World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Isis faces exodus of foreign fighters as its 'caliphate' crumbles
- Trump under fire over 'huge tax cut for the rich'
- Marine Le Pen springs surprise visit on Macron during picket line campaign trip
- DNA-based test can spot cancer recurrence a year before conventional scans
- Traditional trial rights renounced as countries adopt US-style plea bargaining
- US commander not confident North Korea will refrain from nuclear assault
- Mexican bank intervenes after woman, 116, deemed 'too old' for card
- Assad forces carried out sarin attack, says French intelligence
- Orbán on offensive after EU takes legal action over Soros university
- Guernica massacre: Madrid removes facade that glorified Nazi role
- Ex-Knights of Malta leader to defy papal order and attend succession meeting
- Trump's plan to overturn net neutrality rules to face 'a tsunami of resistance'
- Banned Russian singer to perform in Crimea as Eurovision starts
- European parliaments 'could get vote on transitional Brexit deal'
- Barack Obama to be paid $400,000 for speech at Cantor Fitzgerald event
- Indian film board clears Lipstick Under My Burkha for release
- Twitter revenues decline for first time as advertising falls away
- North Korea: Washington and Seoul pledge 'swift punitive measures'
- Massive Damascus airport blast 'consistent with Israeli policy'
- French tourist survives rare shark attack in New Zealand
- 'Screen fatigue' sees UK ebook sales plunge 17% as readers return to print
- Even Trump's Twitter binges aren't enough to make it worth $11bn | Nils Pratley
- AA boss shortlisted for Wolfson Economics prize for UK roads plan
- 'I am a criminal. What is my crime?': the human toll of abortion in Afghanistan
- Yorkshire village sold one year after it went on the market for £20m
- Why the French left can only recover under a President Macron | Philippe Marlière
- General election 2017: Johnson says UK willing to join US in future airstrike against Assad – politics live
- 'It's a war on Christians': Egypt's beleaguered Copts in sombre mood before papal visit
- Donald Trump to stick with Nafta free trade pact – for now
- Locking up children shouldn't be last resort, NT minister suggested – despite not believing it
- Thai mother saw daughter being killed on Facebook Live
- Women at war: building Roosevelt's 'Arsenal of Democracy' – in pictures
- New arrests in Hong Kong as police hold nine democracy activists
- Thursday briefing: Kim could do it, warns US top brass
- The war babies: no definite information obtainable – archive, 27 April 1915
- Ancient city of Hatra recaptured from Isis, Iraqi forces say – video
- Turkey arrests 1,000 and suspends 9,100 police in new crackdown
- Doctors treating world's heaviest woman resign over claims they lied about her weight loss
- Trekker found after surviving 47 days lost in Himalayas
- Turkish forces clash with Kurdish militia one day after deadly airstrikes
- Florida man accused of fighting for Isis in Syria could face prosecution in US
- Militants kill 10 Iranian border guards in attack on frontier with Pakistan
- Stefan Aristidou: the 'missing' Londoner who resurfaced in Turkey
- Kendrick Lamar v Pope Francis – the importance of being humble
- Mélenchon's team urge 'not one vote for Le Pen' but stop short of backing Macron
- Jacqueline Woodfill obituary
- Standoff between indigenous protests and police in Brasilia – in pictures
- 'Death of the French left': why voters are hesitating over Macron
- May Day to have immigrant tilt as workers plan to protest against Trump
- Briton killed in drone strike on Isis 'posed serious threat to UK'
- MPs call on Priti Patel to increase UK aid spending on 'global learning crisis'
- Trump's tax plan wins the news cycle – but will he lose the messaging war?
- Voodoo Reaganomics won't save Trump on the Hill | Larry Elliot
- Hollywood's homeless Superman: 'I was put in my own living hell' – video
- Trump administration announces 'once in a generation' tax reforms – video
- US commander not confident North Korea will refrain from nuclear assault – video
- Donald Trump's first 100 days in office in four minutes – video
| Isis faces exodus of foreign fighters as its 'caliphate' crumbles Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:41 AM PDT Exclusive: Two Britons and one US citizen are among dozens who have surrendered or been caught at Turkish border Large numbers of foreign fighters and sympathisers are abandoning Islamic State and trying to enter Turkey, with at least two British nationals and a US citizen joining an exodus that is depleting the ranks of the terror group. Stefan Aristidou, from Enfield in north London, his British wife and Kary Paul Kleman, from Florida, last week surrendered to Turkish border police after more than two years in areas controlled by Isis, sources have confirmed to the Guardian. |
| Trump under fire over 'huge tax cut for the rich' Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:11 PM PDT Plan would slash taxes for small and big businesses, including Trump's, eliminate inheritance taxes, and would be the largest overhaul since Reagan era The Trump administration unveiled what it called the biggest tax cuts "in history" on Wednesday, in a move that will simplify the US tax system, slash taxes for businesses large and small – including his own – eliminate inheritance taxes and set the president on a collision course with Congress over the likely $2tn-plus cost of the proposal. Critics immediately called it "basically a huge tax cut for the rich". Continue reading... |
| Marine Le Pen springs surprise visit on Macron during picket line campaign trip Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:19 AM PDT Presidential frontrunner was meeting with striking factory workers but far-right candidate rushed to her heartlands to try to show up rival The French presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron was met with boos and jeers at a factory picket line in northern France after he was upstaged by a surprise appearance by his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen. The political standoff amid the striking workers highlighted not only the plight of deindustrialisation in France but also the bitter public relations battle that is likely to rage in the final two weeks of the campaign. Continue reading... |
| DNA-based test can spot cancer recurrence a year before conventional scans Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:00 AM PDT 'Liquid biopsy' diagnosed cancer recurrence up to a year before CT scans are able to in major lung cancer trial, and could buy crucial time for doctors A revolutionary blood test has been shown to diagnose the recurrence of cancer up to a year in advance of conventional scans in a major lung cancer trial. The test, known as a liquid biopsy, could buy crucial time for doctors by indicating that cancer is growing in the body when tumours are not yet detectable on CT scans and long before the patient becomes aware of physical symptoms. Continue reading... |
| Traditional trial rights renounced as countries adopt US-style plea bargaining Posted: 26 Apr 2017 04:01 PM PDT Using procedures to persuade defendants to plead guilty has reached 'epidemic proportions' and increases risk of miscarriage of justice, says Fair Trials The adoption of US-style plea bargaining has reached "epidemic proportions" as more and more countries persuade defendants to plead guilty and renounce traditional trial rights, a survey of international justice systems warns. The study of 90 countries by the human rights organisation Fair Trials reveals that use of such procedures has increased by 300% since 1990, boosting, it is alleged, the risk of miscarriages of justice. Continue reading... |
| US commander not confident North Korea will refrain from nuclear assault Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:17 AM PDT Adm Harry Harris sounded dire notes before a congressional panel on Wednesday, but did not outline any timeline for additional military steps The US admiral in charge of a potential conflict with North Korea has said his goal is to bring Kim Jong-un "to his senses, not to his knees", as the Trump administration signaled it intends to use economic and diplomatic pressure to denuclearize the peninsula. Tensions between the US and North Korea are white-hot ahead of an anticipated sixth nuclear test from Pyongyang and its accelerating long-range missile development. Continue reading... |
| Mexican bank intervenes after woman, 116, deemed 'too old' for card Posted: 26 Apr 2017 03:13 PM PDT Maria Félix went three months without the card she needed to collect welfare payment, but had cheque delivered in person when situation was uncovered Born at the turn of the past century, Maria Félix is old enough to remember the Mexican Revolution – but too old to get the bank card needed to collect her monthly 1,200 pesos ($63) welfare payment. Félix turns 117 in July, according to her birth certificate, which local authorities recognise as authentic. That would put her in the ranks of the world's oldest living people. She went three months without state support for poor elderly Mexicans after she was turned away from a branch of Citibanamex in the city of Guadalajara for being too old, said Miguel Castro, development secretary for the state of Jalisco. Welfare beneficiaries now need individual bank accounts because of new transparency rules, Castro said. Continue reading... |
| Assad forces carried out sarin attack, says French intelligence Posted: 26 Apr 2017 06:14 AM PDT French foreign minister says method of 4 April chemical attack bore 'signature of the regime' and points to Syrian responsibility French intelligence has identified the chemical "signature" of the Syrian government at the site of a nerve agent attack this month, indicating that the sarin used in the bombing came from Bashar al-Assad's stockpiles. Samples from the scene of the attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun, contained chemical compounds that were a hallmark of Assad's sarin manufacturing process and matched samples collected from the site of a prior attack by government forces, a declassified intelligence report says. Continue reading... |
| Orbán on offensive after EU takes legal action over Soros university Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:29 AM PDT PM in truculent mood as he rejects claims Hungary's education laws designed to close institution founded by US billionaire Viktor Orbán, Hungary's rightwing prime minister, has come out fighting against legal action launched by the EU because of his treatment of a university founded by George Soros, claiming Brussels was supporting a financial speculator who had destroyed the lives of millions of Europeans. Related: University chief appeals for EU help to fight Hungarian clampdown Continue reading... |
| Guernica massacre: Madrid removes facade that glorified Nazi role Posted: 26 Apr 2017 06:18 AM PDT City council dismantles tomb fascia on 80th anniversary of the most notorious atrocity of the Spanish civil war Eighty years after Nazi bombers devastated the Basque town of Guernica, inspiring Pablo Picasso's famous painting, Madrid city council has removed a last, lingering trace of the most notorious atrocity of the Spanish civil war. The council announced on Wednesday that it had dismantled a mausoleum in La Almudena cemetery where seven pilots of the German Condor legion are buried. Continue reading... |
| Ex-Knights of Malta leader to defy papal order and attend succession meeting Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:47 AM PDT Matthew Festing, who resigned in January, could reignite conflict with Vatican by disobeying direct order from Pope Francis to stay away from meeting The ousted grand master of the Catholic charity Knights of Malta will attend a meeting that could elect his successor, the group has said, in direct defiance of Pope Francis's order for him to stay away. A spokesperson for the Knights said Matthew Festing, who resigned on 24 January, had informed the group that he would come to the meeting this Saturday at its headquarters in Rome. Continue reading... |
| Trump's plan to overturn net neutrality rules to face 'a tsunami of resistance' Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:24 AM PDT FCC chairman Ajit Pai vows to cut rules to enforce an open internet where all traffic is treated equally – but senators and activists warn there will be a fight The Trump administration's plans to overturn open internet protections face "a tsunami of resistance from a grassroots movement of Americans from every walk of life," senators and activists warned on Wednesday. Related: Tim Berners-Lee: selling private citizens' browsing data is 'disgusting' Continue reading... |
| Banned Russian singer to perform in Crimea as Eurovision starts Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:33 AM PDT Yulia Samoilova will give a concert in the annexed territory after Ukraine banned her from competing in the 2017 contest in Kiev The Russian singer banned from this year's Eurovision song contest is to give a concert in annexed Crimea on the same day the music tournament starts in Kiev. Ukrainian authorities banned Yulia Samoilova from entering the country because she had travelled to Crimea without receiving permission from the Ukrainian government. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a move that has not been recognised internationally. Thousands of Russians travel to Crimea via Moscow each month, but to do so is a violation of Ukrainian law and carries a three-year ban. Continue reading... |
| European parliaments 'could get vote on transitional Brexit deal' Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:20 AM PDT German Bundestag analysis says interim agreement between divorce and final trade deal may need approval of 38 parliaments European parliaments could be given a vote on a transitional Brexit deal, according to analysis by the German Bundestag that could complicate Theresa May's hopes of avoiding massive disruption when Britain leaves the EU. It has long been known that a complex final trade deal between Britain and the EU would need the assent of parliaments across the union. But it had been assumed that a transitional arrangement would form part of the initial divorce deal, requiring only majority agreement among the bloc's 27 governments acting in the European council. Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama to be paid $400,000 for speech at Cantor Fitzgerald event Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:28 AM PDT Former US president criticised over role at Wall Street firm's conference after he previously vowed crackdown on 'fat cats' Barack Obama is to be paid $400,000 (£312,000) to speak at a healthcare conference organised by the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald, despite his criticism of the finance sector when he was US president. The fee is nearly double that received by Hillary Clinton, who had hoped to succeed him as president, for speeches at Goldman Sachs and indicates the scale of the potential earnings of the former US president. Continue reading... |
| Indian film board clears Lipstick Under My Burkha for release Posted: 26 Apr 2017 07:32 AM PDT Tribunal overturns decision to ban 'lady-oriented' film exploring women's sexuality – though length of sex scenes must be cut An award-winning Hindi film that was blocked by India's film censor for being too "lady-oriented" has been cleared for release by an appeals tribunal. Lipstick Under My Burkha, a drama that explores the sexual awakenings and personal struggles of four small-town Indian women, was initially denied classification in January, a decision the film's director, Alankrita Shrivastava, described as "an assault on women's rights". Continue reading... |
| Twitter revenues decline for first time as advertising falls away Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:56 AM PDT Company reports 8% fall in revenue in first quarter to $548m, but shares rebound as number of users rises Twitter's revenue has fallen for the first time, as advertisers have pulled back from the social media service favoured by Donald Trump, celebrities and journalists. However, the Silicon Valley company, which has never turned a profit, cheered investors by announcing a significant rise in the number of monthly users, to 328 million. Shares in the company, which hit a peak of $69 in 2014, rose by more than 10% to $16.14 on Wednesday as the revenue and user number figures exceeded analysts' expectations. Continue reading... |
| North Korea: Washington and Seoul pledge 'swift punitive measures' Posted: 27 Apr 2017 01:01 AM PDT Senators who attended White House briefing say no military option was presented as US prioritises sanctions and strongarm diplomacy The US has signalled sanctions and diplomatic pressure are its priorities for dealing with North Korea as senators who attended a White House briefing said they had not been presented with "a specific military option". Tensions between the US and North Korea are already inflamed before an anticipated sixth nuclear test from Pyongyang, which has accelerated its long-range missile development programme. Continue reading... |
| Massive Damascus airport blast 'consistent with Israeli policy' Posted: 27 Apr 2017 12:35 AM PDT Israeli minister suggests explosion in Syria that set off large fires was strike to prevent transfer of weapons to Hezbollah The Israeli intelligence minister, Yisrael Katz, said a massive explosion near Damascus airport on Thursday was consistent with his country's policy to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have hit the airport and other bases around the Syrian capital in the past, targeting what it said were weapons stockpiles belong to the Syrian government and Iran-allied group. Continue reading... |
| French tourist survives rare shark attack in New Zealand Posted: 27 Apr 2017 12:24 AM PDT Tourist survives, suffering only moderate injuries, after rare attack at Curio Bay in the South Island A French tourist survived a rare shark attack in New Zealand on Thursday, suffering only moderate injuries, rescuers and locals said. The woman, aged in her 20s, was bodyboarding in the afternoon at Curio Bay in the South Island when the shark attacked her leg, St John Ambulance said. Continue reading... |
| 'Screen fatigue' sees UK ebook sales plunge 17% as readers return to print Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:56 PM PDT Consumer sales down to £204m last year and are at lowest level since 2011 – when Amazon Kindle sales first took off in UK Britons are abandoning the ebook at an alarming rate with sales of consumer titles down almost a fifth last year, as "screen fatigue" helped fuel a five-year high in printed book sales. Sales of consumer ebooks plunged 17% to £204m last year, the lowest level since 2011 – the year the ebook craze took off as Jeff Bezos' market-dominating Amazon Kindle took the UK by storm. |
| Even Trump's Twitter binges aren't enough to make it worth $11bn | Nils Pratley Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:30 PM PDT Twitter chief says he is proud daily usage is rising, but revenues just fell and profits are nowhere to be seen As Jack Dorsey, the Twitter chief executive, said he was "proud to report" a 14% increase in daily usage of the social media service, the shares moved higher. It's hard to understand why. Quarterly revenues fell by 8% to $548m (£427m), the first time they have dropped since Twitter became a public company in 2013. Meanwhile, profits are nowhere to be seen. In the first quarter, the company lost $62m, an $18m improvement on a year ago, thanks to cost cutting, but hardly justification for a stock market value of $11bn – less than it was, yet still substantial. "While we continue to face revenue headwinds, we believe that executing on our plan and growing our audience should result in positive revenue growth over the long term," Dorsey said. The plan is probably the only one worth backing: get the audience up and hope revenues follow. But the current breakdown in the relationship between audience and revenues suggests Twitter's clout with advertisers is fading fast. Continue reading... |
| AA boss shortlisted for Wolfson Economics prize for UK roads plan Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:01 PM PDT Edmund King hoping his 'road miles' allowance idea will win £250,000 award, which sought ideas from around the world on improving roads A proposal from the boss of the AA for drivers to receive an annual "road miles" allowance is among the ideas shortlisted for a £250,000 competition to find new ways of funding the UK road network. Edmund King, the president of the motoring organisation, has appeared on a shortlist of five entries to win the Wolfson Economics prize, this year awarded for ideas on how to fund better, more reliable roads. Continue reading... |
| 'I am a criminal. What is my crime?': the human toll of abortion in Afghanistan Posted: 26 Apr 2017 07:52 AM PDT When Maryam had an abortion, her husband beat and humiliated her. Her story is not unusual in Afghanistan, yet illegal, unsafe terminations are on the rise As a newlywed, Maryam's husband promised to let her finish her university degree. Then she got pregnant, and everything changed. "For a week, I was in shock. If my husband's family knew I was pregnant, they would never let me finish university," Maryam said. Continue reading... |
| Yorkshire village sold one year after it went on the market for £20m Posted: 26 Apr 2017 04:35 PM PDT West Heslerton Estate – a hamlet near Scarborough including a mansion, 43 houses, a pub and farmland – sold to Norfolk-based firm Albanwise Ltd An entire English village has been bought one year after it went on the market for £20m. Albanwise Ltd, a Norfolk-based real estate and farming investment firm, said on Wednesday it had purchased West Heslerton Estate near Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Continue reading... |
| Why the French left can only recover under a President Macron | Philippe Marlière Posted: 27 Apr 2017 01:00 AM PDT With no solid constituency and no real popularity, Emmanuel Macron can be opposed if he wins power. The same cannot be said of Marine Le Pen The presidential run-off between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen poses a dilemma for many French progressive voters: the former is seen as one of the main architects of François Hollande's most unpopular pro-market and antisocial policies, such as the labour law reforms, which dismantled vital workers' rights. If elected, Macron promises a hardened version of those reforms which have destroyed the Socialist party. Le Pen, no less neoliberal than her opponent (she has a similar socio-economic platform to Donald Trump's), proposes an authoritarian regime in which the old obsessions of French fascism could thrive: bashing Muslims, anti-immigration, as well as curbing civil liberties. Between two evils, which one should the left choose? The answer seems deceivingly straightforward: how could a left-winger choose the Front National? But Macron's arrogance and incompetence are not helpful. On Tuesday, he went on television to request no less than a "vote of adhesion" against Le Pen. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2017 01:39 AM PDT Follow all the day's campaign action, as Greens and Lib Dems get tactical in Brighton, and Johnson calls Labour leader 'mutton-headed mugwump'
The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg points out that Boris Johnson has said before that, if the US were to ask the UK to join air strikes against the Assad regime in Syria, it would be hard for the UK to say no. But he said it in the Commons on the the general election was called, which meant that we all missed it. Johnson told Commons earlier this month 'it would be v difficult to say no' to US with air strikes if asked but impt in election context Johnson told MPs it'd be 'v difficult' to say no on April 18th - day election was called, so fair to say not many people paid much attention
Johnson defends the Vote Leave claim that leaving the EU would save £350m a week. He still supports the figure. "Of course it's right," he says. Q: Of all the people you have met as foreign secretary, who has impressed you most. Continue reading... |
| 'It's a war on Christians': Egypt's beleaguered Copts in sombre mood before papal visit Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:00 PM PDT Pope Francis heads to Cairo for peace mission after spate of church bombings, as Isis proclaims Christians its 'favourite prey' Rami Yasser Labib was at home when he heard gunshots in the street. His friend Wael Youssef, the owner of the downstairs grocery store, had been targeted by Islamic State militants. "Three bullets killed him in front of his wife and son in the street," Labib said. Youssef was the first victim of a string of attacks on Coptic Christians by Isis this year in the northern Sinai coastal city of Arish. The attacks have prompted hundreds of people to leave in search of safety. Labib fled his home of 16 years in fear, taking "only the clothes I was wearing and nothing more". Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump to stick with Nafta free trade pact – for now Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:51 PM PDT The White House says the president will 'renegotiate' the controversial deal with Canada and Mexico The White House has announced that the United States will not unilaterally withdraw from Nafta, the landmark free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, after multiple reports that Donald Trump was planning to pull out of the deal. |
| Locking up children shouldn't be last resort, NT minister suggested – despite not believing it Posted: 27 Apr 2017 01:31 AM PDT John Elferink proposed law change in list of 'tough-on-crime' measures he hoped could help his chief minister win election The former Northern Territory minister John Elferink suggested changing legislation so the detention of children was no longer a last resort, despite believing the exact opposite should be the case, to help his chief minister win an election, the royal commission has heard. Under questioning on Thursday Elferink told the inquiry a "tough-on-crime" approach by government was "electorally attractive" but there was no evidence that heavy sentencing did anything to reduce youth crime and youth recidivism. Continue reading... |
| Thai mother saw daughter being killed on Facebook Live Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:49 PM PDT Jiranuch Trirat stumbled across the footage of her 11-month-old child being killed by her boyfriend The distraught Thai mother of a baby girl killed by her boyfriend in a murder he broadcast on Facebook Live has described the harrowing moment she stumbled across the video and rushed to alert police. The killing on Monday caused revulsion in Thailand and around the world, sparking renewed debate about what can be done by social media companies to more quickly remove live broadcasts of violent crimes, suicides and murders. Continue reading... |
| Women at war: building Roosevelt's 'Arsenal of Democracy' – in pictures Posted: 26 Apr 2017 11:00 PM PDT Photographs by Alfred T Palmer reveal the critical role played by American women in constructing aircraft during the second world war Continue reading... |
| New arrests in Hong Kong as police hold nine democracy activists Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:10 PM PDT Morning raids come a day after two disqualified pro-independence lawmakers were charged amid growing signs of crackdown Hong Kong police have arrested at least nine democracy activists in connection with anti-government protest last year, the latest in a series of politically motivated prosecutions that critics say are designed to eliminate opposition. The arrests on Thursday come just one day after two disqualified pro-independence lawmakers were charged, months after the pair stormed the legislature amid a saga over a dramatic anti-China protest during their swearing-in ceremony. Continue reading... |
| Thursday briefing: Kim could do it, warns US top brass Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:57 PM PDT Threat of nuclear strike by North Korea underlined … Donald Trump's tax cuts for the rich and big business … and here come the sex robots Good morning, it's Warren Murray bringing you the biggest and best stories. Continue reading... |
| The war babies: no definite information obtainable – archive, 27 April 1915 Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:00 PM PDT 27 April 1915: With the establishment of military camps all over the country, a very large proportion of illegitimate children must be the children of soldiers Dr. Barbara Tchaikovsky, who has for weeks been trying to secure definite information as to the approximate number of illegitimate births likely to occur owing to the establishment of military camps all over the country, told a representative of the "Manchester Guardian" that it was practically impossible to form any estimate. She hears that in one county town the authorities have taken a house to establish a maternity home; that in two or three others the guardians are building additional wings to the workhouse expressly for these mothers, and that a woman patrol in a south coast town quotes 400 as the number of prospective mothers. The reply from Birmingham is that there is no information. Her informant in Glasgow writes "Big figures are quoted, though there is no definite information, but no one can doubt that soldiers' children are to be numerous." Mr. W. Astor, M.P. for Plymouth, which has been quoted as a centre of the trouble, wrote that "while one hears of many cases it is impossible to obtain figures." "I am told," wrote a Scotswoman, "that in Scottish town with a population of 9,000 there are 200 cases, but this can hardly be believed." Continue reading... |
| Ancient city of Hatra recaptured from Isis, Iraqi forces say – video Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:15 PM PDT Iraqi paramilitary troops announced on Wednesday that they had retaken the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra from Islamic State. The Unesco world heritage site is believed to have been destroyed by the terror group Continue reading... |
| Turkey arrests 1,000 and suspends 9,100 police in new crackdown Posted: 26 Apr 2017 06:09 PM PDT One week after Erdoğan's narrow referendum victory, alleged supporters of US-based preacher are rounded up Turkey has detained more than 1,000 people and suspended over 9,100 police in a new crackdown against alleged supporters of the US-based preacher accused of orchestrating the coup bid against president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dawn raids across the country – seeking more than 3,000 suspects – were followed by a statement from police that 9,103 police officers were being suspended on suspicion of links to Fethullah Gulen. Continue reading... |
| Doctors treating world's heaviest woman resign over claims they lied about her weight loss Posted: 26 Apr 2017 06:00 PM PDT Eman Ahmed's family accuse staff in India of lying about extent of her weight loss and say she has been 'destroyed' by treatment Pioneering lap-band surgery on the world's heaviest woman in Mumbai has turned nasty. The operation was a success – but most of the doctors treating the woman have resigned after her family accused them of lying about her weight loss and ignoring a possible stroke. Eman Ahmed's family say the 36-year-old, from Alexandria in Egypt, was born weighing 5kg (11lbs) and has lymphedema, a condition that causes body tissue to swell. She had a stroke aged 11 and has been unable to leave the house in 25 years. Continue reading... |
| Trekker found after surviving 47 days lost in Himalayas Posted: 26 Apr 2017 05:22 PM PDT Liang Sheng-yueh, 21, from Taiwan was trapped in a remote Nepal valley with his girlfriend but she died three days before rescuers found them Two Taiwanese trekkers who went missing in a remote area of Nepal seven weeks ago have been found – but only one survived the ordeal. Liu Chen-chun, 19, died just three days before the rescue team located the couple in the Dhading region of central Nepal, but her boyfriend managed to survive despite running out of food. Continue reading... |
| Turkish forces clash with Kurdish militia one day after deadly airstrikes Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:11 PM PDT
Clashes have erupted between Turkish border guards and Kurdish militiamen, a day after a series of airstrikes ordered by Ankara threatened to escalate a protracted conflict along its southern border with Syria. A war monitor and a spokeswoman for the Kurdish paramilitary forces confirmed the exchange of fire, which occurred near the town of Darbasiyeh in Syria's north-east. There were no conclusive immediate reports of casualties. Continue reading... |
| Florida man accused of fighting for Isis in Syria could face prosecution in US Posted: 26 Apr 2017 01:29 PM PDT Family of Kary Kleman, who was detained by Turkish border police, deny he had joined terrorist group, saying he 'has a good heart' and went to help Syrians When Kary Kleman decided in 2015 to move his family from their home in Dubai to war-torn Syria, he assured relatives back in the US that he had only good intentions. Related: Isis faces exodus of foreign fighters as its 'caliphate' crumbles Continue reading... |
| Militants kill 10 Iranian border guards in attack on frontier with Pakistan Posted: 26 Apr 2017 12:34 PM PDT Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl claims responsibility for killing of guards in Sistan-Baluchestan province Ten Iranian border guards have been killed by Sunni militants in a cross-border attack on the frontier with Pakistan, according to the Tasnim news agency. The militant group Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice, claimed responsibility, the report said. Continue reading... |
| Stefan Aristidou: the 'missing' Londoner who resurfaced in Turkey Posted: 26 Apr 2017 10:41 AM PDT Aristidou, from Enfield, has been picked up near Syrian border two years after vanishing from Cyprus Stefan Aristidou landed at Larnaca airport, on the south-east coast of Cyprus, on 5 April 2015. Seven days later he went missing. Back in the UK, his family heard nothing from him for two years, despite issuing desperate appeals through missing persons charities and on social media. Continue reading... |
| Kendrick Lamar v Pope Francis – the importance of being humble Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:30 AM PDT The rapper and the pontiff have been singing from the same hymn sheet lately: egos are out and humility is in. But who is best at practising what they preach? Humility, apparently, is the new megalomania. Maybe it's the effect of Kanye West blethering on about being a genius, but it's no longer cool to be half-crazed by your perceived brilliance. You have to be polite, deferential and, crucially, not a dick. The poster boy of this new anti-braggadocio is Kendrick Lamar, who, ironically, has less reason to display humility than most, seeing as he is arguably the best mainstream artist in hip-hop; one reviewer even compared him to Mahatma Gandhi. Interestingly, someone else who has been stressing the importance of being humble this week is Francis, the 266th pope. So, who has the greatest claim to the title of king of humility? Let's find out! Continue reading... |
| Mélenchon's team urge 'not one vote for Le Pen' but stop short of backing Macron Posted: 26 Apr 2017 09:15 AM PDT Defeated hard-left candidate will consult with supporters on whether they should abstain, cast a blank vote or vote for Macron on 7 May Jean-Luc Mélenchon's election team has urged his supporters not to cast a single vote for the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen in the final runoff in two weeks' time. The hard-left firebrand, however, stopped short of joining the "anti-Le Pen bloc" and supporting a vote for the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:06 AM PDT My mother, Jacqueline Woodfill, who has died aged 94, worked with the Bletchley Park codebreakers during the second world war before marrying and moving to the US, where she raised her family. She was born in Brockham, Surrey, to John Iselin, a barrister of Swiss descent from a noted Basel family, and his wife, Marian (nee Hewitt), whose father had been a wealthy London merchant. Despite these apparently illustrious forebears, the family was relatively poor by 1940, the year in which both Jacqueline's parents died. In the same year, she became the first pupil from Dorking county school to go to Oxford, winning a scholarship to study English at Somerville College, where her tutor was Mary Lascelles. Continue reading... |
| Standoff between indigenous protests and police in Brasilia – in pictures Posted: 26 Apr 2017 05:44 AM PDT About 2,000 people from various indigenous groups gathered in the Brazilian capital to demand the demarcation of their land in a protest that led to confrontations with the security forces in front of congress Continue reading... |
| 'Death of the French left': why voters are hesitating over Macron Posted: 26 Apr 2017 05:10 AM PDT We asked readers who backed left-leaning candidates how they'll vote in the second round of the French presidential election Emmanuel Macron is widely expected to beat Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential election. Political figures from the mainstream left and right have rallied behind him in order to block the far-right Front National candidate, who they warn is a danger to French democracy. But the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who won 19% of the first-round vote, has not taken a firm position or directed his followers which way to vote. What they decide to do will be crucial to the final tally for Macron, a pro-business economic liberal. Continue reading... |
| May Day to have immigrant tilt as workers plan to protest against Trump Posted: 26 Apr 2017 04:00 AM PDT Days after Trump's 100th day in office, immigration, labor, racial justice, LGBT and gender equality groups will demonstrate against his policies and rhetoric Hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their allies will be marching on the streets and striking on May Day for the annual workers' protest. The march is expected to be the largest in years because of the activist energy galvanized by Donald Trump. A coalition of immigration, labor, racial justice, gender equality and LGBT groups have come together for the May Day protests, which are traditionally led by unions and other labor groups. Continue reading... |
| Briton killed in drone strike on Isis 'posed serious threat to UK' Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:01 AM PDT Long-awaited report into attack finds Reyaad Khan was prolific Isis recruiter but MP criticises lack of access to decision-making process Reyaad Khan, a British member of Islamic State killed in an RAF drone strike in Syria, posed a "very serious threat to the UK", according to a long-delayed parliamentary committee report. But the chairman of the intelligence committee, Dominic Grieve QC, expressed "profound" disappointment at the lack of access to ministerial decision-making material and to other primary evidence that made it impossible to conduct a complete investigation. Continue reading... |
| MPs call on Priti Patel to increase UK aid spending on 'global learning crisis' Posted: 26 Apr 2017 04:01 PM PDT Parliamentary committee takes aim at 'shameful neglect' of schoolchildren in poor countries as development secretary is urged to devote more funding MPs have urged Priti Patel to spend more of the overseas aid budget on education, in order to tackle a "global learning crisis". There has been a "clear decline" in foreign aid spending on education since 2011, lagging behind the outlay on health disaster, government and civil society, the international development committee said. At the culmination of a nine-month inquiry, the committee called on the UK to raise the amount of foreign aid spent on education by 2%. Continue reading... |
| Trump's tax plan wins the news cycle – but will he lose the messaging war? Posted: 26 Apr 2017 02:34 PM PDT Headlines of 'biggest tax cut ever' obfuscate a plan light on specifics on how to pay for it and that, like healthcare reform before it, is already meeting stiff opposition in Congress "Somebody put out the concept of a hundred-day plan," Donald Trump said last week. That somebody was Donald Trump, who set out a "contract with the American voter" for his first 100 days in office during a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, last October. Despite playing it down, the president is now in a headlong rush to rack up achievements before Saturday's milestone. The frenzy continued on Wednesday with what the White House described as the most significant tax reform since Ronald Reagan in 1986 and one of the biggest tax cuts in history for both individuals and corporations. Continue reading... |
| Voodoo Reaganomics won't save Trump on the Hill | Larry Elliot Posted: 26 Apr 2017 08:33 AM PDT President's plan to slash corporation tax may have short-term benefits but Congress will want to know how he intends to make up lost revenue Donald Trump's corporation tax cut is straight out of the Ronald Reagan playbook. According to the current occupant of the White House, the reduction from 35% to 15% will pay for itself because US companies will invest more. The argument is that higher levels of investment will raise the growth rate and, in turn, raise corporate profits. Consequently, the tax take will be no different at 15% than it was at 35%. Continue reading... |
| Hollywood's homeless Superman: 'I was put in my own living hell' – video Posted: 27 Apr 2017 01:00 AM PDT Superhero impersonators Tyler Watts and Christopher Dennis struggle with homelessness as they ply their trade along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, earning money by posing for pictures with tourists. Character work can be tough work, but many say it's the only thing keeping them going Continue reading... |
| Trump administration announces 'once in a generation' tax reforms – video Posted: 26 Apr 2017 03:35 PM PDT Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, told reporters on Wednesday that the Trump administration intends to cut taxes, citing economic growth and job creation as its aims Continue reading... |
| US commander not confident North Korea will refrain from nuclear assault – video Posted: 26 Apr 2017 12:58 PM PDT Adm Harry Harris, the commander of US Pacific Command tells a congressional panel that he does not have confidence in North Korea not using nuclear weapons once they have the capability to do so Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump's first 100 days in office in four minutes – video Posted: 26 Apr 2017 06:28 AM PDT The US president's first 100 days in office have seen a flurry of executive orders, tweets, leaks and military attacks in the Middle East. But his domestic agenda has been thwarted at every turn, with healthcare plans, travel bans and the Mexican wall ensnared by other branches of government Continue reading... |
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