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- ‘I created Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare tool’: meet the data war whistleblower
- Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach
- Trump lawyer calls for end to Russia investigation after McCabe firing
- Pleas for safe passage for civilians trapped in eastern Ghouta
- Vlad the improver still first election choice for Putin generations
- Billion-dollar polar engineering ‘needed to slow melting glaciers’
- Crack in Florida bridge deemed no concern just hours before collapse
- Hollywood condemns Terry Gilliam for #MeToo comments
- Four skiers feared dead after Swiss avalanche in Vallon d’Arbi
- China reappoints Xi Jinping as president with no term limit
- Adrian Lamo, hacker who turned in Chelsea Manning, dies aged 37
- NYPD reportedly hid Weinstein accuser, fearing district attorney would sink case
- Secretive religious charity run by top US housing officials raises questions
- At least six dead after suspected people-smuggling boat sinks off Greek coast
- A woman’s final Facebook message before euthanasia: ‘I’m ready for my trip now...’
- Country diary 1918: early cloud promises warmth for rest of the day
- Russia's response to ex-spy poisoning row futile, says Boris Johnson
- White House firings signal Trump's most hawkish era yet on North Korea and Iran
- Marielle Franco: Brazil’s favelas mourn the death of a champion
- Eastern Australia bushfires: dozens of homes lost in Bega blaze and another 10 in Victoria
- Syria’s new exiles: Kurds flee Afrin after Turkish assault
- Aung San Suu Kyi asks Australia and Asean for help with Rohingya crisis
- The young gun protesters are inspiring, but we can't leave it to them
| ‘I created Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare tool’: meet the data war whistleblower Posted: 17 Mar 2018 11:00 AM PDT For more than a year we've been investigating Cambridge Analytica and its links to the Brexit Leave campaign in the UK and Team Trump in the US presidential election. Now, 28-year-old Christopher Wylie goes on the record to discuss his role in hijacking the profiles of millions of Facebook users in order to target the US electorate The first time I met Christopher Wylie, he didn't yet have pink hair. That comes later. As does his mission to rewind time. To put the genie back in the bottle. By the time I met him in person, I'd already been talking to him on a daily basis for hours at a time. On the phone, he was clever, funny, bitchy, profound, intellectually ravenous, compelling. A master storyteller. A politicker. A data science nerd. Continue reading... |
| Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach Posted: 17 Mar 2018 03:03 PM PDT Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters The data analytics firm that worked with Donald Trump's election team and the winning Brexit campaign harvested millions of Facebook profiles of US voters, in one of the tech giant's biggest ever data breaches, and used them to build a powerful software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box. A whistleblower has revealed to the Observer how Cambridge Analytica – a company owned by the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, and headed at the time by Trump's key adviser Steve Bannon – used personal information taken without authorisation in early 2014 to build a system that could profile individual US voters, in order to target them with personalised political advertisements. Continue reading... |
| Trump lawyer calls for end to Russia investigation after McCabe firing Posted: 17 Mar 2018 01:12 PM PDT
Donald Trump's personal lawyer said on Saturday he hoped the firing of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe would prompt Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the Russia investigation, to shut down the inquiry. John Dowd spoke hours after Trump gloated that the firing of McCabe marked a "great day for democracy". His glee provoked a savage response from former CIA director John Brennan, who called him a "disgraced demagogue" headed for "the dustbin of history". Continue reading... |
| Pleas for safe passage for civilians trapped in eastern Ghouta Posted: 17 Mar 2018 02:46 PM PDT Doctors and civil leaders among signatories to open letter to the UN, demanding action to stop massacre by Syrian forces Doctors and civilians in the besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta have published open letters asking for their safe passage under the supervision of international guarantors, as forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad continue a military offensive that has lasted nearly a month and killed more than 1,500 civilians. Related: Syria's new exiles: Kurds flee Afrin after Turkish assault Continue reading... |
| Vlad the improver still first election choice for Putin generations Posted: 17 Mar 2018 05:05 PM PDT For many growing up in Russia today, Putin is the only leader they have known. They aren't about to turn against him now Ten years ago the words "Putin generation" evoked images of Kremlin-backed youth supporters, teenage shock troops hounding Estonian diplomats in Moscow and holding summer camps immersed in ideology at the picturesque Lake Seliger. Fast-forward a decade and it's more likely to look like Marina Konovalova, a smiling, 19-year-old fine arts student from Tver, a city of 400,000 north-west of Moscow, who can't remember any other leader than Vladimir Putin. She plans to vote for him in Sunday'stoday's presidential elections. Continue reading... |
| Billion-dollar polar engineering ‘needed to slow melting glaciers’ Posted: 17 Mar 2018 05:05 PM PDT Underwater sea walls and artificial islands among projects urgently required to avoid devastation of global flooding, say scientists Scientists have outlined plans to build a series of mammoth engineering projects in Greenland and Antarctica to help slow down the disintegration of the planet's main glaciers. The controversial proposals include underwater walls, artificial islands and huge pumping stations that would channel cold water into the bases of glaciers to stop them from melting and sliding into the sea. The researchers say the work – costing tens of billions of dollars a time – is urgently needed to prevent polar glaciers melting and raising sea levels. That would lead to major inundations of low-lying, densely populated areas, such as parts of Bangladesh, Japan and the Netherlands. Continue reading... |
| Crack in Florida bridge deemed no concern just hours before collapse Posted: 17 Mar 2018 09:24 PM PDT Safety meeting discussed the crack but concluded the bridge, which later collapsed leaving six dead, was not compromised Hours before a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University collapsed on Thursday, killing six people, engineers met the construction manager, state transportation officials and university representatives to discuss a crack on the structure. Related: Miami bridge collapse: engineer's answerphone message about crack not heard Continue reading... |
| Hollywood condemns Terry Gilliam for #MeToo comments Posted: 17 Mar 2018 10:18 AM PDT Actors and directors criticise film-maker for likening movement to 'mob rule' and remarks about Weinstein scandal The film director Terry Gilliam has come under fire from Hollywood actors and directors for comparing the #MeToo movement to "mob rule". The former Monty Python member suggested the anti-sexual harassment campaign had led to a "world of victims" in an interview with Agence France-Presse. Continue reading... |
| Four skiers feared dead after Swiss avalanche in Vallon d’Arbi Posted: 17 Mar 2018 12:17 PM PDT Police recover two bodies buried under six metres of snow, with two people still missing Four people were feared dead on Saturday after an avalanche hit the Swiss ski area of Vallon d'Arbi, with two bodies already recovered from under six metres of snow. Police in the canton of Valais said rescue workers were searching for two more skiers who are missing after Friday's avalanche, but that the operation had been suspended for the night. Continue reading... |
| China reappoints Xi Jinping as president with no term limit Posted: 17 Mar 2018 07:45 AM PDT National People's Congress also appoints Xi ally Wang Qishan to post of vice-president China's legislature has unanimously approved the reappointment of Xi Jinping as president with no limit on the number of terms he can serve. The National People's Congress also appointed close Xi ally Wang Qishan to the formerly ceremonial post of vice-president. Continue reading... |
| Adrian Lamo, hacker who turned in Chelsea Manning, dies aged 37 Posted: 16 Mar 2018 04:35 PM PDT
Adrian Lamo, the computer hacker who turned in whistleblower Chelsea Manning to law enforcement, has died at the age of 37, according to authorities in Kansas. Lamo, who testified about Manning's release of documents to WikiLeaks, was confirmed dead on Friday by authorities in Sedgwick County. The coroner's office has not responded to inquiries about the cause of his death. Continue reading... |
| NYPD reportedly hid Weinstein accuser, fearing district attorney would sink case Posted: 17 Mar 2018 11:02 AM PDT New York magazine reports detectives investigating model's sexual assault claim had strong case but feared DA would not prosecute New York detectives investigating a 2015 sexual assault complaint against Harvey Weinstein physically "hid the victim" from staff working for the Manhattan district attorney, reportedly fearing she would be treated unfairly and the case dropped. After an investigation in which one officer told New York magazine the NYPD went "above and beyond", given what it saw as attempts by the DA's office to undermine its work, DA Cyrus Vance did indeed decide not to prosecute. Continue reading... |
| Secretive religious charity run by top US housing officials raises questions Posted: 16 Mar 2018 10:00 PM PDT GJH Global Ministries, which made its website private after inquiries by the Guardian, does not appear to have a clear purpose One of the top officials in Donald Trump's housing department runs an opaque religious charity with a colleague who resigned from the administration when the Guardian found he was accused of fraud and exaggerated his biography. Related: US housing department adviser quits amid questions of fraud and inflated biography Continue reading... |
| At least six dead after suspected people-smuggling boat sinks off Greek coast Posted: 17 Mar 2018 02:57 AM PDT Search and rescue operation under way in eastern Aegean to locate survivors of vessel carrying estimated 21 people The bodies of six people have been recovered from the sea off a Greek island in the eastern Aegean after the sinking of a suspected people-smuggling boat, Greece's coastguard said. A large search and rescue operation was under way to locate about a dozen more people believed missing. Continue reading... |
| A woman’s final Facebook message before euthanasia: ‘I’m ready for my trip now...’ Posted: 17 Mar 2018 02:00 PM PDT Assisted suicides in the Netherlands include a 29-year-old who had nothing wrong with her physically At 2pm on 26 January, Aurelia Brouwers lay down on her bed to die. Clutching a toy pink dinosaur and listening to her favourite music, the 29-year-old drank her prescribed medication as close friends gathered round. "She asked me to lie next to her. She had a smile on her face, and then she went softly into sleep," Sjoukje Willering told the Observer. "It was very serene and calm. It was beautiful." Four hours earlier, Brouwers had posted her last message on Facebook. "I'm getting ready for my trip now. Thank you so much for everything. I'm no longer available from now on." Brouwers died at home in the small Netherlands town of Deventer less than a month after being declared eligible for euthanasia under the country's 2002 Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act, which permits the ending of lives where there is "unbearable suffering" without hope of relief. Her death has triggered a fierce debate in a country that has one of the most permissive euthanasia laws in the world. Continue reading... |
| Country diary 1918: early cloud promises warmth for rest of the day Posted: 17 Mar 2018 11:00 PM PDT 23 March 1918 Your hand may lose itself in the sheep's stringy wool, outwardly wet but dry and almost hot near the skin SURREY Related: Wool on the wire that feeds on fog Continue reading... |
| Russia's response to ex-spy poisoning row futile, says Boris Johnson Posted: 18 Mar 2018 01:49 AM PDT UK foreign secretary says tit-for-tat expulsions by Kremlin will only harm Putin associates Boris Johnson has labelled Russia's counter-measures "futile" as the diplomatic row over the nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy rumbled on. The UK foreign secretary said the Kremlin's tit-for-tat expulsion of 23 British diplomats and the closures of the British consulate in St Petersburg and the British Council would only have an impact on Vladimir Putin's compatriots. Continue reading... |
| White House firings signal Trump's most hawkish era yet on North Korea and Iran Posted: 17 Mar 2018 11:00 PM PDT Recent dismissals shows the president is gaining confidence in his foreign policy instincts, and surrounding himself with allies The end, when it comes to a job in the Trump administration, can be messy and brutal. The secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, was fired while returning from a gruelling Africa tour not long after the death of his father. When he complained through an aide about the summary manner of his dismissal, the White House stuck the boot in, telling journalists the 66 year-old former Texan oil executive had been fired by telephone while sitting on the toilet, suffering from a stomach bug, according to the Daily Beast. Continue reading... |
| Marielle Franco: Brazil’s favelas mourn the death of a champion Posted: 17 Mar 2018 05:05 PM PDT The shooting of a black, gay councillor has dealt a new blow to communities oppressed by gangs The morning after tens of thousands of people thronged streets across Brazil to express their anger over the murder of black, gay Rio councillor Marielle Franco, it was business as usual in the Maré favela where she grew up. Armed drug gang members openly patrolled behind a police base. The favela is hidden from the roaring highway that connects the nearby international airport to Rio's centre by an opaque plastic fence. Authorities call it an "acoustic barrier". Local people scoff and say it is there to hide their ramshackle but vibrant community from tourists, noting that in front of the nearby new schools the fence is transparent. It is symptomatic of how Brazilian authorities see the favelas that house almost a quarter of Rio's population: as places to be hidden, abandoned to gangs, and occasionally invaded by police in armoured cars who don't care who gets killed in the crossfire. Continue reading... |
| Eastern Australia bushfires: dozens of homes lost in Bega blaze and another 10 in Victoria Posted: 18 Mar 2018 01:57 AM PDT Residents in town of Tathra, NSW, told it was too late to leave as out-of-control bushfire encroached on homes Dozens of homes have been destroyed by an out-of-control blaze near Bega in southeastern New South Wales, with residents in the seaside town of Tathra told it is too late to leave. Twenty-three fire rescue crews are at the scene and building impact assessment teams are reportedly on their way to the area to inspect properties and confirm damage. Power outages as a result of the fire have affected hundreds of homes in Tathra and surrounding areas. Continue reading... |
| Syria’s new exiles: Kurds flee Afrin after Turkish assault Posted: 18 Mar 2018 12:44 AM PDT Once a haven for refugees from the war in Syria, Afrin has found itself a flashpoint On a muddy trail in northern Syria, the war's newest exiles are leaving. Most are Kurds, fleeing Afrin for the regime-held city of Aleppo, just over a grey horizon. Behind them, Turkish troops and Arab forces they sponsor have encircled their home city except for the squeeze point they used to flee. Ahead, Shia militants allied to the Syrian army man checkpoints deciding who can pass. With Syria's war ticking over into its eighth gruelling year, the north of the country is once more on the move. The Kurds are bearing the brunt of the latest upheaval, fleeing their enclave near the Turkish border as a promised storming of Afrin draws near. At least 250 civilians have been killed in the bombardment of Afrin as the Turks and their proxies have advanced. Many abandoning the majority-Kurdish enclave fear they may not be allowed to return when – and if – the dust finally settles on this war without restraint. On Sunday morning, the Turkish backed Free Syrian Army rebels said they had entered the town after Kurdish forces pulled out. Everything appears up for grabs now: their homes, futures and even the Kurdish cause. Continue reading... |
| Aung San Suu Kyi asks Australia and Asean for help with Rohingya crisis Posted: 18 Mar 2018 12:39 AM PDT Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says Myanmar leader seeks humanitarian and 'capacity building' assistance Aung San Suu Kyi has reportedly personally addressed Myanmar's ongoing Rohingya crisis at a closed-door meeting of southeast Asian leaders, asking for help from Asean nations with humanitarian relief and Myanmar's capacity to recover from the conflict. At a meeting of leaders at the Australia-Asean summit in Sydney, Suu Kyi addressed the issue "comprehensively [and] at some considerable length", the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said. Continue reading... |
| The young gun protesters are inspiring, but we can't leave it to them Posted: 17 Mar 2018 06:00 AM PDT There's no reason our children should need to protest to essentially beg for safety. We're the adults. Let's do something The Week in Patriarchy is a weekly roundup of what's happening in the world of feminism and sexism. If you're not already receiving it by email, make sure to subscribe. Continue reading... |
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