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- Fresh strikes kill civilians in Syrian rebel enclave
- Al-Shabaab plundering starving Somali villages of cash and children
- Netanyahu aide agrees to implicate PM over corruption claims – reports
- Accusations about Berlusconi's ties to Sicilian mafia revived
- Trump orders 'bump stock' ban but indicates no stronger action on gun control
- Trump-Russia inquiry: lawyer who worked with Manafort pleads guilty to lying to FBI
- Climate change 'will push European cities towards breaking point'
- Oxfam loses 7,000 donors since sexual exploitation scandal
- Plastic bans worldwide will dent oil demand growth, says BP
- FBI arrests Briton over disappearance of wife from yacht
- British man could lose toes after running in Yukon Arctic race
- Netherlands becoming a narco-state, warn Dutch police
- Roads to nowhere: how infrastructure built on American inequality
- Oxfam sexual abuse scandal is built on the aid industry’s white saviour mentality | Afua Hirsch
- John Worboys' victims win human rights case against police
- Operation Chaos by Matthew Sweet review – spies, Vietnam deserters and a cult of evil
- Florida students have turned social media into a weapon for good
- Tania Bruguera wins Tate Modern Turbine Hall commission
- Investigation launched into care of toddler before alleged rape
- Wednesday briefing: Leaver Tories hand ‘ransom note’ to May
- 'I want to empower Afghan women': female prosecutor on a lonely mission
- UK revives aid scheme halted over alleged payments to Syrian jihadists
- Eastern Ghouta is another Srebrenica, we are looking away again | Simon Tisdall
- Oxfam: '7,000 people have cancelled their regular donations' – video
- This is eastern Ghouta, where hundreds are being killed and injured by Assad's forces
- Bodycam footage shows children being rescued from rubble in eastern Ghouta, Syria – video
- Gun owner destroys rifle after Florida shooting: ‘Now there’s one less’ – video
| Fresh strikes kill civilians in Syrian rebel enclave Posted: 21 Feb 2018 01:28 AM PST More killed and wounded as pro-regime rockets and barrel bombs fall on eastern Ghouta Pro-regime rockets and barrel bombs are continuing to fall on the Syrian rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta, which has been hammered since Sunday by one of the heaviest bombardments in seven years of war. Five people died and more than 200 were injured in the area outside Damascus early on Wednesday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. |
| Al-Shabaab plundering starving Somali villages of cash and children Posted: 20 Feb 2018 09:00 PM PST Defectors reveal crippling extortion by Islamist terror group and 'brainwashing' of boys, as it suffers apparent crisis of morale Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia are extorting huge sums from starving communities and forcibly recruiting hundreds of children as soldiers and suicide bombers as the terror group endures financial pressures and an apparent crisis of morale. Intelligence documents, transcripts of interrogations with recent defectors and interviews conducted by the Guardian with inhabitants of areas in the swath of central and southern Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab have shone a light on the severity of its harsh rule – but also revealed significant support in some areas. Continue reading... |
| Netanyahu aide agrees to implicate PM over corruption claims – reports Posted: 21 Feb 2018 01:20 AM PST Israeli media report that Shlomo Filber has made a deal to testify after being arrested One of Benjamin Netanyahu's closest confidants has turned state witness and agreed to incriminate the prime minister in corruption allegations, Israeli media have reported. Police would not confirm whether Shlomo Filber would testify against Netanyahu, but all major Israeli media outlets said a deal to do so had been reached. Continue reading... |
| Accusations about Berlusconi's ties to Sicilian mafia revived Posted: 20 Feb 2018 05:24 AM PST Alessandro di Battista, main rival in Italy's election, launches scathing attack on former PM Accusations about Silvio Berlusconi's historic ties to a close associate of the Sicilian mafia are being revived by his main political rival as Italy heads into the final stretch of campaigning before the general election on 4 March. Alessandro di Battista, a top official in the Five Star Movement, asked followers on Twitter to share his scathing takedown of the former prime minister, delivered at a rally earlier this month, in which he cited a court ruling against a former longtime aide to Berlusconi and the founder of Forza Italia, Marcello Dell'Utri, who is in jail because of his ties to the Cosa Nostra. Continue reading... |
| Trump orders 'bump stock' ban but indicates no stronger action on gun control Posted: 20 Feb 2018 02:43 PM PST The announcement falls far short of demands from students who survived the Florida massacre and are pushing for a ban on assault rifles Donald Trump has ordered the justice department to draw up regulations to ban "bump stocks" and other devices that enable semi-automatic firearms to fire at close to the rate of a machine gun. "We can do more to protect our children," the US president said at the White House, insisting school safety is now a top priority for his administration. "We must do more to protect our children." Continue reading... |
| Trump-Russia inquiry: lawyer who worked with Manafort pleads guilty to lying to FBI Posted: 21 Feb 2018 01:29 AM PST Alex van der Zwaan charged with making false statements to special counsel investigating Trump campaign and its ties to Russia A lawyer who previously worked with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, marking another major development in the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump election campaign and the Kremlin. Alex van der Zwaan, who married the daughter of a Russian-Ukrainian oligarch last year, admitted making false statements in connection to work he did in Ukraine, as part of a plea agreement with the special prosecutor on the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller. Continue reading... |
| Climate change 'will push European cities towards breaking point' Posted: 20 Feb 2018 04:01 PM PST Study highlights urgent need to adapt urban areas to cope with floods, droughts and heatwaves Major British towns and cities, including Glasgow, Wrexham, Aberdeen and Chester, could be much more severely affected by climate change than previously thought, according to new research. The study, by Newcastle University, analysed changes in flooding, droughts and heatwaves for every European city using all climate models. Continue reading... |
| Oxfam loses 7,000 donors since sexual exploitation scandal Posted: 20 Feb 2018 10:40 AM PST MPs tell boss Mark Goldring that charity treated vulnerable women in Haiti 'like trinkets' Oxfam has lost 7,000 regular donors since it was revealed that staff sexually exploited victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, its chief executive has told a committee of MPs, which accused the charity of treating vulnerable women "like trinkets". During questioning by the international development committee, Mark Goldring apologised to MPs for the actions of staff who were dismissed for their use of sex workers in Haiti, and acknowledged that the charity's actions had damaged the whole aid community, as well as the people of Haiti. Continue reading... |
| Plastic bans worldwide will dent oil demand growth, says BP Posted: 20 Feb 2018 06:31 AM PST But oil giant expects demand for crude to grow and not peak until late 2030s Bans around the world on single use plastic items such as carrier bags will dent growth in oil demand over the next two decades, according to BP. However, the UK-headquartered oil and gas firm said it still expects the global hunger for crude to grow for years and not peak until the late 2030s. Continue reading... |
| FBI arrests Briton over disappearance of wife from yacht Posted: 20 Feb 2018 10:45 AM PST Lewis Bennett, 41, arrested on suspicion of murder as he waited to be sentenced for smuggling A British man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, who he reported missing as they sailed off the coast of Cuba last year, the FBI has announced. Lewis Bennett, 41, of Poole, Dorset, was arrested while he was waiting to be sentenced at a court in Miami for smuggling stolen coins during the voyage in May from which he was rescued alone. Continue reading... |
| British man could lose toes after running in Yukon Arctic race Posted: 20 Feb 2018 10:24 AM PST Nick Griffiths of Bolton suffers frostbite in -40C temperatures during world's coldest marathon Two athletes, including a British runner from Lancashire, are facing the prospect of amputation after bitterly cold temperatures in northern Canada marred the world's coldest ultra-marathon. This year's Yukon Arctic Ultra, a gruelling trek of 300 miles, experienced delays due to extreme cold. Most nights of the nine-day race saw temperatures dip below -40C. Organisers had temporarily halted the race early on when the cold was so bad that it prevented snowmobiles meant to rescue runners from operating. This year's event was the coldest in its 14-year history. Only one athlete, Jethro De Decker of South Africa, finished the race. |
| Netherlands becoming a narco-state, warn Dutch police Posted: 20 Feb 2018 03:32 AM PST Officers say many victims do not report incidents and organised gangs have a free rein The Netherlands is starting to resemble a narco-state with the police unable to combat the emergence of a parallel criminal economy, a report from the Dutch police association has warned. Official figures suggest crime is on a downward trend but officers say many victims have stopped reporting incidents while organised crime syndicates have been given a free rein. Continue reading... |
| Roads to nowhere: how infrastructure built on American inequality Posted: 20 Feb 2018 11:30 PM PST From highways carved through thriving 'ghettoes' to walls segregating black and white areas, US city development has a long and divisive history It's a little after 3pm in Detroit's 8 Mile neighbourhood, and the cicadas are buzzing loudly in the trees. Children weave down the pavements on bicycles, while a pickup basketball game gets under way in a nearby park. The sky is a deep blue with only a hint of an approaching thunderstorm – in other words, a muggy, typical summer Sunday in Michigan's largest city. "8 Mile", as the locals call it, is far from the much-touted economic "renaissance" taking place in Detroit's centre. Tax delinquency and debt are still major issues, as they are in most places in the city. Crime and blight exist side by side with carefully trimmed hedgerows and mowed lawns, a patchwork that changes from block to block. In many ways it resembles every other blighted neighbourhood in the city – but with one significant difference. Hidden behind the oak-lined streets is an insidious piece of history that most Detroiters, let alone Americans, don't even know exists: a half mile-long, 5ft tall concrete barrier that locals simply call "the wall". Continue reading... |
| Oxfam sexual abuse scandal is built on the aid industry’s white saviour mentality | Afua Hirsch Posted: 20 Feb 2018 11:09 AM PST I've seen for myself how agencies operate, and the toxic and exploitative relationships that can so easily develop A century ago doctors began to take notice of a disturbing condition affecting white men in "the tropics". These men, hard at work with empire-building and civilising natives, were suffering from a kind of nervous breakdown: a mysterious condition that was so widespread it accounted for as many medical discharges as better known illnesses, such as malaria. Symptoms included incompetence, melancholia, paranoia, nervousness, alcoholism and sexual deviance. In 1905 Charles Woodruff, an American army doctor in the Philippines, decided that these men were suffering from "tropical neurasthenia". As a diagnosis, it placed the blame squarely on the burden of civilising work in uncivilised spaces, on the heat and humidity. Colonial officers were overexerting themselves, and at the same time deprived of important distractions such as "five-o'clock teas", and "ball-room dancing". As a result, they were succumbing to the temptation to have sex with natives. Continue reading... |
| John Worboys' victims win human rights case against police Posted: 21 Feb 2018 01:53 AM PST Two women win claim for compensation after Met failed to properly investigate allegations Two victims of John Worboys have won their claim for compensation from the Metropolitan police after the supreme court ruled that the force had failed to carry out an effective investigation into the serial sex attacker. The landmark judgment sets a significant precedent for police liability in future cases by allowing victims to argue that they have been subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment under article 3 of the European convention on human rights. Continue reading... |
| Operation Chaos by Matthew Sweet review – spies, Vietnam deserters and a cult of evil Posted: 21 Feb 2018 12:59 AM PST A horribly readable account of the US military deserters who found asylum in Sweden during the Vietnam War, and their group's infiltration by the CIA It is almost forgotten now what a decisive role Sweden played in the Vietnam war. Even at the time, the armies doing the fighting and the million or so Vietnamese doing the dying may have underestimated the importance Swedish public opinion had on their struggle. But in Sweden it was never in doubt. The starting point for this weird, sad, horribly readable story is the arrival in Stockholm in May 1968 of six misfit and confused US deserters from the Vietnam war after they had been shepherded across the Soviet Union from Japan, where a fishing vessel had smuggled them on to a Russian ship. They had been transported across the USSR "on a current of vodka" and with women supplied by the KGB; they had even been questioned by Yuri Andropov, later to rise to supreme power, and helped to make a propaganda film in which one of them, who had been a ship's cook and never landed in the country, gave wrenching testimony of all the atrocities he and his unit had committed on the ground in Vietnam. Continue reading... |
| Florida students have turned social media into a weapon for good Posted: 21 Feb 2018 02:00 AM PST Teenagers' use of Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram is social media at its best – a cudgel against political discourse that desperately needs to change High schools have dances, they have cafeterias, they have midterm exams and, in the United States, they have shootings. "Our school is having a shooting," tweeted Heather, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 February. "I'm not even kidding I'm about to die." Continue reading... |
| Tania Bruguera wins Tate Modern Turbine Hall commission Posted: 21 Feb 2018 01:00 AM PST Cuban performance artist known for politically charged work to undertake next show An artist who has used mounted police officers to corral gallery visitors and, on another occasion, required museum-goers to pass an immigration lie detector test, is to be Tate Modern's next commission for the Turbine Hall. The Hyundai commission, formerly the Unilever commission, is one of the most prestigious in contemporary art. It is also one of the most daunting, given the size of the space and its profile. Continue reading... |
| Investigation launched into care of toddler before alleged rape Posted: 21 Feb 2018 12:25 AM PST Children's commissioner gives department notice of inquiry into services offered to Tennant Creek family The Northern Territory children's commissioner has launched an investigation into the care and services given to a two-year-old child and her family before her alleged sexual assault in Tennant Creek last week. The investigation – which served notices on the Territory Families department on Wednesday – followed revelations there were multiple child protection notifications made about the child in recent months. Continue reading... |
| Wednesday briefing: Leaver Tories hand ‘ransom note’ to May Posted: 20 Feb 2018 10:39 PM PST Backbenchers' letter lists hard Brexit demands … heavy drinkers risk age-related mental decline … and the warning signs of 'burnout' Hello, I'm Warren Murray and here's your news on toast. Continue reading... |
| 'I want to empower Afghan women': female prosecutor on a lonely mission Posted: 20 Feb 2018 11:00 PM PST Zainab Fayez, the sole woman in Kandahar's attorney-general's office, wants greater equality in the Afghan justice system Zainab Fayez, the only woman serving as a prosecutor in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, has resolved 50 cases of abuse against women, and helped detain 21 men accused of violence against women, including police officials, over the past year. But she still longs to see other women join her in the legal profession. "My aim is to see the next generation of Afghan women empowered," said the 28-year-old, who has worked in Kandahar's attorney-general's office for the past two years. "In Kandahar, it is very hard for a woman to work alone in an office, which is predominantly occupied by male staff members and where women as workers are taboo. Continue reading... |
| UK revives aid scheme halted over alleged payments to Syrian jihadists Posted: 20 Feb 2018 02:47 AM PST Shadow development secretary Kate Osamor questions depth of Foreign Office inquiry as project funding Free Syrian Police is reinstated The government has resurrected a controversial multimillion-pound aid scheme to train a civilian police force that was alleged to have given cash to extremists in Syria, the Guardian can reveal. The UK-backed project was suspended in November last year, after an investigation found that the Free Syrian Police were paying off militants, listing dead and fictitious people on their payroll, and working with courts engaged in human rights abuses. Continue reading... |
| Eastern Ghouta is another Srebrenica, we are looking away again | Simon Tisdall Posted: 20 Feb 2018 04:06 AM PST The horror of the Bosnian Muslim massacre of 1995 is being repeated today in Syria With every child who dies, with every act of brutality that goes unpunished, eastern Ghouta more closely resembles what Kofi Annan once called the worst crime committed on European soil since 1945. Eastern Ghouta is turning into Syria's Srebrenica. Related: 'It's not a war. It's a massacre': scores killed in Syrian enclave Continue reading... |
| Oxfam: '7,000 people have cancelled their regular donations' – video Posted: 20 Feb 2018 06:45 AM PST Mark Goldring, Oxfam's chief executive, tells MPs that about 7,000 individuals have cancelled their regular donations to the charity after revelations of the Haiti sex scandal. Goldring also said that 26 new sexual misconduct allegations have been reported as a result of the disclosures Continue reading... |
| This is eastern Ghouta, where hundreds are being killed and injured by Assad's forces Posted: 20 Feb 2018 05:01 AM PST More than 100 people have died in eastern Ghouta in Syria in one day of violence. The bombardment of the opposition-controlled enclave continues Continue reading... |
| Bodycam footage shows children being rescued from rubble in eastern Ghouta, Syria – video Posted: 20 Feb 2018 04:17 AM PST Footage from the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group, shows children being saved from a house purportedly hit by a Syrian regime airstrike in rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The video, filmed in the town of Hamouriya, is said to be from 19 February and has been verified by the Reuters news agency Continue reading... |
| Gun owner destroys rifle after Florida shooting: ‘Now there’s one less’ – video Posted: 20 Feb 2018 03:48 AM PST Gun owner Scott Pappalardo has destroyed his AR-15 rifle in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting. Pappalardo posted a video of himself explaining his decision before chopping up the semi-automatic weapon. He asks: 'Is the right to own this weapon more important than someone's life? … I don't think so' Continue reading... |
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