Top World News
Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic dies in Belgrade
Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic has died in Belgrade at 96
Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 10 civilians, Kabul says; Pakistan says only militants hit
Pakistan has carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces, targeting militant hideouts
Naomi Campbell's 5-year ban on serving as a charity trustee in overturned
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has won a legal challenge to overturn a five-year ban on being a charity trustee in England and Wales
A look at France’s public debt as economy takes center stage in French election
France's public debt has reached record levels during Emmanuel Macron's presidency, causing concern ahead of next year's election
It's spring in the Southern Hemisphere and even Chile's Atacama Desert is blossoming
Spring has arrived in the Southern Hemisphere, and even Chile's Atacama Desert is blossoming
Daredevil Jaan Roose completes slackline walk high above central Seoul
Estonian completed first of two attempts to navigate narrow ribbon, 160 metres long and 120 metres high, near the city’s famous Gyeongbokgung palace on ThursdayThe lunchtime crowds drifted slowly back to their offices along central Seoul’s main boulevard, heads up and phones raised to the sky.High above, a narrow ribbon ran between the Koreana hotel and the Dong-A Media Center, a few hundred metres from the capital’s famous Gyeongbokgung palace and Gwanghwamun square. Continue reading...
Trump administration diverts human rights funds to push far-right agenda abroad
Support such as for white Afrikaners and anti-communism reveals how US is redefining what qualifies as human rightsWith hours left before the funding expires, the Trump administration is pushing to direct more than $175m of the state department’s flagship human rights fund to a slate of awards that includes a huge $40m grant for an anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, a campaign against Brazil’s supreme court and programs that would reward ideological allies in Europe who protect “western civilizational norms”.On Wednesday, the state department obligated the funds to the grantees hours before the deadline despite congressional concerns and requests not to do so, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The state department declined to comment on questions from the Guardian specifically on whether it had obligated the funds and had “blown” holds from Congress due to concerns about the money’s use. Continue reading...
Trump started a fight that's giving his rival 'unthinkable' popularity: WSJ
At the same time Donald Trump's approval numbers are hitting lows never seen before, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is enjoying a burst of popularity that's letting him push his agenda through with little resistance.The reason? His refusal to be bullied by the American president has Canadians and political rivals lining up behind him as his party adds new members. Carney is barreling forward with "a rewiring of Canada's economic, national-security and foreign policies" that, in some cases, would once have been "unthinkable" and unpopular, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. A political novice until he won the premiership last year, Carney has vanquished opposition that might have felled his predecessors thanks to a confrontation with Trump that has given him "unthinkable" popularity.Polls show Carney's Liberals would win a majority if an election were held today. According to the Journal, "Polls show that Carney’s Liberals would win a majority if an election were held today. A survey released Tuesday from Nanos Research found that Carney was the preferred choice for prime minister of more than 60% of respondents, the highest level it has recorded for him."That has lawmakers from "across the political spectrum" defecting to the Liberals over the past year, and his opponents are struggling to land a punch; Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has spent recent months fending off critics in his own party."Even in Alberta, a conservative stronghold, people view Carney more favorably than Poilievre or Premier Danielle Smith, according to the report."I cannot remember, in my adult life, a prime minister having this good an 18 months," said Darrell Bricker, chief executive of Ipsos told the Journal. "There has been very little pushback against any of the things that he's proposed."Lori Turnbull, a political scientist at Nova Scotia's Dalhousie University, said Carney likely wanted to pursue many of these policies regardless, but the conflict with the U.S. "gives him a logic, gives him a narrative that might make more sense to people." She added: "The way he's describing it is essentially we're in an emergency situation, we're in a kind of something that's similar to a war. He's made this about our sovereignty, and so it all kind of fits together."
‘We want justice’: series of rapes trigger mass protests at Indian universities
Women say nothing has changed since Delhi’s infamous Nirbhaya bus rape case 14 years agoThe posters, just like the women holding them, were taking no prisoners. “Girls don’t need curfews, rapists need consequences,” read one. “Lock your dicks rather than your women at home,” read another.As hundreds of women walked from the gates of their university campus into the streets of Delhi – where sexual harassment, assault, catcalling and molestation are a constant, daily threat – they shouted together in a chorus of rage and defiance: “We want justice.” Continue reading...
South African leader urges men to speak up on gender-based violence after series of killings
President announces measures amid anger at authorities over recent murders of womenSouth Africa’s president has called on men to take more responsibility for violence against women as he announced measures to tackle the problem, amid anger at authorities over a recent wave of murders.Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that not enough had been done to protect women. He said police would be reviewing unsolved murders, attempted murders and serious sexual offences against women and children, as well as producing a funded plan to reduce the forensic backlog for such cases, both within 60 days. Continue reading...
MI5 China alert will send chill through UK’s cash-strapped universities
Institutions have for years turned to China for funding opportunities but national security concerns are mountingMI5 issues spy alert to UK universities over Chinese front company stealing researchThe security alert issued by MI5 regarding a Chinese state-owned conglomerate accused of conducting espionage in the UK reveals the extent to which British intelligence remains concerned about Beijing’s influence, and risks casting a shadow over UK-China cooperation at a time when the bilateral relationship is enjoying a revival.The UK’s domestic security service on Wednesday warned researchers and academics to cease work with the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), an organisation MI5 described as a “significant threat”. Continue reading...
MI5 warns UK universities over ‘theft of tech secrets by Chinese front company’
Security service says academics should stop working with and taking grants from firm backed by Chinese intelligenceMI5 China alert will send chill through UK’s cash-strapped universitiesMI5 has issued a rare public warning to UK universities that China’s intelligence service is using a front company to pay for research by UK academics and steal the secrets of hi-tech projects.Britain’s domestic security service said researchers and academics should cease work with the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), sometimes also known as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT).Additional reporting by Helena Horton Continue reading...
