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

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


Emmerson Mnangagwa to be sworn in as Zimbabwe's president on Friday

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 01:55 AM PST

Former vice-president, whose sacking by Robert Mugabe triggered the country's political crisis, flies home later on Wednesday

Zimbabwe's former vice-president will return to the country on Wednesday and be sworn in as president on Friday, the state broadcaster has reported.

Emmerson Mnangagwa fled for his safety two weeks ago when he was sacked by Robert Mugabe, triggering a political crisis that culminated in the resignation of the 93-year-old autocrat on Tuesday.

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Uber concealed massive hack that exposed data of 57m drivers and users

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 12:53 AM PST

  • Firm paid hackers $100,000 to delete data and keep breach quiet
  • Chief security officer Joe Sullivan fired for concealing October 2016 breach

Uber concealed a massive global breach of the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers in October 2016, failing to notify the individuals and regulators, the company acknowledged on Tuesday.

Uber also confirmed it had paid the hackers responsible $100,000 to delete the data and keep the breach quiet, which was first reported by Bloomberg.

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Bosnian Serb warlord Ratko Mladić expected to be found guilty of genocide

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:24 AM PST

  • Guilty verdict likely for commander of Bosnian Serb army during 1992-95 war
  • About 8,000 Muslim men and boys massacred at Srebrenica in 1995

Ratko Mladić, the Serb warlord who terrorised Bosnia in the 1990s, is widely expected to be convicted on Wednesday for the last genocide committed in Europe.

Related: Bosnia to appeal against 2007 ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide

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Delhi police set up all-female motorbike squad to tackle crime against women

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 04:35 PM PST

Five years after shocking gang rape, rapid response unit aims to combat assault and harassment in India's crowded capital

Delhi's police force has created an all-female motorcycle squad in an attempt to tackle rising crime against women, particularly in the city's narrow alleyways.

The patrol, called Raftaar (Speed), will deploy specially trained female officers on 600 motorbikes from December. They will carry regular firearms, body cameras, pepper spray and stun guns and work in pairs patrolling crowded, cramped areas of the city.

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Pixar's John Lasseter taking leave citing 'missteps' and 'unwanted hugs'

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 01:01 AM PST

The head of Disney Animation will take a six-month sabbatical after stating he has unintentionally made staff members feel 'disrespected or uncomfortable'

Disney Animation head John Lasseter will take a six-month leave of absence after confessing to unspecified "missteps".

In a company memo, obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, Lasseter writes that he has fallen short in creating a culture that engenders "support and collaboration" and hints at behavior that he has been confronted about.

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Nigeria mosque attack: suicide bomber kills dozens

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:42 AM PST

Boko Haram thought to be behind devastating attack in Adamawa state in north-east of country

Dozens of people have been killed by a suicide bomb attack during morning prayers in a mosque in north-east Nigeria.

Boko Haram, the militant group that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions in the region, is thought to be behind the attack in Mubi, a town in Adamawa state, but has not yet claimed it.

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Silvio Berlusconi takes public office ban to human rights court

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST

Appeal could mark political comeback of 81-year-old former Italian PM barred from running for office after tax fraud conviction

An appeal against a ban on Silvio Berlusconi holding public office is to be heard by the European court of human rights, in a move that could potentially see Italy's scandal-tainted former prime minister leading the country again.

The hearing on Wednesday, six years after he was forced from office, follows his success at forging a winning coalition out of his centre-right Forza Italia and two far-right parties – the Northern League and Brothers of Italy – in regional elections in Sicily earlier this month.

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Donald Trump appears to back Roy Moore: 'Look, he denies it. He denies it'

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 01:40 PM PST

  • Trump speaks on sexual misconduct allegations and offers tacit endorsement
  • President calls Moore's Senate opponent Doug Jones 'terrible on crime'

Donald Trump finally weighed in on the sexual misconduct allegations that have engulfed the Senate candidate Roy Moore. The president's comments seemed to amount to an endorsement.

Related: Late-night hosts: 'There is now a lower bar to entry for the Senate than a mall in Alabama'

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US prosecutors charge Iranian with Game of Thrones hack

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:26 AM PST

  • Behzad Mesri, alias Skote Vahshat, charged but whereabouts not revealed
  • Mesri allegedly demanded $6m from HBO not to release unaired episodes

US prosecutors have charged an Iranian national with hacking into the HBO cable TV network and stealing episodes and plot summaries for unaired programs including Game of Thrones, then threatening to release the data unless he was paid $6m.

Behzad Mesri, also known as Skote Vahshat, was charged with the hack in a sealed indictment that was released on Tuesday by the US attorney's office in Manhattan. A spokesman with the US attorney's office said Mesri had not been arrested, and declined to comment on the suspect's whereabouts.

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Sugar industry withheld research effects of sucrose 50 years ago, study claims

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 11:41 AM PST

Researchers say negative health impacts of sucrose could have been combated sooner had research been released – but industry bodies dispute the findings

Sugar's demise from childhood staple to public enemy can be seen everywhere. Chocolate bars are shrinking, sugary drinks are set to be taxed and our recommended daily sugar intake has been slashed in half. But the battle against sugar might have begun sooner if the industry hadn't kept secrets to protect its commercial interests, according to new findings.

In 1967, when scientists were arguing over the link between sugar consumption and increased risk of heart disease, researchers now claim that the International Sugar Research Foundation (ISRF) withheld findings that rats that were fed a high-sugar diet had higher levels of triglycerides (a fat found in the blood) than those fed starch. In a move researchers from the University of California at San Francisco have compared to the tobacco industry's self-preservation tactics, the foundation stopped funding the project.

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Argentinian submarine search intensifies as fears grow for crew

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:54 AM PST

Missing naval vessel ARA San Juan would only have one day's worth of oxygen reserves left after six days without contact

A massive search and rescue operation has intensified to find the Argentinian navy submarine ARA San Juan that went missing six days ago in the South Atlantic.

If the crew are still alive the submarine would only have one day's worth of oxygen reserves left. If the vessel is found, a submarine rescue chamber (SCR) will be lowered to couple with the vessel's hatch and bring the crew up to the surface six members at a time.

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Google plans to 'de-rank' Russia Today and Sputnik to combat misinformation

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 06:01 AM PST

Alphabet chief executive Eric Schmidt says Google and other tech companies must act against state-run Russian news agencies to stop spread of falsehoods

Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google's parent company Alphabet, has said the search engine is preparing to take action against state-run Russian news agencies, including Russia Today and Sputnik, which are accused of spreading propaganda by US intelligence agencies.

"We're working on detecting this kind of scenario ... and de-ranking those kinds of sites," Schmidt said, in response to a question at an event in Halifax, Canada. "It's basically RT and Sputnik. We're well aware and we're trying to engineer the systems to prevent it."

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Apple under fire over reports students worked illegal overtime to build iPhone X

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:01 AM PST

Manufacturing partner Foxconn had student interns working 11-hour days to make £999 iPhone

Apple has been accused of relying on students working illegal overtime to build the iPhone X, through its contractor Foxconn, which manufactures the devices in Zhengzhou, China.

According to the Financial Times, students working at the Foxconn plant, as part of a three month "work experience" placement, were routinely working 11-hour days assembling the newest phone, breaking Chinese overtime laws in the process.

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Mel Gibson: Weinstein scandal is a 'precursor to change'

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 03:56 AM PST

Star, dogged by claims of racist and misogynistic behaviour, says he welcomes 'light being thrown where there were shadows'

Mel Gibson has spoken out about the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood, saying the wave of accusations against Harvey Weinstein have been "painful" but will lead to change in the industry.

The actor and Oscar-winning director, who has faced repeated damaging allegations of racist and misogynistic behaviour, said: "Things got shaken up a little bit and there is a lot of light being thrown into places where there were shadows and that is kind of healthy. It's painful, but I think pain is a precursor to change."

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Camelot mulls £10k-a-month-for life lottery prize to attract young

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 01:19 AM PST

UK national lottery operator considers shift in focus to entice younger generation wanting to get on to housing ladder

The national lottery operator, Camelot, is considering introducing a prize of up to £10,000 a month for life in the hope of enticing a younger generation of players seeking financial security so they can afford to buy a home.

As it revealed an overall drop in ticket sales, Camelot said it could shift its focus away from big jackpots towards an "annuity-style game", in which the prize would continue to pay out until death.

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Did Vote Leave commit a crime over its funding? Democracy demands to know | Jolyon Maugham

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 01:00 AM PST

The Electoral Commission must urgently and robustly investigate the question of whether or not the 'will of the people' was bought

Late last year, the Electoral Commission started an investigation into a striking set of circumstances. In February 2016 Steve Baker MP, lobbying for Vote Leave to be designated the "official" leave campaign, sent a round robin email asking recipients to support it, because it claimed to have found a loophole in the spending rules. "It is open to the Vote Leave family to create separate legal entities each of which could spend £700k: Vote Leave will be able to spend as much money as is necessary to win the referendum," he wrote.

But Baker – now a minister in the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) – got it wrong. The law that protects our democracy from capture appears to make this behaviour illegal: when a sockpuppet signs your cheques, the spending still counts as yours.

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Brian Eno and Roger Waters scorn Nick Cave's 'principled stand' to play in Israel

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 04:45 PM PST

Australian labelled 'naive' and 'arrogant' after he accused pro-boycott campaigners of trying to bully and censor musicians

High-profile artists including Brian Eno, Roger Waters and Ken Loach have hit back at Nick Cave after the musician defended his tour of Israel as a "principled stand" against people trying to "bully" and "censor" musicians.

Eno, Waters and Loach are among a group of artists who have joined the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a global campaign that aims to increase pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, and lobbies artists, academics and businesses to refrain from engaging with or touring in Israel. Elvis Costello and Lauryn Hill are among the high-profile artists who have cancelled shows following pressure from the movement.

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Robert Mugabe’s departure ushers in a heady new era for Zimbabwe | Knox Chitiyo

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 02:02 AM PST

Zimbabwe is experiencing an almost unprecedented convergence. Mnangagwa is set to be the new president – and millions will tune in to hear his first speech

The ecstatic scenes said it all – Zimbabweans around the world are celebrating the resignation of Robert Mugabe as president. In January 1980, hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans thronged Zimbabwe Grounds stadium in Highfields township, Harare, to welcome Mugabe back from exile. In March 1980, with reggae icon Bob Marley and Britain's Prince Charles in attendance, thousands filled Rufaro Stadium to witness the handover from Rhodesia to the new nation of Zimbabwe. Thirty-seven years later, the largest crowds Harare has ever witnessed flooded the streets once again; not to welcome Mugabe in, but to see him out. One simple, taut phrase summed up the day's events: "This is our second independence day."

How did it come to this?

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Danone invests in firm selling bottled water from ocean floor

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 05:08 PM PST

Water comes from a deep ocean current off the coast of Hawaii and is desalinated using reverse osmosis

Evian and Volvic owner Danone has put money into a Hawaiian bottled water from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, showing the depths multinationals will now go to in the quest for more revenue.

The investment in Kona Deep, for an undisclosed sum, is the fifth in a year for Danone Manifesto Ventures, a fund the French food giant set up last year to invest in entrepreneurial companies, which are eating away at the dominance of big brands.

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North Korean defector's daring escape caught on video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 11:33 PM PST

Footage shows regime soldiers pursuing and shooting at their compatriot, who was hit at least five times as he ran for his life across the border

Dramatic footage has emerged showing a North Korean military defector fleeing across the border to South Korea as he is pursued and shot at by his compatriots before being hauled to safety by troops from the other side.

The video, released on Wednesday by the UN command in the South, shows the soldier, who defected last week, racing towards the border village of Panmunjom in a military vehicle before crashing it and continuing his escape on foot.

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Pauline Hanson likens Palaszczuk to 'spoilt brat' for ruling out One Nation deal

Posted: 22 Nov 2017 12:02 AM PST

Hanson says Queensland premier 'needs to get out of the sandpit' and says Tim Nicholls needs to 'grow up'

Pauline Hanson has likened the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, to a "spoilt brat" for ruling out a deal with One Nation.

Arriving in Bundaberg just as the Labor campaign left, Hanson, who remains the most visible One Nation asset in Queensland, despite not running in Saturday's state election, lashed out at Palaszczuk's continued criticism of the party.

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Mugabe resignation ushers in new era for Zimbabwe

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 11:20 PM PST

Jubilation in streets and parliament tinged with uncertainty about future following decades of authoritarian rule

Robert Mugabe has resigned as president of Zimbabwe with immediate effect after 37 years in power, ushering in a new era for a country as uncertain as it is hopeful.

The man who ruled with an autocrat's grip for so many years finally caved to popular and political pressure hours after parliament launched proceedings to impeach him.

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Wednesday briefing: Chancellor has chequered budget prospects

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:32 PM PST

Accident-prone Hammond under pressure to deliver … David Cassidy dies aged 67 … and which alcoholic drinks make you happy or sad

Hello – it's Warren Murray with the news in a nutshell.

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China turns its back on Comrade Bob to embrace change in Zimbabwe

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:30 PM PST

Resignation of Robert Mugabe greeted with relief in Beijing, which for years was autocratic leader's most powerful ally

Confirmation of Robert Mugabe's ouster prompted revelry on the streets of Harare. "The Goblin has gone!" raved one.

Thousands of miles away in Beijing – for years Mugabe's most powerful backer – there were no obvious signs of jubilation.

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North Korean soldiers shoot defector as he escapes – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:19 PM PST

The UN command has released a dramatic video showing the desperate dash to freedom made by a North Korean soldier. The video released on Wednesday shows the defector driving a jeep past North Korean checkpoints before he crashes the vehicle, jumps out and runs for his life, pursued by North Korean soldiers who are firing on him. One of the soldiers gives chase as he crosses the border but turns back. The vision also shows the man collapsed after being shot five or six times before he is rescued by South Korean soldiers


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'I fear a German Trump': Merkel's struggles lead to thoughts of what next

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:00 PM PST

Some in Berlin see Angela Merkel as the calm hand that Germany needs and are unsettled by the prospect of new elections

Petra Leitholdt was far from enthusiastic about the prospect of new elections in Germany. "It's just a waste of time, energy and resources," the 51-year-old said, standing on the bustling market square of Hermannplatz in the Neukölln district of Berlin.

"I for one wouldn't vote any differently than I did on September 24. I weighed up my options then and would make the same decision if there was another vote. But I think Angela Merkel will come out on top again anyway, although maybe strengthened."

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End to Mugabe rule: other autocratic leaders may fear similar fate

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 07:57 PM PST

As jubilation erupts in the streets at the resignation of Zimbabwe's president how will the downfall affect the rulers of Uganda, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi?


The fate of Robert Mugabe, who ran Zimbabwe with iron discipline for more than 30 years, will send a chill down the spines of other autocratic African leaders who may have out-stayed their welcome.

General Constantino Chiwenga, the armed forces chief, kicked away the military prop supporting Mugabe's presidency last week. Mass protests in Harare, Bulawayo and other cities showed the president had lost popular support. On Tuesday, Mugabe's party comrades began the process of impeaching him, leading finally to his long overdue resignation.

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'Impossible' New Zealand maths exam even flummoxes teachers

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 07:43 PM PST

Complaints being investigated after 'geometric reasoning' section of high school paper left brightest students despondent and in tears

A New Zealand maths exam for high school students has been criticised as "impossible" with even the brightest students left despondent and in tears at the difficulty of the questions.

New Zealand year 11 students sat the maths exams on Monday and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority has since received a number of complaints regarding the unreasonable difficulty of the paper.

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Chinese censor feted by Mark Zuckerberg is accused of corruption

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 07:17 PM PST

Lu Wei, powerful and flamboyant former head of China's Cyberspace Administration, is accused of 'serious disciplinary violations'

The former top official for internet censorship in China, who travelled to the heart of Silicon Valley to promote China's vision for the web, is under investigation for corruption, the Communist party's anti-corruption agency has said.

Lu Wei was the powerful and flamboyant head of the Cyberspace Administration of China from 2014 until June 2016 and he came to personify China's model for internet control. He travelled to the United States, meeting with the CEOs of Facebook, Amazon and Apple, and held court when tech titans visited China.

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'Shocking' political rhetoric on refugees aims to poison debate, UN official warns

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 11:00 PM PST

Special representative Louise Arbour attacks politicians' anti-migrant language and lack of awareness on issues such as remittances, worth $429bn in 2016

The language used to describe people caught up in the migration crisis has been attacked by a special representative of the UN as "deliberately invidious" and aimed at poisoning public debate.

Using terms such as "illegal" rather than "irregular" migrants, or "hordes, waves and swarms" rather than simply "large numbers", conveniently obscures the vulnerabilities that come from being a foreigner, said Louise Arbour, the UN secretary general's special representative for international migration.

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I escaped war in Syria and am now free to dream – but other kids aren't so lucky | Bilal Rwaeh

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 08:28 AM PST

On World Children's Day, the Guardian invited a young Syrian refugee now living in the UK to tell us the stories we should be covering. Unsurprisingly, Bilal's focus was on refugees, and the need for children to catch up on missed education

I am Bilal and I am from Syria. I have been here one year. When I came to the UK I couldn't speak English and it was very important to connect with people.

On our journey from Syria we went into Turkey illegally with no passport. It was very dangerous because we didn't know where we were going and on the way there were four mountains. Many families lost their children in this way. Children walk more quickly than adults and sometimes the Turkish army would catch the parents or the children separately and people would get lost. My family were very lucky – my mother, father and two brothers – that we all stayed together. I knew nobody in Turkey but we had to leave Syria.

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Aid spent on private schools doesn’t reach world's poorest children, MPs say

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 06:20 AM PST

Parliamentary committee advises caution over development funds channelled through private education, citing insufficient evidence of boost to learning

There is a lack of evidence to support spending aid money on private education providers, said MPs on the international development committee (IDC).

In its report, the committee cited concerns that private schools are not accessible to the poorest and most marginalised children. More research is needed to determine the role of private schools in widening access to education, it said.

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‘We give people their humanity back’: inside Croatia’s pioneering mental health centre

Posted: 18 Nov 2017 04:04 PM PST

It was the oldest asylum in the Balkans. Now the doors are unlocked and patients are living new lives in the community

High walls still surround the oldest asylum in the Balkans, an 18th-century building pocked with the artillery scars of last century's civil war, but the gates are no longer locked. Handles have been replaced on internal doors and bars removed from windows.

"The jail," said Darko Kovaoic, a 53-year-old poet with schizophrenia who lives here, "has broken open."

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'Look, he denies it. He totally denies it,' says Trump about allegations against Roy Moore – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 02:30 PM PST

Donald Trump finally weighed in on the sexual misconduct allegations that have engulfed the Senate candidate Roy Moore. Asked if he was ready to talk about Moore, Trump said, '[Moore] denies it. Look, he denies it. He says it didn't happen. You're talking about … he said 40 years ago this did not happen.' Trump's comments come as the Moore campaign has stepped up its campaign against the allegations. They have repeatedly described the allegations as part of a campaign by the 'fake news' and the 'Republican establishment' to defeat Moore

Donald Trump appears to back Roy Moore: 'Look, he denies it. He denies it'

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Donald Trump pardons his first Thanksgiving turkey – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 02:00 PM PST

Watched by wife Melania, son Barron and daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, Donald Trump used his powers of leniency on Tuesday to spare a pair of turkeys, Drumstick and Wishbone, from the Thanksgiving pot. The US president plans to spend Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida

'Drumstick, you are hereby pardoned': Trump spares his first Thanksgiving turkey

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Zimbabwe celebrates as Mugabe resignation announced – in pictures

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 10:31 AM PST

Robert Mugabe finally announced his retirement after days of political pressure and public demonstrations on the streets of Zimbabwe. Car horns blared and cheering crowds raced through the streets of the capital, Harare, as news spread that the president had resigned after his 37-year reign of autocratic control crumbled within days of a military takeover

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Zimbabweans celebrate Robert Mugabe's resignation – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 09:08 AM PST

Celebrations spread through the streets of Harare after it was announced that the president had resigned. Though some still consider Mugabe a hero of the liberation struggle, many more revile him as a dictator prepared to sacrifice the economic wellbeing of 16 million people to remain in power

Robert Mugabe resigns as president of Zimbabwe

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From liberation fighter to deposed leader – Robert Mugabe's life in pictures

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 08:52 AM PST

Mugabe, who stood down on Tuesday, had been in power since April 1980, when the country previously known as Rhodesia was renamed Zimbabwe. He was credited with freeing Zimbabwe from colonialism and white minority rule but had faced years of criticism for building a dictatorship and mismanaging the economy

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Celebrations erupt in Zimbabwean parliament as Mugabe resigns – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 08:43 AM PST

Robert Mugabe has resigned as president of Zimbabwe with immediate effect after 37 years in power, the speaker of the country's parliament has said. The announcement came during a hearing to impeach Mugabe, after a military takeover last week. A letter submitted to parliament by Mugabe said his decision to resign was voluntary

• Robert Mugabe resigns as president of Zimbabwe

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Aftermath of mosque bombing in Nigeria – video

Posted: 21 Nov 2017 07:22 AM PST

Footage from Nigerian TV shows the site of a bomb blast in a mosque in Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria, which killed at least 50 people on Tuesday. Adamawa borders Borno state, where terrorist group Boko Haram is based. The group has not claimed responsibility for the bombing
• Warning: contains graphic scenes
Nigeria mosque attack: teenage suicide bomber kills at least 50

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