015 and failing to secure him in a police van, where he suffered a fatal spinal injury. Baltimore residents share their views on the case Continue reading... |
| India's record-breaking heatwave – in pictures Posted: 23 May 2016 05:18 AM PDT Temperatures in a city in the desert state of Rajasthan have hit 51C (123.8F) – the highest on record in India. A drought has left many villages and towns without regular water. Schools have closed, some hospitals have stopped performing surgery, and in some regions daytime cooking has been banned due to the fire risk Continue reading... |
| Aftermath of bomb explosion in Syrian city of Jableh – video Posted: 23 May 2016 04:44 AM PDT More than 100 people have been killed on Monday in a series of car bombs and suicide attacks in two Syrian cities, Jableh and Tartous. Footage from one of the explosions in Jableh shows burnt-out vehicles surrounded by charred debris and bloodstains on the street. Both cities are strongholds of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Continue reading... |
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