World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Turmoil fuels schism between Trump's White House and Republican party
- Plot to 'bring down' plane foiled by counter-terrorism police in Sydney
- Venezuela to vote on constituent assembly after months of protests
- Brother of ousted Pakistani prime minister chosen to be next leader
- Encounter between US and Iranian ships 'safe and professional', navy says
- Foxconn's $10bn move to the US is not a reason to celebrate
- Hunger by Roxane Gay review – one body’s lessons for everybody
- Can Jack Ma, Asia’s richest man, create 1m jobs in the US?
- Why did 10 migrants die in this truck in Texas?
- ‘My life was torn in two when Gianni was shot’ – Versace’s lover breaks silence
- As ‘tiny ships’ Dunkirk blockbuster goes global, locals look for an upturn in their fortunes
- Winners and losers among White House’s warring factions
- UK 'has stripped 150 jihadists and criminals of citizenship'
- The Observer view on Donald Trump’s unfitness for office | Observer editorial
- NSW Labor conference backs recognition of Palestine and two-state solution
- Xi Jinping orders army to ‘unswervingly follow Communist party leadership’
- More than 22,000 evacuated as fire engulfs stage at music festival in Spain
- New Zealand to drug test high school rugby teams
- ‘Jupiter’ or just another politician? Macron’s divine aura begins to fade
- Wildfires in Provence: locals blame climate change and arson
- Nicolás Maduro: will Venezuela’s president drag his people to the edge? | Observer profile
- Activists marking 100th anniversary of NAACP's silent parade see scary parallels
- North Korea launches second missile test – video
- The scandal of the missing children abducted from India’s railway stations
- Saving Britain’s food supply: a manifesto to keep food on the table
- Activists refuse to slow resistance after stymying Republican healthcare plan
| Turmoil fuels schism between Trump's White House and Republican party Posted: 29 Jul 2017 10:44 AM PDT Legislative agenda appears stalled and after purge of establishment Republicans from White House staff, many in GOP are becoming more open in their criticism Donald Trump's presidency was this weekend facing fresh turmoil after a week of unadulterated disasters that culminated in the removal of his chief of staff. Related: 'The president is a pyromaniac': the week Trump set fire to the White House Continue reading... |
| Plot to 'bring down' plane foiled by counter-terrorism police in Sydney Posted: 29 Jul 2017 03:29 PM PDT Malcolm Turnbull says the operation was in order to prevent 'terrorist attacks in Australia' Malcolm Turnbull says counter-terrorism agencies have foiled a plot to "bring down" a plane in a terrorist attack in Australia. Four men were arrested on Saturday night when heavily armed counter-terrorism officers raided four Sydney properties over an alleged plot to blow up an aircraft. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela to vote on constituent assembly after months of protests Posted: 29 Jul 2017 01:48 PM PDT Critics warn that a vote to create the 545-member assembly with power to rewrite constitution will damage democracy Venezuela's beleaguered government appeared prepared to go ahead with a vote on Sunday that critics at home and abroad have warned will seal the demise of the oil-rich nation's democracy. At least five people were killed last week after the opposition stepped up its protests against the controversial vote that will elect a 545-member constituent assembly with the power to rewrite the constitution and dissolve state institutions. Continue reading... |
| Brother of ousted Pakistani prime minister chosen to be next leader Posted: 29 Jul 2017 12:37 PM PDT Shahbaz Sharif will need parliamentary approval to replace Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified over corruption allegations Pakistan's ousted prime minister moved on Saturday to install his younger brother as his successor, less than 24 hours after he was forced aside in the wake of a corruption scandal. The ruling party that Nawaz Sharif headed until a court ruling disqualified him from office nominated his brother, Shahbaz, to eventually take over as leader – although he must first have to stand for election to the national assembly. Continue reading... |
| Encounter between US and Iranian ships 'safe and professional', navy says Posted: 29 Jul 2017 11:09 AM PDT Bahrain-based fifth fleet responds to Revolutionary Guard statement by saying aircraft shot flares before Iranian vessels conducted 'gun exercise' Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday that US navy ships came close to its vessels in the Gulf and shot flares. Related: US sanctions 18 Iranian entities day after certifying nuclear deal compliance Continue reading... |
| Foxconn's $10bn move to the US is not a reason to celebrate Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT The company doesn't have a great track record of keeping its job-creation promises, for one. Then there's the issue of worker conditions in China The announcement by the Taiwanese giant Foxconn that it will build an LCD-manufacturing facility in Wisconsin worth an estimated $10bn was met with considerable fanfare. But the state has a troubled history in matters of economic development, and the company, a supplier to Apple, Google, Amazon and other tech giants, has a lackluster record when it comes to fulfilling its promises. The news should raise red flags. Continue reading... |
| Hunger by Roxane Gay review – one body’s lessons for everybody Posted: 30 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT This memoir of suffering and survival subtly questions not just how we judge 'fat', but how we dare to judge at all Fat is more than a feminist issue – as this extraordinary memoir by novelist and essayist Roxane Gay reveals. Gay's last book, Bad Feminist, became a New York Times bestseller and revealed her to be a writer unfazed by inconvenient truths and a champion of women – especially gay and black women. Hunger tells a story that must have been as hard to write as it is disturbing to read. She does not duck from telling us, early on, that at 6ft 3in tall, she weighed, at her heaviest, 577 pounds: "That is a staggering number, one I hardly believe, but at one point, that was the truth of my body." She does – and does not – know, she says, how things got so out of hand. To some extent, she is on the side of Susie Orbach [author of Fat Is a Feminist Issue]. She remarks with devastating simplicity: "This is what most girls are taught – that we should be slender and small. We should not take up space." But her book is a bid to take up space in another sense, to tell a story that wants to shrink into invisibility yet needs to be told. A personal story, with implications for us all. Terrible to think of a 12-year-old child willing herself to go on as though nothing had happened Continue reading... |
| Can Jack Ma, Asia’s richest man, create 1m jobs in the US? Posted: 29 Jul 2017 11:30 PM PDT The founder of Alibaba, one of the world's biggest online retailers, made the promise at a pre-inauguration meeting with Donald Trump Jack Ma was destined to live an ordinary life. He failed the Chinese university entrance exam several times before being accepted by the worst school in Hangzhou, and he was rejected from a dozen jobs – even selling chicken at KFC. Ma was ready to settle into a quiet life as an English teacher in eastern China, a position with few advancement prospects, when, during a trip to Seattle in 1995 working as a translator for a trade delegation, everything changed. A friend showed Ma the internet. He placed a toe on to the information superhighway with a one-word search – "beer" – and, two decades later, Ma is the richest man in Asia, head of an e-commerce and finance empire that includes Alibaba, one of the largest retailers in the world. Continue reading... |
| Why did 10 migrants die in this truck in Texas? Posted: 29 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT Their deaths, after being crammed into an uncooled trailer amid scorching summer heat, expose the callousness of smuggling along the US-Mexico border One day earlier this month, Johny Serna was brought by his mother to pray the rosary at a parish shrine to Santo Toribio Romo, the patron saint of migrants, with his uncle and his best friend. They had a long journey ahead. The next morning, the trio departed for the US-Mexico border, where they crossed the Rio Grande, finally climbing into a crowded 18-wheeler that would take them part of the way to their ultimate destination, Chicago. Continue reading... |
| ‘My life was torn in two when Gianni was shot’ – Versace’s lover breaks silence Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:05 PM PDT Antonio D'Amico, the Italian fashion mogul's boyfriend of 15 years, explains why a TV drama on the murder that shocked the world in 1997 is 'ridiculous' Since Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home in 1997, his murder has been pored over in countless articles, books and films. Now the shooting will be examined on television next year in the award-winning American Crime Story. Amid the speculation, Antonio D'Amico, Versace's boyfriend of 15 years and the person who found him sprawled on the steps of the mansion, has remained remarkably taciturn. But the forthcoming series, in which he will be played by singer and actor Ricky Martin, has spurred D'Amico to speak his mind. Continue reading... |
| As ‘tiny ships’ Dunkirk blockbuster goes global, locals look for an upturn in their fortunes Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:05 PM PDT With the release of Christopher Nolan's film, the spotlight is on the seaside town – which may now lure US visitors from the D-Day beaches Things can look very different from the other side of the Channel. In Britain, Dunkirk has become a national byword for a very British kind of resilience and communal spirit. In France, it is simply the name of an industrial port. The events of May and June 1940 are largely ignored in the town, and all but forgotten across the rest of France. If they are mentioned at all, it is usually as a shameful prelude to Nazi occupation and the dark years of the Vichy puppet regime. Continue reading... |
| Winners and losers among White House’s warring factions Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:05 PM PDT Ousted chief of staff Reince Priebus and new communications director Anthony Scaramucci had a longstanding feud – one of many in Washington Donald Trump has always drawn his closest aides and advisers from his offspring and in-laws. Daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are at the centre of this part of the administration and ostensibly are the Trump advisers with the longest leash. The family also includes Donald Jr, who this month was found to have taken part in a previously undisclosed meeting with Russians offering information to help his father get elected. Continue reading... |
| UK 'has stripped 150 jihadists and criminals of citizenship' Posted: 30 Jul 2017 01:44 AM PDT Ministers reportedly stepped up passport bans amid fears that militants will seek to return from Syria after collapse of Isis More than 150 jihadists and other criminals have been stripped of their citizenship and banned from returning to the UK, it has been reported. Ministers stepped up the "deprivation orders" amid fears the collapse of the so-called Islamic State terror group will lead to an influx of militants from Syria, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading... |
| The Observer view on Donald Trump’s unfitness for office | Observer editorial Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:10 PM PDT The incompetence and infighting at the White House dismay America's allies and encourage its enemies The sense of things falling apart in Washington is palpable – and a matter of growing, serious international concern. Donald Trump's latest asinine act of gesture politics, the forced resignation of his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, has shone a spotlight on the extraordinary chaos inside the White House. Even normally sober, experienced Washington observers now refer to the West Wing as a viper's nest of seething rivalry, bitter feuds, gross incompetence and an unparalleled leadership vacuum. Continue reading... |
| NSW Labor conference backs recognition of Palestine and two-state solution Posted: 30 Jul 2017 01:24 AM PDT Delegates urge next federal Labor government to recognise the state in move likely to influence the outcome at the party's national conference The New South Wales Labor conference has urged the next federal Labor government to recognise Palestine in a development likely to flow through to the party's national conference next July. The motion carried by delegates in Sydney on Sunday night affirmed the two-state solution, and it recognised Israel and Palestine's right to exist "within secure and recognised borders" before urging the next Labor government to recognise Palestine. Continue reading... |
| Xi Jinping orders army to ‘unswervingly follow Communist party leadership’ Posted: 29 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT China's president dons camouflage fatigues for hour-long parade marking 90th anniversary of People's Liberation Army Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has presided over a spectacular display of military and political might, ordering members of his 2.3 million-strong armed forces to "unswervingly follow the absolute leadership of the Communist party of China". Xi donned camouflage fatigues for the hour-long Sunday morning parade, which marked the 90th anniversary of the creation of China's People's Liberation Army, on 1 August 1927. Continue reading... |
| More than 22,000 evacuated as fire engulfs stage at music festival in Spain Posted: 29 Jul 2017 09:27 PM PDT Stage at Tomorrowland festival near Barcelona erupts in flames, sending attendees running More than 22,000 people were evacuated on Saturday when the stage at an electronic music festival near Barcelona erupted in flames, sending attendees running. Firefighters rushed to the Tomorrowland festival in Santa Coloma de Gramenet in north-eastern Spain, and eventually managed to extinguish the blaze which caused no injuries, they said in a statement. Continue reading... |
| New Zealand to drug test high school rugby teams Posted: 29 Jul 2017 06:58 PM PDT Drugfree Sport NZ says it has information indicating 'a significant potential for doping to occur' New Zealand is rolling out drug testing of its leading high school rugby teams in a move to address concerns about doping infiltrating the sport at junior level. Drugfree Sport NZ said it had information which indicated "a significant potential for doping to occur" within the school rugby environment. Continue reading... |
| ‘Jupiter’ or just another politician? Macron’s divine aura begins to fade Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:05 PM PDT Last week the French president enjoyed celebrity visits from Rihanna and Bono. But as political reality bites, his ratings have begun to drop A young leader marches to office promising sweeping change and buoyed by hopes that he will introduce a new style of politics to replace a rejected establishment. He seems to walk on water and to be in touch with his times as he injects fresh life into international gatherings and invites pop stars to the official residence. Tony Blair 1997 or Emmanuel Macron 2017; Cool Britannia at Downing Street or, as we saw last week, Rihanna and Bono at the Élysée Palace to discuss world education and poverty. But if it took half a dozen years for the Blair halo to lose its lustre, the French president is already facing negative comments that he is a bit too good to be true, that he is proving too big for his boots and that his promised new start for France will run aground on the familiar problems that stymied his predecessors. Undeterred, however, by the criticism and falling poll numbers, Macron forged ahead last week with initiatives ranging from nationalising the country's biggest shipbuilder, STX France, to presiding at a meeting where Libya's two main rival leaders agreed to call a ceasefire and hold elections, as his wife Brigitte bounded down the steps of the palace to greet Rihanna. Continue reading... |
| Wildfires in Provence: locals blame climate change and arson Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:04 PM PDT Questions raised over strategy after forest blazes that led to evacuation of thousands brought under control A sickly sweet smell hangs in the air on the road that zigzags up to the medieval village of Carros, a route that was once lushly forested but now lies in ashes in the wake of wildfires that have devastated swathes of Provence's countryside. Among those venturing here on Friday to gaze at the apocalyptic vista of blackened trees were Lennard and Sofie Nystedt, a Swedish couple who were among around 10,000 holidaymakers and locals who were forced to flee to the safety of public shelters and hotels overnight on Tuesday as flames swept down hillsides. Continue reading... |
| Nicolás Maduro: will Venezuela’s president drag his people to the edge? | Observer profile Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:04 PM PDT Once he dreamed of turning his country into a workers' paradise, but as Venezuelans go to the polls today in a vote on constitutional changes, Chávez's heir stands accused of becoming a virtual dictator When Hugo Chávez anointed Nicolás Maduro to succeed him as Venezuela's president, few realised that he would become Latin America's Robert Mugabe. After all, Maduro had a reputation as a conciliator. He was physically imposing – a big, burly man – but not charismatic and not known for ambition. The former bus driver had limited formal education and gave the impression of rising through the revolution's ranks – head of the national assembly, foreign minister, deputy president – at Chávez's behest. Continue reading... |
| Activists marking 100th anniversary of NAACP's silent parade see scary parallels Posted: 29 Jul 2017 08:15 AM PDT Organizer says unlike 1917 march against Woodrow Wilson's civil rights failures, this had no demands but adds: 'I don't know that we're in such a different space' On a July day in 1917, in the face of a presidential administration seen as taking regressive steps on civil rights, nearly 10,000 black Americans walked down Fifth Avenue in New York. Wearing uniform clothing and carrying signs, demanding federal action over the lynchings of black men, they marched in total silence. A century later, also clad in white, a much smaller group assembled outside Bryant Park on Friday. They were there to commemorate the occasion in a world, attendees said, that did not feel altogether changed. Continue reading... |
| North Korea launches second missile test – video Posted: 29 Jul 2017 06:06 AM PDT Pyongyang says intercontinental ballistic missile test late on Friday was warning to the 'beast-like US imperialists' |
| The scandal of the missing children abducted from India’s railway stations Posted: 29 Jul 2017 04:04 PM PDT Scores of minors in Kolkata call Sealdah station home. The fate of hundreds a year is to be abducted and sold into slavery or the sex trade When they awoke, their child had gone. As the parents slept near platform 14a, someone had carefully bent down between them and taken their three-year-old daughter. Astonished, they demanded to review the CCTV images but found there was no footage. No witnesses came forward. On 15 June, between 3am and 5am, another child had vanished into thin air from Kolkata's Sealdah rail station. The precise number of minors who go missing from Sealdah's 20 platforms is not known. The only ones documented are those fortunate enough to be rescued. Between June 2016 and last May, 1,628 vulnerable children, most of them travelling alone, were retrieved – the highest number ever found at a single train station in India. Of these, 134 were girls and the youngest was four years old. Hundreds more were apprehended by police, entirely for their own safety. Continue reading... |
| Saving Britain’s food supply: a manifesto to keep food on the table Posted: 29 Jul 2017 01:25 PM PDT Brexit imperils the health of a nation whose food supply was already under threat from climate change and shifting global markets. Here, the Observer's restaurant critic outlines how we might avert disaster A few weeks ago, I was approached by an official at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She told me the secretary of state, Michael Gove, was holding a round table discussion for 'innovative thinkers' on 25 July to give him 'food for thought in the early days of the new job'. He had asked for me to be invited. I have explained on my blog that I have a low opinion of Michael Gove for a number of reasons. So I chose not to go. But God knows Gove needs advice, because our whole food supply chain has been imperilled by the Brexit vote. I have therefore decided to put my thoughts into a written submission. Gove can read the report, which has been emailed to his office. And so can you, if you like. I have chosen not to receive any payment for this article, which is, I hope, a worthwhile contribution to a vital debate. Continue reading... |
| Activists refuse to slow resistance after stymying Republican healthcare plan Posted: 29 Jul 2017 11:34 AM PDT Progressive leaders and healthcare advocates organize events such as Drive for Our Lives, a weeks-long national bus tour targeting swing states for 2018 election In the early hours of Friday morning, as Republican senators began voting on a healthcare bill that would have repealed pieces of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more than 200 protesters outside the Capitol chanted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" Related: 'Wait for the show': how John McCain helped torpedo the Republican health plan Continue reading... |
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