Olympic Committee Bars Transgender Athletes From Women’s Events

Under Carney, Canada Finally Hits NATO’s 2% Spending Target

Trump and other American presidents have criticized Canada for failing to meet the alliance’s military spending minimum of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Delivers New Threats, Escalating Effort to Pressure Iran

Mr. Trump warned Iranian officials to consider his peace proposal “before it is too late.” He said he had not decided if he would extend his Friday deadline for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz.

Here’s the latest.

MEPs back plans for ‘return hubs’, raising fears of ‘human rights black holes’

European parliament votes in favour of sending refused asylum seekers to offshore hubs, in ‘historic setback for refugee rights’People with no right to stay in the EU could be detained for up to two years or sent to offshore centres described by experts as possible “human rights black holes” under plans voted for by the European parliament on Thursday.An alliance of mostly centre-right and far-right lawmakers voted for a proposal to increase returns of undocumented migrants to their home countries, in a further sign of strain on the grand coalition of centrist political forces that has traditionally driven EU lawmaking. Continue reading...

Finnish MP convicted for saying homosexuality is ‘developmental disorder’

Christian Democrat Päivi Räsänen, who was fined €1,800, was supported by conservative US group Alliance Defending FreedomA Finnish member of parliament has been found guilty by the supreme court of inciting hatred after claiming that homosexuality is a “developmental disorder”, in a conviction that prompted criticism from far-right government ministers.Päivi Räsänen, of the Christian Democrats, made the claims in a pamphlet first published in 2004 and reproduced on the website of the Luther Foundation Finland and the Finnish Evangelical Mission Diocese in 2007. Continue reading...

Orban's Hungarian government accused of mass voter intimidation ahead of election

A film quoting voters, mayors and a police officer alleges money and drugs are being offered to pressure people to back the ruling party.

Spanish woman wins legal battle to end her life under euthanasia law

Noelia Castillo, 25, has struggled with psychiatric illness since she was young and tried to kill herself in October 2022A Spanish woman who spent months fighting her father for the right to euthanasia after being sexually assaulted and becoming paraplegic is expected to end to her life on Thursday.Noelia Castillo, 25, has struggled with psychiatric illness since she was a teenager and tried to kill herself in October 2022 after being sexually assaulted. The attempt left her in constant pain and using a wheelchair. Eighteen months later, she used Spain’s euthanasia law, which was introduced in 2021, to secure permission to end her life.In Spain, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 900 525 100. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie Continue reading...

Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran ‘begging to make a deal’ and has let some tankers through strait as a ‘present’

US president addresses conflict at cabinet meeting with fresh barbs against Nato and the UK in particularAnalysis: Trump pitches peace plan but military buildups rarely veer to off-rampAn Iranian envoy has said South Korean ships can pass through the strait of Hormuz only after coordinating with Tehran, the Yonhap News Agency has reported.Such an agreement had to be reached in advance of the transit, said Saeed Khuzechi, the Iranian ambassador to South Korea, at a press conference in response to a question about guarantees for South Korean vessels to navigate the vital conduit for oil. Continue reading...

European Allies Worry Russia Is Preparing to Deliver Drones to Iran

The drones are an improved version of a weapon that Iran sent to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.