US maternal mortality rate far higher than in peer nations, report finds (www.theguardian.com)
Alarming disparities persist, particularly between white and Black mothers, according to new report by Commonwealth Fund...
US Senate to vote on bill to recognize legal right to contraception (www.theguardian.com)
Passing the bill will be an uphill task for Democrats, who are daring Republicans to go on the record opposing the right to birth control...
Saudi Arabia accused of using forced labour ahead of Fifa World Cup decision (www.theguardian.com)
Union’s claim of ‘epidemic of migrant worker abuses’ could force Fifa to reject state as 2034 host if it fails to meet rights obligations...
New York magnet fisher catches safe full of soggy $100 bills, he says (apnews.com)
Lebanon: Israel’s White Phosphorous Use Risks Civilian Harm (www.hrw.org)
Israel’s widespread use of white phosphorus in south Lebanon is putting civilians at grave risk and contributing to civilian displacement. Human Rights Watch verified the use of white phosphorus munitions by Israeli forces in at least 17 municipalities across south Lebanon since October 2023, including 5 municipalities where...
USA | FDA panel votes against MDMA for PTSD therapy (www.bbc.com)
US health regulator advisers have voted against a therapy based on MDMA for PTSD patients....
Washington ready to blackmail Maldives for banning Israeli travelers (thecradle.co)
To further increase pressure against criticism of Israel, US lawmakers recently passed a bill to sanction ICC officials
Germany: New knife attack in Mannheim wounds local AfD politician (www.bbc.com)
A local candidate is wounded in Mannheim, near where a policeman was fatally stabbed five days ago....
"Saying Hong Kong Is Dead Does a Disservice to Its People": The gutting of the city’s civil society by Beijing has at times moved very slowly, and still meets with resistance (newlinesmag.com)
Archived link...
Columbia Law Review Refused to Take Down Article on Palestine, So Its Board of Directors Nuked the Whole Website (theintercept.com)
The students who run the Columbia Law Review sought out the Palestinian scholar Rabea Eghbariah, who was censored by Harvard Law Review last year....
Australia | ABC staff survey reveals 13% of news employees have faced sexual harassment (www.theguardian.com)
Survey also finds one-quarter experienced workplace bullying as broadcaster’s news director calls harassment and bullying ‘unacceptable’...
China, India interfered in races for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, report says (www.cbc.ca)
A report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) says there were two instance of alleged interference by China in Conservative Party of Canada leadership races....
Mass graves and body bags: Gaza's al-Shifa hospital after Israel withdrew its forces (www.bbc.com)
- After Israeli forces pulled out of Gaza City’s vast al-Shifa hospital -once the biggest and best equipped medical facility in the Gaza Strip- on 1 April, following their second raid there, the claim that there had been no civilian casualties was immediately questioned....
Amanda Knox reconvicted of slander in Italy for accusing innocent man in roommate’s 2007 murder (apnews.com)
Imran Khan Remains Imprisoned Over His Wife’s Menstrual Cycles. State Department Says That’s “Something For the Pakistani Courts to Decide.” (theintercept.com)
Imran Khan remains imprisoned over his wife’s menstrual cycles. The State Department says it’s “something for the Pakistani courts to decide.”...
Russian legal foundation Pravfond linked to Kremlin activities spent millions of euros to finance propaganda and legal campaigns in Europe and around the world, leaked documents reveal (www.theguardian.com)
Leaked internal documents have exposed the activities of a Russian state-backed legal defence foundation that European intelligence agencies and analysts say is in fact a Kremlin influence operation active in 48 countries across Europe and around the world....
China: After crackdown on Hong Kong, overseas communities carry the torch to keep Tiananmen memories alive (apnews.com)
Archived link...
Kano Emirate: Sanusi returns as Emir 1,545 days after dethronement (www.vanguardngr.com)
German Chancellor Scholz to Putin: we will defend 'every square inch' of NATO territory (www.reuters.com)
NATO’s recent move to strengthen its eastern border is aimed at deterring Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday, adding that it should be clear to Moscow that the alliance will be ready to defend itself if necessary....
Continued Israeli Assault Forces 1 Million Palestinians From Rafah (truthout.org)
Meanwhile, humanitarian corridors have shut down, with many agencies and aid groups pausing operations in Rafah....
Russia-China gas pipeline deal stalls over what Moscow says Beijing's unreasonable price demands in major blow for Putin (www.reuters.com)
Here is the paywalled article...
USA | Delays, denials, debt and the growing privatization of Medicare (www.theguardian.com)
Medicare Advantage enrollees report treatment denials and delays in payment, leading to harmful outcomes in healthcare...
NLC strike in Nigeria: ‘My monthly pay won't buy a bag of rice’ (www.bbc.com)
As Nigerian workers go on strike one man says he cannot survive on the new proposed minimum wage....
Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president in landslide victory (www.theguardian.com)
Former Mexico City mayor’s Morena party also on track for possible two-thirds super majority in Congress...
Male birth control gel is safe and effective, new trial findings show (www.nbcnews.com)
After decades of attempts to develop new birth control medications for men, scientists are more hopeful than ever. With new abortion restrictions, demand is growing, experts say....