world news
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70,000 Syrians flee as regime advances on last rebel-held provinceWarning of humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib as displaced people seek refuge and hospitals are ‘systematically targeted’ -
Deaths in custody spark human rights concernsAt least three demonstrators believed to have been killed in custody amid violent crackdown on anti-government protests
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North Korea agrees to send athletes to Winter Olympics after talks with SouthDelegation including cheerleaders will travel to Games despite rising tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme -
Tourists airlifted out of Swiss ski resort of ZermattSkiers had been stranded in the resort because of heavy snowfall and exceptional risk of avalanches -
Turkish Cyprus set for coalition after rightwing party fails to get majorityVoters in parliamentary election showed their dissatisfaction with UBP party, seen as corrupt and too subservient to Turkey
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China's women break silence on harassment as #MeToo becomes #WoYeShiBeijing’s strict social control mean few have risked speaking out about misogyny but campaigners are beginning to make their voices heard
spotlight
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Abducted at nine to be a girl soldier for KonyA former Lord’s Resistance Army fighter feels marginalised and abandoned, failed by the Ugandan government after broken promises of help and support
around the world
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UKUKBarry Bennell abused boys hundreds of times, court toldFormer Crewe coach told young footballers that if they reported him he would stop them becoming professionals, jury hears
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EuropeEuropeTrump to attend Davos despite criticizing forum during his campaignThe president will attend the World Economic Forum after his campaign disparaged the elite annual meeting of billionaires, businessmen and politicians
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The world is in a perilous place. Here's my wishlist for change in 2018Political leadership and courage to ease human suffering has been in short supply over the past 12 months, says the secretary general of the Red Cross
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Phone calls, Facebook and the odd nap: life as a judge in MyanmarNew research suggests lax, poorly trained judges and shambolic court hearings that contravene local and international law are par for the course in Myanmar
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opinion & analysis
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Trump's silence on Syria contrasts with his criticism of IranAirstrikes and civilian deaths continue in rebel-held Idlib but US president’s focus is elsewhere
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Venezuela opposition looks to military to oust Maduro. Dream onHaving failed to dislodge President Nicolás Maduro, the opposition is openly talking of a coup but mutual benefit links the military with the ruling party
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Trump's 'voter fraud' commission is dead – but activists fear new DHS pushPanel pushed by Kris Kobach was a ‘shit show’ but Kansas secretary of state is now looking to immigration and homeland security to fuel effort
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US turns to Trump targets – UN, China and Mexico – for help in opioid crisisWashington has asked the UN to help declare fentanyl illegal in US and China, as White House works with Mexico to address the drug’s spread, official says
pictures and video
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Thousands of tourists stranded in Swiss ski resort – videoTourists are trapped in a Swiss ski resort after days of heavy snowfall
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Thai PM leaves cardboard cutout to take questions from the media – videoThailand’s prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, produced a lifesize cardboard cutout of himself in an attempt to avoid questions from the media
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Coming of age ceremony in Yokohama – in picturesComing of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held every January to celebrate people who have reached 20 – the country’s official age of adulthood
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Fire breaks out at Trump Tower – video
Firefighters are attending a minor fire, which has broken out at Trump Tower in New York
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International No Pants Day – in picturesStarted in 2002 with only seven participants, the day is now marked in over 60 cities around the world. The idea behind No pants day is that random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter, without wearing trousers. The participants wear all of the usual winter clothing on their top half such as hats, scarves and gloves and do not acknowledge each other’s similar state of undress.
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Harrowing footage shows rescue of migrants from sinking dinghy – video
The Italian coastguard filmed an operation to rescue people from a Libyan dinghy that sank in the Mediterranean, killing at least 64 people
Bratislava in the spotlight: Slovakian city celebrates 25 years as capital