World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Trump fires FBI director Comey, raising questions over Russia investigation
- Marine Le Pen's niece abandons politics after Front National's heavy defeat
- Project to map human brain from womb to birth releases stunning images
- 'They have gas; we have excrement': Venezuela protests take a dirty turn
- Nearly 250 refugees dead or missing after shipwrecks off Libyan coast
- Michael Flynn kept security clearance after warning of Russia blackmail risk
- German soldiers 'wanted to pose as asylum seekers in planned terror plot'
- Chelsea Manning envisions life after prison: 'I can see a future for myself'
- US to arm Kurdish fighters against Isis in Raqqa, despite Turkish opposition
- Irish police halt prosecution of Stephen Fry for blasphemy
- Trump claims Obamacare 'essentially dead' after House vote. What's next?
- Venezuela's infant mortality, maternal mortality and malaria cases soar
- New York Times offers 'Brexit means Brexit' guided tour of London
- Mexico fireworks explosion kills 14 in second incident in months
- South Korea set to change policy on North as liberal wins election
- New luxury mall in socialist Cuba pits state consumerism against the poor
- New haul of Homo naledi bones sheds surprising light on human evolution
- Yorkshire abbey that is 'world’s first eco-friendly nunnery' – in pictures
- New South Korea leader Moon Jae-in willing to meet Kim in North
- UK pay rise outlook is among gloomiest in OECD, says TUC
- Whitbread's Alison Brittain named Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of year
- Australian budget 2017: Tony Abbott says he gave Morrison the applause 'he deserved' – as it happened
- James Comey fired: calls for special prosecutor after Trump sacks FBI director – updates
- In limbo in Melilla: the young refugees trapped in Spain's African enclave
- The new view from above: drone photography captures city symmetry – in pictures
- Girl, 11, dies after falling from Drayton Manor theme park ride
- Where the Line Is Drawn review – can a friendship survive the occupation of Palestine?
- 10 selfish reasons to save elephants
- Guantánamo prisoner to testify about CIA torture ahead of 9/11 trial
- Coalition accused of letting infrastructure spending 'fall off a cliff' in budget
- 'Emaciated, unrecognisable': China releases human rights lawyer from custody
- Wednesday briefing: Trump, feeling FBI heat, fires its boss
- An Indonesian court has opened the door to fear and religious extremism | Andreas Harsono
- Britain's first female second world war spy to get overdue recognition
- British jihadi Aine Davis convicted in Turkey on terror charges
- Victory Day in Russia and former Soviet republics - in pictures
- Turkey's president raises tensions with criticism of Israel
- Syria safe zones on hold amid concern over how deal will be enforced
- Ahok supporters cry as court jails Jakarta governor – video
- 'Amazing joy' as Chibok schoolgirl is reunited with family in Nigeria
- UK aid paid for military band to play at Queen’s birthday event in ‘toxic’ Bahrain
- 'You are terminated.' The three letters that ended James Comey's career
- 'Terrifying, Nixonian': Comey's firing takes democracy to dark new territory
- How Comey became tangled in the US election – and why it led to his downfall
- 'It took guts': how Trump once praised James Comey – video
- 'Why now?' Chuck Schumer on James Comey's dismissal – video
- Democrats: Trump firing Comey could raise 'grave constitutional issues' – video
- Spicer calls Sally Yates a 'political opponent' of Trump administration – video
- Barack Obama: 'You get the politicians you deserve' – video
| Trump fires FBI director Comey, raising questions over Russia investigation Posted: 09 May 2017 11:41 PM PDT US president cites Comey's handling of Clinton email investigation, as 'Nixonian' move condemned by Democrats and civil society groups Donald Trump has fired James Comey as FBI director in a move that has raised concerns over the independence of the bureau's investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia in the run-up to last year's US presidential election. The president cited Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation as the reason behind his decision, but Democrats were quick to cry foul, and there were vociferous demands for a special prosecutor to be appointed to oversee the Russia inquiry. One Senate Democrat described the move as "Nixonian". Continue reading... |
| Marine Le Pen's niece abandons politics after Front National's heavy defeat Posted: 09 May 2017 10:37 AM PDT Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, one of FN's two MPs, will not stand for re-election, as ex-PM Manuel Valls seeks candidacy with Macron's En Marche Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the niece of Front National leader Marine Le Pen and one of the far-right party's only two MPs, is abandoning politics after her aunt's heavy defeat to centrist Emmanuel Macron in Sunday's French presidential run-off. In a letter to her local paper to be published in full on Wednesday, the 27-year-old, a hugely popular figure with activists, said she would not be standing for re-election in next month's general election, exposing deep divisions in the party. Continue reading... |
| Project to map human brain from womb to birth releases stunning images Posted: 09 May 2017 04:15 PM PDT Scientists hope to understand how conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorders arise using thousands images of brain's wiring A landmark project to map the wiring of the human brain from womb to birth has released thousands of images that will help scientists unravel how conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorders arise in the brain. The first tranche of images come from 40 newborn babies who were scanned in their sleep to produce stunning high-resolution pictures of early brain anatomy and the intricate neural wiring that ferries some of the earliest signals around the organ. |
| 'They have gas; we have excrement': Venezuela protests take a dirty turn Posted: 09 May 2017 04:28 PM PDT Opponents of unpopular president Nicolás Maduro plan on using a new tactic dubbed the 'poopootov' cocktail to ward off security forces Venezuela's opposition protests on Wednesday may be the messiest in a six-week wave of unrest as demonstrators prepare to throw feces at security forces, adding to the customary rocks, petrol bombs and tear gas. The new tactic has been dubbed the "poopootov" in a play on the Molotov cocktail often seen at streets protests in Venezuela. Continue reading... |
| Nearly 250 refugees dead or missing after shipwrecks off Libyan coast Posted: 09 May 2017 09:59 AM PDT Authorities raise alarm at increased risks of Mediterranean voyages, as people smugglers crowd refugees on to vessels meant for far fewer people The final toll of dead and missing from two refugee shipwrecks off Libya at the weekend has risen to 245, the United Nations high commission for refugees (UNHCR) has said. Tuesday's revised estimate is partly based on horrific accounts from hospitalised survivors, and raises the death toll in the two incidents by about 50 people. Continue reading... |
| Michael Flynn kept security clearance after warning of Russia blackmail risk Posted: 09 May 2017 01:24 PM PDT White House took no steps to limit the former national security adviser's access to classified information after being told of potential compromise by Russia The White House took no steps to limit former national security adviser Mike Flynn's access to classified information after being informed that Flynn was potentially compromised by Russia, Sean Spicer said on Tuesday. The White House press secretary insisted that Flynn – who was fired in February for misleading vice-president Mike Pence about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak – was only sacked for that reason and that no actions were taken to limit Flynn's access to classified information before that. He also pushed back on the congressional testimony of former acting attorney general Sally Yates, who told the Senate judiciary sub-committee on Monday that she had warned the White House about Flynn in two separate face-to-face meetings in late January. Continue reading... |
| German soldiers 'wanted to pose as asylum seekers in planned terror plot' Posted: 09 May 2017 02:29 PM PDT Three suspects wanted to carry out attack 'out of a rightwing extremist conviction' that would have implicated asylum seekers, prosecutors say German police have detained a second soldier suspected of involvement in a plan by an army officer and a student to carry out an attack, possibly on politicians who do not oppose immigration, the federal public prosecutor said. Prosecutors believe the three suspects wanted to implicate asylum seekers in their planned attack, in a case that has shocked Germans and stirred a debate about the depth of rightwing radicalism in the country's military. Continue reading... |
| Chelsea Manning envisions life after prison: 'I can see a future for myself' Posted: 09 May 2017 01:24 PM PDT The army whistleblower, who is set for release 17 May after seven years, thanked supporters in statement and looked forward to living as a transgender woman Chelsea Manning, the army private who released a vast trove of US state secrets to WikiLeaks, has issued an emotive statement eight days before her release from military prison thanking her supporters and rejoicing that she can at last see a future for herself as a transgender woman. Related: Chelsea Manning: to those who kept me alive all these years, thank you | Chelsea E Manning Continue reading... |
| US to arm Kurdish fighters against Isis in Raqqa, despite Turkish opposition Posted: 09 May 2017 02:28 PM PDT The US considers the Kurdish-led forces a critical battlefield partner in Syria, but Nato ally Turkey calls them a terrorist group The Trump administration has announced it will arm Syria's Kurdish fighters "as necessary" to recapture the key Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, despite intense opposition from Nato ally Turkey, which sees the Kurds as terrorists. The decision is meant to accelerate the Raqqa operation but undermines the Turkish government's view that the Syrian Kurdish group known as the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) is an extension of a terrorist organization that operates in Turkey. Washington is eager to retake Raqqa, arguing that it is a haven for Isis operatives to plan attacks on the west. Continue reading... |
| Irish police halt prosecution of Stephen Fry for blasphemy Posted: 09 May 2017 12:43 PM PDT Police could not find enough people outraged at actor's anti-God remarks on TV after only one viewer complained Irish police have halted a prosecution against Stephen Fry for blasphemy because the Garda Síochána could not find enough people to be outraged over the actor's anti-God remarks on Irish TV. Only one viewer made a formal complaint against Fry over comments he made on a programme with Irish broadcasting legend Gay Byrne back in 2015. Continue reading... |
| Trump claims Obamacare 'essentially dead' after House vote. What's next? Posted: 09 May 2017 10:23 AM PDT Republican healthcare plan still faces legislative hurdles and public opposition as Senate plans to perform major surgery to original bill with no set deadline Donald Trump was in a jubilant mood last week after House Republicans passed a bill to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. He invited House Republicans to the White House to celebrate the achievement with pomp typically reserved for actually passing landmark legislation – not simply sending a bill from one chamber to the other – and declared Obamacare "essentially dead". But it's not quite dead yet. Republicans' seven-year crusade to repeal the Affordable Care Act still has faces several legislative hurdles and growing public opposition before it becomes law. Here's a look at what comes next. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela's infant mortality, maternal mortality and malaria cases soar Posted: 09 May 2017 12:11 PM PDT Country's economic crisis takes heavy toll on public health, with infant death rate up 30%, maternal mortality up 65%, and malaria cases up 76% in 2016 Venezuela's infant mortality rose 30% last year, maternal mortality shot up 65% and cases of malaria jumped 76%, according to government data, sharp increases reflecting how the country's deep economic crisis has hammered at citizens' health. The statistics, issued on an official website after nearly two years of data silence from President Nicolás Maduro's leftist government, also showed a jump in illnesses such as diphtheria and Zika. It was not immediately clear when the ministry had posted the data, although local media reported on the statistics on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| New York Times offers 'Brexit means Brexit' guided tour of London Posted: 09 May 2017 06:21 AM PDT Six-day, $5,995 per person trip gives US tourists the chance to 'examine the historic implications of a historic vote' For the global adventurer who thinks they have seen it all, the New York Times has discovered a challenging new frontier: British politics. At $5,995 (£4,650) per person, the six-day guided tour called "Brexit means Brexit" is not for the mass market, but offers select groups of American tourists the chance to "examine the historic implications of a historic vote". Continue reading... |
| Mexico fireworks explosion kills 14 in second incident in months Posted: 09 May 2017 09:51 AM PDT Blast also wounds 22, with as many as 11 of the fatalities said to be minors, after explosion in December killed 42 and injured 70 An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Mexico has killed at least 14 people, all but three of them children, in a poor Mexican village as it celebrated a religious festival. Related: 'Everything was destroyed': Mexico reels after fireworks market explosion Continue reading... |
| South Korea set to change policy on North as liberal wins election Posted: 09 May 2017 07:04 AM PDT Moon Jae-in has won presidential election comfortably after predecessor ousted in corruption scandal Moon Jae-in, a left-leaning liberal who favours engagement with North Korea, has won South Korea's presidential election, raising hopes of a potential rapprochement with Pyongyang. The former human rights lawyer won 41.4% of the vote, according to an exit poll cited by the Yonhap news agency, placing him comfortably ahead of his nearest rivals, the centrist software entrepreneur Ahn Cheol-soo and the conservative hardliner Hong Joon-pyo, both of whom have conceded defeat. Continue reading... |
| New luxury mall in socialist Cuba pits state consumerism against the poor Posted: 09 May 2017 08:16 AM PDT Military's business arm has transformed Manzana de Gomez mall into an opulent spectacle that both fascinates and alienates Cubans: 'I can't buy anything' The saleswomen in L'Occitane en Provence's new Havana store make $12.50 a month. The acacia eau de toilette they sell costs $95.20 a bottle. Rejuvenating face cream is $162.40 an ounce. Related: Cuba for sale: 'Havana is now the big cake – and everyone is trying to get a slice' Continue reading... |
| New haul of Homo naledi bones sheds surprising light on human evolution Posted: 09 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT Early human relative lived at same time as Homo sapiens and could have made stone tools, scientists suggest
In work published on Tuesday in the journal eLife, the team reveals how high that pile has become. They now have the remnants of at least 18 Homo naledi, as the species is named. The most recent haul of bones, found in a cave chamber 100 metres from the first, includes a nearly complete adult skull. |
| Yorkshire abbey that is 'world’s first eco-friendly nunnery' – in pictures Posted: 10 May 2017 01:15 AM PDT Stanbrook Abbey is located in the North York Moors national park and claims to be the world's first environmentally friendly nunnery. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios at a total cost of £7.5m, it features solar panels, rainwater harvesting and a sedum roof. The nuns relocated from a Grade-II listed church in Worcestershire that had proved to be uneconomical and unmanageable Continue reading... |
| New South Korea leader Moon Jae-in willing to meet Kim in North Posted: 10 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT Former human rights lawyer vows to move quickly to solve national security crisis and bring lasting peace to peninsula South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, has said he would be willing to go to North Korea to meet the country's dictator, Kim Jong-un, if it meant bringing lasting peace to the Korean peninsula. In an early sign of a clean break with the hardline approach of his conservative predecessors, Moon said he was prepared to travel the world to bring about a peaceful resolution to Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programme. Continue reading... |
| UK pay rise outlook is among gloomiest in OECD, says TUC Posted: 10 May 2017 12:48 AM PDT Only Greece, Italy and Austria are forecast to suffer bigger falls in real wages by end of 2018, analysis finds The prospects for pay growth in the UK are among the gloomiest in advanced economies, with only Greece, Italy and Austria forecast to suffer bigger falls in real wages by the end of 2018, according to a TUC analysis. The trades union group said UK real wages – pay adjusted for the effects of inflation – were on course to fall by 0.5% between the start of 2016 and the close of 2018, based on forecasts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Continue reading... |
| Whitbread's Alison Brittain named Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of year Posted: 10 May 2017 12:17 AM PDT Chief executive of Costa Coffee owner says it is important for businesses to set diversity targets The chief executive of Whitbread, Alison Brittain, has said it is important for businesses to set diversity targets, as she scooped the Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year award. "I'm not a great fan of quotas but I am a great fan of targets and there's a subtle difference," said Brittain, who is one of just seven female FTSE 100 chief executives. "For everything we do running a business we set goals and targets ... if you don't measure it there's a sense that it's not important. Setting a target [to improve diversity] is sending a really important signal that the issue is being taken seriously." Continue reading... |
| Posted: 10 May 2017 12:09 AM PDT Scott Morrison addresses the press club, ministers defend drug-testing for those on welfare and taxing banks, zombie measures killed off in lower house. As it happened
I am shuffling off into the night good readers. Don't be at all alarmed treasurer with @mpbowers going all crouching tiger #Budget2017 @gabriellechan #auspol pic.twitter.com/ObUxBqLWRd
Tony Abbott says the government had tried to implement savings prior to the bank tax and again calls for senate reform. He largely sticks to the government line that this budget is the best way forward ... Continue reading... |
| James Comey fired: calls for special prosecutor after Trump sacks FBI director – updates Posted: 09 May 2017 11:58 PM PDT Attorney general recommended the firing of Comey, who has been at the center of numerous political controversies since the 2016 US election
We are going to pause our coverage for a few hours. Here's our full report on Trump's decision to sack Comey. Below is a summary of what we know: Related: Trump fires FBI director Comey over handling of Clinton investigation
The Associated Press has written about what happens now to the FBI's probe into links between Trump's 2016 election campaign and Moscow. President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey throws a cloud of doubt over the bureau's investigation into allegations of Trump campaign ties to Russia. The FBI and three congressional committees have been investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election and possible Trump connections. As head of the FBI, Comey had been leading the complex counterintelligence investigation that has dogged the Trump White House since Inauguration Day. Continue reading... |
| In limbo in Melilla: the young refugees trapped in Spain's African enclave Posted: 09 May 2017 11:30 PM PDT Reinforced fences in this Spanish city in Morocco are designed to shut a notorious gateway to Europe – but have left a fractured and anxious city After finishing the couscous and arroz con leche cooked by a semi-clandestine group of local volunteers, the unaccompanied boys disappear into the night as quickly as they appeared. Minutes earlier, when the locals drove along a coastal road edging the fortified medieval city of Melilla, it was hard to imagine that the peaceful-looking cliffs were home to some 60 youngsters. Most of them had crossed over from neighbouring Morocco as stowaways smuggled under vehicles, and are now stuck in limbo in this tiny enclave of Spain in North Africa until they turn 18. Melilla is one of two Spanish cities in mainland Africa. Like its counterpart Ceuta, it holds a special status as an "autonomous city". They technically function as mini regional governments, but because they aren't large enough to be considered regions on their own, the central government manages most of their services and they don't have legislative power. Continue reading... |
| The new view from above: drone photography captures city symmetry – in pictures Posted: 09 May 2017 04:34 AM PDT Instagrammers around the world are using drone technology to capture breathtaking new perspectives on their cities. We round up some of the best Continue reading... |
| Girl, 11, dies after falling from Drayton Manor theme park ride Posted: 09 May 2017 11:13 PM PDT Eleven-year-old was airlifted to hospital after falling into water on Splash Canyon ride at Tamworth park An 11-year-old girl has died after falling into the water on a ride at a theme park near Birmingham. The girl, from Leicester, was on a school trip to Drayton Manor in Tamworth, near Birmingham, when she fell from the Splash Canyon water ride on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading... |
| Where the Line Is Drawn review – can a friendship survive the occupation of Palestine? Posted: 10 May 2017 01:00 AM PDT The West Bank writer and lawyer Raja Shehadeh documents his troubled relationship with an Israeli with typical grace and power It is difficult not to wonder what kind of a man Raja Shehadeh might have become had he been born nearly anywhere else. Surely, he would have been a writer in almost any incarnation, but what kind of writer? Not everyone gets to choose. Shehadeh was born in Ramallah in 1951, three years after the foundation of the Israeli state forced his parents and many thousands of other Palestinians to abandon their homes in the coastal city of Jaffa and take refuge where they could. As a young man, he sought out other worlds. He travelled to Britain to study law and to an ashram in Pondicherry to "try my hand", he writes in Where the Line Is Drawn, "at a spiritual life". He was soon called home when his mother fell ill. The freedom to invent oneself, he has been forced to learn repeatedly, is a privilege reserved for the fortunate few. Related: Raja Shehadeh: 'Once people experience liberation, it's not easily forgotten' Continue reading... |
| 10 selfish reasons to save elephants Posted: 10 May 2017 12:00 AM PDT Elephants can help humans live longer, healthier, happier lives. Help them, and we help ourselves It sometimes feels as if we are living in the elephant's darkest hour. China may be closing down its domestic ivory trade and the EU getting to grips with smuggling, yet the poachers continue their bloody business. Meanwhile, forests are being destroyed, herds' migration routes are being blocked, and humans and elephants are competing ever more fiercely for land, food and water. So this is a good time to point out that humans have plenty of selfish reasons to make space for elephants. It's not a question of giving them a free lunch: they can pay their own way. Continue reading... |
| Guantánamo prisoner to testify about CIA torture ahead of 9/11 trial Posted: 10 May 2017 12:00 AM PDT Abu Zubaydah expected to testify about conditions at Guantánamo's highest-security camp, ahead of the delayed start of trial of alleged 9/11 masterminds The Guantánamo detainee known as Abu Zubaydah, who was subjected to prolonged torture at CIA black sites, is expected to give testimony for the first time on Wednesday at a pre-trial hearing convened under the military commission system. The hearing is the precursor to a long-delayed military trial at which five Guantánamo prisoners on war crimes charges related to the 9/11 attacks face the death penalty. Continue reading... |
| Coalition accused of letting infrastructure spending 'fall off a cliff' in budget Posted: 10 May 2017 01:02 AM PDT Australian budget figures project a continuous slide in infrastructure spending after a peak in 2017-18 The Turnbull government has been accused of hollow rhetoric on infrastructure investment after budget figures showed a projected slump in commonwealth spending by the end of the decade. The government has committed to $75bn in infrastructure funding and finance over a decade through road and rail projects. Continue reading... |
| 'Emaciated, unrecognisable': China releases human rights lawyer from custody Posted: 09 May 2017 10:08 PM PDT Li Heping was held in secret for two years and deprived of all contact with his family but is now back home The last time Terry Halliday saw Li Heping, just a few days before he was snatched by police in the summer of 2015, he remembers sitting down to lunch with a stimulating, thoughtful and physically fit man. "Slim, yes, but not emaciated. A man clearly in his 40s … A man who was fully present," the American Bar Foundation scholar recalled. Continue reading... |
| Wednesday briefing: Trump, feeling FBI heat, fires its boss Posted: 09 May 2017 09:59 PM PDT President removes James Comey in middle of Russia investigation … theme park stays closed after girl's death on ride … and tribute to Pink Floyd's psychedelic art Good morning, it's Warren Murray with the news you need right now. Continue reading... |
| An Indonesian court has opened the door to fear and religious extremism | Andreas Harsono Posted: 09 May 2017 08:34 PM PDT By jailing the Jakarta governor Ahok for blasphemy, judges have sent a chilling message to moderates and non-Muslims The Jakarta court that sentenced governor Basuki "Ahok" Purnama to two years' imprisonment for blasphemy against Islam has sent a chilling message to non-Muslims in Indonesia. How could religious freedom slowly decline in Indonesia? And how could political Islam shape the country? Ahok, himself a Christian, is the biggest political figure to be victimised under the blasphemy law. He is not only the Jakarta governor, backed by Indonesia's biggest political party, but he's also an ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Ahok and Jokowi were the dream team: Jokowi with vision, Ahok doing daily management. Continue reading... |
| Britain's first female second world war spy to get overdue recognition Posted: 09 May 2017 11:30 AM PDT Krystyna Skarbek, aka Christine Granville – Churchill's favourite spy – will be honoured with bronze bust at Polish Hearth Club She was a glamorous countess and British spy whose extraordinary wartime heroics included skiing out of Nazi-occupied Poland with the first evidence of Operation Barbarossa – the Nazi plans to invade Soviet Russia. Later in the war she played a role in the liberation of France as first contact between the French Resistance and Italian Partisans, and single-handedly secured the defection of a strategically important German garrison. Continue reading... |
| British jihadi Aine Davis convicted in Turkey on terror charges Posted: 09 May 2017 08:33 AM PDT Davis, who has been jailed for seven and a half years, is suspected of being a member of cell that oversaw videoed beheadings Aine Lesley Davis, one of the British jihadis who brutalised and beheaded western hostages in Syria, has been convicted in Turkey on terrorism charges and jailed for seven and a half years. Davis, 35, is suspected by western intelligences services of being a member of the cell – along with Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John – that oversaw the beheadings of hostages including the British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines and the US journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley. Continue reading... |
| Victory Day in Russia and former Soviet republics - in pictures Posted: 09 May 2017 08:02 AM PDT Nations of the former USSR commemorate the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany in the second world war. The Soviet Union is estimated to have lost 26 million people in the war, including 8 million soldiers. Victory Day is Russia's most important secular holiday Continue reading... |
| Turkey's president raises tensions with criticism of Israel Posted: 09 May 2017 07:06 AM PDT Israeli foreign ministry responds to strong remarks about treatment of Palestinians by condemning Turkish human rights record Tensions have resurfaced between Turkey and Israel, with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticising the "racist and discriminatory" treatment of Palestinians, and Israel responding by summoning the Turkish ambassador and condemning Ankara's human rights record. Erdoğan, Turkey's president, denounced Israeli practices during an address in Istanbul on Monday night, describing the blockade of Gaza as having "no place in humanity". Continue reading... |
| Syria safe zones on hold amid concern over how deal will be enforced Posted: 09 May 2017 05:07 AM PDT Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to meet US secretary of state as west seeks assurances about ceasefire plan Russian-backed plans for de-escalation zones in Syria are on hold as the US, France and the UK seek further detail on how exactly the agreement will be enforced. The deal, jointly signed by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Kazakhstan last week, agreed the establishment of four zones intended to halt conflict between government forces and rebels in key areas, and would potentially be policed by foreign troops. Continue reading... |
| Ahok supporters cry as court jails Jakarta governor – video Posted: 09 May 2017 05:06 AM PDT Supporters of Basuki Tjahja Purnama, or Ahok, react with dismay as the Jakarta governor is jailed for two years after being found guilty of blasphemy against Islam. His trial was seen as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Some Muslim groups were unhappy with the length of sentence, while the Christian governor's supporters said he was innocent Continue reading... |
| 'Amazing joy' as Chibok schoolgirl is reunited with family in Nigeria Posted: 09 May 2017 11:00 PM PDT Yakubu Nkeki's elation at meeting his niece tempered by concern over when families of other 81 girls freed by Boko Haram will see their daughters The uncle of one of the 82 Chibok schoolgirls released this week described his "amazing joy" after being reunited with his niece, who has been held captive by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram for three years. "Today is a wonderful day," said Yakubu Nkeki on Monday night. "I saw the girls and Maimuna. When she saw me, she ran and grabbed me and started crying. I was so overwhelmed." Continue reading... |
| UK aid paid for military band to play at Queen’s birthday event in ‘toxic’ Bahrain Posted: 09 May 2017 05:22 AM PDT Questions raised about use of secretive £1bn British aid and security fund for celebration in Gulf state accused of serious human rights abuses MPs and rights groups have reacted with dismay over the use of a secretive £1bn government aid and security fund to pay for a Royal Marines band to play in Bahrain for the Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday, despite the country's dire human rights record. Funds from the conflict, stability and security fund (CSSF), which is aimed at tackling conflicts and building stability overseas, were used to send the Royal Marines band to Bahrain in April 2016 at a cost of £25,000 to the taxpayer. Continue reading... |
| 'You are terminated.' The three letters that ended James Comey's career Posted: 09 May 2017 07:29 PM PDT Read the letter Donald Trump sent to the FBI boss, as well as those from Trump's attorney general and his deputy, plus our explanatory notes Continue reading... |
| 'Terrifying, Nixonian': Comey's firing takes democracy to dark new territory Posted: 09 May 2017 06:53 PM PDT Donald Trump's surprise sacking of the FBI director drew immediate comparisons to Watergate and tinpot dictatorships Donald Trump's decision to fire the FBI director, James Comey, who was investigating links between the president's associates and the Russian government, has taken US democracy into dark and dangerous new territory. That was the assessment of Democratic leaders, legal observers and security experts last night, with some drawing direct comparisons to Watergate and tinpot dictatorships. FBI directors are given 10-year terms in office, precisely to insulate them from politics. It is very rare to fire them. The last time it happened was 24 years ago, when Bill Clinton sacked William Sessions, who had clung to office despite a damning internal ethics report detailing abuse of office, including the use of an FBI plane for family trips. Continue reading... |
| How Comey became tangled in the US election – and why it led to his downfall Posted: 09 May 2017 04:29 PM PDT Tasked with overseeing an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, the now-fired FBI director earned the chagrin of both parties FBI director James Comey loomed over the presidential election as a highly contentious figure, an extraordinary predicament for the sitting director of the nation's top law enforcement agency. Related: Donald Trump fires FBI director Comey over handling of Clinton investigation Continue reading... |
| 'It took guts': how Trump once praised James Comey – video Posted: 09 May 2017 08:25 PM PDT In a letter signed by President Trump, James Comey has been fired over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, however Trump hasn't always been a critic of the FBI director. He has previously praised Comey over his handling of the case and once singled him out at the White House for special praise. Continue reading... |
| 'Why now?' Chuck Schumer on James Comey's dismissal – video Posted: 09 May 2017 06:30 PM PDT US Senate minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with reporters about president Donald Trump's firing of the FBI director, saying it was a 'big mistake … We know the House is investigating Russian interference in our elections that benefited the Trump campaign, we know the Senate is investigating it, we know the FBI is investigating it ... were these investigations getting too close to home for the president?' Continue reading... |
| Democrats: Trump firing Comey could raise 'grave constitutional issues' – video Posted: 09 May 2017 05:57 PM PDT Democratic senator Dick Durbin has questioned the timing of President Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey, saying it raises concerns as to whether the FBI investigation of Russian interference in the last presidential campaign will be compromised as a result. Continue reading... |
| Spicer calls Sally Yates a 'political opponent' of Trump administration – video Posted: 09 May 2017 01:16 PM PDT Spokesman Sean Spicer called the former US acting attorney general a 'political opponent' of the White House because she had been appointed under Barack Obama and was a supporter of Hillary Clinton. Yates was fired at the end of January for not defending Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries Continue reading... |
| Barack Obama: 'You get the politicians you deserve' – video Posted: 09 May 2017 10:34 AM PDT The former US president tells an Italian audience about the challenges of getting people to vote and participate in politics. He goes on to explain how he has more freedom now he is a civilian – but laments being asked for a selfie 'every two steps' 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