World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Berlin attack: German police say they have more than 500 leads
- Mexico fireworks market explosion leaves at least 31 dead
- Why cutting soot emissions is 'fastest solution' to slowing Arctic ice melt
- Last Aleppo evacuation buses still waiting to leave besieged city - monitor
- Smog refugees flee Chinese cities as 'airpocalypse' blights half a billion
- Death penalty slowly disappearing from the US, end-of-year report suggests
- Kashmir militants suspected of bank heists as rupee recall hits funds
- Moscow and Ankara present united front after Russian ambassador's murder
- '20 dead' in DRC protests after president's term expires
- Afghanistan hostage couple make video plea for 'Kafkaesque nightmare' to end
- Barack Obama bans oil and gas drilling in most of Arctic and Atlantic oceans
- FBI search warrant for Clinton emails on Anthony Weiner's laptop made public
- Volcano near Naples showing signs of reawakening
- Pope Francis orders release of Vatileaks priest from custody
- US blacklists more Russian businessmen and companies over Crimea
- Israel arrests Beny Steinmetz associate in Guinea investigation
- Zurich mosque shooting motive unclear, say police
- UN rights chief calls for murder investigation into Duterte claims
- Norway reprieves 32 of 47 wolves earmarked for cull
- EU's highest court delivers blow to UK snooper's charter
- Berlin Christmas market attack killer still on the loose, say police
- The Panama Papers fallout: banana protests, paltry fines and a PR problem
- Shortest day: the winter solstice at Stonehenge – in pictures
- Your opinions: an exceptionally joyless Brexit – and hope for our prisons
- Andrew Jaspan back as editor of the Conversation after four-month dispute
- Women of La Patrona get fast food to migrants on Mexico’s Beast train – video
- Police investigating Curtis Cheng murder charge 21-year-old man with gun offences
- Marie Stopes UK abortion clinics put women at risk, says CQC
- O click, all ye faithful: church expands online in 'paradigm shift'
- James Taylor cancels Philippines concert over Rodrigo Duterte's drug war killings
- Severe toxic smog blankets Beijing and China's industrial heartland – video
- Indonesian police kill three as suspected bomb found near Jakarta
- Darwin earthquake: NT shakes as magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits off Indonesia
- Nepalese teenager dies after being banished to shed for menstruating
- Gambian president Yahya Jammeh says he will not step down
- Racial Discrimination Act works well, says Human Rights Commission
- India's small businesses facing 'apocalypse' amid biggest financial experiment in history
- Australia's 10 most dangerous stretches of highway revealed
- China restricts sharing of 'unofficial' videos on social media
- Explosion at Mexico fireworks market leaves tens dead – video
- Berlin truck attack: first suspect released as driver thought to still be at large – as it happened
- Candlelit vigil held at Berlin market and Brandenburg Gate – video
- Pilot and airline to blame for Colombia plane crash, Bolivian investigation finds
- Deadly attack on German soil is worst fear for Angela Merkel
- Lifestyle problems of Brazil's elite: what to tell the kids when Dad goes to jail
- 'It was terrifying': Berlin market attack witnesses describe carnage
- The child refugees of Calais: ‘The journey is not yet over’
- Police pore over Polish truck driver’s final hours for clues to Berlin attack
- Non-infectious diseases such as cancer rising sharply in Africa
- The world in 2016: how much do you know? – quiz
- Trump's response to recent attacks risks adding confusion to dangerous situation
- What can be done to prevent Berlin-style attacks in modern cities?
- Truck attacks in Berlin and Nice reflect change in Islamic State tactics
- Watch the best moments from the Guardian’s 2016 US coverage
- Michelle Obama speaks with Oprah: hope is more than 'a nice slogan' – video
- Merkel: 'we must assume it was a terrorist attack in Berlin' – video
| Berlin attack: German police say they have more than 500 leads Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:12 AM PST Investigators are using DNA, fingerprints and GPS data in attempt to catch man who drove truck into Christmas market German police say they have received more than 500 leads that could help them identify the man who drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night. A 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker who was arrested as a suspect in the immediate aftermath of the deadly attack was released on Tuesday evening after police acknowledged they had caught the wrong man. Continue reading... |
| Mexico fireworks market explosion leaves at least 31 dead Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:14 PM PST Scores injured after pyrotechnics ignited and flattened San Pablito market, which was engulfed in fire in 2005 An explosion has ripped through a fireworks market on the northern outskirts of Mexico City, reportedly killing at least 31 people and injuring 70. The explosion, which was caught on camera, sent a huge plume of charcoal-grey smoke billowing into the sky over the town of Tultepec. Images broadcast by Milenio TV showed smoke rising from the scorched ground and fireworks stands. Continue reading... |
| Why cutting soot emissions is 'fastest solution' to slowing Arctic ice melt Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST Reducing wood-burning, gas-flaring and global diesel emissions would be 'quick win' in combating irreversible climate change, scientists say World leaders should redouble efforts to cut soot emissions because it is the cheapest and fastest way to combat climate change, climate scientists and advocates have told the Guardian. Deposits of soot – unburned carbon particles – have stained parts of the Arctic black, changing the ice from a reflector of sunlight to an absorber of heat, and accelerating the melting of ice and snow, which itself is starting to alter global weather patterns. |
| Last Aleppo evacuation buses still waiting to leave besieged city - monitor Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:30 AM PST Unclear why departure of 60 buses carrying 3,000 evacuees has been delayed, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports The last buses meant to evacuate rebels and civilians from Aleppo have been delayed for nearly 24 hours for reasons that are not clear, a UK-based monitor has said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict though activists on the ground, said 60 buses carrying 3,000 evacuees were waiting to leave eastern Aleppo – the final step that surrenders the Syrian opposition stronghold in the war-torn city to the government. Continue reading... |
| Smog refugees flee Chinese cities as 'airpocalypse' blights half a billion Posted: 21 Dec 2016 02:05 AM PST Thousands head to pollution-free regions as haze descends on the country's northern industrial heartland Tens of thousands of "smog refugees" have reportedly fled China's pollution-stricken north after the country was hit by its latest "airpocalyse" forcing almost half a billion people to live under a blanket of toxic fumes. Huge swaths of north and central China have been living under a pollution "red alert" since last Friday when a dangerous cocktail of pollutants transformed the skies into a yellow and charcoal-tinted haze. Continue reading... |
| Death penalty slowly disappearing from the US, end-of-year report suggests Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:26 AM PST Twenty prisoners have been put to death in 2016, far below the peak of 98 in 1999, with 80% of executions taking place in just two states This is the way the US death penalty ends: not with a bang but a whimper. But as whimpers go, 2016 was very impressive. Continue reading... |
| Kashmir militants suspected of bank heists as rupee recall hits funds Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:00 PM PST Officials tell the Guardian they believe robberies are linked to Indian government scrapping 1,000 and 500 rupee notes Police in the disputed state of Kashmir believe separatist groups are behind a spate of bank robberies across the region in the past 40 days, a new tactic indicating the militants' finances could have been badly hit by the government's demonetisation drive. Three men armed with Kalashnikov rifles were involved in a robbery at a bank in Kashmir's Pulwama district last Thursday, making off with nearly 1m rupees (£12,000) from the safe. Continue reading... |
| Moscow and Ankara present united front after Russian ambassador's murder Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:18 AM PST Turkey and Russia say they will continue to seek solution to end Syria conflict as Andrei Karlov's body is repatriated after airport ceremony Russia and Turkey put on a united front on Tuesday, insisting that the killing of Moscow's ambassador in Ankara would not affect bilateral relations, or cooperation over Syria. The Turkish foreign and defence ministers joined their Russian and Iranian counterparts in Moscow, where the three countries said they had started work on a new plan to resolve the Syrian conflict. Continue reading... |
| '20 dead' in DRC protests after president's term expires Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:53 AM PST Opposition leader calls on Congolese people to peacefully resist 'illegitimate leader' amid clashes with security forces Twenty people have been killed in confrontations between protesters and security forces in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN officials believe, hours after the end of the second five-year term of the president, Joseph Kabila. A government spokesman said the death toll was nine. Continue reading... |
| Afghanistan hostage couple make video plea for 'Kafkaesque nightmare' to end Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:25 AM PST Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman appear with two young sons and urge US and Canadian governments to negotiate end to four-year ordeal The Canadian government has called for the release of a couple who have been held in captivity in northern Afghanistan for four years, after their captors released a video of the pair. The video, uploaded to YouTube on Monday, shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman and their two children, who were born in captivity, pleading with their governments to negotiate with their captors. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama bans oil and gas drilling in most of Arctic and Atlantic oceans Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:36 PM PST Obama uses law that allows presidents to block sale of new offshore drilling and mining rights and makes it difficult for their successors to reverse decision Barack Obama has permanently banned new oil and gas drilling in most US-owned waters in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, a last-ditch effort to lock in environmental protections before he hands over to Donald Trump. Obama used a 1953 law that allows presidents to block the sale of new offshore drilling and mining rights and makes it difficult for their successors to reverse the decision. Continue reading... |
| FBI search warrant for Clinton emails on Anthony Weiner's laptop made public Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:42 PM PST Court papers, previously under seal, from investigation into relationship between Weiner and a teenager girl offered no new revelations about Clinton's emails The FBI told a federal court it needed a search warrant to look at thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails on the laptop of former US congressman Anthony Weiner because they had the potential to cause "grave damage to national security" if disclosed, according to court documents made public on Tuesday. Related: The 50 best US films of 2016: No 10 – Weiner Continue reading... |
| Volcano near Naples showing signs of reawakening Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:26 PM PST Eruption of Campi Flegrei would put area occupied by 500,000 people at risk, say scientists The slumbering Campi Flegrei volcano under the Italian city of Naples shows signs of reawakening and may be nearing a critical pressure point, according to a new study. Italian and French scientists have for the first time identified a threshold beyond which rising magma under the Earth's surface could trigger the release of fluids and gases at a 10-fold increased rate. Continue reading... |
| Pope Francis orders release of Vatileaks priest from custody Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:37 PM PST Spanish priest Lucio Vallejo Balda was sentenced to 18 months for leaking files to journalists, after trial that exposed plotting at the Vatican A Spanish priest jailed by the Vatican for leaking secret files to journalists was released from custody early on Tuesday on the orders of Pope Francis. Spanish monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda was sentenced to 18 months in July after the controversial "Vatileaks II" trial of himself, his assistant, two investigative Italian journalists and a PR consultant. Continue reading... |
| US blacklists more Russian businessmen and companies over Crimea Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:21 PM PST Sanctions against individuals, companies and government enterprises come as Donald Trump, who has praised Vladimir Putin, prepares to take office The United States has blacklisted seven Russian businessmen and eight companies and government enterprises over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, the US treasury said in a statement. Moscow described the move as a "hostile act." The sanctions come a month before Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and said it would be good if the two countries could get along. Continue reading... |
| Israel arrests Beny Steinmetz associate in Guinea investigation Posted: 20 Dec 2016 10:08 AM PST Move follows arrest of billionaire, who is alleged to have arranged bribes so his company could secure iron ore rights A second person has been arrested by Israeli authorities investigating allegations that Beny Steinmetz, one of the world's richest men, paid a number of bribes to secure the rights to a west African iron ore concession. Asher Avidan, president of BSGR, a mining company owned by Steinmetz, was arrested in Israel on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Zurich mosque shooting motive unclear, say police Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:35 AM PST Suspect was Swiss man with Ghanaian roots and no apparent links to Islamist radicalism A gunman who shot three worshippers at a mosque in Zurich on Monday evening was a 24-year-old Swiss man with Ghanaian roots and no apparent links to Islamist radicalism, police have said. The suspect, whom they did not identify by name, is thought to have killed a man in Zurich on Sunday. On Monday he stormed into an Islamic centre near the main train station and opened fire on people praying, wounding three men. Continue reading... |
| UN rights chief calls for murder investigation into Duterte claims Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:05 AM PST Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein urges Philippine judicial authorities to demonstrate their independence by investigating president The UN human rights chief has asked Philippine authorities to launch a murder investigation after the president, Rodrigo Duterte, claimed to have killed people in the past, and to examine the "appalling epidemic of extrajudicial killings" committed during his anti-drug crackdown. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said the country's judicial authorities "must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive" by investigating the president. He said it was "unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer". Continue reading... |
| Norway reprieves 32 of 47 wolves earmarked for cull Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:56 AM PST Under Norway's endangered predator laws, only 15 lone wolves proved to pose a threat to livestock The Norwegian government has issued a last-minute reprieve for 32 of the 47 wolves that had been earmarked for a cull to protect sheep flocks. The plans to kill two-thirds of the country's wolves caused outrage among conservationists at home and abroad when they were announced by local predator management boards in September, with warnings the cull would be disastrous for the species. Continue reading... |
| EU's highest court delivers blow to UK snooper's charter Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:20 AM PST Indiscriminate collection of emails is illegal, court rules in response to challenge originally brought by David Davis "General and indiscriminate retention" of emails and electronic communications by governments is illegal, the EU's highest court has ruled in a judgment that could trigger challenges against the UK's new Investigatory Powers Act, the so-called snooper's charter. Only targeted interception of traffic and location data in order to combat serious crime is justified, according to a long-awaited decision by the European court of justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. Continue reading... |
| Berlin Christmas market attack killer still on the loose, say police Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:12 AM PST Investigators say they arrested wrong man over truck attack that killed 12 and injured dozens more in German capital A hunt is under way in Germany for an armed attacker suspected of driving a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more. Earlier hopes that the perpetrator had been caught after a heroic chase by a member of the public through a park were dashed when police said they had arrested the wrong man. Continue reading... |
| The Panama Papers fallout: banana protests, paltry fines and a PR problem Posted: 21 Dec 2016 12:00 AM PST Iceland's prime minister resigned, UK tax evaders are under investigation and Panama is worried about its image. Still, it didn't quite turn out to be David Cameron's 'worst week ever' Of all the world leaders shamed over hidden wealth stashed offshore, none was more unfortunate than Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. The hapless prime minister of Iceland was caught on camera desperately trying to work out how to explain the presence of his signature on the documents of Wintris Inc, a company in the British Virgin Islands that held shares in one of the country's failed banks. |
| Shortest day: the winter solstice at Stonehenge – in pictures Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:38 AM PST Druids, pagans and revellers gather at the monument to watch the sun rise on the shortest day of the year Continue reading... |
| Your opinions: an exceptionally joyless Brexit – and hope for our prisons Posted: 21 Dec 2016 02:14 AM PST A space for our readers to talk about articles of the day in the Opinion section Join us below the line to take part in a discussion from 10am-2pm Welcome to our space – open every Wednesday from 10am-2pm – for discussing the day's top Opinion articles. We'd like to begin today with two quite different articles. The first is Rafael Behr on Brexit. He asks why, if leaving the European Union means liberation, it feels so dull and joyless. He argues that Brexit is a dismal project without art or poetry, lacking in the cultural depth. He writes: Continue reading... |
| Andrew Jaspan back as editor of the Conversation after four-month dispute Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:42 PM PST Editor of academic website reinstated after going on enforced leave in September following complaints Andrew Jaspan has been reinstated as editor of the Conversation in Australia after a four-month dispute over his future. In dramatic developments on Wednesday, the academic website's chairman, Robert Johanson, resigned, telling staff his position had become untenable. |
| Women of La Patrona get fast food to migrants on Mexico’s Beast train – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:30 PM PST For a quarter of a century, a group of women in eastern Mexico has provided food and water to the hundreds of Central American migrants who pass by on top of the infamous freight train known as The Beast. The women, known as Las Patronas, or the Bosses, distribute about 300 parcels a day – a life-saving act of kindness towards those risking life and limb to reach the US and finally escape violence and poverty at home Continue reading... |
| Police investigating Curtis Cheng murder charge 21-year-old man with gun offences Posted: 21 Dec 2016 12:38 AM PST Man was charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol and supplying a pistol to an unauthorised person A 21-year-old man has been charged with gun offences by counter-terrorism police investigating the murder of Curtis Cheng. The man was arrested at Westmead, in Sydney's west, just before 10am on Wednesday and charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol and supplying a pistol to an unauthorised person. Continue reading... |
| Marie Stopes UK abortion clinics put women at risk, says CQC Posted: 21 Dec 2016 01:27 AM PST Health watchdog finds family planning provider failed to adequately train staff and neglected to obtain proper patient consent One of Britain's biggest abortion providers put women at risk by failing to adequately train staff and neglecting to obtain proper consent from patients, a watchdog report has revealed. Staff at Marie Stopes International (MSI) had "limited training" in resuscitation and clinicians were found to be "bulk-signing" forms authorising abortions, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said. Continue reading... |
| O click, all ye faithful: church expands online in 'paradigm shift' Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST From a carol service guide to a 'confession finder' and the pope's tweets, faith leaders are seeking to connect to flocks in new ways If shopping online looks likely to play a bigger part in your Christmas than singing carols or eating mince pies, the Church of England has a plan to reclaim some of its territory – via your phone. The C of E has launched a website, A Christmas Near You, with details of more than 34,000 carol services across the country. Perhaps surmising that some possible attendees will not be motivated by faith alone, it includes full details of which services offer refreshments alongside O Come, All Ye Faithful – so that you can quickly find one of the 3,000 offering mulled wine, or 4,500 offering mince pies. And you can tap in your postcode and find a service that suits you – traditional, contemporary, or child-friendly – near your home, add it to your calendar or share it with friends and family. Continue reading... |
| James Taylor cancels Philippines concert over Rodrigo Duterte's drug war killings Posted: 20 Dec 2016 10:06 PM PST Singer says in Facebook post his work is not political but 'sometimes you have to make a political stand' against unacceptable assaults on rule of law Grammy award-winning singer James Taylor has cancelled a February 2017 concert in the Philippines in protest at the alleged extrajudicial killings in president Rodrigo Duterte's brutal drug war. "I don't think of my music as being particularly political but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand," the US star said in social media posts on Twitter as well as on his Facebook page. Continue reading... |
| Severe toxic smog blankets Beijing and China's industrial heartland – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:58 PM PST The haze caused by industry's reliance on coal and emissions from old, inefficient cars is affecting nearly half a billion people Continue reading... |
| Indonesian police kill three as suspected bomb found near Jakarta Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:55 PM PST Anti-terrorism officers shot dead three suspected militants after a gun battle at a house south of the capital Indonesian anti-terrorism police have shot and killed three suspects after a gun battle at a house near the capital Jakarta, police said. The residential neighborhood of South Tangerang was evacuated after the suspects allegedly threw explosives at police and other, larger devices were found at the house, police said. Continue reading... |
| Darwin earthquake: NT shakes as magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits off Indonesia Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:16 PM PST Epicentre 630km north-west of Darwin, where residents reported tremor lasting several minutes A magnitude 6.7 earthquake near Indonesia has shaken people in the Northern Territory, but authorities say there is no tsunami threat to Australia. Geoscience Australia confirmed tremors from the quake near the Banda Sea off Indonesia were felt in Darwin on Wednesday morning. Continue reading... |
| Nepalese teenager dies after being banished to shed for menstruating Posted: 20 Dec 2016 07:55 PM PST Roshani Tiruwa, 15, believed to have suffocated after being forced to stay in dilapidated animal hut during her period, in custom outlawed a decade ago A 15-year-old girl in western Nepal suffocated to death after being forced to stay in a poorly ventilated shed because she was menstruating, in an age-old Hindu practice banned over a decade ago, police said on Tuesday. Roshani Tiruwa's body was discovered by her father early on Sunday in mud-and-stone hut in Gajra village in Achham district, 440km (275 miles) west of Kathmandu. Continue reading... |
| Gambian president Yahya Jammeh says he will not step down Posted: 20 Dec 2016 06:20 PM PST Despite losing election to Adama Barrow, and in face of pressure from West African leaders, Jammeh insists 'nobody can deprive me' of presidency Gambian president Yahya Jammeh said he would not step down and condemned efforts by west African regional leaders to get him to hand over power after he lost an election to challenger Adama Barrow. Related: Adama Barrow: from Argos security guard to president of the Gambia Continue reading... |
| Racial Discrimination Act works well, says Human Rights Commission Posted: 20 Dec 2016 06:14 PM PST However, it wants to conduct a free speech inquiry looking into media and internet regulation and defamation The Australian Human Rights Commission says the Racial Discrimination Act strikes an appropriate balance between freedom of speech and freedom from racial vilification and has challenged the government to allow a deeper dive into other restrictions used by powerful people to curb speech, such as defamation and media regulation. The commission has used a new parliamentary inquiry into freedom of expression – an inquiry triggered by rolling political controversy about 18C of the RDA – to ask the government for a formal reference to conduct its own free speech inquiry, examining media and internet regulation, intellectual property and defamation laws. Continue reading... |
| India's small businesses facing 'apocalypse' amid biggest financial experiment in history Posted: 20 Dec 2016 06:04 PM PST Demonetisation revolution hits firms and workers as cash runs out, but now they are braced for the next stage – making all salary payments digital Down one of the hundreds of dusty lanes that make up Gandhi Nagar market, Delhi's largest textile bazaar, the small factory where Neeraj Sharma produces girls' jeans is quiet. "Normally you couldn't walk in here," he says, ambling across the concrete shop floor, past dormant sewing machines and piles of unfinished denim. |
| Australia's 10 most dangerous stretches of highway revealed Posted: 20 Dec 2016 05:50 PM PST Australian Automobile Association road safety report examined more than 900 deaths between 2010 and 2014 Three parts of Queensland's Pacific Motorway have been ranked among the 10 most dangerous stretches of highway in Australia. The Australian Automobile Association released its Australian road assessment program report on Wednesday, pinpointing the locations of crashes that led to 15,339 casualties and more than 900 deaths on Australian highways between 2010 and 2014. Continue reading... |
| China restricts sharing of 'unofficial' videos on social media Posted: 20 Dec 2016 03:30 PM PST New regulations block public accounts from posting 'user-generated audio or video', often one of the few sources of information outside state media China has banned the vast majority of internet users from sharing videos not from official sources on social media, tightening censorship in what was already one of the most oppressive internet regime's in the world. The new regulations barred public accounts from posting "user-generated audio or video", often one of the few sources of information outside state media articles relaying the government's version of events. Continue reading... |
| Explosion at Mexico fireworks market leaves tens dead – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:41 PM PST Amateur footage shows fireworks igniting and flattening a fireworks market in Mexico City on Tuesday, reportedly killing at least 31 people and injuring 70. The San Pablito market, which sits on the northern outskirts of the city, was engulfed in fire back in 2005 Continue reading... |
| Berlin truck attack: first suspect released as driver thought to still be at large – as it happened Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:23 PM PST
More details have emerged about the events leading up to the arrest of Naved B., a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker suspected of being the driver behind the wheel of the truck which careered through the Christmas market.
US officials do not have enough information to confirm the claim by Isis that the group is responsible for the Berlin Christmas market attack, said State Department spokesman John Kirby. Continue reading... |
| Candlelit vigil held at Berlin market and Brandenburg Gate – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:11 PM PST A candlelit vigil was held on Tuesday night on the Berlin square where 12 people lost their lives when a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market on Monday. Local residents and visitors gathered at the memorial located next to the where the truck made impact. The colours of the German flag were projected onto the Brandenburg Gate as a tribute to the victims Continue reading... |
| Pilot and airline to blame for Colombia plane crash, Bolivian investigation finds Posted: 20 Dec 2016 01:01 PM PST
A Bolivian government investigation into the plane crash that killed dozens of Brazilian soccer players last month has concluded that a Bolivian airline and pilot were directly responsible. The pilot, Miguel Quiroga, was one of 71 people killed when a plane operated by the Bolivia-based charter apparently ran out of fuel and crashed on a wooded hillside near the Colombian city of Medellín. Quiroga was also a co-owner of the airline. Continue reading... |
| Deadly attack on German soil is worst fear for Angela Merkel Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:52 AM PST German chancellor is again under fire from political opponents who lay the blame for Berlin attack on her refugee strategy Angela Merkel has vowed she will not allow Germany to be "paralysed by fear" after rightwing populist politicians rushed to blame the chancellor and her refugee policies for Monday evening's deadly truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market. Speaking at her chancellery on Tuesday morning, Merkel was quick to sketch out a worst-case scenario – unusually for a politician who prefers to deal in pragmatic solutions. Continue reading... |
| Lifestyle problems of Brazil's elite: what to tell the kids when Dad goes to jail Posted: 20 Dec 2016 11:37 AM PST A magazine article on a wide-reaching corruption scandal's psychological impact on jailed parents' children was met with outrage and ridicule across social media In a country where at times it seems that the entire political class has been implicated in one corruption scandal or another, Brazilian readers have grown used to headlines about the arrest of yet another politician or captain of industry. But a glossy magazine for and about "influential people" has provoked incredulity with an article in its latest edition, titled: "What to tell the children when the parents are taken away by the Federal Police." Continue reading... |
| 'It was terrifying': Berlin market attack witnesses describe carnage Posted: 20 Dec 2016 10:23 AM PST Attack lasting a few seconds left a scene of devastation, with 12 people dead and around 50 wounded The Christmas market on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz is normally a place of fun. Under the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church – bombed in 1943 and now a ghostly, jagged ruin – tourists and locals gather. Next door is the Zoological Garden, a rambling expanse of green popular with joggers, families and lovers. On Monday at 8pm, the scene was festive. Dozens of people were visiting the square. Some were strolling; others were perched on green-painted wooden tables in the shape of Christmas trees, chatting. On either side of a pedestrian alley, stalls sold mulled wine, beer and bratwurst. For children there was hot chocolate and crepes. Continue reading... |
| The child refugees of Calais: ‘The journey is not yet over’ Posted: 20 Dec 2016 10:00 AM PST What happened to the thousands of unaccompanied minors when the camp was closed? This is the story of one who is still in limbo Of all the children stuck in the Calais camp, 13-year-old Jawaad (not his real name) was one of the best able to articulate the horror of his situation, living in a tent for months, with no adult to care for him. I met him in August and was impressed by his elegant English, which he had learned from his father, a Nato translator who was targeted by the Taliban for working with western forces, and who had been forced to flee the country separately. Jawaad had no idea where his father was, and had travelled from Afghanistan to France alone. He was finding the conditions in Calais hard to bear. "Every second you are scared that something dangerous will happen to you. The French police are familiar with beating. They don't care if you are a child or a grownup. They send dogs after us. The dog's mouth is covered but they can get you with their nails," he told me, in the tarpaulin shack known as the Kids' Cafe. Continue reading... |
| Police pore over Polish truck driver’s final hours for clues to Berlin attack Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:54 AM PST Details unfold about Łukasz Urban who was apparently stabbed and shot to death before his truck was driven into a market The Polish driver found dead in the truck that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night "had fought for his life" before being killed by the unknown assailant or assailants behind the attack. The driver was identified as Łukasz Urban, a 37-year-old who was described as a "good, quiet and honest person" by Łukasz Wąsik, the manager of the trucking company Ariel Żurawski. Continue reading... |
| Non-infectious diseases such as cancer rising sharply in Africa Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:33 AM PST As attention turns to viruses including Zika and Ebola, the World Health Organisation warns diseases like diabetes will pose a bigger threat by 2030 More people in Africa will die from diseases such as cancer, heart problems or diabetes than infectious diseases by 2030, according to the World Health Organisation, which found the continent recorded the highest prevalence rates of high blood pressure in the world. In a report published on Tuesday, the WHO warns that the number of deaths globally from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is set to increase by at least 15% from the organisation's 2010 estimates, and that 44 million people will die of NCDs over the decade up to 2020, 4 million of those in the African region. Continue reading... |
| The world in 2016: how much do you know? – quiz Posted: 20 Dec 2016 03:22 AM PST From the Brexit vote to Donald Trump's victory in the US election, 2016 was a year of seismic shifts. How closely were you paying attention? According to economic experts, Brexit could cost the world's poorest countries how much? More than £3.5bn a year More than £320m a year More than £675m a year More than £5bn a year Women's rights activists fear Donald Trump's US election victory could lead to the reinstatement of the "global gag" rule. What does the rule stipulate? That no US media outlet should be permitted to report on foreign affairs without official White House approval That American women in overseas territories should not express views perceived as detrimental to the aims and values of the US government That no one, anywhere in the world, should be allowed to mention Hillary Clinton That federal funds cannot be used to support overseas family planning organisations that offer or provide information about abortions According to the UN, if the average family size were reduced by one child, projected global population growth would be reduced by how many people by 2030? 1 billion 1.1 billion 1.2 billion 1.3 billion In October, which fictional character became an honorary UN ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls? Elsa from Frozen Katniss Everdeen Supergirl Wonder Woman Which of the following human rights activists was killed in 2016? Berta Cáceres Sikhosiphi "Bazooka" Rhadebe Maricela Tombé All of the above In October, who was named as the next secretary general of the UN? Arnold Schwarzenegger Helen Clark Vuk Jeremić António Guterres Which of the following countries was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation in September? India Sri Lanka Myanmar Cambodia In January, a study said more people now die from air pollution than which of the following two factors combined? Polio and malaria Heart disease and stroke Malaria and HIV Road traffic accidents and cancer In June, the UN reported that a record number of people were forced from their homes by war and persecution in 2015. What was the figure? 115 million 35 million 48 million 65 million In July, who replaced Justine Greening as British secretary of state for development? Louise Mensch Boris Johnson Priti Patel Lynne Featherstone Continue reading... |
| Trump's response to recent attacks risks adding confusion to dangerous situation Posted: 20 Dec 2016 02:16 PM PST President-elect blamed Berlin truck attack on 'Islamist terrorists slaughtering Christians' at a time when perpetrator was unknown While the German police were looking for clues at the scene of the Berlin Christmas market attack and German leaders called for unity and calm, Donald Trump put out a statement from the other side of the world framing it as a jihadist onslaught against Christians. "[Islamic State] and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," his statement on Monday said. "These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth." Continue reading... |
| What can be done to prevent Berlin-style attacks in modern cities? Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:39 AM PST Terrorist attacks using vehicles are very hard to prevent – but there are safety measures cities can use, experts say The Berlin lorry attack on Monday that killed 12 people and injured 48 others raises a pressing question for security services across the world: what can be done to stop such attacks? The attack on Berlin's Christmas market came six months after a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring 484. Continue reading... |
| Truck attacks in Berlin and Nice reflect change in Islamic State tactics Posted: 20 Dec 2016 04:54 AM PST Responsibility for Christmas market killings not yet confirmed but use of heavy vehicle on traditional event follows Isis line The Berlin killings appear to have been modelled on the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice, a tactic that has become a focus of propaganda by Islamic State over the past month. At least 12 people died and dozens were injured on Monday night when a lorry was driven into a Christmas market in the centre of the German capital. The chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Tuesday it had to be assumed "we are dealing with a terrorist attack". Continue reading... |
| Watch the best moments from the Guardian’s 2016 US coverage Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:55 PM PST 2016 was a turbulent year for the world – and a defining moment for the Guardian's fearless independent journalism in America. Our memorable stories include powerful interviews with women accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault, deep investigations into the CIA's efforts to hide the truth about torture, stunning reports on a wave of climate refugees from the Marshall Islands – and an unexpected look at the frustrations of Cuban skateboarders
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| Michelle Obama speaks with Oprah: hope is more than 'a nice slogan' – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:03 AM PST In her final one-on-one interview as first lady, Michelle Obama tells Oprah Winfrey about her husband's legacy of hope and says many Americans are now feeling what it's like not to have it. 'Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes ... What do you give your kids if you don't have hope?' Continue reading... |
| Merkel: 'we must assume it was a terrorist attack in Berlin' – video Posted: 20 Dec 2016 04:27 AM PST German chancellor Angela Merkel says it is likely the authorities are dealing with a terrorist attack, following the death of 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday. Many more were injured when a truck drove into the stalls. Merkel visited the market later on Tuesday Continue reading... |
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