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

Roy Moore battles bigotry claims on eve of Alabama vote: 'Our attorney is a Jew'
EU could 'scrap refugee quota scheme'
China building network of refugee camps along border with North Korea
Charles Jenkins, US soldier who defected to North Korea, dies aged 77
Manhattan subway explosion 'was attempted terrorist attack', says mayor
Pacific pop-up: island that rose from the ashes might last 30 years
Syrian opposition urges Russia to rescue UN peace talks
California wildfires scorch area bigger than New York City and Boston
Macron awards US scientists grants to move to France in defiance of Trump
Writers, actors and musicians condemn Trump Jerusalem move
Game that tune: Apple snaps up Shazam for reported $400m
Bitcoin bubble warnings issued as futures trading opens in Chicago
Astronomers to check interstellar body for signs of alien technology
Donald Trump's accusers demand Congress investigate sexual misconduct claims
Nelson in the spotlight: is a storm brewing in New Zealand's boho bay?
What would an earthquake-proof city look like?
Bombed into famine: how Saudi air campaign targets Yemen’s food supplies
Britain's cold snap continues as schools stay shut for second day
Europe's biggest mall owner snaps up Westfield for $25bn
Who fights whom in the Yemen?- Guardian editorial, 12 December 1967
Oscar Pistorius injured in prison brawl
Donald Trump visit to UK expected in new year, says US ambassador
Congregation fights to save church where Harriet Tubman worshipped
Queensland LNP elects Deb Frecklington as first female leader
The traders cashing in on Rohingya misery: 'It's the best profit of my life' | William Worley
Battling a tide of sewage in Brazil: ‘For 17 days we lived with our feet under water’ | Ciro Barros and Iuri Barcelos
New York subway attack reveals security challenge for transport systems
Manhattan bomb: officials will focus on recent activity and overseas links
New island being formed from ash in Tonga - timelapse video
CCTV footage appears to show moment of New York subway bombing – video
Kayla Moore denies antisemitism: 'we have close friends that are Jewish' – video
Suspect arrested after attempted terrorist attack on New York subway – video report
Nikki Haley: Trump accusers 'have every right to speak up' – video

Roy Moore battles bigotry claims on eve of Alabama vote: 'Our attorney is a Jew'

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:13 PM PST

Wartime comrade claims Republican candidate turned down visit to Vietnam brothel, while Democrat Doug Jones urges voters to 'take the right road'

The Republican candidate Roy Moore and supporters have mounted a series of extraordinary character defenses as his US Senate race with Democrat Doug Jones headed towards a photo finish.

At a rally on Monday night, Moore's wife, Kayla, rejected accusations of antisemitism, offering as proof: "One of our attorneys is a Jew."

EU could 'scrap refugee quota scheme'

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 08:25 AM PST

European council president Donald Tusk to tell EU summit that mandatory quotas have been 'divisive and ineffective'

The EU could scrap a divisive scheme that compels member states to accept quotas of refugees, one of the bloc's most senior leaders will say this week.

The president of the European council, Donald Tusk, will tell EU leaders at a summit on Thursday that mandatory quotas have been divisive and ineffective, in a clear sign that he is ready to abandon the policy that has created bitter splits across the continent.

China building network of refugee camps along border with North Korea

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 10:05 PM PST

Document suggests at least five camps are being set up as Beijing prepares for possible influx of refugees should Kim Jong-un's regime collapse

China is quietly building a network of refugee camps along its 880-mile (1,416km) border with North Korea as it braces for the human exodus that a conflict or the potentially messy collapse of Kim Jong-un's regime might unleash.

The existence of plans for the camps, first reported in English by the Financial Times last week, emerged in an apparently leaked internal document from a state-run telecoms giant that has apparently been tasked with providing them with internet services.

Charles Jenkins, US soldier who defected to North Korea, dies aged 77

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:16 PM PST

Jenkins became an unlikely celebrity in Japan after his wife, a victim of the regime's cold war abductions, was freed in 2002

Charles Jenkins, a US soldier who defected to North Korea and later married a Japanese victim of the regime's cold war abductions, has died in Japan aged 77.

Jenkins, a native of North Carolina, became an unlikely celebrity in Japan after his wife, Hitomi Soga, was freed by North Korea in 2002 and returned to her native country. Two years later, he and the couple's two daughters, Mika and Brinda, joined Soga and settled in her hometown on the remote Sea of Japan island of Sado.

Manhattan subway explosion 'was attempted terrorist attack', says mayor

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 06:03 PM PST

Four total injuries reported in blast on subway near Port Authority
27-year-old Akayed Ullah named by police as suspect

A 27-year-old man was in custody on Monday after allegedly detonating a pipe bomb in a New York City subway station during the morning commute.

The suspect, Akayed Ullah, was one of four people injured in the explosion, which occurred at about 7.20am in a passageway near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, in midtown Manhattan near Times Square, New York City police said.

Pacific pop-up: island that rose from the ashes might last 30 years

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 09:29 PM PST

Tongan volcanic island unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was initially only expected to stay above sea level for a matter of months

A new Tongan island formed from the ash of a 2014 volcanic eruption in the South Pacific could exist for decades, according to a study released by Nasa.

The ash island, unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, formed during a submarine volcanic eruption that lasted from late December 2014 to early January 2015. The new land mass, which has a 120m summit, was originally only predicted to last months.

Syrian opposition urges Russia to rescue UN peace talks

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST

Vladimir Putin needs to apply decisive pressure on Bashar al-Assad at Geneva, says leading member of Syrian opposition

Russia has been urged by the Syrian opposition to salvage the UN's peace talks in Geneva this week by persuading the Syrian government delegation finally to begin direct face-to-face discussions.

Basma Kodami, a leading member of the Syrian opposition negotiating team, urged the Russians to show they wanted to capitalise on the end of military operations in Syria by building a lasting peace.

California wildfires scorch area bigger than New York City and Boston

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 06:47 PM PST

Thomas fire, the largest of six blazes burning in southern California, has destroyed almost 800 buildings and remains only 15% contained

Why are ferocious wildfires plaguing southern California?

California's biggest wildfire continues to burn out of control, triggering fresh evacuations as firefighters battle a total of six blazes that collectively have scorched an area bigger than New York City and Boston combined.

The week-old Thomas fire in Ventura county had covered 230,500 acres by Monday, destroying almost 800 buildings and threatening Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito and other coastal enclaves north of Los Angeles. It is the fifth-biggest wildfire in California's modern history – and only 15% contained.

Macron awards US scientists grants to move to France in defiance of Trump

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 01:16 PM PST

France's president awards millions of euros to 18 American scientists to relocate in effort to counter Donald Trump on the climate change front

Eighteen climate scientists from the US and elsewhere have hit the jackpot as France's president, Emmanuel Macron, awarded them millions of euros in grants to relocate to France for the rest of Donald Trump's presidential term.

The "Make Our Planet Great Again" grants – a nod to Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan – are part of Macron's efforts to counter Trump on the climate change front. Macron announced a contest for the projects in June, hours after Trump declared he would withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord.

Writers, actors and musicians condemn Trump Jerusalem move

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:03 AM PST

Letter claims US president is furthering Israeli agenda 'to erase Palestinians from the life of their own city'

Tilda Swinton, Mark Ruffalo, Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno are among dozens of writers, musicians and actors who have condemned Donald Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In a letter to the Guardian, figures from across the arts world says the move by the US president will help to further an Israeli agenda to "erase Palestinians as a political and cultural presence from the life of their own city."

Game that tune: Apple snaps up Shazam for reported $400m

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:42 AM PST

Price tag would be less than half the $1bn music identifying app was last valued at when it tapped investors in 2015

Apple has bought Shazam, a London-based app that allows smartphone users to identify music, for a reported $400m (£300m).

The US company, which revolutionised music with the introduction of the the iPod and iPhone, said Shazam was a natural fit for its Apple Music streaming service.

Bitcoin bubble warnings issued as futures trading opens in Chicago

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 10:37 AM PST

First contract on a regulated exchange is seen as step towards legitimacy for the cryptocurrency but volume traded is tiny

Bitcoin has taken a step toward legitimacy with the launch of a product on a Chicago exchange that allows investors to take bets on its price in the future.

The new contract on the Chicago Board Options Exchange came as the digital currency jumped another 10%, sparking fresh warnings of a speculative bubble after last week's 40% climb in price.

Astronomers to check interstellar body for signs of alien technology

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:51 AM PST

Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will listen for radio signals from 'Oumuamua, an object from another solar system

Astronomers are to use one of the world's largest telescopes to check a mysterious object that is speeding through the solar system for signs of alien technology.

The Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will listen for radio signals being broadcast from a cigar-shaped body which was first spotted in the solar system in October. The body arrived from interstellar space and reached a peak speed of 196,000 mph as it swept past the sun.

Donald Trump's accusers demand Congress investigate sexual misconduct claims

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:26 PM PST

Women who accused Trump of sexually inappropriate behavior say lawmakers should extend same scrutiny to the president that they did to Al Franken

A group of women who have accused Donald Trump of sexually inappropriate behavior on Monday demanded that Congress open an investigation.

Nelson in the spotlight: is a storm brewing in New Zealand's boho bay?

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 11:00 PM PST

Swelled by creative émigrés in the 20th century, the city known for its good life now has an ageing population – and a lack of homes for the young

Dutch explorer Abel Tasman didn't get a warm welcome in Golden Bay in December 1642 when, 375 years ago this week, he became the first European to make landfall in New Zealand. The craft he sent to shore to collect water was rammed by Maori waka, and four Dutchmen were killed. The islands remained unvisited by Europeans until Captain Cook's expedition 130 years later; a half-century further on, the settlement of Nelson, 50km south of the bay, was up and running, becoming New Zealand's second city after Christchurch by royal charter in 1858. Now a compact city of approximately 50,000 known for the good life (it has three neighbouring national parks), it's also – as marked up on Botanical Hill – the country's geographical dead centre.

What would an earthquake-proof city look like?

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 04:15 AM PST

Earthquakes don't kill people (generally), collapsing buildings do – meaning it is cities where the most lives can be saved. Here are their smartest ideas so far

What would an entirely flood-proof city look like?

Between 1994 and 2013, nearly half a million people around the world died due to earthquakes, with another 118.3 million affected. A further 250,000 deaths resulted from subsequent tsunamis – chiefly in 2004 in the Indian Ocean – and more than 700 from ash fall.

Earthquakes affect every continent, though certain areas – the Pacific border of South America, the western coast of North America and Mexico, Alaska, south-eastern Europe, New Zealand and much of Asia – are especially prone. Though rarer than floods, they can cause devastating damage and large numbers of casualties very quickly. The Haitian earthquake in January 2010 killed an estimated 230,000 people, injured 300,000 and displaced 1.5 million from their homes. It also caused around $8bn of destruction, and its impacts are still being felt today.

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Bombed into famine: how Saudi air campaign targets Yemen’s food supplies

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST

Sources of food are a lifeline in the world's worst humanitarian crisis, but are being targeted by the Saudi-led coalition

At 11.30pm, 10 nautical miles off Yemen's western Red Sea coast, seven fishermen were near the end of the four hours it had taken to haul their nets bulging with the day's catch into their fibreglass boat. Suddenly, away from the illumination of the vessel's large spotlight, one of the men spotted a black silhouette coming towards them.

Moments later a helicopter began circling overhead. The fishermen assumed an approaching warship would call for them to show their registration documents and ID cards. They were well within the 30 nautical mile boundary they had been warned not to cross by leaflets airdropped on land by the Saudi-led coalition. But, without warning, gunfire suddenly erupted from the helicopter.

Britain's cold snap continues as schools stay shut for second day

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 12:34 AM PST

Temperatures plummet to -13C in Shropshire as UK suffers coldest night of the year with roads and railways affected

Hundreds of schools in England and Wales are to stay closed for a second day after the coldest night of the year as icy weather continues to cause disruption.

Temperatures dropped to -13C (8.6F) in Shawbury, Shropshire, beating the year's record low set on Sunday night in Dalwhinnie, in the Scottish Highlands.

Europe's biggest mall owner snaps up Westfield for $25bn

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 01:27 AM PST

French giant Unibail-Rodamco to become world's largest shopping centre operator after buying Australian firm in latest commercial property mega-deal

Europe's biggest commercial property company is to buy Westfield, the company behind two big shopping centres in London, in a $25bn (£18.5bn) deal which would make it the largest mall operator in the world.

In the latest property sector shakeup Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco has agreed to buy the Australian shopping centre owner for $24.7bn, with plans to roll out Westfield malls in Europe and the US. The Lowy family, Westfield's biggest shareholder, is selling its 9.5% stake for a mixture of cash and Unibail shares, which it intends to keep.

Who fights whom in the Yemen?- Guardian editorial, 12 December 1967

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 09:30 PM PST

12 December 1967 The old confrontation between the revolutionary and the traditional in the Arab world is entering a new round. This time the field of operations is larger than the Yemen Republic

The last Arab Summit in August dramatically reconciled Egypt and Saudi Arabia in their struggle over the Yemen. Though the sceptics were in full voice, it seemed a worthwhile advance towards Arab unity. Now, as if calculated to be in time for the next Summit, due on January 17, the Yemeni civil war has broken out again. This time the Egyptians are not visibly involved, as the last of their troops have now left the Yemen and their best friend there, ex-Premier Sallal, has been deposed. But both Egypt and Saudi Arabia remain keen supporters of their respective sides and the Saudis, at any rate, are clearly still providing money for theirs.

Oscar Pistorius injured in prison brawl

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 01:53 AM PST

South African athlete and convicted murderer suffered bruising after fight with another inmate over public phone

Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer, has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone, a South African official has said.

The double amputee – who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp – was left with a bruise after "an altercation with another inmate" on 6 December, according to the Department of Correctional Services.

Donald Trump visit to UK expected in new year, says US ambassador

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 01:34 AM PST

US president expected to visit Britain in early 2018 when he may formally open the new American embassy

The US ambassador to the UK has said he expects Donald Trump to go ahead with a working visit to the UK in the new year, despite a recent Twitter row with Theresa May over the terror threat posed by Muslims in the UK.

The remarks by Woody Johnson to the BBC's Today programme represent the first official confirmation that the president is expected to visit in early 2018, when Trump may formally open the new American embassy.

Congregation fights to save church where Harriet Tubman worshipped

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 01:00 AM PST

Its foundation was laid by former slaves who began new lives in Canada. Now the community is rallying to keep it from being forgotten

The modest wooden frame of the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church was laid in the 1850s by former slaves as they settled into their new lives in Canada.

The stucco-clad gabled church soon became a focal point for the community; hosting not only worshippers but gatherings of civil rights activists and abolitionists – including the church's most famous attendee, American Harriet Tubman.

Queensland LNP elects Deb Frecklington as first female leader

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 10:52 PM PST

Deputy leader replaces Tim Nicholls in spill prompted by state election loss, with Tim Mander as her deputy

Deb Frecklington has been elected the new leader of Queensland's Liberal National party.

Frecklington, who was deputy leader under Tim Nicholls, defeated former leader John-Paul Langbroek in a party room vote on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first woman to lead the LNP.

The traders cashing in on Rohingya misery: 'It's the best profit of my life' | William Worley

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 10:30 PM PST

Entrepreneurial Bangladeshis in Cox's Bazar are making more money than ever before thanks to the influx of desperate refugees from Myanmar

Nurul Afsar is one of the many entrepreneurial Bangladeshis who is thriving as a result of the human crisis on his doorstep. "I am very happy," says Afsar, 27. "Everyone is profiting, every car, every vehicle. I know a bamboo seller who makes twice what he used to."

Afsar, from nearby Ukhiya, drives Rohingya refugees in and around Kutupalong refugee camp on his blue motorbike taxi.

Battling a tide of sewage in Brazil: ‘For 17 days we lived with our feet under water’ | Ciro Barros and Iuri Barcelos

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 03:25 AM PST

Residents near the world's fourth largest hydroelectric power plant say the Belo Monte dam has made their houses prone to floods of waste water

A line on the wall of Carlos Alves Moraes' house shows the highwater mark of the flood which hit his neighbourhood in August. Houses near the lagoon are built on stilts to protect against seasonal rains, but now, because of the dam, they are prone to flooding throughout the year, he says.

"We spent 17 days in August living here with our feet under water," he says.

New York subway attack reveals security challenge for transport systems

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 01:26 PM PST

Experts say trains and commuter rail lines remain comparatively vulnerable to attack – but it's unlikely that passengers would accept airport-style screenings

Every weekday, nearly 5.7 million people move through New York City's subway system, commuting through 472 subway stations and across 662 miles of track.

Monday's attempted bomb attack struck at the heart of the commuter network in the Monday morning rush hour. Officials said the bomb detonated in a subway passageway in midtown Manhattan, between Port Authority bus terminal, which itself serves 65 million passengers each year, and the Times Square subway station at 42nd Street.

Manhattan bomb: officials will focus on recent activity and overseas links

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 10:13 AM PST

Investigators will be tracking suspect's recent experiences in the US but will also be digging into his formative years abroad

Early reports say Akayed Ullah, the suspect in Monday's attack in New York, is originally from Bangladesh and has been in the United States for seven years. Officials believe Ullah was inspired by Islamic State, which is entirely plausible given other recent plots, though this should become clearer in coming days.

New island being formed from ash in Tonga - timelapse video

Posted: 12 Dec 2017 12:59 AM PST

This new Tongan island is the first of its type to be formed from the ash of a 2014 volcanic eruption in the south Pacific and could exist for decades, according to a study released by Nasa. The new land mass, unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, reaches a height of 120 metres and was originally only predicted to last months. Instead, Nasa now believes it will remain for between six and 30 years, making it the first island of this type to persist in the modern satellite era. The island has also given researchers insights into similar features in other parts of the solar system, including Mars

Pacific pop-up: island that rose from the ashes might last 30 years

CCTV footage appears to show moment of New York subway bombing – video

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 09:11 PM PST

Surveillance video appears to show the moment of a bombing on the New York subway on Monday. Authorities say a man inspired by Islamic State extremists strapped on a crude pipe bomb, slipped into the subway system and set the device off at rush hour.

Manhattan subway explosion 'was attempted terrorist attack', says mayor

Kayla Moore denies antisemitism: 'we have close friends that are Jewish' – video

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 08:01 PM PST

Kayla Moore tells a crowd at a rally for her husband, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, that the 'fake news' has been suggesting that they 'don't care for Jews'. She says that is not true, citing the fact she has a Jewish attorney as evidence. 'One of our attorneys is a Jew, we have very close friends that are Jewish and rabbis.'

Suspect arrested after attempted terrorist attack on New York subway – video report

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 08:09 AM PST

Four people were reported to have been injured in an explosion in the Manhattan area of the city on Monday. The incident happened at around 7.20am local time in a passageway between the 42nd Street Times Square station and the New York Port Authority

Subway explosion was attempted terrorist attack, says mayor

Nikki Haley: Trump accusers 'have every right to speak up' – video

Posted: 11 Dec 2017 03:10 AM PST

The US ambassador to the UN has said women who accuse President Donald Trump or anyone else of sexual harassment or assault 'should be heard'. Speaking to the CBS programme Face the Nation on Sunday, Nikki Haley added: 'Women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them'

Nikki Haley: women who accuse Trump of sexual misconduct 'should be heard'

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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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