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- India launches airstrikes on Pakistan across disputed Kashmir border
- Keir Starmer: Labour's Brexit stance is either credible deal or remain
- UN target of $4bn in aid for Yemen reliant on Saudi and US pledges
- Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif announces resignation
- New parents face up to six years of sleep deprivation, study says
- Paul Manafort seeks leniency from judge as he faces life in prison
- Canada: Jagmeet Singh gets chance to take on Trudeau after byelection win
- Polarisation causes instability in Middle East, Qatari official says
- Elon Musk could face contempt charge over 'inaccurate' Tesla tweet
- Puffer train: Kim's cigarette stop en route to Hanoi
- Concrete chokes our landfill sites – but where else can it go?
- 'It's worse than the tsunami': the sea nomad village devastated by fire | Susan Smillie
- UK weather: Tuesday may eclipse Monday's record temperatures
- Brexit: May chairs cabinet as MPs expect her to promise potential vote on extending article 50 - Politics live
- Beny Steinmetz settles dispute with Guinea over iron ore project
- Kim Jong-un arrives in Hanoi for Vietnam summit with Donald Trump
- Cardinal Pell guilty: Vatican treasurer convicted on child sexual abuse charges – live
- South Sudan's war: a relentless litany of almost unimaginable horrors
- Pope Francis beset by global sexual abuse scandal after George Pell's conviction
- Javad Zarif's resignation: blow for nuclear deal and win for Iran's hardliners
- US negotiating position in disarray ahead of summit with North Korea
- Kim Yo-jong holds ashtray for Kim Jong-un on pre-summit cigarette break – video
- Pyongyang to Hanoi express: Kim Jong-un arrives after three days – in pictures
| India launches airstrikes on Pakistan across disputed Kashmir border Posted: 26 Feb 2019 12:08 AM PST Attack an act of 'extreme valour', says minister, after first clash of its kind since the countries went to war in 1971 India has carried out aerial bombing over the disputed ceasefire line in Kashmir for the first time since it went to war with Pakistan in 1971, claiming to have hit a large militant training camp. The Indian foreign secretary, Vijay Gokhale, said in a briefing that Delhi had received credible intelligence the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group, which killed 40 Indian security personnel in a suicide bombing earlier this month, was training fighters for similar attacks. Continue reading... |
| Keir Starmer: Labour's Brexit stance is either credible deal or remain Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:05 AM PST Shadow Brexit secretary tries to clarify party line after Corbyn backs new referendum Keir Starmer has stated unequivocally that Labour will back a second EU referendum with remain on the ballot if Theresa May's deal gets through parliament. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the shadow Brexit secretary also took a thinly veiled swipe at some in Jeremy Corbyn's office by urging the public to listen to elected MPs on the issue rather than advisers. Continue reading... |
| UN target of $4bn in aid for Yemen reliant on Saudi and US pledges Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:44 AM PST Dominant donors to record appeal to alleviate suffering of civil war will include countries leading aerial bombing campaign The international community will gather on Tuesday to try to raise more than $4bn to help alleviate the suffering and famine caused by Yemen's civil war, but will find itself heavily dependent on three combatants in the conflict – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the US – to reach its fundraising target for 2019. The $4.2bn (£3.2bn) target for 2019 – the largest sum sought for any single year since the start of the civil war in 2015 and an increase of 33 % on last year – will be the focus of an all-day pledging conference in Geneva. Continue reading... |
| Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif announces resignation Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:41 AM PST Official who negotiated nuclear deal condemns 'deadly poison' of political infighting The Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, has unexpectedly tendered his resignation, condemning what he described as the "deadly poison" of infighting among Iran's parties and factions. The veteran diplomat broke the news of his departure in an Instagram post on Monday night, prompting a fall in the Iranian stock exchange and a rearguard action by reformists, who called on Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, to refuse to accept his resignation. Continue reading... |
| New parents face up to six years of sleep deprivation, study says Posted: 25 Feb 2019 04:01 PM PST Data from thousands of men and women shows rest is at its worst three months after birth Starting a family is a well-known way to make a good night's sleep a distant dream, but new research suggests the parental yawns might go on for six years. Researchers tracking the sleep of thousands of men and women as their family size increased have found that shuteye hits a low about three months after birth – with the effect strongest in women. Continue reading... |
| Paul Manafort seeks leniency from judge as he faces life in prison Posted: 25 Feb 2019 06:48 PM PST Lawyers for former Trump campaign chair suggest he is victim of circumstance whose crimes were 'garden variety' Paul Manafort, the longtime political consultant who once led Donald Trump's presidential campaign, asked a federal judge for leniency Monday as he faces the potential of spending the rest of his life in prison in criminal cases stemming from the Russia investigation. In a new court filing, Manafort's attorneys painted the 69-year-old as a victim of circumstance, prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller only because the government could not make the case that he colluded with the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 presidential election. They also dismissed the prosecutors' characterization of Manafort as a hardened criminal, saying he was merely a wealthy consultant who committed "garden variety" crimes by illegally lobbying for Ukrainian interests and hiding millions from the IRS. Continue reading... |
| Canada: Jagmeet Singh gets chance to take on Trudeau after byelection win Posted: 25 Feb 2019 11:15 PM PST First non-white leader of major party in Canada enters parliament ahead of October election Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada's New Democratic party, has won a critical byelection and a seat in parliament, ensuring he will lead the left-of-centre party in the country's October federal election. Singh, the first non-white leader of a major party in Canada, was under immense pressure to win the highly anticipated race in Burnaby, a city east of Vancouver. Continue reading... |
| Polarisation causes instability in Middle East, Qatari official says Posted: 25 Feb 2019 09:00 PM PST International powers urged to be more inclusive with Iran and Palestine to calm tensions The Middle East's polarised and repressive politics will lead to even more instability in the region unless countries take steps to reform and calm tensions, a senior Qatari politician has said. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, urged international powers including the US to be more inclusive in their approach to the region, saying one-sided initiatives that excluded either the Iranians or Palestinians did not work. Continue reading... |
| Elon Musk could face contempt charge over 'inaccurate' Tesla tweet Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:15 AM PST SEC asks judge to act after car boss allegedly breached deal to pre-approve his messages The US financial regulator has asked a judge to hold Tesla's billionaire boss Elon Musk in contempt of court for tweeting misleading information in breach of a deal that saw him fined $20m for inaccurate tweets last year. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Musk had "once again published inaccurate and material information about Tesla to his over 24 million Twitter followers", according to court papers filed on Monday night. Continue reading... |
| Puffer train: Kim's cigarette stop en route to Hanoi Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:05 AM PST Film shows North Korean leader's sister holding ashtray as he takes cigarette break during 70-hour train journey She is Kim Jong-un's closest confidante – a trusted member of the North Korean ruling dynasty who has shadowed her elder brother during every step of his transformation from nuclear pariah to statesman. As Kim made the long train journey from Pyongyang to Hanoi for his second denuclearisation summit with Donald Trump, Kim Yo-jong was by his side again – this time with an ashtray. Continue reading... |
| Concrete chokes our landfill sites – but where else can it go? Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:00 AM PST Most concrete from demolished buildings is simply dumped, much of illegally. But there's a better way – and it involves lightning At the Shenzhen dump, huge shards of dusty concrete lie in imposing piles. Once the very foundation of this Chinese city, these blocks now seem grotesque in their magnitude, and unsettling in their utter uselessness. Jumbled up with the other relics of modern construction – bricks, wood and steel – and dotted with plastic bags and bottles, it could take centuries, even millennia, for Shenzhen's discarded concrete to disintegrate back into sand. China produces more construction waste than any other country - around 2 billion tonnes per year (pdf), or around 4kg per person per day. Two million tonnes of this is concrete. In Shenzhen, which has grown from a town with 30,000 residents to a megacity with 11 million in just 35 years, a full 84% of that construction waste is unceremoniously dumped. It doesn't even all make its way to official landfills, which don't have the capacity to handle it, so almost half is disposed in unlicensed sites, or illegally tipped. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'It's worse than the tsunami': the sea nomad village devastated by fire | Susan Smillie Posted: 25 Feb 2019 11:00 PM PST When the 2004 tsunami struck, the Moken were saved by their knowledge of the sea. But a catastrophic blaze has exposed authorities' errors in the rebuilding of their homes Where stilted huts once stood on the white sand, now there are just charred remains. "This is worse than after the tsunami," says Hook, a Moken sea nomad surveying the damage fire has wreaked on his former village home in Au Bon Yai bay, Surin island. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami destroyed the previous Moken settlement here on Thailand's Andaman sea, Hook says people were able to recover some belongings. This time, when fire broke out on 3 February this year, nothing was left. Now the community fears for the future as the authorities begin to reconstruct the village in its original design, an unsafe housing model consisting of highly flammable structures, densely packed together. And it has reignited a row about the Moken's rights to their ancestral lands. Continue reading... |
| UK weather: Tuesday may eclipse Monday's record temperatures Posted: 25 Feb 2019 11:22 PM PST Met Office says mercury could exceed February high before rain returns The unseasonably warm weather in Britain is expected to continue as forecasters predict temperatures could exceed Monday's record-breaking high. The mercury topped 20C (68F) in several parts of the country on Monday – the warmest winter day since records began. Trawsgoed in Ceredigion, west Wales, experienced the highest temperature of 20.6C, while 20.4C was recorded in Northolt, west London, and 20.1C in Gogerddan, west Wales. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:54 AM PST Rolling coverage of the day's political developments as they happen, including Theresa May's statement to MPs about Brexit, and the possibility of the Commons getting a chance to vote against no deal
The Office for National Statistics has published data on household income inequality for the financial year ending in 2018. It shows that income inequality increased slightly during the year, but that "despite the small increase, income inequality remains slightly lower than levels reached 11 years ago." Here is a chart showing how income inequality has varied since the 1980s, using the Gini coefficient measure. (The higher the coefficient, the higher inequality is.) Today's evidence of surging income inequality shows that this Tory government is not creating an economy that works for the many. With falling business investment, downgraded forecasts of growth, and a manufacturing recession, we have an economy in tatters.
This is from the Financial Times' George Parker, who flags up the next obvious question if Theresa May does announce that she will give MPs a vote on extending article 50 if her deal has not been passed by 12 March. Next problem for @theresa_may : if she gives MPs a vote after March 12 on "no deal v short extension", how will she whip it? Pro-EU ministers demanding a free vote "at the bare minimum". They fear she could whip the party to support no deal. A question she won't want to answer Continue reading... |
| Beny Steinmetz settles dispute with Guinea over iron ore project Posted: 25 Feb 2019 10:12 AM PST Mining group agrees to walk away from Simandou project, with all legal actions ceasing The mining group controlled by the controversial tycoon Beny Steinmetz is to walk away from a massive iron ore project in Guinea as part of an agreement that settles a long-running corruption dispute with the west African nation. Development of Simandou – one of the world's biggest iron deposits, containing billions of tonnes of high-grade ore – has been hindered by years of legal wrangling as well as the enormous cost of the required infrastructure, estimated at more than $20bn (£15bn). Continue reading... |
| Kim Jong-un arrives in Hanoi for Vietnam summit with Donald Trump Posted: 25 Feb 2019 08:02 PM PST North Korean leader to meet US president on Wednesday for dinner after three-day overland trip Kim Jong-un has arrived in Hanoi, after transferring from train to car for the final leg of his overland trip to Vietnam where the North Korean leader is scheduled to have a private dinner and meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday. Kim will meet the US president for a brief one-on-one conversation, followed by a social dinner, at which they will each be accompanied by two guests and interpreters, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Continue reading... |
| Cardinal Pell guilty: Vatican treasurer convicted on child sexual abuse charges – live Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:54 AM PST George Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two 13-year-olds in 1996 and 1997. Follow latest news and updates
In a statement, the Vatican said the Pope has confirmed Cardinal Pell has been forbidden from contact with minors until his appeals have concluded, adding that he has also been obliged to abstain from public ministry. The spokesman said the conviction was "painful" and that the Vatican was aware that his conviction for child abuse has shocked many people around the world.
Here's the latest from Vatican correspondents. Interim Vatican spokesman @AGisotti reads statement on Pell case: The Holy See echoes the statement of @ArchbishopMark and Australian bishops' conference. #PopeFrancis confirms precautionary restrictions imposed on Pell in 2017 -- no public ministry, no contact with minors. pic.twitter.com/nFfYYNpb2x Following conviction of Cardinal Pell, #Vatican spokesman @AGisotti confirms that cardinal is prohibited from public ministry and contact with minors as he pursues his appeal. .@AGisotti likewise notes that Pell is expected to appeal the verdict, and says the Vatican has the "maximum respect" for Australian authorities and the country's judicial process. Continue reading... |
| South Sudan's war: a relentless litany of almost unimaginable horrors Posted: 25 Feb 2019 03:00 AM PST A report laying bare the abominations associated with conflict in the world's youngest state will shock the most hardened observer There are wars that seem to slip under the wire almost unnoticed – where human rights abuses are rife and you would expect them to command far greater global attention. Last week's UN report into South Sudan is a case in point. An almost endless litany of human rights abuses, its 200-plus pages make for the most dismal reading, a portrait of the world's youngest state as one of the latest additions to the category of failed state. Continue reading... |
| Pope Francis beset by global sexual abuse scandal after George Pell's conviction Posted: 25 Feb 2019 06:10 PM PST Pontiff talks of 'remorse' and 'never again' but the church's culture is impervious to change, and there will be more horrors to come • Follow live updates on the reaction to Cardinal George Pell's conviction Pope Francis must have hoped that last week's unprecedented summit in Rome of senior bishops and church figures from around the world would mark a turning point for his papacy on sexual abuse. The world would see that the Vatican was finally getting a grip on the issue that has caused such grave damage to the church for the past 20 years. Such hopes have been dealt a devastating blow by the news that Cardinal George Pell, until recently the third most senior figure at the Vatican, is facing a prison term for the sexual abuse of minors in the 1990s. Continue reading... |
| Javad Zarif's resignation: blow for nuclear deal and win for Iran's hardliners Posted: 25 Feb 2019 04:14 PM PST Exit of Iran's foreign minister means the loss of a major proponent of US-Iran negotiations Mohammad Javad Zarif was Iran's lead negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal, and if his resignation is accepted, it will be another large nail in the agreement's mostly sealed coffin. Iran's presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi denied the resignation had been accepted. But for the president, Hassan Rouhani, the departure of such a close ally at a time of prolonged intense political pressure will be a serious blow. Continue reading... |
| US negotiating position in disarray ahead of summit with North Korea Posted: 25 Feb 2019 07:27 AM PST Trump says he would be happy if rogue state continues with nuclear testing ban, handing diplomatic initiative to Kim Jong-un Donald Trump has said the US will be "happy" if North Korea simply agrees to continue its moratorium on nuclear and missile testing at this week's summit in Hanoi. The US president's remarks on Sunday night represented a lowering of already modest expectations for his second meeting with Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, due to begin on Wednesday. Continue reading... |
| Kim Yo-jong holds ashtray for Kim Jong-un on pre-summit cigarette break – video Posted: 26 Feb 2019 02:04 AM PST The North Korean leader has been filmed taking a pre-dawn smoke break while a woman who appears to be his sister holds a crystal ashtray for him. The footage was captured at Nanning railway station in China, hours before Kim's arrival in Vietnam for a summit with the US president, Donald Trump Continue reading... |
| Pyongyang to Hanoi express: Kim Jong-un arrives after three days – in pictures Posted: 25 Feb 2019 10:09 PM PST North Korea's leader has finally arrived in Hanoi after boarding a train on Saturday, travelling through China and then transferring to a Mercedes at the Vietnam border for the final 170km of the journey Continue reading... |
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