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- Iran deal: Trump breaks with European allies over 'horrible, one-sided' nuclear agreement
- Argentina seeks IMF loan to rescue peso from downward slide
- Google touts 'digital wellbeing' tools to help users disengage from phones
- Hawaii volcano eruption: governor requests emergency assistance
- Investigative journalist shot and injured in Montenegro
- Syria says it has downed two Israeli missiles near Damascus
- Firm tied to Russian oligarch gave Michael Cohen $500,000, says Stormy Daniels' lawyer
- Use excess wind and solar power to produce hydrogen – report
- Kim Jong-un meets Xi Jinping in second surprise visit to China
- Canada: Trudeau government cools on asylum seekers as numbers from US rise
- Jerusalem gives thanks to Trump by naming a roundabout in his honour
- Doug Ford supporters at Ontario debate revealed to be paid actors
- Google's robot assistant now makes eerily lifelike phone calls for you
- Tamam: opponents top Twitter in bid to topple Turkey's Erdoğan
- 'Google go home': the Berlin neighbourhood fighting off a tech giant
- Quirky conveniences: the toilets of Tokyo – in pictures
- How the chicken nugget became the true symbol of our era
- Police seek 'Pink Panthers' suspect over Chelsea jewel theft
- Paris calls on Macron to act over squalid migrant camps
- Iranian hardliners rejoice over US nuclear deal exit
- Deadly journeys: how despair drives young Ethiopians to flee to Yemen | Tom Gardner
- US charges former CIA agent with conspiring to commit espionage for China
- How did Costa Rica get it so right? | Joseph Stiglitz
- Transparent and fair: what England can learn from Japan's social care reform | Natasha Curry
- Council paints over Taiwanese flag on children's art project ahead of beef expo
- Could this man end the 35-year tyranny of Cameroon's President Biya? – podcast
- Deadly flash floods hit east African countries already in dire need
- Europe's clash with Trump over Iran nuclear deal is a durability test
- Gina Haspel must atone for her past to become CIA director
- Trump's decision on Iran is not as black and white as it seems
- What is the Iran nuclear deal? – video
- Donald Trump breaks with allies over Iran nuclear agreement – video
- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts – in pictures
| Iran deal: Trump breaks with European allies over 'horrible, one-sided' nuclear agreement Posted: 08 May 2018 11:23 PM PDT President says he will impose 'highest level of economic sanctions' on Iran as Tehran vows: 'We won't allow Trump to win' Donald Trump has announced he will impose "the highest level of economic sanctions" on Iran, violating an international nuclear agreement and a UN resolution, breaking decisively with US allies in Europe, and potentially triggering a new crisis in the Gulf. In a statement at the White House, Trump said this decision meant that the US would "exit the Iran deal" agreed with other major powers in 2015, and warned that "any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could be strongly sanctioned". Continue reading... |
| Argentina seeks IMF loan to rescue peso from downward slide Posted: 08 May 2018 02:26 PM PDT President Macri says it would help country 'avoid a crisis like the ones we have faced before' Argentina has appealed to the International Monetary Fund for an emergency credit package in an effort to avoid a financial crash and rescue its faltering peso currency from a long downward slide against the dollar. The announcement, against a backdrop of surging interest rates and stubbornly resistant inflation, brought back echoes of Argentina's monetary crash and foreign debt default in December 2001 when the peso dropped overnight to a quarter of its value against the dollar and bank accounts were frozen nationwide. Continue reading... |
| Google touts 'digital wellbeing' tools to help users disengage from phones Posted: 08 May 2018 02:49 PM PDT As firms face scrutiny over habit-forming technologies, Google unveils system to show users how much time they spend on their devices Google has unveiled a range of tools focused on "digital wellbeing", designed to help people disconnect from their phones. "Our team has heard so many stories from people trying to find the right balance with technology," said Sameer Samat, vice-president, product management, adding that although people find their devices useful, they would prefer to spend some of the time spent staring at a screen "on better things". Continue reading... |
| Hawaii volcano eruption: governor requests emergency assistance Posted: 08 May 2018 08:27 AM PDT David Ige says Hawaii will need aid from Fema and the White House after a volcano prompted evacuations and destroyed 26 homes Hawaii governor David Ige has told the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Authority (Fema) the state will need help to deal with an erupting volcano that has prompted evacuations and destroyed 26 homes so far. Related: Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts – in pictures Continue reading... |
| Investigative journalist shot and injured in Montenegro Posted: 08 May 2018 03:46 PM PDT Olivera Lakić wounded outside her home in the country's second attack on a journalist in a month An investigative reporter who covers crime and corruption in Montenegro has been shot and injured in an attack that prompted calls from the European Union and the US to protect journalists in the Balkan country. Olivera Lakić, a journalist for the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, was wounded in the right leg outside her home in the capital, Podgorica. She was taken to a hospital and was reported out of danger. Continue reading... |
| Syria says it has downed two Israeli missiles near Damascus Posted: 08 May 2018 02:46 PM PDT Reports of explosions shortly after Trump announces US plans to break with Iran nuclear deal Syrian air defences downed two Israeli missiles near Damascus, state media reported, after explosions were heard at a military base south of the capital. The report arrived soon after US president Donald Trump's announcement that he would break with the Iran nuclear agreement, a move that has put the region on edge. Continue reading... |
| Firm tied to Russian oligarch gave Michael Cohen $500,000, says Stormy Daniels' lawyer Posted: 08 May 2018 06:21 PM PDT Michael Avenatti makes extraordinary allegation that Cohen received cash from company affiliated with billionaire linked to Vladimir Putin Donald Trump's attorney and legal fixer, Michael Cohen, was paid half a million dollars by a company affiliated with a Russian oligarch closely linked to Vladimir Putin, according to extraordinary allegations published on Tuesday. Related: 'Trump's going to be forced to resign': Stormy Daniels' lawyer predicts a fall Continue reading... |
| Use excess wind and solar power to produce hydrogen – report Posted: 08 May 2018 04:01 PM PDT With more electricity often generated than needed the excess could be utilised to generate the green power source Green energy would be boosted if excess electricity from wind and solar farms was used to produce hydrogen for use in heating and other parts of the energy system, according to engineers. Renewables were the UK's second biggest source of electricity in the last three months of 2017, and now provide about a third of the country's power at certain times of day. Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-un meets Xi Jinping in second surprise visit to China Posted: 08 May 2018 07:03 AM PDT North Korean leader and Chinese president in flurry of diplomacy as Kim prepares for summit with Donald Trump The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has made a second surprise visit to China to meet its president, Xi Jinping, amid a flurry of diplomacy as Kim prepares for a summit with Donald Trump. Kim flew to the Chinese port city of Dalian and held talks "in a cordial and friendly atmosphere" with Xi over two days before returning to Pyongyang on Tuesday, China's state news agency Xinhua said in announcing the trip. It is the second meeting between the two leaders in about 40 days, and was kept secret until Kim had left China. Continue reading... |
| Canada: Trudeau government cools on asylum seekers as numbers from US rise Posted: 08 May 2018 02:36 PM PDT Canada warns making it across border is 'no free ticket' as officials try to tone down welcoming image they have cultivated The Canadian government has sharpened its tone towards asylum seekers, warning that simply making it across the border is not a "free ticket" to Canada as the number of migrants crossing from the US continues to rise. Since the election of Donald Trump, growing numbers of asylum seekers have been entering Canada by foot, driven by fears over the US president's approach to immigration. Continue reading... |
| Jerusalem gives thanks to Trump by naming a roundabout in his honour Posted: 08 May 2018 09:54 AM PDT 'Jerusalem returns the love to Trump,' writes mayor Nir Bakat before official opening of US embassy, which has moved from Tel Aviv So thrilled was the mayor of Jerusalem that Donald Trump had recognised the city as the capital of Israel that he decided a fitting tribute of thanks – naming a roundabout in honour of the US president. Related: Iran deal: prominent backer says he was warned of Trump bid to discredit him Continue reading... |
| Doug Ford supporters at Ontario debate revealed to be paid actors Posted: 08 May 2018 12:30 PM PDT
Doug Ford – the frontrunner in the race to become premier of Canada's most populous province – has admitted that hired actors posed as supporters ahead of a high-profile debate, but denied his campaign was responsible for recruiting them. "A local candidate made a decision to engage a casting agency. This was unnecessary and a mistake. It will not happen again," said Ford's spokeswoman, Melissa Lantsman, in a statement on Tuesday. Continue reading... |
| Google's robot assistant now makes eerily lifelike phone calls for you Posted: 08 May 2018 01:13 PM PDT Google Duplex contacts hair salon and restaurant in demo, adding 'er' and 'mmm-hmm' so listeners think it's human Google's virtual assistant can now make phone calls on your behalf to schedule appointments, make reservations in restaurants and get holiday hours. The robotic assistant uses a very natural speech pattern that includes hesitations and affirmations such as "er" and "mmm-hmm" so that it is extremely difficult to distinguish from an actual human phone call. Continue reading... |
| Tamam: opponents top Twitter in bid to topple Turkey's Erdoğan Posted: 08 May 2018 09:20 AM PDT Rivals respond to president's offer to stand aside if country says 'enough' in June election The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has vowed to step down if his people decide they have had "enough", prompting opponents to propel the word in Turkish, tamam, to the top of worldwide Twitter trends. Erdoğan will contest a presidential election on 24 June, seeking to extend his 15 years in power which began when he became the prime minister in 2003 and continued with his move to the presidency in 2014. Continue reading... |
| 'Google go home': the Berlin neighbourhood fighting off a tech giant Posted: 08 May 2018 11:15 PM PDT Other cities have embraced the company, but in Kreuzberg opposition to a planned Google campus is vociferous. What makes Berlin different? In the streets next to Görlitzer Park – an oblong patch popular with skaters, dog walkers and the odd drug dealer in the east of Kreuzberg in Berlin – you soon spot signs of contention about the newcomer to the neighbourhood. One is scrawled across a wall: "Fuck off Google." Plans for the search engine giant's new campus have inspired the community to respond creatively to what they see as an existential threat. The local anarchist bookshop, Kalabal!k, holds "Anti-Google Café" sessions twice a month, and since last year one of the burgeoning activist groups has been distributing a newspaper entitled Shitstorm: Against Google, Displacement and Tech Dominance. Continue reading... |
| Quirky conveniences: the toilets of Tokyo – in pictures Posted: 08 May 2018 03:00 AM PDT Instagrammer Hidefumi Nakamura captures the weird and wonderful WCs in Tokyo and other Japanese cities Japan's hi-tech toilets are a thing of wonder: some play music to you, others heat your bottom – and there are some that will even give you a wash and a blow-dry. Not all of the loos are this luxurious – 40% of public toilets in the country's main tourist destinations are still traditional squats. But this is all set to change as the government plans to update and "westernise" them in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Continue reading... |
| How the chicken nugget became the true symbol of our era Posted: 07 May 2018 10:00 PM PDT This is what happens when you turn the natural world into a profit-making machine. By Raj Patel and Jason W Moore The most telling symbol of the modern era isn't the automobile or the smartphone. It's the chicken nugget. Chicken is already the most popular meat in the US, and is projected to be the planet's favourite flesh by 2020. Future civilisations will find traces of humankind's 50 billion bird-a-year habit in the fossil record, a marker for what we now call the Anthropocene. And yet responsibility for the dramatic change in our consumption lies not so much in general human activity, but capitalism. Although we're taught to understand it as an economic system, capitalism doesn't just organise hierarchies of human work. Capitalism is what happens when power and money combine to turn the natural world into a profit-making machine. Indeed, the way we understand nature owes a great deal to capitalism. Every civilisation has had some rendering of the difference between "us" and "them", but only under capitalism is there a boundary between "society" and "nature" – a violent and tightly policed border with deep roots in colonialism. Continue reading... |
| Police seek 'Pink Panthers' suspect over Chelsea jewel theft Posted: 09 May 2018 01:19 AM PDT Vinko Osmakcic, accused of membership of crime network, wanted over missing rings An international diamond thief once believed to have been part of the notorious Pink Panther network is suspected to have struck a Chelsea art fair, making off with three rings worth more than £2m. Vinko Osmakcic, a Croatian believed to be behind a number of high-value diamond thefts across Europe and the US, is wanted in connection with the disappearance of the jewellery from the event at the Royal Hospital Chelsea last year, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading... |
| Paris calls on Macron to act over squalid migrant camps Posted: 09 May 2018 01:52 AM PDT President urged to provide shelter for thousands living in 'catastrophic' conditions Paris city politicians have called on the government to provide shelter for more than 2,000 migrants and refugees sleeping rough under bridges and by canals in what aid groups describe as "catastrophic sanitary conditions". One camp of hundreds of tents squeezed under a motorway bridge by the Canal Saint-Denis near Porte de la Villette was home to around 1,600 people, making it one of the biggest makeshift migrant camps in France. |
| Iranian hardliners rejoice over US nuclear deal exit Posted: 09 May 2018 01:28 AM PDT Hardliners seize opportunity to consolidate power over reformists who championed pact Hardliners in Iran are rejoicing at Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally pull the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose economic sanctions, and seizing on an opportunity to consolidate their power over reformists who championed the pact. The commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards "congratulated" the nation on the US exit from the deal. According to the semi-official Fars news agency, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari said: "I congratulate and take into a good deed the vicious withdrawal of the US from JCPOA, which was not credible even before the withdrawal … It was proved once more that US isn't trustworthy in regards its commitments." Continue reading... |
| Deadly journeys: how despair drives young Ethiopians to flee to Yemen | Tom Gardner Posted: 08 May 2018 11:00 PM PDT Persecution and hardship drives almost 100,000 migrants to cross the Red Sea each year, risking the treacherous journey in a bid to reach the Gulf "We met in the desert," says Badru Mohammed, gesturing at his three companions. The four Ethiopian boys pause for breath and refreshment beside the road, grasping their plastic water bottles tightly as they sip, careful not to waste a drop. The Djiboutian sun is still low in the sky but the road is already hot. They have more than 200km left to walk and their plastic sandals are disintegrating. Badru and friends are from Jimma, a poor farming district in Ethiopia's Oromia region. Over the past fortnight they have travelled more than 1,000km from their homes, first on buses and then later on foot, jumping the border into neighbouring Djibouti under the cover of darkness. When the group gathered in Dire Dawa, a town in the arid drylands of eastern Ethiopia a couple of hundred kilometres from the border, there were 20 of them. "Most are left in the desert," says Badru wearily. "They are very tired. I don't think they can follow us." |
| US charges former CIA agent with conspiring to commit espionage for China Posted: 08 May 2018 08:50 PM PDT Jerry Chun Shing Lee, who allegedly lied about travel to China, faces life in prison if convicted A former CIA operative, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, has been charged with conspiring to commit espionage on behalf of the Chinese government, the US department of justice said. Lee, 53, was charged with one count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defence information to aid a foreign government and two counts of unlawfully retaining documents related to national defence, according to a statement from the department of justice. If convicted he faces life in prison. Continue reading... |
| How did Costa Rica get it so right? | Joseph Stiglitz Posted: 09 May 2018 01:52 AM PDT The country is a beacon of Enlightenment – a world leader in democratic, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth, writes Joseph Stiglitz With authoritarianism and proto-fascism on the rise in so many corners of the world, it is heartening to see a country where citizens are still deeply committed to democratic principles. And now its people are in the midst of trying to redefine their politics for the 21st century. Over the years, Costa Rica, a country of fewer than 5 million people, has gained attention worldwide for its progressive leadership. In 1948, after a short civil war, President José Figueres Ferrer abolished the military. Since then, Costa Rica has made itself a centre for the study of conflict resolution and prevention, hosting the United Nations-mandated University for Peace. With its rich biodiversity, Costa Rica has also demonstrated far-sighted environmental leadership by pursuing reforestation, designating a third of the country protected natural reserves, and deriving almost all of its electricity from clean hydro power. |
| Transparent and fair: what England can learn from Japan's social care reform | Natasha Curry Posted: 09 May 2018 01:14 AM PDT England could look to Japan's universal care system as it awaits publication of the social care green paper The long-awaited green paper on social care in England will finally be published this summer. But despite a royal commission, multiple independent reviews, and social care green and white papers over the last two decades, pledges to address problems in the system have become politically toxic and the issue has been repeatedly kicked into the long grass. The much-anticipated green paper on social care for older people is set to be published by summer 2018 – although, having been promised before last year's general election, there were hopes the paper would appear much sooner. Continue reading... |
| Council paints over Taiwanese flag on children's art project ahead of beef expo Posted: 09 May 2018 01:31 AM PDT Advance Rockhampton takes responsibility for airbrushing the Taiwan flag ahead of Beef Australia • Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The central Queensland region of Rockhampton has found itself at the centre of a diplomatic row after the council removed the Taiwanese flag from a children's art project ahead of a major international beef expo. ABC Capricornia reported that students from local schools were asked to paint bull statues in the centre of the city for Beef Australia, including one statue that "celebrates the cultural diversity of the Rockhampton community". Continue reading... |
| Could this man end the 35-year tyranny of Cameroon's President Biya? – podcast Posted: 08 May 2018 10:00 PM PDT Despite never having held political office, lawyer Akere Muna is on a mission to fight corruption by standing for election as Cameroon's leader After growing up in a bitterly divided Cameroon, Akere Muna (pictured above in blue cap) trained at the bar in London, and went back to his native country determined to hold the state to account. Resentment is growing towards President Paul Biya's increasingly repressive regime: 60% of Cameroonians are under 25, and were not even born when the ruler came to power. Muna, who set up the Cameroonian chapter of Transparency International, hopes to effect reforms from within by toppling the 85-year-old leader in the country's October elections Continue reading... |
| Deadly flash floods hit east African countries already in dire need Posted: 08 May 2018 04:39 AM PDT In Kenya, Rwanda and Somalia death toll reaches 300, with hundreds of thousands more people displaced, adding to crisis in region stricken by drought Heavy rains and severe flash floods have left more than 300 people dead and displaced thousands of others across parts of east Africa, with Kenya and Rwanda being the worst hit. "We are concerned about the flooding that has displaced so many people in Somalia, Kenya and Rwanda," said Farhan Aziz Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary general in a statement to the Guardian. Continue reading... |
| Europe's clash with Trump over Iran nuclear deal is a durability test Posted: 08 May 2018 09:00 PM PDT Tone struck by Britain, France and Germany will be critical to future transatlantic relations European leaders are determined to try to salvage the Iran nuclear deal even though this potentially puts them on a collision course with an uncompromising US president determined to confront Iran as the "leading state sponsor of terror". The clash represents a huge test of the durability of the surprisingly concerted alliance that Germany, France and the UK have managed to maintain in their humiliatingly fruitless bid to prevent Donald Tump from explicitly withdrawing from the deal signed by his predecessor Barack Obama. Continue reading... |
| Gina Haspel must atone for her past to become CIA director Posted: 08 May 2018 07:11 AM PDT Senate confirmation hearing will focus on documents relating to interrogation techniques used inside a secret prison in Thailand The battle in the Senate on Wednesday over Gina Haspel's confirmation as the new director of the CIA is set to become a public reckoning of one of the darker chapters in modern US history. Haspel, who is currently the CIA's deputy director after 33 years in the agency, ran a secret detention centre in Thailand in 2002 where inmates were tortured. Over the following two years she was a senior operations officer at the CIA counter-terrorism centre, which oversaw the interrogation programme around the world. Then, in 2005, she drafted an order for her then boss, Jose Rodriguez, the head of the CIA clandestine service, calling for the destruction of nearly 100 videotapes of interrogation sessions. Continue reading... |
| Trump's decision on Iran is not as black and white as it seems Posted: 08 May 2018 05:55 AM PDT Even if US president removes sanctions waiver, nuclear deal could continue on life support European leaders will look for any chink of light in Donald Trump's announcement on the Iran nuclear deal to argue that it is still alive and can be salvaged in the months ahead. The US decision on Iran is often seen in Manichean terms of whether Trump pulls out of the agreement or not. This is partly because Trump, unlike his predecessor, does not believe his political base warms to nuance. A president who communicates in 280 characters does not trade in shades of grey. Continue reading... |
| What is the Iran nuclear deal? – video Posted: 08 May 2018 01:31 PM PDT The Iranian nuclear agreement was struck in 2015 under the Obama administration. It prevented Tehran from developing materials that could be used to produce a weapon, but allowed it to pursue domestic power generation. Donald Trump announced on Tuesday he wanted to scrap it Continue reading... |
| Donald Trump breaks with allies over Iran nuclear agreement – video Posted: 08 May 2018 12:10 PM PDT President says US will 'exit' nuclear agreement in violation of the landmark deal, describing the move as a withdrawal. He said the 'highest level of economic sanction' would be imposed on Iran Continue reading... |
| Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts – in pictures Posted: 08 May 2018 03:27 AM PDT The eruption of Kilauea volcano has sent lava flowing into residential areas on Hawaii's Big Island, with residents ordered to abandon their homes. Hundreds of small earthquakes preceded the eruption Continue reading... |
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