World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Afghan Taliban appoint Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada as new leader
- Protests at Donald Trump rally overshadow Washington primary win
- Across Europe, distrust of mainstream political parties is on the rise
- G7 in Japan: concern over world leaders' tour of nationalistic shrine
- Bill Cosby: comedian to stand trial on sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania
- 'My grandsons' fight to avenge their father': child soldiers in Afghanistan
- Syrian airbase used by Russia damaged in Isis attack – report
- Poland starts logging primeval Bialowieza forest despite protests
- EgyptAir crash: flight MS804 showed 'no signs of technical fault' preflight
- Dublin gangland feud claims seventh victim
- Justice department seeks death penalty for Charleston shooter Dylann Roof
- Donald Trump could face chaos as he heads to ‘riot-happy’ California city
- Eurozone unlocks €10.3bn bailout loan for Greece
- Gender inequality ‘an insurmountable obstacle for many women’
- San Francisco retracts program to pay to reserve park's lawn areas amid outrage
- Google offices raided in Paris as prosecutors announce fraud probe
- Mossack Fonseca still under investigation in British Virgin Islands
- 'Tomato Ebola' hits Nigeria as moths destroy country's staple food
- Neil Young permits Trump to Keep on Rockin'
- Rockefeller reaches 100 resilient cities target, but 'work is only just beginning'
- US act aimed at curbing impunity for murderers of journalists
- Former military officers join Brexit campaign
- Eritreans still denied freedom 25 years after independence
- How Russia's independent media was dismantled piece by piece
- Kazakhstan jails online editor for 'spreading false information'
- How we survived: child refugees given a stage to tell their stories
- Sister of NHS doctor who joined Isis says parents will 'never forgive him'
- Debt campaigners criticise IMF over Greek deal - live updates
- Anti-Trump protests turn violent in New Mexico – video
- Capybaras on the loose in Toronto after escape from local zoo
- Story of cities #50: the reclaimed stream bringing life to the heart of Seoul
- Parramatta NRL player Corey Norman charged with drug offences
- Annual Roma pilgrimage at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer – in pictures
- Yanis Varoufakis: Australia's negative gearing is 'scandalous'
- The enduring whiteness of the American media | Howard French
- Japan's women of the sea hope G7 will boost their dying way of life
- Reboot: Adidas to make shoes in Germany again – but using robots
- Rome calls on companies and the rich to adopt crumbling ancient sites
- Man mauled by lions in Chilean zoo is recovering, say authorities
- Theresa May agrees to review of snooper's charter powers
- Drone footage captures Cambodian canal overrun by rubbish – video
- Britain as a godless country – or at least a less godly one | Letters
- Bill Cosby to stand trial on sexual assault charges – video
- Pakistan condemns US drone strike that killed Taliban leader Mansoor
- Turkey threatens to block EU migration deal without visa-free travel
- Riots erupt in Barcelona after squatters evicted – video
- Daughter of missing publisher calls for international help
- Colombia launches huge search as two more journalists go missing
- Alleged Bill Cosby victim's 2005 sexual assault report read at court hearing
- Obama urges Vietnam to respect human rights as 'the foundation of progress'
- Prosecutors suspect mafia of rigging exam for Italian prison guard jobs
- MoD to investigate claims Saudis used UK cluster bombs in Yemen
- Missing EgyptAir flight: what we know so far – video
- Can Johannesburg reinvent itself as Africa’s first cycle-friendly megacity?
- Children working in Indonesia's tobacco fields risk poisoning, says report
- Why are so many children around the world out of school? – podcast transcript
- Campaigners celebrate slavery prosecutions in Mauritania
- Schools reduced to rubble and ruins by conflict – in pictures
- Divert 10% of EU funds to deal with refugee crisis, says Germany
- Trump has Bill Clinton's past in his sights – how should Hillary respond?
- Brussels anti-austerity protesters clash with police – video
- Mount Etna spews molten rock and fire – video
- John Oliver mocks Chechen leader over his lost cat – video
| Afghan Taliban appoint Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada as new leader Posted: 24 May 2016 09:59 PM PDT Deputy of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who was killed in a US drone strike last week, will take control of insurgent group The Taliban in Afghanistan have confirmed the death of former leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a US drone strike last week and appointed his successor. Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, a prominent religious scholar and deputy to the killed leader, will head the militant movement, which has been in disarray since its founder, Mullah Omar, was proclaimed dead last summer. Continue reading... |
| Protests at Donald Trump rally overshadow Washington primary win Posted: 24 May 2016 11:56 PM PDT
Donald Trump easily won the Washington state primary on Tuesday, but his victory was overshadowed by violence outside a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where protesters smashed windows and threw rocks at police. With 73% of votes counted in Washington, Trump had won 76.2% of primary voters. John Kasich and Ted Cruz, both of whom have dropped out of the race, had won 9.9.% and 10.1% respectively. Continue reading... |
| Across Europe, distrust of mainstream political parties is on the rise Posted: 24 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT The far right is gaining support in some corners of Europe, but more marked is the rejection by voters of the political establishment The narrow defeat – by just 0.6 percentage points – of the nationalist Freedom party's Norbert Hofer in this week's Austrian presidential elections has focused attention once more on the rise of far-right parties in Europe. But despite what some headlines might claim, it is oversimplifying things to say the far right is suddenly on the march across an entire continent. In some countries, the hard right's share of the vote in national elections has been stable or declined. Continue reading... |
| G7 in Japan: concern over world leaders' tour of nationalistic shrine Posted: 24 May 2016 06:37 PM PDT Prime minister Shinzo Abe, a fervent Shinto devotee, wants to escort Barack Obama and David Cameron to Ise Jingu shrine during summit With an impeccably observed combination of bowing and handclapping, the pilgrims give thanks to Amaterasu, the mythological sun goddess from whom all of Japan's emperors are said to be the direct descendants. Behind them, hundreds more slowly make their way up the steps in front of the hidden main sanctuary, waiting their turn to pray at Ise Jingu, Japan's most revered Shinto shrine. Continue reading... |
| Bill Cosby: comedian to stand trial on sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania Posted: 24 May 2016 10:21 AM PDT Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison for charges stemming from accusation that he drugged and sexually assaulted a Temple University employee in 2004 Bill Cosby, the TV star and the subject of dozens of accusations from women who say he sexually assaulted them, must face trial over an accusation that he intoxicated and sexually assaulted a Temple University employee more than 12 years ago in his Pennsylvania home. The ruling in Pennsylvania district court sets in motion one of the biggest trials of the decade, in which the actor and comedian faces up to 10 years in prison. Continue reading... |
| 'My grandsons' fight to avenge their father': child soldiers in Afghanistan Posted: 24 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT Despite government pledges to rid its armed forces of children, the number of minors recruited to fight is rising When Firoza handed her two grandsons Kalashnikovs and enlisted them in her militia, it was, she says, to give them a chance to avenge their father who was killed by the Taliban. Known in Helmand by her nom de guerre – Hajani – 54-year-old Firoza fought for years to repel the militants from Sistani, in Marjah district, commanding a unit of the US-backed government militia called the Afghan Local Police (ALP). During the war, in which she lost three of her six adult sons, she armed most of her male family members, including two children. Continue reading... |
| Syrian airbase used by Russia damaged in Isis attack – report Posted: 24 May 2016 10:08 AM PDT US intelligence company Stratfor says satellite images suggest four helicopters and 20 lorries destroyed at T4 base An entire Russian helicopter unit based in Syria was wiped out in an Islamic State attack, satellite images appear to suggest. The attack on 14 May targeted a strategically significant airbase in central Syria used by Russian forces, and again suggests Isis forces are trying to operate outside territory held by the terror group to undermine the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Continue reading... |
| Poland starts logging primeval Bialowieza forest despite protests Posted: 24 May 2016 06:32 PM PDT More than 180,000 cubic metres of forest to be cut down in area that is home to Europe's largest mammal and tallest trees Poland has started logging in the ancient Bialowieza forest, which includes some of Europe's last primeval woodland, despite fierce protests from environmental groups battling to save the World Heritage site. "The operation began today," national forest director Konrad Tomaszewski said of the plan to harvest wood from non-protected areas of one of the last vestiges of the immense forest that once stretched across Europe. Continue reading... |
| EgyptAir crash: flight MS804 showed 'no signs of technical fault' preflight Posted: 25 May 2016 12:21 AM PDT State-owned newspaper says Paris-Cairo flight MS804's technical log, signed off by pilot, showed no problems The EgyptAir flight that crashed last week showed no technical problems before taking off from Paris according to an aircraft technical log signed by its pilot before takeoff, Egypt's state-owned newspaper al-Ahram has said. Al-Ahram published on Tuesday a scan of the log on its website. The paper said EgyptAir flight MS804 transmitted 11 electronic messages starting at 21.09 GMT on 18 May, about three and a half hours before disappearing from radar screens with 66 passengers and crew on board. Continue reading... |
| Dublin gangland feud claims seventh victim Posted: 24 May 2016 01:58 PM PDT Irish premier Enda Kenny under pressure as member of notorious Hutch family is shot in broad daylight The murderous gangland feud on the streets of Dublin has claimed a new victim, who was gunned down close to the capital's main thoroughfare. Gareth Hutch, who was in his 30s and the father of a young son, was shot dead in broad daylight on Tuesday morning in the Avondale House complex in Cumberland Street North, a few hundred yards from bustling O'Connell Street. Continue reading... |
| Justice department seeks death penalty for Charleston shooter Dylann Roof Posted: 24 May 2016 04:00 PM PDT Roof is accused of killing nine black parishioners in a South Carolina church; 'the nature of the alleged crime ... compelled this decision' says attorney general Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a white man accused of killing nine black parishioners at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina, last June, the US justice department said on Tuesday. "The nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision," attorney general Loretta Lynch said in a statement. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump could face chaos as he heads to ‘riot-happy’ California city Posted: 24 May 2016 12:04 PM PDT California continues to put up the noisiest resistance to the Trump campaign; by holding a rally in Anaheim, the Republican nominee is 'wishing for chaos' If Donald Trump is eager to avoid the large, impassioned, noisy protests that almost derailed his last visit to California – and maybe he's not – he has certainly picked the wrong location for his return trip on Wednesday. Anaheim may be the home of Disneyland and a reliable source of affluent, conservative white voters in the suburban tracts an hour south of Los Angeles, but it is also bubbling over with tensions, as a restive and growing Latino minority clamors for greater political representation, a less repressive police force and a more tolerant environment for immigrants and their families. Continue reading... |
| Eurozone unlocks €10.3bn bailout loan for Greece Posted: 24 May 2016 07:34 PM PDT Meeting in Brussels ends in agreement at 2am after IMF waters down its demands to placate Germany and payment is split into two tranches Greece's 'breakthrough' debt deal – business live European officials have agreed to unlock €10.3bn in bailout money for Greece as the International Monetary Fund made a significant climbdown in its demand for upfront debt relief for the recession-hit country. Greece's international creditors emerged from an 11-hour meeting in Brussels at 2am on Wednesday having agreed on steps to ease the burden of Greece's €321bn (£245bn) debt mountain, worth 180% of annual economic output. Continue reading... |
| Gender inequality ‘an insurmountable obstacle for many women’ Posted: 24 May 2016 02:01 PM PDT UN population fund says lack of empowerment affects every aspect of life for women in the world's 48 least developed countries Millions of women and girls in the world's poorest countries are being denied the opportunity to help drive development because of the "countless barriers" they still face in health, education and employment, a report warns. The study, by the UN population fund, UNFPA, says that while the 48 least developed countries (LDCs) have made considerable progress over the past few decades in reducing infant, child and maternal mortality, and increasing contraceptive use, gender inequality often remains an insurmountable obstacle. Continue reading... |
| San Francisco retracts program to pay to reserve park's lawn areas amid outrage Posted: 24 May 2016 12:42 PM PDT City walks back test policy allowing reservations of areas of grass costing upwards of $200 in Dolores Park after locals decry 'invasion of the techies' San Francisco has been forced to walk back a new policy that would allow groups to pay to reserve areas of grass in the popular Dolores Park, in the latest controversy between the city's wealthy gentrifiers and its poorer residents. The test policy by the parks department, which began at the beginning of May and was supposed to last two months, had caused outrage among local residents. The cost to rent a grass area for "permitted picnics" would have been between $33 and $260, depending on the size of the group. Continue reading... |
| Google offices raided in Paris as prosecutors announce fraud probe Posted: 24 May 2016 10:32 AM PDT Magistrates investigating tax payments reveal tech giant is being investigated for aggravated financial fraud and organised money laundering French investigators have raided Google's Paris headquarters, saying the company is now under investigation for aggravated financial fraud and organised money laundering. In a major escalation of France's long-running enquiry into Google's tax affairs, magistrates revealed on Tuesday that the software giant is suspected of evading taxes by failing to declare the full extent of its activities in the country. |
| Mossack Fonseca still under investigation in British Virgin Islands Posted: 24 May 2016 12:12 PM PDT Regulator asks firm to appoint 'qualified person', and US and Jersey agents start winding up as Panama Papers fallout continues Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers revelations, remains under investigation in the British Virgin Islands, the country's financial regulator has confirmed. The BVI Financial Services Commission said on Tuesday it has asked the law firm to appoint a "qualified person" to oversee its operations and submit reports on its conduct. The announcement came as local agents for Mossack Fonseca in the US and Jersey began winding up their operations. Continue reading... |
| 'Tomato Ebola' hits Nigeria as moths destroy country's staple food Posted: 24 May 2016 01:18 PM PDT Government declared a state of emergency after moths destroyed swaths of tomato fields, forcing factories to close and driving prices up astronomically A state government in northern Nigeria has declared a state of emergency after moths destroyed swaths of tomato fields, threatening supplies of the country's leading staple food. Nigerian farmers describe the outbreak as "tomato Ebola" after the deadly disease that devastated west Africa in 2014. Continue reading... |
| Neil Young permits Trump to Keep on Rockin' Posted: 25 May 2016 01:07 AM PDT Young excuses Donald Trump's use of Rockin' in the Free World on campaign trail, saying: 'Once the music goes out, everybody can use it' Neil Young – a confessed Bernie Sanders supporter – has approved Donald Trump's use of his music on the campaign trial. Almost a year after the Canadian artist protested against the Republican representative's use of Rockin' in the Free World at a rally, Young has adjusted his position on the situation, saying that he has "nothing against him" but simply wanted to be given approval of the decision. Referring to the claim Trump's team made about an agreement with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for the right to play the track from his 1989 album Freedom, Young said: Continue reading... |
| Rockefeller reaches 100 resilient cities target, but 'work is only just beginning' Posted: 25 May 2016 12:39 AM PDT Washington and Seattle, Nairobi and Lagos, Manchester and Belfast are all included in the final list of member cities as 100RC programme reveals it has had more than 1,000 applications since 2013 Less than three years after its launch, the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities programme has reached a notable landmark, with the announcement of its third and final tranche of members – taking this global initiative up to its full quota of 100 cities. With fast-growing megacities such as Lagos, Jakarta, Seoul and Nairobi among the 37 revealed today in a joint launch in the Kenyan capital and Washington DC, the multimillion dollar programme looks to be tackling the most ambitious and difficult aspects of "building resilience" (a catch-all phrase for cities making themselves better prepared for the multiple shocks and stresses they face in this rapidly urbanising world). Continue reading... |
| US act aimed at curbing impunity for murderers of journalists Posted: 25 May 2016 12:33 AM PDT Law named after Sergei Magnitsky would enable the American government to impose sanctions against perpetrators of human rights abuses The United States is on the verge of creating a law with the potential to curb one of the great injustices faced by journalists across the world: impunity. It is estimated that 90% of the murders of journalists around the globe go unpunished. Many are never properly investigated. Few culprits, even when known, are prosecuted. |
| Former military officers join Brexit campaign Posted: 25 May 2016 12:32 AM PDT Falklands war veteran and ex-SAS chief add their names to group urging military personnel to vote for Britain to leave the EU Falklands war veteran Maj Gen Julian Thompson and former SAS chief Gen Sir Michael Rose have joined a campaign urging serving and retired military personnel to back Brexit. Thompson, who led 3 Commando Brigade in the Falklands, said the UK found itself "dominated by people who we do not elect" in Brussels. Continue reading... |
| Eritreans still denied freedom 25 years after independence Posted: 25 May 2016 12:30 AM PDT Young people are fleeing at an alarming rate, preferring to face uncertainty in Europe rather than oppression at home, The Conversation reports Twenty-five years ago the Eritrean People's Liberation Front marched into Asmara, sending the Ethiopian forces they had been fighting for 30 years scrambling out of the city to safety. People were elated. The underdogs had triumphed and the streets were filled with war-wearied citizens, who were free at last. Continue reading... |
| How Russia's independent media was dismantled piece by piece Posted: 24 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT Following the resignation of three editors from one of the last non-aligned outlets in Moscow, Meduza surveys five years of newsroom destruction When three senior editors resigned from one of the last independent publications in Russia last week, it was condemned as yet another sign of the mounting pressures on journalists under president Vladimir Putin's rule. Related: Three Russian editors resign amid threats to press freedom Continue reading... |
| Kazakhstan jails online editor for 'spreading false information' Posted: 24 May 2016 05:24 AM PDT Astana authorities turn to courts to silence critics and reveal sources of leaks of government documents Kazakhstan has stepped up its campaign against independent journalists by imposing an 18-month jail sentence on the editor of a recently closed news website. An Almaty court found Guzyal Baydalinova guilty of deliberately distributing false information on trouble at the country's largest bank, Kazkommertsbank. Continue reading... |
| How we survived: child refugees given a stage to tell their stories Posted: 24 May 2016 02:33 AM PDT Award-winning French photographer Patrick Willocq has recreated the experiences of children who have fled Burundi and Syria using personalised theatre sets. From perilous journeys to the battle to adapt to new environments, these are their stories Continue reading... |
| Sister of NHS doctor who joined Isis says parents will 'never forgive him' Posted: 24 May 2016 03:02 PM PDT Najla Abuanza condemned her brother Issam, who left his wife and two children in Sheffield to join Islamic State in Syria The sister of an NHS doctor who fled from his family in the UK to join Islamic State in Syria has said their parents "will never forgive him". Najla Abuanza spoke out following reports her brother Issam deserted his wife and two children from Sheffield in 2014 to join the militant group. Continue reading... |
| Debt campaigners criticise IMF over Greek deal - live updates Posted: 25 May 2016 01:05 AM PDT Shares and bonds are rallying after Greece's creditors finally agreed to unlock billions of bailout loans, but many questions remain
The International Monetary Fund is coming under fire from debt campaigners this morning. They're disappointed that the Fund has abandoned its commitment to "upfront" Greek debt relief as part of last night's deal. "IMF staff are proposing to lend more money to Greece without the upfront and unconditional debt relief they called for. This is a major climb down, which once again breaks the IMF's own rules not to lend when they know a debt cannot be paid. "Eurozone finance ministers cannot keep repeating this pattern of sticking plaster measures followed by near defaults and all night crisis meetings for the next 40 years. Only significant cancellation of Greece's debt now, including payments coming due now such as to the IMF and ECB, will help tackle the humanitarian crisis in the country and restore the lack of confidence which is holding back Greece and the wider European economy."
Economist Megan Greene, of asset management firm Manulife, says Berlin appears to have won last night's Tussle in Brussels: Summary of Eurogroup: Germany always wins, IMF caves under pressure from Germany and US, no one does what's in Greece's best interests Continue reading... |
| Anti-Trump protests turn violent in New Mexico – video Posted: 25 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT WARNING: This video contains strong language Protests outside a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico turn violent on Tuesday night as demonstrators throw burning T-shirts, plastic bottles and other items at officers, and knock down barricades. Police respond by firing pepper spray and smoke grenades into the crowd outside the Albuquerque Convention Centre Continue reading... |
| Capybaras on the loose in Toronto after escape from local zoo Posted: 24 May 2016 05:45 PM PDT Residents, police and zookeepers are on the alert for the canine-sized rodent escapees, which were described by zoo volunteers as 'quite shy' Toronto police, zookeepers, and residents are on the alert after two rodents of unusual size escaped from a local zoo early Tuesday. The pair of capybara – canine-sized, amphibious rodents which resemble guinea pigs but are much, much bigger – are being sought by 30 park and zoo workers in Toronto's 399-acre High Park, according to the Toronto Sun. Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #50: the reclaimed stream bringing life to the heart of Seoul Posted: 24 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT When the Cheonggyecheon Stream replaced a traffic-filled stretch of elevated freeway with public space, water and vegetation it looked like a modern urbanist's dream. The reality is more complicated, finds Colin Marshall In September 2005, the new Cheonggyecheon Stream opened in downtown Seoul, looking for all the world like a modern urbanist's dream come true: not just a pedestrian-only public space bringing water and vegetation into the centre of a dense metropolitan area of 25 million, but one built where a traffic-filled stretch of elevated freeway used to stand. It also reclaimed the role of the original stream, which flowed through the site before the city's aggressively development-minded government paved over it in the late 1950s and, two decades later, built the Cheonggye Expressway – then a proud symbol of urban progress for the 1970s. Continue reading... |
| Parramatta NRL player Corey Norman charged with drug offences Posted: 25 May 2016 01:04 AM PDT Capsules of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, were allegedly seized from Norman at the Star Casino in Sydney Parramatta NRL player Corey Norman has been charged with drug offences following an investigation into capsules of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, allegedly seized from him at the Star casino in Sydney. Norman was with a group of men who were stopped outside the entrance of the casino late on Friday night for a security check. Continue reading... |
| Annual Roma pilgrimage at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer – in pictures Posted: 24 May 2016 11:43 PM PDT Gypsies from all over Europe worship Sara the Black, their saint and patroness, for one week in France. Sara's statue is situated in the crypt of the church and was carried by the Gypsies to the sea before Continue reading... |
| Yanis Varoufakis: Australia's negative gearing is 'scandalous' Posted: 24 May 2016 11:22 PM PDT The former Greek finance minister has a laundry list of suggestions to fix Australia's economy. Here for Sydney Writers' festival, he doesn't hold back There are two seats to choose from: a deep, soft black-leather couch, or a red one that has the utilitarian look of a school chair. Yanis Varoufakis – a man who has described himself as an "erratic Marxist" – chooses the red, and somehow it is obvious that he, with his vibrant purple shirt and erect posture, would never have deigned to sit in that sprawling old couch. The former Greek finance minister is in town for the Sydney Writers' festival to promote his new book, And the Weak Suffer What They Must?, and he's touched down at an excellent time for an interview: on the verge of an election, Australia is having the most fervent debate about fairness that it's had in decades. Continue reading... |
| The enduring whiteness of the American media | Howard French Posted: 24 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT What three decades in journalism has taught me about the persistence of racism in the US Over the course of 2014, America seemed to reawaken to one of its oldest preoccupations: the reality of how race is lived in the United States, and in particular the many stark disparities that persist between black and white people. The continued existence of racial inequality in the United States was not exactly news – but the shocking deaths of a series of unarmed black men at the hands of the police made the issue impossible to ignore. The killing of Eric Garner, who was wrestled to the ground and choked to death by police on a New York City sidewalk in July 2014, confronted the public with a disturbing question: how was it possible that a black man could be killed for the trifling infraction of selling loose cigarettes? Garner's dying words – "I can't breathe" – captured on video, would soon become the rallying cry of a nascent movement, Black Lives Matter. Continue reading... |
| Japan's women of the sea hope G7 will boost their dying way of life Posted: 24 May 2016 09:46 PM PDT The ama divers of the Shima peninsula, who harvest shellfish from the seabed, see the nearby gathering of world leaders as a chance to promote their culture Michiko Nakamura can personally vouch for the provenance of the oysters and clams bubbling away on the grill inside her hut in Osatsu, a fishing village overlooking the Pacific ocean. Related: Japanese vagina kayak artist found guilty of obscenity Continue reading... |
| Reboot: Adidas to make shoes in Germany again – but using robots Posted: 24 May 2016 07:49 PM PDT Company unveils new factory in Germany that will use machines to make shoes instead of humans in Asia Adidas, the German maker of sportswear and equipment, has announced it will start marketing its first series of shoes manufactured by robots in Germany from 2017. More than 20 years after Adidas ceased production activities in Germany and moved them to Asia, chief executive Herbert Hainer unveiled to the press the group's new prototype "Speedfactory" in Ansbach, southern Germany. Continue reading... |
| Rome calls on companies and the rich to adopt crumbling ancient sites Posted: 24 May 2016 05:48 PM PDT City asks philathropists to provide cash for excavations of the Forum, restoration of parts of the Colosseum and repair of fountains and aqueducts Rome has issued a €500m (£380m) SOS to companies, wealthy philanthropists and its own citizens to help restore many of the Italian capital's historic sites and prevent others from falling into ruin. The Roman Forum, the Circus Maximus and the walls, aqueducts and sewerage system of what was once the most powerful city on Earth have all been earmarked as needing help ranging from a relatively minor clean up to full-blown structural works. Continue reading... |
| Man mauled by lions in Chilean zoo is recovering, say authorities Posted: 24 May 2016 05:32 PM PDT Metropolitan Zoo in Santiago fends off criticism for shooting two lions as details emerge of its poor safety record and delusions of man who stripped naked in pen Two zoo lions shot dead after the mauling of a man who jumped into their enclosure have been given a private funeral in Chile – while the man is now expected to survive both his wounds and being accidentally hit with an animal tranquiliser during rescue attempts. Management at the Santiago Metropolitan Zoo stood by their decision to shoot the animals during the drama on Saturday, while details emerged of how the troubled young man involved, Franco Ferrara, 20, may have suffered delusions based around the biblical tale of Daniel and the lions. Continue reading... |
| Theresa May agrees to review of snooper's charter powers Posted: 24 May 2016 12:14 PM PDT Labour welcomes concession but does not say whether it is now ready to back surveillance bill Labour has edged closer to supporting the "snooper's charter" after the home secretary, Theresa May, agreed to order an independent review of proposed state surveillance powers. Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, who had raised concerns about the wide-ranging nature of so-called bulk collection powers in the investigative powers bill, welcomed the concession. Continue reading... |
| Drone footage captures Cambodian canal overrun by rubbish – video Posted: 24 May 2016 12:03 PM PDT Drone footage shot by Khmer Times shows mass pollution in the Cambodian Phnom Penh waterways, with the canal system blocked by rubbish ranging from plastic to sewage. The canals and waterways in Phnom Penh are some of the most polluted in the region, leading environmental activists to call on the government to immediately take action Continue reading... |
| Britain as a godless country – or at least a less godly one | Letters Posted: 24 May 2016 11:36 AM PDT Despite the Church of England spokesperson's view that global "adherence to religion is growing rather than decreasing" (Christians now in a minority as UK becomes less religious, 24 May), the latest data pointing to a rapidly increasing non-religious society in the UK must ring alarm bells for the future state of Christianity. I have been very lucky to have grown up as part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA), which constantly engages its younger members to not only learn about their faith, but also to develop attitudes that help them to integrate with wider society through activities such as poppy appeals, charity collections and blood donations; furthermore, they get their youngsters to organise events and deliver speeches at local, regional and national levels, which grants them key experiences to better prepare them for the world of work. Religious institutions need to remain relevant if they want to survive; if they fail to address both moral and secular issues in modern ways, youngsters will look for leadership elsewhere. I sincerely hope the church finds a way to counter this downward spiral; perhaps they could glean some new ideas by looking at how AMYA engages its youth. • You concentrate on the decline of Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism, but fail to identify the significant increase in Protestant evangelicals. "Other Christians" (mainly evangelicals) are now almost twice as numerous as Roman Catholics! But the overall figures confirm that England and Wales is minority Christian. These countries are presently heathen but, in time, due to demographic trends, England and Wales will be majority Muslim. Looking ahead, much thought will now have to be given to the role of the Church of England as the established church and, indeed, the crown itself. As a royalist I am concerned at these trends. |
| Bill Cosby to stand trial on sexual assault charges – video Posted: 24 May 2016 11:35 AM PDT A ruling in Pennsylvania now requires Bill Cosby to face trial over an accusation that he intoxicated and sexually assaulted a woman more than 12 years ago. Cosby, who is already the subject of dozens of accusations from women who say he sexually assaulted them, faces up to 10 years in prison Continue reading... |
| Pakistan condemns US drone strike that killed Taliban leader Mansoor Posted: 24 May 2016 10:36 AM PDT Interior minister says attack violated sovereignty and ruined chance of peace talks between militants and Afghanistan Pakistan has condemned a US drone attack that killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban, calling the strike "totally illegal, not acceptable and against the sovereignty and integrity of the country". Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the interior minister, also said the killing of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor would scupper any chances of peace talks and could embolden other states to pursue their enemies in other countries. Continue reading... |
| Turkey threatens to block EU migration deal without visa-free travel Posted: 24 May 2016 10:08 AM PDT President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says unless Turkey is brought into the Schengen area, laws relating to landmark deal won't be passed Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned the European Union that Turkey would block laws related to the landmark deal to stem the flow of migrants to Europe if Ankara was not granted its key demand of visa-free travel within the bloc. At the close of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey's president said: "If that is not what will happen ... no decision and no law in the framework of the readmission agreement will come out of the parliament of the Turkish republic." Continue reading... |
| Riots erupt in Barcelona after squatters evicted – video Posted: 24 May 2016 09:29 AM PDT Video recorded by witnesses show police and protesters clashing in Barcelona, after squatters were evicted from a former bank. Large crowds gather in Plaça de la Revolució, when some begin trying to reopen the sealed bank. Police use rubber bullets and tear gas on the demonstrators after some set bins alight and smash shop windows Continue reading... |
| Daughter of missing publisher calls for international help Posted: 24 May 2016 09:00 AM PDT Angela Gui says China illegally abducted Gui Minhai from his property in Thailand The daughter of a Hong Kong bookseller believed to have been abducted last year in Thailand by Chinese security agents has accused China of carrying out "illegal operations" beyond its own borders and urged the international community to confront Beijing over her father's disappearance. Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen who ran a publishing house in the former British colony specialising in risque books about China's political elite, vanished from his beachfront home in the Thai town of Pattaya last October. Continue reading... |
| Colombia launches huge search as two more journalists go missing Posted: 24 May 2016 08:47 AM PDT
Two more journalists have gone missing in a lawless region in Colombia where security forces are already carrying out a huge search for a prominent Spanish journalist, according to President Juan Manuel Santos. Santos said on Tuesday that two journalists from the right-leaning network RCN are unaccounted for and now also being sought. The two were part of a group of journalists that had travelled to the volatile Catatumbo region to cover the hunt for Salud Hernández-Mora, a longtime correspondent for Spain's El Mundo newspaper whose weekly column in Bogotá daily El Tiempo is one of the most read in Colombia. Continue reading... |
| Alleged Bill Cosby victim's 2005 sexual assault report read at court hearing Posted: 24 May 2016 08:41 AM PDT Andrea Constand was not present when testimony, in which she claims Cosby gave her pills before violating her, was shared as evidence to prosecute comedian Andrea Constand told authorities that Bill Cosby violated her sexually after giving her three pills that made her dizzy, blurry-eyed and nauseated and left her legs feeling "like jelly", according to a police report read at a court hearing Tuesday. "I told him, 'I can't even talk, Mr Cosby.' I started to panic," the former Temple University athletic department employee told police in 2005. Continue reading... |
| Obama urges Vietnam to respect human rights as 'the foundation of progress' Posted: 24 May 2016 08:14 AM PDT US president avoids aggressively dictating to leaders but says country needs to improve 'basic principles' as several prominent activists barred from meeting him Barack Obama has urged Vietnam to abandon authoritarianism, saying basic human rights would not jeopardise its stability, after Hanoi barred several dissidents from meeting the US leader. In a sweeping speech, which harked back to the bloody war that defined both nations but also looked to the future, Obama insisted that "upholding rights is not a threat to stability". Continue reading... |
| Prosecutors suspect mafia of rigging exam for Italian prison guard jobs Posted: 24 May 2016 08:06 AM PDT Investigation into widespread and organised cheating in test taken by 8,000 people in April centres on the Camorra For almost 8,000 young Italians hungry for work, the exam last month for 400 prison guard jobs was a fiasco. For the mafia, it may have been a great opportunity, prosecutors in Rome have said. They are investigating widespread and organised cheating, after 88 people were caught wearing bracelets or bringing in mobile phones with covers carrying the answers to the test, or with radio transmitters and earpieces thought to have been used to pipe in the answers. Continue reading... |
| MoD to investigate claims Saudis used UK cluster bombs in Yemen Posted: 24 May 2016 07:58 AM PDT Minister says MoD is urgently investigating claims that munitions manufactured in Britain have been used Claims that UK-manufactured cluster bombs have been used by Saudi forces in Yemen will be urgently investigated, the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, has said. The use and supply of such weapons is banned under international law but Amnesty International said it found evidence on its most recent visit to the country of a UK-made cluster bomb having been used by Saudi coalition forces. Continue reading... |
| Missing EgyptAir flight: what we know so far – video Posted: 24 May 2016 07:54 AM PDT A summary of what we know about EgyptAir flight MS804, which went missing over the Mediterranean early on 19 May. It was heading to Cairo from Paris with 56 passengers and 10 crew on board, and lost contact with air traffic control about 10 miles inside Egyptian airspace. The search and recovery misison – and the investigation into what happened to the plane – continues. Photogrpah: Egyptian Military/Handout via Reuters |
| Can Johannesburg reinvent itself as Africa’s first cycle-friendly megacity? Posted: 24 May 2016 02:13 AM PDT In a city of 10 million designed around the car – but where most can't afford one – could bicycles be the answer? The legacy of apartheid planning makes change difficult but cyclists are pushing and, crucially, they have the mayor's support "Minibus taxis are our biggest problem. They are dangerous. They just don't care," says Lovemore as he joins us on a dusty corner in Johannesburg's Diepsloot township. We are waiting for a group of cyclists to form near the minibus queue, which in the half-light of 6am already stretches around the block. Lovemore consults his smartphone. Around 100 cyclists living in this informal area of makeshift shacks and dirt roads on the edge of South Africa's biggest city use WhatsApp to coordinate their journeys – there's safety in numbers. A couple more will be along shortly, he says. The group have agreed to let me join them on their commute to the northern suburbs where most work as gardeners and security guards in luxury shopping malls or the electric-fenced homes of the wealthy. Once the group is deemed big enough we join the slow flow of 4x4 bakkies and cars heading into the city on William Nicol Drive, Johannesburg's busiest cycling street. There's a small but steady stream of people on old steel-framed racers and mountain bikes sturdy enough to cope with the potholes and broken glass. Continue reading... |
| Children working in Indonesia's tobacco fields risk poisoning, says report Posted: 24 May 2016 07:00 PM PDT Human Rights Watch says that thousands of children continue to work in tobacco fields across the country, despite labour laws Children working in Indonesia's tobacco fields are being exposed to acute nicotine poisoning and serious safety hazards as child labour continues unabated in the industry according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The world's fifth-largest tobacco producer, Indonesia has more than 500,000 tobacco fields feeding the national and international tobacco markets. While international and domestic laws prohibit minors from performing hazardous work, thousands of children continue to work in tobacco fields says Human Rights Watch, which interviewed 130 children about working conditions on small-scale farms across the country. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Why are so many children around the world out of school? – podcast transcript Posted: 24 May 2016 05:25 AM PDT Lucy Lamble looks at why 75 million children can't access adequate education, and at a new initiative to raise funds to deliver education for all children Reporter and presenter: LL Lucy Lamble Continue reading... |
| Campaigners celebrate slavery prosecutions in Mauritania Posted: 24 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT Mauritania hints at progress on civil rights with convictions of two slave-owners and release of two anti-slavery activists Anti-slavery campaigners in Mauritania say two court victories last week could be significant in the fight against the practice. In only the country's second prosecution for slavery – and the first by a new court established alongside an anti-slavery law passed last year – two slave-owners were sentenced to five years in prison, with one year to be served and four years suspended. Continue reading... |
| Schools reduced to rubble and ruins by conflict – in pictures Posted: 24 May 2016 03:38 AM PDT From Yemen to Syria, South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, children are missing out on education as schools are destroyed by war |
| Divert 10% of EU funds to deal with refugee crisis, says Germany Posted: 24 May 2016 02:55 AM PDT Development minister Gerd Müller also says EU's mechanisms for responding to refugee crisis are not fit for purpose Germany wants to divert 10% of the EU budget towards dealing with the refugee crisis, after a lack of joined-up thinking exacerbated the challenges posed by irregular migration to Europe. The German development minister, Gerd Müller, said the EU's current mechanisms for responding to the refugee crisis were not fit for purpose, and suggested appointing a special commissioner to lead a combined European refugee strategy, as well as other global humanitarian challenges. Continue reading... |
| Trump has Bill Clinton's past in his sights – how should Hillary respond? Posted: 24 May 2016 12:45 PM PDT When the Republican presumptive nominee dredges up historical sexual allegations against the former president, is it better to rise above or hit back? At the recent premiere of HBO's drama All the Way at the National Archives in Washington, there was a moment that prompted murmurs of recognition from an audience including senators, political correspondents and Lyndon Johnson's granddaughter. It came when Bryan Cranston's Johnson, alarmed by his Republican rival's populist tactics, snarls: "Goldwater wants to get down into the mud? By God, I can do that." Related: Donald Trump takes poll lead over Hillary Clinton – is it time to panic? Continue reading... |
| Brussels anti-austerity protesters clash with police – video Posted: 24 May 2016 06:54 AM PDT Police in Brussels fire water cannon during clashes with protesters at an anti-austerity demonstration. Fighting broke out at the end of a peaceful rally on Tuesday that saw around 50,000 take to the streets. Around 100 masked protesters starting hurling objects and firecrackers at the police, who responded by firing jets of water. Photograph: AP/Michel Spingler Continue reading... |
| Mount Etna spews molten rock and fire – video Posted: 24 May 2016 05:08 AM PDT Watch Italian journalist Turi Caggegi's beautiful video of Mount Etna spewing molten rock and fire over the weekend. The images echo paintings by Georgian artist Joseph Wright of Derby, lighting up the night skies
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| John Oliver mocks Chechen leader over his lost cat – video Posted: 24 May 2016 04:56 AM PDT Speaking on HBO's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver mocks the controversial leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, for posting on Instagram about his lost cat. Oliver also teases Kadyrov for the number of photos he posts showing him wearing T-shirts bearing images of Russian president Vladimir Putin
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