World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Aleppo evacuation suspended as blasts heard at departure point
- Justin Trudeau: 'Globalisation isn't working for ordinary people'
- White House says Vladimir Putin had direct role in hacking US election
- Dylann Roof found guilty in Charleston church shooting
- China live-fires aircraft carrier group amid Taiwan tensions with US
- Traces of explosives found on EgyptAir crash victims, say authorities
- EU leaders try to salvage Ukraine deal
- White House says FBI is investigating hack of 1bn Yahoo user accounts
- Facebook to begin flagging fake news in response to mounting criticism
- WWF and Greenpeace break with Indonesia's pulp and paper giant
- Top 10% highest earners in Europe paid as much as bottom 50%, report finds
- Czechoslovakia spied on Donald and Ivana Trump, communist-era files show
- Negligence case against Christine Lagarde is very weak, says prosecutor
- How Breitbart and the conservative right opened a new front in the war over fake news
- American held over 900 days in Egypt begs US for help before Trump's reign
- World Bank raises record $75bn to help poorest members
- Austrian politicians pass law to seize house where Hitler was born
- Mexican state acts as 'mediator' in return of drug boss's kidnapped mother
- Next UN chief names three women to senior posts
- ‘They speak against it by day and cut girls at night’: fighting FGM in southern Kenya | Anthony Langat
- Trump's Israel ambassador is pro-settlement bankruptcy lawyer
- Barack Obama promises retaliation against Russia over hacking during US election
- Aleppo's evacuated civilians face uncertain future in freezing war zones
- Japan's Emperor Akihito should be allowed to retire, says expert panel
- Family resists Google's campus sprawl despite offer to buy farm for millions
- Man arrested after violent attack on four police officers in London
- UK naive to expect EU trade deal in two years, Germany says
- A walk to freedom: can Joburg's bridges heal the urban scars of apartheid?
- Trudeau to be questioned by ethics watchdog over reports of cash for access
- Ms Dhu endured 'inhumane treatment' by police before death in custody – coroner
- Eyewitness: Mongolia
- Australian police arrest Chinese nationals and impound boat over drug suspicions
- How to fight Boko Haram? Open a school
- China police confirm detention of human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong
- The hardest winter in living memory
- UK and US ramp up criticism of Russia and Iran over Aleppo crisis
- Aleppo evacuation begins as Assad hails 'liberation' - video
- Aleppo evacuees face perilous path to an uncertain future
- 'Austerity tree': Romans incensed at spartan Christmas fir
- Venezuelans on the removal of the 100-bolivar note: 'thoughtless, dangerous'
- Eyewitness: London
- Justin Trudeau on climate change, the economy and Canada's future – video
- 'Night walks are a great tonic for urban stress': your stories of the nocturnal city
- Europe development banks plan £5.5bn backing for gas project ‘with mafia links’
- Britain falling short in international aid for girls says watchdog
- Buscando a nuestros hijos desaparecidos – video
- First wave of Afghans expelled from EU states under contentious migration deal
- EU claims of success in curbing Niger migrants greeted with scepticism
- John Kerry: Assad regime carrying out nothing short of a massacre in Aleppo - video
| Aleppo evacuation suspended as blasts heard at departure point Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:43 AM PST State-run TV station says rebels have breached agreement with Syrian government by taking prisoners with them The evacuation of people from eastern Aleppo has been suspended after a 24 hour period in which an estimated 8,000 people left besieged districts. Buses and ambulances that had been waiting to evacuate more people left the departure zone after gunfire and explosions were heard. Continue reading... |
| Justin Trudeau: 'Globalisation isn't working for ordinary people' Posted: 15 Dec 2016 02:30 AM PST Exclusive: Canada's prime minister tells the Guardian why, in a world where populism, divisiveness and fear are on the rise, he's taking the opposite approach Ordinary people around the world have been failed by globalisation, Justin Trudeau has told the Guardian, as he sought to explain a turbulent year marked by the election of Donald Trump, the Brexit vote and the rise of anti-establishment, nation-first parties around the world. "What we're facing right now – in terms of the rise of populism and divisive and fearful narratives around the world – it's based around the fact that globalisation doesn't seem to be working for the middle class, for ordinary people," the Canadian prime minister said in an interview at his oak-panelled office in the country's parliament. "And this is something that we identified years ago and built an entire platform and agenda for governing on." Continue reading... |
| White House says Vladimir Putin had direct role in hacking US election Posted: 16 Dec 2016 12:50 AM PST Press secretary Josh Earnest argued Donald Trump knew Russia was engaged in cyber-attacks, and Trump went on the attack at a Pennsylvania rally to label him 'foolish' The White House on Thursday went its furthest yet in joining the dots between Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Related: Donald Trump risks damaging intelligence agencies, warns former CIA chief Continue reading... |
| Dylann Roof found guilty in Charleston church shooting Posted: 15 Dec 2016 12:33 PM PST Roof, who was convicted on all 33 charges, faces life in prison or death penalty over June 2015 shooting at South Carolina church A South Carolina jury has found Dylann Roof, the self-avowed white supremacist who killed nine black parishioners in a Charleston church in June 2015, guilty of all 33 federal charges he faced, including hate crimes, murder, attempted murder and obstruction of religion. Barring appeal, the conviction means that Roof, 22, could either spend the rest of his life in prison or be subject to the death penalty. Sentencing has been scheduled for January, and Roof has been cleared by Judge Richard Gergel to represent himself in those proceedings. Experts have suggested this leaves Roof, a high school dropout with no legal training, much more likely to be sentenced to death. |
| China live-fires aircraft carrier group amid Taiwan tensions with US Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:51 PM PST Dozens of ships and warplanes test weapons after Donald Trump questioned 'One China policy' and spoke directly with Taiwanese president China's Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group has conducted its first exercises with live ammunition, the country's navy said, in a show of strength as tensions with the US and Taiwan escalate. China's first and only aircraft carrier led large-scale exercises in the Bohai Sea, the navy of the People's Liberation Army announced late on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Traces of explosives found on EgyptAir crash victims, say authorities Posted: 15 Dec 2016 08:21 AM PST Egypt's civil aviation ministry confirms it will launch criminal investigation into May crash of flight MS804 that killed 66 Egyptian air accident investigators have revealed that traces of explosives were detected on the remains of victims of the EgyptAir flight from Paris that crashed in the Mediterranean sea in May. The claim by Egypt's civil aviation investigation committee suggests that the crash, which killed all 66 people on board, was caused by a bomb, although it does not solve the mystery of where a device might have been smuggled on board - or who was responsible. Continue reading... |
| EU leaders try to salvage Ukraine deal Posted: 15 Dec 2016 04:33 PM PST Guarantees offered to voters in the Netherlands after they reject trade and political deal approved by rest of the bloc EU leaders have attempted to rescue a landmark treaty with Ukraine, which was rejected by Dutch voters, plunging ties with Europe's eastern neighbour into uncertainty. In a bid to assuage Dutch concerns, European leaders have spelled out that Ukraine has not been promised EU membership, nor any help from European armies in the event of invasion, as a result of signing an association agreement. |
| White House says FBI is investigating hack of 1bn Yahoo user accounts Posted: 15 Dec 2016 10:47 AM PST Victims of the largest data breach in history, which took place in 2013 but was just revealed this week, include FBI, CIA, NSA and White House workers The FBI is investigating the attack on Yahoo that compromised at least 1bn user accounts, the White House said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the daily White House press briefing on Thursday, spokesman Josh Earnest said he could not comment on the scope of material that may have been compromised in the hack, the largest data breach in history, which Yahoo believes was state-sponsored. "What I can say is that the FBI is investigating this matter," Earnest said. Continue reading... |
| Facebook to begin flagging fake news in response to mounting criticism Posted: 15 Dec 2016 12:05 PM PST Disputed articles will be marked with the help of users and outside fact checkers amid widespread criticism that fake news influenced the US election Facebook will begin flagging fake news stories with the help of users and outside fact checkers, the company announced on Thursday, responding to a torrent of criticism over fake news during the US election. Readers will be able to alert Facebook to possible fake news stories, which the social media behemoth will then send to outside fact-checking organizations to verify. Continue reading... |
| WWF and Greenpeace break with Indonesia's pulp and paper giant Posted: 15 Dec 2016 04:01 PM PST Prominent environmental NGOs suspend partnership with April after peatland drainage canal discovered on Pedang Island, Indonesia The construction of a 3km canal in Indonesia has led Greenpeace and WWF to suspend its partnership with one of Indonesia's biggest pulp and paper companies. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (Rapp), a subsidiary of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (April), dug the canal through thick peat forest on the island of Pedang, just off the east coast of Sumatra. Continue reading... |
| Top 10% highest earners in Europe paid as much as bottom 50%, report finds Posted: 15 Dec 2016 12:00 PM PST Wage inequality between highest and lowest paid workers risks fuelling rise of nationalism, report warns, while gender pay gap highest among CEOs The top 10% of highest paid workers in Europe together earn almost as much as the bottom 50%, according to a report from the International Labour Organization that calls on governments and companies to do more to ensure the fruits of economic growth are shared out. The UN agency used its latest report into global wage trends to examine earnings inequality between different earners within firms and between firms. It also found startling discrepancies between men and women's salaries at senior level in Europe with a gender pay gap of more than 50% for chief executives. Continue reading... |
| Czechoslovakia spied on Donald and Ivana Trump, communist-era files show Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:00 AM PST
The secret service of communist-era Czechoslovakia spied extensively on Donald Trump, it has emerged, with one informant alleging in 1977 that the future US president-elect "is completely tax-exempt for the next 30 years". The Státní bezpečnost or StB – the then communist state's intelligence agency which dealt with any activity considered dangerous to the state or of western influence – spied on Trump and his Czechoslovak-born wife, Ivana, in the 1970s and 80s when she made regular trips back to visit her father, Miloš Zelníček. Continue reading... |
| Negligence case against Christine Lagarde is very weak, says prosecutor Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:15 AM PST Jean-Claude Marin warns judges not to confuse law and politics as IMF chief stands trial over role in €400m payout The chief French prosecutor in the trial of Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has said the accusation of negligence against her was "very weak". Jean-Claude Marin also warned judges on Thursday that they were treading a fine line between the law and politics and should avoid confusing "criminal negligence" with "making a bad political decision". |
| How Breitbart and the conservative right opened a new front in the war over fake news Posted: 15 Dec 2016 03:00 AM PST The Trump-supporting website has accused Guardian US of reporting 'fake news' about illegal immigration. Here, we set out the facts behind the original article In an effort to deny the reality of immigration trends on the southern US border, Breitbart News claimed to have "fact-checked" a Guardian profile of a Border Patrol agent, which they blasted as "fake news". The rightwing site accused the Guardian of disseminating false information for reporting a fundamental and demonstrably provable fact: that the number of undocumented border crossers is near a historic low. Continue reading... |
| American held over 900 days in Egypt begs US for help before Trump's reign Posted: 15 Dec 2016 03:45 AM PST Aya Hijazi's family members have called on the US to intervene before Donald Trump, who signalled he intends to build close ties with Egypt, takes office On the night of 1 May 2014, Egyptian police climbed the six floors to the offices of the Belady Foundation, an organisation aiding Cairo street children, and arrested everyone inside. Officers gathered laptops and phones that would later be investigated for evidence, and also arrested several of the street children cared for by the NGO. Continue reading... |
| World Bank raises record $75bn to help poorest members Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:12 AM PST Fund will include money raised on world capital markets for first time, along with contributions from 47 countries The World Bank has pledged to step up the fight against extreme poverty after announcing that tough negotiations with rich countries have left it with a record $75bn (£60bn) for grants and soft loans to its poorest members over the next three years. Despite budgetary pressures caused by slow growth and austerity, the Washington-based institution said 47 countries had agreed to make donations to the International Development Association – its fund for providing assistance to the least-developed nations. Continue reading... |
| Austrian politicians pass law to seize house where Hitler was born Posted: 15 Dec 2016 04:03 AM PST Move ends long-running dispute between owner and authorities but government's plans for building remain unclear Austria's parliament has passed a law allowing authorities to expropriate the house in which Adolf Hitler was born in 1889. The law, passed on Wednesday night, ends years of dispute between the building's owner, Gerlinde Pommer, and the authorities in Braunau am Inn. For years, Pommer refused to sell the building or allow it to be renovated. Continue reading... |
| Mexican state acts as 'mediator' in return of drug boss's kidnapped mother Posted: 15 Dec 2016 10:38 AM PST Guerrero governor denies that state negotiated with 'El Tequilero' to exchange kidnapped businessman for mother taken hostage by Totolapan vigilante group A state government in southern Mexico has found itself forced to play the role of middleman in an exchange of kidnap victims held by a gang of drug traffickers, and a band of angry citizens who seized a crime boss's mother in an attempt to take back control of their lawless, opium-country town. The government of the state of Guerrero sent police to spirit away María Félix de Almonte Salgado, the mother of drug gang boss Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, known as "El Tequilero", after residents of the town of Totolapan got a kidnapped businessman back from the gang in return. Continue reading... |
| Next UN chief names three women to senior posts Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:15 AM PST António Guterres appoints Nigeria's Amina Mohammed as his deputy after saying gender parity at UN was a priority The incoming UN secretary general, António Guterres, has announced that Nigeria's environment minister, Amina Mohammed, will be his deputy and appointed two other women to key leadership posts. Guterres has made achieving gender parity at the world body a priority of his tenure, which begins on 1 January. Women currently fill less than one in four leadership positions at the UN. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 16 Dec 2016 02:00 AM PST A family in Kenya's Maasai area, where female genital mutilation continues despite being outlawed, has been ostracised after rejecting the practice When Rampei Wuantai and his wife, Angela, decided not to make their daughters undergo female genital mutilation, they were not prepared for the backlash. The family lives live on a small homestead surrounding by acacia trees in the village of Illmotiok, in Kenya's Kajiado county. Though outlawed in 2011, FGM is still widely practised in the area. The Wuantais were the first to reject the tradition. Continue reading... |
| Trump's Israel ambassador is pro-settlement bankruptcy lawyer Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:27 AM PST David Friedman is fervent critic of 'two-state solution', backs an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital and once represented Trump's failing hotels Donald Trump has named a bankruptcy lawyer who represented the president-elect over his failing hotels in Atlantic City, as the new US ambassador to Israel. David Friedman, who had more recently served on the president-elect's advisory team on the Middle East, said that he looked forward to delivering Trump's pledge to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the US embassy there. The move would be a highly controversial, symbolic and potentially explosive gesture in the Middle East, as the status of Jerusalem is one of the issues in long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama promises retaliation against Russia over hacking during US election Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:25 AM PST Outgoing president says US will respond to cyberattacks by Moscow 'at a time and place of our choosing', as Donald Trump rejects reports of interference Barack Obama has warned that the US will retaliate for Russian cyberattacks during the presidential election. According to extracts of an interview due to air on National Public Radio on Friday morning, the US president said he was waiting for a final report he has ordered into a range of Russian hacking attacks, but promised there would be a response. Continue reading... |
| Aleppo's evacuated civilians face uncertain future in freezing war zones Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:07 AM PST Residents continue to leave besieged city, but food, shelter and healthcare in short supply as thousands arrive in areas still under bombardment Tens of thousands of civilians evacuated from besieged Aleppo will still be at huge risk unless aid groups and the international community can rush food, shelter and medicine to the areas where they are seeking refuge. Related: Hundreds leave besieged east Aleppo on first day of evacuation Continue reading... |
| Japan's Emperor Akihito should be allowed to retire, says expert panel Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:06 AM PST Government committee says it will support abdication of 82-year-old monarch amid concerns for his health Japan's emperor Akihito should be allowed to abdicate, according to a government panel, in what would be an unprecedented move that reflects the 82-year-old monarch's fears for his health and ability to continue to carry out his official duties. The panel of six experts was set up after Akihito made a rare televised address in August in which he said he wanted an orderly imperial succession – typically cautious wording that many interpreted as a desire to abdicate. Continue reading... |
| Family resists Google's campus sprawl despite offer to buy farm for millions Posted: 15 Dec 2016 10:57 AM PST The Martinellis try to preserve their family history and the agricultural spirit of the valley that is now surrounded on all sides by the tech company A Bay Area family is holding on to its ramshackle farmstead in the heart of Google's sprawling headquarters despite reason to believe it has been offered $5m to $7m by the tech giant for the tiny patch of land. The land – which is home to battered pickups, a crumbling ice house, and a handful of renters – is now surrounded on all sides by the tech company's more than 25-acre campus in Mountain View, California. Continue reading... |
| Man arrested after violent attack on four police officers in London Posted: 16 Dec 2016 02:10 AM PST Officers sustained injuries including suspected broken arm and facial cuts after being called to a home in Woolwich A man violently attacked four police officers in south-east London, leaving one seriously injured and another with cuts to the face. One male officer suffered a suspected broken arm in the assault on Thursday while a female officer sustained cuts to her face after the 55-year-old lashed out when police tried to arrest him. Continue reading... |
| UK naive to expect EU trade deal in two years, Germany says Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:10 AM PST Home affairs spokesman Stephan Mayer sounds more optimistic over settling rights of citizens living in EU and UK A trade deal between the UK and European Union is unlikely to be negotiated within two years, alongside Brexit negotiations, a German official has said, while sounding cautiously optimistic over the issue of citizens' rights. Related: 'Lonely Theresa May' video at EU summit is Brexit in a nutshell Continue reading... |
| A walk to freedom: can Joburg's bridges heal the urban scars of apartheid? Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:30 PM PST Planned to segregate people by race, the city of Johannesburg now wants to physically connect rich and poor communities with a series of bridges and other projects – but can it solve the urban legacy of apartheid? "You just have to run," says Nombulelo Motsei, grabbing my hand as we dash across a dual carriageway in Soweto, which even on a Sunday afternoon is terrifying. Klipspruit Valley Road, which connects Soweto highway and the N17 motorway, is better known to locals as "Killer Road", and you can see why: there is no pedestrian crossing near us. "People often need to cross here, because on this side there's a school and many properties, and on the other there's the train station, police station and clinic," says Motsei, a 28-year-old insurance company employee. Two weeks earlier, her neighbour Lesley Shopane, a 40-year-old carpenter, died while trying to cross to buy bread. "I have to cross coming to work and going home," says Muzi, who works in the petrol station. "It's very dangerous, especially when it's rush hour, or if we finish late and it's dark." His workmate, George, agrees: "We've seen very bad accidents. People die here, very painfully." Continue reading... |
| Trudeau to be questioned by ethics watchdog over reports of cash for access Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:31 AM PST Canada's ethics watchdog will query Justin Trudeau over his involvement with political fundraisers that allegedly offered access to the prime minister Justin Trudeau will be questioned by Canada's ethics watchdog over reports of political fundraisers that allegedly offered privileged access to the prime minister and his cabinet ministers for a price. The development marks the first time in a decade that the ethics commissioner has questioned a sitting prime minister and is a turning point for Trudeau who swept to a majority government last year on broad promises to run a transparent administration that would abide by the highest standards of ethics. Continue reading... |
| Ms Dhu endured 'inhumane treatment' by police before death in custody – coroner Posted: 16 Dec 2016 12:51 AM PST
The Indigenous woman Ms Dhu was subjected to "unprofessional and inhumane" treatment by Western Australian police that was "well below the standards that should ordinarily be expected" before her death in custody in 2014. The coroner Ros Fogliani released CCTV footage of Dhu's time in custody, save for a final scene that showed her very close to death at hospital. Fogliani said the footage was "profoundly disturbing". Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:14 PM PST Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| Australian police arrest Chinese nationals and impound boat over drug suspicions Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:05 PM PST Crew of vessel spotted in international waters to be questioned over suspicions of large-scale drug smuggling Ten Chinese nationals have been arrested in Hobart and their boat impounded amid suspicion of large-scale drug smuggling. The foreign commercial vessel was spotted circling in international waters off Australia's west coast and escorted to the southern capital on Friday by the navy's HMAS Adelaide after a lengthy maritime monitoring mission. Continue reading... |
| How to fight Boko Haram? Open a school Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST Religious leaders fearful of Islamist threat believe giving girls free weekend lessons will counter spread of militancy As a military campaign against Boko Haram continues in northern Cameroon, leaders of the country's biggest mosques in the south are deploying another weapon to ensure that the Islamist insurgency doesn't spread: education for girls. Militants started to spill over the border from northern Nigeria three years ago, and while their attacks and recruitment drives remain contained to the far north region, imams in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, are taking no chances. Continue reading... |
| China police confirm detention of human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:12 PM PST The activist's family are still waiting to hear from him despite officials saying he was released more than two weeks ago Police in China have confirmed that a respected human rights attorney was detained, his lawyer said, nearly a month after he disappeared under mysterious circumstances amid a widening crackdown on lawyers and activists. But despite a police claim that Jiang Tianyong has since been released, he has not contacted his family or lawyer, and they doubt claims made by officials. Continue reading... |
| The hardest winter in living memory Posted: 15 Dec 2016 01:30 PM PST In December 1946, Britain was still getting over the war. And then the skies opened and the snow began to fall December 1946 started windy and rainy, but there was a cold snap on the 16th. Temperatures fell suddenly, with a low of -14C recorded at Yeovilton in Somerset. Heavy snow fell across south-east England. By the 22nd a thaw set in, and it seemed to be all over. But this was just a curtain-raiser for the hardest winter in living memory. 1946-47 was not the coldest, but it was the snowiest winter ever. An anti-cyclone remained stationary over Scandinavia from the middle of January, producing cold easterly winds and repeated snowstorms. Snow built up which did not thaw until March. Drifts 7 metres deep were reported in places. Continue reading... |
| UK and US ramp up criticism of Russia and Iran over Aleppo crisis Posted: 15 Dec 2016 01:18 PM PST Boris Johnson says neither Assad ally deserves praise for letting people flee, as US and UK defence secretaries blame Putin for humanitarian disaster The UK and US have stepped up criticism of the role of Russia and Iran in Aleppo's humanitarian disaster, amid uncertainty about whether the incoming Trump administration might enter into a deal with Vladimir Putin. Speaking in Washington DC, the US secretary of state John Kerry said that the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies were guilty of "indiscriminate and savage brutality against civilians". Continue reading... |
| Aleppo evacuation begins as Assad hails 'liberation' - video Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:36 AM PST Nearly a thousand people were evacuated from the last rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Thursday. The evacuation, which is expected to continue in the coming days, effectively cedes control of the last opposition urban stronghold to the Syrian government. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad posted a video message online, hailing the "liberation of Aleppo" while Russia declared its military operation over, as some of the last rebel fighters were bussed from the city Continue reading... |
| Aleppo evacuees face perilous path to an uncertain future Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:14 AM PST Turkey's enthusiastic backing for the anti-Assad rebels has waned and it is unclear how it will deal with any arriving refugees The last fighters and civilians who were holding out in Aleppo are finally trickling towards the Turkish border, where a central plank of Ankara's policy throughout the nearly six-year war is about to be put to the test. Those collected from the ruins are being taken to a point north of the city, in a deal brokered by Turkey and Russia, which will supposedly provide them refuge away from the ongoing fighting. Continue reading... |
| 'Austerity tree': Romans incensed at spartan Christmas fir Posted: 15 Dec 2016 05:41 AM PST City's mayor is forced to spruce up tree in Piazza Venezia after flurry of complaints about sparse decorations Roman citizens have been willing to give their mayor, Virginia Raggi, the benefit of the doubt throughout her short and rocky tenure, fully aware that hers is probably one of the toughest jobs in Italy. But even patient Romans could not contain their ire following the unveiling of the city's official Christmas tree, a sad-looking fir in the centre of Piazza Venezia that was dubbed the "austerity tree" for its minimalist decor. Lacking even a star on top, let alone a shiny bauble or two, the pitiful spectacle drove Romans to express their disappointment on social media. Continue reading... |
| Venezuelans on the removal of the 100-bolivar note: 'thoughtless, dangerous' Posted: 15 Dec 2016 05:16 AM PST Venezuelans say the government's move to replace the note has come too late to reverse the country's economic woes You need a minimum of 50 100-bolivar notes to buy a McDonald's burger in central Caracas, and that's without a soft drink and fries on the side. With the smallest denomination being pulled from circulation and replaced with larger notes on Thursday, wallets might lighten. But Venezuelans who responded to a Guardian callout say the move will disrupt an already chaotic situation, making the lives of the most vulnerable even worse. "Right now, the 100-bolivar note represents almost half of all the notes we have. Because inflation is so severe, the first four notes – 2, 5, 10, 20 – are useless. Any wallet is too small to carry this amount of money," says 25-year-old Gabriel, a student from Caracas. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2016 03:40 AM PST Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| Justin Trudeau on climate change, the economy and Canada's future – video Posted: 15 Dec 2016 02:30 AM PST In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the Canadian prime minister talks about Donald Trump, the environment and Canada's role in a world where populism is on the rise Continue reading... |
| 'Night walks are a great tonic for urban stress': your stories of the nocturnal city Posted: 15 Dec 2016 07:08 AM PST Readers share their experiences of cities at night – from hearing panther screams in Prague to wandering through the hidden neighbourhoods of Seoul San Francisco after midnight is a night stroller's dream. I lived there for 25 years and would often take a short nap and go out at midnight to enjoy a sleeping city filled with atmosphere, deserted spaces, panoramic vistas, foggy and forlorn images of trees and distant expanse of water. Time was different at night in sleeping San Francisco. Continue reading... |
| Europe development banks plan £5.5bn backing for gas project ‘with mafia links’ Posted: 15 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST A pipeline to bring gas to Europe from central Asia has attracted companies with historic connections to cartels and the mafia, says Bankwatch report Europe's development banks are proposing some of their biggest investments – currently more than $6.8bn (£5.5bn) – for a gas pipeline being built by several firms with historic links to cartels, corruption and the mafia, according to a new report (pdf). The 3,500km "southern gas corridor" project is seen as an energy security safeguard by EU leaders, and should begin ferrying gas to Europe from Azerbaijan by 2020. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Britain falling short in international aid for girls says watchdog Posted: 15 Dec 2016 04:29 PM PST Too many programmes for girls receive fewer resources and 'lose focus', say Independent Commission for Aid Impact Britain is falling short in its ambitions to educate the poorest and most vulnerable girls around the world, the aid watchdog has found. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) said despite a commitment to helping girls, too many aid programmes lost their focus on them and in some cases abandoned targets for helping girls altogether. Continue reading... |
| Buscando a nuestros hijos desaparecidos – video Posted: 15 Dec 2016 08:10 AM PST Cada día miles de personas entran en México provenientes de otros países, en ruta hacia Estados Unidos. Algunas no logran su objetivo y son raptadas, encarceladas o asesinadas durante el trayecto. En su empeño por encontrar a sus seres queridos, un grupo de mujeres centroamericanas se unen cada año para recorrer México, haciendo oír sus voces a modo de protesta, repartiendo fotografías de los desaparecidos y compartiendo su sufrimiento. Esta es su historia Continue reading... |
| First wave of Afghans expelled from EU states under contentious migration deal Posted: 15 Dec 2016 07:08 AM PST Dozens of Afghans uprooted from Germany, Sweden and Norway as EU accord allowing deportation of Afghan asylum seekers comes into play Dozens of asylum seekers were expelled from Europe to Afghanistan this week, the first to be affected by a controversial migration deal that allows the EU to deport unlimited numbers of rejected Afghan asylum seekers. A plane carrying 34 Afghans from Germany touched down in Kabul before dawn on Thursday. On another, earlier in the week, 13 Afghans were forcibly returned from Sweden in a deportation that reportedly cost about $150,000 (£120,000). That flight also carried nine Afghan citizens from Norway. Continue reading... |
| EU claims of success in curbing Niger migrants greeted with scepticism Posted: 15 Dec 2016 04:47 AM PST MEPs question EU figures suggesting dramatic fall in migration from Niger as International Organisation for Migration highlights limited scope of data The EU has hailed a plunge in the number of migrants crossing Niger to reach Europe as a success for its anti-trafficking strategy, even as MEPs complained that the bloc's figures did not add up. The volume of migrants making the perilous journey across Niger's desert fell from 70,000 in May to 1,500 in November, according to an EU statement released on Wednesday. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| John Kerry: Assad regime carrying out nothing short of a massacre in Aleppo - video Posted: 15 Dec 2016 01:43 PM PST US secretary of state John Kerry roundly condemns Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government's actions in Aleppo. Speaking in Washington, Kerry says Assad has caused 'indiscriminate slaughter' and pursued a 'cynical policy' of terrorising civilians in the northern city. Kerry warns that Aleppo must not become another Srebrenica and calls on the international community to exert pressure on all parties to find a political solution Continue reading... |
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