US shutdown begins as Senate fails to pass new budget
The US government has begun a federal shutdown after the Senate failed to agree on a new budget.
Despite last minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until 16 February did not receive the required 60 votes.
It is the first shutdown ever to happen while the same party, the Republicans, controls Congress and the White House.
In response, the White House accused Democrats of holding "lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands".
"They put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans", spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
But Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said President Donald Trump had turned down two bipartisan compromise deals and "did not press his party in Congress".
Thai police arrest notorious wildlife trafficking suspect
Exclusive: Boonchai Bach allegedly ran tusk and horn smuggling route from Africa
Police in Thailand have arrested one of the world’s most notorious wildlife traffickers, allegedly involved in the smuggling thousands of tonnes of elephant tusks and rhino horns from Africa to Asia, the Guardian has learned.
Boonchai Bach, who goes by multiple aliases including Bach Mai Limh, was arrested at his operational base in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Phanom, next to the Mekong River on Thursday.
Authorities are holding him in relation to the alleged trafficking of 14 rhino horns from Africa into Thailand in December.
Steven Galster, the founder of the Bangkok-based anti-trafficking organisation Freeland, said the arrest was historic. “It is like catching one of the Corleones,” he said, referring to the fictional mafia family.
It’s time we saw economic sanctions for what they really are – war crimes
Saddam Hussein and his senior lieutenants were rightly executed for their crimes, but the foreign politicians and officials who were responsible for the sanctions regime that killed so many deserved to stand beside them in the dock
The first pathetic pieces of wreckage from North Korean fishing boats known as “ghost ships” to be found this year are washing up on the coast of northern Japan. These are the storm-battered remains of fragile wooden boats with unreliable engines in which North Korean fishermen go far out to sea in the middle of winter in a desperate search for fish.
Often all that survives is the shattered wooden hull of the boat cast up on the shore, but in some cases the Japanese find the bodies of fishermen who died of hunger and thirst as they drifted across the Sea of Japan. Occasionally, a few famished survivors are alive and explain that their engine failed or they ran out of fuel or they were victims of some other fatal mishap.
US sanctions: Nervous Russian elite 'realize Putin made a serious mistake'
Hundreds of Russian oligarchs could be included on a list of potential US sanctions in the upcoming "Kremlin Report." DW spoke to former US diplomat Daniel Fried about growing anxiety within the Russian elite.
Media reports suggest concern is growing in Russia about a detailed report that the US government will submit to Congress at the end of January about oligarchs with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. Washington is expected to impose fresh penalties on Russia for alleged interference in the 2016 US election, and around 300 oligarchs fear being named and included on a sanctions list. Former US diplomat Daniel Fried used to oversee sanctions at the State Department and spoke to DW about the upcoming "Kremlin report," growing anxiety within the Russian elite, and new sanctions.
Colombian band using instruments made out of recycled rubbish
Andrea Defrancisco
For the members of Latin Latas, there’s no trash, just treasures. This Bogota-based band makes instruments out of recycled rubbish. The band members use concerts and workshops to raise awareness about environmental issues, especially amongst young people.
In 2011, Andrea Defrancisco and her three bandmates, who were all passionate about music and the environment, launched the band Latin Latas, which roughly translates to “Latin tin cans”.
Defrancisco has remained at the centre of the band, but, in the years since, the other members have changed. The band has also tackled a variety of musical styles, from rock to jazz to cumbia to reggae, to name a few.
Lately, Latin Latas has been doing a lot of folk and electro. Defrancisco writes the majority of their songs (about diverse environmental themes including water, bicycling, and seeds). The three other bandmates specialise in guitar, percussion, and wind instruments, respectively.
Making North Korea Great Again. How realistic are Kim's new year plans?
Updated 0455 GMT (1255 HKT) January 20, 2018
Kim Jong Un's annual New Year's Day address is akin to the State of the Union for US Presidents.
It's when the North Korean leader sets out his aims for the coming year, and this year it reaped almost instant results with the start of the first face-to-face talks with Seoul in almost two years.
But there was more to this year's speech than the olive branch extended to South Korea.
The North Korean leader talked about factory jobs and coal. He talked about textiles and scientific research. He talked about domestic production of consumer goods. He even talked about green initiatives.
"We have created a mighty sword for defending peace, as desired by all our people who had to tighten their belts for long years," said Kim.
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