World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

'Your only right is to obey': lawyer describes torture in China's secret jails
Trump's team defends 'alternative facts' after widespread protests
Russia takes power-broking role as Syria peace talks begin in Astana
Exiled former president Yahya Jammeh 'stole $11.4m' from the Gambia
Benoît Hamon tops poll in first round of French Socialist primary race
US 'at very beginning' of talks to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem
Thousands march against prison pardons in Romania
Israel reveals plans for nearly 600 settlement homes in East Jerusalem
Greek court to decide on fate of eight Turkish soldiers
Suspected US drone strikes kill three al-Qaida suspects in Yemen, officials say
Italy avalanche: rescuers refuse to give up hope of finding survivors
Pope Francis to 'wait and see' before forming opinion on Trump
Courgette crisis: Spanish farmers hope the worst is over
‘Alternative facts’ – the greatest, strongest facts that ever existed
China's birth rate rises but falls short of government estimates
How Islam took root in one of South America’s most violent cities
Boom or bust: 19 buildings demolished in 10 seconds in China – video
Roast potatoes and toast that's a bit too brown may cause cancer, say authorities
Woman charged over death of 71-year-old man in Blackburn
Tunisia asks for EU help to combat terrorism after Sousse massacre
Queensland drops lockout laws in favour of mandatory ID scans
Istanbul bookshop that transports young Syrians back home
MH370: transport ministers defend suspending search for missing plane
New Zealand hit by 'weather bomb' bringing summer snow and flooding
Severe weather including tornadoes kills 18 in Georgia and Mississippi
Trump has the power to fight China on human rights. Will he use it?
Iceland gripped by rare murder case as woman's body is found
The Gambia awaits new era of democracy under Adama Barrow
Two million protest against Trump's inauguration worldwide
The pope has acted to speed up abuse cases | Letters
Big Brother’s eye on the health service | Letters
Why women, and men, marched on Washington – in pictures
Chapecoense play first game since air disaster – video
Eyewitness: Fairfield, Lake District
Why we protested in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington
UK woman imprisoned in Iran has conviction upheld in appeals court
60mph speed limit for M1 under consideration to combat air pollution
Obama’s inauguration in 2009 vs Trump’s in 2017 – then and now
Adapting to climate change means adapting to Trump – here's how | Dr Aditya V Bahadur
Hope against hypocrisy as Trump joins the swamp - video
Bernie Sanders skewers Donald Trump's attacks on 'establishment' – video
Kellyanne Conway denies Trump press secretary lied: ‘He offered alternative facts’ – video
Cartoonist Katie Fricas draws the march on Washington – in pictures

'Your only right is to obey': lawyer describes torture in China's secret jails

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:10 PM PST

Human rights attorney Xie Yang says he was shackled, beaten and threatened, in transcripts released in protest at his continued incarceration

On day one of his detention Xie Yang claims he was shackled to a metal chair and ordered to explain why he had joined an illegal anti-Communist party network.

On day two he was moved to a secret prison and informed: "Your only right is to obey."

Trump's team defends 'alternative facts' after widespread protests

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 11:30 PM PST

President and advisers push falsehoods about inauguration attendance
Secretary of state pick backed by key Republican senators

Donald Trump began his first full week as US president firmly on the defensive, after millions of Americans took to the streets to protest against his election and the White House came under fire for brazenly lying to the public.

Russia takes power-broking role as Syria peace talks begin in Astana

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 01:03 AM PST

Indirect talks between Syria's rebels and representatives of Bashar al-Assad's government seen as test of Moscow's power

Indirect talks between Syrian rebel factions and government representatives have opened in Kazakhstan, as Russia takes on the role of Middle East power broker.

The meetings, scheduled to last two days at a luxury hotel in the Kazakh capital, Astana, will focus on how to extend the ceasefire negotiated in the wake of the opposition's crushing military defeat in Aleppo, Syria's second city, at the hands of the Russian air force and Iranian-backed militias.

Exiled former president Yahya Jammeh 'stole $11.4m' from the Gambia

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:08 PM PST

Adviser to new president claims exiled ruler plundered state coffers and shipped out luxury vehicles by cargo plane in the weeks before he left office

Exiled Gambian ruler Yahya Jammeh stole millions of dollars in his final weeks in power, plundering the state coffers and shipping out luxury vehicles by cargo plane, a special adviser for the new president has claimed.

A regional military force has rolled in, greeted by cheers, to secure the West African nation so that democratically elected President Adama Barrow could return home. He remained in neighbouring Senegal, where he took the oath of office on Thursday because of concerns for his safety.

Benoît Hamon tops poll in first round of French Socialist primary race

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 12:48 PM PST

Leftwing outsider to face pro-business rightwinger Manuel Valls in final vote to pick party's presidential candidate

Benoît Hamon, the staunchly leftwing outsider who wants to introduce a universal basic income, legalise cannabis and tax robots has topped the poll in the first round of the French Socialist primary race to choose a presidential candidate. He will face the pro-business former prime minister Manuel Valls in a final-round clash between the party's warring leftwing and free-market factions.

Hamon, the dark horse and most leftwing of all the candidates in the race, took about 35% of the vote while Valls, the economically liberal, self-styled law and order strongman on the right of the party, took about 31%, according to partial early results.

US 'at very beginning' of talks to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 11:01 AM PST

White House press spokesman says administration is in early stages of talks to fulfil Donald Trump's pledge to move embassy from Tel Aviv

The White House has said it is in the early stages of talks to fulfil Donald Trump's pledge to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an action that is likely to spark anger in the Arab world.

"We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Sunday.

Thousands march against prison pardons in Romania

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:55 AM PST

Critics of plan said to be aimed at easing overcrowding claim it would help government allies convicted of corruption

Thousands of people have marched through the Romanian capital and other cities to protest against a government proposal to pardon thousands of prisoners, which critics say could reverse the anti-corruption fight.

More than 10,000 protesters gathered on Sunday in University Square in Bucharest, and later broke through police lines, before heading toward government headquarters. Thousands also protested in the western city of Cluj and in Iași in the north.

Israel reveals plans for nearly 600 settlement homes in East Jerusalem

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:07 AM PST

Announcement comes just two days after inauguration of Donald Trump, who has promised more pro-Israel policies

Israel has announced plans to build almost 600 new settlement homes in occupied East Jerusalem, just two days after Donald Trump's inauguration as US president, with officials stating the "rules of the game have changed".

The announcement by the Jerusalem municipality came as Israeli officials appeared emboldened by the new Trump administration, which has made clear its policies will be far more pro-Israel and settlements than Barack Obama's.

Greek court to decide on fate of eight Turkish soldiers

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:41 AM PST

Public support increasing for men who fled to Greece after attempted coup in Turkey in case seen as test for European values

Greece's supreme court will decide on Monday on the fate of eight Turkish military officers who fled their country a day after last year's attempted coup in a case that has triggered outrage among intellectuals and is viewed as a test for European democratic values.

The hotly awaited judgment, six months after the doomed putsch against Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has put considerable pressure on already strained relations between Athens and Ankara. "Turkey feels very strongly about this," a senior official said. "Everyone is watching very closely."

Suspected US drone strikes kill three al-Qaida suspects in Yemen, officials say

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 09:22 AM PST

First strikes under President Trump reported by Yemeni officials
Use of unmanned aircraft for strikes increased dramatically under Obama

Suspected US drone strikes have killed three alleged al-Qaida operatives in Yemen's south-western Bayda province, security and tribal officials said, the first such killings reported in the country since Donald Trump assumed the presidency on Friday.

Italy avalanche: rescuers refuse to give up hope of finding survivors

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 04:03 AM PST

Rescue crews digging through hotel wreckage say some of 23 people missing might still be found alive

Rescue crews digging through an Italian hotel buried in an avalanche say there could be additional survivors more than three days after tonnes of snow came barrelling down a mountainside.

Rescuers told reporters in the central Apennine mountains on Sunday morning there were air pockets in some of the Hotel Rigopiano's wreckage. But they have been unable to reach all those areas.

Pope Francis to 'wait and see' before forming opinion on Trump

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 07:10 AM PST

Pontiff says he will observe how new US president acts but offers warning to Europeans against populism

Pope Francis has said he would not offer an opinion on Donald Trump until he first had a chance to see specific policies the new US president would implement.

Courgette crisis: Spanish farmers hope the worst is over

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 04:01 AM PST

Cold snap forces up some vegetable prices by more than double in past week alone. Solace for some Murcia farmers, tragedy for others

Manuel Martínez points to the distant, snow-dusted peaks that rise above the pines and palms and gives voice to a thought to chill the hearts and panic the stomachs of vegetable lovers.

"We get snow like this maybe every 15 years. But if there'd been frost, that would have been it. No one in Europe would have anything green to put in their mouths."

‘Alternative facts’ – the greatest, strongest facts that ever existed

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 02:03 AM PST

In today's pass notes: Kellyanne Conway reckons that lies from the Trump White House are merely 'alternative facts'. Now look at this picture of a spaceship

Name: Alternative facts.

Age: Ten billion years old.

China's birth rate rises but falls short of government estimates

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 01:03 AM PST

Births rose by 7.9% in 2016 – 1.31 million newborns – following end of one-child policy to balance rapidly ageing population

China's birth rate last year was the highest this century, as the country felt the effect of the end of the controversial one-child policy in 2015.

Births increased by 7.9% in 2016 to 17.86 million, according to China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. About 45% of babies were born to families that already had one child.

How Islam took root in one of South America’s most violent cities

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 01:00 AM PST

The Colombian port of Buenaventura is home to a small Muslim community who have successively embraced the Nation of Islam, Sunni and Shia interpretations

Blaring salsa music from a neighbouring bar does not perturb Sheik Munir Valencia as he bows in prayer at a family home-turned-mosque in the poor, violence-racked Colombian city of Buenaventura.

His prayers finished, Valencia sheds his brown tunic, sits down at a plastic table and describes his role as the spiritual leader of an Islamic community like few others.

Boom or bust: 19 buildings demolished in 10 seconds in China – video

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 12:43 AM PST

A total of 19 buildings are demolished in only 10 seconds by five tons of explosives on Saturday in central China's Hubei province. Altogether, the buildings possessed a floor area of 150,000 sq metres. The newly vacant land will be used to construct the centre of Wuhan's business district

Roast potatoes and toast that's a bit too brown may cause cancer, say authorities

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 12:23 AM PST

Other starchy foods such as crisps can contain acrylamide, a harmful chemical formed at high temperatures, says British food watchdog

Eating crisps, well-browned roast potatoes and toast that is more than lightly grilled can increase the risk of cancer, according to a public health campaign urging people to change their eating and cooking habits.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says people are consuming too much acrylamide, a chemical produced naturally as a result of cooking starchy foods at high temperatures.

Woman charged over death of 71-year-old man in Blackburn

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 01:24 AM PST

Deanha Neely, 32, charged with murder after body of Derek Taylor found in industrial unit in Lancashire

A woman has been charged with the murder of a 71-year-old man who was found in an industrial unit with serious head injuries.

Police entered the premises in Cross Fold, Blackburn, Lancashire, on Wednesday evening following a report of concern for the welfare of a man. Officers found the body of Derek Taylor at the property.

Tunisia asks for EU help to combat terrorism after Sousse massacre

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:00 PM PST

Foreign minister says country has learned lessons from 2015 attack but faces huge challenge in facing up to terrorist threat

Tunisia wants to learn security lessons from the inquest into the deaths of 38 tourists, including 30 Britons, at the beach resort of Sousse in June 2015, but needs more help from the EU to end the deprivation that can be a breeding ground for terrorism, the Tunisian foreign minister has said.

The only surviving democracy spawned by the 2011 Arab spring, Tunisia is heavily dependent on tourism to keep its economy afloat. The six-week coroner's inquest has thrown a harsh light on its security apparatus, with testimony that police officers slowed down on their way to the terrorist mass shooting.

Queensland drops lockout laws in favour of mandatory ID scans

Posted: 23 Jan 2017 12:31 AM PST

Annastacia Palaszczuk says the reduced trading hours already in place will 'reduce the level of violence across our state'

The Queensland government will scrap its lockout laws in exchange for a deal with pubs and clubs to run mandatory identification scanning to enforce bans on selected patrons.

The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said on Monday her cabinet had decided to drop its proposed 1am lockout because reduced trading hours already in place would "reduce the level of violence across our state".

Istanbul bookshop that transports young Syrians back home

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST

Founder of city's first Arabic bookshop lets children read in their own language and escape the isolation of refugee life

Tucked in a corner across from Istanbul's Kariye museum is a haven for young Syrians who want to do one simple thing: read. Pages, a bookstore and cafe, represents one man's ambitious quest to change the lives of Syrian youth.

"I'm incredibly happy," said Samer al-Kadri, 42, founder of the first Arabic bookstore in the city. "I get to meet this generation, between 18 and 25 years old. This generation is surprising me with their understanding, their openness, their dialogue."

MH370: transport ministers defend suspending search for missing plane

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 09:27 PM PST

As the search vessel Fugro Equator returned to port for the last time, officials from Australia, Malaysia and China denied that the effort had been a failure

Transport ministers for Australia, Malaysia and China have defended their decision to suspend the search for the the missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 in the Indian Ocean.

Related: Why hasn't MH370 been found?

New Zealand hit by 'weather bomb' bringing summer snow and flooding

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 07:46 PM PST

Severe low caused heavy rain and gales and resulted in large dumps of snow in the middle of the southern summer

A powerful "weather bomb" has hit New Zealand, cutting off rural towns, flooding major roads and dumping snow on to bare alpine ski fields at what should be the height of the southern hemisphere summer.

Severe weather including tornadoes kills 18 in Georgia and Mississippi

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 07:12 PM PST

Trump speaks to Georgia governor, says 'we'll be helping out'
Four died in Mississippi after twister hit early on Saturday morning

Deadly weather in the south-eastern US has left at least 18 people dead and injured dozens more as residents along the Georgia-Florida line braced for more intense, fast-moving storms including unusually strong "long track" tornadoes.

Trump has the power to fight China on human rights. Will he use it?

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:02 PM PST

President inherits law originally aimed at Russia that allows him to sanction any official involved in violations – and China activists have put forward a list

As Donald Trump enters the White House, human rights campaigners around the world fear his administration will drop support for global struggles for democracy and freedom. But his administration is armed with a new law unprecedented in US history: the ability to sanction any individual involved in human rights abuses.

Now a newly formed NGO is hoping to push the US to sanction a slew of Chinese names, focusing on prosecutors and police who handle cases of prominent human rights activists. Potential punishments including travel bans, freezing assets and seizing property.

Iceland gripped by rare murder case as woman's body is found

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 05:21 PM PST

Biggest search and rescue in nation's history, involving 725 volunteers, ends with Birna Brjansdottir, 20, found dead on a beach and two sailors detained

Iceland was in shock after a young woman missing for eight days was found dead on a beach, sparking a rare murder case that has gripped the nation.

Police said in a statement on Sunday they were treating the case as murder although "currently it is not possible to determine the cause of death".

The Gambia awaits new era of democracy under Adama Barrow

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 12:27 PM PST

New president remains in Senegal after ex-leader Yahya Jammeh leaves, pending assurances about security situation

West African troops entered the Gambia's capital, Banjul, on Sunday, to cheers from the city's residents, a Reuters witness said, as part of efforts to allow the new president, Adama Barrow, to take office after the country's former ruler fled overnight.

Yahya Jammeh, who led the Gambia for 22 years but refused to accept defeat in a December election, flew out of Banjul late on Saturday en route to Equatorial Guinea as the regional force was poised to remove him. A convoy of around 15 vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers mounted with heavy machine guns and pick-up trucks full of soldiers, rolled down one Banjul street in the late afternoon, according to a Reuters journalist who saw them.

Two million protest against Trump's inauguration worldwide

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:40 AM PST

Half a million in Washington DC alone – mostly women – gathered to proclaim the birth of new political movement

Hope appeared to emerge from fear among Donald Trump's opponents at the weekend as up to two million people around the world, mostly women, staged protests against the new US president and proclaimed the birth of a new political movement.

In raucous but peaceful scenes, more than half a million joined the Women's March on Washington DC in what was thought to be the largest ever inauguration protest, dwarfing the 60,000 who protested against the Vietnam war before Richard Nixon re-took office in 1973.

The pope has acted to speed up abuse cases | Letters

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:32 AM PST

In no way do I defend the indefensible (Letters, 21 January). The abuse of children and vulnerable adults is a crime and one which is taking far too long for both civil and church authorities to address with rigour and understanding. The members of the pontifical commission for the protection of minors welcome constructive criticism and evidence to inform its advice to the pope, and are acutely aware of how long it could take to implement adequate protection measures and responses to suspicions of abuse to protect children throughout the world.

The advisory work of the commission is a start, but my colleague Peter Saunders (Letters, 21 January) and many others understandably comment that it is too slow and too late. The pope has instructed church leaders to have zero tolerance of abusers and of those who cover up crimes of abuse. For many years bishops have been advised to cooperate fully with civil authorities on matters of child abuse. That some still fail to do so is a matter of huge concern, which is why the pope in September established a panel of jurors to hear cases against bishops and religious superiors. Emiliano Fittipaldi has criticised this, saying the pope has always had the power to remove a bishop. What seems to be different is that there is now a process for collecting the evidence and putting a considered case to the pope so that he can make an informed decision about an errant bishop. Pope Francis will depend on receiving competent advice and so until the panel of jurors is seen to deal publicly with bishops and religious superiors, it will not be taken seriously.

Big Brother’s eye on the health service | Letters

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:32 AM PST

Thirty years ago, when I learned that time and motion studies had been used to devise the work rota in the casualty department where I worked, it seemed logical and unthreatening. John Harris's piece (They call it fun, but the digital giants are turning workers into robots, 21 January) reminded me that when computers in the out-of-hours service started to monitor general practitioners' activity continuously in 2007 it felt very Big Brotherish. The times patients waited were colour-coded, spurring us on to stop them turning red, and our scores were fed back each month, with pats on the back or threats of sanctions. The monitoring coincided with a reduction in staffing levels.

At much the same time, GPs' referrals to hospital started being scrutinised (and, indeed, triaged) by a Kafkaesque system of so-called healthcare professionals. An attendance certificate omitted from a lengthy online annual appraisal form could generate a warning. Small wonder that GP posts fail to attract applicants and that early retirement appeals to so many.
Dr Stuart Handysides
Retired GP, associate editor, ProMED-mail

Why women, and men, marched on Washington – in pictures

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 10:24 AM PST

Photographer Ali Smith felt compelled to travel from New York for the Women's March on Washington, because 'at the core of it, I march because because I feel I have no choice'. She documented her fellow marchers and the reasons they came to the capital, to let the new president know how they feel

Chapecoense play first game since air disaster – video

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 08:56 AM PST

Brazilian football team Chapecoense played champions Palmeiras on Sunday in their first match since an air disaster claimed the lives of 71 people, including 19 players and 24 other club members. The match, which finished 2-2, was attended by around 20,000 fans, with tributes paid to those who lost their lives

Chapecoense draw with champions Palmeiras in first match since air disaster

Eyewitness: Fairfield, Lake District

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 07:19 AM PST

Silhouette of a foxhunt against the Lake District skyline

Why we protested in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:54 AM PST

Millions of people worldwide marched against Donald Trump's presidency and in support of other issues this weekend. We caught up with some of them

Up to 2 million people marched in cities around the world in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington. Although not specifically billed as protests against the inauguration of Donald Trump, the vast majority highlighted issues they saw as under threat from the new US administration.

We spoke to protesters around the world about why they took part.

UK woman imprisoned in Iran has conviction upheld in appeals court

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:15 AM PST

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was fighting a five-year sentence on unspecified charges relating to national security

A British-Iranian woman sentenced to five years in jail in Iran on unspecific charges relating to national security has had her conviction upheld in the appeals court, according to judiciary officials.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the news agency's charitable arm, appealed against her sentence earlier this month in what was her last legal opportunity to challenge it.

60mph speed limit for M1 under consideration to combat air pollution

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 05:22 AM PST

Highways England plans to introduce Britain's first pollution-linked speed limits to help reduce smog over Sheffield

A proposal to impose Britain's first pollution-linked speed limits in order to help ease smog over Sheffield is being considered by Highways England.

A 60mph speed limit at rush-hour when vehicle numbers are highest where the M1 runs close to schools and homes in the city could help address air quality concerns, a report commissioned by the agency found.

Obama’s inauguration in 2009 vs Trump’s in 2017 – then and now

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 03:23 AM PST

Drag slider or click on image to compare crowds attending inaugurations in 2009 and 2017

Trump's inauguration crowd: Sean Spicer's claims versus the evidence

Adapting to climate change means adapting to Trump – here's how | Dr Aditya V Bahadur

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST

Donald Trump's scepticism about climate change makes it vital that the case for better planning and preparation is articulated in a politically astute way

Donald Trump's inauguration as US president poses a grave threat to the major progress made in the battle against climate change over the past decade. The top 20 things that Trump has pledged to "get rid of" include US commitment to the Paris climate agreement and payments to the UN climate fund, which helps developing countries tackle global warming.

Those working to help poorer states adapt to the impact of climate change and become more resilient to its effects must emulate the approach adopted by the global green movement, which is preparing to fight its corner in the struggle to limit the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Hope against hypocrisy as Trump joins the swamp - video

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 11:31 PM PST

Donald Trump assumed office promising to take on the political elites and return power to the people. In this dispatch from the inauguration, Paul Lewis discovers a president already relishing his status as leader of a new Washington establishment. But his followers, the self-declared 'deplorables', are keeping the faith

Bernie Sanders skewers Donald Trump's attacks on 'establishment' – video

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 04:24 PM PST

On CBS Face the Nation, the senator who ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination calls Donald Trump's inaugural speech 'somewhat amusing'. Sanders pointed out how Trump blasted the establishment while behind him 'sitting in the VIP sections were billionaire after billionaire after billionaire … who have become much much richer while the middle class has shrunk'

Kellyanne Conway denies Trump press secretary lied: ‘He offered alternative facts’ – video

Posted: 22 Jan 2017 01:58 PM PST

Senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway appears on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday and speaks to host Chuck Todd about a briefing the new press secretary, Sean Spicer, held earlier in the weekend. Spicer claimed Donald Trump's inauguration had attracted record numbers of spectators. Conway denied the statements were a lie, instead branding them 'alternative facts'