World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Awkward farewell for Helmut Kohl, who united Germany but divided family
German parliament votes to legalise same-sex marriage
Travel ban 2.0 goes into effect despite courts saying security issues unfounded
China flexes military muscle in Hong Kong during Xi Jinping visit
'We've lost democracy': on the road with Turkey's justice marchers
Congo violence fuels fears of return to 90s bloodbath
Venus Williams ‘at fault’ in fatal car crash, say Florida police
British Weetabix seized by New Zealand customs in breakfast bowl battle with rival
Vietnamese blogger jailed for 10 years for 'defaming' regime
Man tries to drive car into crowd in front of French mosque, police say
Republican healthcare bill limps into recess with no vote in sight
Ireland says dozen City firms and banks to set up in Dublin over Brexit
Modi condemns rise in mob violence against beef-eaters in India
Nemtsov family dismisses verdict as five found guilty of murder
Venezuela's top prosecutor charges ex-national guard chief with human rights violations
Canada commits to fight against Isis in Iraq for another two years
Wimbledon strawberry farmer warns of post-Brexit staff shortage
'Places you'll only visit due to random misfortune': an alt guide to Canada's cities
'Always give up your seat for a monk': the unspoken rules of public transport
‘After getting pregnant, you are done’: no more school for Tanzania's mums-to-be
Iraqi forces enter Mosul mosque where Isis declared caliphate
Anger as council ends Grenfell meeting after journalists are let in
The house that Tateh built ... out of sand-filled plastic bottles
Donald Trump threatened with subpoena over Comey 'tapes'
Brisbane hospital could have highly flammable cladding, audit finds
Papua New Guinea election descends into chaos amid violence and claims of bribery
Myanmar refuses visas to UN team investigating abuse of Rohingya Muslims
Friday briefing: Corbyn bags a victory, but sackings follow
Which is better? Guardian experts do the Weetabix vs Weet-Bix taste test – video
US-China honeymoon over: Washington sanctions Chinese bank and sells arms to Taiwan
'This bear doesn't care': a quartet of animals in odd places – video
Men run in stilettos for World Pride high-heel race – video
Trump risks angering China with $1.4bn arms deal to Taiwan
How much hope should be placed in Emmanuel Macron? | Letters
Northern Irish women win access to free abortions as May averts rebellion
EU negotiator says ECJ should still be able to fine UK after Brexit
Deposed Saudi crown prince confined to palace
Foreign Office wants rendition case against Jack Straw to be held in private
Iraqi forces enter ruined Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul – video
Chinese president touches down as Hong Kong braces for mass protests
Closing Italian ports 'a cry for help', say weary crew of migrant rescue boat
Norway embroiled in row over move to scrap Utøya memorial
Northern Irish appeal court refuses limited lifting of abortion ban
Merkel to put climate change at centre of G20 talks after Trump's Paris pullout
The brutal war on drugs in the Philippines – in pictures
As Facebook blocks the names of trans users and drag queens, this burlesque performer is fighting back
'EU pension' planned for people who move between countries
Enterprise and ingenuity thrive amid the waste in Nairobi – photo essay
In Trump's America, immigrant families would be kept apart. He doesn't care | Sohaila Abdulali
Trumpcare isn't popular. But universal healthcare would be | Kate Aronoff
White House spokeswoman: Trump tweets didn’t go too far – video
Man appears to use vehicle to destroy Arkansas Ten Commandments monument – video

Awkward farewell for Helmut Kohl, who united Germany but divided family

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:00 PM PDT

Funeral plans for former chancellor reveal extent of rift with those who were once closest to him

When he is laid to rest on Saturday, it might well be expected that Helmut Kohl's role as the architect of German unification would be uppermost in people's minds.

German parliament votes to legalise same-sex marriage

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 12:23 AM PDT

MPs pass bill granting gay and lesbian couples full rights, including on adoption

Germany's parliament has voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, joining many other western democracies in granting gay and lesbian couples full rights, including adoption.

Norbert Lammert, president of the parliament, said 393 lawmakers voted in favour, 226 voted against and four abstained.

Travel ban 2.0 goes into effect despite courts saying security issues unfounded

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 06:08 PM PDT

Hawaii questions Trump interpretation of standard for granting visas
Border officials told to respect visas for citizens from countries in question

The United States implemented a modified version of Donald Trump's travel ban Thursday evening on some people from six Muslim-majority countries and certain refugees, citing security concerns that federal courts have declared to be unfounded.

Travel through major US airports appeared to be proceeding as usual, with border officials under orders to respect previously issued visas for citizens from the countries in question: Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Yemen, Syria and Libya.

China flexes military muscle in Hong Kong during Xi Jinping visit

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 12:32 AM PDT

Observers say show of strength part of growing effort to intimidate members of independence movement

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has presided over Hong Kong's biggest military parade since the British handover in a tub-thumping show of strength that observers said was intended to intimidate members of the former colony's nascent independence movement.

More than 3,100 troops gathered at the Shek Kong military base near Hong Kong's border with mainland China on Friday morning to stage the review for Xi, who is on a rare tour of the city to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the the former British colony's return to Chinese control on 1 July.

'We've lost democracy': on the road with Turkey's justice marchers

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:05 PM PDT

Thousands are walking the 280 miles from Ankara to Istanbul to protest against a government crackdown on politicians, journalists and civil servants

Hıdır Aydur rested his blistered feet under the shade of a tree on the side of the highway that runs between Ankara and Istanbul. The 57-year-old, from Erzincan in Turkey's north-east, who has diabetes, had been marching for 15 days. He is one of thousands journeying by foot from Turkey's capital to its largest city, many carrying banners that say "adalet" or "justice".

"We lost democracy in our country, and we want it back," Aydur said, his shirt bearing the images of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, two teachers who were jailed last month after more than 70 days on hunger strike over their arbitrarily dismissal in a government decree.

Congo violence fuels fears of return to 90s bloodbath

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:05 PM PDT

Reports of a militia cutting off toddlers' limbs and stabbing pregnant women have raised the spectre of another horrific civil war

Thousands of people have been killed and more than a million displaced in the most severe outbreak of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent years, raising fears of a return to the bloody civil wars of the 1990s and increasing pressure on President Joseph Kabila to step down or hold elections.

The violence in the vast, resource-rich central African country has been concentrated in the central Kasai region, where local communities formed a militia in support of a local leader who opposed the government and was killed by the police last summer.

Venus Williams ‘at fault’ in fatal car crash, say Florida police

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 08:04 PM PDT

• 79-year-old passenger in other car dies two weeks later
• Crash remains under investigation; Williams not charged

Venus Williams caused a car crash this month that led to the death of a passenger in another vehicle, according to a police report released on Thursday.

Palm Beach Gardens police say witnesses told investigators that Williams ran a red light in her Toyota Sequoia SUV, causing a 9 June crash that injured 79-year-old Jerome Barson, who died two weeks later.

British Weetabix seized by New Zealand customs in breakfast bowl battle with rival

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 07:47 PM PDT

Cereal is impounded after antipodean rival Weet-Bix argues customers of a UK-goods shop in Christchurch may be confused

Customs officers in New Zealand have seized and impounded hundreds of boxes of the breakfast cereal Weetabix after complaints by rival cereal giant Weet-Bix that it could confuse customers.

The pallet of Weetabix – about 300 boxes – arrived in a container load of British goods last week, destined for the shelves of A Little Bit of Britain grocery store in Christchurch, which largely caters to British expats.

Vietnamese blogger jailed for 10 years for 'defaming' regime

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 02:26 PM PDT

Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, alias 'Mother Mushroom' criticised government over human rights and civilian deaths in police custody

A prominent Vietnamese blogger has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of distorting government policies and defaming the communist regime in Facebook posts and in interviews with foreign media, her lawyer said. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as "Mother Mushroom", was sentenced at the end of a one-day trial in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, her lawyer, Vo An Don, said.

The conviction related to the content of 18 articles on her Facebook page and interviews with foreign news outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, Don said.

Man tries to drive car into crowd in front of French mosque, police say

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 03:05 PM PDT

The man said he had wanted to avenge attacks linked to Islamic State that have killed dozens in Paris over the past years, according to Le Parisien newspaper

A man has been arrested after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil, police said, adding that no one was injured.

Police said the man's motives were unclear, and that he had not succeeded in driving into the crowd because of barriers placed in front of the mosque.

Republican healthcare bill limps into recess with no vote in sight

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 01:00 PM PDT

Senate leadership mulls options to woo moderates, including keeping tax increase on certain investments and nixing cuts to subsidies for poor and elderly

What you need to know about the Republican healthcare bill

As senators started to leave Washington for the Fourth of July recess on Thursday, a compromise over the beleaguered GOP healthcare bill that would attract enough votes to pass seemed distant.

Days after the Senate Republican leadership faced a revolt from both wings of their caucus over a draft bill to repeal and replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA), lawmakers were considering whether to reach out to moderates by keeping the former president's tax increase on wealthier people's investments and retreating on cuts for subsidies to the poor and elderly.

Ireland says dozen City firms and banks to set up in Dublin over Brexit

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:09 AM PDT

Authorities say institutions including 'an American bank' have agreed to move some operations from London to Irish capital

Irish authorities have said they have clinched deals with more than a dozen London-based banks and finance houses to move some of their operations to Dublin in preparation for Brexit.

As Dublin continues to battle with Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Paris for the Brexit spoils, the head of international financial services at Ireland's Industrial Development Authority said definitive decisions had now been taken on an Irish location by these firms.

Modi condemns rise in mob violence against beef-eaters in India

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:18 AM PDT

Prime minister speaks out after protests in several cities against attacks, most of which have targeted Muslims

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, has condemned a rise in deadly mob attacks on cattle traders, beef-eaters and dairy farmers, saying killing people in the name of protecting cows is unacceptable.

Nemtsov family dismisses verdict as five found guilty of murder

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:17 AM PDT

Relatives of prominent Putin critic shot outside Kremlin in 2015 say those who ordered killing have not been brought to justice

A Moscow jury has found five men guilty of murdering the Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, following a trial denounced by his family and allies as a cover-up that failed to bring the masterminds of the assassination to justice.

Zaur Dadayev, a former officer in the Sever battalion of security forces in Chechnya, was found guilty on Thursday of shooting the former deputy prime minister six times with a 9mm pistol as he walked near the Kremlin with his girlfriend in February 2015. Four other men were found guilty of involvement in the killing.

Venezuela's top prosecutor charges ex-national guard chief with human rights violations

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 02:35 PM PDT

Chief prosecutor, a former government loyalist who has become one of president's leading critics, says police and military to blame for protest deaths

Venezuela's renegade chief prosecutor has charged the former head of the country's national guard with systemically violating human rights during three months of anti-government protests that have left nearly 80 people dead.

Luisa Ortega Diaz's office announced the charges against Antonio Benavides Torres a day after the nation's Supreme Court declared it was barring her from leaving Venezuela and ordering her bank accounts frozen.

Canada commits to fight against Isis in Iraq for another two years

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:39 AM PDT

Extension comes amid concerns over country's level of involvement in war despite claims of undertaking non-combat 'advise and assist' role

Canada is extending its military mission against the Islamic State group in Iraq for another two years, the country's defense minister announced Thursday.

Harjit Sajjan left open the possibility of ramping up the offensive, saying the military would "deploy capabilities as needed".

Wimbledon strawberry farmer warns of post-Brexit staff shortage

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 01:22 AM PDT

Kent grower who relies on EU workers calls for mechanism to allow seasonal fruit pickers to continue to work in Britain

The owner of the farm that provides Wimbledon with its strawberries has said she hopes there is a mechanism for European citizens to work seasonally in the UK after Brexit.

Marion Regan, who owns Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent with her husband Jon, relies on seasonal labour to make sure the tennis championship is supplied with fresh fruit throughout the tournament.

'Places you'll only visit due to random misfortune': an alt guide to Canada's cities

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 12:00 AM PDT

Canada Day 2017 is also the country's 150th birthday. To mark this special occasion, we present this handy guide to its biggest urban centres, as found in The CANADALAND Guide to Canada

Welcome to Canada! While many people think of it as a vast expanse of snowy wilderness, 75% of Canadians actually live within 90 minutes of the US border – which they desperately cling to for warmth and television shows.

Most Canadians dwell in a series of cities that you may find yourself in due to layovers or random misfortune. It is difficult to tell one from another ... this may help.

'Always give up your seat for a monk': the unspoken rules of public transport

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Our readers share the dos and don'ts of their regular commute – from rush-hour gymnastics to gossiping with the driver

Navigating public transport is daunting and often frustrating, but what happens when you hop on the metro in another city? How close is too close to stand next to your fellow passenger? And are you supposed to talk to the driver?

In an effort to understand global public transport etiquette we asked our readers to share the unspoken rules of their daily city commute. Amid the horror stories of vomiting in tupperware and unwittingly overhearing phone sex, here are some tips unlikely to ever be advertised publicly.

‘After getting pregnant, you are done’: no more school for Tanzania's mums-to-be

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Furious campaigners say President John Magufuli is out of touch with public opinion after he endorses law allowing state schools to expel young mothers

A coalition of human rights groups has condemned as unconstitutional the Tanzanian president's comments that pregnant girls should be banned from school.

President John Magufuli was widely criticised by campaigners after he told a rally last week: "As long as I am president … no pregnant student will be allowed to return to school … After getting pregnant, you are done."

Iraqi forces enter Mosul mosque where Isis declared caliphate

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 04:17 AM PDT

Iraqi forces close to seizing control of Great Mosque of al-Nuri, where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself Isis leader three years ago

Iraqi forces have entered the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, from where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself leader of Islamic State three years ago. The full seizure of the compound, which Iraqi troops were moving through, now appears imminent and would mark a highly symbolic moment in the war against Isis.

The development means that government troops are now in the heart of the Old City – Isis's last redoubt in Mosul – and probably within a fortnight of recapturing its entirety. The Iraqi prime minister, Haidar al-Abadi, proclaimed the advance towards the mosque as "the end of the Isis state".

Anger as council ends Grenfell meeting after journalists are let in

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 01:08 AM PDT

Kensington and Chelsea leader accused of hiding from residents and reporters after adjourning first cabinet meeting since fire

The leaders of Kensington and Chelsea council face sharp criticism after shutting down the first cabinet meeting since the Grenfell Tower disaster, with fellow councillors accusing them of hiding from residents and journalists.

The embattled leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, Nick Paget-Brown, made a brief apology on Thursday for its response to the fire at a tense meeting from which members of the public were barred and journalists allowed in only after a last-minute legal challenge.

The house that Tateh built ... out of sand-filled plastic bottles

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 11:00 PM PDT

In the Sahrawi refugee camps in the Algerian desert, Tateh Lehbib Braica – aka 'the crazy bottle guy' – has built circular houses from waste plastic that protect from wind and sun

A group of women drink tea under the shade of a tent and cast an eye over the construction of an odd, circular house. The half-built dwelling is the brainchild of Tateh Lehbib Braica, 27, an engineer who wanders among the workers.

On the ground lie hundreds of sand-filled, 1.5 litre plastic bottles that serve as bricks. With them, Tateh has found a way to fight back against the harshness of the Algerian desert that is home to 90,000 long-term refugees from western Sahara. It's not yet that hot, but in summer, when the temperature rises above 50C, it will be impossible to venture out of doors.

Donald Trump threatened with subpoena over Comey 'tapes'

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 12:46 AM PDT

Bipartisan leaders on House intelligence committee demand White House clarify whether there are recordings of Trump's meeting with fired FBI director

Bipartisan leaders on the House intelligence committee are threatening a subpoena if the White House does not clarify whether any recordings, memoranda or other documents exist of Donald Trump's meetings with fired FBI director James Comey.

The panel had previously set a 23 June deadline for the White House to respond to the panel's request. The day before, Trump said in a series of tweets that he "did not make, and do not have, any such recordings" but also said he has "no idea" if tapes or recordings of his conversations with Comey exist.

Brisbane hospital could have highly flammable cladding, audit finds

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 01:11 AM PDT

Samples have been taken for testing from the Princess Alexandra hospital as Queensland joins three other states in checking buildings

Potentially dangerous aluminium cladding has been found on one of Brisbane's busiest hospitals during an audit of public and private buildings conducted by the Palaszczuk government.

Queensland's housing minister, Mick de Brenni, said he was informed about aluminium composite panels (ACPs) on the Princess Alexandra hospital this week, and samples had been taken for testing.

Papua New Guinea election descends into chaos amid violence and claims of bribery

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:44 PM PDT

Voting was suspended in the capital after three election officials werefound to be carrying over US$50,000 in cash, suspicious documents and ballot papers

Papua New Guinea's general election has descended into chaos after voting was suspended in the capital amid accusations of bribery and faked ballot papers and the campaign in other parts of the country became violent.

Voting opened for a two week period on 24 June, but was suspended in the capital Port Moresby this week after three election officials - including the election manager for Port Moresby - were arrested by police after found to be carrying over US$50,000 in cash, suspicious documents and ballot papers already filled in.

Myanmar refuses visas to UN team investigating abuse of Rohingya Muslims

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:34 PM PDT

Government led by Aung San Suu Kyi says it will deny entry to mission after UN report said treatment of minority group could amount to ethnic cleansing

Myanmar will refuse entry to members of a United Nations investigation focusing on allegations of killings, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims, an official has said.

Friday briefing: Corbyn bags a victory, but sackings follow

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:32 PM PDT

Labour frontbenchers dismissed over Brexit rebellion hours after abortion rights victory … Grenfell council chief says sorry … Weetabix intercepted by NZ customs

Good morning, Graham Russell here bringing you today's news.

Which is better? Guardian experts do the Weetabix vs Weet-Bix taste test – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 10:05 PM PDT

Hundreds of boxes of British Weetabix have been seized by New Zealand customs. It happened after makers of the antipodean breakfast nibble – Weet-Bix, owned by Sanitarium – complained that having its rival on shelves would be too confusing. Sanitarium has told the small speciality British goods shop importing Weetabix that it can be stocked only if the logo is blocked out. This made us think it was time, once and for all, to test which of the two cereals is best. Here's the result.

US-China honeymoon over: Washington sanctions Chinese bank and sells arms to Taiwan

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:33 PM PDT

Experts say relationship is cooling between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping as US loses patience over North Korea and South China Sea

Relations between the world's two largest economies look to be entering a new phase of turbulence after the US punctured Chinese celebrations of the anniversary of Hong Kong's return by unveiling sanctions against a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and a major arms sale to Taiwan .

The US state department on Thursday gave the green light to a total of $1.4bn in arms sales to Taiwan, a self-governing island which China considers its own territory.

'This bear doesn't care': a quartet of animals in odd places – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:22 PM PDT

An elk on a golf course, a bear on a football pitch, a stray dog on stage with an orchestra. It must be Friday. To get the weekend started, here is a compilation of the silliest animal videos of the day. You're welcome

Men run in stilettos for World Pride high-heel race – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:13 PM PDT

Dozens of men wearing stilettos, kitten heels, wedges and colourful costumes take part in Madrid's annual high-heel race down Calle Pelayo in Madrid's gay neighbourhood of Chueca, the epicentre of pride celebrations in the Spanish capital

Trump risks angering China with $1.4bn arms deal to Taiwan

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 02:20 PM PDT

The sale is the first of its kind since Donald Trump took office and will upset China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory

The US state department has approved arms sales to Taiwan worth a total of $1.4bn, the first such deal with the self-governing island since Donald Trump took office.

The sale announced on Thursday will anger China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory. It comes at a delicate time for relations between Washington and Beijing over efforts to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea.

How much hope should be placed in Emmanuel Macron? | Letters

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 11:45 AM PDT

With Macron calling for controls on cheaper labour, perhaps Brexit should be reconsidered, writes Bob Nicholson. But Ian Mackillop says we ought to look closer at his policies

Angelique Chrisafis reports (22 June) Emmanuel Macron as saying that "the key to reconciling European people with the European project was to tighten rules on workers and make it harder for companies to employ cheaper labour from other EU countries or shift production to lower-wage countries, undercutting others". Given that the new French president has identified the issue as one to resolve, why exactly is our government proposing to leave the EU and make us all poorer? There is an open goal for Labour here. Can they shoot straight?
Bob Nicholson
Frodsham, Cheshire

• Timothy Garton Ash (Opinion, 23 June) says "the rest of the EU … is making a credible stab at pulling itself together" based, it seems, on little more than the arrival of Emmanuel Macron on the political stage. Admittedly he looks good in a suit but it is surely better to base such judgments on his stated policies, which lead me to believe that he will crash and burn in two years like Hollande before him and for the same reason: he is rowing against the political tide.

Northern Irish women win access to free abortions as May averts rebellion

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:53 AM PDT

Ministers announce funding for NI women to have abortions in England, in attempt to head off Tory revolt in Queen's speech vote

A decades-long struggle to give Northern Irish women access to terminations on the NHS in mainland Britain was unexpectedly won in the space of 24 hours on Thursday, as the UK government dramatically changed its policy in an attempt to head off a damaging Tory rebellion on the Queen's speech.

Dozens of Conservative MPs were understood to have expressed to Tory whips their support for an amendment by the Labour MP Stella Creasy to allow Northern Irish women access to NHS-funded abortions in Great Britain.

EU negotiator says ECJ should still be able to fine UK after Brexit

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:20 AM PDT

Michel Barnier wants Luxembourg court to be able to issue penalty for breaking any future citizens' rights or divorce bill pact

The European court of justice should have the power to fine the UK even once it leaves the EU, according to the bloc's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.

The court in Luxembourg should be able to "request a lump sum or a penalty payment" from the British government or the EU if either side breaks a future agreement on citizens' rights or the UK's divorce bill.

Deposed Saudi crown prince confined to palace

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:20 AM PDT

Saudi officials deny claims Mohammed bin Nayef is under house arrest while power transition takes effect

The deposed Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, has been confined to his palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, as his young successor seeks to consolidate his newfound power, two sources close to the royal family have confirmed.

The movements of the former heir to the throne have been restricted since Mohammed bin Salman, 31, replaced his cousin as crown prince last week, ensuring that he, instead of the 57-year-old security tsar whom he ousted, would eventually succeed his father as ruler.

Foreign Office wants rendition case against Jack Straw to be held in private

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 08:02 AM PDT

Former foreign secrerary faces damages claim over alleged role in abduction and torture of Libyan dissident and his pregnant wife

The Foreign Office is asking the high court to sit in secret when former foreign secretary Jack Straw faces a damages claim over his alleged role in the abduction and torture of a Libyan dissident and his pregnant wife.

Having failed in an attempt to have the case against Straw struck out, government lawyers are now seeking to have the case heard behind closed doors under controversial new secret justice measures.

Iraqi forces enter ruined Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 07:50 AM PDT

Iraqi government troops stand in front of what is believed to be the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, where Islamic State proclaimed its self-styled caliphate three years ago. Iraqi authorities expect the long battle for Mosul to end in the coming days as the remaining Isis fighters are now bottled up in just a handful of neighbourhoods of the Old City

Mosul mosque where Isis declared caliphate 'has been recaptured'

Chinese president touches down as Hong Kong braces for mass protests

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 07:08 AM PDT

Xi Jinping tells reporters he wants to 'map out the future' on three-day trip that coincides with 20th anniversary of handover by British

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to bring "new glory" to Hong Kong at the start of a highly sensitive three-day tour of the former British colony designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to China.

In a brief speech after landing at Hong Kong's international airport on Thursday morning, the Communist party chief said he had come to "map out the future" of this semi-autonomous city of 7.3 million citizens.

Closing Italian ports 'a cry for help', say weary crew of migrant rescue boat

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 06:28 AM PDT

Crew of MS Aquarius, which rescued more than 1,000 stranded people from the Mediterranean in one day, urge EU to do more to help

As 1,032 people plucked from the Mediterranean prepared to disembark the MS Aquarius onto southern Italian soil on Thursday, bringing refugee and migrant arrivals to more than 12,000 this week, those who had rescued them said they understood why Rome was threatening to close its ports to such vessels.

Norway embroiled in row over move to scrap Utøya memorial

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 06:25 AM PDT

While some denounce government's decision as denial of art's role in healing local critics say artwork is 'rape of nature'

A heated row has broken out in Norway over a government decision to scrap a controversial artwork planned to commemorate the victims of Anders Behring Breivik's 2011 massacre and build something "low-key" instead.

The Norwegian minister of communal affairs and modernisation, Jan Tore Sanner, said last week the Memory Wound memorial, designed by Swedish artist Jonas Dahlberg, would not go ahead after protests from some locals.

Northern Irish appeal court refuses limited lifting of abortion ban

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 05:59 AM PDT

Judges say any changes to law should be made by executive, even in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and pregnancies caused by rape

Three appeal court judges have refused to legalise abortions in Northern Ireland's hospitals in cases where women are made pregnant through rape or where pregnancies are doomed due to fatal foetal abnormality.

The ruling in the court of appeal in Belfast also passed on responsibility for any changes to the region's strict anti-abortion regime to a Stormont assembly that may not exist after Thursday's devolution deadline.

Merkel to put climate change at centre of G20 talks after Trump's Paris pullout

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 05:10 AM PDT

German chancellor says Trump administration's decision to quit Paris climate agreement means EU must show leadership on issue

Tackling climate change will be one of the central tasks of the upcoming Hamburg G20 summit of the world's largest economies, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Thursday, following the US withdrawal from the Paris climate pact.

Merkel, who will host the gathering of global leaders in the northern port city, said the climate change scepticism of the Trump administration made it all the more important for the European Union to show leadership.

The brutal war on drugs in the Philippines – in pictures

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 04:41 AM PDT

A year on from the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte, his 'war on drugs' has claimed the lives of more than 7,000 Filipinos, according to Human Rights Watch. Duterte won last year's election with promises to rid the country of drugs and crime, kill every drug dealer and user and to feed their corpses to the fish in Manila Bay. But despite the death toll, which includes more than 2,500 killings by police and 3,600 by vigilantes, many Filipinos gloss over the murders, and Duterte's poll ratings remain high

Warning: this gallery contains images that some may find upsetting

As Facebook blocks the names of trans users and drag queens, this burlesque performer is fighting back

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 04:00 AM PDT

Dottie Lux has been called 'the real names crusader' for helping fight back against a Facebook policy that queer users say is discriminatory

When Caitlin Beach came out as a transgender woman, she decided she would announce the news to her entire network on social media. Facebook, however, wouldn't let her.

In spring 2015, she said Facebook flagged her profile after she changed it from her legal name to her new name, telling her she had to provide documentation to verify her identity. Beach, who had no supporting records at the time, said it was important to be able to introduce herself as Caitlin, and without that option, she decided to deactivate her account altogether.

'EU pension' planned for people who move between countries

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 03:59 AM PDT

European commission sets out proposals for pension that will let workers save seamlessly into one pot wherever they are

A new "EU pension" will be introduced to aid people who move around the continent under proposals from the European commission.

The EU-branded product will allow workers hopping from country to country to save seamlessly into one pot.

Enterprise and ingenuity thrive amid the waste in Nairobi – photo essay

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 07:34 AM PDT

Its fetid landscape may be strewn with debris from the sprawling Kenyan capital, but fortune favours the bold at Nairobi's Enterprise Road recycling centre

It is an apocalyptic scene. Fires burn amid the detritus on the side of a major road, sending acrid smoke into the air. Thin men in filthy clothes move amid the rubbish. Some recline on old sofas, watching as trucks lurch past, spewing diesel fumes just feet away. Women and children emerge and disappear down a passage of corrugated iron leading to slum houses illuminated by light bulbs that are linked, illegally, to a mains supply by overhead wires.

Welcome to Enterprise Road, Nairobi's recycling centre.

In Trump's America, immigrant families would be kept apart. He doesn't care | Sohaila Abdulali

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 09:46 AM PDT

The travel ban ruling doesn't consider being a grandparent a 'bona fide' enough relationship to warrant them entering the country. That's absurd

For the next 90 days, if you're coming to the US from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen, unless you've already got a visa you must be a close relative in order to enter the land of the free and the home of the brave. Grandparents don't count. Neither do fiance(e)s. These relationships, apparently, are not "bona fide".

By the tortuous logic of this administration, the fiance part actually makes a malignant kind of sense – anyone can fake an engagement. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence. But these are the lyin', cheatin' times we live in, people. We now operate on the assumption that everyone is a crook. Grandparents, though? Why do they rank behind in-laws?

Trumpcare isn't popular. But universal healthcare would be | Kate Aronoff

Posted: 28 Jun 2017 07:59 AM PDT

Liberal pundits and elected officials have seemed dead-set on occupying a neoliberal middle ground on healthcare. That's not a winning strategy

The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 22 million people will be left uninsured by the Republican Senate healthcare plan, voting on which will now happen after the Fourth of July recess. "It's not that people are getting pushed off a plan," Paul Ryan told Fox & Friends after those numbers were released on Monday. "It's that people will choose not to buy something that they don't like or want."

Ryan claims to have been dreaming of slashing social programs since his days doing keg stands, and when he and other Republicans managed to push the similarly disastrous American Health Care Act through the House, they wheeled out cases of beer to celebrate. Under that House bill, 23 million were expected to go without healthcare. These proposals and the Republicans backing them aren't just "mean", as Senate Democrats are calling Trumpcare. They're sadistic.

White House spokeswoman: Trump tweets didn’t go too far – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 01:13 PM PDT

Trump's deputy press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said on Thursday that Donald Trump 'did not go too far' in his morning tweet attacking MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski. Trump assailed Brzezinski on Thursday via Twitter, calling her 'crazy' and alleging she had been bleeding at one point from a facelift

Trump loves attacking women's looks. And America rewards him for it

Man appears to use vehicle to destroy Arkansas Ten Commandments monument – video

Posted: 29 Jun 2017 03:23 AM PDT

A man shouting 'Freedom!' appears to crash a vehicle into the newly erected monument in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday. The privately funded granite slab had been in place outside the state capitol for less than 24 hours before it was knocked from its plinth and smashed.

Aneka Info

World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

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