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Trial opens over Charlie Hebdo terror attacks that stunned France

World Valentin Bontemps & Anne-Sophie Lasserre -

14 people accused of helping jihadist gunmen storm the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket went on trial on Wednesday, five years after three days of terror sent shock waves through France

Facebook threatens ban on Australians sharing news in battle over media law

World Agence France Presse -

Australians would be stopped from posting local and international articles on Facebook and Instagram, the company said, claiming the move was "not our first choice" but the "only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic".

TikTok chief Kevin Mayer quits company

Sci-tech Agency -

Mayer's resignation comes days after TikTok filed a lawsuit challenging a crackdown by the US government over claims the wildly popular social media app can be used to spy on Americans.

UK economy loses £22bn as virus ravages tourism: study

Coronavirus Agence France Presse -

Britain's economy will lose about £22-billion this year on the coronavirus-induced collapse of global travel, which could imperil three million jobs

Beyond batteries: Beetle bots

Sci-tech Issam Ahmed -

A tiny robot is vaping methanol to power up its artificial muscles and punch above its weight

‘Killing the chicken to scare the monkey’: what Jimmy Lai’s arrest means for Hong Kong’s independent media

World Brendan Clift -

Although self-censorship has long been a concern, Hong Kong has traditionally enjoyed a vibrant free press

WHO wants to review Russian vaccine safety data

Coronavirus Agence France Presse -

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the new coronavirus

Two huge Beirut explosions kill 78, injure thousands

World Agence France Presse -

The second blast sent an enormous orange fireball into the sky, immediately followed by a tornado-like shockwave that flattened the port and shattered windows across the city

Trump gives TikTok 6 weeks to sell itself to US company

World Paul Handley -

China's foreign ministry pushed back, calling Washington hypocritical for demanding TikTok be sold

How McKinsey is making $100m and counting) advising the US government’s coronavirus response

World Ian MacDougall & ProPublica -

For the world’s best-known corporate-management consultants, helping tackle the pandemic has been a bonanza. It’s not clear what the US government has gotten in return

The orchestrators of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen

World Cameron Joseph -

As the crisis continues to unfold, the biggest threat may be the vested interest in maintaining the civil war Therefore, with no end in sight to the conflict plaguing the nation, the question worth asking is: who benefits from a Yemen at war?

India and China border conflict intensifies

World Haris Zargar -

A frontier dispute between the two Asian giants turned deadly for the first time in 45 years. Observers argue the skirmish was exacerbated by Delhi’s annexation of Kashmir and Ladakh

Covid-19: The straw that breaks Yemen’s back?

Coronavirus Cameron Joseph -

The pandemic may be the final blow to a nation on the brink

The blankest spot on Trump’s world map

World Alex Park -

In his new book of his time in the Trump White House, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton shares Trump’s very few thoughts on Africa

Paris throws off mask to party like the virus never was

Coronavirus Fiachra Gibbons -

Social distancing and face masks were largely forgotten as thousands of French people danced and partied well into Monday in the first big blow out since the coronavirus lockdown

Militarisation, repression and capitalism in the US

World William I Robinson -

A global police state – the military arm for capital interests – marginalises, controls and subjugates millions of people considered surplus humanity

America’s ‘Black Mecca’ rallies against racist police brutality

World Chika Oduah -

Known as a hub of revolution during the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta has once again been at the forefront of police brutality protests in the US

Pandemic and protest: The view from New York City

World Jakki Kerubo -

The police brutality protests through the eyes of an African in Brooklyn, New York

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