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

Nato chief: world is at its most dangerous point in a generation
In the court of Kim Jong-un: a ruthless, bellicose despot, but not mad
Sara Netanyahu told she faces potential criminal charges
Iranian journalist loses eye 'after cancer was left untreated in jail'
Violence erupts between taxi and Uber drivers in Johannesburg
Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent co-founder and ‘true prince of culture’, dies at 86
'Jacindamania' soars anew as New Zealand PM sprinkles 'stardust' on rival
Kim Briggs widower: 'this is not about anti-cycling, it's about wrongdoing'
Can Poland's answer to Topshop make it on Oxford Street?
The 20 photographs of the week
Tracking Trump: a blow for 'Dreamers' and a deal with Democrats
Hurricane Irma: Florida evacuates millions as superstorm batters Cuba - latest updates
Cambodia's YouTube provocateur: 'Is a woman's value measured by virginity?'
'The lift will stop': Barnaby Joyce tells Nationals coal power can't be ignored
Hurricane Jose: storm 'almost category five' as it follows Irma's destructive path
Cambridge University Press headed for showdown with China over censorship
Giant portrait of toddler peers over US-Mexico border wall
YouTube shuts down North Korean propaganda channels
Saudi Arabia suspends dialogue, saying Qatar 'distorting facts'
LGBT groups denounce 'dangerous' AI that uses your face to guess sexuality
Art v government at Singapore festival: 'I fear once I leave, they will punish me'
Water, hygiene, infrastructure: dealing with a natural disaster
Germany's 'deadliest company' pledges to stop selling guns to crisis regions
Can Kim Jong-un be contained?
Harvey spells it out: markets alone won't protect you | Joseph Stiglitz
A history of hurricanes: how US presidents have responded - video explainer
The Battle for Myanmar’s Buddhist spirit – video
Spectacular northern lights illuminate sky over Finland – video

Nato chief: world is at its most dangerous point in a generation

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 10:00 AM PDT

Exclusive: Jens Stoltenberg warns of converging threats as Russia mobilises estimated 100,000 troops on EU's borders

The world is more dangerous today than it has been in a generation, the head of Nato has said, days before the mobilisation of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops on the EU's eastern borders, and as a nuclear crisis grows on the Korean peninsula.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the military alliance, said the sheer number of converging threats was making the world increasingly perilous.

In the court of Kim Jong-un: a ruthless, bellicose despot, but not mad

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 05:00 AM PDT

Considered a maniac by many, in reality the North Korean dictator is a leader firmly in control, and with a plan for survival

Every time North Korea prepares to test a nuclear bomb or launch a missile, Kim Jong-un sits down to pen a handwritten note, flourishing his signature to personally approve the action and propelling himself into the annals of history.

The notes have become central to the propaganda theatre that emerges after military tests, broadcasting to the world the message that it is not North Korea detonating a nuclear bomb, it is Kim himself.

Sara Netanyahu told she faces potential criminal charges

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 03:16 AM PDT

Attorney general considering prosecuting Israeli prime minister's wife for allegedly using state money on private expenses

Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israel's prime minister, has been formally notified that she is facing potential criminal charges for allegedly diverting tens of thousands of dollars of state money to use for private expenses.

The attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, was considering prosecuting Benjamin Netanyahu's wife for offences that include fraudulently procuring items, fraud and breach of trust, according to a justice ministry statement.

Iranian journalist loses eye 'after cancer was left untreated in jail'

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 08:25 AM PDT

Activists say Alireza Rajaee was given only painkillers for sinus cancer that has also claimed part of his face

A prominent Iranian journalist has lost an eye and part of his face due to a sinus cancer that activists say was left untreated while he was kept in jail.

Alireza Rajaee, a former political editor of a number of banned Iranian reformist newspapers, spent four years in prison after being convicted of "acting against the national security" and "propaganda against the state" – vague charges used against dozens of journalists in recent years.

Violence erupts between taxi and Uber drivers in Johannesburg

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 09:39 AM PDT

Police deployed to quell violence after two cars operated by Uber drivers were torched in South Africa's commercial capital

Police have been deployed to sites in Johannesburg to quell growing violence between Uber drivers and metered taxi operators.

Two cars operated by Uber drivers were torched on Thursday night outside a shopping mall in the upmarket suburb of Sandton in the latest round of clashes in South Africa's commercial capital. A metered taxi was reportedly attacked early on Friday morning.

Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent co-founder and ‘true prince of culture’, dies at 86

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 04:33 AM PDT

French fashion tycoon was a tireless campaigner for gay rights and donated much of his fortune to Aids research

Pierre Bergé, the French fashion tycoon, philanthropist and art collector who was the driving force behind the creation of the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, has died at the age of 86 following a long illness.

Bergé was one of the most influential business figures on the French cultural scene, known for his very public long-term personal and business relationship with the designer Saint Laurent, which captured the public imagination and inspired a series books and films.

'Jacindamania' soars anew as New Zealand PM sprinkles 'stardust' on rival

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 06:29 PM PDT

Excitement over opposition leader Jacinda Ardern dismissed by Bill English as her ratings surge ahead of the general election

The New Zealand prime minister has dismissed his competitor's popularity with voters as "stardust" in one of their final meetings before the general election in two weeks time.

In a highly charged debate in Christchurch, Bill English and Jacinda Ardern clashed over the future of the country with the Nationals leader appearing to fuel his opponent's soaring popularity.

Kim Briggs widower: 'this is not about anti-cycling, it's about wrongdoing'

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Matthew Briggs, whose wife was struck by a cyclist in east London, discusses his grief and his long wait for a conviction

A week after Kim Briggs died of head injuries sustained when a cyclist riding an illegal bike collided with her at about 18mph, her husband, Matthew Briggs, received a call from a police officer warning him there would be a long journey ahead.

Briggs was sitting on a bench outside John Lewis in Bluewater, the behemoth shopping centre in Kent, where he was picking out clothing for his children's school uniforms. Shoppers darted purposefully all about him as he took the call. His grief – and that of his children – was painfully ripe.

Can Poland's answer to Topshop make it on Oxford Street?

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 12:00 AM PDT

Reserved has signed a £42m lease for the old BHS flagship store but securing a foothold in the UK clothing market may take more than money … and Kate Moss

It's that time of year when thousands of fashion buyers, press and "digital influencers" decamp to London to take in the catwalk shows that will shape what we wear come spring.

On Wednesday, the Polish brand Reserved put on a show of its own, hiring Kate Moss to draw the fashion crowd to its debut store on London's Oxford Street, where 120 million shoppers pass by each year.

The 20 photographs of the week

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:22 AM PDT

Hurricane Irma, Rohingya refugees flee Myanmar, wildfires in California and more nuclear tests in North Korea – the news of the week captured by the world's best photojournalists

Tracking Trump: a blow for 'Dreamers' and a deal with Democrats

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT

On the heels of Hurricane Harvey Trump cut a deal with Democrats on relief and the debt ceiling, while earlier repealing protections for young immigrants

Each week Donald Trump seems to make more news than most presidents do in a lifetime. The Guardian is keeping track of it all in this series every Saturday

In a week bookended by hurricanes, Donald Trump repealed an Obama-era program to protect young immigrants, floated multiple responses to the North Korea nuclear threat and tried to whip up support for tax reform. He also cut an unexpected deal with Democratic leaders in congress to combine a Hurricane Harvey relief package with raising the debt ceiling and funding the government for three months.

Hurricane Irma: Florida evacuates millions as superstorm batters Cuba - latest updates

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 02:25 AM PDT

Irma is restored to category 5 strength as it pummels Cuba and prompts orders for a quarter of Florida's population to leave

10.23am BST

Dutch marines have dropped flyers from a helicopter warning inhabitants on the devastated nation of St. Maarten to head to shelters as Hurricane Jose heads its way, following in Irma's path.

Jose, a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, was forecast to pass close to St. Maarten over the weekend, delivering a second damaging blow to the former Dutch colony that suffered catastrophic damage when Category 5 Hurricane Irma slammed into it on Wednesday.

Flyers boven St Maarten vanuit heli ZEELAND om bevolking te waarschuwen voor orkaan José . Oproep om naar shelters te gaan.@kon_marine #irma pic.twitter.com/EvS5hLcLXK

10.21am BST

Hurricane Irma, which is passing over north Cuba, is now a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

However, it is still being described as "powerful and large".

5AM ADVISORY: Hurricane #Irma has "weakened" a bit back down to a CAT 4 storm as it continues to impact Cuba. Winds are down to 155 mph. pic.twitter.com/ECuQuNsNVP

9/9 5AM Tropical Update: #Irma continues to move closer to South Florida as a powerful, large Category 4 Hurricane #FLwx pic.twitter.com/zwfDtQqW6p

Cambodia's YouTube provocateur: 'Is a woman's value measured by virginity?'

Posted: 09 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT

From menstruation to masturbation, no topic is off limits for a candid online activist who has established a big following in culturally conservative Cambodia

A presenter is standing in front of a white sheet with splashes of pink, signifying blood. The woman, Catherine V Harry, turns to camera and, after a standard Khmer greeting, gets straight to the point.

"Is the value of women determined by virginity?" she asks. It is this directness, in a country laced with taboos and tradition, that has garnered the 22-year-old more than 1 million views on her Facebook video channel, A Dose of Cath.

'The lift will stop': Barnaby Joyce tells Nationals coal power can't be ignored

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 10:06 PM PDT

Renewables are here to stay but Australia must not lose sight of where the main game is, deputy prime minister tells conference

Australia's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has warned of a summer of blackouts unless politicians embrace coal power solutions.

Energy policy was front and centre at the Nationals federal conference in Canberra, which Joyce addressed on Saturday.

Hurricane Jose: storm 'almost category five' as it follows Irma's destructive path

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 11:40 PM PDT

The system is nearing the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Anguilla, promising further devastation in the wake of the giant Irma

Hurricane Jose has "almost" reached category five strength, with top winds of 155 mph (250kmh) as it heads towards the eastern Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma.

Cambridge University Press headed for showdown with China over censorship

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 10:11 PM PDT

Following protests last month, Cambridge University's publishing house reversed its decision to censor articles in academic journal China Quarterly

Cambridge University Press is heading for a showdown with Chinese authorities after it refused a renewed request to block academic articles, following an outcry last month when it was revealed the publisher has restricted certain content in China.

A Chinese state-owned importer asked CUP, the world's oldest publisher, to block articles from the American Political Science Review.

Giant portrait of toddler peers over US-Mexico border wall

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 08:30 PM PDT

French artist JR erected the cut-out of the boy that stands nearly 20 metres tall and is meant to prompt discussion of immigration

A photo of a giant toddler stands in Mexico and peers over a steel wall dividing the country from the United States.

The boy appears to grip the barrier with his fingers, leaving the impression the entire thing could be toppled with a giggle.

YouTube shuts down North Korean propaganda channels

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 06:04 PM PDT

Academics who use the channels to better understand the regime's nuclear program are urging the company to reinstate them

YouTube has shut down two North Korean propaganda channels that academics use to monitor and assess the regime's missile programs.

Stimmekoreas, the number one YouTube channel on North Korea with more than 20,000 subscribers, and Uriminzokkiri, which had more than 18,000 subscribers, regularly posted of videos of state TV news clips and other footage, attracting millions of views.

Saudi Arabia suspends dialogue, saying Qatar 'distorting facts'

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 05:59 PM PDT

Move follows earlier report of phone call between leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute

Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of "distorting facts", just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Friday when they discussed the dispute, state media from both countries reported.

LGBT groups denounce 'dangerous' AI that uses your face to guess sexuality

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 05:23 PM PDT

Two prominent LGBT groups have criticized a Stanford study as 'junk science', but a professor who co-authored it said he was perplexed by the criticisms

A Stanford University study showing that artificial intelligence (AI) can accurately guess whether people are gay or straight based on their faces has sparked a swift backlash from LGBT rights activists who fear this kind of technology could be used to harm queer people.

The research, which went viral this week, used a sample of online dating photos, limited only to white users, to demonstrate that an algorithm could correctly distinguish between gay and straight men 81% of the time and 74% for women, suggesting machines can potentially have much better "gaydar" than humans.

Art v government at Singapore festival: 'I fear once I leave, they will punish me'

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 04:03 PM PDT

Ong Keng Sen's experience as director of the national festival has shed light on overt and covert censorship of the arts in Singapore

In many ways, theatremaker Ong Keng Sen was a natural fit to run the Singapore international festival of arts when it relaunched in 2014.

A recipient of Singapore's Cultural Medallion, Ong's company TheatreWorks signalled a new creative movement when it was founded in 1985. He was there for the birth of Singapore's arts scene and 30 years later is still a major player within it.

Water, hygiene, infrastructure: dealing with a natural disaster

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 11:00 PM PDT

Aid workers explain the humanitarian response to Hurricane Irma and the effort required to prevent a bad situation deteriorating further

Vincent DeGennaro, associate professor at University of Florida College of Medicine and medical director of Haiti Air Ambulance (speaking from Port-au-Prince)

I was worried this would be a catastrophe but fortunately it seems we avoided one. The government was much better prepared for this storm [than before]. They prepositioned materials, forcably evacuated people and had meetings on Thursday in preparation.

We got some rain here in [the capital] Port-au-Prince but not much more than a typical rainstorm. We're waiting for more information from our partners up north, where there's been some minimal flooding, and just need clearance to fly so we can get supplies to the public hospitals that are asking for them. We essentially have a flying intensive care unit on the helicopter: we take a ventilator, meds, oxygen, basically everything you need for critical care. The helicopter isn't that big, so we take the supplies to hospitals, then we fly out someone who is sick and needs transport. During Hurricane Matthew last year we'd have three or four people who needed to be transported, but we would have to just choose one person – the sickest, the person most in need.

Germany's 'deadliest company' pledges to stop selling guns to crisis regions

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 06:47 AM PDT

Heckler & Koch, whose weapons have killed 2 million people, vows to end sales to warzones and countries falling short of corruption and democracy standards

Heckler & Koch, the German weapons manufacturer whose guns are estimated to have killed more than 2 million people since the company was founded in 1949, has quietly adopted the most ethical sales policy of any gunmaker in the world.

The company has pledged no longer to sell arms into warzones or to countries that violate corruption and democracy standards, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, or any African countries.

Can Kim Jong-un be contained?

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 05:15 AM PDT

Amid global alarm at the speed with which Pyongyang appears to be nearing its goal of developing nuclear missiles capable of reaching the US mainland, three foreign policy experts set out what can be done to rein in the North Korean leader

Sir Hugo Swire
UK foreign office minister for Asia until July 2016

However much China may deny its relationship with Pyongyang, and it does not have a good relationship, it does have leverage, not least through the huge amount of oil. So if China is getting serious, that is manifestly good news, and could be the answer.

China is looking at what is the lesser evil – a reunification of Korea that could be pro-western, a destabilising nuclear-armed North, all-out war on the peninsula with the huge migratory effects into China, a permanent US presence in the region. But what has changed is that, if it goes on like this, there is going to be an arms race in the region.

Harvey spells it out: markets alone won't protect you | Joseph Stiglitz

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 02:58 AM PDT

We should have learned the lessons of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy – we need political action to help prevent disasters

Tropical Storm Harvey has left in its wake upended lives and enormous property damage, estimated by some at $150-$180bn. But the storm that pummelled the Texas coast for the better part of a week also raises deep questions about the United States' economic system and politics.

It is ironic, of course, that an event so related to climate change would occur in a state that is home to so many climate-change deniers – and where the economy depends so heavily on the fossil fuels that drive global warming. Of course, no particular climate event can be directly related to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. But scientists have long predicted that such increases would boost not only average temperatures, but also weather variability – and especially the occurrence of extreme events such as Harvey. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded several years ago, "There is evidence that some extremes have changed as a result of anthropogenic influences, including increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases." Astrophysicist Adam Frank succinctly explained: "Greater warmth means more moisture in the air which means stronger precipitation."

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

A history of hurricanes: how US presidents have responded - video explainer

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 09:18 AM PDT

George W Bush's presidency never fully recovered from his botched handling of Hurricane Katrina. Barack Obama won re-election just days after Hurricane Sandy struck. So how can presidents respond effectively to natural disasters? And how has Donald Trump managed the response to Harvey and Irma?

The Battle for Myanmar’s Buddhist spirit – video

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 04:20 AM PDT

In Myanmar, different groups of Buddhist monks are battling with how to deal with the country's minority Muslim population. While some advocate peace, others, such as the extremist Ma Ba Tha, are stoking up hatred and violence. The Guardian visited Myanmar to investigate how the monks' actions are threatening to destabilise the country's newly established democracy

Spectacular northern lights illuminate sky over Finland – video

Posted: 08 Sep 2017 03:33 AM PDT

Colourful lights danced across the sky in a striking aurora display over Lapland in northern Finland early on Friday. The editor of the travel magazine All About Lapland, Alexander Kuznetsov, said he had driven for 300 miles to find clear skies to film the scenes. The northern lights are the result of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter Earth's atmosphere

• 'It's the closest thing to the moon': my space odyssey to Iceland

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

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

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