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Suleimani killing the latest in a long, grim line of US assassination efforts There has been no shortage of US attempts to remove foreign adversaries through highly dubious legal or ethical means The US government is no stranger to the dark arts of political assassinations. Over the decades it has deployed elaborate techniques against its foes, from dispatching a chemist armed with lethal poison to try to take out Congo’s Patrice Lumumba in the 1960s to planting poison pills (equally unsuccessfully) in the Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s food.But the killing of General Qassem Suleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite military Quds Force, was in in a class all its own. Its uniqueness lay not so much in its method – what difference does it make to the victim if they are ...

After Suleimani, Iran will hit back hard – possibly on multiple fronts Iran has military, covert and diplomatic options. And this new phase of the confrontation could quickly get out of handOn the outskirts of Tehran, vast cemeteries serve as a grim reminder of the high price Iran paid during its 1980-88 war with Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of young Iranians fought and died in a horrific struggle against Saddam Hussein’s invasion forces, which were armed by the US. Among those Iranian soldiers who survived was Qassem Suleimani.The war, by all accounts, was a formative experience for the man who would later rise to a dominant position in Iran’s military, security and intelligence establishment. Suleimani’s loyalty to Iran’s revolutionary regime, which seized pow...

Qassem Suleimani: chants of 'death to America' at Baghdad funeral Thousands of mourners attend funeral procession for Iranian general killed in US airstrikeA defining moment in the Middle EastThousands of mourners have marched in a funeral procession through Baghdad for Iran’s top general and Iraqi militant leaders who were killed in a US airstrike.The bodies of Qassem Suleimani and others killed in the drone strike were taken on a funeral procession starting in Baghdad to chants of “death the America” on Saturday. Iranian officials said a public farewell was planned in Tehran on Sunday. Continue reading... Go to Source

Iran vows revenge for US killing of top general Qassem Suleimani Fears of conflict spread as Trump appears to taunt Iran, saying it has never won a warThe Iran crisis – live updatesIran has vowed to take revenge for a US drone strike that killed its most powerful general, as the US secretary of state attempted to minimise the fallout from the dramatic attack by stating Washington was “committed to de-escalation”.The Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, ordered three days of mourning and declared that the US would face “severe revenge” for the killing of Qassem Suleimani, who ran Tehran’s military operations in Iraq and Syria. Continue reading... Go to Source

A visual guide to the US airstrike that killed Qassem Suleimani US-Iran tensions have escalated in the Middle East following the death of a powerful Iranian generala US airstrike killed the powerful Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in the early hours of Friday as he was being driven away from Baghdad international airport. Continue reading... Go to Source

Reprisals against US to come at time and place of Iran's choosing The threat to America and its allies is greatest in the Middle East, but Tehran has ample options when it comes to taking revengeIran has spent decades preparing for a moment like this, developing methods and networks around the world that give Tehran the widest possible choice when it comes to taking revenge. Related: Iran crisis: Trump says Suleimani 'should have been taken out years ago' – live updates Continue reading... Go to Source

US failing to give UK warning of military strikes, says senior MP Dominic Raab calls for calm as Tom Tugendhat says allies should not surprise each otherThe UK was not informed in advance of the US airstrike that killed Iran’s top general, it has been claimed, as the British government scrambled to protect its interests in the Middle East in the wake of the attack.The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said the government had “always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force”, whose leader Qassem Suleimani was killed in the strike. Continue reading... Go to Source

The Suleimani assassination goes against Trump’s policy – but not his character | Jonathan Freedland Although the US president says he wants to avoid military entanglements, he can’t resist the macho appeal of actionIs there any point looking for logic or consistency in the words and deeds of Donald Trump? It can seem a futile task. And yet for at least another year – and perhaps five more – he wields the power of life and death, able on a whim to plunge the world into war. Which means we are obliged at least to try to divine some thread of reason in his actions and statements, if only to prepare ourselves for what could be their lethal consequences. Related: US kills Iran general Qassem Suleimani in strike ordered by Trump Continue reading... Go to Source

Iran crisis: US embassy tells its citizens to leave Iraq immediately – live updates World reacts to news of US drone strike ordered by Donald Trump on Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in BaghdadFull report: Qassem Suleimani killed in drone strike ordered by TrumpAnalysis: death threatens to open grisly new chapter in Middle EastProfile: who is Qassem Suleimani? 11.42am GMTExperts have warned that the strike on Iran’s top general puts the US and allies, including the UK, at risk. Ian Bond, foreign policy director at the Centre for European Reform, tweeted that the airstrike was a “big escalation” by Trump.No doubt #Soleimani was v bad actor, w much blood on his hands. But killing non-state terrorists eg bin Laden or Baghdadi v different from killing senior official o...

Qassem Suleimani's death threatens to open grisly new chapter in Middle East Killing of powerful Iranian general will have far-reaching consequences for TrumpUS kills Iranian general in Baghdad drone strike – live updatesIn his long military career, Qassem Suleimani left the Middle East littered with corpses. Now he has finally joined them. His death has closed one gruesome chapter in the region’s endless conflicts, only to open another, which could well prove even worse.No one can predict how this will turn out, perhaps least of all the two leading protagonists. Nothing about Donald Trump’s actions in the Middle East until now suggests that Suleimani’s assassination by drone outside Baghdad airport was part of a considered plan. Continue reading... Go to Sour...

Iran general Qassem Suleimani killed in Baghdad drone strike ordered by Trump Supreme leader vows ‘severe revenge’ after US president orders Baghdad airport strike as part of ‘decisive defensive action’ The White House said Donald Trump ordered an air strike that killed powerful Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad in the early hours of Friday, in a dramatic escalation of an already bloody struggle between Washington and Tehran for influence across the region.Suleimani, who ran Iranian military operations in Iraq and Syria, was targeted while being driven from Baghdad airport by local allies from the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU). The deputy head of the PMU, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes, a close Suleimani associate, was also killed in the attack. Continue re...

Who is Qassem Suleimani? Iran farm boy who became more powerful than a president Quds leader was extraordinarily successful in reshaping the region in wake of Iraq war and Syrian revolutionUS drone strikes in Baghdad on Friday morning have killed not just one of the most influential men in Iran but also in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, too.Qassem Suleimani had become well known among Iranians in past years and was sometimes discussed as a future president. Yet the leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force was still a relatively obscure figure outside a region that he may have done more than anyone to reshape. Continue reading... Go to Source

Australia fires: NSW bushfires cause tens of thousands to flee as Victoria declares state of disaster – live Victorian premier Daniel Andrews declares state of disaster for East Gippsland, urging people to flee bushfire zones, while Scott Morrison is abused by fire victims in Cobargo. Follow today’s live news and latest updates 12.03am GMTHMAS Choules is expected to reach Hastings at 11pm tonight after leaving Mallacoota today. 12.00am GMTLong time Moruya resident Ryan Gallagher will be back here by the river if the town is badly hit by fire, “ready to jump in if I need to.”“You can kind of feel that tentative angst in the air, you know it’s coming.”#NSWfires @abcnews @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/D9xNL9FkwI Continue reading... Go to Source

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran announces same-sex relationship MP decides to go public after being approached by journalistsThe Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has announced she is in a “really happy, loving, stable relationship” with a woman, saying she decided to go public after being approached by journalists.The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said she found attributing labels to people’s sexuality contrived, but that the term she most identified with was pansexual, meaning she is attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity. Continue reading... Go to Source

Report shows betting industry's reliance on problem gamblers Exclusive: Regulator considers banning VIP schemes after betting firm data reveals widespread use‘It keeps you coming back’: the rise of VIP gambling schemesThe dependence of the UK gambling industry on high-spending VIPs, customers who are disproportionately likely to be addicts, has been laid bare in a secret report obtained by the Guardian.The Gambling Commission is considering whether to ban VIP schemes in Britain after collecting data from betting firms, including one that took 83% of all deposits from 2% of its customers. Continue reading... Go to Source

Families pay tribute to couple found stabbed to death in Derbyshire Man, 39, charged with double murder as victims are named by Derbyshire policeThe families of two people who were found stabbed to death in Derbyshire on New Year’s Day have paid tribute to them.Helen Hancock, 39, from Duffield, and Martin Griffiths, 48, from Derby, who were found at a property in Duffield, were formally named by Derbyshire police. Continue reading... Go to Source

More than 200 members of Congress urge US supreme court to reconsider Roe v Wade Appeal in an amicus brief in a Louisiana case was signed by 205 Republicans and two Democrats More than two hundred members of Congress have urged the US supreme court to reconsider the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which legalized abortion nationwide.The appeal came in an amicus brief in a Louisiana case, and was signed by 205 Republicans and two Democrats, and calls on the high court to revisit the ruling, which affirmed that access to safe abortion is a constitutional right. Continue reading... Go to Source

Levels of child criminal exploitation 'almost back to Victorian times' Exclusive: police chief says problem is at a high for modern era amid lack of youth facilitiesThe criminal exploitation of children is at its highest level in modern times as gangs capitalise on a lack of youth facilities and school exclusions to groom children, a police chief has revealed.Chief constable Shaun Sawyer said that as state provision for children receded in the last decade, driven in part by austerity, criminals had exploited the space between “the school gate and the front door”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Starmer says he wants Labour 'rebuilt ... as trusted force for good' as poll puts him leadership favourite - live news Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenAfternoon summaryStarmer says he wants to see Labour ‘rebuilt ... as trusted force for good’Blow to ‘continuity Corbyn’ as poll makes Starmer favourite for leaderDUP signals it won’t be rushed into hasty deal to restore power-sharing 5.45pm GMT 5.27pm GMTAnd Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP’s new leader at Westminster, also told reporters after the talks about power-sharing in Belfast that getting the devolved institutions restored was “an absolute priority” for his party. But he said the DUP would not be rushed into an agreement against its interests. He...

Australia fires: tens of thousands stranded while attempting to flee Visitors who were told to evacuate a vast area along the NSW south coast before even worse fire conditions return stuck for hours in gridlocked traffic Tens of thousands of people remained stranded on Thursday evening while attempting to flee bushfire-ravaged areas of the south-east Australian coast – having earlier been urged to leave before the return of extreme and dangerous weather conditions.The mass evacuation of communities in New South Wales and Victoria is among the largest ever emergency movements of people in Australia. The numbers fleeing the bushfire crisis remain unclear, but are expected to compare to the 60,000 people who were flown out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Continue reading... ...

Labour leadership: Blow to 'continuity Corbyn' as poll of members suggests Starmer clear favourite - live news Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen 11.43am GMTYouGov included Yvette Cooper in its list of seven potential Labour leadership candidates for its poll of party members. (See 9.51am and 10.21am.) But, according to a story by Jason Groves in the Daily Mail, Cooper is expected to announce that she won’t be standing, because she has concluded that her opposition to Jeremy Corbyn would make her unelectable given how popular he is with members. Groves quotes a “friend” of Cooper’s as saying:From the way Yvette is talking, she is not going to stand. The way the party is now, it is going to be very difficult for anyone who ...

Northern rail to be stripped of franchise, says Grant Shapps Transport secretary says he has started process after year of chaos and cancellationsThe process to strip Northern rail of its franchise has begun after years of poor performance, the transport secretary has said.Grant Shapps told the BBC he had started the process that could result in removing the firm’s routes, calling its service “completely unacceptable”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Carlos Ghosn prepares to speak as Japan comes to terms with saviour who fled Wife dismisses reports husband escaped inside an instrument case as world awaits full explanation from fugitiveThe world will have to wait until next week for what could be the only definitive account of how Carlos Ghosn managed to leave Japan months before he was due to stand trial for alleged financial misconduct.The former Nissan chairman who fled the country to Lebanon while out on bail, will speak to the media in Beirut next Wednesday, media reports said, in a public appearance that could provide answers to myriad questions swirling around his daring escape. Continue reading... Go to Source

Turkish parliament to vote on sending troops to Libya Lawmakers expected to approve action to back UN-supported Tripoli governmentTurkey’s parliament is to vote on Thursday on whether to send troops to Libya to back the UN-supported government in Tripoli in its fight against forces loyal to a rival administration in eastern Libya seeking to capture the capital.Lawmakers are expected to approve the motion at the emergency session called for later in the day, and grant a one-year mandate for the deployment, despite concerns that Turkish forces could aggravate Libya’s conflict further and destabilise the region. Continue reading... Go to Source

Australia fires: NSW state of emergency declared as 17 missing in Victoria bushfires – live At least nine people have died since Christmas Day, and the RFS is urging people to evacuate the New South Wales south coast before dangerous conditions on the weekend. Follow the live news and latest updates today 5.54am GMTOur neighbour, Indonesia, is experiencing its worse flooding in a decade as Australia burnsA world of weather extremes: Australia burns, Indonesia floods. 21 people dead and 30,000 homeless in Jakarta’s worst flooding in years. More downpours forecast #banjir2020 https://t.co/dOFiiUQ3vZ 5.52am GMTA bushfire emergency has been declared for the outskirts of HobartYou can follow along here Bushfire emergency declared on Hobart's outskirts, lives and homes in danger https...

Australia bushfires: PM's climate stance criticised as thousands flee blazes Scott Morrison’s government under pressure as fires feared to have killed 17 peopleNavy ships and army aircraft have been dispatched to help fight devastating bushfires on Australia’s south-east coast that are feared to have killed at least 17 people, amid a spiralling debate over the government’s stance on the climate emergency.Thousands of people have fled apocalyptic scenes, abandoning their homes and huddling on beaches to escape raging columns of flame and smoke that have plunged whole towns into darkness and destroyed more than 4m hectares of land. Continue reading... Go to Source

Poll of Labour members suggests Keir Starmer is first choice Exclusive: shadow Brexit secretary early frontrunner to succeed Jeremy CorbynKeir Starmer has emerged as an early frontrunner in the Labour leadership race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn after a poll of members suggested he was the first choice in all regions of the UK, age groups and social classes.The shadow Brexit secretary is yet to formally launch his campaign but is expected to do so in the first few weeks of the new year. The new leader will be elected in March after Corbyn said he would step down following the party’s catastrophic general election defeat. Continue reading... Go to Source

AI system outperforms experts in spotting breast cancer Program developed by Google Health tested on mammograms of UK and US womenAn artificial intelligence program has been developed that is better at spotting breast cancer in mammograms than expert radiologists.The AI outperformed the specialists by detecting cancers that the radiologists missed in the images, while ignoring features they falsely flagged as possible tumours. Continue reading... Go to Source

Bristol students told to study at SS Great Britain due to overcrowding Bristol University says students can use reading room at site of attraction to reviseOvercrowding in libraries and a severe shortage of desks have led to students at the University of Bristol being offered places to study at the SS Great Britain.The university’s history department has told students looking for somewhere quiet to revise during the January exam period that they can reserve desks at the site in Bristol harbour where Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s steamship is housed in a dry dock, more than a mile from their campus across the Avon. Continue reading... Go to Source

Resurgent Austrian Greens in coalition deal with centre-right party Sebastian Kurz, who leads the People’s party, can now return to power with small majorityAustria’s main centre-right party and the Greens have agreed on a coalition deal that will return ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz to power.Both Kurz and Werner Kogler from the Greens, who led the negotiations between the two parties, told reporters in Vienna they had hammered out a government programme that would be presented to the public in detail on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading... Go to Source