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Congolese finally go to the polls amid fears over fraud
Cyber-attack disrupts printing of major US newspapers
Tory and Labour MPs to force Brexit delay if May's deal is voted down
Bangladesh election marred by deadly violence
Dozens have been killed by the regime. But Sudan’s protesters march on
Swiss national arrested in connection with murders in Morocco
Paris police fire tear gas as gilets jaunes protests turn violent
El Paso aid agencies overwhelmed as 1,600 migrants are cast on to streets
Serbia: thousands rally in fourth week of anti-government protests
Dame June Whitfield, star of Absolutely Fabulous, dies aged 93
Syria: Assad has decisively won his brutal battle
2018’s most bizarre requests to diplomats: are there vampires in Poland?
Solar, thermal… Spain’s historic hotels go green
How Nancy Pelosi signaled the end of Trump's easy ride
Syrian White Helmets try to rebuild lives in Canadian exile
China: slowing economy and inequality force new priorities for rulers
Sydney Opal Tower: crackdown on certifiers announced as three residents refuse to go
Beyond Syria: the Arab Spring’s aftermath
The year in patriarchy: from Kavanaugh's fury to Serena William's catsuit | Arwa Mahdawi

Congolese finally go to the polls amid fears over fraud

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:28 AM PST

As survey puts surprise frontrunner ahead in DRC, many expect violence if government rigs the vote

Millions of voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo are going to the polls to cast their ballotsin an election that marks the first ostensibly democratic transition of power in the vast central African country's troubled history.

Optimists hope the DRC's third presidential poll since the 2002 end of a civil war that killed around 5 million people will mark a turning point.

Cyber-attack disrupts printing of major US newspapers

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:06 PM PST

Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal and New York Times among titles affected by virus that hit shared systems

A cyber-attack has caused printing and delivery disruptions to major US newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun.

The attack on Saturday appeared to originate outside the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported. It led to distribution delays in the Saturday edition of the Times, the Tribune, the Sun and other newspapers that share a production platform in Los Angeles.

Tory and Labour MPs to force Brexit delay if May's deal is voted down

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 12:34 AM PST

Ministers and senior MPs in talks to extend 29 March deadline to avert no-deal scenario

Senior Tory and Labour MPs are planning to force the government to delay Brexit by several months to avoid a no-deal outcome if Theresa May fails to get her deal through parliament in January, the Observer has been told.

Cross-party talks have been under way for several weeks to ensure the 29 March date is put back – probably until July at the latest – if the government does not push for a delay itself. It is also understood that cabinet ministers have discussed the option of a delay with senior backbench MPs in both the main parties and that Downing Street is considering scenarios in which a delay might have to be requested from Brussels.

Bangladesh election marred by deadly violence

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 02:22 AM PST

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina vies to extend decade-long rule after campaign marred by violence

At least four people have been killed in election violence as Bangladeshis cast their votes on Sunday in the country's first contested national polls in a decade.

The deaths, one at the hands of police who claimed to be stopping an attack on a polling station, are the latest in a campaign marred by violence and the mass arrest of opposition leaders and activists.

Dozens have been killed by the regime. But Sudan’s protesters march on

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:00 AM PST

What began as a response to rising food prices has become a full-blown revolt against Omar al-Bashir's rule

Marching at night, the demonstrators raised their hands in the air. "Peaceful, peaceful," they chanted. Their slogan has become a familiar refrain in Sudan over the past 10 days as the vast north-east African nation that for 25 years has been ruled by the same man, President Omar al-Bashir, is rocked by protests.

What started this month as a demonstration against the tripling of the price of bread in the eastern city of Atbara has spread across the country as thousands of people take to the streets to vent their anger – and not just over food prices. Protests have taken place in the capital, Khartoum, and Atbara, Port Sudan and Madani over the past week, with those involved vowing not to stop until the country's rulers are overturned.

Swiss national arrested in connection with murders in Morocco

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 12:39 PM PST

Man held is also 'suspected of involvement in recruiting Moroccan nationals to carry out terror plots'

A Swiss national has been arrested in connection with the killing of two Scandinavian women in Morocco, according to Moroccan authorities.

The man arrested was also suspected of "involvement in recruiting Moroccan and sub-Saharan nationals to carry out terrorist plots in Morocco against foreign targets and security forces in order to take hold of their service weapons", the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) said. It added that he also held Spanish nationality and had residency in Morocco.

Paris police fire tear gas as gilets jaunes protests turn violent

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 04:17 PM PST

Hundreds call for resignation of President Macron, with some throwing projectiles

Police fired tear gas at gilets jaunes (yellow vests) demonstrators in Paris on Saturday but the turnout for round seven of the popular protests that have rocked France appeared low.

Several hundred gathered at the BFM TV channel in the centre of the capital shouting "Fake news" and calling for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.

El Paso aid agencies overwhelmed as 1,600 migrants are cast on to streets

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST

US authorities leave families to fend for themselves, a practice local bishop calls 'inhumane and unconscionable'

The US government has released more than 1,600 migrants on to the streets of El Paso, Texas, this week, overwhelming aid agencies that have scrambled to find shelter for families left to fend for themselves.

Serbia: thousands rally in fourth week of anti-government protests

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 07:06 PM PST

Marches put more pressure on President Aleksandar Vučić, who is accused of establishing autocratic rule

Around 25,000 protesters turned out for a fourth week of anti-government demonstrations in Belgrade, piling more pressure on the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić.

"This is a citizens' demonstration against the situation in the country, which has been economically and politically complicated, even critical, for a long time," protester Vladimir Tošić said at the rally on Saturday.

Dame June Whitfield, star of Absolutely Fabulous, dies aged 93

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 02:41 PM PST

Actor seen on stage and screen over seven decades 'passed away peacefully' on Friday

Dame June Whitfield, celebrated for her roles in some of the best-loved British sitcoms of the last 50 years, has died aged 93.

The London-born actress was a regular fixture on TV and radio for seven decades, her best-known roles coming in Terry and June, in which she played half of a middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple, and as Jennifer Saunders's mother in Absolutely Fabulous. She also appeared in Carry On films, Hancock's Half Hour, and even had a part in Friends. Whitfield's agent confirmed her "peaceful" death on Friday.

Syria: Assad has decisively won his brutal battle

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 01:00 AM PST

Trump's decision to pull US troops out leaves the opposition stranded

This year is ending on a note of triumph for the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Donald Trump has announced a rapid troop withdrawal from Syria, shocking everyone including his own generals and diplomats. Last week, the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus, which it had closed as part of a campaign of multinational pressure against the regime in 2011. Bahrain followed suit and other countries, including Kuwait, are expected to re-establish ties in the coming year. The Arab League is reportedly poised to re-admit Syria, seven years after expelling it.

2018’s most bizarre requests to diplomats: are there vampires in Poland?

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST

Where can I get a veggie sausage in India? Foreign Office reveals the strangest pleas to British embassies

One man in Delhi was desperate for vegetarian sausages and heard the embassy stocked supplies. Another wanted to double check that Poland wasn't home to vampires, after an internet date asked about his blood group before they met.

A holidaymaker in Spain demanded help swapping hotel rooms after a stray cat "broke in" and peed on the bed. Someone in America wanted a quick update on the latest round of Strictly Come Dancing. And in Italy there was a wedding to be arranged, ideally with tickets to see the pope thrown in.

Solar, thermal… Spain’s historic hotels go green

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:59 PM PST

State-run chain of heritage properties converts to sustainable energy to set wider example to country

Spain's state-owned chain of paradores, the grand hotels often housed in ancient castles and monasteries, has announced that all 97 of its establishments will use only electricity from renewable sources from the start of the new year.

The 90-year-old chain said the decision to switch to green electricity had been made for both environmental and symbolic reasons. "Paradores is a company that supports sustainable tourism in every sense of the word," said its chair, Óscar López Águeda. "What's more, as a public company, we also want to set an example when it comes to investments that encourage energy saving and responsible consumption."

How Nancy Pelosi signaled the end of Trump's easy ride

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 10:00 PM PST

In one deft performance the top Democrat in the House owned the president, having faced down Republicans scare tactics and attacks from her own side

Nancy Pelosi was perched on the end of a sofa in the Oval Office when the balance of power in Donald Trump's Washington decisively shifted in her favour.

Syrian White Helmets try to rebuild lives in Canadian exile

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 11:00 PM PST

Members of rescue organization that saved thousands resettle in Nova Scotia after evacuation via Israel and Jordan

Under cover of darkness, Maysoon al-Masri and her husband began their march towards the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Masri was the head of the women's division in southern Syria of the White Helmets, the rescue organization that has saved thousands of people from under the rubble of homes after Russian and Syrian government airstrikes.

China: slowing economy and inequality force new priorities for rulers

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST

Leaders of world's second-largest economy face some of their most difficult policy decisions in years in 2019

To make ends meet, Xu Yuan, 33, has to share a bed with her best friend in Shanghai where she works in marketing. A curtain marks her half of the bed. She stays at work as late as possible every day, going home only to sleep. "Neither of us is happy but we have to be tolerant," she says.

Liu Xun, 26, a video editor in Beijing, does not watch movies in cinemas, buy new clothes, or date. "To be honest, I think having a girlfriend is too expensive," he says. Hillary Pan, who works in media, says she no longer eats at restaurants and buys a meal from the convenience store 7-11 almost every day.

Sydney Opal Tower: crackdown on certifiers announced as three residents refuse to go

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 12:08 AM PST

NSW government says it will introduce 'name and shame register' and tougher building industry legislation

Three residents inside Sydney's Opal Tower have refused to evacuate as the New South Wales government announces a crackdown on building certifiers.

Residents of the new Sydney apartment building were evacuated after a crack was found in a pre-cast concrete panel on Christmas Eve.

Beyond Syria: the Arab Spring’s aftermath

Posted: 30 Dec 2018 12:59 AM PST

The outlook is bleak for key countries including Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya

Just over eight years ago, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a bitter one-man protest outside a government office against the government. Within hours, demonstrators took to the streets of his small town, Sidi Bouzid. By the time he died in hospital just overtwo weeks later, protests had spread across the country, would soon topple the president and spill beyond Tunisia, in a regional convulsion dubbed the Arab Spring.

The year in patriarchy: from Kavanaugh's fury to Serena William's catsuit | Arwa Mahdawi

Posted: 29 Dec 2018 06:00 AM PST

From pop culture to politics, 2018 was a year of extraordinary firsts for women. But the past year also proved progress isn't linear with a deeply anti-feminist thread

Support journalism that supports women. We're trying to raise $1m by the new year. Make a contribution now and help us reach our goal

The Week in Patriarchy is a weekly roundup of what's happening in the world of feminism and sexism. If you're not already receiving it by email, make sure to subscribe.

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World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

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