Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis Italian President Sergio Mattarella begins two days of talks with parties on Wednesday to seek a way out of a political crisis that will lead to formation of the country's 67th government since World War Two or early elections.
U.S. Justice Department teams up with states on probe of Big Tech firms The U.S. Justice Department is working with a group of more than a dozen state attorneys general as it moves forward with a broad investigation into major technology companies, the department's antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, said on Tuesday.
Trump White House seeks to assuage farmer unrest over biofuel policy: sources President Donald Trump's administration has been scrambling to stem the tide of rising anger in Farm Belt states after its decision this month to allow numerous oil refiners to mix less ethanol into their gasoline, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
Giuseppe Conte has resigned as Italy's prime minister after blasting Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League, as an "opportunist" for triggering a government crisis that could have "serious consequences" for Italy.Conte said he would formally resign his mandate to the president, Sergio Mattarella, after the close of the debate in the Senate on Tuesday. Continue reading...
The European Union has rebuffed Boris Johnson's attempts to tear up the Irish backstop, in a coordinated response that appeared to close the door on further meaningful Brexit negotiations.In remarks shortly before the prime minister departed for a whistle-stop tour to meet European leaders, Johnson put the blame for the EU's hardline response at the feet of Conservative rebels, claiming his negotiating strategy was being undermined by those who said they could prevent no deal. Continue reading...
The Atlantic's Elaina Plott is reporting that Donald Trump called the National Rifle Association CEO, Wayne LaPierre, this afternoon to tell him that any push for legislation to expand requirements for background checks on gun sales was off the table. Two weeks ago, after the United States saw two major mass shootings in two cities in less than 24 hours, leaving a total of 31 people dead, Trump had suggested publicly that he would support significant legislation to expand federal requirements for background checks on gun sales, a policy with overwhelming public support.
Scoop: Trump called NRA chief Wayne LaPierre this afternoon to tell him universal background checks are off the table: https://t.co/GQ00JiyjUV
This is Lois Beckett, in the Guardian's west coast office, picking up the politics blog for the evening. The Sunrise Movement, the new, youth-led environmental activist group, is celebrating the announcement from Kamala Harris' campaign that she will be attending CNN's climate change summit. The campaign had previously said she would not attend, citing a scheduling conflict.
.@KamalaHarris will now be attending the @CNN climate town hall instead of holding a big dollar fundraiser as planned.
We're glad she made the right choice here. Choosing big donors over our futures is what got us into this mess. We need a leader ready to change course. https://t.co/Ec1E2ozM1UContinue reading...
Airline under fire for allegedly refusing to accommodate passenger with autism Man says crew of Delta connecting partner SkyWest did not allow his brother, who has nonverbal autism, to sit with a family memberDelta and their connection partner airline, SkyWest are the latest airlines to come under fire for discrimination, over an incident involving a passenger with autism.Ayo Isola said he was traveling from Detroit back home to Houston with his mother, sister and brother, Tayo, who has nonverbal autism and often experiences sensory overload. Upon boarding their flight, Isola realized his family was not seated together. Continue reading...
Albanian PM condemns 'barbarian' who chased tourists in viral video Tourism minister meets Spanish family after restaurant owner's frenzied attackAlbanian authorities have moved to minimise the damage to the country's reputation as an emerging tourist hotspot after a video of a furious restaurant owner pursuing a group of Spaniards and attempting to smash their car's windscreen went viral.The incident took place last week in Porto Palermo in southern Albania. Video shot from inside a car rented by the Spanish tourists shows a man clinging to the bonnet and attempting to break through the windscreen with repeated blows. Continue reading...
French musician killed by bear in Canada Julien Gauthier, 44, was on an expedition recording sounds of nature for his musicA French artist who used sounds of nature in his music has been killed by a bear in Canada.Friends said Julien Gauthier, 44, was the victim of an attack after a bear entered a camp near the village of Tulita, in the Northwest Territories, in the early hours of Thursday last week. The police have not yet publicly identified the victim. Continue reading...
Assad troops force Syrian rebels to retreat from key town Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture all of Syria as his forces made significant battlefield gains and drove rebel fighters out of a strategic town he once attacked with chemical weapons. Syrian regime troops pushed rebel forces from Khan Sheikhoun, a town where Assad's jets once dropped chemical weapons and killed nearly 100 people, prompting Donald Trump to launch retaliatory airstrikes in 2017. The town has been under rebel control since 2014 and its fall marks a victory for Assad as his troops attempt to conquer Idlib, the last opposition-held province in the northwest of Syria. Rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda, said they were retreating to an area south of the town but would continue fighting against the regime's advancing troops. Regime troops advanced into the outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun but had yet to fully occupy it. Speaking at a meeting with MPs from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, Assad hailed his forces' progress. "The victories that were achieved prove the determination of the people and the army to defeat terrorists until the liberation of the last inch of Syrian territory," he said. He also accused Turkey and Western states of supporting jihadist groups in Syria. Tensions between Turkey and the Syrian regime have been rising sharply as Assad's forces drive into Idlib, where the Turkish military has 12 military outposts. Regime jets bombed near a Turkish military convoy on Monday, killing three civilians, according to Turkey's defence ministry. After eight years of civil war, the Idlib region on the border with Turkey is the last major stronghold of opposition Credit: AFP The fall of Khan Sheikhoun means that one of the Turkish military outposts is now effectively surrounded by regime forces. Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, said that his country would not withdraw from the outpost at Morek and warned the Syrian regime not to interfere with it. "We don't have an intention such as moving this elsewhere," Mr Cavusoglu said. "We will do whatever is necessary for the security of our own soldiers and observation posts." Turkey says it established the outposts to counter jihadist groups and help enforce a ceasefire it brokered alongside Russia. The Syrian regime says the outposts are a violation of Syrian sovereignty but has so far refrained from directly attacking them. However, as the regime advances further into Idlib the chances of a direct confrontation with Turkish forces seem to be rising. Assad's forces launched their offensive against Idlib in April but made relatively little progress until the last few weeks, when they have advanced rapidly with the support of withering airstrikes by Russian warplanes. Around 500 civilians have been killed since the offensive began, including more than 100 children, according to aid groups. A young girl named Jana was killed by Russian bombing on Tuesday, opposition activists said. The fighting has displaced over 500,000 people in southern Idlib and the northern of the neighbouring province of Hama. Khain Sheikhoun was seen as important symbol of opposition to Assad by rebel supporters "One of the revolution's castles is occupied by its destroyers," said one Syrian man in Idlib. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, said the Islamic State (Isil) remains a threat in Syria and Iraq but has lost much of its ability to carry out centrally-planned attacks on the West. "There are places where ISIS is more powerful today than they were three or four years ago," Mr Pompeo told CBS. "But the caliphate is gone in their capacity to conduct external attacks, it's been made much more difficult," he said. The jihadist group was driven from its last territorial stronghold this year but continues to mount insurgency attacks in both Iraq and Syria.
U.S. Democrat Warren wants to repeal 1994 crime bill, end cash bail U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday proposed sweeping changes to federal and state criminal justice systems, including ending cash bail requirements and doing away with a crime bill that rival Joe Biden helped make law. "It's not equal justice when a kid with an ounce of pot can get thrown in jail, while a bank executive who launders money for a drug cartel can get a bonus. Warren's popularity has risen in public opinion polls measuring the crowded Democratic field, but she has not gained much traction among black voters, a key voting demographic in the party's nominating contests.
Detained Iranian tanker sets sail from Gibraltar as Tehran warns US not to seize ship The Iranian tanker seized by British royal marines near Gibraltar in July on suspicion of carrying oil to Syria has left port.Shipping data showed the Grace 1, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, leaving Gibraltar around 11pm on Sunday, and is believed to be heading to Kalamata in Greece.
Palestinian Authority Bans LGBTQ Organizing in West Bank The Palestinian Authority has banned all LGBTQ political organizing in the West Bank in response to the news that a pro-LGBTQ advocacy group was planning to hold a gathering for its members at the end of the month.The ban, which was first reported Sunday by the Jerusalem Post, was issued in response to the organizing efforts of Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, a pro-LGBTQ political group that held an event last month and was planning to hold another in the coming weeks.Palestinian Authority police spokesperson Luay Zreikat said that LGBTQ events were "harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society" in justifying the ban. Zreikat also accused unspecified "dubious parties" of attempting to "create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society" through the group's events.In response, Al-Qaws, which means "the bow" in Arabic, argued that it is an organization that is firmly embedded in Palestinian society and does not seek to disrupt it."The Palestinian police announcement about our activities is very unfortunate," the group said in a statement. "It's very strange that they are accusing us of being a suspicious entity working to take apart Palestinian society. Al-Qaws is a Palestinian organization that has been operating since 2001, and is carrying out educational and professional programs on sexual and gender diversity. We totally reject the attempt to create an atmosphere of prosecution and intimidation, as well as threats of arrest."An unnamed member of Al-Qaws also told the Post that he and his friends have received hundreds of death threats, most of which were sent through Facebook."The attack on us is unprecedented," the man said. "They are calling us traitors and corrupt people and many are calling for our execution. We are afraid for our lives."
Fact-checking Trump's claims on economist recession warnings During a question and answer session with reporters on Sunday, Washington Post White House bureau chief Philip Rucker told President Donald Trump that "a lot of economists say that you should be preparing for a recession."
