Could an innovative approach to reforestation take root in BC?
U.S. failure in Afghanistan should spur a rethink of military spending
When U.S. President Joe Biden announced the impending withdrawal of the remaining U.S. troops in Afghanistan, he effectively ended the U.S.-initiated war on terrorism: the military action designed to keep the peace and build new states had failed.
Black man enslaved by South Carolina restaurant manager is owed $546,000, court rules
A former restaurant manager serving 10 years in prison for effectively enslaving a man, forcing him to work more than 100 hours a week without pay, must double the restitution he pays to his former employee – to more than half a million dollars, a court ruled. Bobby Paul Edwards, a 56-year-old white man who ran a restaurant in Conway, South Carolina, has now been ordered to pay John Christopher Smith, a Black man with intellectual disabilities, $546,000.
US secretary of state hails UK alliance but stresses need for stability in Northern Ireland
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the U.K. as his country's closest ally ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe next month, though he issued a gentle nudge to his hosts to prioritize "stability" in Northern Ireland amid tensions there over the impact of Brexit. Blinken held a joint press conference Monday with Dominic Raab, the U.K. foreign secretary, as G7 foreign ministers gather for meetings in London. The two men presented a united front as they were challenged on potential differences in approach to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the implementation of the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol — the section of the Brexit deal with the EU that is designed to prevent the need for a hard border with the Republic of Ireland to the south.
Jenner hits California nerve by siding with GOP on transgender athletes
Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist who is transgender, told TMZ that banning participation of transgender student athletes in girls' competitive sports is "a question of fairness," the same position Republican leaders in red states have taken. Her remarks angered LGBTQ activists in California and serve as another early signal to voters unfamiliar with her political positions. The heavily Democratic state has been in the vanguard on transgender rights, including passage of a 2014 law protecting the right of transgender students to play sports that correspond with their gender identity.
India passes 20 million cases amid oxygen shortage
India has recorded more than 20 million Covid infections, but the government says that cases are "slowing down". The country added more than 355,000 cases on Tuesday, down from more than 400,000 daily cases on 30 April. But testing numbers have dipped as well, sparking fears that India's true caseload is far higher. Case numbers, however, have been consistently falling in Maharashtra state, which had driven the second wave since early April. Meanwhile an oxygen shortage has shown no signs of abating and people in several hotspot cities, including the capital Delhi, are struggling for treatment.
Biden raises US refugee admissions cap to 62,500 after delay sparks anger
Joe Biden has formally raised the US cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this year, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record-low ceiling set by Donald Trump. The move was a stark turnaround from the Biden’s administration’s previous announcement last month that it would keep the number of refugees admitted to the US at the historical low of 15,000, sparking widespread outrage.
Amazon had sales income of €44bn in Europe in 2020 but paid no corporation tax
Fresh questions have been raised over Amazon’s tax planning after its latest corporate filings in Luxembourg revealed that the company collected record sales income of €44bn (£38bn) in Europe last year but did not have to pay any corporation tax to the Grand Duchy. Accounts for Amazon EU Sarl, through which it sells products to hundreds of millions of households in the UK and across Europe, show that despite collecting record income, the Luxembourg unit made a €1.2bn loss and therefore paid no tax.
New indie board games build worlds without capitalism or colonialism
Thinking through alternatives to life under capitalism, the vestiges of colonialism or the catastrophic impacts of climate change is hard but necessary work. But could it also be play?
Why Powerful People Do Stupid Things
Here’s what psychological research says about how power influences the way people think and act