Brexit: Theresa May to meet EU leaders in bid to rescue deal
Theresa May will meet European leaders and EU officials later for talks aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal.
She will hold talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Germany's Angela Merkel after postponing MPs' final vote on the deal.
The UK PM has said she needs "further assurances" about the Northern Ireland border plan to get Commons backing.
European Council President Donald Tusk insisted the EU would "not renegotiate" but said leaders would discuss how to help "facilitate UK ratification".
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said further talks with Brussels would focus on the Brexit "backstop" on the Irish border, which Mrs May earlier admitted had caused MPs "widespread and deep concern".
‘A legitimate zoo?’ How an obscure German group cornered global trade in endangered parrots
Exclusive: A secretive organisation based in a German village has amassed one of the world’s largest collections of rare parrots. How did Martin Guth, a former nightclub manager, persuade governments to authorise the export of so many endangered species?
by Lisa Cox in Melbourne and Philip Oltermannin Berlin
It’s an unlikely spot for a zoo – down an unmade, dusty road, amid a wood to the east of the German capital Berlin.
But here in the village of Tasdorf, hundreds of the world’s most endangered and rare parrot species are said to be housed at the headquarters of the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP).
The site is not easily accessible by public transport, and there is no car park. No signs offer information about opening hours or admission prices. The main entrance is through a roller-door. Next to its main building, on an adjacent house, a small sign gives a mobile number to call if no one is home.
GOOGLE CEO SUNDAR PICHAOI TO TELL CONGRESS COMPANY 'SUPPORTS FEDERAL PRIVACY LEGISLATION' AMID ALLEGATIONS OF SECURITY VIOLATIONS AND POLITICAL BIAS
Google was represented by empty chair at earlier hearing
The boss of Google - under fire over allegations of political bias and its failure to protect personal information - is to tell congress it supports government legislation that defends against privacy violations.
On the day Google announced it was to terminate earlier than planned its modestly-used social media network Google Plus because of a flaw that had leaked the personal information of 52.5m users, CEO Sundar Pichai made clear he would defend the company against accusations of favouritism or predisposition.
“I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way,” Mr Pichai will say in prepared remarks he is due to deliver on Capitol Hill. “To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests.”
Riding wave of social unrest, French high-school students vow ‘Black Tuesday’ protests
Even as it grapples with violent demonstrations over living costs, the French government is hunkering down for a “Black Tuesday” of protests by high-school students who have jumped onto the Yellow Vest bandwagon.
Ever since the May 1968 protests that paralysed France and precipitated the demise of its war hero Charles de Gaulle, French governments have been terrified by the prospect of facing a united front of workers and student protests. While French universities are largely quiet nowadays, the prospect of a two-pronged offensive edged nearer to reality last week when high-school pupils seized on the momentum from the so-called Yellow Vest movement to vent their anger at President Emmanuel Macron’s educational reforms.
Up to 300 French high schools, known as lycées, were barricaded every day last week, amid scenes of vandalism, bins set on fire and violent clashes between police and students. The tense standoff made international headlines on Thursday when video footage posted on social media showed riot police in a Paris suburb forcing dozens of students to kneel down in rows, their hands on their heads.
Illegal gold mines destroying Amazon rainforest: study
An increase in small-scale gold mining has taken a toll on the Amazon, increasing deforestation and polluting waterways, according to a new report. Mining in protected indigenous areas has increased exponentially.
An increase in illegal gold mining in the Amazon rainforest has reached "epidemic" proportions, a study has revealed.
The report, released by the Amazon Socio-Environmental Geo-Referenced Information Project (RAISG) on Monday, exposed the damage that illicit mining for gold has had on forest and waterways, as well as on the life of indigenous tribes in the area.
The report, released by the Amazon Socio-Environmental Geo-Referenced Information Project (RAISG) on Monday, exposed the damage that illicit mining for gold has had on forest and waterways, as well as on the life of indigenous tribes in the area.
Combining satellite imagery and government data, researchers identified at least 2,312 illegal mining sites that spanned across six countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela. The group was not able to collect data on mining activity in Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.
Russia now second-largest global arms producer, overtaking UK
By Jack Guy, CNN
Russia's arms industry has become the second-largest in the world, knocking the UK into third place, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Russian companies in the SIPRI Top 100, an index of the largest arms-producing and military services companies in the world, made 9.5% of total arms sales in 2017.
The US ranks first, with 57% of total arms sales, and the UK was pushed into third with 9.0%.
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