World news

Rohingya refugees have hit back at Aung San Suu Kyi’s claims at the international court of justice in testimony on Wednesday after she denied that Myanmar’s armed forces were guilty of genocide against the Muslim minority. Suu Kyi told the court that the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh was the unfortunate result of a battle with insurgents. She denied the army had killed civilians, raped women and torched houses in 2017. Critics describe the actions by the army as a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee. “The world will judge their claim of no genocide with evidence,” said a Rohingya leader, Mohammed Mohibullah, who is chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights. “A thief never admits he is a thief, but justice can be delivered through evidence. The world has obtained evidence from us,” he said at the Kutupalong refugee … [Read more...] about Myanmar’s Rohingya say ‘world will judge’ Suu Kyi’s denial of genocide

Global leaders rounded on Vladimir Putin on Saturday night as armed separatists continued to block international inspectors attempting to identify and repatriate bodies at the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine. Amid reports that pro-Russia rebels accused of shooting down the plane had removed corpses themselves and were looting credit cards and other possessions belonging to some of the 298 victims, Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said that Putin had "one last chance to show he means to help [rescuers recover the bodies]". Rutte vented his anger following what he called a "very intense" conversation with the Russian president. Referring to allegations that bodies of the passengers, including 193 Dutch nationals, were being treated with contempt and allowed to rot at the scene, he said: "I was shocked at the pictures of utterly disrespectful behaviour at this tragic spot. It's revolting." David Cameron called for the EU and the west to change its approach to … [Read more...] about MH17: Vladimir Putin is given ‘one last chance’ as world fury mounts over downed flight

A boy genius has dropped out of university weeks before the final exams that would have made him the world’s youngest graduate at the age of just nine.  Laurent Simons, who is half Belgian and half Dutch, was pulled out of his electrical engineering degree by his parents after relations between them and the Eindhoven University of Technology broke down. Laurent, who has an IQ of at least 145, was left feeling betrayed after the university changed his planned exam schedule. Under the old schedule, he would have finished his course at the end of December after only starting his studies in March.  His parents Alexander and Lydia wanted him to graduate before his birthday on December 26 so he could... … [Read more...] about Boy genius, 9, on cusp of becoming world’s youngest graduate quits university

A goat sits atop a straw-roofed, rough-hewn barn; geese pick their way through the midden; smoke rises from a fire where a sweating blacksmith is beating out six-inch nails. Across a dusty clearing, a trio of men in home-spun hemp tunics trim blocks of sandstone with chisels and mallets, smoothing each one to size before slotting it into place under the eye of a master mason. In the year of grace, 1999, an odd edifice is taking shape in a disused quarry in a forest two hours' drive south of Paris. Its like has not been seen for 750 years, when Philippe Auguste was king of France. It will not be finished for at least another 20 years, but no one here seems much bothered. Time is relative when you spend it building a medieval castle by hand. Chateau Guédelon is the kind of madcap scheme only a certain kind of Frenchman could dream up: to create from scratch - using only authentic tools, techniques and materials mined or manufactured on site - a full-scale 13th-century chateau, … [Read more...] about King of a modern medieval castle

He has toiled for 30 years to become French president, displaying an energy once likened by his rivals to a turbocharged Duracell bunny. So when Nicolas Sarkozy departed this week for a three-day break, supporters said it was well-deserved. But the president-elect's brief downtime on a yacht off Malta was today questioned by the Socialist opposition for sending the wrong signal to the nation. Mr Sarkozy is relaxing on the 60-metre Le Paloma with his wife, son, a small entourage and five security guards. Despite the distractions of several plasma screens and a karaoke suite, he was said to be using the time to reflect on his future government and imminent parliamentary elections when he hopes to secure a majority to push through labour reforms and €15bn (£10bn) of tax cuts. One French website reported the luxury yacht belonged to industrialist Vincent Bolloré, one of the richest men in France. It was not clear whether Mr Sarkozy was a guest or had paid the roughly … [Read more...] about Critics turn on Sarkozy over yacht holiday