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- Baghdad market hit by two bombs, killing at least 28
- Beatles' first manager, Allan Williams, dies at 86
- Greek envoy's wife and two men detained in Rio de Janeiro over his death
- Western cities tighten New Year's Eve security as terrorism fears persist
- Syria ceasefire holds as Russia and Turkey seek UN support
- Bill Gates: world faces decade at risk from antibiotic-resistant bugs
- Facebook temporarily bans author after he calls Trump fans 'nasty fascistic lot'
- China to ban ivory trade by the end of 2017
- Run-DMC file $50m lawsuit against Amazon and Walmart
- Falls Festival to continue despite 19 people being seriously injured in crowd crush
- Deadline looms for Indian cash overhaul
- The 93-year-old Englishwoman who is the rock star of Mexican cooking
- George Michael tributes, Obama and the ceasefire in Syria – the 20 photographs of the week
- Women's sport, space probes and protests – reasons to look forward to 2017
- Can Latin America avoid the global vortex in 2017?
- Brexit vote sparks rush of British Jews seeking Portuguese passports
- Allow married Catholic priests to halt decline in Ireland, says clergyman
- Teenager charged with attempted murder after London stabbing
- It’s not game over. Austria stopped rightwing populism in its tracks | Owen Jones
- Eight charts that show 2016 wasn't as bad as you think
- Mummified body found in Detroit garage by prospective house buyer
- South Korea pulls website mapping women of prime age to have children
- Sitting room only: New Year's Eve crowds descend on Sydney harbour to nab best view of the fireworks
- Pilot accused of being drunk after video shows him staggering through airport
- Merkel says Germany is 'stronger than terrorism' in new year message
- Germany and France ramp up security for New Year celebrations – video
- Polish driver killed in Berlin attack honoured – in pictures
- Georgian mansions, Moscow dachas and the souring of US-Russian relations
- The debate about the history of empire that’s too hard to hold | Letters
- Reasons to be cheerful about the world in 2016 | Letters
- US expulsions put spotlight on Russia's GRU intelligence agency
- China urges US to block Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen from stopover
- Teddies and teargas canisters: what remained in the Calais camp
- Appliance of DNA science can shine a light on forced labour in the cotton fields | Karen McVeigh
- Trump praises Putin over US sanctions – a move that puts him at odds with GOP
| Baghdad market hit by two bombs, killing at least 28 Posted: 31 Dec 2016 12:10 AM PST Iraqi police and medical officials say blasts that struck the Al-Sinek area, which is packed with wholesale markets, wounded at least 54
The blasts ripped through shops in the Al-Sinek area early on Saturday, a police colonel said. The explosions went off near a car spare parts shops during the morning rush. Continue reading... |
| Beatles' first manager, Allan Williams, dies at 86 Posted: 30 Dec 2016 03:14 PM PST The Liverpool club owner drove the band to Hamburg on their formative trip in 1960 and also handled early bookings Allan Williams, best known as the first manager of the Beatles, has died aged 86, it has been announced. It was Williams who took the band to Hamburg, where its members learned much of their craft, before returning to the UK and stardom. He was the owner of the Jacaranda club in Liverpool, which confirmed the news of his death on Friday night. "His legacy has allowed us to remain at the heart of the Liverpool music scene for almost 60 years, and his memory will live on through every band that plays our famous stage. Allan, you will be missed. All of our thoughts and wishes go to his family and his wife Beryl," a message on the club's Facebook page read. |
| Greek envoy's wife and two men detained in Rio de Janeiro over his death Posted: 30 Dec 2016 03:24 PM PST Police will recommend charges of homicide against suspects, one of whom is officer reported to have confessed to killing Authorities in Brazil believe that the Greek ambassador who went missing on 26 December has been killed and have named his Brazilian wife, a police officer and another man as suspects in the case. Local police have said that the officer, who was romantically involved with the diplomat's wife, has confessed to the killing at her direction. The third man, believed to be the officer's cousin, is believed to have acted as lookout and helped move the ambassador's body. All three are being held in jail as the investigation continues, the investigators told a news conference in Rio. |
| Western cities tighten New Year's Eve security as terrorism fears persist Posted: 30 Dec 2016 08:12 AM PST Berlin, scene of deadly Christmas market attack weeks ago, Paris, Brussels and New York among cities stepping up measures Major western cities are tightening security for New Year's Eve celebrations amid continuing terrorism fears, with authorities particularly concerned about a repeat of this year's deadly truck attacks in Germany and France. "Every measure is being taken to prevent a possible attack," said police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf in Berlin, where concrete blocks and armoured cars will prevent all but carefully controlled pedestrian access to Pariser Platz, the square in front of Brandenburg Gate that is the traditional site for New Year's Eve celebrations. Continue reading... |
| Syria ceasefire holds as Russia and Turkey seek UN support Posted: 30 Dec 2016 02:49 PM PST Russia to ask security council to endorse bilateral pact with Turkey amid concerns over reports of fighting near Damascus A ceasefire across Syria appeared to be holding on Friday as its brokers, Russia and Turkey, sought support at the UN security council for the plan it hopes will trump failed peace proposals and end the six-year conflict. Despite violations blamed on both sides in parts of the country, there were no reported civilian casualties by Friday night and diplomats were hopeful that the fragile truce would take root, despite all other attempts failing. Continue reading... |
| Bill Gates: world faces decade at risk from antibiotic-resistant bugs Posted: 30 Dec 2016 03:35 AM PST Philanthropist says he believes 'better medical tools' will come, but until then the world is vulnerable to a pandemic People across the world, particularly those in developing countries, face a decade at risk from pandemics spread by antibiotic-resistant bugs, the billionaire Bill Gates has warned. Gates, who made his fortune with the Microsoft Windows operating system before becoming a philanthropist, said the success of antibiotics had created complacency that was now being exposed by the rise of microbial resistance to the drugs. Continue reading... |
| Facebook temporarily bans author after he calls Trump fans 'nasty fascistic lot' Posted: 30 Dec 2016 01:22 PM PST Temporary ban of Kevin Sessums, well known for celebrity profiles and memoirs, is latest example of social media platform's censorship of journalists A journalist was temporarily banned from Facebook after a post in which he called Trump supporters "a nasty fascistic lot", in the latest example of the social media platform's censorship of journalists. Facebook "reviewed and restored" the post by Kevin Sessums after being contacted by the Guardian and dropped the posting ban. Continue reading... |
| China to ban ivory trade by the end of 2017 Posted: 30 Dec 2016 11:15 AM PST Dozens of trade venues to be closed in the next three months, in a move activists are calling 'a gamechanger' China will ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, state media reported on Friday, in a move hailed by activists as a gamechanger for Africa's elephants. African ivory is highly sought after in China where it is seen as a status symbol and prices for a kilo (2.2 pounds) can reach as much as $1,100 (£890). Continue reading... |
| Run-DMC file $50m lawsuit against Amazon and Walmart Posted: 30 Dec 2016 07:27 AM PST Legendary rap group accuse retailers of trading on their name without permission Run-DMC have filed a $50m (£40.7m) lawsuit against retailers including Amazon, accusing them of trading on the group's name without permission. Related: Walk This Way: how Run-DMC and Aerosmith changed pop Continue reading... |
| Falls Festival to continue despite 19 people being seriously injured in crowd crush Posted: 30 Dec 2016 08:54 PM PST Police say about 60 people were injured, 19 seriously, after festival-goers slipped and fell at the front of a crowd leaving performance by band DMA's Victoria's Falls Festival will not be shut down despite a terrifying crowd crush that injured up to 80 people and left some bystanders covered in blood, but changes have been made to prevent it from happening again. At least 19 young people have been taken to hospital with serious injuries following the crowd crush incident. Continue reading... |
| Deadline looms for Indian cash overhaul Posted: 30 Dec 2016 03:56 AM PST Users have until midnight to declare or deposit 500- and 1,000-rupee banknotes as cash crisis continues Indians will no longer be able to exchange expired currency for new notes after midnight on Friday as severe cash shortages continue to disrupt daily life across the country. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, gave Indians a 50-day window to declare and deposit their 1,000- and 500-rupee notes after a surprise announcement on 8 November that both denominations would become invalid that evening. Continue reading... |
| The 93-year-old Englishwoman who is the rock star of Mexican cooking Posted: 30 Dec 2016 06:55 AM PST Diana Kennedy, who has written nine bestselling books about the country's cuisine, is still cooking and still infuriated by plagiarism, waste and fusion food Over the past five decades, Diana Kennedy has received countless accolades for her pioneering food writing, but being called the Mick Jagger of Mexican cooking is the one that tickled her most. "It was after I'd given a rousing talk at the Texas book festival in my leather trousers and fur-lined leather jacket … it was wonderful," said Kennedy, putting the final touches to vegetarian stuffed peppers and spicy courgettes as the lunch plates warm on a solar panel. Continue reading... |
| George Michael tributes, Obama and the ceasefire in Syria – the 20 photographs of the week Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:04 AM PST Floral tributes outside the home of George Michael, Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe at Pearl Harbor, a fragile ceasefire in Syria – the news of the week captured by the world's best photojournalists Continue reading... |
| Women's sport, space probes and protests – reasons to look forward to 2017 Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST The turbulence of this year might seem set to continue well into the next, but there are good things to come too. From mass protests to comfort telly, there's something for everyone – and lie-ins are positively encouraged Related: Troubled times make it hard to be an optimist. But I don't plan to stop | Mary Elizabeth Williams It does, admittedly, look as if 2017 will be bleak. Donald Trump becomes president, Theresa May has pledged to trigger article 50 by the end of March, and the far right march onwards. Still, it's not all bad news. There's the new season of Game of Thrones, apparently high heels are out, and it looks as if publishers may finally stop putting out thrillers with the word "girl" in the title. Here are six more reasons to be cheerful. Continue reading... |
| Can Latin America avoid the global vortex in 2017? Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST After a year of disaster for the left, isolation and weak strategic importance could turn out to be blessings for the region A lurch towards the political right looks set to reshape the Americas in 2017 after a year that ended with the death of Cuba's communist revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, and the imminent presidency of Donald Trump. That seismic shift has toppled the Workers' party in Brazil, weakened Peronists in Argentina, threatened Mexico with a wall and seen growing problems for leftwing leaders in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile. Continue reading... |
| Brexit vote sparks rush of British Jews seeking Portuguese passports Posted: 30 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST More Sephardic Jews are applying for citizenship of Portugal under law making amends for expulsion centuries ago The UK's decision to leave the European Union has fuelled an 80-fold increase in the number of British Sephardic Jews seeking Portuguese citizenship under a recent law intended to make amends for their ancestors' expulsion from the Iberian peninsula more than 500 years ago. Last year both Spain and Portugal brought in legislation to facilitate the return of the descendants of the thousands of Jews who were forced from the countries at the end of the 15th century. |
| Allow married Catholic priests to halt decline in Ireland, says clergyman Posted: 30 Dec 2016 11:00 PM PST Father Brendan Hoban predicts 'huge eucharistic famine' amid falling numbers and warns of rising depression and suicide The Catholic church should accept married men for ordination in an effort to prevent the extinction of priests in Ireland, a prominent clergyman has urged, amid warnings about rising rates of depression, isolation and suicide among the ageing priesthood. Father Brendan Hoban, a co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), said urgent action was needed to counter the "vocations crisis". As well as ordaining married men, those who had left the priesthood – sometimes to get married – should be invited back, and women should be ordained as deacons, he told the Guardian. |
| Teenager charged with attempted murder after London stabbing Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:35 AM PST Collins Adesoji to appear in court after 18-year-old male knocked off bicycle near Brixton funfair and stabbed An 18-year-old has been charged with attempted murder after a teenager was stabbed near a busy funfair in south London. Collins Adesoji was due to appear at Camberwell Green magistrates court on Saturday over the incident in Rushcroft Road, Brixton, on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| It’s not game over. Austria stopped rightwing populism in its tracks | Owen Jones Posted: 31 Dec 2016 02:00 AM PST It was to be the last great domino of 2016, but the country showed that victory on the radical right is not inevitable In 2016, the tide of rightwing populism has seemed unstoppable. From Britain's vote to leave the EU after a referendum campaign soaked in foreigner-bashing, to Donald Trump's elevation to the White House. Britain's Nigel Farage, France's Marine Le Pen and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders were rarely spotted without a smirk etched on their faces. The last great domino of 2016 was supposed to be Austria. A narrow defeat for the xenophobic right in the second round of the presidential elections in May was annulled, and the Freedom party's Norbert Hofer looked set to become the first far-right Austrian-born head of state since the fall of Adolf Hitler. Continue reading... |
| Eight charts that show 2016 wasn't as bad as you think Posted: 30 Dec 2016 02:25 AM PST Deaths in conflict have fallen (slightly), emissions have not risen for a third year and fewer people are dying from disease 2016 is likely to be remembered as an annus horribilis for so many reasons that it's tempting to think everything is doomed. But things are not always as they seem. There are silver linings. You just have to look hard to find them. |
| Mummified body found in Detroit garage by prospective house buyer Posted: 30 Dec 2016 05:41 PM PST Medical examiners have called for an anthropologist to conduct a special autopsy of the remains, which were found inside a car A body that had decomposed to the point of mummification was found in a car in the garage of a Detroit home, and medical examiners have called for an anthropologist to conduct a special autopsy of the remains. The desiccated corpse was discovered by a man who was house shopping and ventured into the home's garage on Thursday afternoon, spotting the body inside an early 1990s-model Plymouth sedan, police and coroner's officials said. Continue reading... |
| South Korea pulls website mapping women of prime age to have children Posted: 30 Dec 2016 06:16 PM PST Interior ministry takes site offline after being accused of trying to blame women for the country's low birth rate South Korea has closed a government website showing the number of women aged between 15 and 49 – of childbearing age – by city district and region after a public outcry. The Ministry of the Interior launched the site, which features a pink-coloured "birth map" on Thursday. On Friday, a notice on the site said it was undergoing corrections to reflect public opinion. Continue reading... |
| Sitting room only: New Year's Eve crowds descend on Sydney harbour to nab best view of the fireworks Posted: 30 Dec 2016 10:18 PM PST Thousands of people have flocked to the best waterside vantage points in Sydney, some camping out for 24 hours to secure a prime view. Continue reading... |
| Pilot accused of being drunk after video shows him staggering through airport Posted: 30 Dec 2016 06:09 PM PST Indonesian airline fires man after CCTV shows him dropping his belongings while going through security. He made it to the cockpit before being stopped An Indonesian budget airline has fired a pilot suspected of trying to fly a plane while he was drunk, and two of its executives are resigning. Citilink president director Albert Burhan announced on Friday that he and the airline's production director would resign over the incident. Citilink is a subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. Continue reading... |
| Merkel says Germany is 'stronger than terrorism' in new year message Posted: 30 Dec 2016 04:50 PM PST The chancellor will promise Germans 'security in freedom' and reaffirm that the country is 'considerate and open' Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, will use her new year message to tell Germans that their country is stronger than terrorism and the government will do everything to ensure "security in freedom". Merkel is expected to say in her annual televised address, to be broadcast on Saturday, that 2016 has been "a year of severe tests", the toughest of them being Islamic extremist terror. She will add, however, that she is "confident for Germany". Continue reading... |
| Germany and France ramp up security for New Year celebrations – video Posted: 30 Dec 2016 10:49 AM PST Major western cities are tightening security for New Year's Eve celebrations amid continuing terrorism fears. Police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf says in Berlin on Friday that every measure is being taken to prevent an attack. French interior minister Bruno Le Roux says 90,000 police will be on duty around the country Continue reading... |
| Polish driver killed in Berlin attack honoured – in pictures Posted: 30 Dec 2016 10:49 AM PST Truckers honk horns across Poland to commemorate Łukasz Urban as he is buried in his home village of Banie Continue reading... |
| Georgian mansions, Moscow dachas and the souring of US-Russian relations Posted: 30 Dec 2016 10:13 AM PST The last time Washington and Moscow were so at odds was in the early 1980s, straining diplomats' lives on both sides It looks like a country retreat. There are tennis courts, a swimming pool and a garden, these days somewhat unkempt, sweeping down to a river. In happier times, Russian ambassadors to the United States would drop in at weekends. The three-storey Georgian mansion is 90 minutes' drive from downtown Washington DC. Here, Russian diplomats might fleetingly pretend they were back at their own dachas – or summer houses – and the resin-scented pine forests of greater Moscow. Continue reading... |
| The debate about the history of empire that’s too hard to hold | Letters Posted: 30 Dec 2016 09:12 AM PST Your editorial (A German lesson for Britain, 27 December) raises important questions about Britain's response to its imperial past. But it runs the risk of conflating some quite distinct issues. It is certainly true that the creation of a national museum devoted to empire is almost inconceivable in contemporary Britain. No one would want to lead such a project unless they relished the prospect of spending a good few years defending themselves on social media. And were the government to raise the idea, the Guardian would without doubt – and with good reason – be at the forefront of those questioning their motives. But this may be more a sign of fierce debate than collective amnesia. You also bemoan the fact that Britain lacks "a shared view of history" or indeed "a common culture generally". Here you enter more dangerous territory. Both have more to do with the top-down imposition of national mythologies than with a creative engagement with the past. Debates about the sort of history children should learn in school usually have as their unspoken subtext the question of what it is "good for them" to know and believe. The idea of history as a morally improving magic lantern show is one that many professional historians, myself included, would treat with extreme caution. Nevertheless, we all have a duty to ensure that the ever more rich and varied insights being generated by academic research on imperialism feed into a genuinely informed public discussion of empire. |
| Reasons to be cheerful about the world in 2016 | Letters Posted: 30 Dec 2016 09:12 AM PST By common consent 2016 has been a challenging year, a year of disasters, what with Brexit, the election of Donald Trump as US president and a litany of celebrities who have sadly passed away. It is therefore often difficult to remember that parallel to this we are living through something of an arc of progress. The world is getting richer, with the number of people living in extreme poverty falling below 10% for the first time. Indeed, since 1990 almost 1.1 billion have escaped extreme poverty. World hunger also reached its lowest point for 25 years in 2016. For the first time ever the death penalty has become illegal in more than half of the world's countries and the world got healthier, with a World Health Organisation report showing that since 2000 global malaria deaths have declined by 60%. Since their peak a decade ago Aids-related deaths have fallen by 45% and infant mortality has halved since 1990. Taiwan is on the verge of becoming the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage and Tanzania banned child marriage. Continue reading... |
| US expulsions put spotlight on Russia's GRU intelligence agency Posted: 30 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST Washington believes Moscow's military spying organisation took the lead in hacking to interfere with the US election Barack Obama's announcement that Washington will avenge alleged Russian efforts to interfere in the US election with new sanctions and the expulsion of 35 diplomats has focused attention once again on Russia's main intelligence directorate, the GRU. Powerful and mysterious, the GRU is one of the country's three intelligence agencies and was itself put under sanction on Thursday, along with four individual officers and three companies the US claims provided material support to its cyber operations. Continue reading... |
| China urges US to block Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen from stopover Posted: 30 Dec 2016 07:15 AM PST Tsai will make stops in the US on her way to and from visiting Latin America in January but it's unclear if she will be meeting members of Donald Trump's team Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen will transit through Houston and San Francisco during her January visit to allies in Latin America, her office said on Friday, prompting China to repeat a call for the US to block any such stopover. Related: Donald Trump is technology's befuddled (but dangerous) grandfather Continue reading... |
| Teddies and teargas canisters: what remained in the Calais camp Posted: 30 Dec 2016 07:00 AM PST Photographer Gideon Mendel tells the story of the refugee camp through the objects abandoned there A moment of professional crisis and self-loathing inspired Gideon Mendel's photographs of abandoned objects in the now-demolished Calais refugee camp. He had travelled to the site to participate in a thoughtful-sounding project, where refugees were loaned cameras to allow them to document their own experiences. But it wasn't going tremendously well; the refugees had more pressing concerns on their hands than documenting their own lives, such as finding food and somewhere to sleep. Mendel was disturbed by the level of hostility that cameras provoked. "There were so many cameras coming in; there were no gatekeepers, because it wasn't an official camp, so any photography student, tourist or sympathiser could wander in. The general feeling was that the camera was an enemy of some sort." Continue reading... |
| Appliance of DNA science can shine a light on forced labour in the cotton fields | Karen McVeigh Posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:00 AM PST A technique to trace fibres to the original plant could identify if a garment is made from cotton that has been grown and harvested by workers under duress How do you know if a T-shirt you are about to buy is free of the taint of forced labour? Scientists say they will soon have the answer, thanks to DNA technology aimed at tracing fibres from a shirt all the way back to the originnal plant. DNA Applied Science, a New York-based company that uses DNA tagging to prevent counterfeiting and theft of products including cash, weapons and pharmaceuticals, began researching cotton after it emerged that many luxury brands, not least products labelled 100% Egyptian cotton, were fake. Continue reading... |
| Trump praises Putin over US sanctions – a move that puts him at odds with GOP Posted: 30 Dec 2016 04:39 PM PST What will applauding the Russian president's response to Barack Obama's expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats mean when Trump takes office? After the Obama administration's tough new sanctions against Russia put the president-elect in a vulnerable political position at home, in his own party and abroad, Donald Trump chose to respond in familiar fashion – with praise for Vladimir Putin. Related: Putin says Russia will not expel US diplomats in tit-for-tat measure Continue reading... |
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