CIA chief warns Trump: Scrapping Iran deal 'height of folly'
The director of the CIA has warned US President-elect Donald Trump that ending the Iran nuclear deal would be "disastrous" and "the height of folly".
In a BBC interview, John Brennan also advised the new president to be wary of Russia's promises, blaming Moscow for much of the suffering in Syria.
In his campaign, Mr Trump threatened to scrap the Iran deal and also hinted at working more closely with Russia.
Mr Brennan will step down in January after four years leading the CIA.
In the first interview by a CIA director with the British media, John Brennan outlined a number of areas where he said the new administration needed to act with "prudence and discipline" - these included the language used regarding terrorism, relations with Russia, the Iran nuclear deal and the way in which the CIA's own covert capabilities were employed.
s has been a favourite tactic of the right – and Donald Trump’s victory is its Political correctness: how the right invented a phantom enemy greatest triumph
For 25 years, invoking this vague and ever-shifting nemesis has been a favourite tactic of the right – and Donald Trump’s victory is its greatest triumph
by Moira Weigel
Wednesday 30 November 2016 06.00 GMT
Three weeks ago, around a quarter of the American population elected a demagogue with no prior experience in public service to the presidency. In the eyes of many of his supporters, this lack of preparation was not a liability, but a strength. Donald Trump had run as a candidate whose primary qualification was that he was not “a politician”. Depicting yourself as a “maverick” or an “outsider” crusading against a corrupt Washington establishment is the oldest trick in American politics – but Trump took things further. He broke countless unspoken rules regarding what public figures can or cannot do and say.
Every demagogue needs an enemy. Trump’s was the ruling elite, and his charge was that they were not only failing to solve the greatest problems facing Americans, they were trying to stop anyone from even talking about those problems. “The special interests, the arrogant media, and the political insiders, don’t want me to talk about the crime that is happening in our country,” Trump said in one late September speech. “They want me to just go along with the same failed policies that have caused so much needless suffering.”
Aleppo could witness one of the worst massacres since World War Two, France warns
The ‘smell of blood’ is everywhere, doctor in besieged rebel-held area says, as Assad’s forces step up brutal final campaign before change in US administration
Aleppo is experiencing a "descent into hell" amid warnings the city could witness one of the biggest massacres since the Second World War as President Assad's troops continue their brutal offensive on the city.
After four months of siege and a bombing campaign which has brought rebel-held east Aleppo to its knees, civilians are fleeing across the frontline in their thousands to escape President Bashar al-Assad’s attempts to crush the city’s rebels for good.
A sweeping advance by the Russian-backed Syrian army and allied militias has displaced thousands of people, the UN said on Tuesday, leaving residents unsure where to turn to for safety as the frontline fighting rapidly moves and rebels struggle to maintain control of key neighbourhoods. The true figure once those who have fled to government areas is included is likely to be much higher.
EU set to unveil common defense fund
The European Commission will propose a defense fund to member states to invest in new military projects, according to news reports. Europe's NATO members are expected to come under US pressure to up defense spending.
The European Commission is pressing member states to increase military spending by paying into a common defense fund, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" has reported. Details of the joint investment fund are due to be presented mid-day Wednesday.
According to the newspaper, the fund would be used to invest in common projects, such as drone technology. In its report, the paper suggested that the plan comes amid increasing unease about European security in the wake of the victory of US President-elect Donald Trump.
The idea of a fund reportedly comes amid a wider rethink of European military spending. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had already announced in September that a European defense fund would be set up by the end of the year.
Why Zimbabwe's new currency is already causing problems
OBSERVERS
A new currency came into circulation in Zimbabwe on November 28, and it is already causing problems. Videos published on social media show petrol stations and shops refusing to accept the bond notes, as the new currency is called – even though its introduction was supposed to help kickstart the country’s ailing economy.
Zimbabwe hasn’t had a national currency since 2009, when the Zimbabwean dollar collapsed amidst hyperinflation at a rate of 231 million per cent. It was replaced by the South African rand and the US dollar.
The Zimbabwean government decided to inject the equivalent of 12 million US dollars in the form of bond notes into the economy. The first notes to come into circulation on Monday were two-dollar notes and one-dollar coins, although not everyone managed to use them to buy anything.
In Asia, students take part in 24-hour relay races to end modern slavery
The initiative seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking, as well as funds. Some say the races help them better understand the conditions of modern slavery.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Malaysian student Benjamin Tan was injured and so exhausted at one point of the race that he was just limping around the running track – but he knew he could not give up.
"I was so tired, my legs were killing me but I know I was running for a greater cause to help people who are enslaved and being trafficked around the world," said the 17-year-old.
Tan was among 2,500 high school students who on Nov. 20 completed 24 hours of relay races in a student-led campaign in Asia to end modern slavery and human trafficking.
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