- ‘An oil spill in solid form’: Bio-bead disaster devastates beloved English coast CNN
- Southern Water uses new devices to speed up beach pellet removal BBC
- Plastic ‘bio-beads’ from sewage plants are polluting the oceans and spreading superbugs – but there are alternatives The Conversation
- Volunteer’s dismay over lack of help to clean beach littered with plastic pellets Kent Online
- UK water firm says 'highly likely' behind plastic pellet pollution incident Bloomer Advance Newspaper
Three days of mourning begin after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades
At least 128 people have died and hundreds remain unaccounted for following the fire which engulfed several tower blocks.
Thunberg and Albanese join pro-Palestine protests in Italy
Activist Greta Thunberg and the UN’s Francesca Albanese joined hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters in Genoa on Friday.
Minorities hail renewed space as Pope Leo visits Turkiye
As Turkiye hosts pontiff, minority community figures describe a moment marked by visibility and engagement with state.
MALS-36 Commander Relieved of Command Duties – Military.com
- MALS-36 Commander Relieved of Command Duties Military.com
- Commanding officer of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 fired Military Times
- Top Marine Commander Ousted MSN
- Marines fire Okinawa logistics squadron commander amid investigation Yahoo
- Marine air wing relieves logistics squadron commander on Okinawa Stars and Stripes
Rage rooms: can smashing stuff up really help to relieve anger and stress?
Venues promoting destruction as stress relief are appearing around the UK but experts – and our correspondent – are unsure
If you find it hard to count to 10 when anger bubbles up, a new trend offers a more hands-on approach. Rage rooms are cropping up across the UK, allowing punters to smash seven bells out of old TVs, plates and furniture.
Such pay-to-destroy ventures are thought to have originated in Japan in 2008, but have since gone global. In the UK alone venues can be found in locations from Birmingham to Brighton, with many promoting destruction as a stress-relieving experience.
Continue reading...They tried to overturn the 2020 US election. Now, they hold power in Trump’s Washington
Those who tried to overturn the 2020 election now occupy key federal roles, shaping rules and sowing doubt for 2026
The people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have more power than ever – and they plan to use it.
Bolstered by the president, they have prominent roles in key parts of the federal government. Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer who helped advance Donald Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, now leads the civil rights division of the justice department. An election denier, Heather Honey, now serves as the deputy assistant secretary for election integrity in the department of homeland security. Kurt Olsen, an attorney involved in the “stop the steal” movement, is now a special government employee investigating the 2020 election.
Continue reading...The human cost of the Philippines’ flood-control corruption scandal
101 East investigates rampant alleged corruption in flood-control projects in one of Asia’s most typhoon-prone countries
Fall of Zelensky’s top aide – reboot for Kyiv or costly shake-up?
A widening corruption scandal forced Ukraine's second most powerful person, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
Fall of Zelensky’s top aide – reboot for Kyiv or costly shake-up?
A widening corruption scandal forced Ukraine's second most powerful person, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
Australian prime minister becomes first to wed in office
Anthony Albanese weds Jodie Haydon, after the couple became engaged on Valentine's Day last year.
Australian prime minister becomes first to wed in office
Anthony Albanese weds Jodie Haydon, after the couple became engaged on Valentine's Day last year.
Naval Drones Halt Operations at Russian Oil Terminal – The Moscow Times
Israeli attack kills two children in southern Gaza despite ceasefire
Drone attack hits Bani Suheila in southern Gaza amid continued Israeli attacks on the enclave.
Israeli forces injure hundreds of Palestinians in raids on Tubas, West Bank
Major Israeli offensive has also destroyed roads, water networks and private property.
Convincing evidence Israel backed aid convoy looters in Gaza, historian says
Account of visit to Gaza by French professor describes Israeli military attacks on security personnel protecting convoys
A historian who spent more than a month in Gaza at the turn of the year says he saw “utterly convincing” evidence that Israel supported looters who attacked aid convoys during the conflict.
Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor of Middle East studies at France’s prestigious Sciences Po university, entered Gaza in December where he was hosted by an international humanitarian organisation in the southern coastal zone of al-Mawasi.
Continue reading...The Ukrainians Stuck in Russia’s New Gulag – The New York Times
- The Ukrainians Stuck in Russia’s New Gulag The New York Times
- Beaten, Stressed, Isolated -- A Ukrainian Civilian's Ordeal In Russian Prisons Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
- Mariupol Defender Vadim Fedorov Reveals Harsh Captivity Conditions Букви
Nigeria blames jihadist groups for wave of kidnappings but others accuse criminal gangs
Analysts instead blame criminal gangs for the kidnapping of more than 250 schoolchildren last week.
Sri Lanka seeks foreign help as Cyclone Ditwah death toll reaches 132
Some 44,000 people displaced by flooding across the country as relief operations intensify amid widespread destruction.
Hong Kong begins five-day mourning period after deadly high-rise fire
Hong Kong began a five-day mourning period, after at least 128 people were killed in fires at a high-rise complex.