World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Damning reports emerge of Trump campaign's frequent talks with Russian intelligence
- Malaysian police arrest female suspect over death of Kim Jong-nam
- Voices of Spanish women silenced by Franco are being heard once more
- Russia deploys missile in violation of arms control treaty, US official says
- Greece defies creditors over more cuts as economy shrinks unexpectedly
- Venezuela vice-president denounces 'imperialist aggression' of US sanctions
- Boris Johnson avoids questions in the Gambia about colonialism views
- Journalists shot dead during Facebook Live video in Dominican Republic
- Argentina president accused of conflict of interest after company's debt forgiven
- Antarctic sea ice shrinks to smallest ever extent
- Donald Trump lifts anti-corruption rules in 'gift to the American oil lobby'
- Plague of armyworms threatens to strip southern Africa of key food crops
- Why do we see so many different things in Rorschach ink blots?
- Canadian judge rules in favor of forcibly adopted First Nations survivors
- Volatile, thin-skinned, self-centered: Trump to meet his match in Netanyahu
- Hope at last? German left dreams of bringing Merkel years to end
- Ecuador presidential election will show if continent's pink tide has truly turned
- India launches record-breaking 104 satellites from single rocket
- Kim Jong-nam assassinated, US and South Korean sources say – video report
- India’s record-breaking 104-satellite rocket blasts off – video
- Erdoğan v free speech: how does it feel to live in Turkey right now?
- People missing after 'huge' explosion in Oxford block of flats
- Bill Shorten pressured to commit Labor to diplomatic recognition of Palestine
- Same-sex marriage hopes rise as Senate inquiry rejects discriminatory measures
- Kim Jong-nam was assassinated, say US and South Korean officials
- Wednesday briefing: Hotline to Moscow
- Sydney fishmonger convicted of animal cruelty over lobster treatment
- Oddball, the dog who saved a penguin colony and inspired a film, dies at 15
- The man with no name
- 'All is forgiven': Sri Lankan PM says returning asylum seekers won't be charged
- Sara Connor tells Bali court it was not her idea to burn clothes
- Kim Jong-un's half-brother dies after 'attack' at airport in Malaysia
- Death of Kim Jong-nam: depictions of North Korea hide threat of dictatorship
- Signs of hope in the European gloom | Letters
- Where the church leads – and where it does not | Letters
- Early Learning Centre accused of promoting gender stereotypes
- Penne saving: polite children secure discount at Italian restaurant
- 'We must discriminate': pre-wedding passport checks cause stress, say clergy
- France's banlieues could erupt with violence again, experts warn
- Imelda Marcos loses legal fight to reclaim confiscated jewellery
- Eyewitness: Moscow, Russia
- How Bill and Melinda Gates helped save 122m lives – and what they want to solve next
- Delhi's deadly dust: how construction sites are choking the city
- Breathless in Bakersfield: is the worst air pollution in the US about to get worse?
- 'It's killing us': how steel giant ArcelorMittal is failing to reduce emissions
- Air pollution masks – fashion's next statement?
- Are you at risk? How pollution increases your chance of death – interactive
- Safe toilets help flush out disease in Cambodia's floating communities
- Childhoods lost: disabilities and seizures blight India's endosulfan victims | Amrit Dhillon
- Trump's 'global gag rule' could endanger millions of women and children, Bill and Melinda Gates warn
- Sexual abuse and corporal punishment ‘widespread’ in Tanzania's schools
- What did the White House counsel tell Trump about Flynn – and why does it matter?
- Flynn's resignation likely the beginning of Trump's Russia woes – not the end
- White House says 'erosion of trust' led to Flynn's departure – video
- Revisiting Michael Flynn’s fiery RNC speech: ‘Lock her up is right’ – video
- Water overflows tallest dam in US as it came close to bursting – aerial video
| Damning reports emerge of Trump campaign's frequent talks with Russian intelligence Posted: 14 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST Campaign aides said to have been in regular contact, despite repeated insistence there had been no pre-election talks between Trump team and Russia The Russian influence scandal engulfing the White House deepened dramatically on Tuesday night with reports that some of Donald Trump's campaign aides had frequent contact with Russian intelligence officials over the course of last year. A report in the New York Times came nearly 24 hours after the national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign over conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington and misleading statements about them to the press and vice-president Mike Pence. Continue reading... |
| Malaysian police arrest female suspect over death of Kim Jong-nam Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:59 AM PST Police say woman carrying Vietnamese passport detained in connection to death of North Korean leader's half-brother Malaysian authorities have detained a woman holding a Vietnamese passport in connection with the death of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The Malaysia inspector general said a 28-year-old woman, Doan Thi Huong, had been positively identified from CCTV footage and was alone at the time of her arrest. Continue reading... |
| Voices of Spanish women silenced by Franco are being heard once more Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:00 PM PST Contribution of lost generation of female writers, artists, scientists and thinkers is finally being recognised Madrid lacks neither literary history nor reminders of it. Statues of Calderón and Lorca haunt the Plaza Santa Ana, Cervantes offers his profile to passersby from the doorway of his house, and the words of writers and poets such as Francisco de Quevedo are set into the paving stones of the literary quarter. Less visible are reminders of the female writers, artists and thinkers who emerged in the years before the Spanish civil war only to find themselves silenced or marginalised by Francoism and its monochrome view of women. But, eight decades on, their voices and stories are being heard once more. Continue reading... |
| Russia deploys missile in violation of arms control treaty, US official says Posted: 14 Feb 2017 04:01 PM PST Alleged violation of cold war-era arms control agreement complicates outlook for US-Russia relations amid turmoil on Donald Trump's national security team A Trump administration official says US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a cold war-era arms control treaty. Related: Trump denounced nuclear arms treaty in phone call with Putin – sources Continue reading... |
| Greece defies creditors over more cuts as economy shrinks unexpectedly Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:57 AM PST Athens' refusal to further austerity intensifies standoff over €86bn aid package that requires government to implement economic reforms
As thousands of protesting farmers rallied in Athens over spiralling costs and unpopular reforms, the Hellenic statistical authority revealed that Greek GDP shrank by 0.4% in the last three months of 2016. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela vice-president denounces 'imperialist aggression' of US sanctions Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:35 AM PST
Venezuela's powerful vice-president has described his blacklisting by the United States on drug charges as an "imperialist aggression" in the first bilateral flare-up under the new US president, Donald Trump. "We shall not be distracted by these miserable provocations," Tareck El Aissami, the most senior Venezuelan official yet sanctioned by the United States, said in a series of defiant tweets. Continue reading... |
| Boris Johnson avoids questions in the Gambia about colonialism views Posted: 14 Feb 2017 04:11 PM PST Press team stop Gambian journalists asking about some of foreign secretary's writing on Africa Boris Johnson has refused to answer questions about his views on colonialism on his first trip to Africa as British foreign secretary. After meeting the new president of the Gambia, which saw its first democratic transfer of power last month, Johnson joked about the autocrat who spent 22 years in power, Yahya Jammeh – calling him "Jammeh dodger". However, he would not address the shock felt by many Africans upon reading the British minister's articles about their continent, written when he visited Uganda in 2002. Continue reading... |
| Journalists shot dead during Facebook Live video in Dominican Republic Posted: 14 Feb 2017 01:40 PM PST
Two radio journalists have been killed in the Dominican Republic after gunmen opened fire during a news bulletin which was being broadcast on Facebook Live. Luís Manuel Medina, the presenter of the news programme Milenio Caliente – or Hot Millennium – was killed while on air on Tuesday morning. Producer and director Leo Martínez was shot dead in an adjacent office at the radio station FM 103.5. Continue reading... |
| Argentina president accused of conflict of interest after company's debt forgiven Posted: 14 Feb 2017 04:17 PM PST Mauricio Macri faces accusation in court after government forgave $128m debt owed by Socma, his family's company, which ran post office Argentina's President Mauricio Macri has been accused in court of a conflict of interests after his government forgave a $128m debt owed by his family's company. The case involves the Macri family firm Socma, which in 1997 took charge of Argentina's privatized postal service under the free-market government of former president Carlos Menem. Continue reading... |
| Antarctic sea ice shrinks to smallest ever extent Posted: 14 Feb 2017 01:17 PM PST Data contradicts climate change sceptics, who have pointed to earlier increases in areas of sea ice to support their views Sea ice around Antarctica has shrunk to the smallest annual extent on record after years of resisting a trend of manmade global warming, preliminary US satellite data has shown. Ice floating around the frozen continent usually melts to its smallest for the year towards the end of February, the southern hemisphere summer, before expanding again as the autumn chill sets in. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump lifts anti-corruption rules in 'gift to the American oil lobby' Posted: 14 Feb 2017 01:26 PM PST
Donald Trump moved on Tuesday to expunge rules aimed at forcing oil companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments in order to secure lucrative mining and drilling rights. The rules, called the Cardin-Lugar regulations, were established under the Dodd-Frank Act, the wide-ranging financial regulations brought in after the last financial crisis. Energy industry executives, including the former Exxon boss and now secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, have lobbied hard against the rule, arguing it gives global rivals a competitive edge. |
| Plague of armyworms threatens to strip southern Africa of key food crops Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:27 PM PST Experts at emergency meeting of 16 countries say pest has invaded fields of maize, a staple crop throughout the region An invasion of armyworms is stripping southern Africa of key food crops and could spread to other parts of the continent, experts have warned at an emergency meeting of 16 African countries. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia are among the countries where the fall armyworm has invaded fields of maize, a staple crop throughout the region. Continue reading... |
| Why do we see so many different things in Rorschach ink blots? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:00 AM PST Devised as a method of psychiatric assessment over a century ago, the reason people see so many shapes and figures in the blots may finally be explained They were made to delve into the depths of the mind and reveal its darkest secrets through the dancers, butterflies and occasional blood-soaked carcass that people saw when they looked at the patterns. Related: Testing times for Wikipedia after doctor posts secrets of the Rorschach inkblots Continue reading... |
| Canadian judge rules in favor of forcibly adopted First Nations survivors Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:45 AM PST Government is responsible for trauma of 16,000 indigenous children removed from families in 'Sixties Scoop' between 1965 and 1984, judge said After a bitter legal battle that has lasted nearly a decade, a Canadian judge has ruled that the government is liable for the harm inflicted on thousands of First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their families and adopted by non-indigenous families. Between 1965 and 1984, around 16,000 indigenous children were fostered or put up for adoption in an episode which became known as the "Sixties Scoop". Continue reading... |
| Volatile, thin-skinned, self-centered: Trump to meet his match in Netanyahu Posted: 14 Feb 2017 08:36 AM PST The Israeli prime minister has echoed the US president's view that there will be 'no daylight' between them on issues such as settlements and the Iran deal As Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, prepares for his first meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the main purpose of the encounter appeared to be a public demonstration of unity with the US. "There isn't going to be any daylight. No gaps," one of Netanyahu's advisers told reporters, using the same phrase that Trump himself had deployed on the campaign trail. |
| Hope at last? German left dreams of bringing Merkel years to end Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:15 AM PST Martin Schulz's return from Brussels to Berlin is fuelling optimism that centre-left could make biggest breakthrough in years If things go Johanna Uekermann's way, she will wake up on 25 September to the news that Martin Schulz has soundly beaten Angela Merkel in the German elections. "The era of Europe-wide austerity policies à la Merkel and [Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's finance minister] could finally become a thing of the past," said the 29-year-old leader of the JuSos, the Social Democratic party's (SPD) youth organisation. Continue reading... |
| Ecuador presidential election will show if continent's pink tide has truly turned Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:00 AM PST The country faces its first election in a decade without Rafael Correa but although the favourite, Lenín Moreno, is from the same party they are different characters Ten years ago, as Latin America's "pink tide" reached its high-water mark, leftwing leaders such as Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Evo Morales and Rafael Correa were in power across the continent. But death and election defeat have since culled their numbers and trimmed their power. Cuba is on a path of moderate reform after the death of Castro. Venezuela was lurching from one crisis to another even before Chávez succumbed to cancer in 2013. Morales's days as president of Bolivia are also numbered after he failed in an attempt last year to change the constitution to allow him to run for re-election. |
| India launches record-breaking 104 satellites from single rocket Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:43 AM PST Indian PM Narendra Modi hails 'exceptional achievement' that overtakes Russian record of 37 satellites in single launch India's space agency has announced the successful launch of a record-breaking 104 nano satellites into orbit, all onboard a single rocket. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said the milestone launch, from the Sriharikota space centre in the country's south, overtook the 2014 Russian record of 37 satellites in a single launch. Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-nam assassinated, US and South Korean sources say – video report Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:38 AM PST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, has been assassinated in Malaysia, according to US and South Korean sources on Wednesday. His death was first confirmed by police in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. South Korea's spy agency say that two women, believed to be North Korean operatives, poisoned the 45-year-old exile in a shopping concourse at Kuala Lumpur international airport
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| India’s record-breaking 104-satellite rocket blasts off – video Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:13 AM PST India breaks a new record launching 104 satellites into orbit on a single rocket. It is the most number of satellites to be launched by a country in a single mission. Russia previously held the record launching 37 in 2014. The satellites were taken into orbit aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India's eastern Andhra Pradesh region Continue reading... |
| Erdoğan v free speech: how does it feel to live in Turkey right now? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 03:54 AM PST From imprisoned journalists to the forthcoming referendum, tell us how the current climate is affecting you Turkey, once held up as an exemplar of secular democracy in the Muslim world, is now the world's biggest prison for journalists. Since he came to power in 2014, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slowly tightened his grip on freedom of expression, choking his critics. Editors of national newspapers now face life sentences for working "against the state". People have been arrested for Facebook posts criticising the government and last week over 4,400 public servants were sacked in an act branded by critics as a witchhunt targeting the political opposition. Continue reading... |
| People missing after 'huge' explosion in Oxford block of flats Posted: 14 Feb 2017 06:22 PM PST Six fire crews attend the scene in west of the city after blast at Osney Mead building was followed by fire and collapse Several people were unaccounted for after an explosion and fire at a block of flats in Oxford. At least two people were injured when the blast ripped through the building, causing it to collapse. Continue reading... |
| Bill Shorten pressured to commit Labor to diplomatic recognition of Palestine Posted: 15 Feb 2017 12:01 AM PST Bob Carr and Gareth Evans say Benjamin Netanyahu's settlement building risks creating conditions for 'apartheid state' in Israel The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, is facing mounting pressure to commit the ALP to the diplomatic recognition of Palestine, with two former foreign affairs ministers, Gareth Evans and Bob Carr, joining Bob Hawke in arguing forcefully for policy change. Evans and Carr told Guardian Australia on Wednesday that Australia should grant diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine because Benjamin Netanyahu's aggressive settlement building risks creating the conditions for an "apartheid state". Continue reading... |
| Same-sex marriage hopes rise as Senate inquiry rejects discriminatory measures Posted: 15 Feb 2017 12:37 AM PST Committee wins praise for advocating removal of right to refuse same-sex weddings on basis of 'conscientious objection' A Senate inquiry into marriage equality has unanimously rejected several proposed forms of discrimination against LGBTI people, including the ability for civil celebrants to reject their weddings. The Senate committee on the government's same-sex marriage bill exposure draft released its consensus report on Wednesday, winning praise from advocates and raising hopes of cross-party co-operation to legislate it in this term of parliament. Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-nam was assassinated, say US and South Korean officials Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:31 PM PST It is believed two women poisoned brother of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un at Kuala Lumpur airport after he criticised regime Kim Jong-nam was almost certainly murdered by North Korean agents, according to intelligence officials in South Korea, as suspicions mounted that his assassination at Kuala Lumpur airport was ordered by his estranged half-brother, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Related: Death of Kim Jong-nam: depictions of North Korea hide threat of dictatorship Continue reading... |
| Wednesday briefing: Hotline to Moscow Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:57 PM PST Explosive reports of Trump campaign's 'constant' contact with Russians … Kim Jong-un's brother assassinated … and Philip Pullman's new trilogy Good morning, this is Warren Murray bringing you today's Guardian morning briefing. Continue reading... |
| Sydney fishmonger convicted of animal cruelty over lobster treatment Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:42 PM PST Nicholas Seafoods found to be in breach of law for butchering and dismembering lobsters with a band saw A Sydney fishmonger has become the first body in Australia to be convicted of animal cruelty over its treatment of a lobster. Nicholas Seafoods was found to be in breach of the New South Wales Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for butchering and dismembering lobsters with a band saw, without adequately stunning or killing them. Continue reading... |
| Oddball, the dog who saved a penguin colony and inspired a film, dies at 15 Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:15 PM PST Oddball spent only two weeks on Middle Island guarding penguins, but her short trip led to a permanent maremma dog program Oddball, the maremma that proved dogs could be used to protect a Victorian penguin colony and inspired a movie in the process, has died aged 15. She spent only two weeks on Middle Island but her short trip led to a permanent penguin-protection project being set up and a 2015 film being named after her. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:00 PM PST When an anonymous Mexican man was taken to an American hospital after a car crash, a 16-year quest began. Lying in a persistent vegetative state, he became a source of hope for thousands of families looking for lost loved ones Because the beginning was lost, his story always began in the middle, but there wasn't much to the middle either: once upon a time, there was a pickup truck full of hopeful travellers, and then there was a crash. Bodies flew into the desert. It was in California, near the Mexican border, and the other people in the truck had recently crossed over. It stood to reason that he had, too. One of them died, but he didn't. Inside his skull, though, his brain shook like an Etch A Sketch – any clear image of his past, erased in a moment. Continue reading... |
| 'All is forgiven': Sri Lankan PM says returning asylum seekers won't be charged Posted: 14 Feb 2017 05:30 PM PST Ranil Wickremesinghe claims compatriots broke the law in trying to flee to Australia but insists it is safe for them to return Sri Lanka's prime minister has urged compatriots who are being held in Australian-run immigration detention centres to come home. Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed the Sri Lankans had broken the law in trying to flee to Australia but insisted they would not face prosecution if they returned. Continue reading... |
| Sara Connor tells Bali court it was not her idea to burn clothes Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:25 PM PST Australian charged over alleged killing of Indonesian police officer says she destroyed his cards to 'protect his identity' not to dispose of evidence When the Australian Sara Connor and her British boyfriend discovered they had been involved in the death of a Bali police officer, she says it was his idea to burn the clothes they had been wearing. "He mentioned burn the clothes and I said, 'Let's just chuck them away, I want to go to the consulate,'" she told Denpasar court on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-un's half-brother dies after 'attack' at airport in Malaysia Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:59 AM PST Police launch investigation over death of Kim Jong-nam, who was tipped to succeed father as ruler of North Korea before he fell out of favour The estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has died in Malaysia, police have confirmed, after he told authorities he had been attacked in the shopping concourse at Kuala Lumpur airport. Kim Jong-nam, who was 45 years old, died on his way to hospital after seeking help at an information desk because he felt dizzy, Malalysian police said. He said he had been attacked by an unknown assailant, and police have ordered a postmortem. Continue reading... |
| Death of Kim Jong-nam: depictions of North Korea hide threat of dictatorship Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:29 AM PST Mysterious killing of Kim Jong-un's half brother fits with comic book view of country – but its missile tests suggest increasing boldness on world stage The reported murder of the half-brother of Kim Jong-un by two female secret agents fits well into the unreal, comic book depiction of North Korea as bizarre hermit kingdom ruled by a murderous, whimsical, paranoid and overweight tyrant addicted to chocolate and cocaine. But Kim's dictatorship is no joke. Ever fearful of plots to overthrow him, Kim is said to have had 140 senior officials executed since he succeeded his father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011. In a Kafka-esque twist, the most recent victim of regime purges is the man in charge of them: General Kim Won-hong, chief of the secret police and minister of state security, who was sacked last month. Continue reading... |
| Signs of hope in the European gloom | Letters Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:28 AM PST Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has pursued a policy of "social democratisation". With the adoption of key policies once branded as "left" – phasing out nuclear power, abolition of military conscription, introduction of quotas for women on company boards and establishment of a national minimum wage – she has aimed to win over the more conservative-traditional voters of the Social Democratic party (SPD). So far, this strategy has succeeded. But now SPD chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has been campaigning with the old slogan of "social justice" to win back precisely this group. That the CDU could not prevent the election of SPD candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany (Report, 13 February) could well be a portent for the Bundestag elections this year. Continue reading... |
| Where the church leads – and where it does not | Letters Posted: 14 Feb 2017 10:21 AM PST George Monbiot mentions a list of community projects but fails to point out that often the local church is the driver or supporter of such schemes (This is how we take back control: from the bottom up, 8 February). In many communities it is the church that has initiated food banks, lunch clubs, clubs for the elderly, night shelters, play schemes and community shops. In our small rural benefice the church and church members support the local foodbank, a monthly club for the elderly, a monthly "pub" night in a village hall and a holiday club for children. The religious services bring people together to worship, but also to socialise over coffee afterwards. The monthly family service provides breakfast beforehand and a range of activities for the children. Messy church brings families together to chat, eat and have fun. The work of our ministry team in visiting the sick, the elderly and the recently bereaved is also part of the mutual aid which strengthens our community. Continue reading... |
| Early Learning Centre accused of promoting gender stereotypes Posted: 14 Feb 2017 09:01 AM PST Children's clothing and toy retailer's newsletter leads to complaints with company told to 'move out of the stone age' A children's retailer has been accused of being in "the stone age" for marketing princess costumes for girls, and doctors' outfits for boys. The Early Learning Centre (ELC) has come under fire for a marketing mailout which showed two girls dressed up as "Belle and Cinderella" who are "all ready to go to the ball", whereas a little boy is dressed as Spider-Man. Another girl is dressed in a pink ballerina tutu, while "Danny the doctor" is "here to save the day". Continue reading... |
| Penne saving: polite children secure discount at Italian restaurant Posted: 14 Feb 2017 07:24 AM PST Owner of wine bar in Padua hopes 5% price cut will encourage parents to rein-in children who disturb other diners An Italian restaurateur fed up with his customers' lunches being interrupted by rowdy children has come up with a novel solution: a discount for well-behaved families. Antonio Ferrari, who owns a wine bar in the northern city of Padua that caters to families on Sundays, came up with the idea when he spotted a party of 11 at one of his tables, including five children sitting "with much composure". Continue reading... |
| 'We must discriminate': pre-wedding passport checks cause stress, say clergy Posted: 14 Feb 2017 06:31 AM PST Some members complain of legal and administrative burden of marriage banns but synod votes to continue tradition A requirement on Church of England clergy to inspect the passports of couples wishing to marry in church to identify forgeries and attempted bogus weddings is causing stress and risking discrimination, the synod has heard. Despite pleas by some clergy members to ease the legal and administrative burden, the synod narrowly backed the continuation of an 800-year-old requirement to read marriage banns ahead of church weddings. Continue reading... |
| France's banlieues could erupt with violence again, experts warn Posted: 14 Feb 2017 05:24 AM PST Academics say unrest following alleged rape by police officer could spark wave of riots last seen in 2005 unless politicians act French politicians are underestimating the level of anger in the country's troubled banlieues, which risks sparking an explosion of violence, experts have warned. The alert comes after another night of violence and arrests in several Paris suburbs. Suspects appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of civil disturbances including torching cars and dustbins and attacks on the emergency services. Continue reading... |
| Imelda Marcos loses legal fight to reclaim confiscated jewellery Posted: 14 Feb 2017 03:45 AM PST Court rules former first lady of Philippines, who had 1,000 pairs of shoes, illegally got gems including 25-carat pink diamond The former first lady of the Philippines, infamous for acquiring more than 1,000 pairs of shoes while millions languished in poverty, has lost a legal fight to reclaim jewellery confiscated after her dictator husband was ousted. The country's supreme court ruled that Imelda Marcos illegally acquired the items, including diamond-studded tiaras and an extremely rare 25-carat pink diamond. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:32 AM PST Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| How Bill and Melinda Gates helped save 122m lives – and what they want to solve next Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:00 AM PST In letter to philanthropic partner Warren Buffett, the Gates define achievements from vaccines to lives saved – while still pushing for gains in infant mortality It was the biggest philanthropic gesture ever, the billionaire investor equivalent of Batman and Superman joining forces to fight world crime. Ten years ago, Warren Buffet, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and the world's second richest man, pledged to give most of his fortune to the only man in the world richer than him – Bill Gates. The gift was worth around $30bn at the time. |
| Delhi's deadly dust: how construction sites are choking the city Posted: 15 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST The Indian capital's inherently dusty air is made worse by countless unregulated construction sites – and the production of bricks and concrete to feed them Far out on Delhi's southern and eastern fringes the rows of high-rises suddenly turn skeletal. The population of the Indian capital, already the second largest in the world, is forecast to grow by 9 million in the next 15 years; and despite a recent lull in new projects, areas such as Noida are a universe of worksites, cranes and workers. The empty towers stretch as far as can be seen – which is only about 300 metres. Like much of Delhi on most winter mornings, Noida is blanketed in thick smog and a heavy dust that cakes windows and clogs throats. Continue reading... |
| Breathless in Bakersfield: is the worst air pollution in the US about to get worse? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST In California's Central Valley emissions from oil refineries and agriculture make Bakersfield America's most air-polluted city. Activists fear the Trump administration could undo small but steady improvements The bluffs on Panorama Road offer a wide view of the northern half of Bakersfield, which is one of the few major population centres in California's Central Valley – perhaps the US' leading agricultural motherlode. It's a rare bird's eye vantage point of this low-slung farm city of roughly 375,000 people, nestled in a bowl created by the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east and part of the California Coast Ranges to the west. On a clear day, the state's dominant topographical features put the landscape, and one's place in it, in sobering perspective. Continue reading... |
| 'It's killing us': how steel giant ArcelorMittal is failing to reduce emissions Posted: 14 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST Ash clouds from the steelworks dominate the sky in Zenica, the Bosnian city where even taking a breath can be a struggle. But despite pending criminal charges, the steel company's environmental pledges remain unfulfilled Global steel giant ArcelorMittal is failing to meet minimum environmental standards at its massive plant in central Bosnia, a Guardian Cities investigation has learned. The vast Zenica steelworks is operating without valid permits and a number of pledged improvements to reduce emissions from the factory have not been made. Continue reading... |
| Air pollution masks – fashion's next statement? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:03 AM PST Face masks are already a common sight in Asia. Now, as air pollution worsens, designers are targeting city dwellers in Europe and the US with pricier products The intersect between fashion and practicality is not always the most compelling. But given that air pollution is the world's largest single environmental health risk it seems inevitable they will come to influence each another. Yesterday saw the launch of M90, an "urban breathing mask" created by the Swedish company Airinum and sold in more than 50 countries. Face masks are already a common sight in Asian countries, although the cheap washable cotton rectangles rarely perform well in tests. Surgical masks, the type usually worn by doctors, have tended to fare better – but are still largely ineffectual. Continue reading... |
| Are you at risk? How pollution increases your chance of death – interactive Posted: 13 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST Greenpeace has calculated the increased risk of death at varying levels of air pollution in 3,000 cities around the world – by combining risk analysis from the IHME's Global Burden of Disease project with annual average background levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5s) from the WHO Continue reading... |
| Safe toilets help flush out disease in Cambodia's floating communities Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST Open defecation in villages on Tonlé Sap lake contributes to sickness, pollution and drownings. Now, a pathogen-filtering toilet looks set to change lives Phat Sanday is – in many ways – like any other village in Cambodia. There's a school, a petrol station and a clinic. However, unlike most of the other rural communities, nearly every structure here – at the southern end of Cambodia's Tonlé Sap lake – floats. The primary mode of transport for the more than 1,100 families who live here is boat. Continue reading... |
| Childhoods lost: disabilities and seizures blight India's endosulfan victims | Amrit Dhillon Posted: 14 Feb 2017 09:00 PM PST The prospect of compensation offers little comfort for thousands of families in Kerala state whose lives have been shattered by the use of a toxic pesticide Chandrika Shenoy's son, Mahesh, lies on the ground beside her on a mat, his limbs twitching as he moans, seemingly in distress. Following a supreme court ruling in January, the family are waiting to receive the 500,000 rupees (£5,973) the Kerala government has been ordered to pay the thousands of people whose lives have been permanently scarred by years of routine spraying of the cheap, highly toxic pesticide endosulfan. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 14 Feb 2017 06:21 AM PST Exclusive: Bill and Melinda Gates warn of dire impact of order that blocks US funding for family planning and health services The "global gag rule" imposed by Donald Trump, blocking US funds to any organisation involved in abortion advice and care overseas, could impact millions of women and girls, endangering their lives and those of their babies, Bill and Melinda Gates have warned. The changes are expected to result in funding from the world's biggest donor to family planning and women's health programmes in the developing world being slashed. It could, Bill Gates told the Guardian, "create a void that even a foundation like ours can't fill". Continue reading... |
| Sexual abuse and corporal punishment ‘widespread’ in Tanzania's schools Posted: 14 Feb 2017 03:48 AM PST Human Rights Watch report calls on UK and other aid donors funding ambitious education programme to put pressure on government to halt abuses Sexual abuse, harassment and corporal punishment are widespread in schools in Tanzania, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that called on donors funding one of Africa's most ambitious education programmes to press for government intervention. The report also found that more than 40% of adolescents in Tanzania were left out of quality lower-secondary education, despite a decision to make this schooling free. The country has one of the world's largest youth populations, with 43% of people under the age of 15. Continue reading... |
| What did the White House counsel tell Trump about Flynn – and why does it matter? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:25 AM PST Donald McGahn informed the president about the ex-national security adviser's ties to Russia, and his knowledge complicates Flynn's version of events
"The White House counsel informed the president immediately" of a 26 January conversation with the then acting attorney general, Sally Yates, in which Yates "flagged" intelligence reports on Flynn's communications with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, the White House spokesman said on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Flynn's resignation likely the beginning of Trump's Russia woes – not the end Posted: 14 Feb 2017 07:40 AM PST National security adviser is the third Trump adviser forced to leave over reports of Kremlin contact, further raising suspicions of the Trump-Putin relationship Related: Trump security adviser Flynn resigns after leaks suggest he tried to cover up Russia talks Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser because of his contacts with the Russian ambassador to Washington and his subsequent attempts to cover up the true nature of those contacts. Continue reading... |
| White House says 'erosion of trust' led to Flynn's departure – video Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:53 AM PST Donald Trump asked for the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after his level of trust in Flynn eroded to the point that he felt he needed to make a change, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Tuesday. A day after Flynn's resignation, Spicer said Trump had been concerned that Flynn had misled Vice-President Mike Pence over his contacts with Russian officials before Trump took office Continue reading... |
| Revisiting Michael Flynn’s fiery RNC speech: ‘Lock her up is right’ – video Posted: 14 Feb 2017 08:39 AM PST The US national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned late Monday amid a flow of intelligence leaks that he had secretly discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington and then tried to cover up the conversations. In light of his departure, we revisit Flynn's fiery speech at last year's Republican national convention in which he led anti-Hillary Clinton chants ('Lock her up') and chided the Democratic presidential nominee over her handling of top secret information
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| Water overflows tallest dam in US as it came close to bursting – aerial video Posted: 13 Feb 2017 01:26 AM PST Aerial footage shows Lake Oroville dam on Sunday, when a spillway was thought to be within an hour of collapsing following weeks of heavy rain. Almost 200,000 residents living near the 230m high dam in northern California were asked to evacuate. Authorities now say the immediate danger is over. Photograph: Rich Pedroncelli/AP Continue reading... |
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