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- US to loosen nuclear weapons constraints and develop more 'usable' warheads
- Reuters journalists covering Rohingya crisis charged under Official Secrets Act
- Western Balkans backsliding on democracy, says Lords committee
- 70,000 Syrians flee as regime advances on last rebel-held province
- Steve Bannon leaves Breitbart after expressing 'regret' over Trump remarks
- Trump to attend Davos despite criticizing forum during his campaign
- Source inside Trump campaign reported concerns to FBI, new transcript suggests
- Russia implies US involvement in drone strikes on Syria military bases
- Iran reopens investigation into Rafsanjani death
- Poland's prime minister sacks ministers in move to mend ties with EU
- Tourists airlifted out of Swiss ski resort of Zermatt
- Australia had third-hottest year ever in 2017, weather bureau says
- Lost language: how Macau gambled away its past
- Army accused of political correctness in recruitment campaign
- Face facts. The west that won the cold war no longer exists | Rafael Behr
- Iran's easing of drug laws could halt execution of 5,000 prisoners
- ‘Hunger is killing me’: starvation as a weapon of war in South Sudan | Sam Mednick
- Mudslides hit California after heavy rain – in pictures
- Honduras tsunami alert after 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Caribbean
- Japanese astronaut apologises for saying he had grown 9cm in space
- George Pell's lawyers given ABC interviews in relation to child sexual abuse allegations
- The world is in a perilous place. Here's my wishlist for change in 2018 | Elhadj As Sy
- Trump's silence on Syria contrasts with his criticism of Iran | Simon Tisdall
- 'I'll beat Oprah': Donald Trump dismisses 2020 election speculation – video
- Thousands of tourists stranded in Swiss ski resort – video
- Thai PM leaves cardboard cutout to take questions from the media – video
| US to loosen nuclear weapons constraints and develop more 'usable' warheads Posted: 09 Jan 2018 11:43 AM PST
The Trump administration plans to loosen constraints on the use of nuclear weapons and develop a new low-yield nuclear warhead for US Trident missiles, according to a former official who has seen the most recent draft of a policy review. Jon Wolfsthal, who was special assistant to Barack Obama on arms control and nonproliferation, said the new nuclear posture review prepared by the Pentagon, envisages a modified version of the Trident D5 submarine-launched missiles with only part of its normal warhead, with the intention of deterring Russia from using tactical warheads in a conflict in Eastern Europe. Continue reading... |
| Reuters journalists covering Rohingya crisis charged under Official Secrets Act Posted: 09 Jan 2018 09:47 PM PST Two reporters in Myanmar had been investigating violence in Rakhine, from where hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees have fled Prosecutors in Myanmar have formally charged two journalists from the Reuters news agency with violating the Official Secrets Act, signalling the case will go forward despite international condemnation. Related: Global press freedom plunges to worst level this century Continue reading... |
| Western Balkans backsliding on democracy, says Lords committee Posted: 09 Jan 2018 04:01 PM PST Russian influence is expanding and support for EU membership is in decline as UK's influence fades after Brexit vote Progress towards full democracy and commitment to the rule of law in the western Balkans is either stagnating or going backwards as the UK's influence in the region declines, a Lords committee has said. Russian and extreme Islamic influence is expanding, state capture of civil institutions is growing and support for EU membership is in decline, the international relations committee says. Some nationalist leaders point to the UK's planned departure from the EU as a sign that European values are no longer relevant, it adds in a report. Continue reading... |
| 70,000 Syrians flee as regime advances on last rebel-held province Posted: 09 Jan 2018 04:31 AM PST Warning of humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib as displaced people seek refuge and hospitals are 'systematically targeted' Tens of thousands of people have fled a government assault on Idlib, Syria's last rebel-held province, prompting warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. |
| Steve Bannon leaves Breitbart after expressing 'regret' over Trump remarks Posted: 09 Jan 2018 01:51 PM PST Ex-White House strategist stepped down from the news website less than a week after book excerpts showing his criticisms of Trump were made public Former White House strategist Steve Bannon stepped down from his position at Breitbart News on Tuesday, less than a week after he excoriated Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr in book excerpts obtained by the Guardian, and days after he expressed "regret" over those remarks. Related: Trump Tower meeting with Russians 'treasonous', Bannon says in explosive book Continue reading... |
| Trump to attend Davos despite criticizing forum during his campaign Posted: 09 Jan 2018 10:18 AM PST The president will attend the World Economic Forum after his campaign disparaged the elite annual meeting of billionaires, businessmen and politicians Donald Trump is set to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, the elite annual meeting of billionaires, businessmen and politicians. Sitting presidents have rarely attended the event, held at a ski resort in the Swiss mountains, fearing its reputation for elitism may not play well politically at home. Continue reading... |
| Source inside Trump campaign reported concerns to FBI, new transcript suggests Posted: 09 Jan 2018 02:30 PM PST
A source within the Trump campaign reported concerns to the FBI, according to the man behind a controversial dossier on Donald Trump, a new transcript suggests. Senator Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday unilaterally released the transcript of a congressional interview with Glenn Simpson, whose research firm, Fusion GPS, was behind the dossier on alleged contacts between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government. Continue reading... |
| Russia implies US involvement in drone strikes on Syria military bases Posted: 09 Jan 2018 12:47 PM PST Attacks on its bases in Syria would have required assistance from a country with satellite navigation, says Russian defense ministry, a charge the Pentagon denies Russia has said that a recent series of drone attacks on its military bases in Syria would have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation technology – a statement that appeared to be aimed at the United States. Russia's defense ministry said its forces repelled a series of drone attacks on Saturday on the Hemeimeem air base and a naval facility in Tartus, adding that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without inflicting any damage. Continue reading... |
| Iran reopens investigation into Rafsanjani death Posted: 09 Jan 2018 09:03 AM PST Relatives of former president say his body had high radiation levels and they doubt the official finding of cardiac arrest Iran has reopened an investigation into the death of its former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, according to members of his family who say his body had unusually high radiation levels. Tuesday marked one year in the Persian calendar since the sudden death of the pragmatist ayatollah, who served as president for two consecutive terms until 1997. Continue reading... |
| Poland's prime minister sacks ministers in move to mend ties with EU Posted: 09 Jan 2018 09:20 AM PST Defence, foreign and environment ministers dismissed after Brussels accused Warsaw of subverting democratic values Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has dismissed several cabinet-level ministers as the ruling rightwing Law and Justice party seeks to improve strained relations with Brussels. Law and Justice (PiS) is riding high in opinion polls, but remains under pressure from the European commission and several EU countries over its recent move to assert control over the country's justice system. |
| Tourists airlifted out of Swiss ski resort of Zermatt Posted: 09 Jan 2018 06:55 AM PST Skiers had been stranded in the resort because of heavy snowfall and exceptional risk of avalanches Helicopters have airlifted stranded holidaymakers from the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Zermatt after about 13,000 tourists were trapped in the mountain village for two days by heavy recent snowfall and an exceptional risk of avalanches. Local police said the airlift was taking about 100 people an hour who urgently needed to leave Zermatt to the nearby village of Täsch, a three minute flight, from where rail replacement buses were available for their onward journey. Continue reading... |
| Australia had third-hottest year ever in 2017, weather bureau says Posted: 09 Jan 2018 01:40 PM PST Bureau says despite the lack of El Niño, Queensland and New South Wales experienced their hottest year on record Queensland and New South Wales experienced their warmest years on record in 2017 as the trend of warmer than average temperatures across Australia continued, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The bureau's annual climate statement released on Wednesday revealed 2017 was Australia's third-hottest year on record, with the annual national mean temperature 0.95C above the average. Continue reading... |
| Lost language: how Macau gambled away its past Posted: 09 Jan 2018 10:00 PM PST The number of people who speak Patuá – a blend of Portuguese and Cantonese – is down to just 50 as the casino-dominated 'Las Vegas of the east' continues to expand. Can they keep their native tongue alive? 'Nowadays, nobody speaks much Patuá. Only the old people speak Patuá," declares 102-year-old Aida de Jesus as she sits across the table from her daughter inside Riquexo, the small Macanese restaurant that remarkably, despite her grand age, she runs to this day. Patuá is the name of De Jesus' mother tongue, and she is one of its last surviving custodians. Known to those who speak it as "Maquista", Patuá is a creole language that developed in Malacca, Portugal's main base in south-east Asia, during the first half of the 16th century, and made its way to Macau when the Portuguese settled there. It blends Portuguese with Cantonese and Malay, plus traces of other languages from stop-offs on the Portuguese trading route. Continue reading... |
| Army accused of political correctness in recruitment campaign Posted: 10 Jan 2018 01:32 AM PST Head of army defends £1.6m campaign to attract people of different sexualities, ethnicities and faiths The British army has been accused of bowing to political correctness after launching a campaign to recruit more people from a diversity of genders, sexualities, ethnicities and faiths. In a series of animations released on social media, the campaign positively answers questions such as "Can I be gay in the army?" and "What if I get emotional in the army?". |
| Face facts. The west that won the cold war no longer exists | Rafael Behr Posted: 09 Jan 2018 10:00 PM PST Capitalism conquered the eastern bloc. That's why liberal politics alone won't defeat today's populism Finnish TV and toilet paper did as much to undermine the USSR as the nuclear deterrent, an Estonian friend once explained to me. He grew up in Tallinn, under Kremlin rule but within antenna range of American soaps broadcast from Helsinki. What Dallas did for eyes that craved glamour, a smuggled supply of soft tissue did for bums rubbed raw by Soviet-issue bog roll. The Balts had too much exposure to what they were missing to be reconciled to the privations of communism. Related: The fall of the Berlin Wall: what it meant to be there | Timothy Garton Ash Continue reading... |
| Iran's easing of drug laws could halt execution of 5,000 prisoners Posted: 10 Jan 2018 12:49 AM PST Lifting of capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences set to be applied retrospectively to convicts on death row The lives of more than 5,000 prisoners on death row in Iran could be spared as a change in the law abolishes capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences. Iran is second only to China in the number of prisoners executed in recent years, the majority put to death for drug offences. More than 500 people were executed in 2017. Continue reading... |
| ‘Hunger is killing me’: starvation as a weapon of war in South Sudan | Sam Mednick Posted: 09 Jan 2018 10:30 PM PST Civil war has ravaged once-bountiful Equatoria, now a wasteland of looted shops and abandoned homes, with close to 400,000 people desperate for food "Food," says John Lasona, "tortures my mind." Hunched over, bare-chested, the 48-year-old father in Lainya town runs his fingers over his hollowed frame. "The hunger is killing me." Once regarded as South Sudan's breadbasket, the ravaged Equatoria region is slipping into catastrophe, its once self-reliant citizens now dependent on handouts. Continue reading... |
| Mudslides hit California after heavy rain – in pictures Posted: 10 Jan 2018 01:48 AM PST Waist-deep mudflow in Montecito knocked houses from their foundations after heavy rain pounded southern California. The area had been left vulnerable after recent wildfires stripped hills of vegetation. The mud was reported to be up to 5ft (1.5 metres) deep in places Continue reading... |
| Honduras tsunami alert after 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Caribbean Posted: 09 Jan 2018 11:33 PM PST Earlier tsunami threat to Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands is cancelled after powerful and shallow quake An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 that struck in the Caribbean sea on Tuesday was felt across northern Central America, briefly prompting a tsunami warning for disaster-hit Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands. The US Tsunami Center later cancelled the alert but warned some parts of Honduras and Belize were still at risk from waves of up to a metre. Continue reading... |
| Japanese astronaut apologises for saying he had grown 9cm in space Posted: 09 Jan 2018 11:58 PM PST Norishige Kanai retracts claim as a mistake and says he had in fact grown 2cm since arriving at the International Space Station Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, on a mission to the International Space Station, has apologised for saying he had grown 9cm while in space and expressing concern about whether he would be safe on his return to Earth. Most astronauts "grow" during protracted space missions because their spines extend in the absence of gravity, but the gains are usually limited to a couple of centimetres and disappear once they are back on the ground. Continue reading... |
| George Pell's lawyers given ABC interviews in relation to child sexual abuse allegations Posted: 09 Jan 2018 09:43 PM PST Cardinal's lawyers tell court hard drive containing footage and transcripts was handed over in response to subpoena Cardinal George Pell's lawyers will examine interview footage from the ABC as Australia's highest-ranking Catholic fights multiple historical sex offence charges in Victoria. Pell, who denies the allegations, is the most senior Catholic cleric to be charged with sex offences. Continue reading... |
| The world is in a perilous place. Here's my wishlist for change in 2018 | Elhadj As Sy Posted: 09 Jan 2018 06:33 AM PST Political leadership and courage to ease human suffering has been in short supply over the past 12 months, says the secretary general of the Red Cross Ours is a world overflowing with suffering. It is a world desperately in need of solutions. Many of its crises require political leadership and courage – something which in 2017 was often in short supply. So instead of suggesting that 2018 should be a year of solutions, my new year wishlist is for 12 months of change. My first wish is for more education. The children trapped in crises today should not lose the opportunity to contribute to their world tomorrow. But of the estimated 462 million young people aged three to 18 living in countries affected by armed conflict, disasters and other emergencies, 75 million are not receiving adequate schooling. More than half of those displaced from Rakhine state in Myanmar are children. We are at risk of losing a generation. |
| Trump's silence on Syria contrasts with his criticism of Iran | Simon Tisdall Posted: 09 Jan 2018 05:40 AM PST Airstrikes and civilian deaths continue in rebel-held Idlib but US president's focus is elsewhere The latest upsurge in airstrikes, hospital bombings and civilian deaths in the rebel-held Idlib province in northern Syria has elicited little in the way of protest or pushback from the Trump administration. Its silence contrasts sharply with last week's furious US condemnation of Iran over its handling of sporadic domestic unrest. Related: Syrian forces advance on country's last rebel-held province Continue reading... |
| 'I'll beat Oprah': Donald Trump dismisses 2020 election speculation – video Posted: 09 Jan 2018 11:54 AM PST Donald Trump tells reporters he would beat Oprah Winfrey in a presidential race. Trump went on to say that he liked Winfrey but doubted she would run for president in 2020 Continue reading... |
| Thousands of tourists stranded in Swiss ski resort – video Posted: 09 Jan 2018 09:27 AM PST Thousands of tourists are awaiting evacuation by helicopter in the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt. Days of heavy snowfall, causing an 'exceptional' risk of avalanches, has prevented people from leaving the resort. Local police said the airlift was taking about 100 people an hour Continue reading... |
| Thai PM leaves cardboard cutout to take questions from the media – video Posted: 09 Jan 2018 07:06 AM PST Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, produced a lifesize cardboard cutout of himself in an attempt to avoid questions from the media. |
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