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

0 komentar

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


Ireland votes by landslide to legalise abortion

Posted: 26 May 2018 10:16 AM PDT

Leo Varadkar vows legal terminations by end of year after huge vote for change

Ireland has voted by a landslide to legalise abortion in a stunning outcome that marks a dramatic defeat for the Catholic church's one-time domination of the Republic.

The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing a controversial constitutional amendment that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and the woman carrying it. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no.

Continue reading...

North and South Korean leaders meet as US indicates summit may yet happen

Posted: 26 May 2018 05:16 PM PDT

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, met his South Korean counterpart on Saturday, two days after Donald Trump cancelled a planned summit with Kim.

Related: Donald Trump says North Korea summit could be back on

Continue reading...

Jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe ‘to face new trial’

Posted: 26 May 2018 10:33 AM PDT

Reports from Tehran suggest jailed British-Iranian aid worker is facing second security-related charge

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the detained British-Iranian aid worker sentenced to five years in jail in Iran, is reportedly to face a second trial on new security charges. Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted the head of Tehran's revolutionary court, Musa Ghazanfarabadi, as saying she would be ordered "to present an attorney and then the court will convene".

Ghazanfarabadi said the new charge against Zaghari-Ratcliffe was security related, but did not specify what it was, Tasnim reported.

Continue reading...

'Miracle' cures and europhobia – the strange origins of Italy's new rulers

Posted: 26 May 2018 01:00 PM PDT

Can Giuseppe Conte, who first made news in a notorious medical case, really heal his country?

In 2013, a young Italian girl named Sofia De Barros became the public face of an emotive campaign that called for people with degenerative diseases to be given access to an untested and controversial stem-cell therapy, which was promoted by a psychologist who claimed it could work miracles.

De Barros's family, defended by a lawyer called Giuseppe Conte, went to court to demand that their daughter, suffering from a terminal illness that leads to paralysis and blindness, be given the so-called "Stamina" treatment, over the concerns and objections of scientists and doctors who warned that it was unproven and possibly dangerous.

Continue reading...

Hawaii volcano explosions shoot ash to 11,000ft as lava swamps road

Posted: 26 May 2018 01:41 PM PDT

A series of summit explosions on Saturday spewed ash from Kilauea volcano up to 11,000ft and dusted communities to the south-west, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

Related: 'Lava haze' and 'vog': toxic volcanic gases prompt health fears in Hawaii

Continue reading...

Girl, 12, among three killed as Cyclone Mekunu hits Oman

Posted: 26 May 2018 06:45 AM PDT

Flash floods tear away roads and strong winds rip roofs off buildings in city of Salalah

A powerful cyclone has struck Oman and killed at least three people, among them a 12-year-old girl, officials have said.

Cyclone Mekunu caused flash flooding that tore away some roads and submerged others in Salalah, the country's third-largest city, leaving drivers stranded. Strong winds knocked over street lights and ripped off roofs. The cyclone also struck neighbouring Yemen on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Astronaut Alan Bean, fourth person to walk on the moon, dies aged 86

Posted: 26 May 2018 02:19 PM PDT

  • Nasa and family announce death on Saturday
  • Bean was lunar module pilot on Apollo 12 mission

The astronaut Alan Bean, who in 1969 became the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died. He was 86. A statement released by Nasa and family members said he died on Saturday in Houston, after a short illness.

Related: Nasa's Golden Record may baffle alien life, say researchers

Continue reading...

Hawaii volcano: 'lava tide' flows down street, destroying dozens more properties

Posted: 25 May 2018 09:23 PM PDT

Residents flee as Kilauea continues its most destructive eruption in decades

A tide of molten rock turned a Hawaii street into a volcanic wasteland on Friday as the number of homes destroyed by the erupting Kilauea volcano soared and authorities told residents to flee a surge of lava.

The destructive fury of the erupting Kilauea volcano was unleashed on the Big Island's Leilani Estates housing development, with the number of homes and other structures destroyed leaping to 82 from a previous count of 50, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Continue reading...

Man killed after Oklahoma restaurant shooting known to police, LGBT groups say

Posted: 26 May 2018 11:08 AM PDT

  • Members of public shot dead Alexander Tilghman on Thursday
  • Gunman warned of 'demons in cloned transexual bodies'

A man suspected of shooting three people in an Oklahoma City restaurant on Thursday night came to the attention of local police in January, after he posted hundreds of fliers across the city in which he warned of "demons in cloned transexual (sic) bodies" and asked people to visit his YouTube channel.

Related: Parkland survivor David Hogg aims to 'create the NRA – except for the opposite issues'

Continue reading...

'I did not assault women': Morgan Freeman responds to allegations

Posted: 26 May 2018 05:24 AM PDT

  • Actor responds to report of eight people claiming misconduct
  • Statement: '80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined'

Morgan Freeman has said any suggestion he assaulted women or created an unsafe workplace is false but apologized to anyone he may have upset, after media reported that women have accused him of inappropriate behavior or harassment.

Related: Morgan Freeman accused of sexual harassment by eight women

Continue reading...

Trump hails release of Utah man jailed in Venezuela for two years

Posted: 26 May 2018 02:01 PM PDT

  • Joshua Holt and wife freed and on their way to US, senator says
  • President says 'hostage' will visit White House on Saturday

A Utah man and his wife who were held in Venezuela without trial for two years were on their way to the US on Saturday, family members, Senator Orrin Hatch and Donald Trump said.

Related: US rejects 'insult to democracy' as Venezuela president Maduro pursues second term

Continue reading...

`Prejudice in public accommodation is deeply rooted in America', Starbucks chief executive Kevin Johnson to tell employees.

Posted: 26 May 2018 03:00 AM PDT

The coffee chain will close 8,000 US shops for retraining on Sunday in response to a racially charged incident in Philadelphia

Starbucks is closing more than 8,000 of its coffee shops across the US on Sunday for a four-hour, anti-bias training session – almost two months since an employee at a Philadelphia location called the police on two black men accused of trespassing as they waited, without making a purchase, to be joined for a meeting.

Since the incident, which sparked protests and threats of a boycott against a chain known for actively promoting a diverse workforce and taking liberal stands on issues such as same-sex marriage, senior executives have repeatedly apologized.

Continue reading...

Putin accuses Britain of blaming 'all their mortal sins' on Russia

Posted: 25 May 2018 01:36 PM PDT

President's remarks come after comments by Boris Johnson about downing of MH17 plane

Vladimir Putin has accused the British of blaming "all their mortal sins" on Russia, saying undue accusations have been placed at Moscow's door for everything from Brexit to the Skripal poisoning and the downing of MH17.

The Russian president dismissed suggestions that Russian hackers had been interfering in state affairs, claiming this was "not in line with our policy".

Continue reading...

Brazilian president sends in army as truck protest paralyzes country

Posted: 25 May 2018 01:17 PM PDT

São Paulo, the biggest city in South America, in state of emergency over fuel shortages while markets run out of food

Brazil's conservative president Michel Temer has ordered the army and federal police to clear highways blockaded by striking truck drivers after a protest over soaring fuel prices entered its fifth day.

The blockades have paralysed much of the country's economy and prompted São Paulo, the biggest city in South America, to declare a state of emergency over fuel shortages.

Continue reading...

Amid Syria’s horror, a new force emerges: the women of Idlib

Posted: 26 May 2018 07:00 AM PDT

With husbands, sons and fathers dead or missing, women have been unwittingly thrust into the spotlight. Their resilience and innovation could point a way forward

The plight of approximately three million civilians encircled by hostile forces in Syria's north-western Idlib province is growing worse by the day, according to UN officials, aid agencies and advocacy groups who fear a looming humanitarian catastrophe.

For many Syrian families, Idlib is the refuge of last resort, after their forced displacement from homes in other parts of the country. But it also risks becoming a sanctuary without exits – what activists have termed a "kill-box" from which there is no escape. The Syrian army, backed by Russian and Iranian forces, is entrenched to the south and east.

Continue reading...

Husband who wrecked parachute not guilty of attempted murder, says wife

Posted: 27 May 2018 01:22 AM PDT

Victoria Cilliers says husband Emile was unfaithful but does not believe he tried to kill her

A woman who cheated death when her army sergeant husband sabotaged her parachute has said that she does not believe he is guilty of her attempted murder.

Victoria Cilliers said that she has not told their two young children he could face life in jail for trying to kill her twice, instead saying that their father Emile Cilliers "has done a bad thing".

Continue reading...

Ireland moves forward with abortion law reform after historic vote

Posted: 27 May 2018 01:43 AM PDT

Process will begin on Tuesday when cabinet discusses draft legislation, says health minister

Ireland's health minister has said he will push forward with new abortion laws after Saturday's resounding referendum result overturned a 35-year ban on terminations.

Simon Harris said he would start the process on Tuesday, when the Irish cabinet will meet to discuss draft legislation to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and up to 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

Continue reading...

Egypt blocks YouTube over film denigrating prophet Muhammad

Posted: 26 May 2018 05:53 PM PDT

Court ruling ends years-long appeals process over film that sparked deadly anti-US riots

Egypt's top administrative court ordered authorities to block video-sharing website YouTube for a month over a film denigrating Islam's prophet Muhammad.

The ruling on Saturday ends a years-long appeals process over the 2012 amateurish film, Innocence of Muslims, which depicts the prophet Muhammad as a buffoon and a paedophile.

Continue reading...

Tax evasion isn’t just for the west: it conspires to keep Africa poor too

Posted: 26 May 2018 09:00 AM PDT

Many economists believe life in the developing world is improving fast. It certainly isn't in the sub-Saharan region

There is a comforting mainstream narrative which tells us that African nations, like the rest of the developing world, are doing just fine. Look past the terrorist incidents, the latest Ebola outbreak and areas of drought, and you will find that poverty is being alleviated and diseases confined to isolated pockets. A combination of western aid, Chinese investment and the rejuvenating application of neoliberal economic medicine in the guise of free trade has come to the rescue, this narrative runs, improving matters by measurable degrees.

This draws on figures from the World Bank showing that in 1981 around 42% of the world's population was extremely poor, using $1.90 a day in 2011 prices as a yardstick. By 2013, that figure had fallen to 10.7%. An estimate by the bank suggests it fell further, to 9.1%, in 2016. Likewise, polio and other major diseases are in full retreat.

Continue reading...

Hawaii volcano eruption prompts fears of disastrous blow to tourism

Posted: 26 May 2018 11:00 PM PDT

Hawaii's $2.4bn industry is struggling in the wake of the Kilauea Volcano eruptions, with bookings for May through July down 50%

David Collier, who has been guiding trips on the island for a decade, clutched the wheel of a 13-person van last week on the road up to Mauna Kea observatory. Up until Kilauea began erupting this month, his full-time job was taking visitors on three separate volcano-related tours. Now, with Hawaii Volcanoes national park closed and the district of Puna inundated with lava, two of those three tours are cancelled until further notice.

"As of this morning, the road where I've been conducting tours for a decade is no longer there," he said. "Things are changing."

Continue reading...

China is taking digital control of its people to unprecedented and chilling lengths | John Naughton

Posted: 26 May 2018 11:00 PM PDT

The Chinese government's unsettling new system will see citizens rated by 'good deeds'

Watching Donald Trump trying to deal with China is like watching a clown dancing in front of an elephant. The US president's entire approach is transactional – the methodology he employed in his allegedly successful career as a property developer. It's all sticks and carrots, bluff and counter-bluff, aggressive bluster followed by rapid retreats.

Sometimes, it appears to work. For example, the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, clearly leant on Kim Jong-un to force him to agree to a summit meeting with Trump. But then Xi leant on Trump to rescue the Chinese tech company ZTE, brought to its knees by a US ban because it had evaded sanctions on trade with Iran. Trump duly complied and ZTE executives breathed again.

Continue reading...

Australia's doctors elect GP president to 'send a message' to Greg Hunt

Posted: 26 May 2018 09:55 PM PDT

Australian Medical Association votes for Tony Bartone to replace obstetrician Michael Gannon
Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon

A Melbourne GP, Dr Tony Bartone, has been elected president of Australia's peak medical body and said improving access to the public health system would be a priority during his two-year term.

Bartone on Sunday replaced Western Australian obstetrician Dr Michael Gannon in the role as head of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), telling delegates at the national conference in Canberra that "a GP president will send a message" to the health minister.

Continue reading...

Abject and pregnant: how alcohol numbs the pain … at a terrible price | Kate Hodal

Posted: 27 May 2018 12:59 AM PDT

More than a tenth of children in South Africa have foetal alcohol syndrome. Now volunteer mothers are fighting back

In a dusty township in South Africa's sun-drenched wine country, Charay Afrika says only one thing helped numb her through a turbulent relationship and two pregnancies: alcohol.

She drank all day, every day, throughout her full-term pregnancies – unaware of the effect alcohol could have on her children.

Continue reading...

The US is ripping immigrants' families apart. That's torture

Posted: 26 May 2018 06:00 AM PDT

What parents – and their children – face as Ice agents seek to punish undocumented people is beyond cruelty

As a parent, there are few things that haunt your nightmares more than the idea that you might somehow lose your child. That they would be taken from you, and that there would be nothing that you could do about it. The ability to protect your child – to make them feel safe – is as vital as oxygen.

And so I can't imagine what parents are facing as the US government forcibly separates families in an attempt to punish undocumented immigrants. It's beyond cruelty – it's torture. Particularly when you think about what young children, who don't speak the language and who are in a new country, must be feeling as they're treated like criminals.

Continue reading...

Moon Jae-in says Kim Jong-un wants denuclearisation – video

Posted: 26 May 2018 09:31 PM PDT

South Korean president addresses the media following his surprise meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He reveals the cordiality of the meeting and indicates that Pyongyang remains committed to the US-North Korean summit scheduled for 12 June.

Continue reading...

Irish PM: 'A quiet revolution has taken place' – video

Posted: 26 May 2018 12:39 PM PDT

Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, hails 'a quiet revolution' as voters return an overwhelming decision to legalise abortion in the country's historic referendum. The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing a controversial constitutional amendment that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and the woman carrying it. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no

Continue reading...

Ireland says 'Yes' to abortion reform – in pictures

Posted: 26 May 2018 10:23 AM PDT

Pro-choice campaigners celebrate after Ireland votes to liberalise abortion law

Continue reading...

History is made as Ireland votes to repeal anti-abortion laws – video report

Posted: 26 May 2018 09:27 AM PDT

People celebrate after Ireland calls for an end to the country's anti-abortion laws, with two-thirds of voters choosing to repeal the eighth amendment to the constitution. Orla O'Connor, co-director of the yes campaign, said it was 'a monumental day for women in Ireland'


Continue reading...

'A monumental day for women in Ireland', says Orla O'Connor – video

Posted: 26 May 2018 06:24 AM PDT

As the exit polls predict mass support for the repeal of Ireland's ban on abortions the Together for Yes campaign celebrates. O'Connor, co-director of the campaign, says: 'This vote is about a rejection of an Ireland that treats women as second-class citizens'

Continue reading...

North and South Korean presidents meet to discuss the US summit – video

Posted: 26 May 2018 05:58 AM PDT

Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in meet again. The pair discuss their commitments to peace and the potential meeting with Donald Trump. They met in the 'truce village' of Panmunjom. The surprise meeting showed inter-Korea relations were in a far better state than those between the US and Pyongyang


Continue reading...


Posting Komentar