World
BBCHow Egyptian police hunt LGBT people on dating apps
The BBC has seen evidence of how officers pose as dates online to seek out and arrest their targets.
Associated PressGlobal report highlights link between corruption, violence
Most of the world continues to fail to fight corruption with 95 % of countries having made little to no progress since 2017, a closely watched study by an anti-graft organization found Tuesday. Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perception of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, also found that governments hampered by corruption lack the capacity to protect the people, while public discontent is more likely to turn into violence. “The only way out is for states to do the hard work, rooting out corruption at all levels to ensure governments work for all people, not just an elite few,” she added.
Associated Press10 years after EU's 'never again' tragedy, little's changed
A decade ago this year, the head of the European Union’s executive branch stood, visibly shaken, before rows of coffins holding the corpses of migrants drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The boat, which carried almost 500 people looking for better lives in Europe, capsized only hundreds of meters (yards) from shore. “The kind of tragedy we have witnessed here so close to the coast should never happen again,” Barroso said.
- Reuters
RPT-GRAPHIC-Three years on, Britain still waits for Brexit dividend
Three years after its departure from the European Union, Britain is yet to benefit from the Brexit dividend that was promised for its economy as it lags its peers on multiple fronts, including trade and investment. Britain exited the EU on Jan. 31, 2020, though remained in the bloc's single market and customs union for 11 more months. On that day, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country could finally fulfil its potential and that he hoped it would grow in confidence with each passing month.
USA TODAYKremlin denies claim Putin threatened Britain; Zelenskyy warns of 'very tough' battles: Ukraine updates
Boris Johnson's claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a veiled threat to fire a missile at the UK is not true, the Kremlin said.
Associated PressIn Iowa, potential 2024 GOP Trump challengers quiet for now
By this time four years ago, at least a dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls eager to make their case against Donald Trump had either visited Iowa or announced plans to soon visit the leadoff voting state ahead of the 2020 election. Iowa’s campaign landscape is markedly different this year, with a Republican field seemingly frozen by Trump’s early announcement of a 2024 campaign. With Iowa’s first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses just a year off, the field of would-be White House candidates has largely been content to steer clear of bone-chilling Iowa — and, perhaps more importantly, avoid being the first candidate to announce a bid against the former president.
The Independent USPutin vs the West review: World leaders seem rightly shamefaced about how they got taken for a ride by Russian president
5/5 David Cameron and François Hollande are among the talking heads in this forensic analysis of European diplomacy in response to Putin’s aggression
Associated PressUN chief backs democracy for Myanmar 2 years after takeover
Two years after Myanmar’s military seized power, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced support Monday for the democratic aspirations of Myanmar’s people and warned that the military’s planned elections amid a crackdown on civilians and political leaders “risk exacerbating instability.” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general strongly condemns all forms of violence in Myanmar as the crisis in the country deteriorates “and fuel serious regional implications." The army seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, arresting her and top members of her governing National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide victory for a second term in a November 2020 general election.
BBCNamibia reports record level of rhino poaching
Rhino poaching in Namibia nearly doubled last year, according to government data.
PoliticoThe U.S. on Israel’s far-right government: It is what it is.
Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel this week shows how, given challenges such as Iran, the Biden administration has decided engaging Israel's new leadership is the best approach.
INSIDERRussia's war in Ukraine backfired by uniting NATO, even as cracks emerged over nearly a year of fighting
NATO bids and weapons deliveries have been complicated by diverging national interests, but the alliance is still unifying to upset Putin's plans.
The Independent USTrump makes shocking comments about trusting Putin over US ‘intelligence lowlifes’
Trump famously took Putin’s word on 2016 election interference during joint presser with Russian leader
NextSharkFive Russian asylum seekers who fled Putin's war stranded at S. Korean airport for months
Five Russian men seeking asylum are currently stranded at Incheon International Airport after South Korean authorities denied their entry into the country and prevented them from leaving the airport. Dzhashar Khubiev, Vladimir Maraktaev, a man who wished to be identified only by the pseudonym Andrey and two others have remained at the airport’s departure area for months after the South Korean Justice Ministry rejected their application for refugee status. The men are among the tens of thousands who fled Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s military mobilization order last September.
Associated PressUN: Taliban ban on women aid workers is potential death blow
The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Monday that the Taliban's ban on women aid workers in Afghanistan is “a potential death blow” to many important humanitarian programs. If the Taliban don’t make exceptions to their edict “this would be catastrophic,” Martin Griffiths said at a news conference.
Associated PressPresident Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11
President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies' normal authorities. It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic.
Associated PressDems urge Biden to halt aid to Peru over protest crackdown
A group of House Democrats is urging the Biden administration to suspend all U.S. security assistance to Peru over a “pattern of repression” of antigovernment protests that has resulted in more than 50 civilian deaths. The letter, sent Monday and a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press, urges the Biden administration to halt all security assistance until it can confirm that the crackdown has ended and the Peruvian officials responsible for human rights abuses are being held accountable. Peru's foreign minister is in Washington this week seeking international support for President Dina Boluarte's increasingly besieged government.
The TelegraphDon’t scrap powers to overrule EU in Northern Ireland for a quick Brexit deal, Sunak told
Rishi Sunak was warned on Monday not to trade off the power to overrule the EU in Northern Ireland in order to strike a deal with Brussels as he vowed to forge ahead with post-Brexit reforms.
The TelegraphPutin vs the West, BBC, review: an unnerving insight into the mind of the Russian leader
"Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile it would only take a minute.” Not the words of a Bond villain but of Vladimir Putin, on the telephone to Boris Johnson, on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine. It was one of many insider moments revealed in Putin vs the West (BBC Two), billed as the story of how Putin wrongfooted the West in the decade leading up to the war. Award-winning film-maker Norma Percy specialises in heavyweight political documentaries featuring the people who were in
- The Independent US
Putin vs the West review: World leaders seem rightly shamefaced about how they got taken for a ride by the Russian president
5/5 David Cameron and François Hollande are among the talking heads in this forensic analysis of European diplomacy in response to Putin’s aggression
- Associated Press
Shooters in central California killings of 6 still at large
Two weeks after shooters brazenly killed a teen mother, her 10-month-old baby and four other members of her household, the suspects remain at large. Authorities on Monday provided no motive for the attack in a central California farming community. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has yet to describe the shooters publicly or provide any information about what he previously called the “assassination-style” killings, other than to say investigators believe they are gang-related.
- NY Daily News
Putin threatened missile strike on U.K. before Ukraine war, Boris Johnson says
President Vladimir Putin threatened to direct a Russian missile strike at Britain in the leadup to his invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson said in a new hair-raising disclosure. In an interview with the BBC, Johnson, who was serving as British prime minister when Russia invaded its neighbor, recalled Putin telling him: “Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile it would only take a ...
Ukrayinska PravdaPutin to address Federal Assembly on anniversary of war against Ukraine
Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, may address the Federal Assembly of Russia in late February. Source: TASS and RIA Novosti information agencies with reference to their sources in the State Duma of Russia Details: One of the sources of TASS revealed that "the address may be made on 20 or 21 February", while another source stated that it is highly likely that the Russian President will make a speech in late February.
- Associated Press
Florida GOP leaders want to get rid of gun permits
Saying gun owners don't need a government permission slip to protect their God-given rights, Florida's House speaker proposed legislation Monday to eliminate concealed weapons permits, a move Democrats argue would make a state with a history of horrific mass shootings less safe. Republican leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, have expressed support for the idea, so the bill should not have a problem passing in a legislature with a GOP a super-majority. “What we're about here today is a universal right that applies to each and every man or woman regardless of race, gender, creed or background," Speaker Paul Renner said at a news conference.
The New Voice of UkraineBlinken, Netanyahu discuss countering Iran and support for Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Jan. 30, discussing a range of joint U.S.-Israeli efforts to oppose Iran’s nuclear ambitions, U.S. State Department said in a message on its website.
Associated PressDolphins, humans both benefit from fishing collaboration
A fishing community in southern Brazil has an unusual ally: wild dolphins. Accounts of people and dolphins working together to hunt fish go back millennia, from the time of the Roman Empire near what is now southern France to 19th century Queensland, Australia. In the seaside city of Laguna, scientists have, for the first time, used drones, underwater sound recordings and other tools to document how local people and dolphins coordinate actions and benefit from each other’s labor.
“Streaming is beginning to look an awful lot like the old-fashioned analogue TV it was supposed to replace.”
“Streaming isn’t going away … You’re still going to have a lot of choice for a long time.”
“In the future, [streaming] likely will cost more, have a little less library content and cancel more shows more quickly.”
“Streaming is still a game of content … It’s not a matter of who’s spending more, it’s who’s spending smartly.”
“Streamers are retreating from any sort of creative risk in favor of humdrum, lowest-common-denominator shows.”
