World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- John McCain passes dossier alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI
- Norway begins switching off analogue radio
- 'Yes we did': Barack Obama lifts America one last time in emotional farewell
- Japan considers law changes to allow emperor to abdicate – reports
- PLO threatens to revoke recognition of Israel if US embassy moves to Jerusalem
- Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump: new role as DC power couple raises alarm
- Russia waging information war against Sweden, study finds
- Dylann Roof sentenced to death for the murders of nine black church members
- ECHR: Swiss Muslim girls must attend mixed-sex swimming lessons
- Taliban bombings kill at least 30 people near Afghan parliament
- Greece: severe weather places refugees at risk and government under fire
- Cyprus reunification talks making slow progress
- Kim Kardashian West's chauffeur among 17 held over Paris robbery
- Samsung heir to be questioned as part of South Korea bribery case
- New species of gibbon discovered in China
- Government will lose Brexit supreme court case, ministers believe
- Rising inequality threatens world economy, says WEF
- Barack Obama's final speech as president – video highlights
- Strong winds cause travel chaos and power cuts in parts of UK
- Sudan's social media campaign of civil dissent boosts hopes of change
- 'Chamber of Rats': Mexican parliament renamed in Google Maps prank
- Rod Culleton officially disqualified from Senate after bankruptcy finding
- First US woman to have 'intersex' on birth certificate: 'There’s power in knowing who you are'
- Among the ghosts of Cambodia’s killing fields: on the set of Angelina Jolie’s new film | Julian Borger
- Christians in India increasingly under attack, study shows
- Europe cold snap: death toll hits 61 as the poor, old and helpless succumb
- Myanmar sends envoy to Bangladesh as Rohingya crisis deepens
- Euro will fail in 10 years without reform, Emmanuel Macron says
- Knights of Malta condom scandal stretches from Myanmar to the Vatican
- Australian man kidnapped in Yemen appears in ransom video
- Russia's London embassy: UK preparing anti-Moscow witch-hunt
- Canada names Chrystia Freeland, leading Russia critic, as foreign minister
- Refugees in Greece face freezing winter conditions – video
- UK ambassador in Paris: we will not forge links with Marine Le Pen
- Three-year-old found on train after mother loses children at Berlin station
- Dutch trains become 100% powered by wind energy
- US imposes sanctions on British Isis 'executioner' Alexanda Amon Kotey
- Five Star Movement alliance with Ukip back on after MEPs block split
- Indian police accused of raping women in restive Chhattisgarh state
- Snow in Europe
- Eritrea says Italy holding wrong man in people-smuggling case
- Two held over alleged hacking ring targeting Italian elite
- Germany's spy chief calls for counterattacks against cyber-enemies
- Boris Johnson rejects calls to discipline Israel over diplomat's plot
- Grasping for change on America's most violent streets: 'We must stop killing'
- US housing crisis: what can Ben Carson learn from radical 1960s 'new town' plan?
- Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara appoints former prime minister as vice-president
- The impact of phone mast technology on a remote Congolese town – in pictures
- Lack of money forces closure of 11 UN health clinics in Sudan
- Ethnic violence in South Sudan, and a bid to prevent drowning in Bangladesh
- Are Americans more ready to accept inequality?
- Barack Obama says goodbye: 'Yes, we did. Yes, we can' – video
- Teary Barack Obama thanks Michelle in farewell speech – video
- Highlights from Jeff Sessions' hearing for attorney general – video
- Protesters in KKK robes disrupt confirmation hearing for Jeff Sessions – video
- Californians swap cars for canoes in latest flooding – video
| John McCain passes dossier alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:24 PM PST
Senator John McCain passed documents to the FBI director, James Comey, last month alleging secret contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow and that Russian intelligence had personally compromising material on the president-elect himself. The material, which has been seen by the Guardian, is a series of reports on Trump's relationship with Moscow. They were drawn up by a former western counter-intelligence official, now working as a private consultant. BuzzFeed on Tuesday published the documents, which it said were "unverified and potentially unverifiable". Continue reading... |
| Norway begins switching off analogue radio Posted: 11 Jan 2017 12:32 AM PST FM signal will be shut down starting in northern Nordland, with whole country digital-only by end of 2017 Norway has become the first nation in the world to phase out analogue radio signals. Starting at 11.11am local time on Wednesday (10.11 GMT), it will begin closing down its FM signal in the expectation that by the end of the year only Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) will be available. The Norwegian government has said the cost savings will let broadcasters invest more in programming, and give listeners a better and more reliable sound that will be more easily receivable in a country with lots of mountains and rocks. Continue reading... |
| 'Yes we did': Barack Obama lifts America one last time in emotional farewell Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:31 PM PST Outgoing president gives proud account of his eight years in office – and pays moving tribute to Michelle, 'wife, mother of my children and best friend' "Yes we can," he said one last time. "Yes we did." And the crowd roared. Barack Obama – the son of a Kenyan goat herder and self-described "skinny kid with a funny name" who grew up to become America's first black president – had come to say goodbye. Continue reading... |
| Japan considers law changes to allow emperor to abdicate – reports Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:04 PM PST Government is reportedly considering steps that would allow 56-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito to ascend the throne in 2019 Japan's government is planning legal steps that would allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate and his son to ascend the throne in two years, according to media reports, potentially setting the stage for the first abdication in two centuries. Related: Only a cruel despot would stop Japan's emperor retiring | Jake Adelstein Continue reading... |
| PLO threatens to revoke recognition of Israel if US embassy moves to Jerusalem Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:08 AM PST Palestinian officials call for protests in mosques to object to the proposed move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and say it would violate Oslo peace agreements Senior Palestinian officials have warned that the Palestine Liberation Organisation's recognition of Israel – one of the key pillars of the moribund Oslo peace agreements – is in danger of being revoked if Donald Trump moves the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership is also calling for protests in mosques and churches on Friday and Sunday to object to the move, calling for opposition to the plan "from Pakistan to Tehran, from Lebanon to Oman". Continue reading... |
| Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump: new role as DC power couple raises alarm Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:37 PM PST Ethics experts renew concerns over nepotism and conflicts of interest inherent in Trump's son-in-law as senior adviser and Ivanka's role in the family business Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are poised to become one of the most powerful couples in the US. Donald Trump's eldest daughter and her husband, who played crucial roles in directing Trump's campaign, now sit at the helm of his transition team, along with Trump's sons, and, on Monday, Trump named Kushner a senior adviser to the president, an appointment that has raised questions about potential conflicts of interests and drawn accusations of nepotism. Continue reading... |
| Russia waging information war against Sweden, study finds Posted: 10 Jan 2017 10:00 PM PST Swedish Institute of International Affairs accuses Russia of using fake news and false documents to influence opinion Sweden's most authoritative foreign policy institute has accused Russia of using fake news, false documents and disinformation as part of a coordinated campaign to influence public opinion and decision-making in the Scandinavian country. The Swedish Institute of International Affairs said in a comprehensive study that Sweden had been the target of "a wide array of active measures" aimed at "hampering its ability to generate public support in pursuing its policies". Continue reading... |
| Dylann Roof sentenced to death for the murders of nine black church members Posted: 10 Jan 2017 01:54 PM PST Jury announced their decision that Roof should be executed after he was convicted last month of 33 federal charges, including murder and hate crimes Dylann Roof has been sentenced to death for the murders of nine black church members during a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina. Related: Dylann Roof shows no remorse ahead of sentencing: 'I still feel I had to do it' Continue reading... |
| ECHR: Swiss Muslim girls must attend mixed-sex swimming lessons Posted: 10 Jan 2017 04:24 AM PST Swiss authorities did not violate right to freedom of religion in rejecting parents' request for exemption, court rules Switzerland has won a case at the European court of human rights over its insistence that Muslim parents send their children to mixed-sex school swimming lessons. The Strasbourg-based court ruled that Swiss authorities had not violated the right to freedom of religion by insisting that two Muslim parents send their daughters to mixed-sex swimming lessons. |
| Taliban bombings kill at least 30 people near Afghan parliament Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:08 AM PST More than 70 others injured in twin explosions in Kabul that appears to target bus carrying government personnel Taliban militants have killed at least 30 people in a twin bombing near the Afghan parliament in Kabul, injuring more than 70 others, according to the ministry of public health. The attack during rush hour on Tuesday appeared to have targeted a bus carrying government personnel leaving a building close to the parliament. Continue reading... |
| Greece: severe weather places refugees at risk and government under fire Posted: 10 Jan 2017 07:14 AM PST European commission criticises Greek authorities amid unprecedented freezing conditions that have left camps covered in snow Thousands of refugees are enduring freezing temperatures in flimsy tents across Greece as a result of the arctic blast that has swept across Europe, triggering criticism abroad and putting the government on the defensive. In a robust exchange in parliament the migration policy minister, Yannis Mouzalas, conceded that people trapped in the country were living in appalling conditions exacerbated by severe cold weather and unprecedented snowfall nationwide. Continue reading... |
| Cyprus reunification talks making slow progress Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:15 AM PST Negotiators grapple with detailed matters of property transfers and governance as issue of security guarantees looms large UN-led talks on the reunification of Cyprus entered the second of four scheduled days on Tuesday, with only a major intervention by the Turkish president or the Greek prime minister thought to be capable of changing the slow rate of progress. The first days of the Geneva talks, which are seen as the best chance for a peace settlement on the divided island in more than a decade, are focusing on detailed issues including property transfers between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, before moving to future security guarantees on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Kim Kardashian West's chauffeur among 17 held over Paris robbery Posted: 10 Jan 2017 05:56 AM PST Police trying to establish whether driver tipped off gang that reality television star was alone in apartment Police are questioning Kim Kardashian West's Paris chauffeur after a series of arrests connected to a robbery in October in which the US reality TV star lost jewels and other property worth €9m. Seventeen suspects were detained in early morning raids across France on Monday. Continue reading... |
| Samsung heir to be questioned as part of South Korea bribery case Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:47 AM PST Company's vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong investigated as a suspect in scandal that led to president's impeachment Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong is to be questioned as a suspect in a South Korean bribery case that led to the president's impeachment, prosecutors have said. Lee Jae-yong, the electronic group's vice-chairman, will be summoned to face questions by investigators looking into whether Samsung bribed a jailed confidante of President Park Geun-hye, said Hong Jong-seok, a spokesman for the special prosecutor team investigating the case. Continue reading... |
| New species of gibbon discovered in China Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:31 AM PST Newly recognised species given the name 'Skywalker hoolock gibbon' by the team that proved it was distinct from other Chinese gibbons Scientists have discovered a new species of gibbon living in south-west China's rainforests. Although scientists had been studying the primate for some time, new research has revealed it is in fact a different species. Continue reading... |
| Government will lose Brexit supreme court case, ministers believe Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:29 AM PST Senior government figures believe seven of 11 judges will uphold demand that Theresa May secure MPs' backing for article 50 Cabinet ministers have privately conceded that they are very likely to lose a landmark legal case on Brexit in the supreme court and have drawn up at least two versions of a bill that could be tabled after the ruling. Sources have told the Guardian that senior government figures are convinced seven of the 11 judges will uphold the high court's demand that Theresa May secure the consent of MPs and peers before triggering article 50. Continue reading... |
| Rising inequality threatens world economy, says WEF Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:26 AM PST Income gap was behind Brexit vote and Donald Trump's victory, says World Economic Forum risk report Rising income inequality and the polarisation of societies pose a risk to the global economy in 2017 unless urgent action is taken, according to the World Economic Forum. Before its annual meeting in Davos next week, the WEF said the gap between rich and poor had been behind the UK's Brexit vote and Donald Trump's election victory and needed to be tackled urgently. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama's final speech as president – video highlights Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:20 AM PST The US president makes his final speech before leaving office, addressing crowds of supporters in Chicago on Tuesday night. Telling the audience that the idea his election could usher in a 'post-racial America' was 'never realistic', Obama urges the American people to get more involved in democracy before tearfully thanking his family for their support Continue reading... |
| Strong winds cause travel chaos and power cuts in parts of UK Posted: 11 Jan 2017 01:04 AM PST Fallen trees block roads as winds reach more than 90mph, and forecasters say snow could make conditions worse High winds have brought travel chaos and power cuts to hundreds of people, as gusts of more than 90mph were recorded in parts of the country. The Met Office issued severe weather warnings of wind and snow for Scotland, the north of England and Northern Ireland on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Sudan's social media campaign of civil dissent boosts hopes of change Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST After stay-at-home strikes close businesses and schools, President Omar al-Bashir challenges activists to take to the streets At first, a social media campaign calling on Sudanese people to participate in a stay-at-home strike seemed doomed to fail: only a quarter of the population have access to the internet. And looking back at Sudan's history, political mobilisation had occurred through unions, not social media. But, somehow, it worked. On 27 November, the capital awoke to half-empty streets as many businesses and schools in Khartoum remained closed. Another stay-at-home strike, coupled with a boycott of government transactions, followed on 19 December. By then, what had begun as a protest against subsidy cuts had morphed into a movement advocating for broader change. Continue reading... |
| 'Chamber of Rats': Mexican parliament renamed in Google Maps prank Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:17 PM PST Change uses 'rata', the Spanish word for rat, which is also slang for thief in Mexico Pranksters changed the name of Mexico's lower house of Congress to the "Chamber of Rats" on Google Maps on Tuesday in the latest dig at the political class during a testing start to the year for the country's government. The lower house, also known as the Chamber of Deputies, became the "Chamber of Rats", using the Spanish word "rata", which is also slang for thief in Mexico. "Our teams are working fast to resolve this incident," Google Mexico said in a statement, explaining that place names on the online mapping service came from third parties, public sources and contributions from users. Continue reading... |
| Rod Culleton officially disqualified from Senate after bankruptcy finding Posted: 11 Jan 2017 12:52 AM PST Upper house president Stephen Parry notifies Western Australia's governor that the seat is vacant The embattled former One Nation senator Rod Culleton has been officially disqualified from parliament. The Senate president, Stephen Parry, has notified the West Australian governor, Kerry Sanderson, that Culleton's WA Senate seat is vacant. Continue reading... |
| First US woman to have 'intersex' on birth certificate: 'There’s power in knowing who you are' Posted: 11 Jan 2017 02:00 AM PST Sara Kelly Keenan's victory could help pave the way for public officials, doctors and parents to better recognize and respect a marginalized group Sara Kelly Keenan didn't think a Google search would change her life. But in 2009, at age 48, a few clicks revealed the truth that her parents and doctors had hidden for decades: Keenan is intersex – biologically a mix between male and female. After meeting someone with a similar condition, Keenan's online research and a later appointment with an endocrinologist confirmed that she was born genetically male with female genitalia and a mixed reproductive anatomy. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2017 10:00 PM PST Can the Hollywood star's Khmer-language film – with an all-Cambodian cast and crew – allow a nation to confront the horrors of its past? One sweltering afternoon last January on a film set in the Cambodian countryside, a local man approached Angelina Jolie with a large bucket of leeches. Jolie peered into the bucket and picked out one of the writhing creatures, studying it as it found its way to one of the prominent veins on the back of her hand and locked on. As it started to gorge on her blood, she carried it over to her nine-year-old lead actor, Sareum Srey Moch, who was sitting in a canvas chair in the shade of a tree. "This is what a real one looks like," she said. Sareum wrinkled her nose and stared at the leech. "Does it suck your blood?" the girl asked. Jolie's 13-year-old son, Pax, on crutches after breaking his foot in a jet-ski accident, hobbled over with his camera to take a closer look. Continue reading... |
| Christians in India increasingly under attack, study shows Posted: 10 Jan 2017 09:00 PM PST Country rises to 15 on list of places where those practising faith most likely to be persecuted, with North Korea at No 1 The persecution of Christians in India has risen over the past year, pushing it up a league table of countries where the practice of the faith is a high-risk activity, according to a monitoring organisation. The world's second most populous country has risen to No 15 on the 2017 World Watch List, up from 31 four years ago. The list, compiled by Open Doors, is headed by North Korea for the 16th year in a row. Continue reading... |
| Europe cold snap: death toll hits 61 as the poor, old and helpless succumb Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:58 PM PST Shipping halted on Danube river, smog from heating and cars blankets Polish cities, while Greece is criticised over refugees left in snowbound tents on Lesbos Officials suspended shipping along Europe's second-longest waterway as a freezing spell gripped large parts of the continent, causing hardship especially among migrants, the homeless and the elderly. The death toll rose to 61 on Tuesday, with a third of those in Poland. Romanian police halted shipping at midday on Tuesday along 565 miles (900km) of the Danube river. Croatian and Serbian authorities also stopped river traffic on the Danube. Continue reading... |
| Myanmar sends envoy to Bangladesh as Rohingya crisis deepens Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:51 PM PST Kyaw Tin, deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka A special envoy of Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin top-level talks in Bangladesh on Wednesday, as the United Nations said the Rohingya crisis prompted 65,000 people to flee Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past three months. Kyaw Tin, Myanmar's deputy minister of foreign affairs, will make a three-day visit to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, in a rare diplomatic foray to tackle the biggest challenge facing Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi's nine-month old administration. Continue reading... |
| Euro will fail in 10 years without reform, Emmanuel Macron says Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:03 PM PST French presidential candidate says currency amounts to a 'weak Deutsche Mark' that has failed to unify EU states and stand up to the US dollar The euro may not exist in 10 years' time if Paris and Berlin fail to bolster the single currency union, French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has said, adding that the current system benefits Germany at the expense of weaker member states. Macron was economy minister under Socialist President François Hollande until he resigned this year to create his own political movement and stand as an independent candidate in this year's presidential election. Continue reading... |
| Knights of Malta condom scandal stretches from Myanmar to the Vatican Posted: 10 Jan 2017 05:01 PM PST Split in lay order after senior official was dismissed over distribution of free prophylactics and the Holy See hierarchy sought to intervene The Knights of Malta, the ancient Catholic lay order, is refusing to cooperate with a Vatican investigation into the sacking of a senior official over a condom scandal — and is warning its members to toe the line if they choose to speak with investigators. In a statement on Tuesday the Knights called Pope Francis's investigation legally "irrelevant" and aimed at limiting its sovereignty. It insisted that the ouster of its grand chancellor, Albrecht von Boeselager, was an act of internal governance that in no way involved religious superiors. Continue reading... |
| Australian man kidnapped in Yemen appears in ransom video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 04:18 PM PST Craig McAllister, who was taken hostage in September, shown in video with the barrel of a gun against his head An Australian man abducted in Yemen has appeared in a video asking his government to meet the demands of his unidentified kidnappers, a US-based monitor said Tuesday. The video of the man, identified as Craig McAllister, shows him giving a statement with the barrel of a gun held against his head. The 12-second clip was uploaded to a file-sharing website on 10 January, said Site Intelligence Group. Continue reading... |
| Russia's London embassy: UK preparing anti-Moscow witch-hunt Posted: 10 Jan 2017 04:02 PM PST Foreign secretary tells incoming US administration that Russia and Putin have been 'up to all sorts of very dirty tricks' The Russian embassy in London has accused the Foreign Office of preparing to mount a witch-hunt against Moscow in the wake of allegations by the UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, that Russia has been "up to all sorts of tricks". Johnson had claimed that the Kremlin was behind the hack of the Democratic campaign headquarters computer during the US presidential race, the first time that the UK has confirmed US intelligence reports linking the hacks to Russia. Continue reading... |
| Canada names Chrystia Freeland, leading Russia critic, as foreign minister Posted: 10 Jan 2017 03:10 PM PST
Canada has named a prominent critic of Russia who was banned by Moscow in 2014 as its new minister of foreign affairs, as the Canadian government prepares for what could be a radical recast of its relationship with the United States under the incoming Trump administration. Related: There goes the neighborhood? Canada frets over Trump's trade agenda Continue reading... |
| Refugees in Greece face freezing winter conditions – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 01:46 PM PST Refugees stranded for months in Greece brave freezing temperatures and snowfall on Tuesday in camps not designed for winter weather. The Greek government has come under fire for not acting fast enough to ensure all migrants are adequately housed Continue reading... |
| UK ambassador in Paris: we will not forge links with Marine Le Pen Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:18 AM PST Ed Llewellyn said his embassy had longstanding policy of not engaging with far-right Front National The UK's ambassador to France has said his embassy will not be forging links with far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen because the UK government has a policy of not engaging with her party, the Front National (FN). Related: Migrants are not to blame for Britain's problems | Letters Continue reading... |
| Three-year-old found on train after mother loses children at Berlin station Posted: 10 Jan 2017 10:37 AM PST Family visiting from Italy reunited after four siblings scattered when their mother turned her back on them to buy a ticket A woman from Peru lost all four of her children at Berlin's main train station after briefly turning her back on them to buy a ticket. German police said the tearful mother approached officers for help and they were able to find two of the children wandering around the station. A third turned up at another station in Berlin. Continue reading... |
| Dutch trains become 100% powered by wind energy Posted: 10 Jan 2017 10:27 AM PST The national railway company, NS, said that its renewables target had been met a year earlier than planned All Dutch trains have become 100% powered by electricity generated by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said . "Since 1 January, 100% of our trains are running on wind energy," said NS spokesman, Ton Boon. Continue reading... |
| US imposes sanctions on British Isis 'executioner' Alexanda Amon Kotey Posted: 10 Jan 2017 09:26 AM PST
Related: Londoners Alexanda Kotey and Aine Davis identified as Islamic State 'Beatles' The US has imposed sanctions on a British member of an Islamic State cell dubbed "the Beatles" who Washington says has conducted executions of hostages. Continue reading... |
| Five Star Movement alliance with Ukip back on after MEPs block split Posted: 10 Jan 2017 09:20 AM PST MS5 leader Beppe Grillo's attempt to join liberal group rejected offering lifeline to Nigel Farage who faced losing EU funding Nigel Farage and Beppe Grillo, the bombastic head of Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), plan to continue their alliance in the European parliament despite an embarrassing rupture earlier this week, according to a statement by the former Ukip leader. The move offers Farage a lifeline in Brussels, because the departure of M5S's MEPs could have led to Ukip losing some of its funding in the European parliament. Continue reading... |
| Indian police accused of raping women in restive Chhattisgarh state Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:36 AM PST Country's human rights watchdog says it has identified 16 cases in which security forces 'grossly violated' victims' rights The Indian government's human rights watchdog has accused police of raping and beating at least 16 women from tribal communities in Chhattisgarh, a central state racked by a 50-year Maoist insurgency. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said there were 20 alleged attacks still to be investigated, but that in 16 cases the "human rights of the victims have been grossly violated by the security personnel". Continue reading... |
| Posted: 10 Jan 2017 07:53 AM PST A cold snap has brought snow to countries including Greece, Serbia and Italy Continue reading... |
| Eritrea says Italy holding wrong man in people-smuggling case Posted: 10 Jan 2017 07:45 AM PST Officials say man claimed to be Medhanie Mered is instead believed to be Eritrean refugee Medhanie Berhe The Eritrean government has said a man being held in an Italian jail on suspicion of people smuggling is a victim of mistaken identity. In June last year Italian and British officials claimed to have captured Medhanie Yehdego Mered, considered to be a key player in the smuggling of thousands of migrants and refugees from north Africa to Europe. Continue reading... |
| Two held over alleged hacking ring targeting Italian elite Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:50 AM PST Targets allegedly included former prime ministers Matteo Renzi and Mario Monti and ECB chief Mario Draghi Italian police have arrested two people who allegedly tried to hack the communications of former prime minister Matteo Renzi and other senior Italian politicians and business executives as part of a cyber-espionage ring that sought sensitive financial and political information. The alleged hackers, named as Giulio Occhionero and Francesca Maria Occhionero, a brother and sister who were residents of London, also targeted the former prime minister Mario Monti; the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi; Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, a member of the conclave that elected Pope Francis, and top officials in Italy's tax police. Continue reading... |
| Germany's spy chief calls for counterattacks against cyber-enemies Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:43 AM PST Hans-Georg Maassen says it is not enough for German intelligence agencies to focus only on protecting digital infrastructure The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency has said his country should be prepared to actively counter cyber-attacks in the future rather than focus solely on protecting its digital infrastructure. "We think it's essential that we don't just act defensively, but that we are also able to attack the enemy so that he stops continuing to attack us in the future," Hans-Georg Maassen told the German news agency dpa. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson rejects calls to discipline Israel over diplomat's plot Posted: 10 Jan 2017 06:43 AM PST Foreign secretary says he considers matter closed after Israeli embassy apologised for official's 'take down MPs' comments Boris Johnson has rejected calls to take disciplinary action against the Israeli embassy in London after one of its officials was caught on camera in an undercover sting plotting to "take down" UK MPs regarded as hostile, including the foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan, who is an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, the British foreign secretary said the diplomat Shai Masot was no longer working in London, and that the Israeli embassy had issued a very full apology so he considered the matter closed. Continue reading... |
| Grasping for change on America's most violent streets: 'We must stop killing' Posted: 10 Jan 2017 04:00 AM PST A four-mile stretch on Natural Bridge Avenue in St Louis – not in Chicago or Baltimore – is the place in America most plagued by gun violence Continue reading... |
| US housing crisis: what can Ben Carson learn from radical 1960s 'new town' plan? Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:36 AM PST The US housing department's ambitious initiatives of the 60s and 70s created urban communities that were both mixed race and mixed income. Though many didn't last, are there lessons in them for Donald Trump's new housing secretary? Innovation is, to put it mildly, not one of the first attributes that come to mind when you think of "Hud" – the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, soon to be overseen by Donald Trump's former Republican rival Ben Carson. Yet this wasn't always the case. Imagine urban and suburban communities that banned cars, collected trash in pneumatic tubes, offered prototype community video chat capabilities, built elaborate pedestrian and cycle networks, and carefully retained existing foliage. You may not be thinking of the Jetsons, but products of the groundbreaking Hud New Towns initiatives in the late 1960s and early 70s. Continue reading... |
| Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara appoints former prime minister as vice-president Posted: 10 Jan 2017 05:53 AM PST President's naming of long-time ally Daniel Kablan Duncan for newly created post seen as signalling his choice of successor in 2020 Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara named former prime minister Daniel Kablan Duncan as vice-president, a new post created under a constitution approved by referendum late last year. Related: Ivory Coast hopes to tempt investors with stability and a booming economy | Clár Ní Chonghaile Continue reading... |
| The impact of phone mast technology on a remote Congolese town – in pictures Posted: 10 Jan 2017 04:56 AM PST In April 2015, photographer Susan Schulman joined a team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo transporting a solar-powered mobile phone tower to the mountain town of Numbi, over 27km of steep terrain. She returned in December 2016 to see how the new technology is benefiting the isolated community Continue reading... |
| Lack of money forces closure of 11 UN health clinics in Sudan Posted: 10 Jan 2017 02:23 AM PST A further 49 clinics are under threat of closure due to financial shortfalls, with the UN's appeal for the country close to 50% underfunded Eleven health facilities in Sudan, funded by the UN and serving people displaced by conflict in the region, have been forced to close due to lack of money. Funding shortfalls also threaten the closure of a further 49 clinics in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, with $7m (£5.69m) required to keep the facilities open for another year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Continue reading... |
| Ethnic violence in South Sudan, and a bid to prevent drowning in Bangladesh Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:49 AM PST The UN advises swift action to prevent genocide in South Sudan; saving lives in Bangladesh on a recycled surfboard; plus our 12 days of innovations series If you are reading this on the web and would prefer to get it in your inbox every two weeks, register for the email edition As the UN's human rights chief warned that only swift action could avert genocide in South Sudan, Ben Quinn reported from the world's youngest country on how ethnic violence is being stoked by hunger. On a visit to Malakal, Quinn discovered that a bookshop at the protection of civilians camp offers a welcome distraction from the harsh realities of life there. Karen McVeigh reported from Bangladesh on how superstition is a major obstacle to action against drowning, the leading cause of death in children under the age of 18. She also spoke to Mohammed Alamgir, a lifeguard at the resort town of Cox's Bazar, who has so far saved 20 lives with a surfboard he developed from recycled materials – as shown in our video. Continue reading... |
| Are Americans more ready to accept inequality? Posted: 11 Jan 2017 12:40 AM PST A study suggesting US citizens are more likely than Scandinavians to see inequality as fair could explain Donald Trump's win As Donald Trump prepares to move into the White House, you may still be wondering how the billionaire Republican managed to win the US election while simultaneously promising tax cuts for the richest and claiming to be on the side of workers. Academics in Scandinavia think they may have the explanation. It comes down to how far Americans are happy to accept inequality. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama says goodbye: 'Yes, we did. Yes, we can' – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:38 PM PST After eight years as president, Barack Obama has made his farewell address to the nation, saying it was 'the honour of my life to serve you'. In a powerful, and at times emotional, speech, he called on citizens to believe in their own ability to bring about change. The address finished with a reference to his famous 2008 campaign slogan as he told the crowd: 'Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we can'. Continue reading... |
| Teary Barack Obama thanks Michelle in farewell speech – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:02 PM PST In his final address to the nation as president, Barack Obama gets emotional as he thanks the first lady. Obama, turning to his wife Michelle, says for the past 25 years she has been "not only my wife and mother of my children, but my best friend." As his daughter Malia looks on crying and the audience rises to give Michelle Obama a standing ovation, he continues: "You took on a role you didn't ask for and made it your own with grace and with grit and with style and good humour." Continue reading... |
| Highlights from Jeff Sessions' hearing for attorney general – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 01:31 PM PST Alabama senator Jeff Sessions defended himself against charges of racial discrimination and bigotry during his confirmation hearing to become US attorney general. In a Senate hearing disrupted by protesters, Sessions was also questioned over his stance on LGBT rights, abortion and whether he would support further investigations into Russian hacking Continue reading... |
| Protesters in KKK robes disrupt confirmation hearing for Jeff Sessions – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST Protesters wearing Ku Klux Klan garb on Tuesday disrupted the opening of confirmation hearings for senator Jeff Sessions, nominated to become the next US attorney general. Sessions, who was denied a federal judgeship 30 years ago amid claims of racial discrimination, defended himself from allegations of racism and bigotry that have dogged his career. The Alabama senator was interrupted several more times during the hearing Continue reading... |
| Californians swap cars for canoes in latest flooding – video Posted: 10 Jan 2017 02:58 AM PST Residents in the state of California have been affected by high flood waters over past few days. As a result, many cars and properties are now submerged. Taking a chance between the deluge, many have ventured out in boats and canoes to assess the damage, as residents talk about their experiences |
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