World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- UN says civilians at extreme risk as west Mosul offensive begins
- Donald Trump's Sweden comment referred to 'rising crime', White House says
- Ecuador elections: Lenín Moreno facing runoff as 40% vote looks out of reach
- 'Russian state bodies' involved in alleged Montenegro coup plot, says prosecutor
- Home Office agrees to review asylum claims of child refugees in France
- Global arms trade reaches highest point since cold war era
- Images of new bleaching on Great Barrier Reef heighten fears of coral death
- Northern California residents face new evacuation warning after Oroville threat
- New Zealand startup offers unlimited holiday and profit share to attract workers
- Healthier teeth, stronger fighters: meet Ukraine's frontline dentists
- Geert Wilders: Dutch far-right leader criticised for calling Moroccans 'scum'
- US senators warn European elections are next hacking targets
- Eyewitness: The Mediterranean
- There are reasons to be cheerful... LGBTI rights gains in unlikely countries
- Latino laborers fear deportation, but officials tell California farmers not to fret
- Angelina Jolie speaks out on 'difficult' Brad Pitt divorce for first time
- North Korea killing: video appears to show attack on Kim Jong-nam
- Kim Dotcom's lawyer hopeful over extradition appeal – video
- Is Finland’s basic universal income a solution to automation, fewer jobs and lower wages?
- London night tube drivers to vote on strikes
- Queensland and NT brace for wild weather as Cyclone Alfred forms in Gulf of Carpentaria
- Setting tails wagging: the costumed pups of the Rio dog carnival
- Chinese troops stage show of force in Xinjiang and vow to 'relentlessly beat' separatists
- Morning briefing: Day of protest as Lords challenge Brexit bill
- Kim Dotcom extradition to US can go ahead, New Zealand high court rules
- Catholic church's child protection body would have broad secrecy powers, inquiry told
- Scientists to repeat 19th-century ship's crossing of polar ice cap
- Suicide bomber kills dozens at market in Somalia
- Nato and Russia: a real international conspiracy thriller | Letters
- Campaigners hail school decision to let pupils choose gender identity
- Search and rescue in the Mediterranean – in pictures
- Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysian police looking for four North Koreans – video report
- Colleagues fear whitewash in murder of Dominican journalists on Facebook Live
- Malta's secret tunnels: inside the newly discovered underworld of Valletta
- Why are we failing 75% of the world’s youth at a time of unique opportunity? | Abhik Sen and Rafiullah Kakar
- Trump cites non-existent Sweden terror attack – video
| UN says civilians at extreme risk as west Mosul offensive begins Posted: 19 Feb 2017 10:27 AM PST Early advances by Iraqi forces meet limited resistance but Isis thought to have prepared ambush points in urban centre Iraqi forces have launched a long-awaited offensive to retake west Mosul, making cautious advances towards the city's airport ahead of a push into heavily populated residential areas, where up to 3,000 Islamic State fighters have vowed to defend their last urban stronghold in Iraq. An estimated 650,000 civilians are trapped in the west of the city, and the UN said on Sunday that many people were "at extreme risk", with fuel and food supplies dwindling and drinking water and electricity scarce. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump's Sweden comment referred to 'rising crime', White House says Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:20 PM PST President appeared to refer to a non-existent terror attack in the country during a rally on Saturday in Florida, prompting questions from Swedish officials The White House has said Donald Trump was speaking about general "rising crime" when he seemed to describe a non-existent terror attack in Sweden on Saturday night, as the president defended his ideas about banning refugees and travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. "You look at what's happening in Germany. You look at what's happening last night in Sweden," the president said at a rally in Melbourne, Florida, on Saturday night. "Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They're having problems like they never thought possible." Continue reading... |
| Ecuador elections: Lenín Moreno facing runoff as 40% vote looks out of reach Posted: 19 Feb 2017 07:59 PM PST Two surveys give the ruling party candidate the lead but it remains unclear whether there will be a second round A runoff vote appears likely in Ecuador's presidential election with Lenín Moreno appearing to fall just short of the 40% required for outright victory over his rightwing rival Guillermo Lasso. With more than three-quarters of the official votes counted on Sunday night, the national electoral council gave 38.83% to Moreno, who was a former vice-president under the outgoing Rafael Correa, and 28.58% Lasso, a 61-year-old former banker. For an outright win a candidate needs 40% and a 10-point lead over his nearest rival. Continue reading... |
| 'Russian state bodies' involved in alleged Montenegro coup plot, says prosecutor Posted: 19 Feb 2017 05:01 PM PST Government prosecutor says aim of suspected attempt to seize parliament and assassinate former president was to try to stop the Balkan nation joining Nato A Montenegrin prosecutor has said that "Russian state bodies" were involved in a coup attempt during October's election, with the aim of stopping the Balkan country from joining Nato. Related: Serbia deports Russians suspected of plotting Montenegro coup Continue reading... |
| Home Office agrees to review asylum claims of child refugees in France Posted: 19 Feb 2017 08:52 AM PST Cases of children with direct family links to UK will be reconsidered, as refugees return to Calais to try to cross Channel The Home Office has agreed to review asylum applications from child refugees in France after it emerged that several had returned to the site of the former Calais camp in a renewed effort to make the crossing to the UK. One teenager who arrived in London this weekend after hiding beneath a coach at the port told the Guardian that increasing numbers of children in French reception centres had lost hope of travelling to the UK by official means and were returning to the notorious site. Continue reading... |
| Global arms trade reaches highest point since cold war era Posted: 19 Feb 2017 04:02 PM PST Middle East almost doubles weapons imports, as US and Europe remain the main suppliers and China joins top-tier exporters The global transfer of major weapons systems rose over the past five years to the highest volume since the end of the cold war as the Middle East nearly doubled its imports, according to an annual report on arms sales. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said on Monday that more weapons were delivered between 2012 and 2016 than any other five-year period since 1990. Saudi Arabia, which leads a military intervention in Yemen that has cost hundreds of civilian lives, was the world's second largest importer after India, increasing its intake by 212%, mainly from the US and the UK. |
| Images of new bleaching on Great Barrier Reef heighten fears of coral death Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:00 AM PST Exclusive: Coral bleaching found near Palm Island as unusually warm waters are expected off eastern Australia, with areas hit in last year's event in mortal danger The embattled Great Barrier Reef could face yet more severe coral bleaching in the coming month, with areas badly hit by last year's event at risk of death. Images taken by local divers last week and shared exclusively with the Guardian by the Australian Marine Conservation Society show newly bleached corals discovered near Palm Island. Continue reading... |
| Northern California residents face new evacuation warning after Oroville threat Posted: 19 Feb 2017 12:00 PM PST San Joaquin river approaches flood stage as water level decreases at Lake Oroville dam after evacuations of 188,000 people last weekend Residents returning to homes damaged by flooding should be prepared to evacuate again as yet another powerful Pacific storm takes aim at northern California, officials warned Sunday. Related: Trump supporter evacuated from Oroville dam: 'I feel like a refugee' Continue reading... |
| New Zealand startup offers unlimited holiday and profit share to attract workers Posted: 19 Feb 2017 03:50 PM PST Gaming company Rocketwerkz claims staff focus better when not stressed by issues that need attention outside the workplace A gaming company in New Zealand is luring employees from around the world by offering unlimited paid annual leave, a share in the company's profits and no set work hours. Dean Hall became famous in international gaming circles for being the lead designer on the popular zombie apocalypse video game DayZ. |
| Healthier teeth, stronger fighters: meet Ukraine's frontline dentists Posted: 19 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST Volunteers of Ukrop Dental are helping soldiers and civilians in region where aid is woefully lacking In an abandoned building on the road to no-man's land, Ukraine's frontline dentists are hard at work. These men and women have swapped the safety of their sterilised clinics across the country to join the fight against plaque, cavities and Russian-backed separatists on the eastern battlefield. An unlikely product of Ukraine's conflict, Ukrop Dental was founded by Igor Yaschenko, a 52-year-old dentist-turned-activist. In 2015, while delivering aid to under-stocked government troops, Igor was confronted with scores of soldiers stricken with dental problems. Agonising tooth decay and gum disease, he says, were undermining the war effort. Continue reading... |
| Geert Wilders: Dutch far-right leader criticised for calling Moroccans 'scum' Posted: 19 Feb 2017 05:23 AM PST Muslim organisations in the Netherlands call Freedom party leader's comments at campaign rally 'reprehensible' Muslim groups in the Netherlands have criticised disparaging comments about Moroccans made by the far-right leader Geert Wilders during a campaign rally. Launching his campaign on Saturday for the 15 March parliamentary election, Wilders criticised Moroccan youths for making the Netherlands unsafe, though he qualified the comments by saying they did not apply to all Moroccans. Continue reading... |
| US senators warn European elections are next hacking targets Posted: 19 Feb 2017 05:05 AM PST American delegates at Munich security conference press Trump to punish Russia for alleged election interference, after Mike Pence's speech leaves audience puzzled A bipartisan delegation of US senators on Sunday pressed Donald Trump to punish Russia over its alleged interference in the US election race and warned that Moscow's next targets will be elections in France and Germany. Speaking at the Munich security conference, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who is a member of the Senate armed services committee, expressed confidence that Congress will pass sanctions against Russia. "2017 is going to be the year of kicking Russian ass in Congress," he said. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:06 AM PST Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading... |
| There are reasons to be cheerful... LGBTI rights gains in unlikely countries Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:05 AM PST Iraq, Tunisia and Lebanon are three countries that have made progressive steps forward in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex human rights this year In the last 12 months, Martin Luther King's "arc of the moral universe" has bent towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) human rights. Continue reading... |
| Latino laborers fear deportation, but officials tell California farmers not to fret Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:00 AM PST Trump's immigration policies threaten to scatter farm labourers and could disrupt America's supply of fruit and vegetables – but not everyone is concerned You can see strawberry fields seemingly forever, details big and small – a rutted path, an orange tractor, a labourer's checkered blue shirt – discernible on the plain. Related: A day at the California farm where the workers will get the pay they deserve Continue reading... |
| Angelina Jolie speaks out on 'difficult' Brad Pitt divorce for first time Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:36 AM PST Actor says 'we are and forever will be a family' in emotional BBC interview before screening of new Cambodia film Angelina Jolie has spoken out for the first time since she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt last year, announcing it had been a difficult time but adding "we are and forever will be a family". "It was a very difficult time," Jolie said, appearing visibly upset. "Many people find themselves in this situation … My whole family have all been through a difficult time. My focus is my children, our children." Continue reading... |
| North Korea killing: video appears to show attack on Kim Jong-nam Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:03 AM PST Japanese TV releases grainy footage purporting to show Kuala Lumpur attack as diplomatic spat between Malaysia and Pyongyang escalates A Japanese broadcaster has released what appears to be CCTV footage of the deadly poison attack on the half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia as a diplomatic row deepened between the two countries. Kim Jong-nam, who lived most of his life outside his home country, died from a seizure en route to hospital last Monday after complaining that a woman had sprayed a chemical on his face. Continue reading... |
| Kim Dotcom's lawyer hopeful over extradition appeal – video Posted: 20 Feb 2017 12:33 AM PST Kim Dotcom's lawyer, Ron Mansfield, speaks to reporters after a New Zealand high court judge upholds an earlier court ruling that his client can be extradited to the US to face criminal charges. US prosecutors say that Megaupload, owned by Dotcom, raked in $175m mainly from illegally downloads Continue reading... |
| Is Finland’s basic universal income a solution to automation, fewer jobs and lower wages? Posted: 18 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST Both left and right are promoting the idea of a basic wage for everyone, currently on trial, as a solution to the new world of work When he got the letter after Christmas saying he was entitled to an unconditional income of €560 (£478) a month, Mika Ruusunen couldn't believe his luck. "At first I thought it was a joke. I had to read it many times. I looked for any evidence it might be false." But the father of two was not the victim of a scam. He has been selected to take part in an experiment being run by the Finnish government, in which 2,000 unemployed people between the ages of 25 and 58 will receive a guaranteed sum – a "basic income" – of €560 a month for two years. It replaces their unemployment benefit, but they will continue to receive it whether or not they find work. The government hopes it will encourage the unemployed to take on part-time work without worrying about losing their benefits. Continue reading... |
| London night tube drivers to vote on strikes Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:08 AM PST Rail, Maritime and Transport union claims London Underground is discriminating against night staff in pay and jobs dispute Drivers on London's night tube are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay and jobs. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will vote in the coming weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action. Continue reading... |
| Queensland and NT brace for wild weather as Cyclone Alfred forms in Gulf of Carpentaria Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:20 PM PST Category one tropical cyclone could lead to winds of up to 100km/h and heavy rainfall, Bureau of Meteorology warns Territorians and Queenslanders are bracing for wild weather after tropical Cyclone Alfred formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria, with one remote Indigenous community moving to higher ground. Forecasters say the category one cyclone is tracking south-east and should weaken before hitting land on Tuesday, somewhere between Borroloola and the Northern Territory/Queensland border. Continue reading... |
| Setting tails wagging: the costumed pups of the Rio dog carnival Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST |
| Chinese troops stage show of force in Xinjiang and vow to 'relentlessly beat' separatists Posted: 19 Feb 2017 10:59 PM PST Hundreds of black clad, rifle-toting soldiers took to the streets of Urumqi as officials announce terrorist activity will be 'smashed to pieces' Thousands of heavily armed troops have paraded through cities in China's troubled far west with officials there vowing a "thunderous" anti-terror crackdown after an apparent upsurge in deadly ethnic violence. Hundreds of black clad, rifle-toting soldiers took to the streets of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, on Saturday, according to local media reports. Continue reading... |
| Morning briefing: Day of protest as Lords challenge Brexit bill Posted: 19 Feb 2017 10:55 PM PST Peers to debate amendments to government bill ... Trump's Sweden comments prompt mockery and support ... and the company where you can have as much holiday as you like Good morning, this is Martin Farrer bringing you the Guardian's morning briefing. Continue reading... |
| Kim Dotcom extradition to US can go ahead, New Zealand high court rules Posted: 19 Feb 2017 08:06 PM PST Dotcom faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted in the US of piracy, which authorities say cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars The high court in New Zealand has ruled Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom can be extradited to the United States to face a multitude of charges including money laundering and copyright breaches. US authorities had appealed for Dotcom's extradition to face 13 charges including allegations of conspiracy to commit racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering and wire fraud. Continue reading... |
| Catholic church's child protection body would have broad secrecy powers, inquiry told Posted: 19 Feb 2017 07:25 PM PST New body to scrutinise child abuse would be allowed to keep reports secret if they involved children or vulnerable adults, or endangered public safety A new Catholic body designed to scrutinise the church's approach to child abuse would have "extraordinary power" to keep its reports secret, the royal commission has heard. The church announced late last year it would create Catholic Professional Standards (CPS) to lead its efforts on child protection. Continue reading... |
| Scientists to repeat 19th-century ship's crossing of polar ice cap Posted: 19 Feb 2017 04:01 PM PST Ambitious Mosaic expedition will study weather patterns and life in melt ponds from vessel drifting with the ice current In 1893 the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen embarked on a mission of extraordinary boldness and ingenuity. He planned to become the first person to reach the north pole by allowing his wooden vessel, the Fram, to be engulfed by sea ice and pulled across the polar cap on an ice current. Ultimately, Nansen ended up abandoning the Fram and skiing hundreds of miles to a British base after he realised he was not on course to hit the pole, but the ship made it across the ice cap intact and the expedition resulted in groundbreaking scientific discoveries about the Arctic and weather patterns. Continue reading... |
| Suicide bomber kills dozens at market in Somalia Posted: 19 Feb 2017 01:40 PM PST Blast in Mogadishu comes less than a fortnight after election of new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed A car bomb ripped through a market in Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and injuring about 50. The car was driven by a suicide bomber, said Ahmed Abdulle Afrax, the mayor of Wadajir district, where the bombing happened. |
| Nato and Russia: a real international conspiracy thriller | Letters Posted: 19 Feb 2017 10:31 AM PST "Nato is the foundation of our security," is the current political cliche. The Guardian warmly agrees (Editorial, 16 February), and joins in the demonisation of Russia to a degree which should gratify the most ardent hawk. The other side of the matter should be stated. It is not in doubt that the long-term cause of Russian misbehaviour is Nato expansion in the late 1990s, taking in the countries bordering Russia but excluding Russia itself. No serious reason was ever given for this action, and it was in the face of many expressed doubts and warnings by military and political figures at the time. It was followed by the surrounding of Russia with missile defence bases, initiated by the US but taken over by Nato. The effect on Russia was perfectly well understood, and cannot possibly have been unintentional. Nato is like something from an international conspiracy thriller – except that it is startlingly open about its objectives. It continually searches the world, literally looking for trouble everywhere, and presses at every opportunity to "give Nato a role". It has succeeded in doing this in, among other places, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Continue reading... |
| Campaigners hail school decision to let pupils choose gender identity Posted: 19 Feb 2017 08:01 AM PST Private school St Paul's Girls' new protocol allows students to use boys' names and wear boys' clothes Campaigners have welcomed a decision by a private girls' school to allow students to use boys' names and wear boys' clothes should they wish under a new "gender identity protocol". St Paul's girls' school in west London, whose former pupils include the MP Harriet Harman and the actor Rachel Weisz, will now consider requests from students from the age of 16 to go through a formal process to be known within the school either as boys or as gender-neutral. Continue reading... |
| Search and rescue in the Mediterranean – in pictures Posted: 19 Feb 2017 07:28 AM PST Photographer David Ramos was onboard the rescue vessel Golfo Azzurro, operated by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms which provides assistance to refugees and migrants in distress at sea Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysian police looking for four North Koreans – video report Posted: 19 Feb 2017 06:07 AM PST Malaysian police say on Sunday they are looking for four North Korean men who flew out of Malaysia the same day Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, was apparently poisoned at an airport in Kuala Lumpur. So far, four people carrying IDs from North Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam have been arrested Image: Still from a South Korean TV report on the killing of Kim Jong-nam – Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA
|
| Colleagues fear whitewash in murder of Dominican journalists on Facebook Live Posted: 19 Feb 2017 04:00 AM PST Was the shooting of Luis Manuel Medina and Leo Martínez during a broadcast from their radio station a personal vendetta or related to their professional work? Luis Manuel Medina, a newsreader at the FM103 radio station in the Dominican Republic, was reading the 10.30 bulletin when the shooting started. The first few shots, captured on a Facebook Live video of the broadcast, killed Leo Martínez, the station's director and producer, in his office next to the studio. Continue reading... |
| Malta's secret tunnels: inside the newly discovered underworld of Valletta Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST Malta's picturesque capital has been used as the set of Gladiator, Troy and King's Landing in Game of Thrones – but it is also riven by subterranean passages that go back to the legendary Knights of Malta. As the city prepares to be European Capital of Culture, should the tunnels be opened to the public? When Albert Dimech recognised us, rather than introducing himself, he simply said: "Follow me." Dimech had asked the artist Leanne Wijnsma and me to meet him in the centre of Valletta, Malta's capital city and the European capital for culture in 2018. Wijnsma had been commissioned by the Valletta 2018 foundation to create a piece of artwork about the city's subterranean world, and Dimech was our point of contact. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:00 PM PST From ending poverty to tackling climate change, the world's future lies in the hands of the young. So why are we failing to give them a decent shot at life? One in four people alive today is a young person aged 15 to 29: that's nearly 1.8 billion in total, of whom close to 90% live in developing countries. Demographically speaking, the next couple of decades are a unique window of opportunity. With the exception of Africa, the world is ageing, which means the proportion of young people in the global population will never again be so high. Continue reading... |
| Trump cites non-existent Sweden terror attack – video Posted: 19 Feb 2017 04:47 AM PST Donald Trump appears to invent a terrorist attack in Sweden during a campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida, on Saturday. Trump uses his speech to talk about migration in Europe and links it to terror attacks in Brussels, Nice and Paris. He then adds Sweden to the list, incorrectly stating that an attack had happened there on Friday 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