Analysis: The British children of Isil are victims too
British and other foreign children of the Islamic State have been left in limbo in Syria’s squalid refugee camps, their governments unwilling to accept them back. There will be some who have little sympathy for them, preferring to save it for the group’s countless victims. But their own children should, and must be, counted among…
Former Pope blames abuse scandal on the sexual revolution of the swinging 60s
A former Pope has blamed the Catholic Church’s abuse scandal on the effects of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Former Pope Benedict XVI, who was born in Germany, published a rare essay in a Bavarian Catholic journal saying that the clerical abuse crisis was brought about by a general “collapse” in morality. He also…
Donald Trump ‘strongly’ considering releasing detained migrants in sanctuary cities despite outcry
Donald Trump yesterday said he was still considering releasing detained migrants onto the streets of “sanctuary cities” despite 24 hours of outcry after the proposal was revealed. The US president tweeted that he was giving “strong considerations” to taking the move, which had been criticised as a form of political retribution when it first emerged…
France and Germany to take in migrants stranded on rescue ship in the Mediterranean
France said on Friday that it and other EU nations would take in more than 60 migrants stranded on a German rescue ship off Malta which has refused to let them disembark unless other countries help. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Twitter he had spoken with his Maltese counterpart about the 64 migrants, including…
Switzerland ends wartime emergency coffee stockpiling
Switzerland on Wednesday announced plans to abolish the nation’s emergency stockpile of coffee, in place for decades, after declaring the beans not vital for human survival, though opposition to the proposal is brewing. Nestle, the maker of instant coffee Nescafe, and other importers, roasters and retailers are required by Swiss law to store bags of raw coffee. The country stockpiles other…
Cryptographer close to Assange arrested for attempting to ‘destabalise’ Ecuador
A suspected collaborator of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested Thursday in Ecuador while trying to ‘travel’ to Japan, the South American country’s interior minister said. Maria Paula Romo did not identify the person but told Sonorama radio he was very close to Assange, who was arrested Thursday in London on a US extradition request after spending…
Israeli spacecraft crashes into moon in bid for first private lunar landing
An Israeli spacecraft has failed in its attempt to make history as the first privately funded lunar mission. The SpaceIL spacecraft lost contact with Earth late on Thursday moments before it was to land on the moon. "We definitely crashed on the surface of the moon," said Opher Doron of Israel Aerospace Industries. He said the spacecraft’s engine…
The Great Survivor: How Benjamin Netanyahu clung on to power in Israel again
It was an election challenge that would unnerve even the most hardened political operative: Benjamin Netanyahu was asking Israelis to give him a fifth term as prime minister. But both he and his wife were facing criminal corruption charges. A majority of Israeli voters were telling pollsters they were tired of Mr Netanyahu after 10…
Netanyahu operatives boast of driving down Arab turnout with hidden cameras
Political operatives working for Benjamin Netanyahu’s party have boasted that they drove down voter turnout among Arab-Israelis by illegally hiding 1,300 cameras inside Arab polling stations. Israeli police intervened in the middle of Tuesday’s election after it emerged that volunteers for Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party were monitoring Arab polling stations with hidden cameras attached to…
Geoffrey Rush wins defamation case against Australian newspaper over sexual misconduct accusations
Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush won his defamation case on Thursday against a Sydney newspaper publisher and journalist over reports he had been accused of inappropriate behaviour toward an actress. The 67-year-old Australian had sued The Daily Telegraph‘s publisher – which is unrelated to this publication – and journalist Jonathon Moran over two stories and a poster published in…