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- Comey, chaos … crisis? Trump enters new territory after most explosive week yet
- Emmanuel Macron races to train would-be MPs
- North Korea test-fires what could be new kind of longer-range missile
- Africa’s new slave trade
- Four killed as train crashes through house in northern Greece
- At least 23 killed when bus plunges off 15-metre cliff in Turkey
- Time is running out for Madagascar – evolution’s last, and greatest, laboratory
- Cardinal George Pell accused of sexually abusing two choirboys, book claims
- 'This is our land': New Mexico's tribal groups gear up to fight for their home
- Portugal beats yodellers and a dancing gorilla to win Eurovision 2017 – video highlights
- Philip Hammond calls China a 'natural partner' as he seeks post-Brexit trade deals
- China's Xi lays out $900bn Silk Road vision amid claims of empire-building
- The eco guide to green lawns
- Eurovision 2017 review: gorilla suits, Gypsy hip-hop – and the winner was half-decent
- Archaeologists uncover 17 mummies in Egyptian necropolis
- Trump is deleting climate change, one site at a time
- Canadian journalists support ‘appropriation prize’ after online furore
- Housing affordability: Bill Shorten accuses Coalition of releasing 'contaminated' land
- Pope Francis casts doubt on Virgin Mary apparitions at Bosnian pilgrimage site
- Kashmir violence: two civilians killed in border clash
- Maori feast awaits Lions fans amid fears for impact on islands
- Nearly 50% are of no religion – but has UK hit ‘peak secular’?
- 'Our country will vanish': Pacific islanders bring desperate message to Australia
| Comey, chaos … crisis? Trump enters new territory after most explosive week yet Posted: 13 May 2017 07:15 AM PDT Trump's decision to fire James Comey stunned Washington, upset the bureau, and brought Russia back into focus. How much more can Republicans take? Ill met by moonlight, a dozen reporters and cameramen peered into the darkness. Where was Sean Spicer? The press secretary had given a TV interview at 9pm then disappeared behind an awning, apparently conferring with colleagues. Journalists waited on the drive. The White House glowed behind them. "This is so weird," one said. "It's like hunting a dog and then killing it." A couple of minutes later Spicer emerged on a path running along a fence and hedgerow. He was caught in a blinding light and asked the cameramen to turn it off. "Relax, enjoy the night, have a glass of wine," he said jocularly. Spicer then spent 12 minutes trying to explain why Donald Trump had taken the most explosive decision of his young presidency: axing the director of the FBI. Continue reading... |
| Emmanuel Macron races to train would-be MPs Posted: 13 May 2017 04:16 PM PDT France's new president has promised to field candidates from his new party – En Marche! – in all but one of the country's 577 constituencies – and he is 148 short Emmanuel Macron rallied his amateur army of would-be MPs on Saturday hours before his investiture as France's eighth and youngest president. The new leader visited the Musée du Quai Branly to give "the troops" – as his spokeswoman called them – a pep talk. Of the 428 people chosen to stand as candidates for Macron's La République En Marche (Republic on the Move, or La REM) party for next month's parliamentary elections, 52% are new to politics and have never held elected office. Continue reading... |
| North Korea test-fires what could be new kind of longer-range missile Posted: 13 May 2017 11:45 PM PDT Unidentified missile type could have a maximum theoretical range of 4,500km on a standard trajectory, says expert North Korea has fired what Japan said could be a new type of missile, in an early diplomatic test for South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in. Japan did not specify what type of missile was involved in Sunday's launch, which came after Pyongyang indicated it was open to talks with the South on its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 13 May 2017 04:04 PM PDT Thousands who dream of a better life in Europe face horrors of modern slavery on way across the Sahara to Libya Six months after Muhammed Yusuf had been sold, tortured and forced to watch as a friend died, he found himself back at the parched, dusty bus station where his ordeal began, facing the man who had made him a slave. Unembarrassed and unrepentant, the smuggler was still touting for business among the crowds flooding into Agadez, an oasis town on the fringe of the Sahara desert in central Niger that has for centuries been a trading centre and gateway to shifting paths across the desert. Continue reading... |
| Four killed as train crashes through house in northern Greece Posted: 13 May 2017 05:17 PM PDT Train traveling on Athens-Thessaloniki route when it went off rails by the village of Adendro An intercity train derailed in northern Greece, leaving four passengers dead and five seriously injured, including the driver, the state railway said in a statement early Sunday. The train, with 70 passengers, was traveling on the Athens-Thessaloniki route when it went off the rails and crashed through a house by the village of Adendro, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Thessaloniki, on Saturday night. Continue reading... |
| At least 23 killed when bus plunges off 15-metre cliff in Turkey Posted: 13 May 2017 10:11 AM PDT Eleven seriously injured after bus carrying women and children crashes through barrier and lands on car near Marmaris At least 23 people have died after a bus carrying women and children plunged off a cliff near the Turkish resort of Marmaris. "Sadly, we have had 20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured," said Amir Çiçek, the governor of Muğla province, calling it a "horrible accident". Continue reading... |
| Time is running out for Madagascar – evolution’s last, and greatest, laboratory Posted: 13 May 2017 04:04 PM PDT Kew scientists warn that unique plants on Madagascar are at risk of extinction It is a unique evolutionary hotspot home to thousands of plants found nowhere else on Earth. However, Madagascar's special trees, palms and orchids – which provide habitats and food for dozens of species of rare lemur and other animals – are now facing catastrophic destruction caused by land clearances, climate change and spreading agriculture, scientists will warn this week. Thousands of plant species could be lost to humanity in the near future according to a report, The State of the World's Plants, by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and due to be published on Thursday. Continue reading... |
| Cardinal George Pell accused of sexually abusing two choirboys, book claims Posted: 13 May 2017 03:12 AM PDT Vatican's financial chief, who has always denied wrongdoing, faces fresh allegations of abuse, relating to his time as archbishop of Melbourne New allegations of child abuse are being levelled against Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's financial chief and the most senior figure in the Australian Catholic church. Fairfax Media has reported claims contained in a new book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, that he sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick's cathedral after becoming archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s. |
| 'This is our land': New Mexico's tribal groups gear up to fight for their home Posted: 13 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT President Trump's decision to review the designations of 27 national monuments has raised fears of a corporate giveaway – and the pueblos of the Rio Grande valley are worried As interior secretary Ryan Zinke arrived in Bears Ears national monument in southeastern Utah earlier this week to calm fears over proposals to reduce or redesignate 27 national monuments across 11 states, Taos Pueblo warchief Curtis Sandoval issued a stern warning: "If they allow drilling in the canyons, they'll set off the volcanoes." Related: Bears Ears among 27 national monuments at risk under Trump Continue reading... |
| Portugal beats yodellers and a dancing gorilla to win Eurovision 2017 – video highlights Posted: 14 May 2017 01:05 AM PDT Portugal's Salvador Sobral won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev on Saturday, the first time the country has won since it entered the competition in 1964. Other highlights from the show included a dancing gorilla from Italy, yodelling from Romania, and last year's winner Jamala had her performance interrupted by a man flashing his bottom Continue reading... |
| Philip Hammond calls China a 'natural partner' as he seeks post-Brexit trade deals Posted: 14 May 2017 12:07 AM PDT Chancellor tells summit Beijing's vast $990bn infrastructure plan is an 'opportunity to strengthen ties' with China The chancellor, Philip Hammond, has called for closer economic ties with China as Britain enters a new, post-Brexit era. Speaking at the start of a summit in Beijing celebrating President Xi Jinping's "Belt and Road initiative", Hammond heaped praise on his hosts and said Britain was a "natural partner" for Beijing as it pushed ahead with a massive infrastructure campaign some call the most ambitious in history. Continue reading... |
| China's Xi lays out $900bn Silk Road vision amid claims of empire-building Posted: 13 May 2017 10:42 PM PDT Global leaders attend 'Belt and Road' infrastructure summit to praise plan Xi Jinping says will bring a new 'golden age' of globalisation Chinese president Xi Jinping has kicked off a two-day showcase of what some call the most ambitious development project ever by comparing his country to a peace-loving explorer set on transforming the world with treasure-laden galleys not warships, guns or swords. Speaking at the start of a high-profile summit about China's "Belt and Road initiative", Xi hailed his multi-billion dollar infrastructure crusade as a means of building a modern-day version of the ancient Silk Road and a new "golden age" of globalisation. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 13 May 2017 10:00 PM PDT Manicured grass comes at a heavy cost in terms of pollution from pesticides. We need better legislation, and wildflowers happily mixed with the turf As contenders for the 12th Britain's Best Lawn competition will know, with a great lawn comes great responsibility. Despite the fact that the winner receives a lithium-ion-battery, self-propelled lawnmower (far more eco than a petrol version), lawn-keeping typically involves a shed-load of pesticides and herbicides. The Mormon temple in LA let its famous lawn dry out in the sun Continue reading... |
| Eurovision 2017 review: gorilla suits, Gypsy hip-hop – and the winner was half-decent Posted: 13 May 2017 04:49 PM PDT Lucie Jones helps the UK dodge a Brexit backlash as Portugal takes its first win in decades Many surprising things occurred in Saturday night's Eurovision. A decent song won for Portugal's Salvador Sobral. The UK's Lucie Jones sang well and garnered many votes, in defiance of Theresa May's focus-grouped pussy-footing. The night managed to, as advertised, celebrate diversity, despite its three hosts being resolutely male and white. Nobody missed Russia. And Graham Norton was oddly subdued, lacking in his normal vim-tongue. He tried as early as entry two… "her brother will be fiddling with her on stage tonight" but, given that Poland's entries have recently featured churning butter on stage, and that Kasia Mos has appeared on the cover of Polish Playboy, you could tell his heart wasn't really in it. He had also been ordered, by someone who should be shot, to give endless dull "shout-outs" to Twitter viewers doing the most banal things at home, rather than getting on with his witty job. Continue reading... |
| Archaeologists uncover 17 mummies in Egyptian necropolis Posted: 13 May 2017 06:04 PM PDT Mummies elaborately preserved and therefore likely belong to officials and priests An Egyptian archaeological mission has found a necropolis holding at least 17 mummies near the Nile Valley city of Minya, in the first such find in the area, the antiquities ministry said on Saturday. Related: Ancient Egyptian mummy discovered 'in very good condition' Continue reading... |
| Trump is deleting climate change, one site at a time Posted: 14 May 2017 12:00 AM PDT The administration has taken a hatchet to climate change language across government websites. Here are several of the more egregious examples During inauguration day on 20 January, as Donald Trump was adding "American carnage" to the presidential lexicon, the new administration also took a hammer to official recognition that climate change exists and poses a threat to the US. Continue reading... |
| Canadian journalists support ‘appropriation prize’ after online furore Posted: 13 May 2017 03:15 AM PDT Hal Niedzviecki's article suggesting white writers explore the lives of 'people who aren't like you' – sparking a fierce debate about appropriation and identity Journalists from some of Canada's largest media organisations have thrown their support behind the creation of prize rewarding authors who seek to write about peoples and cultures that are not their own, in defence of a Toronto editor who resigned this week after promoting cultural appropriation. Related: 'It's our way of life': Inuit designers are reclaiming the tarnished sealskin trade Continue reading... |
| Housing affordability: Bill Shorten accuses Coalition of releasing 'contaminated' land Posted: 13 May 2017 11:59 PM PDT Scott Morrison says release of former defence land in Melbourne is proof Coalition serious about affordable housing Thousands of new homes will be built on former defence land in Melbourne that Labor says could be contaminated. The federal government has released 128 hectares of former defence land in Maribyrnong so it can be used to build affordable housing. The government predicts up to 6000 homes can be built on the site of the old Maribyrnong munitions factory, which operated during the first world war. Continue reading... |
| Pope Francis casts doubt on Virgin Mary apparitions at Bosnian pilgrimage site Posted: 13 May 2017 09:23 PM PDT The site at Medjugorje attracts a million pilgrims annually, but pope says 'these supposed apparitions don't have much value' Pope Francis on Saturday expressed serious doubts regarding reported daily apparitions of the Virgin at Medjugorje in Bosnia, a site which attracts a million pilgrims annually. In June 1981, six Bosnian children and teenagers said they had witnessed the appearance of the Virgin in the southern town, and allege she continues to visit to this day. Continue reading... |
| Kashmir violence: two civilians killed in border clash Posted: 13 May 2017 07:12 PM PDT Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire on Saturday, killing teenage girl and 51-year-old man, officials said Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. Indian army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said Pakistani soldiers started shelling and firing at Indian military posts in the morning in the Nowshera sector along the highly militarised Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan. He said Indian troops returned fire and that the battle lasted into Saturday afternoon. Continue reading... |
| Maori feast awaits Lions fans amid fears for impact on islands Posted: 13 May 2017 04:05 PM PDT Already under strain from a boom in tourism and immigration, now New Zealand is braced for the arrival of 20,000 rugby fans next month Keith and Jane Mackenzie are preparing for an invasion to engulf their Wellington home. The Mackenzies are one of around 1,000 Kiwi families who have responded to a looming crisis about how New Zealand, already groaning under the strain of record numbers of tourists, can play host to the thousands of British and Irish Lions rugby fans preparing to travel round the globe to support their team in the forthcoming clash with the All Blacks. Continue reading... |
| Nearly 50% are of no religion – but has UK hit ‘peak secular’? Posted: 13 May 2017 04:04 PM PDT Study shows overall decline in faith while immigration keeps numbers higher in London The secularisation of Britain has been thrown into sharp focus by new research showing that for every person brought up in a non-religious household who becomes a churchgoer, 26 people raised as Christians now identify as non-believers. The study also shows that inner London is the most religious area of the country, mainly because of its large Muslim and migrant communities. The least religious areas are the south-east of England, Scotland and Wales. People identifying as non-religious are typically young, white and male – and increasingly working class. Continue reading... |
| 'Our country will vanish': Pacific islanders bring desperate message to Australia Posted: 13 May 2017 03:16 PM PDT Kiribati and other low-lying countries are under threat from climate change, and while their people would rather stay behind, they may be left with no choice "Like a drop of water in a bucket, on its own is small, but if there are many, many drops, soon it is overflowing." Erietera Aram's water analogy is apposite. His country faces being lost under the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading... |
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