Juneteenth Joy

The Obama Center opens, and a guide to what to do on the holiday in NYC.

What can be done about the explosion of disinformation?

The menace is everywhere yet you can hardly spot it, stop it or punish it, says expert.

The screams through the wall: the hidden toll of Russia's war against Ukraine

On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Jacqueline Mahon, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine, writes in a Euronews op-ed that wartime sexual violence scars survivors, families and communities, while funding cuts threaten support services.

HELOC vs. home equity loans: Which is better for paying off expensive debt?

Record-high credit card interest rates are squeezing household budgets, but homeowners might be sitting on the perfect solution.

‘Dear You’ Director Credits Overseas Chinese Letter-Writing Tradition for Sleeper Hit’s Emotional Power

Director Lan Hongchun took the stage at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival to discuss how “Dear You,” now one of China’s most-talked-about films of the year, drew its emotional charge from qiaopi – the tradition of family letters and remittances exchanged between

Deadly 7.8-magnitude Philippines quake turns seabed into shore

Tectonic forces thrust chunks of an island’s coastline upward in a phenomenon known as “coastal uplift”.

The UK’s New Under-16 Social Media Ban Will Cause More Harm Than It Prevents

This week, politicians in the UK pushed forward with plans to eviscerate privacy and free speech on the internet by announcing a ban on social media for users under 16 that is set to take effect in Spring 2027. The UK government continues to falsely characterize this policy as

Wasian and proud — but does the label uplift or divide?

“Wasians” are having a moment right now. Think of Winter Olympians Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, actors Lola Tang (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry), or singer/dancer Megan Skiendiel from Katseye. In fact,

Pearl River Film Launches Studio With Author Guo Ni, Sets Eight-Franchise Slate

Pearl River Film and Media has joined forces with Black Body Interactive and Meng Guo Ji Media to establish a dedicated studio with Chinese author Guo Ni, committing to adapt eight of her youth and sci-fi franchises for the screen, with Baidu AI Cloud on board as a production

France's foreign ministry denies asking for ban of Iranian opposition rally

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry denied on Friday that it had asked for the ban of an Iranian opposition rally that had been due to take place on Saturday in Paris. The Paris-based NCRI said earlier in the day that the Paris police had banned their rally at

EFF Joins 60+ Groups Urging the UK to Halt Face Estimation at the Border

This week, EFF joined Foxglove, Human Rights Watch, and 60 other organizations in writing to the UK’s Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, raising serious concern about the Home Office’s decision to deploy Facial Age Estimation (FAE) to assess

Deep-sea denizens go years without food with clever biological fix

New research indicates that their solution is partly anatomical and partly genetic.

Russian drones hit two foreign-flagged civilian ships in the Black Sea, Ukraine says

Local air defences shot down 79 of 90 Russian drones from Thursday evening into Friday morning, per Ukraine's air force.

Experts urge Yangon to step up building inspections after unusual earthquake aftershocks

Parts of Myanmar – including areas further south – have continued to experience seismic activity since a devastating earthquake struck Mandalay last year.

Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 18 as Israel says four soldiers killed by Hezbollah

It comes a day after the US and Iran signed a deal to end their conflict, including fighting in Lebanon.

Pragmata patch has finally fixed the hardest section of the game

Pragmata update 1.220 has made training simulation #30 easier and added the Scribble Suit for Hugh to the game.

Football not covered by US-Iran framework deal, Iran's World Cup squad finds

Just two days after Washington and Tehran signed a framework deal aimed at ending their war, Iran's football federation said US travel restrictions on its World Cup squad remain unchanged, and is filing a formal complaint with FIFA.

‘Stand Up’ Review: A Dutch Disability Drama With Complexity and Integrity

Most able-bodied people don’t know what to say to 23-year-old Vera (Lucia Zemene) in the months following a traffic collision that left her without a leg, but one empty platitude really stands out: A friend suggests that maybe it happened for a reason. Haunted by this thought,

Have an Indian ancestor? A new proposal could soon let you play sport for India

With Indian-origin athletes of foreign nationalities, India could boost its global sports performance.

India probes embezzlement allegations at landmark temple

A team has been set up to look into alleged siphoning of cash offerings made by devotees.

Europe looks at banning social media for teens, and girls are most impacted

As the UK joins a growing list of countries looking at banning or severely curbing children's access to social media, data shows girls have higher levels of problematic social media use than boys across Europe.

Chinese Filmmakers Face Red Tape, Cultural Barriers in International Co-Productions, Shanghai Panel Finds

Chinese filmmakers are struggling with bureaucratic hurdles and different audience expectations in international co-productions, according to panelists at a “Belt and Road” discussion at SIFForum, the Shanghai International Film Festival’s industry dialogue sessions. Yan Peng,

India’s strategic autonomy morphing into a connectivity strategy

As India pursues its ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047 — the centenary of its independence — reliable access to overseas markets has become a strategic imperative. Yet recent crises in West Asia — ranging from the Gaza war and Red Sea disruptions to the Iran war

Deadly Philippines quake turns seabed into shore

Arsenio Butil Jr. fell to his knees and began to pray when last week's deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake began shaking his home on the coast of the southern Philippines.

The gap between true and known

We have more agency and choice than we know. And sometimes, when the awareness of our freedom arrives, it’s too late to reclaim the opportunities we missed. Some of the walls around us are real—built by people who have no right to build them, who profit from our staying put.

IDF says four killed in southern Lebanon, including senior officer

Ben Simhon, who was killed in the Friday strike, became the battalion's commander in April after his predecessor was severely wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon. He is survived by his wife, who serves as a combat officer in the IDF's Reconnaissance Corps, and his two

Japan-owned vessel passed through Strait of Hormuz on Friday, Japan says

TOKYO, June 19 (Reuters) - A vessel owned by a Japanese company carrying three Japanese crew members safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and exited the Gulf, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. • The vessel, which had been stuck in the Gulf due to the

ICC chief prosecutor Khan suspended by British bar association

By Stephanie van den Berg THE HAGUE, June 19 (Reuters) - Britain's Bar Standards Board said on Friday it had imposed an interim suspension of Karim Khan, who had been the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor before he was suspended by the court on June 8 over sexual

Palm oil, coconut and soybean drive more species extinction than previously thought

Oils from crops such as coconut, palm oil and soybean are used in a range of applications, from cosmetics and makeup to margarine and spreads, and from medicines to animal feed. These oil crops, as they are known, are increasingly consumed and cultivated. This has an impact on

Molecular simulations uncover why water nanodrops spread thin on hydrophilic surfaces

Why does water roll off a duck's back but spread on clean glass? For macroscopic (millimeter-scale) drops, this behavior can be explained using continuum theory. However, when nanoscale (10–9 mm) droplets spread on surfaces, a force called line tension becomes relevant and

Farms, schools, rail and health services under strain as heatwave grips France

With temperatures set to soar as high as 40°C in the coming days, many workers are already changing their routines to adapt to the imminent challenges. In Bordeaux’s vineyards, the working day now starts before dawn as to protect workers from peak climates during the middle of

Andy Burnham wins U.K. Parliament seat, key step in bid to oust prime minister

Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is now positioned to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the governing Labour Party and to seize the top job.

Podcast | Ten years on, Brexit ghosts still linger

Ten years ago, the UK voted to leave the European Union. On the eve of the 23 June anniversary, we look at how both the EU and the UK have changed since Brexit.

Plans to end gazumping with binding agreements in house sales shake-up

Sales agreements will be legally binding sooner and making sellers provide more home information up front are part of the planned changes.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca to Speak at Toronto Market Summit

Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s first-ever market, known as TIFF: The Market, has revealed that Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEOs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca will headline the Speakers’ Summit. The executives will take part in an in-depth conversation on Sept. 11

SpaceX lands investment-grade credit ratings as shares tumble from record high

SpaceX has been awarded investment-grade credit ratings by all three major agencies just days after its record stock market debut, even as its newly listed shares slid sharply on Thursday.

Ethiopia on the edge of its widest and most catastrophic war

As alliances among anti-government forces emerge and the federal government intensifies its militarised policies, Ethiopia risks becoming entangled in a broader and potentially devastating war that could draw in multiple actors and cause instability beyond its borders.

Japan rice prices fall for first time in 3.5 years

Japan enacts changes to bolster support for elderly without kin

These include hospital admission and discharge and handling administrative procedures after death.

Spain faces first major heatwave of the year with highs up to 45°C from Monday

A mass of warm air from Africa will hit Spain and France from this Saturday until Tuesday 23 June, with temperatures in some areas possibly exceeding 40°C.

South Korea’s Lee calls for overhaul of election management after flawed vote

Lee has ordered a probe into the ballot shortages that marred the June 3 local elections.

South Korea's Lee calls for overhaul of election management after flawed vote

SEOUL, June 19 - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that the country's election management system needed a major overhaul, calling a series of controversies involving the National Election Commission (NEC) including ballot-paper shortages \"absurd.\"

Australia agrees to pay millions to compensate asylum seekers locked in desert

The detention centre, which closed in 2003, held close to 1,500 people within six months of opening.

Afghan forces struck militant hideouts in Pakistan, Taliban says

Japan rice prices fall for first time in 3.5 years: Official

Rice prices skyrocketed in 2024 and 2025 because of supply problems linked to multiple factors.

Hayley Kiyoko’s Feature Film ‘Girls Like Girls’ Took a Decade to Make. Now That It’s Here, She Hopes It’s Just the Beginning for Sapphic Media

“Girls Like Girls” has been a long time in the making. Originally released as a music video in 2015 by musician Hayley Kiyoko, the tune with the lyrics “Girls like girls, just like boys do” quickly became a sapphic anthem, amassing 163 million views on YouTube to date. “After

Australia, last continent without H5 bird flu, detects first suspected case

SYDNEY, June 19 - Australia has detected its first suspected mainland case of H5N1 bird flu in a remote part of the country's southwest, authorities said on Friday.