World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- China to send nuclear-armed submarines into Pacific amid tensions with US
- G7 summit: Juncker aide says Boris Johnson as leader is 'horror scenario' – live
- Can Elizabeth Warren unite a divided Democratic party to stop Trump?
- Union revolt puts both Hollande's future and France's image on the line
- Italian navy saves 550 refugees as smugglers' trawler capsizes in Med
- ExxonMobil CEO: ending oil production 'not acceptable for humanity'
- Rome poster campaign challenges Catholic ban on female priests
- Three more pieces of debris possibly from MH370, says Australia
- Belgian police detain four on suspicion of being in terrorist group
- Amnesty International in global programme to decriminalise sex work
- British special forces 'blew up Isis suicide truck in Libya'
- Hiker who went missing on Appalachian Trail survived 26 days before dying
- French gardener on trial for killing British expat was 'jealous', court told
- Canadian man found not criminally responsible in deadly stabbing rampage
- Brazil senate head recorded proposing to weaken bribes investigation
- Eleven states sue US government over transgender bathroom policy
- Hillary Clinton's email server violated state department rules, audit finds
- Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko released by Russia in prisoner swap
- Ex-McDonald's CEO suggests replacing employees with robots amid protests
- New Taliban leader's daunting task: uniting group as officials seek peace
- How cracking down on America's painkiller capital led to a heroin crisis
- French riot police use water cannon to break up fuel depot blockade
- Swiss ruling overturns Muslim pupils' handshake exemption
- Russian banker sentenced to prison in US for conspiracy in spy ring
- Pegida activists protest at images of non-white German footballers on Kinder bars
- Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova freed in Azerbaijan
- Obama expresses regret over alleged murder by US base worker in Japan
- Off-street parking: Florence road collapse sinks row of cars
- Desperation drives American dream in Guatemalan town of lost opportunity
- India lets Italian marine go home as UN mediates over fishermen shooting
- China unveils spectacular 'straddling' bus to beat traffic jams
- One person killed and three wounded in shooting at rapper TI's New York show
- Stalin's Soviet showcase under spotlight at Venice architecture biennale
- Boris Johnson as PM is 'horror scenario', says Juncker EU aide
- The man behind #ThisFlag, Zimbabwe's accidental movement for change
- Zimbabweans show support for Robert Mugabe in 'million man march'
- 'A kind of death': life on the US Treasury blacklist
- What happened to the 12 Syrian refugees rescued by the pope?
- Father urges Home Office to honour deal as family faces deportation
- How hard-partying soldier Mathew Stewart became an al-Qaida militant
- Donald Trump admits to using aliases two weeks after denying it
- Western Australian council votes against flying Aboriginal flag
- G7 leaders shovel soil in tree-planting ceremony – video
- Grave of the 'boy hero' of Battle of Jutland given new protected status to mark centenary
- Everest sherpas work to recover Marisa Strydom's body
- Shooting before T.I. show in New York leaves one person dead
- Is this the world’s most radical mayor? | Dan Hancox
- Indonesia introduces death penalty and chemical castration for paedophiles
- Entertainment in Soviet Russia - archive, 26 May 1926
- EgyptAir flight 804: deep-sea hunt for 'black boxes' as week passes since crash
- Serbs rally against shady demolitions after masked crew 'tied up witnesses'
- South Carolina governor outlaws most abortions at 20 weeks
- Who is Nadiya Savchenko? - video report
- Italian navy rescues 500 refugees after boat capsizes – video
- US counter-terrorism chief criticizes anti-Muslim political rhetoric
- Diver claims to have found UK submarine wreck off Sardinia
- Rise in UK firearms trade may provide terrorists with weapons, say police
- Time is running out for Rohingya minority | Letters
- EU officials hail deal to release billions in bailout loans for Greece
- Former leader of group that 'cures' homosexuality says industry is dying
- Story of cities #future: what will our growing megacities really look like?
- From Addis to Yiwu via Manchester and Washington, the new resilient cities – in pictures
- Head of UN mission in Central African Republic pledges to end troop abuses
- Kenya tells UK to resettle Somali refugees living in Dadaab
- The IMF has not lived up to its own hype on social protection | Alexander Kentikelenis, Thomas Stubbs and Lawrence King
- Investing in health is not cheap, but it is not a luxury either | Sara Bennett and Edward Kelley
- Elizabeth Warren: Donald Trump is a ‘small, insecure money-grubber’ – video
- Ukrainian pilot defiant after return from Russia – video
- The hidden risks of climbing Mount Everest – video
- What do liberals get wrong about guns? – video
- Cars sink into 200-metre-long hole in Florence – video
- Obama beatboxes for Vietnamese rapper – video
| China to send nuclear-armed submarines into Pacific amid tensions with US Posted: 25 May 2016 09:26 PM PDT Beijing risks stoking new arms race with move although military says expansion of the US missile defence has left it with no choice The Chinese military is poised to send submarines armed with nuclear missiles into the Pacific Ocean for the first time, arguing that new US weapons systems have so undermined Beijing's existing deterrent force that it has been left with no alternative. Chinese military officials are not commenting on the timing of a maiden patrol, but insist the move is inevitable. Continue reading... |
| G7 summit: Juncker aide says Boris Johnson as leader is 'horror scenario' – live Posted: 26 May 2016 01:03 AM PDT Live coverage as group of seven convenes at Ise-Shima, with global economy, terrorism, refugee crisis and South China Sea high on agenda
For more on the EU referendum debate and the future of Tata steel, Andy Sparrow has just launched today's Politics Live.
The host of the summit Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe has warned of an economic crisis on the scale of 2008, according to Reuters citing a Nikkei report. Continue reading... |
| Can Elizabeth Warren unite a divided Democratic party to stop Trump? Posted: 25 May 2016 11:51 AM PDT Hopes are turning to the anti-establishment senator to heal the wounds of the Democratic race, and help the party build a united front for the general election With polls warning that Hillary Clinton could lose the presidential election if she does not find a way to unite Bernie Sanders supporters behind her, hopes are turning to another champion of American progressives to heal the wounds of their long Democratic nomination battle. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator who rose to prominence fighting Wall Street, has so far carefully avoided taking sides in the ongoing struggle between Sanders and Clinton, declining to endorse either candidate after resisting intense pressure to run herself. Continue reading... |
| Union revolt puts both Hollande's future and France's image on the line Posted: 25 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT As 2 million people prepare to arrive for Euro 2016, the country is gripped by strikes, fuel shortages and a state of emergency As smoke rises from burning tyres on French oil refinery picket-lines, motorists queue for miles to panic-buy rationed petrol, and train drivers and nuclear staff prepare to go on strike. With the 2017 French presidential election nearing, the Socialist president François Hollande is facing his toughest and most explosive crisis yet. It is not just Hollande's political survival at stake, though, but the image of France itself. Continue reading... |
| Italian navy saves 550 refugees as smugglers' trawler capsizes in Med Posted: 25 May 2016 10:42 AM PDT Praise for sailors' swift action as dramatic photographs show overloaded boat turning over as naval vessel approaches More than 500 people narrowly escaped drowning on Wednesday after their smugglers' boat capsized in the southern Mediterranean, a series of dramatic photographs have revealed. As Italian naval ships approached to rescue the stricken asylum-seekers, their boat – a repurposed trawler – tipped over, throwing those on deck into the water. Continue reading... |
| ExxonMobil CEO: ending oil production 'not acceptable for humanity' Posted: 25 May 2016 12:25 PM PDT Shareholders win vote that could support board candidates concerned about climate as Rex Tillerson faces turbulent annual meeting Rex Tillerson, the boss of oil giant ExxonMobil, said cutting oil production was "not acceptable for humanity" as he fought off shareholders' and activists' attempts to force the company to fully acknowledge the impact of climate change on the environment and Exxon's future profits. During a long and fractious annual meeting in Dallas on Wednesday, Tillerson, who serves as Exxon's chairman and chief executive, beat back several proposals to force the company to take more action on climate change. Continue reading... |
| Rome poster campaign challenges Catholic ban on female priests Posted: 25 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT Pictures of women serving illicitly as priests will be plastered across city as part of campaign against Vatican decree It has been 22 years since Pope John Paul II declared that the exclusion of women from the priesthood was a settled matter and no longer up for discussion. The decree was so absolute that at least one bishop was fired after he suggested, years later, that elevating women to the priesthood could be one way to solve the Roman Catholic church's chronic shortage of clergy. But on Friday, thousands of priests and other Catholics who live and work in the Vatican will come face to face with a feminist movement that aims to break one of the church's most salient taboos. Dozens of posters of women serving illicitly as priests – essentially under excommunication – are due to be plastered across the Rome neighbourhood of Trastevere and around St Peter's Square, as part of a provocative campaign against the ban. Continue reading... |
| Three more pieces of debris possibly from MH370, says Australia Posted: 25 May 2016 10:44 PM PDT The new pieces have been found in Mauritius and in Mozambique and are in addition to five other fragments from the Boeing 777 Three new pieces of debris have been found in Mauritius and in Mozambique that could be linked to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australia's transport minister has said. The fate of the passenger jet, which is presumed to have crashed at sea after disappearing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board in March 2014, remains a mystery. Continue reading... |
| Belgian police detain four on suspicion of being in terrorist group Posted: 25 May 2016 12:27 PM PDT After police raids on houses in Antwerp, suspected recruiters are charged with participating in activities of terrorist group Police in Belgium have detained four people on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist group – accusing them of attempting to recruit people to fight with Islamist militants in Syria or Libya. Following a police search of houses in Antwerp on Wednesday, two were formally arrested, with two others given a conditional release. The federal prosecutor's office said all four were charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group. Continue reading... |
| Amnesty International in global programme to decriminalise sex work Posted: 25 May 2016 04:01 PM PDT Organisation calls for repeal of most laws around world controlling prostitution to protect human rights of sex workers Amnesty International has formally adopted a policy calling for the decriminalisation of adult sex work and repeal of most laws around the world controlling prostitution. |
| British special forces 'blew up Isis suicide truck in Libya' Posted: 25 May 2016 05:11 PM PDT Forces fired a missile at vehicle acting as a bomb, destroying it, as it approached a bridge leading towards Misrata, Commander Mohammed Durat said British special forces reportedly blew up an Islamic State suicide truck in Libya earlier this month, a military commander there has said. The strike apparently came when a vehicle, acting as a bomb, approached a bridge leading towards the city of Misrata in the north-west of the country. Continue reading... |
| Hiker who went missing on Appalachian Trail survived 26 days before dying Posted: 25 May 2016 06:30 PM PDT A journal found with the remains of 66-year-old Geraldine Largay show that she tried in vain to send SOS messages but finally accepted she would die A hiker whose remains were discovered last year survived at least 26 days after getting lost in western Maine, kept a journal of her ordeal and resigned herself to the idea that it could be years before her remains were found, according to investigatory documents. Geraldine Largay, who was from Brentwood, Tennessee, hiked to higher ground in a failed attempt to get a cellphone signal, and text messages sent to her husband went undelivered, the documents show. She was walking from West Virginia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, a section of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail. Continue reading... |
| French gardener on trial for killing British expat was 'jealous', court told Posted: 25 May 2016 12:42 PM PDT Patricia Wilson, who was killed in her rural French home in 2012, said to have had a tumultuous relationship with the accused The last person to see British expat Patricia Wilson alive has described her friend's tumultuous relationship with the gardener accused of her murder - and how she frantically searched the rural French house for signs of life after realising she had gone missing. Fiona McKinley, 61, who had a close relationship with Wilson, 58, described how she grew increasingly worried when she could not contact her friend, eventually using a spare key to enter her house, where she discovered pools of blood. Continue reading... |
| Canadian man found not criminally responsible in deadly stabbing rampage Posted: 25 May 2016 12:06 PM PDT Psychiatric experts: Matthew de Grood had mental disorder that made him incapable of appreciating or knowing that his actions that killed five were wrong A Canadian man has been found not criminally responsible for killing five people in a 2014 stabbing rampage. A judge delivered the verdict in the first-degree murder trial of Matthew de Grood on Wednesday. Justice Eric Macklin of court of queen's bench said he accepted findings from psychiatric experts who said De Grood had a mental disorder that rendered him incapable of appreciating or knowing that his actions were wrong. Continue reading... |
| Brazil senate head recorded proposing to weaken bribes investigation Posted: 25 May 2016 04:17 PM PDT Renan Calheiros heard in wire tap suggesting changes to use of plea bargains for people arrested in the Petrobras scandal The president of Brazil's senate has been put on the defensive with the release of a secretly recorded conversation that reveals him proposing to weaken one of the key tools prosecutors have used to trap politicians and businessmen in a sweeping corruption scandal. The released transcript and audio, published by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, appears to feed widespread suspicions that top lawmakers are trying to stifle investigations into billions of dollars of alleged bribes involving the state oil company, Petrobras. Continue reading... |
| Eleven states sue US government over transgender bathroom policy Posted: 25 May 2016 02:24 PM PDT States trying to overturn directive, which they call a 'massive social experiment', that schools allow students to use the bathroom matching their gender identity Calling the Obama administration's rules on transgender students "a massive social experiment", Texas and 10 other states announced Wednesday that they are suing over the administration's directive to US public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The lawsuit announced on Wednesday includes Oklahoma, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, Arizona, Louisiana, Utah and Georgia. The challenge asks a judge to declare the White House's directive unlawful. Continue reading... |
| Hillary Clinton's email server violated state department rules, audit finds Posted: 25 May 2016 04:35 PM PDT Efforts by the former secretary of state to move on from her email controversy hit a major setback as investigation finds disregard for department guidelines Hillary Clinton's efforts to move on from a damaging email controversy suffered their biggest setback yet on Wednesday with the release of an internal report finding she broke multiple government rules by using a private server rather than more secure official communication systems. The 78-page investigation by the inspector general of the state department singled out several previously unknown breaches by Clinton while she was secretary of state, including the use of mobile devices to conduct official business without checking whether they posed a security risk. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko released by Russia in prisoner swap Posted: 25 May 2016 06:00 AM PDT Savchenko flies home as part of deal in which Kiev frees two Russian servicemen A Ukrainian pilot detained in Russia since 2014 has made a triumphant return home following a prisoner swap that saw her traded for two Russians. Nadiya Savchenko was met by Ukraine's president at Kiev's Borispol airport, where she made a passionate speech sarcastically thanking those "who had wished me evil". "Through you I survived," she said. |
| Ex-McDonald's CEO suggests replacing employees with robots amid protests Posted: 25 May 2016 09:28 AM PDT Ed Rensi mentions bringing in robots as thousands of McDonald's workers demand a union and $15 an hour minimum wage at the shareholders meeting As thousands of low-wage workers plan to protest at McDonald's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago on Thursday the company's former US boss has warned them: if the minimum wage goes up, McDonald's is likely to replace them with robots. "I was at the National Restaurant Show yesterday and if you look at the robotic devices that are coming into the restaurant industry – it's cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making $15 an hour bagging french fries," the former US chief executive Ed Rensi told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo. Continue reading... |
| New Taliban leader's daunting task: uniting group as officials seek peace Posted: 25 May 2016 09:44 AM PDT Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzadah inherits a divided movement after a US drone strike killed Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, while governments hope he is open to talks As he assumes his job as new leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzadah faces contradictory expectations. Inside the militant group, many will look to him as a unifier, to calm tensions in the fractious movement. Continue reading... |
| How cracking down on America's painkiller capital led to a heroin crisis Posted: 25 May 2016 03:30 AM PDT Critics say Florida's efforts to contain an epidemic unleashed within its borders have only had limited effect in curbing one crisis while making another worse For James Fata, the transition from prescription painkillers to heroin was seamless. The 24-year-old came to Florida to shake an addiction to opioid pills, but trying to go through rehab in a region known as the prescription capital of America proved too much. When a government crackdown curtailed his supply of pills, Fata turned to readily available heroin to fill the void. Continue reading... |
| French riot police use water cannon to break up fuel depot blockade Posted: 25 May 2016 06:51 AM PDT Striking workers cleared by authorities as CGT trade union calls for nuclear plant shutdown in protest over labour reform bill Riot police have used water cannon to break up a fuel depot blockade in northern France as the hardline CGT trade union called for strikes at nuclear plants amid a worsening standoff over the government's proposed labour reforms. Trade unionists are leading the strikes at fuel depots and refineries in an attempt to choke off fuel supply to force the government to abandon a reform bill that aims to make it easier to hire and fire workers. Continue reading... |
| Swiss ruling overturns Muslim pupils' handshake exemption Posted: 25 May 2016 11:16 AM PDT School had allowed two brothers to refuse to shake teachers' hands after they said touching opposite sex was against beliefs Religious belief is no excuse for refusing to shake a teacher's hand, authorities in a northern Swiss region have ruled, reversing a school's decision to grant exemptions for Muslim pupils unwilling to touch the opposite sex. Parents of pupils who refuse to shake a teacher's hand at schools in the northern canton of Basel-Country could now face fines of up to 5,000 Swiss francs (£3,400), regional education authorities said on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Russian banker sentenced to prison in US for conspiracy in spy ring Posted: 25 May 2016 10:53 AM PDT
A Russian banker who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in what the government portrayed as a cold war-style spy ring has been sentenced to two and a half years in a US prison. Evgeny Buryakov, 41, also was fined $10,000 by US district judge Richard M Berman, who said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and protects the public. Continue reading... |
| Pegida activists protest at images of non-white German footballers on Kinder bars Posted: 25 May 2016 05:02 AM PDT Members of anti-refugee group protest against marketing campaign preceding European championships this summer Supporters of Germany's anti-immigration movement Pegida have expressed outrage that the blue-eyed blond boys on the packaging of Kinder chocolate bars are being replaced by children of African and Middle Eastern appearance – seemingly unaware that they are childhood photographs of players in their own national football team. A photograph of two boxes of the chocolate bar – one carrying a childhood portrait of Gelsenkirchen-born midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, the other of Berlin-born defender Jérôme Boateng – were shared last week on the Facebook page of the Bodensee branch of the anti-refugee protest movement. Continue reading... |
| Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova freed in Azerbaijan Posted: 25 May 2016 10:12 AM PDT Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter pledges to continue investigating finances of the ruling Aliyev family 'with renewed energy' A prominent Azerbaijani investigative journalist has been released on probation after her detention was widely criticised by activists and human rights organisations. Khadija Ismayilova, who had delved into the wealth of the country's first family, was arrested in December 2014 and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail in September last year. |
| Obama expresses regret over alleged murder by US base worker in Japan Posted: 25 May 2016 09:25 AM PDT Obama said US would cooperate in investigation of airbase worker Kenneth Franklin Shizato, a case that could upset relocation of Okinawa military base Barack Obama has expressed his "deepest regrets and condolences" over the suspected rape and murder of a Japanese woman by a worker at a US military base on the island of Okinawa, in a case that threatened to overshadow the opening of the Group of Seven leaders summit on Thursday. Obama said he realised that the crime had "shaken up" people on Okinawa and across Japan: "The US is appalled by any violent crime that occurs by any US personnel or contractors," he said. Continue reading... |
| Off-street parking: Florence road collapse sinks row of cars Posted: 25 May 2016 03:11 AM PDT Stretch of Italian city near famous Ponte Vecchio caves in after waterpipe it sat on broke, plunging 20 vehicles into ditch A stretch of street has collapsed in central Florence, dropping a row of parked cars into an underground pipeline and cutting water supplies to part of the ancient city. About 200 metres (650ft) of road running up to the famous Ponte Vecchio caved in when a major waterpipe it was sitting on broke, the city's mayor, Dario Nardella, said. Continue reading... |
| Desperation drives American dream in Guatemalan town of lost opportunity Posted: 25 May 2016 03:05 AM PDT Indigenous farmers in Cajolá have seen their livelihoods devastated by free trade deals and agribusiness, and will take desperate risks to support their families Honofre Peres doesn't know whether he should stay or go. The 36-year-old builder wants his four children to stay in school, but construction work is sporadic and poorly paid, and he's struggling to cover his costs. That was why last year he borrowed 65,000 quetzales ($8,000) to pay a coyote, or people smuggler, and make the treacherous journey north, by bus, fishing boat and cargo truck, in hope of reaching the US – and a decently paid job. Continue reading... |
| India lets Italian marine go home as UN mediates over fishermen shooting Posted: 26 May 2016 01:09 AM PDT Salvatore Girone, accused of killing two fishermen, can return to Italy while UN decides where case should be tried India's top court has allowed an Italian marine to return home while international arbitration proceedings take place over the fatal shootings of two Indian fishermen in 2012, in which he and a fellow marine are implicated. Salvatore Girone had been on bail before the supreme court order on Thursday but had been asked to remain in Delhi. Continue reading... |
| China unveils spectacular 'straddling' bus to beat traffic jams Posted: 26 May 2016 12:54 AM PDT The high-concept vehicle is designed for floating above the clogged up streets of some of the country's biggest cities A Beijing company has unveiled spectacularly futuristic designs for a pollution-busting, elevated bus capable of gliding over the nightmarish mega-jams for which urban China has become notorious. Plans for the so-called Transit Explore Bus or TEB were showcased earlier this month at a technology expo in the Chinese capital. Continue reading... |
| One person killed and three wounded in shooting at rapper TI's New York show Posted: 26 May 2016 12:49 AM PDT Reports suggest an argument backstage escalated into a fatal shooting at the hip-hop star's Irving Plaza concert One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting inside a concert venue in New York City, where hip-hop artist TI was scheduled to perform, police said. It happened around 10.15 pm Wednesday in a third-floor green room area at Irving Plaza, a 1,025-capacity ballroom-style music venue near Manhattan's Union Square. Continue reading... |
| Stalin's Soviet showcase under spotlight at Venice architecture biennale Posted: 26 May 2016 12:45 AM PDT Planned revamp of Moscow's VDNKh centre to be explored at event's Russian pavilion, prompting mixed reaction from residents Moscow's sprawling exhibition centre and park, VDNKh, has been through drastic changes since it was set up as a showcase for Soviet industry under Stalin. Once a towering demonstration of communist ideals, the site fell into disrepair in the 1990s as the USSR crumbled around it. As capitalism took over, it became host to a ramshackle fairground and market, and its pavilions were converted into kitsch showrooms for the goods flooding the new Russian market. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson as PM is 'horror scenario', says Juncker EU aide Posted: 26 May 2016 12:31 AM PDT Chief of staff to European commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker lumps Brexit campaigner with Trump at G7 summit One of the most senior officials in the EU has warned that having Tweeting from the G7 summit, Martin Selmayr, who is chief of staff to |
| The man behind #ThisFlag, Zimbabwe's accidental movement for change Posted: 25 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT What started as personal rant has quickly become a rare way for citizens to vent anger against Mugabe's government, the Daily Maverick reports Pastor Evan Mawarire was sitting at his desk in Harare, worrying about how he was going to pay his children's school fees, when something inside him snapped. The Zimbabwean, who isn't paid a salary by the church, decided to film himself venting his frustrations with the Zimbabwean flag around his neck, explaining to camera: "When I look at the flag it's not a reminder of my pride and inspiration, it feels as if I want to belong to another country." Continue reading... |
| Zimbabweans show support for Robert Mugabe in 'million man march' Posted: 25 May 2016 05:43 AM PDT Thousands turned out to celebrate leader and his Zanu-PF party in response to rally organised by opposition last month Several thousand Zimbabweans joined a march through Harare in support of President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday after the main opposition party staged its own rally last month. The marchers, many of whom were transported to the capital by bus, sang songs praising Mugabe and wore T-shirts displaying his image as they gathered at a central square to hear him address the crowds. Continue reading... |
| 'A kind of death': life on the US Treasury blacklist Posted: 25 May 2016 04:44 AM PDT The United States in 2009 listed Kassim Tajideen as a financier of Hezbollah, the Iran-allied Lebanese party, leaving him shut out from banks with no legal redress Put aside any image of a global terrorist in an Afghan cave or an armed camp in Pakistan's tribal areas. Forget the triumphalism of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander. Kassim Tajideen arrives in a Beirut restaurant wearing a flat cloth cap and chats over a lunch of spiced fish. The fact he can't pay with a Visa card is one of the lesser disadvantages of being listed by the United States Treasury Department as a financial supporter of Hezbollah, the Iran-allied Lebanese Shia Muslim group the United States classifies as a foreign terrorist organisation. Continue reading... |
| What happened to the 12 Syrian refugees rescued by the pope? Posted: 25 May 2016 07:56 AM PDT When Pope Francis saved a dozen refugees from a Lesbos detention centre and took them to Rome it was 'like a miracle', one of them said. A month on, what is their new life like? Ramy Alshakarji was still coming to terms with the idea that at last he was safe – he was leaving Lesbos after all, one of 11 refugees rescued by the pope last month – when he found himself at the centre of an improbable security crisis. Ramy must have thought he had a broad and visceral understanding of the meaning of security after five years in Syria during which he and his family had been "ready to die at any moment, constantly moving because there was constant bombardment". But at the airport, as he and his wife and their three children passed through the scanners, a panicked flurry broke around them. "It was our falafel mould," Ramy smiles. They had brought the metal falafel maker with them from their home in Deir ez-Zor. "But the Greeks wouldn't let us take it on the plane. But we were going on the pope's plane! The Vatican officials told them it had to come … The Greeks said no. There was a conflict between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, a diplomatic rift between the Greeks and the Italians. All over our falafel mould." Continue reading... |
| Father urges Home Office to honour deal as family faces deportation Posted: 25 May 2016 02:41 PM PDT Gregg Brain moved with his wife and Gaelic-speaking son to Scottish Highlands on an initiative that has now been cancelled An Australian father facing deportation from the Scottish Highlands next week, along with his wife and Gaelic-speaking son, has called on the Home Office "to live up to their side of the deal" after the visa scheme that first attracted his family to Scotland was retrospectively cancelled. Gregg Brain told the Guardian that he, his wife Kathryn and seven-year-old Lachlan had been "absolutely humbled" by the local Highland community's response to his family's predicament. "We have been overwhelmed by the response and it just reinforced our belief that this is the community where we want to bring up our son," he said. |
| How hard-partying soldier Mathew Stewart became an al-Qaida militant Posted: 25 May 2016 08:10 PM PDT Former comrades of the likeable Digger turned jihadi reveal how he was scarred by drugs, alcohol and service in East Timor. 'I hate what he's doing … But we can't hate him,' one says He wore a mask but the accent was unmistakable. The man in the al-Qaida tape – bellowing, "as we are killed, you will be killed" – was Australian. And his appearance in the April 2005 video sparked an international police race to identify him. Related: Police believe former Australian soldier joined Taliban and is now in Syria Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump admits to using aliases two weeks after denying it Posted: 25 May 2016 11:28 PM PDT Trump confesses he used the name Barron, while The Weeknd and rapper Belly cancel performances on late-night show in protest at his appearance Donald Trump admitted to using aliases in the past during an interview on Wednesday with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Less than two weeks after denying that he ever pretended to be a publicist named John Miller or John Barron in promoting his business affairs with reporters, Trump admitted on Wednesday that "over the years I have used aliases". He added "I used the name Barron" and explained that was the inspiration for the name of his youngest son, Barron Trump. |
| Western Australian council votes against flying Aboriginal flag Posted: 26 May 2016 12:40 AM PDT President of the shire of Carnarvon says raising the flag during Naidoc Week would be 'divisive' A local government in regional Western Australia is refusing to fly the Aboriginal flag during Naidoc Week, with the shire president saying it would be divisive. The shire of Carnarvon voted against flying the flag during the national week celebrating Indigenous culture, with its president, Karl Brandenburg, saying the Australian flag already encompassed all cultures. Continue reading... |
| G7 leaders shovel soil in tree-planting ceremony – video Posted: 26 May 2016 12:14 AM PDT G7 summit world leaders plant Japanese cedar trees close to the inner Naiku shrine at Ise Jingu on Thursday. Matteo Renzi, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Shinzo Abe, François Hollande, David Cameron, Justin Trudeau and Jean-Claude Juncker all took part in the tree-planting ceremony. The G7 leaders are in Japan to discuss issues related to global economy and government policies Continue reading... |
| Grave of the 'boy hero' of Battle of Jutland given new protected status to mark centenary Posted: 25 May 2016 11:01 PM PDT Memorial to John Cornwell, aged 16 when he died after HMS Chester came under fire during naval battle, given grade II listing The grave of the "boy hero" of the Battle of Jutland, the only major set-piece naval battle of the first world war, is being given new protected status to mark next week's centenary of the clash of the world's two biggest fleets. The first world war battle was fought over 72 hours from 30 May to 1 June 1916, with the loss of 6,094 British seamen and 2,551 Germans, but the Germans failed to break the blockade of the North Sea by the British, making it a significant moment in the war. |
| Everest sherpas work to recover Marisa Strydom's body Posted: 25 May 2016 10:56 PM PDT Expedition bosses hope it will be in Kathmandu – where her husband Robert Gropel is waiting – by the weekend Sherpas working to recover the body of the Melbourne woman Dr Marisa Strydom from Mount Everest are hopeful it will be in Kathmandu by the weekend, with her sister saying the situation is "looking positive". Guides have again reached the body of the Monash University lecturer at 7,600 metres and aim to bring it down to camp two – below 6,600 metres – on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Shooting before T.I. show in New York leaves one person dead Posted: 25 May 2016 10:02 PM PDT Three others wounded during concert at Irving Plaza in Manhattan where hip-hop artist had been due to take the stage One person has been killed and three others wounded in a shooting at a concert venue in New York City where the hip-hop artist T.I. was scheduled to perform, according to police. Police said a 34-year-old man was shot in the chest and a 33-year-old man in the stomach. One of them later died at a hospital. A 26-year-old woman was shot in the leg. Police said a fourth person went to hospital unaided. |
| Is this the world’s most radical mayor? | Dan Hancox Posted: 25 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT When Ada Colau was elected mayor of Barcelona, she became a figurehead of the new leftwing politics sweeping the country. The question she now faces is a vital one for the left across Europe – can she really put her ideas into practice? It was the early evening of 5 February 2013, and seated among grave-looking men in suits, a woman named Ada Colau was about to give evidence to a Spanish parliamentary hearing. "Before saying anything," she began, "I'd just like to make one thing clear. I am not an important person. I have never held office or been the president of anything … The only reason I am here is that I am a momentarily visible face of a citizens' movement." Colau was there to discuss the housing crisis that had devastated Spain. Since the financial crisis, 400,000 homes had been foreclosed and a further 3.4m properties lay empty. In response, Colau had helped to set up a grassroots organisation, the Platform for Mortgage Victims (PAH), which championed the rights of citizens unable to pay their mortgages or threatened with eviction. Founded in 2009, the PAH quickly became a model for other activists, and a nationwide network of leaderless local groups emerged. Soon, people across Spain were joining together to campaign against mortgage lenders, occupy banks and physically block bailiffs from carrying out evictions. Continue reading... |
| Indonesia introduces death penalty and chemical castration for paedophiles Posted: 25 May 2016 09:02 PM PDT President Joko Widodo introduces new measures after the brutal gang-rape and murder of a schoolgirl Indonesia's president has approved tough new punishments for child sex offenders, including a maximum penalty of death and chemical castration, after the brutal gang-rape and murder of a schoolgirl. Convicted paedophiles could also be forced to wear electronic monitoring devices following their release from jail under new rules introduced in an emergency decree. Continue reading... |
| Entertainment in Soviet Russia - archive, 26 May 1926 Posted: 25 May 2016 09:00 PM PDT 26 May 1926: Wireless, the kinematograph and the theatre are all more or less intellectual amusements. There are plenty of other pastimes A good deal of Moscow's spare time, like the spare time of most European cities, is taken up with listening-in. Wireless started late there, but there are already several transmitting stations and a rapidly increasing number of receiving sets. Broadcasting is a Government monopoly. Licences for receiving sets are given out at prices dependent on the position of the individuals who want them. Workmen and clerks pay approximately two shillings and a few pence a year for the right to use a crystal set, and four shillings and a few pence for the right to use a set with valves. The "Izvestia" on Fridays publishes the programme for the following week. The broadcasting stations collaborating in this programme are those of the Alliance of Trade Unions and the Third International. They send out weather reports, a news bulletin, lectures, lessons in the English language and in Esperanto, concerts, and occasionally speeches. There are receivers in most of the working men's clubs with earphones but, happily, there is a shortage of loud speakers, so that wireless, though devastating conversation in a fair number of homes, has not yet developed the full vehemence of which we know it is capable. The trade union leader M. Melnichansky, whose views on wireless are diametrically opposed to my own, is the chief enthusiast and instigator of wireless development in Russia. He was to have come to England to study its development here and possibly to buy apparatus for Russia. He was, however, refused an English visa, whether because of his connection with the trade unions or because of a desire to save Russia from the loud speakers from which it is too late to save England, I will not attempt to determine. |
| EgyptAir flight 804: deep-sea hunt for 'black boxes' as week passes since crash Posted: 25 May 2016 07:51 PM PDT European companies being hired to try and locate flight recorders that are best chance of finding out what happened to Airbus A320 flying from Paris to Cairo Egypt has called in European deep-sea search crews to find the "black boxes" of EgyptAir flight 804 as the recovery effort marks one week since the plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. The Airbus A320 crashed with 66 people on board, including 30 Egyptians and 15 from France. Investigators on Thursday still had no clear picture of its final moments. Some wreckage and body parts have been found but the bulk of the plane and its flight recorders – which could explain what brought down the Paris-to-Cairo flight as it entered Egyptian air space – have not been located. |
| Serbs rally against shady demolitions after masked crew 'tied up witnesses' Posted: 25 May 2016 06:06 PM PDT Storm of protest against officials after buildings were knocked down in the middle of the night for Belgrade Waterfront project and onlooker later died Thousands of people have protested in the Serbian capital against a wave of demolitions for a real estate development – including a bizarre night-time incident where masked men allegedly tied up onlookers and took their phones as buildings were knocked down for a real estate development. People took to the streets on Wednesday accusing the authorities of corruption and violence linked to plans to redevelop a popular area of Belgrade. The rally was organised by the Ne Davimo Beograd (Don't Drown Belgrade) movement, which opposes a €2.7bn deal with an Abu Dhabi-based developer to transform part of Belgrade into an upscale housing and shopping complex. Continue reading... |
| South Carolina governor outlaws most abortions at 20 weeks Posted: 25 May 2016 02:53 PM PDT Similar bans are now in effect in at least 13 states across the US; supporters of the bill cite the disputed claim that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks Republican governor Nikki Haley signed legislation on Wednesday that immediately outlaws most abortions in South Carolina at 20 weeks beyond fertilization. The only exceptions are if the mother's life is in jeopardy or a doctor determines the fetus cannot survive outside the womb. Continue reading... |
| Who is Nadiya Savchenko? - video report Posted: 25 May 2016 02:04 PM PDT One of several Ukrainian service personnel held prisoner in Russia, Nadiya Savchenko, was released in a prisoner swap on Wednesday. Savchenko was detained for almost two years for allegedly being complicit in the death of two Russian journalists, a charge she firmly denies. She has promised to fight for the return of her colleagues still in Russia Continue reading... |
| Italian navy rescues 500 refugees after boat capsizes – video Posted: 25 May 2016 12:01 PM PDT A fishing boat packed with migrants capsizes during a rescue operation off the Libyan coast on Wednesday, according to the Italian navy. The Italian navy patrol ship Bettica identified the boat floating in precarious conditions in the Sicily channel. The Navy approached the migrants' boat and started distributing life jackets but it capsized due to the sudden movement of the high number of people on board. More than 500 migrants were rescued, and and number of bodies were taken aboard Bettica as well Continue reading... |
| US counter-terrorism chief criticizes anti-Muslim political rhetoric Posted: 25 May 2016 11:57 AM PDT John Carlin says assimilation of American Muslims into country has been 'major boon' to gaining trust of community in fight against Isis recruitment across US One of the leading counter-terror chiefs in the US warned against the blanket political denigration of Muslims, saying the integration of American Muslims into the country "has been a major boon to the law enforcement and intelligence community in disrupting the terrorist threat". John Carlin, the assistant attorney general for national security, made his remarks in London when asked if the recent attacks on Muslims by presumptive Republic nominee Donald Trump hindered his counter-terror work. Trump has suggested all Muslims should be banned from coming to the US, but has partially retracted the remark saying it was merely "a suggestion". Continue reading... |
| Diver claims to have found UK submarine wreck off Sardinia Posted: 25 May 2016 11:34 AM PDT Diving club says 'manned torpedoes' on exterior identify HMS P311 which was lost during second world war An Italian diver claims to have located the long-lost wreck of the British submarine HMS P311, which was downed off Sardinia during the second world war. Diver Massimo Bondone told the La Nuova Sardegna daily he found the P311 at a depth of 80 metres (262 ft) off the isle of Tavolara during a dive last weekend. Continue reading... |
| Rise in UK firearms trade may provide terrorists with weapons, say police Posted: 25 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Met launches gun-crime crackdown in response to sharp rise in shootings and will target six boroughs across capital Police have warned that the supply of guns to criminals in the UK has increased, adding to fears that weapons may be sold on to terrorists wanting to stage a Paris-style attack in Britain. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, announced a crackdown after the increase in firearms supply was coupled with a spike in shooting incidents in the last three months in London. Since a marauding group of armed terrorists attacked Paris in November, killing 130 people, the focus on taking guns off Britain's streets has intensified. As part of the crackdown, there will be more visible armed patrols visible in the capital. Officers with guns will support colleagues stopping people suspected of possessing firearms, Hogan-Howe said. Continue reading... |
| Time is running out for Rohingya minority | Letters Posted: 25 May 2016 11:06 AM PDT Poppy McPherson's article (Report, 24 May) paints a vivid picture of the growing persecution faced by Rohingyas. A developing national pride in Myanmar seems to be going hand in hand with greater threats towards marginalised minorities. And the recent dispute between the US ambassador and Aung San Suu Kyi over using the term Rohingya has drawn attention to their easy dismissal in Myanmar, where they are seen as foreigners. Over recent years, the Equal Rights Trust has advocated for Rohingya rights in Myanmar and neighbouring countries, arguing in particular for these governments to do more for their protection. The opportunity for Daw Suu Kyi to provide a protective force for Rohingya and other persecuted groups is lessening by the day. Maybe she has a longer-term strategy. Maybe she must first gain the trust of the military. But as McPherson and others have pointed out, the more time that passes, the more powerfully will extremism take hold and divisions form. Perhaps worse still, her party, the NDL, established to promote democracy, will find itself too far down the road taken by its predecessors to find a route back. |
| EU officials hail deal to release billions in bailout loans for Greece Posted: 25 May 2016 11:05 AM PDT Agreement to issue €10.6bn in two tranches represents climbdown for IMF and comes as Greek unions threaten strikes European officials have hailed a late night deal to unlock €10.3bn (£7.8bn) of much needed bailout cash for Greece as a major breakthrough. However, in Athens unions threatened further strikes in protest aagainst the contentious pension and tax reforms which paved the way for the agreement to be reached. Continue reading... |
| Former leader of group that 'cures' homosexuality says industry is dying Posted: 25 May 2016 10:14 AM PDT Alan Manning Chambers, former president of Exodus International, says that 'the conversion therapy industry is more or less on the ropes' The former leader of one of the most prominent groups to promote therapies that "cure" people of homosexuality said he hopes "every ministry focused on changing orientation will close", in a report released on Wednesday. Alan Manning Chambers, former president of Exodus International, has previously denounced his group's work, and told the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) the movement to turn gay people straight is "gasping for air". Continue reading... |
| Story of cities #future: what will our growing megacities really look like? Posted: 25 May 2016 11:30 PM PDT Will we live in buildings made out of waste, heavily surveilled smart cities, or maybe floating communities designed to cope with rising sea levels? Amid the much-mythologised graffiti that appeared around Sorbonne University during the French civil unrest in May 1968, one line still stands out as intriguing and ambiguous: "The future will only contain what we put into it now." What appears at first utopian has more than a hint of the ominous. While augmented reality creates a city individualised for every occupant, and developments in modular architecture and nanotechnology might result in rooms that change form and function at a whim, the problem lies in the unforeseen. The smart city will also be the surveillance city. Continue reading... |
| From Addis to Yiwu via Manchester and Washington, the new resilient cities – in pictures Posted: 25 May 2016 03:54 AM PDT The Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities programme has unveiled the final tranche of 37 cities it is helping to prepare for – and bounce back from – shocks and stresses such as flooding, terrorism, earthquakes and hurricanes Continue reading... |
| Head of UN mission in Central African Republic pledges to end troop abuses Posted: 25 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT Parfait Onanga-Anyanga says UN member states must train troops to deal with conditions in the country and refuse to shelter those accused of misconduct The head of the UN mission in Central African Republic (CAR) has vowed to do everything possible to wipe out sexual exploitation and abuse by his troops, pledging to bring about a rebirth of peacekeeping. To reach his goal of "zero occurrence" of abuses, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the head of Minusca, says UN member states need to take peacekeeping seriously and train and equip their troops adequately to deal with conditions in a brutalised land. |
| Kenya tells UK to resettle Somali refugees living in Dadaab Posted: 25 May 2016 05:09 AM PDT Deputy president William Ruto affirms decision to close Kenya's camps and says western countries should take their share of refugees from east Africa Kenya says it plans to expel hundreds of thousands of refugees within six months, and argues the international community is partly to blame for leaving it to deal with so many refugees for so long. The deputy president, William Ruto, said it is now up to the developed world to mitigate the fallout, suggesting that other countries including the UK should resettle the refugees who could soon be kicked out of Kenya. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 25 May 2016 04:09 AM PDT The International Monetary Fund claims to support health, education and welfare programmes. Yet our research shows enforcing fiscal austerity remains its real concern The International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeks to promote growth and reduce poverty, but the social consequences of its reforms in the developing world have drawn much criticism. Yet, factsheets, discussion notes (pdf) and public statements tell us that the IMF is now a changed institution. Taking on board the many criticisms of its practices, the organisation reformed itself: social spending is protected, health and education are prioritised, and welfare programmes are supported. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Investing in health is not cheap, but it is not a luxury either | Sara Bennett and Edward Kelley Posted: 25 May 2016 02:37 AM PDT From Ebola to obesity, all countries need a healthcare system that is resilient to crises and responsive to people's changing needs While Ebola, Zika and yellow fever may seem like distant threats to most people living in the developed world, the lessons from these global crises should resonate across health services in all countries. At the G7 meeting in Ise-Shima, Japan, and the world health assembly in Geneva this week, world leaders and health policymakers have a prime opportunity to take action. They need to lead the way in shaping health systems that can cope with both public health emergencies and the longer-term challenges of ensuring access to affordable health services for all. Continue reading... |
| Elizabeth Warren: Donald Trump is a ‘small, insecure money-grubber’ – video Posted: 25 May 2016 01:41 PM PDT Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts unloaded on Donald Trump in a speech on Tuesday night, calling him a 'money-grubber' who rooted for families to get thrown out of their homes in the 2008 housing market crash. Warren was referring to remarks Trump made in 2006 and recently unearthed by Hillary Clinton's campaign, in which Trump appeared to cheer a potential market crash as a chance to make money Continue reading... |
| Ukrainian pilot defiant after return from Russia – video Posted: 25 May 2016 07:13 AM PDT Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko arrives at Boryspil Airport near Kiev on Wednesday after nearly two years of being imprisoned in Russia. Savchenko was swapped for two Russian servicemen imprisoned in Ukraine, Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev Continue reading... |
| The hidden risks of climbing Mount Everest – video Posted: 25 May 2016 06:51 AM PDT Three climbers have died on Mount Everest in the past week, all succumbing to altitude sickness after reaching the summit. The increasing number of deaths on the world's tallest mountain is raising fresh fears about overcrowding and the ethics of commercial mountaineering on Everest |
| What do liberals get wrong about guns? – video Posted: 25 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT The Guardian's Lois Beckett went to Louisville, Kentucky, where the National Rifle Association's annual convention was taking place, and asked gun owners: what do liberals get wrong about guns, and how can we make America a safer place to live?
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| Cars sink into 200-metre-long hole in Florence – video Posted: 25 May 2016 03:31 AM PDT A hole is seen alongside the Arno river in Florence on Wednesday, with parked cars slipping into the chasm near the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Nearby residences are evacuated as firefighters report a broken underground pipe to be the cause of the hole Continue reading... |
| Obama beatboxes for Vietnamese rapper – video Posted: 25 May 2016 01:58 AM PDT Barack Obama encourages Vietnamese rapper Suboi to do an impromptu performance at a town hall meeting in Ho Chi Minh on Wednesday. After Obama starts her off by beatboxing, Suboi performs an a cappella verse. The two then went on to discuss gender stereotypes in music Continue reading... |
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