World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Donald Trump says torture 'absolutely' works: 'we have to fight fire with fire'
- Mexico's president 'will not pay for any wall' – but may still visit Trump
- May's meeting with Trump: a collision of contrasting world views
- Doctors save Canadian woman's life by removing her lungs for six days
- Last bodies recovered from Italian avalanche hotel
- Chile battles devastating wildfires: 'We have never seen anything on this scale'
- German police arrest far-right extremists suspected of planning attacks
- Raúl Castro: Cuba won't compromise sovereignty to normalize US relations
- Britain accused of letting down Hong Kong democracy activists
- Doctors plead for pregnant refugee on Nauru to be moved to Australian hospital
- François Fillon faces inquiry over payments to wife from MP funds
- Italy court verdict could pave way for early elections
- Russian MPs back bill reducing punishment for domestic violence
- 'Do I regret it? Not for a second': Swedish journalist goes on trial for helping refugees
- Migration: EU rejects proposals for Turkey-style deal for Libya
- Most Indigenous Australians want date and name of Australia Day changed, poll finds
- North Korean elite is turning against Kim Jong-un, says defector
- Libyan oil chief: investment could help west recover moral authority
- Activist faces prison for saying journalists are banned from Bahrain
- 'Global gag rule' could have dire impact in Latin America, activists warn
- May and Trump talks likely to reveal cracks in 'special relationship'
- Ivory Coast officials refuse to explain why two gay men were jailed
- The Holocaust by Laurence Rees review – the voices of victims and killers
- Georgia eases draconian law on cannabis use
- Will Trump return USA to dark days of 'war on terror' black sites?
- 'The real Q is a woman': boss of MI6 makes pitch for female recruits
- Theresa May accused of 'grovelling' after praising Trump for renewing America - Politics live
- Border land: Maria Gruzdeva's travels on the edge of Russia – in pictures
- 26 January: Clashes between police and protesters at Australia Day rally – live
- Mexican president 'demands respect' and rejects US border wall – video
- A tale of the Boer war – archive, 26 January 1905
- The worst forest fire in Chile's history – in pictures
- Stuck betwixt imperial past and metric future | Brief letters
- Intersex people on Hanne Gaby Odiele: ‘We’re very proud of her. It’s been a big taboo’
- Esther Brunstein obituary
- North Korean criticism of Kim Jong-un is growing, says defector – video
- The weakening of the 'alt-right': how infighting and doxxing are taking a toll
- Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions
- Kuwait hangs seven prisoners, including royal family member
- Anti-hacking boss at Russian cybersecurity firm faces treason charge
- Republicans push ahead with plans to hinder insurance coverage for abortions
- François Fillon faces call to explain payments to wife from MP funds
- Eyewitness: Feshiebridge, Scotland
- Going Dutch: will Amsterdam grab a slice of the post-Brexit cake?
- The future of the US-Mexican border: inside the 'split city' of El Paso-Juárez
- Palestinians and Israelis are paying for the stalled peace process with their lives
- Dutch respond to Trump's 'gag rule' with international safe abortion fund
- President Trump announces ‘immediate’ construction of Mexico border wall – video
- Donald Trump's cabinet confirmation hearings – video explainer
| Donald Trump says torture 'absolutely' works: 'we have to fight fire with fire' Posted: 26 Jan 2017 12:01 AM PST Trump gives first presidential TV interview as draft executive order points to return to practices such as waterboarding Donald Trump has used his first TV interview as president to say he believes torture "absolutely" works and that the US should "fight fire with fire." Speaking to ABC News, Trump said he would defer to the defence secretary, James Mattis, and CIA director, Mike Pompeo, to determine what can and cannot be done legally to combat the spread of terrorism. Continue reading... |
| Mexico's president 'will not pay for any wall' – but may still visit Trump Posted: 25 Jan 2017 07:44 PM PST Enrique Peña Nieto repeats his refusal to fund border wall but leaves open the question of contentious 31 January trip to meet new US president Mexico's president has once again declared that "Mexico will not pay for any wall" but stopped short of cancelling a visit to Washington after Donald Trump signed executive orders that include building the border barrier. Enrique Peña Nieto reiterated that Mexico would not put a single peso towards the new US president's signature project. In a televised address he said: "I regret and reject the decision of the US to build the wall." Continue reading... |
| May's meeting with Trump: a collision of contrasting world views Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST The PM's visit could be seen as a diplomatic coup, but her vision of a free-trading Britain could crash into 'America First' Theresa May travels to the US on Thursday to try to forge a personal and political relationship with the least predictable and, in European terms, most unpopular US president in modern times. For all the British diplomatic pleasure that their prime minister is once again the first foreign leader through the door of a newly elected president, as John Major managed in the case of Bill Clinton in 1993, there will be wariness in Downing Street. For the first time since the second world war, the US appears to have a president who displays indifference to supporting his allies or shoring up an alliance framework. Continue reading... |
| Doctors save Canadian woman's life by removing her lungs for six days Posted: 25 Jan 2017 12:47 PM PST Melissa Benoit's terminal lung infection called for risky and unprecedented procedure while she waited for double transplant at Toronto hospital In what is believed to be the first procedure of its kind in the world, doctors in Canada have saved a young mother's life by resorting to a radical solution – they removed her lungs for six days while she waited for a transplant. In April, Melissa Benoit arrived at a Toronto hospital with a severe lung infection. Doctors soon realised that Benoit, who had been born with cystic fibrosis, had just hours to live, leading them to consider the unprecedented approach. Continue reading... |
| Last bodies recovered from Italian avalanche hotel Posted: 26 Jan 2017 12:19 AM PST Death toll finalised at 29 as prime minister acknowledges delays and 'malfunctioning' in initial rescue effort The final death toll from an avalanche in central Italy last week is 29, firefighters have said, after the last bodies were pulled out of the rubble of a hotel crushed by the snow. Nine people were recovered alive from the Hotel Rigopiano in the first days of the rescue. Continue reading... |
| Chile battles devastating wildfires: 'We have never seen anything on this scale' Posted: 25 Jan 2017 03:06 PM PST The world's largest firefighting aircraft has flown in from the US, alongside help from France, Peru and Mexico, as fires continue to ravage Chilean lands The world's biggest aerial firefighting aircraft has joined beleaguered firefighters in Chile as they battle the worst wildfires in the country's recent history, which have devastated swaths of land. More than 90 blazes have scorched 180,000 hectares, razed hundreds of homes, turned village schools to ashes and destroyed cattle herds and vineyards. Continue reading... |
| German police arrest far-right extremists suspected of planning attacks Posted: 25 Jan 2017 08:51 AM PST Officers confiscate explosives and arrest two people on suspicion of plotting attacks on refugees, Jews and police German police have detained two people after a series of raids against far-right suspects accused of plotting attacks on refugees, Jews and police officers. Several of those targeted were considered close to the so-called Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, a shadowy extremist group whose members reject the legitimacy of the German republic. Continue reading... |
| Raúl Castro: Cuba won't compromise sovereignty to normalize US relations Posted: 25 Jan 2017 01:30 PM PST President said Cuba hopes to continue to repair relations but made it clear that Trump administration should not expect concessions affecting independence Raúl Castro has said Cuba hopes to continue to normalize relations with the United States but made it clear that the Trump administration should not expect concessions affecting the country's sovereignty. Before taking office, Donald Trump threatened to torpedo the still fragile detente between the former cold war foes unless a "better deal" could be struck, without providing details. His aides have said current policy is under review. Continue reading... |
| Britain accused of letting down Hong Kong democracy activists Posted: 25 Jan 2017 04:08 PM PST Chris Patten says Britain has prioritised trade deals with China over defending freedoms guaranteed in 1997 handover The UK is guilty of a dereliction of its duty to Hong Kong and is "selling its honour" to secure trade deals with China, the territory's former governor Chris Patten has warned. He said Britain had let down pro-democracy activists who have been fighting to maintain freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong as part of the deal to hand the territory back to China after more than a century of British rule. Continue reading... |
| Doctors plead for pregnant refugee on Nauru to be moved to Australian hospital Posted: 25 Jan 2017 04:12 PM PST Kuwaiti is more than 35 weeks' pregnant, her baby is in breech and she has a fibroid or benign tumour on the wall of her uterus Doctors have pleaded for a heavily pregnant refugee on Nauru facing a complex and possibly life-threatening birth to be moved to an Australian hospital. The 37-year-old Kuwaiti is more than 35 weeks' pregnant, her baby is in breech and she has a large fibroid or benign tumour on the wall of her uterus. She has previously had a miscarriage on Nauru. Continue reading... |
| François Fillon faces inquiry over payments to wife from MP funds Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:04 AM PST Presidential frontrunner facing questions after newspaper alleges British wife was paid €500,000 for role it says did not exist France's financial prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation into the possible misuse of public funds by the rightwing presidential candidate François Fillon and his British wife. A newspaper alleges that she has been paid about €500,000 (£430,000) in eight years from parliamentary funds for what it claims could be a fake job. Fillon, considered to be a frontrunner in May's presidential election, is under pressure to explain Penelope Fillon's role in his political operation after Le Canard Enchaîné claimed she was at various times paid an extremely generous salary from public funds allocated to him as an MP for the central Sarthe region. Continue reading... |
| Italy court verdict could pave way for early elections Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:09 AM PST Constitutional court decision in favour of form of proportional representation could aid ex-PM Matteo Renzi's comeback chances Italy's highest court has opened the way for early elections in 2017 after favouring a form of proportional representation in a ruling that could bolster former prime minister Matteo Renzi's chances of making a comeback. In a verdict on the legality of an electoral law brought in by Renzi's government, the constitutional court also said a party winning at least 40% of the vote could be given an automatic parliamentary majority. |
| Russian MPs back bill reducing punishment for domestic violence Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:07 AM PST MPs approve plan to decriminalise some forms of domestic violence despite protests from rights groups Russian MPs have backed a controversial bill reducing the punishment for some forms of domestic violence in a crucial second reading, despite protests from rights groups. The amendments reduce the penalty for violence against family members, including spouses and children, as long as it is a first offence and does not cause serious injury, making it punishable by a fine of up to 30,000 rubles (£400). Continue reading... |
| 'Do I regret it? Not for a second': Swedish journalist goes on trial for helping refugees Posted: 25 Jan 2017 02:46 AM PST Fredrik Önnevall is in court this week facing charges of people smuggling after helping 15-year-old Abed travel to Sweden The suggestion sounded like an innocent joke, but it turned out to be deadly serious. "Take me with you!" Abed asked Fredrik Önnevall. Continue reading... |
| Migration: EU rejects proposals for Turkey-style deal for Libya Posted: 25 Jan 2017 08:58 AM PST European commission opposes Maltese idea to replicate Ankara deal to reduce crossings from Libya to Italy, which resulted in 5,000 deaths in 2016 The European commission has rejected proposals to offer Libya a deal similar to the EU's agreement with Turkey on migration, revealing divisions over how to respond to the record death toll in the central Mediterranean. The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, outlined her opposition to the suggestions as she set out plans to boost EU training for the Libyan coastguard, arguing that the situations were "completely different". Continue reading... |
| Most Indigenous Australians want date and name of Australia Day changed, poll finds Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:08 AM PST Just 15% of Australian population overall want the national holiday to be held on another date Most Australians feel positively about Australia Day but most Indigenous Australians feel that it celebrates invasion and should be changed to a new date with a different name. That is the finding of a McNair yellowSquares national poll of 1,156 people conducted exclusively for Guardian Australia. Continue reading... |
| North Korean elite is turning against Kim Jong-un, says defector Posted: 25 Jan 2017 03:20 AM PST Former deputy ambassador to London Thae Yong-ho says dissent and criticism of the regime is becoming more frequent North Korea's elite is outwardly expressing its discontent towards Kim Jong-un and his government as more outside information trickles into the isolated nation, the country's former deputy ambassador to London has said. Thae Yong-ho defected to South Korea in August last year and since December has been speaking to media and appearing on television to discuss his defection and his life as a North Korean envoy. Continue reading... |
| Libyan oil chief: investment could help west recover moral authority Posted: 25 Jan 2017 06:34 AM PST Mustafa Sanalla says oil can help 'unify' Libya as post-Gaddifi moratorium on foreign investment is lifted ahead of London conference The international community has lost moral authority in Libya and can best help the country by acting to end oil smuggling and providing investment to boost production, the chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, has said. Sanalla is the most respected technocrat in a country riven by militias, political deadlock and corruption ever since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled with the help of western forces in 2011. He told the Guardian on Wednesday: "We can use oil to unify the country." Continue reading... |
| Activist faces prison for saying journalists are banned from Bahrain Posted: 26 Jan 2017 01:21 AM PST Nabeel Rajab has been in custody since June 2016 after writing an article for the New York Times about human rights abuses in his country Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab is facing a lengthy prison sentence simply for stating that journalists and international NGOs cannot enter Bahrain. The accusation was made at a court hearing on Monday, from which Rajab and his lawyer were excluded. Even though Rajab has been in police custody since June 2016, he was not taken to the courtroom. Continue reading... |
| 'Global gag rule' could have dire impact in Latin America, activists warn Posted: 26 Jan 2017 01:00 AM PST Reinstatement of policy by Donald Trump could have 'chilling impact' in region that already has high rates of teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality Donald Trump's reversal of abortion-related aid policy will have a "chilling impact" on Latin America, say family-planning campaigners in a region that already has some of the world's highest rates of teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality. The so-called global gag rule, which was signed into effect by the new US president on Monday, withholds USAid funding from any organisation that offers abortion services or information. |
| May and Trump talks likely to reveal cracks in 'special relationship' Posted: 26 Jan 2017 12:59 AM PST British PM could struggle to negotiate good trade deal with president who has pledged to put America first Appetite for a US trade deal with Britain appears as high in Washington as it is in London, according to interviews with politicians, with both governments anxious to demonstrate there is more to economic populism than simply a desire for protectionism. But despite the political convergence indicated by Donald Trump's election and the Brexit vote, Theresa May will discover the special relationship still has plenty of cracks and contradictions when she visits the White House on Friday. Continue reading... |
| Ivory Coast officials refuse to explain why two gay men were jailed Posted: 26 Jan 2017 12:30 AM PST Acitivists say if indecency law was applied it would be first known instance of it being used to jail gay people Authorities in the Ivory Coast have refused to explain why two gay men were arrested and jailed in a country that does not criminalise same-sex acts, and is widely regarded as a beacon of tolerance for sexual minorities. Yann, 31, and Abdoul, 19, are openly gay but deny any romantic relationship. They were arrested in October in a village in southwestern Ivory Coast, apparently for "public indecency". Continue reading... |
| The Holocaust by Laurence Rees review – the voices of victims and killers Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:30 PM PST What makes this nuanced 'new history' stand out is its use of unpublished interviews with eyewitnesses In 1955, 10 years after his liberation from Auschwitz, Primo Levi published an anguished article about the "gigantic death-dealing machine" the Nazis had built to wipe out Jews such as himself. Levi was mainly concerned with the 1950s, however, not the recent past. He feared that the greatest crime imaginable, still so vivid in the minds of survivors, was in danger of being forgotten by the wider public. Levi railed against the "silence of the civilised world", which regarded any mention of Nazi extermination camps as in bad taste. How things have changed. Far from being forgotten, the murder of European Jewry has become a global benchmark for judging inhumanity. Levi's own memoir of Auschwitz, If This Is a Man, which was initially met with indifference, has been recognised as one of the "truly necessary books" (Philip Roth), and every year sees a stream of works by survivors and historians, philosophers and novelists. The question is no longer: "Is this silence justified?", as Levi asked rhetorically back in 1955. It is now: "Which of the countless studies should we read?" Continue reading... |
| Georgia eases draconian law on cannabis use Posted: 23 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST After relaxation of rules on possession, campaigners await judgment on punishment for cultivation Until recently, anyone caught with cannabis twice in 12 months in Georgia faced up to 14 years behind bars. Today you can carry enough for more than 200 joints, after the constitutional court in effect decriminalised possession of the drug. The landmark ruling follows the case of 27-year-old Beka Tsikarishvili, who was arrested in 2013 with 65 grams of cannabis, which he said was for his own use. Facing a long sentence, he argued imprisonment was unlawful because it infringed his human dignity. |
| Will Trump return USA to dark days of 'war on terror' black sites? Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:20 AM PST President appears to believe 'torture works' – raising prospect of reviving techniques the CIA had moved away from One of the common features of the multiple conflicts that followed the 9/11 attacks on the US was the use of secret prisons. Islamic extremists used them – most notably Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq – and so did a range of states in the Middle East, south Asia and beyond. Many had been doing so for many years. But one of the most enthusiastic users of secret prisons – and torture – in the years following 9/11 was the USA. Its sites eventually numbered more than 100, it is believed, spanning half the world. It is this network of "black sites" that Donald Trump appears to be considering reviving. Continue reading... |
| 'The real Q is a woman': boss of MI6 makes pitch for female recruits Posted: 25 Jan 2017 06:09 PM PST Sir Alex Younger, speaking at Women in IT Awards, says James Bond films give MI6 a global profile – but their stereotypes are not entirely accurate The agent known as Q, inventive head of gadgets at the UK spy agency MI6, has always been portrayed in the James Bond movies as a man. But the real head of Britain's secret service, Sir Alex Younger, revealed on Wednesday night that Q is in fact a woman. Younger, traditionally known as C, delivered the keynote speech at the Women in IT Awards in London in which he appealed for more women to join MI6, especially those with a scientific or technological background. "If any of you would like to join us … the real-life Q is looking forward to meeting you and I'm pleased to report that the real-life Q is a woman," he said. Continue reading... |
| Theresa May accused of 'grovelling' after praising Trump for renewing America - Politics live Posted: 26 Jan 2017 02:03 AM PST Rolling coverage of the day's political developments as they happen
The Labour MP Stella Creasy says it is "extraordinary" that David Davis cannot commit to publishing the white paper before MPs debate the article 50 bill. (See 9.49am.) Just extraordinary- the biggest change in our country's status for a generation and they want to rush legislation through blind #brexithaos https://t.co/kcM4LvlfHX
Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, says the government may end up having to impose tariffs. Does Davis agree that, using modern technology, you can do this without having to collect tariffs at the border. Davis says Elphicke is right. In Commons making case that we can be ready to manage an efficient border if EU will not agree a zero tarriff trade deal after #Brexit Continue reading... |
| Border land: Maria Gruzdeva's travels on the edge of Russia – in pictures Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST Maria Gruzdeva took photos spanning the 60,000km Russian border – from the military in Kaliningrad to wooden neighbourhoods in Arkhangelsk Continue reading... |
| 26 January: Clashes between police and protesters at Australia Day rally – live Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:02 PM PST Hundreds of events are taking place around Australia, including citizenship ceremonies, protests and Triple J's Hottest 100 – follow all our coverage
This is where I'll leave the blog. Thanks for joining me for the final hours, and enjoy your afternoons. Before I go, a quick check in at Waneroo. The Perth suburb has today hosted Australia's largest citizenship ceremony for the fourth year in a row, with 800 residents from 49 countries becoming citizens.
This is the final Hottest 100 update on the blog today. We won't be counting down the final 30 as the blog is about to close, but you can follow it on triple j's website and stay tuned for our analysis in the morning A fairly dude-heavy batch of songs brings us to the top 30 of this year's poll, with two songs in a row from Brisbane band Dune Rats at #33 and #34, and the second spot for Sticky Fingers, who went on indefinite hiatus in December after a controversial year. Continue reading... |
| Mexican president 'demands respect' and rejects US border wall – video Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:06 PM PST President Enrique Peña Nieto says he rejects the decision by the US president, Donald Trump, to build a border wall and repeats that his country will not pay for its construction. In a recorded address televised nationally, Mexico's leader says: 'I am saddened and am against the decision by the United States to continue with the construction of a wall.' He adds: 'Mexico offers and demands respect' Continue reading... |
| A tale of the Boer war – archive, 26 January 1905 Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:00 PM PST 26 January 1905: An English officer speaks about how he tried to track down the mother of a Boer soldier killed at Spion Kop in 1900 One of the English soldiers who passed through the South African war is Lieutenant Roger L. Armstrong, of Manchester. He was lately in Buffalo, New York, on his way to Chicago, Illinois, to find the mother of a Boer soldier who was killed at Spion Kop. At Chicago he will deliver to her a package entrusted to him by the dying man. It has taken me a long time to locate George Voorhees' mother (he said, when interviewed), for the only address I had when I commenced my search was Boston, United States of America. I first came to this continent in April, 1902. Since then I have been all over the country and had a corps of detectives looking for Mrs. Voorhees, but not until last week did I learn her address. I am now going to Chicago, where she lives. When I put the package into her hands my mission will be ended, but not till then. Continue reading... |
| The worst forest fire in Chile's history – in pictures Posted: 25 Jan 2017 01:00 PM PST Chile is facing the worst forest fires it has ever seen, with more than 600 sq miles of land destroyed and thousands of people evacuated from their homes. The Chilean government has declared a state of emergency in several areas, as people try to save their homes, livestock and land Continue reading... |
| Stuck betwixt imperial past and metric future | Brief letters Posted: 25 Jan 2017 10:50 AM PST Life-changing Weetabix | Everest measurements | Arsène Wenger's nationality | (The) Kings Road | Strand Road | Stats about stats As a young man, dissatisfied with the way my life was heading, I remember reading a series on careers which were printed on the back of Weetabix packets. One was on forestry. I followed it up, joined the Forestry Commission, trained at its school in north Wales. After graduating I joined VSO and was sent to Montserrat in the West Indies. There I met and married my wife; 51 years later I have two children, three grandchildren and am still happily married. I remain a fan of, and am grateful to, Weetabix, which did indeed change my life (Letters, 24 January). • In a country where the metric system has been taught in our schools for decades, how can the height of Everest have been reduced "by between a few millimetres and an inch" (Everest: not quite the challenge it used to be?, 25 January). Is this some form of Brexit compromise? |
| Intersex people on Hanne Gaby Odiele: ‘We’re very proud of her. It’s been a big taboo’ Posted: 25 Jan 2017 09:32 AM PST Campaigners hope the decision by the Belgian model to reveal her intersexuality will bring about better understanding of the condition 'I have the quintessential suburban family," laughs Dawn Vago. "I married a wonderful man, we have a dog and we are hoping to adopt." Yet what Vago calls her perfect life is exactly the one that doctors told her parents she would never have. The cruise ship singer was born intersex, with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. As a foetus, she had been insensitive to testosterone so she remained female, despite having XY chromosomes and undescended testes. And medics, she says, told her parents: "I would never marry, or find anyone to love me. I would never have a family. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 25 Jan 2017 07:55 AM PST In August 1944 Esther Zylberberg and her mother, Sara, were crammed with hundreds of others into a cattletruck bound for Auschwitz. When they reached the death camp, her mother did not pass the selection for life – Esther's hardest memory was being parted from her that day. Esther was sent from there to a labour camp near Hanover. In February 1945 the camp was disbanded and its inmates force-marched to Bergen-Belsen. Esther described entering "an inferno … overcrowded with living and dead corpses". Continue reading... |
| North Korean criticism of Kim Jong-un is growing, says defector – video Posted: 25 Jan 2017 07:46 AM PST North Korea's former deputy ambassador to London Thae Yong-ho talks to the press at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Seoul in South Korea on Tuesday after defecting to South Korea in August 2016. He says 'low-level dissent or criticism of the regime, until recently unthinkable, is becoming more frequent' |
| The weakening of the 'alt-right': how infighting and doxxing are taking a toll Posted: 25 Jan 2017 05:30 AM PST As the far right movement has emerged from obscurity, it has also become a target, facing what Richard Spencer calls 'a literal and figurative punch in the face' The on-camera punching of Richard Spencer in DC last weekend launched a thousand memes. It also crystallized a moment of difficulty for the far-right movement whose name Spencer coined – the "alt-right". "It was a literal and figurative punch in the face," Spencer told the Guardian in a telephone conversation, adding that it would change his approach to public appearances. "I didn't think of myself as someone who needs bodyguards, but I clearly do. Particularly at events – an inauguration or an election. I just can't do these things alone any more. It wasn't like that six months ago, and it certainly wasn't like that five years ago." Continue reading... |
| Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions Posted: 25 Jan 2017 05:07 AM PST Ordered indoors after flu outbreaks, hens are in danger of losing free range status if not allowed outside by end of February UK egg producers have warned that the future of the premium free range sector is at risk should the eggs lose their prized status because of the ongoing threat of bird flu. Flocks of free range hens are being housed indoors because of the bird flu outbreak and if they are unable to go back outside by the end of February the eggs will be downgraded to "barn produced", the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has said. Continue reading... |
| Kuwait hangs seven prisoners, including royal family member Posted: 25 Jan 2017 05:03 AM PST Faisal Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah, who was convicted of murder and illegal possession of firearm, is among those executed Kuwait has hanged seven prisoners, including a member of the royal family and a woman convicted of killing more than 40 people, the first death sentences carried out in several years in the oil-rich emirate. Those executed on Wednesday included a Bangladeshi, a Filipina, an Ethiopian, two Kuwaitis and two Egyptians, according to a statement carried on the state-run Kuna news agency. Continue reading... |
| Anti-hacking boss at Russian cybersecurity firm faces treason charge Posted: 25 Jan 2017 04:39 AM PST Ruslan Stoyanov, head of Kaspersky Lab's investigations unit, detained with FSB officer in unprecedented swoop A manager at Russia's biggest cybersecurity firm in charge of investigating hacking attacks has been arrested, the company has said. Kaspersky Lab on Wednesday confirmed reports in Russia's respected Kommersant newspaper that Ruslan Stoyanov, the head of its computer incidents investigations unit, was arrested in December. Kommersant said Stoyanov was detained along with a senior Russian FSB intelligence officer and that they both faced charges of treason. Continue reading... |
| Republicans push ahead with plans to hinder insurance coverage for abortions Posted: 25 Jan 2017 04:00 AM PST A proposed bill would impose a far-reaching ban on private insurance coverage for abortions under Obamacare, and could see tens of thousands lose out Republicans in Congress are advancing a bill that imposes a far-reaching ban on private insurance coverage for abortion services for as long as the Affordable Care Act remains in effect and would make permanent a longtime ban on the use of Medicaid to cover abortions. The bill, H R7, would allow Donald Trump to fulfill a promise that helped his volatile presidential campaign secure the support of major anti-abortion rights activists. In an open letter published in September, he vowed to sign the Hyde amendment, a perennial budget rider that Congress has approved every year for 40 years, into permanent law. Since 1976, the Hyde amendment has prevented millions of women who rely on Medicaid, the government-funded insurance for low-income individuals, from using it to cover their abortions. Continue reading... |
| François Fillon faces call to explain payments to wife from MP funds Posted: 25 Jan 2017 03:01 AM PST Newspaper claims French presidential candidate's British wife was paid €500,000 despite playing no major role in his political life The rightwing French presidential candidate François Fillon is under pressure to explain the role of his British wife in his political operation after a newspaper alleged that she had been paid about €500,000 (£430,000) in eight years out of parliamentary funds. The satirical and investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaîné claimed that there were various periods during which Penelope Fillon, who was born in Wales, was paid a generous salary from public funds that were allocated to her husband as an MP for the central Sarthe region to pay for parliamentary staff. Continue reading... |
| Eyewitness: Feshiebridge, Scotland Posted: 25 Jan 2017 02:54 AM PST Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| Going Dutch: will Amsterdam grab a slice of the post-Brexit cake? Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:15 PM PST Amsterdam hopes its financial technology, digital connectivity, unique atmosphere and impressive grasp of English can lure businesses from London. But a severe cap on bonuses means big banks are unlikely to join the exodus Is Amsterdam going to be the new London? Some people seem to think so. Ever since last June's Brexit vote, there has been serious talk of the Dutch capital as a potential candidate – if a slightly less obvious one than Paris, Frankfurt or Dublin. The American professor of business journalism, James B Stewart, even pronounced Amsterdam the "winner" in his column for the New York Times. Among his reasons are the people's impressive grasp of the English language, their good international schools, and the picturesqueness of their capital. On top of that, Amsterdam already is a centre of international commerce, has one of the best European airports, and has a very good rail network that takes you to Brussels in a mere two hours. Continue reading... |
| The future of the US-Mexican border: inside the 'split city' of El Paso-Juárez Posted: 25 Jan 2017 04:44 AM PST One has been called the world's most violent city. The other, the safest in its nation. Schoolchildren commute daily between the 'binational' cities of Juárez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas – but with Trump in office, will border divisions grow? Unlike most teenagers, Ashley Delgado starts her school day by crossing an international border. She gets up at 5am so her mother Dora can drive through Juárez's dense traffic to the Paso del Norte bridge, where she follows the caged pathway between Mexico and the United States by foot. Clearing customs takes on average half an hour, but often it's double that – depending on the line and the guards' moods. "Sometimes they put people in a little room for investigation and start to ask questions," says the 14-year-old as her mum picks her up from the Mexican side at the end of a school day. "Where are you from? What are you bringing? What are you going to do in the US? It's never happened to me, but to some of my friends it happens every three days." Continue reading... |
| Palestinians and Israelis are paying for the stalled peace process with their lives Posted: 25 Jan 2017 11:00 PM PST The international community must help broker a peace to end years of misery, despair and violence for the benefit of both communities There is much discussion about how the global world order will play out under the new administration of President Donald Trump. Living in the occupied Palestinian territory, our fate does not rest with one man or his administration, but rather on the concerted efforts of the international community to end the political stalemate and reinvigorate peace talks. We live in confused times; at the end of last year the UN Security Council passed resolution 2334 (pdf), which reaffirmed that Israel's establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Dutch respond to Trump's 'gag rule' with international safe abortion fund Posted: 25 Jan 2017 08:27 AM PST
Up to 20 countries have indicated support for the Netherlands' plan to set up an international safe abortion fund to plug a $600m funding gap caused by Donald Trump's reinstatement of the "global gag rule", the Dutch international development minister, Lilianne Ploumen, said on Wednesday. Ploumen took soundings from a number of her colleagues around the world on Tuesday evening after the Netherlands said it would act to mitigate the impact on hundreds of charities around the world. Continue reading... |
| President Trump announces ‘immediate’ construction of Mexico border wall – video Posted: 25 Jan 2017 01:54 PM PST President Trump announces the 'immediate' construction of a border wall with Mexico – via executive order – at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday. Trump was speaking after a morning of immigration-themed orders which included the stripping of federal grants from 'sanctuary cities' Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump's cabinet confirmation hearings – video explainer Posted: 25 Jan 2017 10:05 AM PST The confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet picks are well under way. There have been fierce exchanges between Marco Rubio and Rex Tillerson, Bernie Sanders and Tom Price, and Elizabeth Warren and Ben Carson. Tillerson has refused to answer questions on climate science from Tim Kaine, while Trump's pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, struggled to answer some of the questions she was asked. But there have been lighter moments amid the serious business, including some hilarious but unintentional innuendo from Rick Perry Continue reading... |
| You are subscribed to email updates from World news | The Guardian. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Posting Komentar