Xi Jinping summons Kim Jong-un for talks… universities failing to tackle sexual misconduct … and England brings in bottle deposit return scheme
Top story: China confirms visit by reclusive neighbour
China has confirmed an “unofficial” visit to Beijing by Kim Jong-un – as unofficial, at least, as it can be called when you arrive in a heavily armoured train built for the purpose. Kim was pictured meeting President Xi Jinping in the first known trip abroad by the North Korean ruler since he took power in 2011.
North Korea is under severe sanctions because of its nuclear programme and China remains its only major ally and chief provider of energy, aid and trade. Xi summoned Kim to to Beijing ahead of planned talks between Kim, the South Korean president and Donald Trump.
The thaw of relations with the South and the US has been interpreted as the North being desperate to break out of isolation and improve its economy. Beijing had looked like it was being sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington, but Kim’s visit puts China firmly back at the table, experts say.
‘Absolutely astonishing’ – Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to testify before the US Congress but refused to front the House of Commons about the Cambridge Analytica (CA) data harvesting scandal. Damian Collins, chair of the Commons committee investigating fake news, condemned the Facebook founder’s snub: “I would certainly urge him to think again if he has any care for people that use his company’s services.” The CA whistleblower Christopher Wylie has told the committee that Vote Leave had a “common plan” with supposedly independent pro-Brexit groups to cheat the rules during the campaign .
It is alleged that Vote Leave broke the law by donating £625,000 to BeLeave, which spent the money on Aggregate IQ, a Canadian firm linked to CA. Vote Leave officially spent £6.77m, just below the £7m limit, but if BeLeave’s spending was taken into account it would breach that limit. Gina Miller says the apparent corruption of democratic process strengthens the argument for a vote on the final Brexit deal, including an option to remain.
‘Terrified of him just looking at me’ – Universities are failing to effectively tackle sexual misconduct, a Guardian investigation has found, with many not carrying out recommended reforms to support and protect victims. Universities UK published recommendations in October 2016 on tackling sexual misconduct, ranging from verbal harassment to rape, but major discrepancies remain in the ways universities have responded including their recording and handling of complaints, according to our freedom of information investigation. One undergraduate student has told how a lecturer she worked for sent her a vulgar message via social media that left her “distraught” and desperate for help. “I went straight to the student advice and wellbeing service… they advised me to drop it because if I took it further he would probably get fired and I would lose my job.”
Quick catch-up: It’s time again for some midweek snippets from around the Guardian stable.
> The girlfriend of the France supermarket killer is being held for terrorist conspiracy.
