World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- German spy chief says Russian hackers could disrupt elections
- Colombia plane crash: Brazil mourns victims from Chapecoense team flight
- Belgium and Netherlands agree to swap land to simplify border
- Donald Tusk blames British voters for expats' EU uncertainty
- Women enter Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah mosque after ban lifted
- Chernobyl disaster site enclosed by shelter to prevent radiation leaks
- Schoolgirls die in Turkey dormitory blaze after fire door 'wouldn't open'
- How did the whale get its “moustache”? | Elsa Panciroli
- Standing Rock protesters hold out against extraordinary police violence
- French pop star detained in Moscow after plagiarism row with Russian singer
- Hong Kong seeks to ban third pro-democracy member of parliament
- 'The dark era is over. I can see the light': Cuban Americans on Fidel Castro's death | Guardian readers and Sarah Marsh
- Fyffes melons at centre of labour abuse claims from Honduran workers
- Labour split expected over motion on Tony Blair's role in Iraq war
- Chapecoense fans mourn plane crash victims at football stadium – video
- Raúl Castro addresses Fidel memorial service in Havana’s Revolution Square – video
- Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock designs trainer to fundraise for Planned Parenthood
- Hopes rise of Opec deal to cut oil production at Vienna meeting
- Tearing up US deal with Iran would be disastrous, says CIA chief
- Eric Bristow apologises for Twitter football sex abuse comments
- Ministers want controls on skilled and unskilled EU workers, say sources
- Young Gambians ready to vote out dictatorial Yahya Jammeh regime
- Nauru police say male refugee charged with assaulting girl under 16
- Sydney sonographer pulled and juggled woman's breasts, court told
- Saudi prince calls for end to country’s 'unjust' ban on women driving
- Are you voting in Austria's presidential elections?
- Croatia's anti-abortion lobby finds new ways to spread its message
- New Zealand's prime wine regions count cost of earthquake
- Italy referendum: all you need to know about Renzi's crunch vote
- Chapecoense plane crash: victims to be honoured with mass wake at stadium
- Ban upheld against Hong Kong MPs who mocked oath of allegiance
- Underground earthquake leaves at least two miners dead in Poland
- Fidel Castro memorial service: crowds gather as dignitaries pay tribute
- Canada approves controversial Kinder Morgan oil pipeline
- Tears and prayers for a tight-knit team as Chapecoense's fairytale ends in tragedy
- Brazilian clubs offer to loan players to Chapecoense after plane crash
- Libyan general Khalifa Haftar meets Russian minister to seek help
- EU’s Brexit negotiator wants to stop UK getting 'soft transitional deal'
- Look at Fidel Castro’s legacy from a fair perspective | Letters
- Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say
- Haiti: violent protests erupt over presidential election result
- Dutch parliament paves way for approval of partial Islamic veil ban
- Trump and May 'agree on importance of Nato' in second phone call
- Aleppo families fear for 500 men seized by forces loyal to Assad
- British investigators fly to Colombia to help examine plane crash
- US military admits it mistakenly targeted and killed loyalist Syrian forces
- Fighting around Mosul leaves majority in Isis-held city without water
- North Korea satellite images show prison camps accused of 'atrocities'
- Timelapse shows Chernobyl shelter construction – video
- Two-wheel takeover: bikes outnumber cars for the first time in Copenhagen
- Reach out, raise money or remove: how should cities deal with street begging?
- Requests for LGBT emergency funds highlight persecution worldwide
- Big firms accused over labour abuses; and highlighting gender violence
- The US election recount is a long shot – but the alternative is catastrophe
- 'Wonderful evening': Mitt Romney full of praise after dinner with Trump – video
- White House opposes Trump's tweet on flag burning, citing constitution – video
- Wildfires force evacuations in Tennessee – video
- World’s oldest person is 117 – video
- Brazilian team Chapecoense at airport before plane crash in Colombia – video
- Who are Chapecoense, the football team involved in the Colombia plane crash? – video
| German spy chief says Russian hackers could disrupt elections Posted: 29 Nov 2016 07:34 AM PST Cyber-attacks aim to delegitimise democratic process and elicit political uncertainty, says Bruno Kahl The head of Germany's foreign intelligence service has warned that next year's general election could be targeted by Russian hackers intent on spreading misinformation and undermining the democratic process. Bruno Kahl, president of the Bundesnachrichtendienst, said Russia may have been behind attempts during the US presidential campaign to interfere with the vote. Continue reading... |
| Colombia plane crash: Brazil mourns victims from Chapecoense team flight Posted: 29 Nov 2016 02:49 PM PST Brazilian president announces three days of national mourning after plane carrying Chapecoense football team crashes, killing 71 people Brazil has declared three days of mourning after a plane carrying the Chapecoense football team crashed in Colombia in the early hours of Tuesday, killing 71 players, journalists and crew members. Six of the 77 people on the plane – three footballers, two crew and a journalist – survived the disaster. One footballer who was pulled alive from the plane's wreckage died later in hospital. Continue reading... |
| Belgium and Netherlands agree to swap land to simplify border Posted: 29 Nov 2016 03:44 PM PST Countries agree to cede small, uninhabited parcels of land to reflect change in course of river, with Belgium giving more land than it will receive Belgium is about to get smaller and the Netherlands bigger after the countries agreed to a swap of land. Each will cede small, uninhabited parcels of land to reflect a change in course of what is known in French as the river Meuse, and in Dutch as the Maas. But the exchange is not equal: Belgium will give two peninsulas of 16 hectares (40 acres) to the Netherlands and receive one of three hectares in return. The reason for the change comes down to humans straightening the river. After Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the border was drawn along the Meuse. But in 1961, the river was straightened to make navigation easier, placing parts of each country's territory on the other side of the river. Continue reading... |
| Donald Tusk blames British voters for expats' EU uncertainty Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:16 AM PST European council president hits back after UK MPs claim EU negotiator is blocking talks on rights of citizens living abroad Donald Tusk has appeared to blame the UK electorate for causing "anxiety and uncertainty" for millions of British and EU citizens living abroad, in an extraordinary letter that immediately embroiled him in a row with Conservative MPs. The president of the European council wrote to a group of 80 mainly Tory MPs arguing that EU politicians could not be blamed for the impact of the Brexit vote and saying the real cause of the problems was the referendum result on 23 June. Continue reading... |
| Women enter Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah mosque after ban lifted Posted: 29 Nov 2016 03:31 PM PST Trustees put the ban in place in 2011, arguing that allowing women near the tomb of a revered saint was a 'grievous sin' in Islam Dozens of women entered the inner sanctum of a historic mosque in India on Tuesday after winning a bitter legal battle to overturn a ban on female worshippers. The Haji Ali Dargah trust agreed last month to lift the ban on women entering the mausoleum on an islet off the coast of Mumbai after a group of female campaigners launched a legal case. The trustees put the ban in place in 2011, arguing that allowing women near the tomb of a revered saint was a "grievous sin" in Islam. Continue reading... |
| Chernobyl disaster site enclosed by shelter to prevent radiation leaks Posted: 29 Nov 2016 05:01 AM PST Ukraine plant reactor, scene of worst nuclear accident in history in 1986, covered with airtight structure after years of work Reactor No 4 at Chernobyl, the scene of the worst nuclear accident in history, has been enclosed by a vast steel shelter designed to prevent radiation leaks from the site. The structure covers the reactor and the unstable "sarcophagus", which was hastily built around it by Soviet authorities in the immediate aftermath of the disaster 30 years ago. The shelter is said to be the largest land-based movable object ever constructed. It took several years to build and cost more than €1.5bn (£1.27bn). Continue reading... |
| Schoolgirls die in Turkey dormitory blaze after fire door 'wouldn't open' Posted: 29 Nov 2016 04:46 PM PST Blaze believed to have been caused by electrical fault raced through wooden interior as panicked victims tried to jump to safety Twelve people, most of them schoolgirls, were killed when fire ravaged a dormitory for pupils in the southern Turkish region of Adana, local officials said. The fire raced through the three-storey building's wooden interior as panicked victims tried to jump from windows to safety. Continue reading... |
| How did the whale get its “moustache”? | Elsa Panciroli Posted: 29 Nov 2016 05:00 PM PST Palaeontologists have uncovered clues to one of the great mysteries of whale evolution: the filter-feeding baleen When I was in primary school, one of my favourite books was Ted Hughes' How the Whale Became. For children who persistently ask "why" about everything, Hughes provided tall tales to explain animal origins, using the bizarre logic that children's fiction thrives upon. For example: the hare grew long ears to hear the answer to its marriage proposal to the moon. Well, naturally. These stories fuelled my imagination about animal origins, albeit in an absurdist Lamarckian fashion. We now know, thanks to Darwin, Russel Wallace, and the many great scientists since, that living things don't evolve traits in order to accomplish a goal. Traits that improve survival are passed along to an animals' offspring. The hare didn't grow his ears to listen for whispers from a high place, but an ancestor with bigger ears thanks to a random mutation, would have heard danger approaching before the other proto-hares. And so it survived to produce bigger-lugged babies. Continue reading... |
| Standing Rock protesters hold out against extraordinary police violence Posted: 29 Nov 2016 12:26 PM PST Apprehension and distrust pervade North Dakota protest site as promises from state that there are no plans to forcibly remove people does little to assuage fears Police violence against Standing Rock protesters in North Dakota has risen to extraordinary levels, and activists and observers fear that, with two evacuation orders looming, the worst is yet to come. A litany of munitions, including water cannons, combined with ambiguous government leadership and misleading police statements, have resulted in mass arrests, serious injuries and a deeply sown atmosphere of fear and distrust on the banks of the Missouri river. Continue reading... |
| French pop star detained in Moscow after plagiarism row with Russian singer Posted: 29 Nov 2016 03:27 PM PST Didier Marouani, who founded disco band Space, detained with lawyer in bank in Moscow after row over songs with Philipp Kirkorov The leader of a cult French disco band has been detained in Moscow following a plagiarism dispute with a Russian pop star who recently made the news speaking about his long friendship with US president-elect Donald Trump. Didier Marouani, who founded the band Space in 1977, was detained with his Russian representative Igor Trunov in a bank in downtown Moscow on Tuesday evening, state news agency TASS reported. The agency later published a photograph of the Frenchman inside the bank, scratching his head with a bemused look on his face. Continue reading... |
| Hong Kong seeks to ban third pro-democracy member of parliament Posted: 29 Nov 2016 08:32 AM PST Government to file lawsuit against Lau Siu-lai, who took 10 minutes to read her 77-word oath of allegiance The Hong Kong government will seek to ban a third member of the city's parliament, expanding a campaign to remove pro-democracy advocates after two pro-independence legislators were barred from taking their seats. The government will file a lawsuit against pro-democracy Lau Siu-lai this week or early next week, alleging she was not sincere when she took the oath of allegiance last month. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:35 AM PST While some lined the streets of Miami to celebrate the death of the former Cuban leader, others have mixed feelings. They share their views The streets of Miami, Florida, were full last weekend as crowds gathered to celebrate the death of Cuban revolutionary and former leader Fidel Castro. He died on Friday aged 90. Many Cuban Americans fled there to escape Castro's communist rule. But many do not share the delight, and hail his many achievements, especially with his work around improving health and education. Continue reading... |
| Fyffes melons at centre of labour abuse claims from Honduran workers Posted: 29 Nov 2016 04:18 AM PST Labourers in deprived region complain of poor conditions and say multinational has blocked efforts to form a trade union, allegations denied by Fyffes Thousands of miles from the supermarkets in the west that they supply with cantaloupes, a community of Honduran melon plantation labourers say they are threatened with dismissal and destitution because they have tried to form a union at their Irish-owned company. The workers – the vast majority of whom are women – are now appealing to US and European consumers to boycott products sold by the fruit multinational Fyffes until it improves working conditions and allows collective bargaining. |
| Labour split expected over motion on Tony Blair's role in Iraq war Posted: 30 Nov 2016 02:08 AM PST Jeremy Corbyn to stay away from debate called by the SNP on whether former prime minister misled MPs in runup to invasion Labour MPs are expected to be split on Wednesday over whether to back a cross-party motion calling for Tony Blair to be held to account for his role in the Iraq war after he was criticised by the Chilcot report. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader and long-term critic of Blair, is expected to stay away from the debate called by the SNP but other Labour MPs are likely to turn up to fiercely defend the former prime minister's record. Continue reading... |
| Chapecoense fans mourn plane crash victims at football stadium – video Posted: 30 Nov 2016 02:02 AM PST Fans of Brazilian football team Chapecoense gather for a vigil at the Arena Condá stadium on Tuesday to mourn the players who were killed when their plane crashed in Colombia. Hundreds congregated at the stadium and spoke of their disbelief and sadness Continue reading... |
| Raúl Castro addresses Fidel memorial service in Havana’s Revolution Square – video Posted: 30 Nov 2016 01:16 AM PST Cuban president Raúl Castro speaks of his late brother Fidel's place in history at a mass memorial ceremony in Havana's Revolution Square on Tuesday. Thousands of Cubans were in attendance, as well as a number of world leaders including Bolivian president Evo Morales and Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro Continue reading... |
| Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock designs trainer to fundraise for Planned Parenthood Posted: 30 Nov 2016 12:50 AM PST Rapper's vegan trainer, through LA brand Keep, will 'support a woman's right to choose' – as abortion comes under threat in US from Trump presidency While many artists venture out into the world of retail for their own brand benefits, Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock has designed a trainer for the good of the world. Along with ethical LA shoe company Keep, the rapper has created a vegan trainer to raise money for Planned Parenthood, the US non-profit organisation that provides reproductive healthcare, sex education and information to millions of people worldwide. Continue reading... |
| Hopes rise of Opec deal to cut oil production at Vienna meeting Posted: 30 Nov 2016 12:44 AM PST Brent crude price increases as expectations grow that group of oil producers will take action to rein in oversupply Oil prices have risen on hopes that some form of a deal on cutting production will be reached between Opec members meeting in Vienna. Brent crude was up by more than 3% at $48.14 a barrel on Wednesday morning as expectations grew that some of the world's leading oil producers would agree to take action to rein in the oversupply of oil. Continue reading... |
| Tearing up US deal with Iran would be disastrous, says CIA chief Posted: 30 Nov 2016 12:37 AM PST Outgoing US intelligence chief John Brennan says Donald Trump's opposition to nuclear deal is 'height of folly' The outgoing director of the CIA has warned of disastrous consequences if Donald Trump goes ahead with his threat of tearing up the US deal with Iran over nuclear weapons. In an unusually frank interview with the BBC, John Brennan said Trump's opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran was the "height of folly". Continue reading... |
| Eric Bristow apologises for Twitter football sex abuse comments Posted: 30 Nov 2016 01:39 AM PST Former darts champion, who has lost Sky Sports role, says it was 'miswording' to suggest victims were wimps The former world darts champion Eric Bristow has apologised for a number of offensive tweets he sent out in relation to the football sexual abuse scandal. Bristow, 59, was sacked by Sky Sports, where he had been a regular contributor to darts coverage since the early 90s, after writing on social media: "Might be a looney but if some football coach was touching me when I was a kid as I got older I would have went back and sorted that poof out." Continue reading... |
| Ministers want controls on skilled and unskilled EU workers, say sources Posted: 30 Nov 2016 12:24 AM PST Government said to favour immigration restrictions at all levels but with preferential treament for EU citizens The British government wants to implement an immigration regime under which controls would be applied to both skilled and unskilled European workers, the Guardian understands. Ministers have told colleagues they want a tough system that is profoundly different to the one that currently exists, with restrictions at all levels. Continue reading... |
| Young Gambians ready to vote out dictatorial Yahya Jammeh regime Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:00 PM PST With high unemployment among its youthful population driving people to flee to Italy, Gambia goes to the polls this week in a climate of dissent Wearing a black T-shirt with the words Power of Freedom emblazoned in red, rapper Jerreh Badjie (stage name Retsam), is part of a tight circle of young Gambian dissidents pushing for an end to the country's totalitarian regime. It has been 22 years since President Yahya Jammeh took office, but unprecedented levels of protest in recent months signal that he may be losing his iron grip on power. Badjie says the 2016 presidential election on 1 December is the first real chance young Gambians have had to vote for change. "People are starting to see if they don't express themselves now, their lives and their children's lives are at risk. They have to face the situation and talk now. If we have the same leader for another 20 years there won't be any change – that means Gambia has no future," he says, sitting on a beach in the Senegal capital, Dakar, where he now lives in exile. |
| Nauru police say male refugee charged with assaulting girl under 16 Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:30 PM PST Deputy police commissioner says girl reported attack to domestic violence and sexual assault unit A male refugee has been charged with the sexual assault of a young Nauruan girl, Nauruan police have said. The deputy Nauru police commissioner, Kalinda Blake, told Sky News that police had been investigating since the alleged victim, a girl aged under 16 who is not in detention, reported the alleged attack about two weeks ago. Continue reading... |
| Sydney sonographer pulled and juggled woman's breasts, court told Posted: 30 Nov 2016 01:40 AM PST Woman recounts 'weirdest experience' during breast check by Samir Fahmy Ishak, while another woman says he touched her clitoris during an internal examination A woman having a breast lump checked had the "weirdest experience" when a sonographer pulled hard on her nipples before "juggling" her breasts, a court has heard. Samir Fahmy Ishak, 68, has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of aggravated indecent assault against five women during their ultrasound appointments with him at Sydney medical centres between 2011 and 2014. Continue reading... |
| Saudi prince calls for end to country’s 'unjust' ban on women driving Posted: 30 Nov 2016 12:28 AM PST Prince Alwaleed bin Talal makes social and economic case for lifting ban, which he says is akin to denying women education A billionaire Saudi prince has called for an "urgent" end to his country's ban on women driving. "Stop the debate: Time for women to drive," Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said on his official Twitter account. Alwaleed is an unusually outspoken member of the Saudi royal family who holds no political posts but chairs Kingdom Holding Co, whose interests include US banking giant Citigroup and the Euro Disney theme park. Continue reading... |
| Are you voting in Austria's presidential elections? Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:45 PM PST If you're taking part in the rerun of Austria's presidential election, we'd like to hear from you Austrians will vote in a rerun of the country's presidential elections this Sunday, in a race between the far-right candidate Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party and Alexander Van der Bellen, the former head of the Austrian Green party. Hofer lost by the narrowest of margins in May – just 31,000 votes – to Van der Bellen but a recount, backed by Hofer's party, found counting irregularities and the vote was annulled. A further hiccup – the adhesive seals on the postal votes was found to be faulty – delayed the rerun by two months. Continue reading... |
| Croatia's anti-abortion lobby finds new ways to spread its message Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:00 PM PST Website posing as support tool and centres offering free board are among tactics used to discourage termination of pregnancies Search the internet in Croatia for abortion clinics and the top result on Google appears, at first glance, to be a website offering information to women about the procedure. But klinikazapobacaje.com is in reality part of a nation-wide campaign aimed at discouraging women from terminating their pregnancies. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand's prime wine regions count cost of earthquake Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:13 PM PST Millions of dollars of wine have been lost along with storage vats amid concern for the forthcoming harvest Some of New Zealand's prized vineyards are counting the cost of the country's 7.8 magnitude earthquake with millions of litres of wine lost and estimates that up to a fifth of storge vats have been damaged. With the 2017 grape harvest only months away, the New Zealand government has stepped in to aid the affected wineries in prime sauvignon blanc country, and a NZ Wine Response Team has been established. |
| Italy referendum: all you need to know about Renzi's crunch vote Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:00 PM PST PM has vowed to resign if voters in Sunday's plebiscite reject his reforms, but it could have even more far-reaching implications Italians are voting in a referendum on 4 December that is getting a lot of attention and causing concern across Europe. The vote could lead to the resignation of the prime minister, Matteo Renzi, and, some argue, even jeopardise the euro. So what exactly is it all about? Continue reading... |
| Chapecoense plane crash: victims to be honoured with mass wake at stadium Posted: 29 Nov 2016 08:31 PM PST South America mourns after nearly all of Brazilian club's players, management team and media contingent died when plane went down in Colombia The victims of one of the worst disasters in South American sporting history will be honoured at a mass wake inside the football stadium of the Brazilian club at the centre of the tragedy. Seventy-one people were killed on Monday night when a plane carrying Chapecoense, a team from Brazil's first division, crashed shortly before it was scheduled to land in Medellín, Colombia. Continue reading... |
| Ban upheld against Hong Kong MPs who mocked oath of allegiance Posted: 29 Nov 2016 06:38 PM PST Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus 'Baggio' Leung remain disqualified for protest at swearing-in ceremony, while third legislator faces similar sanction A Hong Kong court has upheld a ban on two pro-independence lawmakers, a day after the government signalled it would seek to disqualify a third legislator in an unprecedented series of legal challenges. A panel of three judges upheld a lower court's ruling that Yau Wai-ching, 25, and Sixtus "Baggio" Leung, 30, were disqualified for not properly reading the oath of office. The pair have previously said they plan to take the case to the court of final appeal, Hong Kong's highest court. Continue reading... |
| Underground earthquake leaves at least two miners dead in Poland Posted: 29 Nov 2016 06:03 PM PST Sixteen people were in the area of Rudna mine hit by magnitude 4.4 quake that struck at shallow depth in Polkowice district, says state media An underground earthquake left at least two miners dead and six missing at the Rudna mine in Polkowice, south-western Poland, according to state media. The earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck just after 9pm Tuesday local time, according to the US Geological Survey. Continue reading... |
| Fidel Castro memorial service: crowds gather as dignitaries pay tribute Posted: 29 Nov 2016 05:24 PM PST Presidents of Mexico, Ecuador, South Africa and Zimbabwe, but not those of America, Canada or Britain, join Cubans to say goodbye to revolutionary With sombre speeches and a thunder of cannon, Havana held a mass eulogy for Fidel Castro on Tuesday night in a ceremony that underscored the polarising influence of the dead Cuban revolutionary. President Raul Castro, dressed in his military uniform, led the memorial for his brother, who seized power in 1959 and turned the Caribbean island into a bastion of anti-imperialism and a focus of Cold War tensions with the United States. Continue reading... |
| Canada approves controversial Kinder Morgan oil pipeline Posted: 29 Nov 2016 04:02 PM PST
Canada has approved Kinder Morgan Inc's hotly contested plan to twin a pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific coast, setting up a battle with environmentalists who helped elect the prime minister, Justin Trudeau. The Liberal government, seeking to balance demands from both greens and the energy industry, said allowing Kinder Morgan to build a second pipeline next to its existing Trans Mountain line will help ensure oil exports reach Asia and reduce reliance on the US market. Continue reading... |
| Tears and prayers for a tight-knit team as Chapecoense's fairytale ends in tragedy Posted: 29 Nov 2016 02:15 PM PST The crash of the Brazilians' plane claimed a 22-year-old striker who was about to become a father but spared a team-mate who missed the flight through injury The players from Chapecoense were heading for a match that would surely mark the pinnacle of their club's history so far: the first leg of the final in South America's Copa Sudamericana – the continent's second most prominent club competition. Related: Tragedy strikes Chapecoense, serial overachievers dubbed a 'Brazilian Leicester' Continue reading... |
| Brazilian clubs offer to loan players to Chapecoense after plane crash Posted: 29 Nov 2016 01:15 PM PST • Majority of team died on their way to play match in Colombia Brazil's top-flight football teams offered to loan players to Chapecoense for next season after the small southern club lost almost all their players in a plane crash in Colombia. Related: Chapecoense fans gather in grief at football club's stadium in Brazil Continue reading... |
| Libyan general Khalifa Haftar meets Russian minister to seek help Posted: 29 Nov 2016 01:06 PM PST Haftar, who previously requested military support from the Kremlin to help fight Islamic militants in Libya, met foreign minister Sergei Lavrov Khalifa Haftar, the military commander of Libya's eastern government, has met Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and said he was seeking Moscow's help in his fight against Islamic militants at home. Haftar, on his second visit to Moscow since the summer, requested military support from the Kremlin in September, according to Russian media. It was unclear on Tuesday if such help would be forthcoming. Continue reading... |
| EU’s Brexit negotiator wants to stop UK getting 'soft transitional deal' Posted: 29 Nov 2016 01:02 PM PST Michel Barnier wants to prevent UK being granted access to single market without it meeting EU obligations, say sources The EU's chief Brexit negotiator wants to prevent Britain from getting a soft transitional deal that would allow single market access on easy terms once it has left the bloc. At a closed-door meeting in Brussels, Michel Barnier outlined his negotiating strategy to EU government officials for the first time. Described as technical seminar, the event on Tuesday lasted about three hours, and was attended by experts from 27 EU member states, but not the UK. |
| Look at Fidel Castro’s legacy from a fair perspective | Letters Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:52 AM PST Zoe Williams (Forget Fidel Castro's policies. Above all, he was a dictator, 28November) bases her judgment of Castro on a frighteningly simplistic division of states into democracies, by implication multiparty ones, and dictatorships, by implication any state that is not multiparty. She then makes a blanket assertion that the latter are so inherently bad that their actual record of government is irrelevant. This is to ignore all the complex details of political structures by which a population can be oppressed or empowered. For us, from a practical point of view, the worst danger of such thinking is to exaggerate the benefits of our political system. While Castro may be rightly criticised for executing Batista supporters, even those guilty of torture and multiple murder, it may be salutary to remember that back then, in 1959, Britain executed people accused of a single murder. It was also a time when British forces were imprisoning and torturing Kenyans, and those of the French multiparty democracy were torturing and killing Algerians. Even those crimes pale before the horrors the US multiparty democracy was shortly to unleash on Vietnam. Continue reading... |
| Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:20 AM PST Diplomats have made clear EU will not sign any cheques for country run by Assad, who is accused of multiple war crimes European leaders, notably the French, are privately warning Vladimir Putin that if he permits Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, to turn an expected capture of Aleppo into a military victory across most of the country, it will be up to Russia to foot the bill for reconstruction. "What Russia breaks is what Moscow will have to fix," said one western diplomat, adding that the EU in reality was the only player with the resources to restore the fabric and infrastructure of a country torn apart by a five-year-long civil war. Continue reading... |
| Haiti: violent protests erupt over presidential election result Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:58 AM PST
Violent protests have erupted in Haiti as losing candidates rejected the preliminary results of an election that indicated political newcomer Jovenel Moïse would be the next president. Moïse, a banana exporter who ran for former president Michel Martelly's Bald Heads party, won with 55.67% of votes cast in the 20 November election, the electoral council said on Monday. The result avoids a second round run-off next year. Continue reading... |
| Dutch parliament paves way for approval of partial Islamic veil ban Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:52 AM PST Lower house approves ban on clothing that covers faces, including burqa and niqab, in official buildings, schools and hospitals The lower house of the Dutch parliament has approved a limited ban on "face-covering clothing", including the burqa and niqab. The legislation, approved on Tuesday by a large majority in the 150-seat house of representatives, must be approved by the upper house of parliament before it can be signed into law. Continue reading... |
| Trump and May 'agree on importance of Nato' in second phone call Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:33 AM PST Exchange between US president-elect and PM seen as significant after his scepticism about alliance during election campaign Donald Trump and Theresa May have "agreed on the importance" of Nato as they spoke on the phone for the second time since the US election, according to Downing Street. May called Trump on Monday afternoon in an effort to "establish a regular dialogue" with the Republican US president-elect before he takes office in January. Continue reading... |
| Aleppo families fear for 500 men seized by forces loyal to Assad Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:30 AM PST Residents say they have not heard from relatives arrested in Masakan Hanano district after it fell on Sunday to Iraqi and Lebanese militias Residents of east Aleppo have said they hold grave fears for as many as 500 men who were seized by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad as they overran opposition strongholds in the city. Three families contacted by the Guardian said there had been no word from their sons and nephews who had been arrested in the Masakan Hanano district, which fell on Sunday to Iraqi and Lebanese militias within hours of the biggest ground offensive of the war being launched. Continue reading... |
| British investigators fly to Colombia to help examine plane crash Posted: 29 Nov 2016 10:02 AM PST Team from Air Accident Investigation Bureau will help Colombian officials as crashed plane was built in UK British investigators are flying out to Colombia to help the national authorities establish what caused the plane carrying the Chapecoense football team to crash. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau said it was following standard international protocol by sending a team to help Colombia's Aeronautica Civil, as the Avro RJ85 aircraft was built in Britain. Continue reading... |
| US military admits it mistakenly targeted and killed loyalist Syrian forces Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:44 AM PST 'Good faith' mistake of misidentifying fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad as Isis militants led to 17 September airstrikes that killed at least 15 in Deir ez-Zor The US military has formally admitted fault in a major September airstrike in eastern Syria that killed at least 15 fighters loyal to the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad. US Central Command (Centcom), which both conducted and investigated the 17 September strike, said the attack stemmed from a "good faith" mistake that led targeters to believe the Syrian fighters, whom Centcom said did not wear uniforms, were Islamic State (Isis) militants. Continue reading... |
| Fighting around Mosul leaves majority in Isis-held city without water Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:41 AM PST Key water pipeline hit as UN warns of siege-like situation in Iraq's second largest city where food supplies are running low Fighting around Mosul has cut off water supplies for about 650,000 people in the Islamic State stronghold, as the UN warned that a siege-like situation was developing with food stocks running low after weeks of clashes. A broad coalition of anti-Isis troops is closing in on Iraq's second largest city, but progress is slow in urban areas because militants have dug in and are hiding among up to a million civilians, using them as human shields. Continue reading... |
| North Korea satellite images show prison camps accused of 'atrocities' Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:31 AM PST Pyongyang has denied the existence of kwanliso prison camps, where the UN says inmates have faced starvation, forced labor, torture and rape New satellite images of North Korean prison camps have been released, showing the continued existence of political prison camps described by the United Nations as being used to perpetrate "unspeakable atrocities". North Korea's government denies such camps exist, but new analysis from human rights groups shows several of these camps, also known as kwanliso, have been maintained and expanded since being the subject of the 2014 UN inquiry. Continue reading... |
| Timelapse shows Chernobyl shelter construction – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:01 AM PST Timelapse footage shows the construction of a steel shelter designed to prevent radiation leaks from the site of reactor No 4 at Chernobyl. The series of videos captures the shelter's progression over several years up to its placement on Tuesday. High radiation levels near the reactor meant parts had to be assembled several hundred metres away and then slid slowly into place Continue reading... |
| Two-wheel takeover: bikes outnumber cars for the first time in Copenhagen Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:09 PM PST Denmark's capital has reached a milestone in its journey to become a cycling city – there are now more bikes than cars on the streets. Can other cities follow? Bicycle sensors in Copenhagen clocked a new record this month: there are now more bikes than cars in the heart of the city. In the last year, 35,080 more bikes have joined the daily roll, bringing the total number to 265,700, compared with 252,600 cars. Copenhagen municipality has been carrying out manual traffic counts at a number of city centre locations since 1970, when there were 351,133 cars and 100,071 bikes. In 2009, the city installed its first electric bike counter by city hall, with 20 now monitoring traffic across the city. Continue reading... |
| Reach out, raise money or remove: how should cities deal with street begging? Posted: 29 Nov 2016 02:48 AM PST From London to Lagos, cities across the world are reacting to the rise in begging with a variety of often controversial measures. But what is the right response to this complicated human story – from cities and residents alike? According to the latest surveys, there are now more than 400,000 beggars in India, of which around 46% are female. Bangladesh's capital Dhaka alone is thought to contain 40,000. For other cities, however, begging is a much more recent, if growing, phenomenon – and often a controversial one. While the reasons for this global rise are complex, the responses to the issue vary both in their severity and their success rates. Continue reading... |
| Requests for LGBT emergency funds highlight persecution worldwide Posted: 29 Nov 2016 07:31 AM PST Support fund backed by Elton John for LGBT communities at high risk of stigma and violence receives 235 requests since October launch A rapid response fund backed by Sir Elton John that provides emergency support to LGBT communities under threat around the world has received 235 applications in its first month of operation. The money is funding safe houses, legal fees and medical support in 29 countries, according to a report on its work to support HIV services, published ahead of World Aids Day on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Big firms accused over labour abuses; and highlighting gender violence Posted: 29 Nov 2016 05:18 AM PST Guardian investigations in Malaysia uncover workers' allegations involving Samsung, Panasonic and McDonald's, plus 16 days of activism If you are reading this on the web and would prefer to get it in your inbox every two weeks, register for the email edition Migrant workers in Malaysia in the supply chain of goods for global electronics brands Samsung and Panasonic claim they are being duped, underpaid and exploited. The two companies have launched investigations into the allegations, uncovered as part of a Guardian series on claims over conditions in Malaysia. In a separate report, workers at McDonald's say they were victims of labour exploitation. The workers allege they were subjected to months – and in some cases years – of exploitation by a labour supply company contracted by McDonald's to provide workers to its restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. McDonald's says it has now ended its contract with the company. Friday marked the start of the UN's 16 days of activism against gender-based violence – the campaign ends on Human Rights Day, 10 December. Photographer Bhargavi Joshi's powerful series of images represent the violence and injustices that confront women worldwide, and how that abuse is whitewashed. And on International Women Human Rights Defenders' Day on Tuesday, four campaigners from Honduras, Nepal, China and Egypt tell us their stories of persecution. Will you be taking part in the 16-day campaign? Tell us about it – we'd like you to share your stories. Continue reading... |
| The US election recount is a long shot – but the alternative is catastrophe Posted: 29 Nov 2016 05:32 AM PST It's unlikely that a recount will change the election's outcome, but the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency means it's time to think big When big changes and dangers arise, you have to think big. You don't put out a forest fire with a glass of water. Thinking small can prevent you from even recognizing trouble, let alone your options for overcoming it. There's never been a time when thinking big matters more than now. Many across the United States are now trying to figure out how to survive Trump, but it may still be possible to stop him. His regime is not yet inevitable. It's a long shot, but one worth trying, the way someone diagnosed with a disease with a 3% survival rate might want to do what it takes to try to be part of the 3%. You don't get there if you give up at the outset. Trump represents a catastrophe on a scale many seem to have trouble grasping, an attack on what remains democratic and uncorrupted in our old and messy system of government, a threat to international stability, to efforts to address climate change, and to human rights at home and around the world. Continue reading... |
| 'Wonderful evening': Mitt Romney full of praise after dinner with Trump – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:19 PM PST The 2012 Republican presidential candidate has dined with the 2016 winner, Donald Trump, in Manhattan. Romney was sharply critical of Trump during the campaign, calling him a 'phoney', but the former Massachusetts governor has been mending fences since the election Continue reading... |
| White House opposes Trump's tweet on flag burning, citing constitution – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 01:10 PM PST White House spokesman Josh Earnest weighs in on a tweet from President-elect Donald Trump that said burning the US flag should be punishable as a crime. Earnest said that while he and many other Americans find the burning of the flag 'offensive', the country also had a responsibility to 'carefully protect' constitutional rights such as freedom of speech Continue reading... |
| Wildfires force evacuations in Tennessee – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 09:05 AM PST Wildfires continue to threaten homes and businesses in two small Tennessee resort towns north of the Great Smoky Mountains, forcing residents and visitors to flee. Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Monday for Gatlinburg and parts of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where strong winds and drought stoked fires, the National Weather Service said in an advisory Continue reading... |
| World’s oldest person is 117 – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 08:08 AM PST Italian Emma Morano, the last person born in the 1800s known to be alive, celebrates her 117th birthday at home in Verbania, northern Italy. Her life has spanned three centuries, two world wars and more than 90 Italian governments Continue reading... |
| Brazilian team Chapecoense at airport before plane crash in Colombia – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 06:12 AM PST Footage from Chapecoense's Facebook account shows the team checking in at Guarulhos airport in São Paulo on Monday. The second video is from defender Alan Ruschel's Instagram account. The Brazilian side were travelling to Medellin to face Atlético Nacional in the final of the Copa Sudamericana when it crashed killing at least 75 people Continue reading... |
| Who are Chapecoense, the football team involved in the Colombia plane crash? – video Posted: 29 Nov 2016 04:01 AM PST A plane carrying 81 people, including staff and players from Brazil's Chapecoense football club, has crashed in Colombia. The Brazilian side were travelling to Medellin to face Atlético Nacional in the final of the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday. Here we take a look at the football club involved in the crash Continue reading... |
| You are subscribed to email updates from World news | The Guardian. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Posting Komentar