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- Greek debt crisis: ‘People can’t see any light at the end of any tunnel’
- Passengers rescued after cable car gondola crashes in Cologne
- 'I died in hell': sacrifice of war dead remembered at Passchendaele
- Venezuela heading for dictatorship after 'sham' election, warns US amid clashes
- US flies B-1B bombers over Korean peninsula after missile test
- Putin: US must cut diplomatic staff in Russia by 755
- Imran Khan calls for 'real democracy' in Pakistan following Sharif dismissal
- Gianforte to volunteer with children's group after assaulting Guardian reporter
- EasyJet passenger punched by airport worker in France
- Wartime bombs and mines fail to stop cross-Channel power cable
- Amtrak's $630m Trump budget cut could derail service in 220 US cities
- Donald Trump says China does ‘nothing’ to thwart North Korea’s nuclear quest
- Gunman kills one, injures three in shooting at nightclub in Konstanz, Germany
- Australian police foil 'elaborate' terrorist plot to detonate bomb on plane
- Cabinet united on avoiding Brexit 'cliff edge' departure, says Hunt
- 100th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele - in pictures
- 'The worst it's been': children continue to swim as raw sewage floods Gaza beach
- Why are millions of people still trapped in slavery? – video
- 'Human life is more expendable': why slavery has never made more money
- Trump vows 'all necessary measures' to protect allies from North Korea, says Abe
- Canada's First Nations already feel failed by inquiry into missing and murdered women
- Friend of Diana urges Channel 4 to scrap 'intrusive' documentary
- Sierra Leone bans jogging in groups after police say they are 'menacing'
- Shinzo Abe on North Korea: Trump and I agree to take further action – video
- Oil hits two-month high as US threatens Venezuela sanctions – business live
- Numan Haider inquest finds police had no choice but to shoot radicalised teenager
- Monday briefing: Trump warns Kim of 'all necessary measures'
- India floods: 213 killed in Gujarat as receding waters reveal more victims
- Passchendaele centenary: 'It feels like we've given him the send-off he deserves'
- The tragedies of Passchendaele remembered | Letters
- Heroes and villains of the Victorian imperial era | Letters
- UK must keep ban on cruel testing of cosmetics on animals | Letters
- Palantir: the ‘special ops’ tech giant that wields as much real-world power as Google
- Pakistani parliament to elect new prime minister on Tuesday
- ‘Traffickers take all that makes you human’: faces of modern slavery – in pictures
| Greek debt crisis: ‘People can’t see any light at the end of any tunnel’ Posted: 30 Jul 2017 08:03 AM PDT The Greek government says the country has turned a corner, but that is not the experience of people on the ground "The worst is clearly behind us." Panaghiota Mourtidou pondered the words with a gravity unusual for the jovial volunteer. Even now, several days after the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, saw fit to use the phrase, she still feels somewhat bewildered. "Politicians clearly have no idea of the reality on the ground," she said. "If they did, they wouldn't make such pronouncements because, really, it couldn't be worse." It is four years since the Guardian met Mourtidou packing food boxes at the Solidarity Club which she and other concerned citizens were running out of the local branch of Tsipras's then radical Syriza party. At the time, the leftist was an ardent fan of the only political force she truly believed could pull Greece from the depths of financial collapse. Continue reading... |
| Passengers rescued after cable car gondola crashes in Cologne Posted: 30 Jul 2017 02:10 PM PDT Children were seen clinging to parents as they dangled 40 metres above the river Rhine Up to 76 people were rescued from cable cars suspended over the river Rhine in Cologne on Sunday afternoon after a gondola crashed into a support pillar, leaving passengers stranded. German fire crews lowered people to safety from cable cars in a dramatic recovery operation, with children seen clinging to parents as they dangled 40 metres above the river. Continue reading... |
| 'I died in hell': sacrifice of war dead remembered at Passchendaele Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:51 AM PDT Centenary of Passchendaele battle, synonymous with the horrors of the first world war, marked by 54,000 blood-red poppies falling from the Menin Gate As the sun went down on Ypres on Sunday, the shale grey stone floor of the old Belgian town's Menin Gate, the world's first memorial to those who fell but who were never found during the first world war, was slowly covered by more than 54,000 blood-red poppies falling from its high arch. There was a paper flower for each name engraved upon the vast gate. Related: Passchendaele, 100 years on: a final great act of remembrance Continue reading... |
| Venezuela heading for dictatorship after 'sham' election, warns US amid clashes Posted: 30 Jul 2017 09:11 PM PDT Up ti 14 feared dead in clashes with security forces as many voters boycott poll that President Nicolás Maduro hails as a 'vote for peace' The United States has vowed to take strong and swift action against the "architects of authoritarianism" in Venezuela after protesters and security forces fought deadly street battles during voting for President Nicolás Maduro's controversial constitutional assembly. "The United States stands by the people of Venezuela, and their constitutional representatives, in their quest to restore their country to a full and prosperous democracy," the US State Department said in a statement. "We will continue to take strong and swift actions against the architects of authoritarianism in Venezuela, including those who participate in the national constituent assembly as a result of today's flawed election," it said. Continue reading... |
| US flies B-1B bombers over Korean peninsula after missile test Posted: 30 Jul 2017 12:44 PM PDT Japanese and South Korean jets join US in fly-by as American ambassador to UN, Nikki Haley, calls on China to act The US flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula in a show of force on Sunday, as the US ambassador to the UN warned that China, Japan and South Korea needed to do more after Pyongyang's latest missile tests. North Korea said it had conducted another successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that proved its ability to strike America's mainland. Continue reading... |
| Putin: US must cut diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 Posted: 30 Jul 2017 05:44 PM PDT Moscow also plans to seize two US diplomatic properties in retaliation for new American sanctions targeting Russia President Vladimir Putin said the United States would have to cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 people and that Russia could consider imposing additional measures against the US as a response to new sanctions approved by Congress. Moscow ordered the US on Friday to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff and said it would seize two US diplomatic properties after the House of Representatives and the Senate approved new sanctions on Russia. The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump would sign the sanctions bill. Continue reading... |
| Imran Khan calls for 'real democracy' in Pakistan following Sharif dismissal Posted: 30 Jul 2017 12:10 PM PDT Speaking at a rally in Islamabad, the opposition leader said the judiciary's ruling brought the country 'a new hope' Pakistan's opposition leader, Imran Khan, has called for a future of "real democracy" in the country, following the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister over corruption charges. "We are thankful to the judiciary because with their judgment, they brought us a new hope," Khan told a gathering of thousands of supporters on Sunday. Continue reading... |
| Gianforte to volunteer with children's group after assaulting Guardian reporter Posted: 30 Jul 2017 12:40 PM PDT Republican congressman, ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, to work off sentence with organization that builds wheelchairs for children The Montana Republican Greg Gianforte will work off his sentence for assaulting a Guardian reporter by volunteering for an organization that builds custom wheelchairs for children. Related: Greg Gianforte 'not sure' he would have sent Trump CNN body-slam tweet Continue reading... |
| EasyJet passenger punched by airport worker in France Posted: 30 Jul 2017 03:58 AM PDT Man waiting for delayed aircraft was carrying baby when pictured being hit by member of Nice airport staff EasyJet is "urgently" seeking answers after a worker at Nice airport apparently punched one of the airline's passengers who was holding his baby at the terminal after a 13-hour delay. A photo circulating online appears to show the man, believed to be a special assistance provider at the airport in south-east France, attacking the man in front of other passengers on Saturday. Continue reading... |
| Wartime bombs and mines fail to stop cross-Channel power cable Posted: 30 Jul 2017 06:48 AM PDT UXBs, a US plane and a 14th-century ship among challenges to team running seabed power cable across busy shipping lane with a history of warfare A £625m project to connect the energy systems of the UK and Belgium has unearthed more than a dozen bombs and mines dating back a century to when the continent was wracked by war. Detailed underwater surveys by National Grid, undertaken this year ahead of the laying of the 80-mile interconnector, have detected 19 pieces of unexploded ordnance from the first and second world wars along the seabed on the planned route. Continue reading... |
| Amtrak's $630m Trump budget cut could derail service in 220 US cities Posted: 30 Jul 2017 04:00 AM PDT Long-distance services could be devastated by budget cuts, and the blow will be especially painful in rural areas that bought the president's infrastructure pitch The routes have names that evoke glorious Americana and the frontier spirit: the Empire Builder, the Silver Meteor, the Sunset Limited, the Texas Eagle, the Coast Starlight and the California Zephyr. But a president who ran on a nostalgic promise to "make America great again" appears to have little interest in reviving once mighty railroads that stood as symbols of American capitalist ambition in the era of the robber barons. Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump says China does ‘nothing’ to thwart North Korea’s nuclear quest Posted: 29 Jul 2017 10:06 PM PDT Trump has previously used conciliatory and at times fawning language to refer to China's President Xi, but the honeymoon appears to be over Donald Trump has launched his latest Twitter assault on China, accusing its Communist party leaders of doing "NOTHING" to help the United States thwart North Korea's quest for nuclear weapons. "I am very disappointed in China," Trump wrote. "Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet … they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. Continue reading... |
| Gunman kills one, injures three in shooting at nightclub in Konstanz, Germany Posted: 30 Jul 2017 02:43 AM PDT Police rule out terrorism as motive for suspect who died after shootout with officers outside club in Konstanz A 34-year-old man opened fire in a nightclub in the southern German city of Konstanz on Sunday, killing one person and seriously injuring three others, police have said. The gunman was fatally wounded in a gunfight with police officers outside the music venue after they had rushed to the scene shortly after the incident at about 3.30am BST. He died later in hospital. Continue reading... |
| Australian police foil 'elaborate' terrorist plot to detonate bomb on plane Posted: 29 Jul 2017 05:43 PM PDT • 'Islamic-inspired' terrorist attack planned to use 'improvised device' to target Australian plane Police have ramped up security at Australian airports after foiling what they described as a credible and "elaborate" plan to detonate a bomb on a plane. Tougher security has now been implemented at Australian airports, including additional screening of bags, and police say the current counter-terrorism operation may last days. Continue reading... |
| Cabinet united on avoiding Brexit 'cliff edge' departure, says Hunt Posted: 31 Jul 2017 12:14 AM PDT Health secretary backs gradualist approach favoured by Hammond amid reports of ministerial divisions over transitional deal The cabinet is "absolutely united" behind a gradual, business-friendly Brexit, Jeremy Hunt has said, amid clashes between ministers on the post-EU approach to areas including immigration and trade. The health secretary said hospitals would still be able to recruit from EU nations after Brexit before a new immigration policy was finalised, throwing himself behind the gradualist approach to departure led by Philip Hammond. Continue reading... |
| 100th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele - in pictures Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:33 PM PDT The battle of Passchendaele, the third battle of Ypres and one of the most brutal conflicts of the first world war, took place between July 31 and November 10 1917 in West Flanders, Belgium. More than half a million combatants lost their lives |
| 'The worst it's been': children continue to swim as raw sewage floods Gaza beach Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:15 PM PDT For most of the 2 million people in this overcrowded strip of land – largely cut off from the outside world – the beach and sea are the only affordable form of recreation. The only option now is to swim and even fish in filthy water It is high summer on Gaza City's beach. A horse and cart patrols the shore selling brightly coloured swimming rings. A small boat is giving joy rides out to sea. Families sit on chairs while a few children play in the water. Normally, in the midst of the school holidays, the beach would be crowded. Particularly this year, as an electricity crisis makes many homes unbearable during the heat. But these days many parents are keeping their children away. Continue reading... |
| Why are millions of people still trapped in slavery? – video Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT Slavery is illegal in every corner of the world, yet an estimated 21 million people are enslaved globally. To put that number in perspective, there are more slaves in contemporary society than at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. How is this possible? And would you even recognise a modern slave if you saw one in the street? Continue reading... |
| 'Human life is more expendable': why slavery has never made more money Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:00 PM PDT New research shows modern slavery is more lucrative than it has ever has been, with sex traffickers reaping the greatest rewards Slave traders today make a return on their investment 25-30 times higher than their 18th- and 19th-century counterparts. Siddharth Kara, a slavery economist and director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Business School, has calculated that the average profit a victim generates for their exploiters is $3,978 (£3,030) a year. Sex trafficking is so disproportionately lucrative compared to other forms of slavery that the average profit for each victim is $36,000. Continue reading... |
| Trump vows 'all necessary measures' to protect allies from North Korea, says Abe Posted: 30 Jul 2017 09:52 PM PDT The US president has assured Japan of total support as tensions increase in east Asia, the prime minister says Donald Trump has vowed to take "all necessary measures" to protect United States allies from North Korea's evolving military threat, the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said following a phone conversation with the US president. The talks between Trump and Abe came after North Korea conducted its second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Friday – a move analysts said put most of the US within range of Pyongyang's missiles. Continue reading... |
| Canada's First Nations already feel failed by inquiry into missing and murdered women Posted: 30 Jul 2017 03:00 AM PDT Indigenous groups say they've been left in the dark and 're-victimised' by Trudeau government's investigation, and call for a reset after months of red flags More than a dozen people gathered behind the podium, some clutching framed photos of loved ones. For years they had called for justice and demanded change, amid estimates that as many as 4,000 indigenous women have gone missing or been murdered in Canada in recent decades. Their determination crystalised into federal action last August, when the Liberal government launched a two-year, C$53.8m inquiry aimed at bringing an end to what it called an "ongoing national tragedy". Continue reading... |
| Friend of Diana urges Channel 4 to scrap 'intrusive' documentary Posted: 30 Jul 2017 09:52 PM PDT Rosa Monckton will tell the broadcaster that use of the 'Diana tapes', revealing conversations recorded by the Princess of Wales's speech coach, is 'outrageous' One of Princess Diana's closest friends is writing to Channel 4 bosses asking them to scrap a forthcoming documentary using private video footage which includes Diana talking about about her sex life with Prince Charles. Rosa Monckton, a confidante of Diana's until she was killed in a Paris car crash 20 years ago next month, will argue that the confessional videos that Diana made as part of a course of speech coaching amounted to therapy and that using them is an "intrusion" and "outrage" that betrays Diana's right to privacy. Continue reading... |
| Sierra Leone bans jogging in groups after police say they are 'menacing' Posted: 30 Jul 2017 08:25 PM PDT Police announce immediate ban, accusing runners of obstructing traffic, insulting people and playing loud music Police in Sierra Leone have banned group jogging in the street on the grounds that it encourages disruptive behaviour. "Police headquarters has observed with dismay that people are in the habit of jogging in large numbers along the streets with a hint of menace, raining insults, obstructing traffic, pounding on vehicles, playing loud music, and snatching property from other members of the public," police in the west African state announced. Continue reading... |
| Shinzo Abe on North Korea: Trump and I agree to take further action – video Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:14 PM PDT Japanese prime minister says he spoke to the US president by phone and they agreed on the need to take further action on North Korea in the wake of its most recent missile launch. Abe told reporters that he praised Trump's commitment on North Korea and that he would make the utmost efforts to protect the Japanese public Continue reading... |
| Oil hits two-month high as US threatens Venezuela sanctions – business live Posted: 31 Jul 2017 01:50 AM PDT All the day's economic and financial news, including new UK consumer credit data and the latest eurozone inflation and unemployment statistics
Newsflash: Back in the UK, the number of mortgages being approved has dipped to a nine-month low. A total of 64,684 new home loans were agreed in June, new figures from the Bank of England show, down from 65,109 in May. That's the lowest since September 2016. UK mortgage approvals in June continue to point to fairly flat rather than falling house prices in the next 6 months. pic.twitter.com/HMvWQ5SvBa UK consumer credit rises again, to 19.7% of household income in Q2. Most of the push has come from personal loans & overdrafts. pic.twitter.com/5C8YqxihDD
As this chart shows, Venezuela is the third-largest exporter of oil into the US market: The U.S. is weighing new sanctions against Venezuela by targeting its vital oil industry https://t.co/cHC3S4K6EF vía @WSJ pic.twitter.com/1BZzXP4hQK Continue reading... |
| Numan Haider inquest finds police had no choice but to shoot radicalised teenager Posted: 30 Jul 2017 10:04 PM PDT 'There was no time or opportunity for the officers to use a lower force,' says coroner about police shooting of Melbourne teenager who stabbed two officers A police officer had no choice but to shoot dead a radicalised Melbourne teenager who launched a stabbing attack on another officer, a coroner has found. Numan Haider, 18, died instantly when shot in the head on 23 September 2014 after stabbing two counter-terrorism officers who had arranged to meet him outside Endeavour Hills police station. Continue reading... |
| Monday briefing: Trump warns Kim of 'all necessary measures' Posted: 30 Jul 2017 10:34 PM PDT US pledges total support to Japan over Korea standoff ... Hunt to create 21,000 new NHS jobs to tackle mental health … Diana friend pleads with C4 to scrap documentary Good morning. I'm Martin Farrer and these are the best stories as you start your week. Continue reading... |
| India floods: 213 killed in Gujarat as receding waters reveal more victims Posted: 30 Jul 2017 09:57 PM PDT Authorities race to identify bodies as rescue workers reach new areas and fear monsoon death toll will rise further Severe monsoon flooding has killed 213 people in western India, an official said on Sunday, as rescuers continue to sift through villages devastated by torrential rains. The death toll in Gujarat state jumped from Wednesday's total of 123 to 213, the government said, as waters receded from low-lying areas, allowing rescue workers to reach remote spots. Continue reading... |
| Passchendaele centenary: 'It feels like we've given him the send-off he deserves' Posted: 30 Jul 2017 12:30 PM PDT Edward Hart died in the first world war battle aged 18. Relative Denis Taylor and family were at Ypres to pay tribute Edward Hart, 18, had been too young to be called up for the first world war, but lied about his age to join up after being sent a white feather, the symbol of cowardice. Within two years he was dead. "He was a good-looking, strapping lad and people couldn't believe he wasn't old enough," says his nephew, Denis Taylor, 86, who is in Ypres for the commemorations. "So someone, we don't know who sent him that feather. It was quite common then. After basic training he was straight away off to Ypres." Continue reading... |
| The tragedies of Passchendaele remembered | Letters Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:44 AM PDT Readers honour the heroes of Ypres, including Hedd Wyn, the Welsh bard killed weeks before winning the National Eisteddfod, and the three battles' many Commonwealth casualties It is right that we should remember the carnage of Passchendaele and the sacrifice of those who were killed there (Ypres gathering to mark those who 'died in hell', 29 July). Here in Wales we will also be honouring the memory of Ellis Humphrey Evans, better known by his bardic name of Hedd Wyn (Blessed Peace). Continue reading... |
| Heroes and villains of the Victorian imperial era | Letters Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:43 AM PDT John Wilson on the anti-racists of the Jamaica Committee and the racists of the Governor Eyre Defence and Aid Committee; Gwyn Griffiths on Richard Cobden and others who opposed English meddling in foreign affairs; Ian Bullock on the leading socialist Henry Hyndman's advocacy of home rule for India and Ireland Priyamvada Gopal (The British empire's hidden history is one of resistance, not pride, 28 July) could have been a bit more specific about the reaction in Britain to the suppression of the Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica, as it identifies the racists and anti-racists among mid-Victorian intellectuals. The protests she refers to were organised mainly by the Jamaica Committee, who tried to get Edward Eyre, the governor of Jamaica, prosecuted for murder. The most eminent member was Charles Darwin, and it included his fellow scientists (and allies in the evolution debate) Thomas Huxley and Charles Lyell. The best-known other member was John Stuart Mill. The racists led by the philosopher Thomas Carlyle organised the Governor Eyre Defence and Aid Committee, including John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Charles Kingsley and Alfred Tennyson. I don't think that is generally part of the reputation of these Victorian men of culture and supposed humanity. |
| UK must keep ban on cruel testing of cosmetics on animals | Letters Posted: 30 Jul 2017 11:39 AM PDT Michelle Thew warns against quick trade deal which overturns EU restrictions Michael Gove's commitment that "we need to be in a position as we leave the European Union to be leaders in environmental and in animal welfare" is to be welcomed (UK-US trade deals would not allow chlorinated chicken imports – Michael Gove, 26 July). However, amid the real concerns about chickens, we should remember that as well as food and farm animals, EU laws protect animals in other contexts too. Since 2013, the EU has banned the sale within its borders of cosmetics tested on animals. Time and again, the public has expressed its abhorrence of cosmetics animal testing. Consumers need similar reassurance from ministers that a quick trade deal with the US – where cosmetics animal testing is still permitted – will not result in any weakening of this sales ban and that cruel cosmetics will remain a thing of the past. • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com Continue reading... |
| Palantir: the ‘special ops’ tech giant that wields as much real-world power as Google Posted: 30 Jul 2017 06:59 AM PDT Peter Thiel's CIA-backed, data-mining firm honed its 'crime predicting' techniques against insurgents in Iraq. The same methods are now being sold to police departments. Will they inflame already tense relations between the public and the police? In Minority Report, the 2002 movie adaptation of the Philip K Dick novel, Tom Cruise plays a police officer in the LAPD "pre-crime" unit. Using the premonitions of sentient mutants called "pre-cogs", the police are able to predict when someone is going to commit a crime before it happens, swooping down from helicopters and arresting them on the street before they can do anything. Their "crime" is that they merely thought about it. Palantir, the CIA-backed startup, is Minority Report come true. It is all-powerful, yet no one knows it even exists. Palantir does not have an office, it has a "SCIF" on a back street in Palo Alto, California. SCIF stands for "sensitive compartmentalised information facility". Palantir says its building "must be built to be resistant to attempts to access the information within. The network must be 'airgapped' from the public internet to prevent information leakage." Continue reading... |
| Pakistani parliament to elect new prime minister on Tuesday Posted: 30 Jul 2017 06:59 AM PDT Opposition plans rally amid condemnation of plan to install Nawaz Sharif ally as interim PM until Sharif's brother is eligible Pakistan's parliament will elect a new prime minister on Tuesday to replace ousted leader Nawaz Sharif, with ruling party stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expected to become interim leader until Sharif's own brother is eligible. The confirmation from parliament came after Pakistan's president, Mamnoon Hussain, convened a special session following Sharif's decision to put forward his ally Abbasi as interim leader and named his brother Shahbaz, 65, as long-term successor. Continue reading... |
| ‘Traffickers take all that makes you human’: faces of modern slavery – in pictures Posted: 30 Jul 2017 06:00 AM PDT Survivors of human trafficking recount how they were raped, abused and exploited as they became 21st century slaves Continue reading... |
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