World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Berlin 'terrorist attack': 12 killed in Christmas market crash – live
- Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara art gallery
- Electoral college formally elects Donald Trump as president
- Three injured in gun attack on Zurich mosque
- Christine Lagarde avoids sentence despite guilty verdict in negligence trial
- Saudi Arabia admits it used UK-made cluster bombs in Yemen
- China limits cars and closes factories in smog red alert
- Action needed now to prevent South Sudan genocide, says UN chief
- White supremacist gets 30 years prison for his plot to kill Muslims and Obama
- Arctic ice melt 'already affecting weather patterns where you live right now'
- Where is Bana? Girl who tweeted from Aleppo is safely evacuated
- Siberian city declares emergency as dozens die from drinking alcoholic bath tincture
- Jedi order fails in attempt to register as religious group
- Suspect arrested after Berlin underground attack on woman
- Judge rules pet dogs cannot be treated as children in Canada custody dispute
- Number of journalists killed in combat highest for three years
- Indian police torturing suspects, says HRW deaths in custody report
- Police raid Berlin refugee shelter after Christmas market attack
- LSE in talks to sell LCH's French arm to Euronext
- Berlin Christmas market attack: what we know so far
- Police investigate deadly Berlin truck crash as 'presumed terrorist attack'
- Uber makes losses despite surge in revenues, reports say
- G4S must pay for cost of Birmingham prison riot, says Liz Truss
- Building refugee camps reminds me why shelter is a basic human need
- Kennedy's first legislation – archive, 20 December 1960
- Trump and Mexico's richest man meet for 'lovely dinner' at Mar-a-Lago resort
- UK condemned for deporting survivors of trafficking back to Vietnam
- Catherine Burn and Nick Kaldas get adverse NSW police bugging findings
- Have you been affected by the Berlin Christmas market attack?
- Christmas behind bars in Brazil – in pictures
- Christmas market truck attack: terrorism fears darken Germany’s mini-utopias
- Delhi mascots to blow the whistle on public defecation
- ‘I was prosecuted for helping Syrian refugees’ | Lisbeth Zornig Andersen
- China returns US drone seized by navy after 'friendly consultations'
- Poland scraps proposed media restrictions in wake of street protests
- MH370: new report proposes shifting plane search to unexplored area
- Guardian editors discuss the future of global climate change policy – Project podcast
- Portugal homes with sea views face higher tax to improve fiscal outlook
- 'Life disappeared before my eyes': photographer describes killing of Russian ambassador
- Saudis dropped British-made cluster bombs in Yemen, Fallon tells Commons
- UK MPs unite to push for greater transparency from tax havens
- Christine Lagarde damaged but able to limp on at IMF
- German police confirm arrest of Breitscheidplatz truck crash suspect – video
- Why killing of Russian diplomat may well bring Turkey and Russia closer
- Eddie Obeid denied bail days after he was sentenced to five years in jail
- Twelve killed in Berlin after truck drives into Christmas market – video report
- Moody's voices concern at 'material delay' in Greece debt relief talks
- Andrei Karlov: Russia's ambassador to Turkey at time of diplomatic thaw
- Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara art gallery – video report
- Israeli tycoon Beny Steinmetz arrested over Guinea bribery claims
- Insider's guide to Verona: fine wines, opera and mountain psych-folk
- Priti Patel gives UK aid suppliers 30 days to provide details of spending
- From Wonder Woman to mapping world politics: what was the best book you read in 2016?
- Electoral college revolt fails to stop Trump but lands democratic blow
- Saudi Arabia and UK-supplied cluster bombs: what do we know?
- 'He said they would kill him': dad tells of son's death in police custody in India – video
- 'I left my soul in Aleppo’: mother of tweeter Bana speaks out – video
| Berlin 'terrorist attack': 12 killed in Christmas market crash – live Posted: 20 Dec 2016 01:34 AM PST
London's Metropolitan Police says it is reviewing its plans for protecting public events over the Christmas period in light of both the Berlin attack and the assassination in Ankara of Russia's ambassador to Turkey. In a statement it says: "The Metropolitan Police has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period. These already recognise that the [terrorist] threat level is at 'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.
There is an unconfirmed report that one of the 12 people killed in the attack was shot and presumed to be a Polish passenger in the Truck. The report, in the German magazine Focus, cites Brandenburg's interior minister, Karl-Heinz Schröter. +++ Brandenburgs Innenminister teilt mit - Polnischer Beifahrer wurde offenbar erschossen … https://t.co/qDA2NS3QOv pic.twitter.com/haPY3kTkcr Continue reading... |
| Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara art gallery Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:37 PM PST
The Russian ambassador to Turkey has been shot dead by a police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" as he pulled the trigger. The chilling attack on Monday evening, which was captured on video, appeared to be a backlash against Russian military involvement in the Syrian civil war. |
| Electoral college formally elects Donald Trump as president Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:01 PM PST Trump victory sealed despite demonstrations across the country, with Congress to formally endorse result in special session on 6 January The denouement of the 2016 election came on Monday, as electors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia formally elected Donald Trump as president of the United States. Related: 'Faithless electors' explain their last-ditch attempt to stop Donald Trump Continue reading... |
| Three injured in gun attack on Zurich mosque Posted: 19 Dec 2016 12:53 PM PST Police say body found nearby but will not comment on link to shootings or motivation of attack in Swiss city Three people were injured when a man stormed into a Zurich mosque and opened fire on people at prayer, police said. Two of the three men – aged 30, 35 and 56 – were seriously injured in the attack near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital. |
| Christine Lagarde avoids sentence despite guilty verdict in negligence trial Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:58 AM PST Judges opt not to give any punishment to head of International Monetary Fund, who was given support of IMF board after the verdict Christine Lagarde has been found guilty of negligence in approving a massive payout of taxpayers' money to controversial French businessman Bernard Tapie but avoided a jail sentence. A French court convicted the head of the International Monetary Fund and former government minister, who had faced a €15,000 (£12,600) fine and up to a year in prison. But it decided she should not be punished and that the conviction would not constitute a criminal record. On Monday evening the IMF gave her its full support. Continue reading... |
| Saudi Arabia admits it used UK-made cluster bombs in Yemen Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:16 AM PST Confirmation by Saudi-led coalition raises pressure on UK government which has refused to curb arms sales to Riyadh Saudi Arabia has finally admitted that it used UK-manufactured cluster bombs against Houthi rebels in Yemen, increasing pressure on the British government which has repeatedly refused to curb arms sales to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia said it would cease to use UK-manufactured cluster bombs and that it had informed the UK government of this decision. Continue reading... |
| China limits cars and closes factories in smog red alert Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:41 PM PST Hundreds of Beijing companies forced to stop production and hospitals prepare for surge in pollution-related illnesses The number of cars on roads was limited and factories were temporarily shut in some northern Chinese cities on Monday to reduce pollution during a national smog red alert. More than 700 companies stopped production in Beijing and traffic police were restricting drivers by monitoring numberplates, state media reported. In choking conditions, dozens of cities closed schools and took other emergency measures after the alert was issued for much of northern China. Continue reading... |
| Action needed now to prevent South Sudan genocide, says UN chief Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:17 PM PST Ban Ki-moon issues plea to security council to impose arms embargo on African country, amid fears of escalating violence The United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, has said he fears genocide could start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his plea for the security council to impose an arms embargo on the country. "If we fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities," Ban told the security council. Continue reading... |
| White supremacist gets 30 years prison for his plot to kill Muslims and Obama Posted: 19 Dec 2016 12:37 PM PST Lawyers for Glendon Scott Crawford argued he never intended to use weapon dubbed a 'death ray', which combines explosives and radioactive material A self-proclaimed white supremacist convicted on charges he planned to use a "death ray" to kill Muslims and Barack Obama was sentenced on Monday to 30 years in prison, federal prosecutors in New York said. Glendon Scott Crawford, 52, a Navy veteran and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, was found guilty in August 2015 of conspiring with another man to build a radiation dispersal device, dubbed a "death ray" by tabloids. Continue reading... |
| Arctic ice melt 'already affecting weather patterns where you live right now' Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:57 AM PST Soaring Arctic temperatures 'strongly linked' to recent extreme weather events, say scientists at cutting edge of climate change research The dramatic melting of Arctic ice is already driving extreme weather that affects hundreds of millions of people across North America, Europe and Asia, leading climate scientists have told the Guardian. Severe "snowmageddon" winters are now strongly linked to soaring polar temperatures, say researchers, with deadly summer heatwaves and torrential floods also probably linked. The scientists now fear the Arctic meltdown has kickstarted abrupt changes in the planet's swirling atmosphere, bringing extreme weather in heavily populated areas to the boil. Continue reading... |
| Where is Bana? Girl who tweeted from Aleppo is safely evacuated Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:52 AM PST Turkish NGO tweets picture of seven-year-old with aid worker and says family have been rescued from besieged city A seven-year-old girl whose Twitter account offered a glimpse into the violence and loss in besieged east Aleppo has been evacuated from the city following worldwide concern about her safety. Fears for Bana al-Abed's safety spiked when her account, run by her mother, Fatemah, was temporarily shut down earlier this month and it was unclear if the family were caught in warfare or captured by forces loyal the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Continue reading... |
| Siberian city declares emergency as dozens die from drinking alcoholic bath tincture Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:19 AM PST Deaths in Irkutsk highlight widespread ingestion of 'surrogate' alcohol in Russia, including window cleaner and perfume A state of emergency has been declared in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, as at least 48 people were reported dead on Monday from drinking a bath tincture known for its high alcohol content. The deaths have renewed controversy over the widespread ingestion of "surrogate" alcohol in Russia, including medical ethanol, window cleaner and perfume. Experts estimate that up to 12 million Russians regularly ingest such surrogates. Continue reading... |
| Jedi order fails in attempt to register as religious group Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:08 AM PST Charity Commission rejects Temple of the Jedi Order's application on basis that it is not a 'cogent and distinct religion' A Star Wars-inspired organisation has failed to use the force of its arguments to convince the charity watchdog that it should be considered a religious organisation. The Temple of the Jedi Order, members of which follow the tenets of the faith central to the Star Wars films, sought charitable status this year, but the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not meet the criteria for a religion under UK charity law. Continue reading... |
| Suspect arrested after Berlin underground attack on woman Posted: 19 Dec 2016 08:33 AM PST Bulgarian Svetoslav Stoykov held by German police after CCTV of woman being kicked downstairs is seen worldwide A Bulgarian man suspected of kicking a woman down a flight of stairs at a Berlin underground station has been arrested, after a video of the apparently unprovoked attack went viral. The man was originally identified in the media as an asylum seeker, and the incident sparked a flurry of commentary on social media, with many saying it was further proof that Germany has become less safe since allowing around 1 million refugees into the country last year, and thousands more in 2016. Continue reading... |
| Judge rules pet dogs cannot be treated as children in Canada custody dispute Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:23 AM PST Dogs are considered property and have 'no familial rights', judge said when rejecting separated couple's application to sort out pets' living arrangements Dogs are property and cannot be considered in the same vein as children, a Canadian judge has ruled, in a scathing decision that blasted a newly separated couple for a "ridiculous" attempt to use the court system to settle a custody dispute over two of their dogs. The childless couple, who separated in April after 16 years of marriage, turned to the court system earlier this year to settle a row over where two of their three dogs would live. Continue reading... |
| Number of journalists killed in combat highest for three years Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:07 AM PST NGO says at least 26 killed in fighting in 2016, although overall deaths fell on 2015 The number of journalists killed in combat or crossfire has reached its highest level since 2013 mainly due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with 107 killed in Syria since the civil war began five years ago. The latest analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that at least 48 journalists were killed due to their work between 1 January and 15 December 2016, with 26 killed in fighting. A further 27 deaths are under investigation to determine whether they were linked to reporting. Continue reading... |
| Indian police torturing suspects, says HRW deaths in custody report Posted: 19 Dec 2016 02:04 AM PST Human Rights Watch says nearly 600 people have died between 2010 and 2015, but not one officer has been convicted Indian police are torturing suspects – including using sexual abuse, forms of waterboarding and beatings with a "truth-seeking belt" – a Human Rights Watch investigation has claimed. A report released by the rights group on Monday says more than 590 suspects died in police custody between 2010 and 2015, and though mistreatment was alleged in many cases, no police officers have been convicted in that time. Continue reading... |
| Police raid Berlin refugee shelter after Christmas market attack Posted: 20 Dec 2016 01:32 AM PST Special commando unit storms former Tempelhof airport hangar where suspected attacker is registered A special police commando unit has stormed a refugee shelter in Berlin where the suspected driver of a lorry that ploughed into a Christmas market was registered. The raid took place at 4am (0300GMT), eight hours after the attack on the market in the German capital which killed 12 people and injured about 48. Continue reading... |
| LSE in talks to sell LCH's French arm to Euronext Posted: 20 Dec 2016 01:16 AM PST Sale could help satisfy Brussels' anti-trust concerns over £21bn merger between LSE and Germany's Deutsche Börse The London Stock Exchange Group said it is looking to sell the French clearing arm of LCH to Euronext NV in a bid to drive through its £21bn tie-up with Deutsche Börse. LSE Group said it was exploring the sale of LCH SA to the European exchanges operator as it looks to see off anti-trust concerns raised by the European commission over the mega-merger. Continue reading... |
| Berlin Christmas market attack: what we know so far Posted: 20 Dec 2016 01:15 AM PST A truck has ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48. Here is what we know about the attack so far Continue reading... |
| Police investigate deadly Berlin truck crash as 'presumed terrorist attack' Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:52 AM PST Police questioning suspect following incident in Breitscheidplatz, in which truck was deliberately driven into busy Christmas market Berlin police are investigating a "presumed terrorist attack" after at least 12 people were killed and about 50 injured when a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in the city on Monday evening. They are interrogating a suspect – thought to be the driver – who was arrested 2km from the scene and are working on the assumption the black Scania articulated truck was deliberately driven into the busy market in Breitscheidplatz. The truck had a runup of about 80 metres before crashing into market stalls and shoppers outside Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, at about 8pm. Continue reading... |
| Uber makes losses despite surge in revenues, reports say Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:42 AM PST Taxi-hailing app loses $2.2bn in first nine months of the year amid setback to roll-out of self-driving cars Uber lost $2.2bn (£1.77bn) in the first nine months of the year despite a surge in revenues, according to reports, adding to the taxi-hailing app's woes as it faces a setback in plans to launch self-driving cars. The San Francisco-based firm was valued at more than $65bn in a $12.5bn fundraising effort earlier this year but has remained secretive about its financial performance. Continue reading... |
| G4S must pay for cost of Birmingham prison riot, says Liz Truss Posted: 19 Dec 2016 12:13 PM PST Justice secretary tells MPs private security firm running the jail will have to foot bill for deploying public sector elite teams The private security company G4S will have to foot the bill for the public sector Tornado special squads sent in to end the 12-hour riot at its Birmingham prison, the justice secretary has said. An inquiry has been launched into one of the worst prison disturbances since the 1990 riots at Manchester's Strangeways prison. After Friday's events, 380 prisoners have been moved out of the wrecked wings of HMP Birmingham to other jails across England. Continue reading... |
| Building refugee camps reminds me why shelter is a basic human need Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:41 PM PST The despair and misery I have seen in my work with the UN has made me realise my skills as a civil engineer have a direct impact on the survival of refugees I have always wanted to be a civil engineer. I wanted to build, to create structures that would serve the communities around me – roads, bridges, dams – the bigger the better. My journey with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) started on 19 September 2001 in Sierra Leone. For me, it was an initiation into a surreal world where I decided which families could stop moving and restart their lives in a safe and secure home, and which families could not. Continue reading... |
| Kennedy's first legislation – archive, 20 December 1960 Posted: 19 Dec 2016 09:00 PM PST 20 December 1960: What President-elect John Kennedy is planning to propose to Congress will be a test of his strategic guile New York, December 19. The two tasks must always go hand in hand in a country where the "Opposition" is no single party but a dominating coalition of like-minded men in both parties. The next session of Congress will test the President's strategic guile more than usual, because three of the four earliest bills he wants to bring up were strangled in the abortive emergency session of Congress called by Senator Johnson, then the Democratic leader, between the conventions and the election. They were: |
| Trump and Mexico's richest man meet for 'lovely dinner' at Mar-a-Lago resort Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:01 PM PST The two billionaires, who have clashed in the past, appeared to set aside their differences – although the contents of their discussion were not disclosed Donald Trump once described Mexico's wealthiest man as the string-pulling manipulator who orchestrated a media conspiracy to defeat his election campaign. Carlos Slim has previously scrapped a TV deal with Trump on the grounds that he was a racist. Continue reading... |
| UK condemned for deporting survivors of trafficking back to Vietnam Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST Activists say British authorities are failing to identify and protect victims who have been trafficked to the UK as slaves, many of them children British authorities are failing to identify and protect Vietnamese victims of trafficking who are being deported back to Vietnam without adequate support or protection, according to anti-trafficking activists. Despite having been identified as one of the groups most vulnerable to trafficking crimes in the UK, National Crime Agency (NCA) figures shows that suspected Vietnamese trafficking victims are half as likely to be granted protection compared with other victims. Just 11% of Vietnamese referrals were accepted and offered protection last year, well below the referral average of 27%. Continue reading... |
| Catherine Burn and Nick Kaldas get adverse NSW police bugging findings Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:23 PM PST Ombudsman says Burn's conduct during Project Mascot was unlawful in one instance, while Kaldas may have given false evidence A long-awaited report into the New South Wales police bugging scandal has delivered adverse findings against two senior officers, one of whom has since left the force. The report found that a former deputy commissioner, Nick Kaldas, may have given "false and misleading" evidence to a secret inquiry, possibly exposing him to prosecution. Continue reading... |
| Have you been affected by the Berlin Christmas market attack? Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:21 AM PST 12 have been killed and 48 injured after a truck was 'deliberately' driven into a crowd at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz. Are you in the city? 12 have been killed and dozens injured after truck was driven into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, in an incident Berlin police say they are treating as "a presumed terrorist attack". Related: Berlin truck 'terrorist attack': 12 killed in Christmas market crash – live Continue reading... |
| Christmas behind bars in Brazil – in pictures Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:01 AM PST Female prisoners at the Nelson Hungria jail in Rio de Janeiro take part in an annual Christmas cell decoration and performance competition, which aims to lift their spirits as they spend the festive season away from their families Continue reading... |
| Christmas market truck attack: terrorism fears darken Germany’s mini-utopias Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:01 AM PST Deaths of at least 12 people at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz exposes the stark reality that Christmas markets – so long the scenes of festive joy – are targets By midnight, as streets all around the German capital were still echoing with the sound of sirens, an unreal calm had descended upon Breitscheidplatz square in the heart of Berlin's central shopping district. Christmas lights were still sparkling, and groups of tourists ambled down the Kurfürstendamm boulevard, seemingly unaware as to why armed police officers were ushering them along. Related: Berlin truck crash: 12 dead in 'apparent terrorist attack' at Christmas market – live Continue reading... |
| Delhi mascots to blow the whistle on public defecation Posted: 19 Dec 2016 11:48 PM PST As part of PM's efforts to eradicate the practice, the council has introduced mascots to direct offenders to nearest toilet People who attempt to urinate or defecate in public in Delhi's wealthier neighbourhoods may soon find themselves loudly interrupted. The city's municipal council has announced that 28 turbaned, brightly coloured mascots will be deployed across the Lutyens Delhi area to watch for people relieving themselves around railway tracks or slum areas. Continue reading... |
| ‘I was prosecuted for helping Syrian refugees’ | Lisbeth Zornig Andersen Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:00 PM PST When I offered a lift to a Syrian refugee family trying to cross Denmark, I had no idea I would end up in court charged with people smuggling I didn't grow up in an orderly middle-class family with cosy Sunday lunches, people laughing and talking. I was brought up in a shabby cottage outside a remote Danish village, with cold water and a lavatory in the back garden. Hot dogs were a special treat on Sundays. My mum and stepdad were always drunk and didn't work – they lived off benefits. It was not the sort of environment that teaches you universal moral values and ethics. And yet, I learned, mostly from my three brothers, that people look after one another. We help each other. Even if we don't have much, even if we wear hand-me-downs to school and dig up potatoes for dinner, we still help each other. It's when life is tough and your back is to the wall that we matter the most to each other. Continue reading... |
| China returns US drone seized by navy after 'friendly consultations' Posted: 19 Dec 2016 09:57 PM PST Chinese navy vessel hands back underwater device to the USS Mustin in international waters near the Philippines The Pentagon has said that Beijing has returned the unmanned underwater drone that the Chinese Navy seized last week. China's defence ministry said it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations." In a statement issued late on Monday, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the Chinese navy vessel that had seized the drone returned it close to where it had been taken from. The incident occurred in the South China Sea near the Philippines. Continue reading... |
| Poland scraps proposed media restrictions in wake of street protests Posted: 19 Dec 2016 07:55 PM PST Plan to stop journalists mingling with lawmakers in the halls of parliament and film sessions had prompted large protests Poland's president says he has received a pledge from leaders of the populist ruling party that they won't introduce restrictions on media access in parliament, a plan that had sparked days of bitter protests. It appeared to be a victory for the political opposition and the civic activists who have staged protests since Friday. It is the second time that the ruling populist Law and Justice party has stepped back from disputed measures due to street protests. Continue reading... |
| MH370: new report proposes shifting plane search to unexplored area Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:44 PM PST Australia's Transport Safety Bureau reveals it is 'confident' aircraft not in underwater zone that has been explored so far The Australian authorities leading the search for MH370 have a "high degree of confidence" that the plane's wreck is not to be found in the expanse of Indian ocean they have spent more than two years searching. Related: MH370: data suggests plane was out of control as it plummeted into ocean Continue reading... |
| Guardian editors discuss the future of global climate change policy – Project podcast Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:00 PM PST In the first of a new series of in-depth discussions featuring Guardian editors and expert correspondents from Australia, China and across south-east Asia, we ask: Will the Paris agreement survive the Trump presidency? Why is Japan building 60 new coal-fired power stations? And will China really become a leader in tackling global emissions? Continue reading... |
| Portugal homes with sea views face higher tax to improve fiscal outlook Posted: 19 Dec 2016 05:39 PM PST Property tax is increased 20% for homes facing the sun, while those near cemeteries will get a 10% cut People buying a home in Portugal that has unspoilt sea views or faces the sun may be hit by a 20% increase in property tax, under fiercely contested fiscal changes which became law on Monday. Continue reading... |
| 'Life disappeared before my eyes': photographer describes killing of Russian ambassador Posted: 19 Dec 2016 05:35 PM PST Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici went to view an exhibition in Ankara but instead witnessed the assassination of Andrei Karlov Photographer Burhan Ozbilici was attending an exhibition in Ankara when Mevlut Mert Altıntas shot and killed Andrei Karlov. Here Ozbilici, who works for the Associated Press, describes what happened: Continue reading... |
| Saudis dropped British-made cluster bombs in Yemen, Fallon tells Commons Posted: 19 Dec 2016 05:15 PM PST MPs and campaigners question UK support for Saudi Arabia as defence secretary is forced to admit use of banned weapons The defence secretary was forced to tell the Commons that British-made cluster bombs had been dropped by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, prompting MPs and charities to say that the UK should stop supporting the Gulf state's military action. Sir Michael Fallon said that a "limited number" of the controversial BL755 bombs had been used by Saudi Arabia, shortly after the Gulf state formally admitted it had deployed the weapons in the Yemeni conflict. Continue reading... |
| UK MPs unite to push for greater transparency from tax havens Posted: 19 Dec 2016 04:01 PM PST Cross-party group backs amendment to criminal finances bill making overseas territories introduce public registers The UK's overseas territories face renewed pressure to abandon corporate secrecy after 80 MPs joined forces to demand greater financial transparency from offshore havens. The cross-party group is backing an amendment to the government's criminal finances bill on Tuesday that would force Britain's 14 overseas territories to introduce public registers revealing the true owners of locally registered companies. Continue reading... |
| Christine Lagarde damaged but able to limp on at IMF Posted: 19 Dec 2016 04:00 PM PST Washington-based organisation's board had little appetite for what would be a fraught process to pick replacement managing director Christine Lagarde has survived as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, which is clearly what the court in Paris wanted. The intention was to wound rather than to kill, to embarrass the former French finance minister but leave her in place. Related: Christine Lagarde avoids sentence despite guilty verdict in negligence trial Continue reading... |
| German police confirm arrest of Breitscheidplatz truck crash suspect – video Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:33 PM PST A spokesman for the Berlin police confirmed they have arrested a suspect in the 'apparent terrorist attack' at a Christmas market in which 12 people died when a truck crashed in Berlin's Breitscheidplatz. One person was found dead in the truck, having died of injuries sustained in the crash, while a suspect was arrested about 100 metres away in the Tiergarten. Police said they could not confirm whether that person was the driver • Berlin truck crash at Christmas market an 'apparent terrorist attack' – live Continue reading... |
| Why killing of Russian diplomat may well bring Turkey and Russia closer Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:26 PM PST Putin and Erdoğan are likely to find common ground in their desire to blame third parties for death of Andrei Karlov The high-profile murder of a Russian diplomat in Ankara has inspired fearful comparisons with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 – and prompted some to speculate that Monday's killing could also provide the spark for a regional conflagration. But Turkish and Russian leaders moved rapidly to contain any damage to relations between the two countries, and analysts said that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin are likely to find common ground in the desire to assign blame to their perceived strategic adversaries. Continue reading... |
| Eddie Obeid denied bail days after he was sentenced to five years in jail Posted: 19 Dec 2016 02:49 PM PST NSW court of criminal appeal finds proposed grounds for appeal are not 'special or exceptional' and do not warrant bail being granted Former NSW minister Eddie Obeid won't be home for Christmas after losing his bid for bail pending his conviction appeal which may be heard in March. The NSW court of criminal appeal on Tuesday found that his proposed grounds and other matters did not amount to "special or exceptional" circumstances to warrant bail being granted. Continue reading... |
| Twelve killed in Berlin after truck drives into Christmas market – video report Posted: 19 Dec 2016 12:58 PM PST A lorry has driven into a Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, central Berlin on Monday killing at least twelve people and injuring at least 50. There were two people sitting in the cab of the lorry. One was found dead after the impact, another man attempted to escape police but was arrested in the Tiergarten nearby • Berlin 'terrorist attack': 12 killed in Christmas market crash – live Continue reading... |
| Moody's voices concern at 'material delay' in Greece debt relief talks Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:43 AM PST Rating agency claims lag in talks between Athens and its creditors increases risk that Greece will miss repayments next year Fears that Greece's seven-year debt crisis is about to enter a troubling new phase have been voiced by one of the world's leading rating agencies. Moody's said it was worried by the decision by the European authorities to suspend a debt-relief deal for Greece after the government in Athens gave a Christmas bonus to pensioners, promised free school meals for the poorest children and cancelled a VAT increase. Continue reading... |
| Andrei Karlov: Russia's ambassador to Turkey at time of diplomatic thaw Posted: 19 Dec 2016 10:41 AM PST Karlov's stint in Ankara coincided with a tumultuous period for relations between Putin and Erdoğan Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey who was shot dead in an art gallery on Monday, was a veteran diplomat who had spent much of his career in Moscow and had taken up the job in Ankara in the summer of 2013. He had previously served as Moscow's ambassador to North Korea and as deputy head and then head of the consular department at Russia's foreign ministry. According to his ministry profile, he spoke English and Korean fluently. He was 62 and was married with a son. |
| Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara art gallery – video report Posted: 19 Dec 2016 09:48 AM PST The Russian ambassador to Turkey has been shot dead by a police officer in an Ankara art gallery on Monday night. Andrei Karlov was several minutes into making a speech when he was killed by Mevlut Mert Altıntas. Footage taken moments after the shooting shows the gunman, who was later killed by special forces, shouting 'Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria' Russian ambassador to Turkey killed in Ankara shooting Continue reading... |
| Israeli tycoon Beny Steinmetz arrested over Guinea bribery claims Posted: 19 Dec 2016 08:34 AM PST Steinmetz alleged to have arranged bribes so his company could secure iron ore rights in poor west African country One of the world's wealthiest men has been arrested in Israel over claims that he paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure mineral assets in one of the world's poorest nations. Beny Steinmetz is alleged to have arranged for the bribes to be paid so that his company, BSGR, could secure half the rights to a lucrative iron ore deposit in the west African country of Guinea. Continue reading... |
| Insider's guide to Verona: fine wines, opera and mountain psych-folk Posted: 19 Dec 2016 04:05 AM PST There's more to this Italian city than Romeo and Juliet. Local journalist Giovanna Girardi talks street style, air pollution and cellar bars Not just Romeo and Juliet. Continue reading... |
| Priti Patel gives UK aid suppliers 30 days to provide details of spending Posted: 19 Dec 2016 05:07 AM PST International development secretary Priti Patel demands more transparency from contractors of overseas aid in an attempt to appease critics A number of companies working on UK aid contracts have been told they have 30 days to provide details of their spending and tax status, and set out how they comply with conflict-of-interest regulations, in a move designed to appease increasingly vocal overseas aid critics. The demands in a letter from the international development secretary, Priti Patel, come after one of Britain's biggest aid contractors orchestrated the sending of supportive statements to MPs scrutinising their work. Continue reading... |
| From Wonder Woman to mapping world politics: what was the best book you read in 2016? Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:10 AM PST We want to know which books on development and foreign affairs you enjoyed reading this year What have been the standout non-fiction or fiction reads for you in 2016? Here are a few that have passed through the Global development desk. Continue reading... |
| Electoral college revolt fails to stop Trump but lands democratic blow Posted: 19 Dec 2016 03:37 PM PST At least nine 'faithless electors' attempted to cast a vote against the candidate they were mandated to support, drawing attention to an arcane electoral system In the end, the so-called "faithless electors" of the US electoral college failed resoundingly in their aim to stop Donald Trump from reaching the White House. But they did strike a small but significant blow for reform of America's arcane way of choosing the president. With counts still ongoing in California and Texas, the number of electoral college members who attempted to cast a protest vote was likely to reach at least nine. Of those, all but one was a Democrat, making the rebellion largely symbolic. Continue reading... |
| Saudi Arabia and UK-supplied cluster bombs: what do we know? Posted: 19 Dec 2016 05:16 AM PST British government faces several difficult questions over what it knew after Riyadh confirms use of munitions in Yemen The UK and Saudi Arabia claimed they not have broken the law after the Saudi government, under pressure from the Guardian, finally confirmed that it has used British-supplied cluster munitions in Yemen. Technically that may be correct, but even if no law has been broken, it appears there has either been a breach of trust between the two governments or between British ministers and parliament. Since May, British ministers have denied that UK cluster munitions have been used in Yemen, largely basing this assessment on assurances they claim to have received from the Saudi government. Continue reading... |
| 'He said they would kill him': dad tells of son's death in police custody in India – video Posted: 19 Dec 2016 08:14 AM PST 'I last saw my son the day before he died in police custody in Mumbai in 2014', says Leonard Valdaris. He is told that Agnelo has been hit by a train while trying to flee across train tracks on his way to court but he does not believe it, not after seeing him the day before 'beaten black and blue'. Valdaris is speaking out following the publication of a Human Rights Watch report that says almost 600 people have died in police custody in India between 2010 and 2015 Continue reading... |
| 'I left my soul in Aleppo’: mother of tweeter Bana speaks out – video Posted: 19 Dec 2016 06:06 AM PST Seven-year-old girl Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account offered a glimpse into Aleppo life, has been evacuated safely to the Aleppo countryside. Her mother Fatemah says she is glad to have reached safety but regrets she was was forced out of her home city. Standing with her arm around her daughter, Fatemah said she did not want to live as a refuge. Image: Bana al-Abed pictured with Syrian journalist Hadi al Abdallah following her evacuation (Handout) Continue reading... |
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