The UN is investigating possible war crimes in eastern Mosul after 10 patients were admitted to hospital with symptoms linked to a chemical attack.
It follows an attack on a residential area along the Tigris River earlier this week in a part of Mosul liberated by Iraqi forces in January.
Hussein Qader, the deputy director of a hospital in the nearby city of Irbil, said 10 patients were admitted with symptoms of chemical weapons exposure on Thursday.
Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, said: "If the alleged use of chemical weapons is confirmed, this is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, regardless of who the targets or the victims of the attacks are.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Hillary Clinton snapped reading headlines about Mike Pence emails
A photograph has emerged of Hillary Clinton reading newspapers splashing on Mike Pence's use of a personal email account while in office.
Mrs Clinton appears to be transfixed by the headlines as she learns that the vice president was embroiled in an email controversy.
Mr Pence and Donald Trump repeatedly criticised Mrs Clinton during the presidential election campaign after it emerged she had used her personal emails for her State Department work.
Her use of the private server while she was secretary of state in the Obama administration triggered a huge political fallout and some commentators said it was a major blow to her chances of beating Mr Trump in November's election.
During the campaign, Mr Pence and Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton had broken the law and endangered national security, leading to their backers to chant "Lock her up!" at rallies.
Mrs Clinton was travelling on a flight from Boston's Logan airport in New York on Friday when she was snapped engrossed in the newspapers by healthcare centre worker Caitlin Quigley, who posted the photos on social media.
Emails released under a public records law show that while Mr Pence was the governor of Indiana he regularly used an AOL address to speak to advisers about confidential state business.
His account was later hacked by a scammer asking Mr Pence's contacts for money, according to reports.
Mr Pence's office has confirmed he "maintained a state email account and a personal email account" while governor.
In a statement, his office added: "Mr Pence fully co-operated with Indiana law regarding email use and retention."
The FBI investigated Mrs Clinton's use of a personal email server but she has always insisted she did not use it to send sensitive information.
In July 2016 the FBI said Mrs Clinton had been "extremely careless" in handling classified information but it did not recommend criminal charges.
But just weeks before the election, it revealed it was opening a new probe into the email server after the discovery of new emails in an "unrelated case".
Mrs Clinton appears to be transfixed by the headlines as she learns that the vice president was embroiled in an email controversy.
Mr Pence and Donald Trump repeatedly criticised Mrs Clinton during the presidential election campaign after it emerged she had used her personal emails for her State Department work.
Her use of the private server while she was secretary of state in the Obama administration triggered a huge political fallout and some commentators said it was a major blow to her chances of beating Mr Trump in November's election.
During the campaign, Mr Pence and Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton had broken the law and endangered national security, leading to their backers to chant "Lock her up!" at rallies.
Mrs Clinton was travelling on a flight from Boston's Logan airport in New York on Friday when she was snapped engrossed in the newspapers by healthcare centre worker Caitlin Quigley, who posted the photos on social media.
Emails released under a public records law show that while Mr Pence was the governor of Indiana he regularly used an AOL address to speak to advisers about confidential state business.
His account was later hacked by a scammer asking Mr Pence's contacts for money, according to reports.
Mr Pence's office has confirmed he "maintained a state email account and a personal email account" while governor.
In a statement, his office added: "Mr Pence fully co-operated with Indiana law regarding email use and retention."
The FBI investigated Mrs Clinton's use of a personal email server but she has always insisted she did not use it to send sensitive information.
In July 2016 the FBI said Mrs Clinton had been "extremely careless" in handling classified information but it did not recommend criminal charges.
But just weeks before the election, it revealed it was opening a new probe into the email server after the discovery of new emails in an "unrelated case".
Peers urge PM not to pay divorce bill if no Brexit deal is agreed
Theresa May is being urged to walk away from the European Union without paying a £50bn "divorce settlement" being demanded by Brussels.
Government lawyers are recommending that the Prime Minister should stop paying money to Brussels if Brexit negotiations end in deadlock with no deal.
But the PM is also being warned that withholding cash from the EU could damage the UK's prospects in the Brexit negotiations after she triggers Article 50.
The highly contentious demand comes in a report by a high-powered House of Lords committee which has examined the legal consequences of Brexit.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has demanded that the UK pays the £50bn bill for exiting the EU, a demand condemned by pro-Brexit Conservative MPs.
Mrs May is widely expected to reject the Brussels demand, but Brexit Secretary David Davis was giving nothing away when questioned about it this week.
:: Your guide to Brexit jargon
Asked during a visit to Denmark if the UK was prepared to accept the £50bn bill, he said: "We are a country which believes in the rule of law and we take our responsibilities seriously.
"But we think this is something that needs to be dealt with alongside the issue of markets, the issue of other relationships between us and at the end of this we will come to an amicable agreement. But we are not at that stage."
Government lawyers are recommending that the Prime Minister should stop paying money to Brussels if Brexit negotiations end in deadlock with no deal.
But the PM is also being warned that withholding cash from the EU could damage the UK's prospects in the Brexit negotiations after she triggers Article 50.
The highly contentious demand comes in a report by a high-powered House of Lords committee which has examined the legal consequences of Brexit.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has demanded that the UK pays the £50bn bill for exiting the EU, a demand condemned by pro-Brexit Conservative MPs.
Mrs May is widely expected to reject the Brussels demand, but Brexit Secretary David Davis was giving nothing away when questioned about it this week.
:: Your guide to Brexit jargon
Asked during a visit to Denmark if the UK was prepared to accept the £50bn bill, he said: "We are a country which believes in the rule of law and we take our responsibilities seriously.
"But we think this is something that needs to be dealt with alongside the issue of markets, the issue of other relationships between us and at the end of this we will come to an amicable agreement. But we are not at that stage."
Boris Johnson to visit Russia for 'guarded engagement'
Boris Johnson will travel to Moscow for "high-level talks" with his Russian counterpart, it has been announced.
The Foreign Office said Mr Johnson would visit Sergey Lavrov in the coming weeks - the first visit from a UK foreign secretary in more than five years.
His visit is described by Whitehall sources as part of a new policy of "guarded engagement" with Vladimir Putin's regime.
But he faced criticism from MPs, who said Russia should remain isolated following its intervention in Syria.
Discussions would be "robust" on the issues of Russian intervention in Ukraine and Syria, and there would be no lifting of sanctions, according to the FCO.
The Foreign Office said Mr Johnson would visit Sergey Lavrov in the coming weeks - the first visit from a UK foreign secretary in more than five years.
His visit is described by Whitehall sources as part of a new policy of "guarded engagement" with Vladimir Putin's regime.
But he faced criticism from MPs, who said Russia should remain isolated following its intervention in Syria.
Discussions would be "robust" on the issues of Russian intervention in Ukraine and Syria, and there would be no lifting of sanctions, according to the FCO.
MH370 families plan private search for missing plane
Families of those on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have launched a campaign to raise money to pay for a private search for the missing plane.
They are attempting to raise up to $50m (£47m) so they can resume the hunt for the aircraft which disappeared on 8 March 2014.
It is believed to have crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean but the largest search in aviation history has failed to find the main wreckage of the plane.
In January families of those on board reacted angrily when it was announced that the £133m operation to find the aircraft was being called off.
Details of the families' plan for a private search were announced at a memorial just ahead of the third anniversary of the plane's disappearance.
Jacquita Gomes, whose husband was a flight attendant on MH370, said that what happened to the flight "should not go down in history books as a mystery".
In July 2015 part of the aeroplane's wing was found on Reunion Island, and so far more than 20 objects either confirmed or believed to be from the jet have washed ashore on beaches in Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar.
Analysts have been looking at how the debris has spread to see whether they can trace it back and significantly narrow down the search area.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, discovered a piece of potential MH370 debris in Madagascar last year.
She said: "I thought it was very miraculous and fortunate when I found the piece of debris that day, but I thought it was useless because this sort of searching activity should have been done by the government.
"It should not be us, the family members, who should have been subjected to this pain, to go and face this cruel reality."
Grace Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was on board, said: "We want the next phase of our searching campaign to be that we will continue to look for the plane.
"So if the governments do not resume searching, we intend to source our own experts and own assets to continue searching."
A number of theories have been put forward about what happened to the aircraft including a fire on board, hijacking or terror plot, rogue pilot action and mechanical or structural failure.
A final report on the plane's disappearance will be released this year.
They are attempting to raise up to $50m (£47m) so they can resume the hunt for the aircraft which disappeared on 8 March 2014.
It is believed to have crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean but the largest search in aviation history has failed to find the main wreckage of the plane.
In January families of those on board reacted angrily when it was announced that the £133m operation to find the aircraft was being called off.
Details of the families' plan for a private search were announced at a memorial just ahead of the third anniversary of the plane's disappearance.
Jacquita Gomes, whose husband was a flight attendant on MH370, said that what happened to the flight "should not go down in history books as a mystery".
In July 2015 part of the aeroplane's wing was found on Reunion Island, and so far more than 20 objects either confirmed or believed to be from the jet have washed ashore on beaches in Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar.
Analysts have been looking at how the debris has spread to see whether they can trace it back and significantly narrow down the search area.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, discovered a piece of potential MH370 debris in Madagascar last year.
She said: "I thought it was very miraculous and fortunate when I found the piece of debris that day, but I thought it was useless because this sort of searching activity should have been done by the government.
"It should not be us, the family members, who should have been subjected to this pain, to go and face this cruel reality."
Grace Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was on board, said: "We want the next phase of our searching campaign to be that we will continue to look for the plane.
"So if the governments do not resume searching, we intend to source our own experts and own assets to continue searching."
A number of theories have been put forward about what happened to the aircraft including a fire on board, hijacking or terror plot, rogue pilot action and mechanical or structural failure.
A final report on the plane's disappearance will be released this year.
'Terrible!': Trump claims Obama had his 'wires tapped' before election win
US President Donald Trump has claimed Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" before he won the election.
He tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"
The president added: "Is it legal for a sitting president to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!"
In a further tweet, he wrote: "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to election!"
And in an additional message, he said: "How low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"
Mr Trump did not offer any evidence to support his claims, while Mr Obama has not responded.
McCarthyism is defined as making allegations of subversion or treason with insufficient regard for evidence.
It is said to have begun with an executive order issued by President Truman in March 1947, requiring all federal employees within the American civil service to be screened for "loyalty".
Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed in 1950 that known communists were working in the US State Department.
Later, in 1954, he was censured by the Senate.
The Watergate political scandal followed a break in at the Democratic National Committee's HQ in the Watergate office building in Washington DC in 1972.
Multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration were subsequently discovered.
He tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"
The president added: "Is it legal for a sitting president to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!"
In a further tweet, he wrote: "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to election!"
And in an additional message, he said: "How low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"
Mr Trump did not offer any evidence to support his claims, while Mr Obama has not responded.
McCarthyism is defined as making allegations of subversion or treason with insufficient regard for evidence.
It is said to have begun with an executive order issued by President Truman in March 1947, requiring all federal employees within the American civil service to be screened for "loyalty".
Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed in 1950 that known communists were working in the US State Department.
Later, in 1954, he was censured by the Senate.
The Watergate political scandal followed a break in at the Democratic National Committee's HQ in the Watergate office building in Washington DC in 1972.
Multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration were subsequently discovered.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Sinn Fein cuts DUP advantage to a single seat in Stormont elections
Sinn Fein has cut the DUP's 10-seat Stormont advantage to a single seat in its best performance in Northern Ireland election history.
The Democratic Unionist Party won 28 of the 90 seats to narrowly remain the largest party in Northern Ireland by just over 1,000 votes.
Both parties will now have three weeks to form a new power-sharing government to avoid devolved power returning to Westminster for the first time in a decade.
But relations between the two are at their lowest since power-sharing began in 2007 and Sinn Fein has demanded the resignation of outgoing first minister Arlene Foster as one of its terms for re-entering government.
Sinn Fein won 27 seats, the SDLP got 12, the UUP won 10, Alliance eight, the Green Party two, People Before Profit one seat, Traditional Unionist Voice one and there was one independent unionist.
The elections - triggered by the collapse of devolved government in Northern Ireland six weeks ago following controversy over a botched green energy scheme - saw turnout hit its highest level, 65%, in almost two decades.
DUP leader Arlene Foster told supporters after winning re-election: "Let us now move forward with hope, hope that civility can return to our politics.
"There is work to be done to quickly mend the relationship which has been frayed by the discord of this election."
The result is the closest nationalists had come to becoming the largest party in Stormont.
But the DUP's failure to win at least 30 seats means it also no longer has the power to veto legislation, including the blocking of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt announced his resignation after his party's poor showing.
He said: "In pure terms, the buck stops here. Some day Northern Ireland will vote as a normal democracy.
"We will vote in a post-sectarian election, but it's now clear it will not happen during the duration of my political career."
Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's northern leader, said: "I think it's a brilliant day for equality, I think it's a great day for democracy."
The nationalist SDLP fared better than expected, replacing the UUP as the third largest party in the Assembly.
If the three-week deadline to strike a power-sharing deal expires, the Government could be forced to call another snap election or could opt to reintroduce direct rule.
Four former Northern Ireland Executive members - the SLDP's Alex Attwood; the UUP's Danny Kennedy and the DUP's Nelson McCausland and Lord Morrow lost their seats in the election.
In the previous Assembly election last May, the DUP won 38 seats compared with Sinn Fein's 28.
Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote system - a form of proportional representation - to elect members of the Legislative Assembly.
Unlike the first past the post system, it ensures the number of seats each party wins reflects its vote share.
The Democratic Unionist Party won 28 of the 90 seats to narrowly remain the largest party in Northern Ireland by just over 1,000 votes.
Both parties will now have three weeks to form a new power-sharing government to avoid devolved power returning to Westminster for the first time in a decade.
But relations between the two are at their lowest since power-sharing began in 2007 and Sinn Fein has demanded the resignation of outgoing first minister Arlene Foster as one of its terms for re-entering government.
Sinn Fein won 27 seats, the SDLP got 12, the UUP won 10, Alliance eight, the Green Party two, People Before Profit one seat, Traditional Unionist Voice one and there was one independent unionist.
The elections - triggered by the collapse of devolved government in Northern Ireland six weeks ago following controversy over a botched green energy scheme - saw turnout hit its highest level, 65%, in almost two decades.
DUP leader Arlene Foster told supporters after winning re-election: "Let us now move forward with hope, hope that civility can return to our politics.
"There is work to be done to quickly mend the relationship which has been frayed by the discord of this election."
The result is the closest nationalists had come to becoming the largest party in Stormont.
But the DUP's failure to win at least 30 seats means it also no longer has the power to veto legislation, including the blocking of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt announced his resignation after his party's poor showing.
He said: "In pure terms, the buck stops here. Some day Northern Ireland will vote as a normal democracy.
"We will vote in a post-sectarian election, but it's now clear it will not happen during the duration of my political career."
Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's northern leader, said: "I think it's a brilliant day for equality, I think it's a great day for democracy."
The nationalist SDLP fared better than expected, replacing the UUP as the third largest party in the Assembly.
If the three-week deadline to strike a power-sharing deal expires, the Government could be forced to call another snap election or could opt to reintroduce direct rule.
Four former Northern Ireland Executive members - the SLDP's Alex Attwood; the UUP's Danny Kennedy and the DUP's Nelson McCausland and Lord Morrow lost their seats in the election.
In the previous Assembly election last May, the DUP won 38 seats compared with Sinn Fein's 28.
Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote system - a form of proportional representation - to elect members of the Legislative Assembly.
Unlike the first past the post system, it ensures the number of seats each party wins reflects its vote share.
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