Death penalty: Global executions fall 37% since 2015 - Amnesty

The number of executions recorded worldwide in 2016 fell by 37% on the previous year, human rights group Amnesty International says.

At least 1,032 people were executed last year, down from 1,634 in 2015, Amnesty said.

The fall was largely driven by fewer deaths recorded in Iran and Pakistan.

China is believed to have executed more than all countries combined but has not been included in the figures given the lack of reliable data, the group adds.

The US was removed from the top five for the first time since 2006, according to Amnesty.

Despite fewer executions, Iran and Pakistan remain in Amnesty's top five list, along with China, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Pakistan's execution rate dropped from 326 recorded deaths in 2015 to at least 87 the following year.

The high number reported in 2015 followed the lifting of a seven-year moratorium on executions in December 2014 in response to a deadly Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar.

The country then created military courts to try civilians suspected of terrorism-related offences.

In 2016, at least four of those executed in the country were convicted by the military courts.

In Iran, at least 567 people were executed last year, compared with 977 in 2015. Amnesty reported a surge in executions in 2015 but said the reasons were unclear. The majority of those killed, the group said, were convicted of drug charges.

The 2016 figure makes up 55% of the annual total, according to Amnesty.

Of those put to death in Iran, the group found, at least two people were under 18 at the time of the crime for which they had been convicted. This, it said, violated international law.

The US recorded the lowest number of executions since 1991. But, Amnesty said, there was a "shocking number of executions" scheduled in the state of Arkansas this year, adding that this was an example of "how quickly the picture can change".

Despite the significant decrease in recorded executions worldwide in 2016, the total remained higher than the average recorded for the previous decade.

Amnesty said that China remained the world's top executioner but said that secrecy around the death penalty made it difficult to confirm the figures.

The group reported that an investigation found that information relating to "hundreds" of death penalty cases was missing from the country's national database.

Meanwhile, Belarus and authorities within the Palestinian territories resumed executions in 2016 after a year's hiatus, while Botswana and Nigeria carried out their first executions since 2013.
What's behind Pakistan's rise in executions?
Belarus: Death penalty returns to Europe

The group also noted that:
In the Middle East and North Africa overall, the number of executions decreased by 28%
In sub-Saharan Africa, death sentences increased by 145%, largely because of a rise in Nigeria
In Europe and Central Asia, Belarus and Kazakhstan were the only two countries in the region to use the death penalty

On the other hand, 104 countries were recorded to have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Back in 1997, that figure was 64.

Two countries, Benin and Nauru, abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2016, while Guinea abolished it for ordinary crimes only.

Several others took steps to restrict their use of this punishment, confirming that the global trend remained towards the abolition of the death penalty.

Amnesty recorded executions in 23 countries, two fewer than in 2015.

Commenting on Tuesday's report, human rights pressure group Reprieve said that while the overall trend towards fewer executions was welcome, it was "disturbed" by the reported increase in use of the death penalty by certain governments, including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Amnesty collects its statistics using official figures, media reports and information passed on from individuals sentenced to death and their families and representatives.

Malala Yousafzai Youngest ever UN Messenger of Peace.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has been made the youngest ever UN Messenger of Peace.

The 19-year-old, who is doing her A-levels and has an offer from a top UK university, will take the role with a special focus on girls' education.

In 2012 Ms Yousafzai was nearly killed by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' rights to education.

Accepting the accolade in New York, she said: "(Bringing change) starts with us and it should start now."

"If you want to see your future bright, you have to start working now (and) not wait for anyone else," he said.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres described her as a "symbol of perhaps the most important thing in the world - education for all".

Last month, Ms Yousafzai said she had received an offer to study politics, philosophy and economics at a UK university, on condition of achieving three As in her A-levels.

Ms Yousafzai, who narrowly escaped death after being attacked on her way home from school in Pakistan, did not confirm which university had made the offer.

But previously she revealed she had interviewed for a degree place at an Oxford college.

UN Messengers of Peace are selected from the fields of art, literature, science, entertainment, sports or other fields of public life.

Other messengers have included Muhammad Ali, George Clooney, Michael Douglas, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stevie Wonder and Charlize Theron.

May and Trump agree to press Russia over Syrian crisis

Theresa May and Donald Trump have agreed there is a "window of opportunity" to persuade Russia to abandon its support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

The two leaders spoke about the crisis by telephone, days after a US air strike against a Syrian airbase.

It comes after Boris Johnson told G7 leaders in Italy that further sanctions would be considered against Russia.

Foreign leaders there are trying to agree a co-ordinated response to Syria.

The meeting has been taking place ahead of a visit to Moscow by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Mr Trump ordered a series of missile strikes against a Syrian airbase on Friday in response to the deaths of more than 80 people, including children, during a chemical attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April.

Mrs May said she agreed during a phone call that it was no longer in Russia's strategic interest to support President Assad.
'Lasting political settlement'

A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Trump thanked Mrs May, who is on a short walking holiday in Wales, for her support in the wake of the US air strike.

He added: "They agreed that US Secretary of State (Rex) Tillerson's visit to Moscow this week provides an opportunity to make progress towards a solution which will deliver a lasting political settlement.

"They also discussed the broader Middle East, including the threat posed by Iran throughout the region.

"The prime minister and president also stressed the importance of the international community, including China, putting pressure on North Korea to constrain the threat it poses."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also agreed during a call with Mr Trump that President Assad should be held accountable, the White House said.
G7 seeks unity on Syria
Why is there a war in Syria?
Russian press critical of Trump

US officials say the airbase it targeted was used to launch a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians.

But Syria has denied using any chemical agents and Russia says the US has failed to provide evidence Syria has chemical weapons.

Earlier, UK Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson said senior Russian military officers involved in co-ordinating Syrian military efforts could face international sanctions.

At a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Lucca, Italy, Mr Johnson issued a fresh appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon his backing for his Syrian ally.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "toxifying the reputation of Russia by his continual association with a guy who has flagrantly poisoned his own people".

Mr Johnson also defended his decision to pull out of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, saying it was important that Mr Tillerson had the "clearest possible mandate" when he went to Moscow to deliver the response of the G7.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump's son, Eric, said the US would not be "pushed around" by Mr Putin, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The president is not intimidated by Moscow's talk of war, his son said.

He insisted there was "no one harder" than his father if Russia chose to "cross us".




The US president's spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday that further action would be considered in certain circumstances.

But Russia and Iran - Assad's two principal international backers - have warned that they would respond "with force" to any fresh attack on their ally.

Huge fire reduces Dunkirk migrant camp to 'ashes'

Hundreds of migrants have been evacuated after a huge blaze ravaged their camp, reducing it to "a heap of ashes".

The fire erupted at the Grande-Synthe migrant camp outside the northern French city of Dunkirk, hours after clashes between up to 150 Kurds and Afghans.

Riot police moved into the camp - home to around 1,500 people - to break up the trouble. Five people were injured, leaving three of them in hospital with knife wounds.

Officials have linked the fire to the fighting and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blaze - the flames of which were visible from several miles away.

"There is nothing left but a heap of ashes," said Michel Lalande, chief of France's Nord region.

A quarter of Britain’s birds at serious risk of extinction

A quarter of all bird species in the UK are endangered, with some facing extinction according to the latest survey.

The annual State of the UK Birds report lists 67 species in urgent need of help, with curlews and puffins among 15 species moved up to the so-called 'red list'.

Image:The plight of the curlew is of particular concern to conservationists

Dr Mark Eaton, principal conservation scientist at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the report also highlights significant improvements in some breeding stocks, with 22 species moving to the lowest category of concern.

"We see some birds moving off that red list and demonstrating that conservation work can work and turn fortunes around - we just need more of it," he said.

The plight of the curlew is of particular concern to conservationists. A quarter of the world's breeding population lives on UK uplands but its numbers have more than halved since 1970.

Image:The magestic Golden eagle sitting on her nest

Climate change is blamed for the curlews' decline, and for falling numbers of kittiwakes which are struggling to find enough sand eels to eat in seas that are getting steadily warmer.

Puffins have been added to the UK red list after being put on a watch list for global extinction.

Among conservation successes highlighted in this year's report are red kites which have increased tenfold in the past 20 years and golden eagles whose population has grown 16% since 2003 to 508.

The survey relies on records gathered by thousands of volunteers and is produced by the RSPB, The British Trust for Ornithology, and The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

British Vogue: Edward Enninful becomes first male editor of UK fashion magazine

For the first time in its 101-year history, British Vogue will have a man at the helm.

Ghanaian-born Edward Enninful, who is described as "influential in fashion, Hollywood and music", will take over from Alexandra Shulman in August.

Mr Enninful, who will be the publication's 11th editor, has been creative and fashion director of US magazine W since 2011.

Twenty years earlier, aged just 19, he became the youngest magazine fashion editor in the industry when he landed a top job at i-D.

From 1998 to 2011, Mr Enninful contributed to American Vogue and Italian Vogue and in 2014, he was named fashion creator of the year by the British Fashion Council.

He was made an OBE in 2016, and earlier this year, he helped make I Am An Immigrant - a video on the fashion industry protesting against President Donald Trump's travel ban.

Mr Enninful said: "People like me thought America was the best place to be creative, to be free to create, to have the freedom to be who you are.

"I just thought, 'Let's do something that shows that we're all from somewhere else'" - whether participants were immigrants personally, or the descendants of immigrants.

Mr Enninful, 45, came to London from Ghana as a child, growing up in the capital's Ladbroke Grove area.

He became interested in fashion as a teenager after being scouted as a model. He quit university at Goldsmiths to pursue his fashion career.

Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of publisher Conde Nast International, cited Mr Enninful's work at Italian Vogue as having "attained landmark status in recent cultural history".

He described Mr Enninful as "an influential figure in the communities of fashion, Hollywood and music which shape the cultural zeitgeist".

Newhouse added: "By virtue of his talent and experience, Edward is supremely prepared to assume the responsibility of British Vogue."

Ms Shulman announced in January that she was stepping down as editor-in-chief of British Vogue after more than 25 years at the helm

She said it was a hard to decision to quit the magazine "that I love" but she wanted to "experience a different life".

Wonga data breach may affect '245,000 UK customers'

Wonga is contacting 245,000 customers in the UK and another 25,000 in Poland following a data breach in which hackers gained access to personal information.

The payday lender said it had called in police after realising data had been accessed on Friday last week.

Wonga said it was likely to include customer account numbers, bank sort codes, addresses and the last four digits of users' bank cards.

It apologised and urged customers to watch out for any "unusual activity" arising from the "illegal and unauthorised" activity, but said it did not believe the limited information left people at risk of theft.

A spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with authorities and we are in the process of informing affected customers.

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused."

The data breach is a blow to the company as it strives to rebuild its business in the wake of a string of scandals and a regulatory crackdown in the UK market.

A flexible loan product has been launched as it seeks to diversify away from the short-term lending activity that sparked political and public controversy.

In 2015, it was ordered by the City watchdog to pay more than £2.5m in compensation to 45,000 customers who were sent letters purporting to be from law firms but which in fact did not exist.

Wonga's losses have totalled nearly £120m in the last two years.