World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk |
- Mugabe makes first public appearance since military takeover
- Questions over German ministerial hopeful's 'links to Russian pipeline'
- Toto Riina, Sicilian mafia's ‘boss of bosses’, dies at 87
- Donald Trump tweets about Al Franken sexual harassment: 'Where do his hands go?'
- Voice evidence 'shows Italy has wrong man in people-smuggling case'
- Chapman brothers reunite with Goya's art 16 years after defacing it
- Israeli military chief wants closer Saudi ties as Iran tensions rise
- Japanese rail company apologises after train leaves 20 seconds early
- 'Maybe the smog can bring us together': toxic air chokes Pakistan and India
- Respect for human rights can prevent 'vicious cycle' of terrorism, says UN chief
- Anger as Chinese bike sharing firm shuts up office with riders' deposits
- Saudis must lift Yemen blockade or ‘untold’ thousands will die, UN agencies warn
- Jacinda Ardern retorts to Donald Trump: 'No one marched when I was elected'
- Trump sons' hunting in focus as US lifts import ban on African elephant trophies
- World’s biggest sovereign wealth fund proposes ditching oil and gas holdings
- "Serious concern" over rule of law in Malta after murder of journalist
- Leonardo da Vinci painting sells for $450m at auction, smashing records
- Saudi offer in corruption crackdown: 'cough up the cash and go home'
- Venezuela's ex-chief prosecutor asks international court to try Maduro
- Teenage Nigerian girls drowned at sea, Italian autopsies confirm
- Cycling downhill: has Copenhagen hit peak bike?
- Raze, rebuild, repeat: why Japan knocks down its houses after 30 years
- 'This is surreal': descendants of slaves and slaveowners meet on US plantation
- Victim of hairdresser who deliberately spread HIV criticises police
- David Davis blames Germany and France for Brexit talks deadlock
- Remember Baghdad review – brief, gripping history of Iraq's Jews
- The NRA is smaller than you'd think – so why does it wield such influence?
- Coldplay world tour brings in a fistful of money with $523m in ticket sales
- Queensland LNP open to forming government with One Nation
- Friday briefing: ‘Some coaches spend years grooming young people for sex’
- Indian app fights porn addiction with devotional songs and political speeches
- Indonesian politician who disappeared in corruption scandal found in hospital
- Zimbabwe: was Mugabe's fall a result of China flexing its muscle?
- Amid relief over Mugabe downfall, doubts over his likely successor
- Robert Mugabe's vast wealth exposed by lavish homes and decadent ways
- The demise of the opposition sounds the death knell for democracy in Cambodia | Mu Sochua
- UK under fire as new figures show aid spending by broad range of ministries
- Uganda brought to its knees as doctors' strike paralyses health service
- Congo crisis on a par with Iraq, Syria and Yemen – and getting worse by the day
- Nigeria's Nasty Boy: 'People in my law class thought I worked for a porn site' | Emmanuel Akinwotu
- Populism and immigration pose major threat to global democracy, study says
- Brazil must legalise drugs – its existing policy just destroys lives | Luís Roberto Barroso
- Senate's new background-check gun bill simply enforces current law
- Tactical error leaves weakened Mugabe facing end of an era
- Russian troll factories: researchers damn Twitter's refusal to share data
- How Mugabe's reign over Zimbabwe became a byword for misrule
- Greece: drone footage reveals aftermath of flooding – video
- Robert Mugabe: life of a dictator – video profile
- Morgan Tsvangirai calls for Robert Mugabe to resign – video
- Drinking problem: Trump has awkward water moment – video
- California gunman's wife found dead in house, say police – video
- 'Everything is destroyed’: Greece flash floods leave at least 15 dead – video report
| Mugabe makes first public appearance since military takeover Posted: 17 Nov 2017 01:55 AM PST Zimbabwe's veteran leader attends graduation ceremony as calls grow for army to reveal transition plans Robert Mugabe has made his first public appearance since a military takeover on Wednesday as the Zimbabwean army said it had made significant progress in "accounting for criminals" around him and was continuing to discuss "the way forward". The veteran leader, 93, appeared at a university graduation ceremony on the outskirts of Harare. Clad in academic gown and hat, Mugabe walked slowly in a procession on a red carpet to a podium as a marching band played and was applauded as he announced the opening of the ceremony. Continue reading... |
| Questions over German ministerial hopeful's 'links to Russian pipeline' Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST Email seen by Guardian links Wolfgang Kubicki to statement advocating potential of pipeline that critics say is opposed to EU interests A candidate vying to be Germany's next finance minister is facing questions over possible links to lobbying on behalf of Russia's controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project as his party enters crunch talks to form the next government. An email seen by the Guardian links Nord Stream 2 lobbying to the deputy leader of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), Wolfgang Kubicki, throwing into doubt cross-party claims of a "more critical" attitude towards the contentious energy deal in a potential three-party coalition alongside Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Greens. Continue reading... |
| Toto Riina, Sicilian mafia's ‘boss of bosses’, dies at 87 Posted: 17 Nov 2017 12:06 AM PST One of Italy's most feared mobsters, who led powerful Cosa Nostra, dies in hospital while serving multiple life sentences Former "boss of bosses" Toto Riina, one of the most feared Godfathers in the history of the Sicilian mafia, has died in hospital while serving multiple life sentences as the mastermind of a bloody strategy to assassinate Italian prosecutors and law enforcement officers trying to bring down the Cosa Nostra. Related: The resurrection of Palermo: how the mafia battlefield became a cultural capital Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump tweets about Al Franken sexual harassment: 'Where do his hands go?' Posted: 16 Nov 2017 08:01 PM PST President criticises Democratic senator's actions but remains silent on Roy Moore, prompting fresh scrutiny of his own behaviour towards women Donald Trump attacked Al Franken for sexual misconduct on Thursday night on Twitter, reigniting the controversy around allegations made against the president himself by numerous women. Related: A timeline of Donald Trump's alleged sexual misconduct: who, when and what Continue reading... |
| Voice evidence 'shows Italy has wrong man in people-smuggling case' Posted: 16 Nov 2017 08:49 AM PST Forensic voice experts tell court they are 99% sure suspect's voice does not match that of kingpin Medhanie Yehdego Mered Forensic voice experts have presented evidence to a Palermo court showing a man Italian prosecutors have claimed for 18 months to be one of the world's most wanted people-smugglers is a victim of mistaken identity. The voice of the Eritrean people-smuggling kingpin Medhanie Yehdego Mered, recorded in 2014, does not match that of the suspect arrested in Sudan last year and extradited to Sicily with the aid of Britain's National Crime Agency, the experts said. Continue reading... |
| Chapman brothers reunite with Goya's art 16 years after defacing it Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST Works by the enfants terribles of Britart form part of Spanish exhibition exploring enduring influence of Francisco de Goya The sleep of reason produces monsters and, if you are Jake and Dinos Chapman at least, an enduring obsession with the works of Francisco de Goya. Sixteen years after the brothers famously took their pens to 83 prints of the Spanish artist's bleak and ultraviolent series The Disasters of War, the trio are to be reunited in an exhibition at the Goya museum in Zaragoza. Continue reading... |
| Israeli military chief wants closer Saudi ties as Iran tensions rise Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST In 'unprecedented' interview, Gen Gadi Eisenkot said moderate Arab states must collaborate to 'deal with' Tehran Israel's military chief has given an "unprecedented" interview to a Saudi newspaper underlining the ways in which the two countries could unite to counter Iran's influence in the region. Speaking to the Saudi newspaper Elaph, Gen Gadi Eisenkot described Iran as the "biggest threat to the region" and said Israel would be prepared to share intelligence with "moderate" Arab states like Saudi Arabia in order to "deal with" Tehran. Continue reading... |
| Japanese rail company apologises after train leaves 20 seconds early Posted: 16 Nov 2017 05:33 PM PST Operator 'deeply' sorry for inconvenience to passengers after the 9.44.40am Tsukuba Express pulled away at 9.44.20am It was an admission that would no doubt raise a sardonic smile among many commuters, and perhaps have them dreaming of relocating to Japan. The operator of a private railway firm that serves the Tokyo suburbs has issued an apology after one of its trains departed 20 seconds ahead of schedule. Continue reading... |
| 'Maybe the smog can bring us together': toxic air chokes Pakistan and India Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST With Lahore suffering from air pollution almost equal to that enveloping Delhi, joint action to tackle the problem is urgently needed, say environmentalists Parts of Pakistan have been enveloped by deadly smog in recent weeks, with the city of Lahore suffering almost as badly as the Indian capital Delhi. Pictures and video that show Lahore looking like an apocalyptic landscape have left people in shock. Some residents have said they can't see beyond their outstretched arm. Continue reading... |
| Respect for human rights can prevent 'vicious cycle' of terrorism, says UN chief Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:06 AM PST Speaking in UK, secretary general António Guterres said countries that suppress rights and deny opportunities are breeding ground of 'unprecedented threat' The world faces an unprecedented terrorist threat which finds its best breeding ground in countries that suppress human rights, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said in a major speech designed to put countering terrorism at the heart of the UN's agenda. Related: Will António Guterres be the UN's best ever secretary general? Continue reading... |
| Anger as Chinese bike sharing firm shuts up office with riders' deposits Posted: 16 Nov 2017 10:29 PM PST Bluegogo, China's third largest bike sharing company, reported to be in financial trouble China's third largest bike sharing company has reportedly run into financial trouble, amid a wave of busts and consolidations in an industry that took the country by storm this year. Bluegogo burned through 600m yuan (£68m) in investor funding in the year since it was founded by its youthful CEO Li Gang, deploying 700,000 bikes across cities in China. Continue reading... |
| Saudis must lift Yemen blockade or ‘untold’ thousands will die, UN agencies warn Posted: 16 Nov 2017 07:41 AM PST Warning that cost of blocking aid is 'being measured in lives' follows UK call for access Untold thousands of innocent people will die in Yemen unless the Saudi-led military coalition unconditionally lifts it blockade of the country's ports, the heads of three UN agencies have warned. In a powerful joint statement the heads of the World Food Programme, Unicef and the World Health Organisation said the cost of the blockade was "being measured in the number of lives that are lost". Continue reading... |
| Jacinda Ardern retorts to Donald Trump: 'No one marched when I was elected' Posted: 16 Nov 2017 11:43 PM PST New Zealand prime minister describes lighthearted retort to US president after he ribbed her for 'causing a lot of upset in her country' New Zealand's new prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has described how she joked with Donald Trump when they first met, telling the US president "no one marched when I was elected". Revealing details about her first meeting with Trump at the east Asia summit in Vietnam last week, Ardern said the exchange was low-key and relaxed. Continue reading... |
| Trump sons' hunting in focus as US lifts import ban on African elephant trophies Posted: 16 Nov 2017 10:46 AM PST
The Trump administration's decision to loosen restrictions around the import of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia has turned attention back to the president's family's own connection to the controversial sport. Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump are prolific big-game hunters and during the 2016 campaign, images re-emerged of the pair on a 2011 hunting trip posing with animals they had killed on safari, including an elephant, a buffalo and a leopard. Continue reading... |
| World’s biggest sovereign wealth fund proposes ditching oil and gas holdings Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:52 AM PST Energy industry jolted by advice to Norwegian government from its central bank, which runs $1tn fund The Norwegian central bank, which runs the country's sovereign wealth fund – the world's biggest – has told its government it should dump its shares in oil and gas companies, in a move that could have significant consequences for the sector. Norges Bank, which manages Norway's $1tn fund, said ministers should take the step to avoid the fund's value being hit by a permanent fall in the oil price. |
| "Serious concern" over rule of law in Malta after murder of journalist Posted: 15 Nov 2017 06:05 AM PST European parliament resolution urges EU authorities to open dialogue with Malta after assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia The European parliament has raised "serious concerns" about democracy and the rule of law in Malta after the assassination of the high-profile investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. In a sharply critical resolution backed by two-thirds of MEPs, the European parliament urged EU authorities to open a dialogue with Malta on the rule of law, a formal process the European commission has embarked on with Poland. Continue reading... |
| Leonardo da Vinci painting sells for $450m at auction, smashing records Posted: 16 Nov 2017 08:29 AM PST Christie's sells long-lost Salvator Mundi, artwork billed as 'biggest discovery of the 21st century', for $400m plus auction house premium Salvator Mundi, the long-lost Leonardo da Vinci painting of Jesus Christ commissioned by King Louis XII of France more than 500 years ago, has sold at Christie's in New York for $450.3m, including auction house premium, shattering the world record for any work of art sold at auction. The sale generated a sustained 20 minutes of tense telephone bidding as the auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen juggled rival suitors before a packed crowd of excited onlookers in the salesroom. At one point, Pylkkänen remarked: "Historic moment, we'll wait" as the the bidding went back and forth, pausing at just over $200m as it rose to break the auction record. Continue reading... |
| Saudi offer in corruption crackdown: 'cough up the cash and go home' Posted: 16 Nov 2017 10:49 AM PST Government demanding up to 70% of rich detainees' wealth in return for their freedom, newspaper reports Authorities in Saudi Arabia are offering businessmen and members of the royal family detained on allegations of corruption an opportunity to pay for their freedom, according to media reports. Around 200 princes, ministers, senior military officers and wealthy businessmen have been held in five-star hotels across the country since last week, many of them at the opulent Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh. Continue reading... |
| Venezuela's ex-chief prosecutor asks international court to try Maduro Posted: 16 Nov 2017 12:38 PM PST Luisa Ortega fled Venezuela after breaking with the president this year, and says her complaint was prompted by thousands of deaths ordered by the government Venezuela's sacked former chief prosecutor has asked the international criminal court to capture and try Nicolás Maduro and other top officials for crimes against humanity over murders by police and military officers. Luisa Ortega, who broke with Maduro this year after working closely with the ruling Socialist party for a decade, was fired in August after she opposed Maduro's plan to create an all-powerful legislature called the constituent assembly. She fled the country and has traveled the world denouncing alleged acts of corruption and violations of human rights. Continue reading... |
| Teenage Nigerian girls drowned at sea, Italian autopsies confirm Posted: 16 Nov 2017 05:14 AM PST Bodies of 26 migrants aged 14-18, which were recovered from Mediterranean this month, showed no signs of abuse Autopsies on the bodies of 26 Nigerian teenage girls recovered from the Mediterranean this month have confirmed that they drowned. The bodies of the girls, aged between 14 and 18, were brought to the southern Italian port of Salerno by the Spanish ship Cantabria on 5 November. Continue reading... |
| Cycling downhill: has Copenhagen hit peak bike? Posted: 16 Nov 2017 11:30 PM PST The share of trips taken by bike in Denmark's capital has fallen. With ever more cars on the road and a new metro line about to open, can Copenhagen reach its target to have half of all journeys made by bike? It's 8am on a rainy weekday morning on Copenhagen's Nørrebrogade street and the stream of cyclists making their way into city centre is already getting jammed. Cyclists often have to wait through two or three rounds of green lights before they can get past. At Dronning Louise Bridge – one of the busiest cycle routes in the world, with 48,400 bikes crossing each day – newly installed information boards remind riders to pas på hinanden, or be aware of each other. Continue reading... |
| Raze, rebuild, repeat: why Japan knocks down its houses after 30 years Posted: 15 Nov 2017 11:29 PM PST Unlike in other countries, Japanese homes become valueless over time – but as the population shrinks, can its cities finally learn to slow down and refurb? In the suburban neighbourhood of Midorigaoka, about an hour by train outside Kobe, Japan, all the houses were built by the same company in the same factory. Steel frames fitted out with panel walls and ceilings, these homes were clustered by the hundreds into what was once a brand new commuter town. But they weren't built to last. Daiwa House, one of the biggest prefabricated housing manufacturers in Japan, built this town in the 60s during a postwar housing boom. It's not unlike the suburban subdivisions of the western world, with porches, balconies and rooflines that shift and repeat up and down blocks of gently curving roads. Most of those houses built in the 60s are no longer standing, having long since been replaced by newer models, finished with fake brick ceramic siding in beiges, pinks and browns. In the end, most of these prefabricated houses – and indeed most houses in Japan – have a lifespan of only about 30 years. Continue reading... |
| 'This is surreal': descendants of slaves and slaveowners meet on US plantation Posted: 16 Nov 2017 03:00 AM PST At Prospect Hill in Mississippi, people came from as far as Liberia for an unlikely gathering that led to a scene of visible emotion – with 'a lot to talk about' The gathering at Prospect Hill plantation that day could have been a casting call for a period drama set before the American civil war. The location was remote, along a one-lane gravel road in sparsely populated Jefferson County, Mississippi. A group of about 50 people, black and white, stood in front of an archetypal southern Gothic home, chatting amiably about slave owners and slaves. Continue reading... |
| Victim of hairdresser who deliberately spread HIV criticises police Posted: 17 Nov 2017 12:43 AM PST Man targeted by Daryll Rowe, who infected lovers while on bail, claims Sussex police did not do enough to protect public The last victim of a hairdresser who deliberately tried to infect a string of lovers with HIV has accused police of failing to protect the public. The 42-year-old man said more could have been done sooner to stop Daryll Rowe's offending. He had sex with Rowe after the 27-year-old was bailed by Sussex police and went on the run. Continue reading... |
| David Davis blames Germany and France for Brexit talks deadlock Posted: 17 Nov 2017 01:43 AM PST Brexit secretary accuses two most powerful players in Europe of blocking UK's attempts to start trade negotiations The Brexit secretary, David Davis, is seeking to drive a wedge between Germany and France, and the rest of the countries in the European Union, over the stalled negotiations to leave the bloc. Related: David Davis warns EU not to put 'politics above prosperity' in Brexit talks Continue reading... |
| Remember Baghdad review – brief, gripping history of Iraq's Jews Posted: 17 Nov 2017 12:00 AM PST Fiona Murphy's absorbing documentary focuses on members of London's Iraqi Jewish community to tell a little-known slice of Middle Eastern history There is a potency and pungency to this brief, absorbing documentary about a part of Middle East history that is often passed over: the Jews of Iraq. It is a story that film-maker Fiona Murphy approaches by talking to those of the expatriate Iraqi Jewish community in London who yearn for their homeland. After the first world war, British control of Iraq afforded its Jews relative protection. In the 30s and 40s, despite attempts by Hitler's Nazis to gain a foothold in the country, Iraqi Jews were spared the horrors of the Holocaust, and postwar Iraq prided itself on an easygoing pluralist prosperity. But after the monarchy was brutally deposed, and the country joined the six-day war against Israel, antisemitism became part of Iraq's righteous new nationalism – although Saddam cynically preserved Baghdad's synagogue building in the 80s out of deference to his US allies. It is an intricate, gripping family history. Continue reading... |
| The NRA is smaller than you'd think – so why does it wield such influence? Posted: 16 Nov 2017 11:00 PM PST Compared with others, the 145-year-old lobby group isn't a vast spender – but it has the power to mobilize a grassroots support and make Washington listen Why is the National Rifle Association so powerful? Here's a clue: it's not (just) about the money. |
| Coldplay world tour brings in a fistful of money with $523m in ticket sales Posted: 16 Nov 2017 04:27 PM PST A Head Full of Dreams show in Buenos Aires completes 114-concert series that is the third highest-grossing in history Coldplay generated more than $500m on their just completed global tour, the band's promoters have said, making it the third highest-grossing in history. The English band played the 114th and final show of their A Head Full of Dreams tour on Wednesday night in Buenos Aires, completing a haul of $523m in ticket sales, Live Nation announced. Continue reading... |
| Queensland LNP open to forming government with One Nation Posted: 17 Nov 2017 12:10 AM PST LNP leader Tim Nicholls says he will work with parliament elected after previously refusing to say if he would accept One Nation support After nearly three weeks of avoiding the question, the Queensland LNP leader, Tim Nicholls, has indicated he would form government with One Nation, saying he would "work with the parliament that the people of Queensland provide". The former prime minister John Howard, who decreed in the 1990s that the Pauline Hanson-led party should be put last on how-to-vote cards, on Friday told a Brisbane audience the Greens were now "the real extremists of Australian politics". Continue reading... |
| Friday briefing: ‘Some coaches spend years grooming young people for sex’ Posted: 16 Nov 2017 10:34 PM PST Law targets child sex predators in sport … Zimbabwe stalemate as Mugabe clings on … and New Zealand PM burns Trump Good morning – it's Warren Murray delivering your early headlines. Continue reading... |
| Indian app fights porn addiction with devotional songs and political speeches Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:59 PM PST Developer says software will also contain prayers so it can be used by 'members of all religions' Indian neurologists have developed an app to address porn addiction that will play Hindu devotional songs, chant "Allahu Akbar" or recite speeches by Nelson Mandela when a user tries to access adult videos. The app was developed by Vijay Nath Mishra, a professor of neurology at Banaras Hindu University, in response to behaviour problems he was seeing in his patients. Continue reading... |
| Indonesian politician who disappeared in corruption scandal found in hospital Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST Setya Novanto had reportedly been on his way to meet investigators when his car collided with an electrical pole The search for Indonesia's house speaker Setya Novanto, who disappeared after becoming the target of an arrest warrant, came to a dramatic end on Thursday when he was reportedly found unconscious in hospital. The high-profile politician had been on his way to meet anti-corruption investigators when his car collided with an electrical pole in south Jakarta, said his lawyer, Fredrich Yunadi. Continue reading... |
| Zimbabwe: was Mugabe's fall a result of China flexing its muscle? Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST The 21st century's new global superpower is not just Zimbabwe's 'all-weather friend' and top trade partner, close ties go back to the 1970s liberation era A visit to Beijing last Friday by Zimbabwe's military chief, General Constantino Chiwenga, has fuelled suspicions that China may have given the green light to this week's army takeover in Harare. If so, the world may just have witnessed the first example of a covert coup d'etat of the kind once favoured by the CIA and Britain's MI6, but conceived and executed with the tacit support of the 21st century's new global superpower. Continue reading... |
| Amid relief over Mugabe downfall, doubts over his likely successor Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST After so long under one man's rule, even limited reform introduced by Emmerson Mnangagwa would be welcomed by many Excitement has been laced with a bitter sense of irony for many Zimbabweans celebrating the downfall of Robert Mugabe, because the 93-year-old's rule appears to have been hijacked by one of the men who did the most to prop it up over the past four decades. Far from the face of democratic opposition, the former vice-president and suspected mastermind of the takeover, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is a stalwart of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party who has been both treasurer of its well-stocked coffers and a much-feared security and defence chief. |
| Robert Mugabe's vast wealth exposed by lavish homes and decadent ways Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST Zimbabwe's leader is said to have assets of £1bn – but since an EU crackdown in 2002, there has been little sign of extravagant spending outside the country When Grace Mugabe summoned a number of supporters to her sprawling private compound at Mazowe, north of Harare, in 2014 – she told them that all suggestions her husband was a wealthy man were wide of the mark. Standing in front of the 30 or so luxury villas that she has had built on the property, she insisted that the truth was that Mugabe was the poorest head of state in the world. Continue reading... |
| The demise of the opposition sounds the death knell for democracy in Cambodia | Mu Sochua Posted: 16 Nov 2017 11:00 PM PST In crushing the party of which I was vice-president, Cambodia's prime minister has revealed himself as a brutal dictator intent on prolonging his oppressive rule Democracy was on trial this week in Cambodia, and it lost. Demonstrating its complete subservience to Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Cambodian supreme court ruled to dissolve my political party, the Cambodia National Rescue party (CNRP). It also banned me and more than 100 of my colleagues from politics for the next five years. As the only opposition party capable of mounting a serious challenge to the ruling party in national elections – scheduled for July – the CNRP posed a threat to the continuance of more than three decades of Hun Sen's brutal, strongman rule. Continue reading... |
| UK under fire as new figures show aid spending by broad range of ministries Posted: 16 Nov 2017 10:20 AM PST Aid experts speak out after official statistics reveal that about a quarter of UK aid budget was spent outside Department for International Development in 2016 The proportion of Britain's £13.4bn aid budget spent by government ministries other than the Department for International Development rose by almost 50% last year, sparking concerns about transparency and poverty reduction. Roughly a quarter of the aid budget, which met the 0.7% target set by the government, was spent by non-DfID departments, official figures show. Continue reading... |
| Uganda brought to its knees as doctors' strike paralyses health service Posted: 16 Nov 2017 05:33 AM PST Government failure to address low pay and lack of medical supplies drives staff to walk out, as patients' groups warn that lives of most vulnerable are at risk Public health services across Uganda have been brought to a standstill as doctors strike over pay and poor working conditions. Members of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) began nationwide action on 6 November over the government's failure to meet their demands for salary and allowance increases, as well as for a review of the supply of medicines and other equipment in health centres. Continue reading... |
| Congo crisis on a par with Iraq, Syria and Yemen – and getting worse by the day Posted: 16 Nov 2017 04:37 AM PST UN warns that conflict, cholera and internal tumult have forced 4 million people and counting from their homes, with aid increasingly hard to deliver Violence and ethnic and political unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have propelled the country to the same level of crisis as Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Cholera is raging at a rate never before seen in DRC and nearly 4 million people have been displaced from their homes by fighting, a quarter of them from the conflict-hit Kasai region alone. The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, which revealed last month that the situation had been declared a "level-three emergency", the highest grade of crisis, has warned that those numbers are likely to rise in the coming weeks. Continue reading... |
| Nigeria's Nasty Boy: 'People in my law class thought I worked for a porn site' | Emmanuel Akinwotu Posted: 15 Nov 2017 11:00 PM PST Rigid gender norms in Nigeria's religiously conservative society are being challenged by a website dedicated to documenting unconventional lives Richard Akuson, a lawyer whose online magazine is questioning rigid gender norms in Nigeria's religiously conservative society, understands the nature of the challenge all too well. He has lived it. "In Nigeria, as in many other places, people treat a very narrow version of masculinity as if it is sacred, as if to challenge it is immoral," says the 23-year-old. |
| Populism and immigration pose major threat to global democracy, study says Posted: 15 Nov 2017 06:29 AM PST Inequality and vulnerability of technology-based voting systems to corruption also identified by researchers as factors in slowing spread of democracy The spread of democracy around the world has slowed over the past decade, according to a report warning that governments are at a "critical juncture". Since 1975, the number of countries with fair democratic systems has more than doubled, from 46 (30% of countries) to 132 (68% of counties). More nations now hold elections than ever before. |
| Brazil must legalise drugs – its existing policy just destroys lives | Luís Roberto Barroso Posted: 15 Nov 2017 05:10 AM PST For decades, guns and imprisonment have been the hallmarks of Brazil's war against the drug trafficking. But the only way to beat the gangs is to stop creating criminals, says a top Brazilian judge The war raging in Rocinha, Latin America's largest favela, has already been lost. Rooted in a dispute between gangs for control of drug trafficking, it has disrupted the daily life of the community in Rio de Janeiro since mid-September. With the sound of shots coming from all sides, schools and shops are constantly forced to close. Recently, a stray bullet killed a Spanish tourist. The war is not the only thing being lost. For decades, Brazil has had the same drug policy approach. Police, weapons and numerous arrests. It does not take an expert to conclude the obvious: the strategy has failed. Drug trafficking and consumption have only increased. Einstein is credited with a saying – though apparently it is not his – that applies well to the case: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Continue reading... |
| Senate's new background-check gun bill simply enforces current law Posted: 16 Nov 2017 08:18 AM PST Legislation adds accountability measures for entering proper records into the background-check system – which was already a requirement passed in 2008 Ten years ago, after a mass shooting that could have been prevented, Congress passed a bipartisan law to fix America's gun background check system. A decade later, a bipartisan group of senators is introducing new legislation to try to fix it again. The gun legislation the senators announced on Thursday morning would not require a background check on every single gun sale, despite new polling data showing that 95% of Americans – a record high – support these universal background checks. Continue reading... |
| Tactical error leaves weakened Mugabe facing end of an era Posted: 15 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST Under house arrest, the longtime leader could resist, negotiate, or follow the instructions of Zimbabwe's new masters The final unravelling of the 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe began with an uncharacteristic tactical error. To clear the way to power for his wife, Grace, and her increasingly influential faction, the 93-year-old autocrat sought a decisive confrontation with the only man in the former British colony who had the power to mount a successful challenge to his authority – and he lost. Emerson Mnangagwa, the former vice-president whose cunning, longevity and toughness earned him the nickname "the Crocodile", was unceremoniously stripped of his office by Mugabe nine days ago. Continue reading... |
| Russian troll factories: researchers damn Twitter's refusal to share data Posted: 15 Nov 2017 10:44 AM PST Estimated number of Russian state-sponsored accounts on Twitter and Facebook vary wildly between 50 and 150,000 It is impossible to accurately estimate the number of Russian state-sponsored accounts operating on Twitter and Facebook. Researchers come up with a wide range of possibilities, suggesting that Russian interference in British political and cultural life could come from anywhere between 50 and 150,000 accounts. The explanation for this is not because the Russians are particularly secretive or expert at covering their tracks, but the attitude of Twitter and Facebook who fight attempts by independent researchers to come up with an answer. As a result, academics and analysts attempting to come up with a definitive answer often produce wildly divergent estimates. Continue reading... |
| How Mugabe's reign over Zimbabwe became a byword for misrule Posted: 15 Nov 2017 06:22 AM PST Many blame him for the economic chaos and political repression, but the truth of his descent from freedom fighter to dictator is not quite so black and white Mugabe in detention after military takes control of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, who first came to power in Zimbabwe in 1980, is a man of many faces: idealistic young Marxist-Leninist, political prisoner, freedom fighter, lauded icon of pan-African nationalism, would-be reformer, and ruthless, ageing dictator steeped in corruption and sleaze. However, for his many critics in Zimbabwe and in the west, who blame him for the economic chaos and political repression of recent years, Mugabe is a one-dimensional study. His is the face of failure, and for them he is the lord of misrule. Continue reading... |
| Greece: drone footage reveals aftermath of flooding – video Posted: 16 Nov 2017 11:19 AM PST Drone footage shows the aftermath of flash floods that killed at least 15 people on Wednesday in two coastal towns west of Athens after a night of heavy rain. In the industrial towns of Nea Peramos and Mandra, west of Athens, crumpled cars and mangled furniture are strewn across roads coated in the thick mud left behind by a raging torrent that washed through homes on Wednesday morning • Deadly flash floods cause 'biblical damage' in Athens Continue reading... |
| Robert Mugabe: life of a dictator – video profile Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:51 AM PST The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, is under house arrest in Harare following a military takeover. The 93-year-old has led Zimbabwe's since independence from Britain. In recent years disastrous policies have led to hyperinflation, international sanctions and economic ruin Continue reading... |
| Morgan Tsvangirai calls for Robert Mugabe to resign – video Posted: 16 Nov 2017 09:29 AM PST The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change party, Morgan Tsvangirai, has called on Robert Mugabe to step down as president of Zimbabwe. Speaking on Thursday from Harare, Tsvangirai said Mugabe should resign in the interests of the country after the military seized power • Zimbabwe: Mugabe and military talks continue amid political limbo |
| Drinking problem: Trump has awkward water moment – video Posted: 15 Nov 2017 10:49 PM PST On the 2016 presidential campaign trail, Donald Trump often made fun of Senator Marco Rubio's water breaks. But on Wednesday the president had an awkward water bottle moment of his own while talking about his recent trip to Asia *Senator Marco Rubio's in-speech water break - video |
| California gunman's wife found dead in house, say police – video Posted: 15 Nov 2017 03:32 PM PST At a news conference on Wednesday, Tehama County assistant sheriff Phil Johnston identified the northern California gunman suspect as Kevin Janson Neal and said his wife's dead body was found under the floorboards in their home • Wife of northern California gunman found dead inside their home Continue reading... |
| 'Everything is destroyed’: Greece flash floods leave at least 15 dead – video report Posted: 15 Nov 2017 08:19 AM PST At least 15 people have died in Greece after the worst flash flooding in years forced a torrent of red mud to sweep through towns west of Athens. The industrial towns of Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara were the worst-affected. Many of the dead were elderly people whose bodies were found inside their homes, reports say. Continue reading... |
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