Don't forget the Central Park Five who were wrongly charged and convicted of assaulting and raping a jogger in Central Park. Donald Trump took out full page newspaper adverts calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state of New York. Even though they were completely exonerated following the confession of the real culprit. Donald Trump continued to insist they were guilty. They were only guilty of being minorities.
Donald Trump was also sued twice by the U.S. Justice Department for discriminating against eligible African American renters.
Then there is the whole birther issue. For six years Donald Trump insisted that President Obama wasn't born in America and therefore ineligible to be president.
South Korea's acting president says prosecutors need to end their investigation into impeached President Park Geun-Hye. And they will be able to question her in person.
But did Hwang Kyo-ahn make this decision to help Park? Or to help himself?
He said that the investigation must end so that the country can move on. But opposition leaders say Hwang is trying to speed along the impeachment process so he can officially be elected president.
US President Donald Trump is seeking to boost defence spending by 10% in his proposed budget plan for 2018.
The blueprint will increase defence spending by $54bn (£43bn) but seeks to recoup that sum through deep cuts elsewhere, including to foreign aid.
Mr Trump's plan leaves large welfare programmes untouched, despite Republican calls for reform.
The president has consulted government agencies about his plans and will present his budget to Congress in May.
Between now and then, he needs to identify where the agencies can make savings and work out what he does with tax reform.
'Please forgive me': Letters home from abandoned Isis facility offer insights into recruits' lives and motivations
‘His mind was fragile and they took advantage of that, promising him virgins and lecturing him about being a good Muslim. If someone had tempted him with drugs and alcohol, he probably would have done that instead’
“My dear family, please forgive me,” reads the handwritten letter discarded in the dusty halls of an Isis training compound in eastern Mosul.
“Don't be sad and don't wear the black clothes [of mourning]. I asked to get married and you did not marry me off. So, by God, I will marry the 72 virgins in paradise.”
They were schoolboy Alaa Abd al-Akeedi’s parting words before he set off from the compound to end his life in a suicide bomb attack against Iraqi security forces last year.
Cafés empowering survivors of acid attacks in India
Every year, there are hundreds of cases of a very specific type of violence against girls and women in India: acid attacks. In most instances, a man seeking to punish a woman or girl for whatever reason throws acid at her, causing pain, scarring, and disfigurement. Even worse, survivors of these attack are often treated as outcasts. The Chhanv Foundation works to help survivors realise that their lives are not over — by employing them in their three cafés.
The Chhanv Foundationwas started in 2014, a year after the launch of the nationwide campaign “Stop Acid Attacks”. The foundation opened its first café for victims of the attacks in December 2014, in the city of Agra. Two other cafés opened on March 8 and September 19, 2016, in Lucknow (in the state of Uttar Pradesh) and Udaipur (in Rajasthan). Currently, 20 women between the ages of 17 and 35 work in these establishments.
“My husband attacked me because I had only given birth to daughters”
The Destruction of UnderstandingTrump, Erdogan and the Assault on the Free Press
Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan demand reverence rather than enlightenment and both are mounting dangerous attacks on the free press. The threat is real and the media must hold its ground.
"The immediate causes of the unrest in Berlin are directly related to the latest developments in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The enemies of the GDR in West Germany understand that the practical implementation of the new course for our party and government -- the course of raising the living standards for the broadest possible masses and the strengthening of legal certainty -- will represent a serious setback for them and, out of necessity, will lead to disaster for them. They even admitted that themselves."
That was the beginning of an editorial in the June 18, 1953, issue of Neues Deutschland, the official organ of the East German communist party, addressing the popular revolt in the GDR at the time. The paper claimed that the West was causing the resistance in the East because the West couldn't stand the East's success. And, yes, journalists can be capable of twisting their words to that degree -- if the aim is for facts to be bent to mean the opposite, if words are meant to manipulate, denounce and create instability rather than enlighten people and if there is no longer freedom of the press.
Kim Jong Un 'ordered' half brother's killing, South Korean intelligence says
Two North Korean ministries orchestrated the plot to kill Kim Jong Nam on the orders of his half-brother, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea's spy agency has said.
Lawmakers in Seoul, who were briefed by the country's intelligence officials, said the North's foreign ministry and ministry of national security had recruited the two female suspects in Kim's murder.
"The assassination of Kim Jong Nam was an act of systematic terror ordered by Kim Jong Un," South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee said in a televised address. "The operation was conducted with two assassination groups and one supporting group."
TWO DOZEN HOMELESSmen and women filed out of Rising Hope United Methodist Church, where they had found sanctuary the night before from the wind and brutal cold.
Each winter for more than 15 years, the church has acted as an overnight homeless shelter along the decaying Route 1 corridor in Alexandria, Virginia. Volunteers serve the visitors a hot meal and unroll sleeping bags for them on the church floor. The visitors have to leave the next morning by 7, when the church starts its daytime operations.
That morning in early February, as the men and women gathered in the church parking lot, a few of them noticed three unmarked cars parked across the street. Then a group of seven or eight Latino men split off from the group and headed for the shopping center across the street.
In the jungles of Peru, young coca farmers risk everything to win a deadly motor race, now a vibrant local tradition.
Omar is a soldier in the Peruvian army, but his true passion is racing motor-rickshaws in the VRAEM, a remote valley he comes from at the foot of the Andes.
While many know it as a lawless jungle region producing about 70 percent of Peru's cocaine, few are aware of its vibrant local traditions including motor-rickshaw racing.
Like Omar, many young coca farmers escape from the fields to compete in huge races, attended by thousands of spectators.
The biggest race of the year is coming up and Omar has decided to overstay his military leave to participate, working on his family's coca farm to earn the money needed to soup up his bike.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday sought to deny allegations that he is linked to an Osaka-based ultranationalist kindergarten as the public outcry over the operator and its alleged efforts to indoctrinate children with xenophobia and pre-war militarism grows.
At the center of the controversy is Tsukamoto Kindergarten, a private school that recently came under fire for distributing letters to parents that accused Korean residents and Chinese of “possessing wicked thoughts.”
It has also emerged that the principal, Yasunori Kagoike, had briefly used Abe’s name in the past to raise funds to build Mizuho no Kuni, an elementary school slated to open April this year.
Pan-Africa festival of film projects a renewed sense of optimism
Fans, stars and film-makers travel to Burkina Faso for 25th Fespaco, the biggest and most popular African film event in the world
The audience were taking no chances: as the sky brightened over the city in the morning, they lined up outside Ciné Burkina in scarves and horn-rimmed glasses, keen to be the first to catch Frontières.
The film is the poignant tale of the multiple dangers faced by four African women trying to get across west Africa to Lagos by bus – including rape, extortion, hijacking and road accidents – and their developing friendship along the way.
Most of those attending had crossed borders themselves to be there, albeit less hazardous ones than the Frontières characters, so it was a fitting start for the 25th edition of the pan-African festival of cinema and television (Fespaco) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the biggest and most popular African film event in the world.
Nearly 10 attacks on refugees a day in Germany in 2016
‘Nazis are threatening refugees and therefore our democracy,’ says left-wing politician
An average of nearly 10 attacks a day were carried out on refugees in Germany last year, according to the country’s interior ministry.
Attacks injured 560 people, including 43 children, and prompted accusations that the country’s hardened stance on the refugee issue was encouraging hate crimes.
According to the ministry, there were more than 3,500 attacks on refugees and asylum hostels
Three quarters of attacks were against individuals outside buildings housing refugees, with 1,000 attacks on the building themselves.
27 February 2017
Haitians' ire over carnival spending amid hurricane's ruins
Starjuin Regent is still waiting for Haitian government aid to help him rebuild his fishing business, which was destroyed last year by Hurricane Matthew.
In the nearly five months since the massive category five storm hit, residents are still struggling to rebuild shattered homes and businesses.
All the more reason then, for the ire of Regent and many others over millions of dollars spent by officials on upcoming carnival festivities in his hometown of Les Cayes.
"I've lost my boat. My home has been destroyed. I'm struggling all by myself to get back on my feet, but it's hard," said Regent, with a weary look on his face.
- 'A lot of blah, blah, blah' -
Egyptian Christians fleeing the Sinai after sectarian killings
The latest exodus was triggered by a series of killings that culminated in the murder of a Christian plumber in front of his family on Thursday.
Brian Rohan
Associated Press
Egyptian Christians fearing attacks by Islamic State group militants fled the volatile northern part of the Sinai Peninsula for a fourth day on Sunday, after a string of sectarian killings there sent hundreds packing and raised accusations the government is failing to protect the minority.
Over 100 families from the town of el-Arish and nearby have come to the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Cairo, since Friday, Nabil Shukrallah of the city's Evangelical Church said.
Families arrive scared and in need of supplies, which are being stockpiled at the church via donations from several parishes, he said. They are then transported to be housed in and around the city, in private homes and now also accommodation provided by the government.
Super Mario go-karts hit Nintendo roadblock in Tokyo
Nintendo files copyright lawsuit against Tokyo company providing go-karts and costumes to real-life Mario wannabes.
Zipping around the streets of Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya district in a go-cart dressed as a Nintendo Super Mario character is listed as one of the 17 unique things to try in Japan’s capital. (It’s number eight.)
But maybe not for much longer. Nintendo, the maker of all things Super Mario, including the Mario Kart video game, has taken umbrage at the company providing the real-life experience of buzzing Tokyo streets as a Mario look-alike.
Nintendo filed a copyright lawsuit against Shinagawa-based MariCAR, which offers the go-kart thrills and the costumes. In a statement issued on Friday, Nintendo said the suit filed in the Tokyo District Court alleges MariCAR breached Nintendo’s intellectual property rights.
Since coming to power last June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been on a mission to eradicate what he claims is the country's pandemic drug problem.
Police records show about 7,000 Filipinos have been killed since then. One-third of those deaths have occurred during police operations, but the rest have been attributed to unknown gunmen in a wave of vigilantism that has been unleashed by the rhetoric of the president himself, critics say.
This campaign, what Duterte calls a "war on drugs", has created a new beat for a group of photojournalists who have come to be known as the "nightcrawlers".
Kim Jong-nam killing: Malaysia airport terminal declared safe
The airport terminal where the half-brother of North Korea's leader was killed with a nerve agent has been declared free of any "hazardous material" by Malaysian police.
Security teams in protective suits had earlier swept the area.
Malaysia's health minister said that an autopsy suggested the toxin used to kill Kim Jong-nam caused "very serious paralysis".
Tests show Mr Kim was killed with the highly toxic nerve agent VX.
An Indonesian woman arrested for the murder has said she was given 400 Malaysian ringgit ($90; £72) to carry out a prank.
Siti Aisyah, 25, told Indonesian embassy officials that she was given the cash to smear Kim Jong-nam's face with "baby oil" as part of a reality show joke.
Opinion: The new war of words in the Balkans
From Belgrade and Banja Luka to Pristina, politicians are again speaking of war and division. But they are the words of political losers, running out of arguments to justify their hold on power, writes Frank Hofmann.
Milorad Dodik has been blacklisted by the US government for obstructing the implementation of the Dayton Agreement. The president of Republika Srpska, the autonomous region of the small Balkan nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been touting the separation of the territory he rules. He seems to be enjoying the attention from US diplomats, as it may actually support his image as the alleged savior of the Serbs. Now he is seeking validation in the form of a referendum for independence.
Thinking the rhetoric through to the end
If someone is to understand what is behind the politics, it is helpful to think through the consequences to the end. If the autonomous region of Republika Srpska were to separate from Bosnia and Herzegovina, one can probably expect that other half of the country, which is made up of Bosniak and Croatian minorities, will protest. The consequence would be a conflict that would likely entail bloodshed. In a short matter of time, Bosnian police forces would be overwhelmed. As a result, the EUFOR Althea forces stationed at the airport of Sarajevo would probably request reinforcement.
New Islamic State group call to violence sparks panic among Copts
An IS group video targeting Coptic Christians, the discovery of a shoulder-fired missile launcher near Cairo airport and recent killings have raised fears of widening terrorist activity in Egypt and resulted in Sinai Copts fleeing their homes.
The recording featured the final statement of a man they said was responsible for the December 13 suicide bombing of Egypt’s main Coptic Christian Cathedral in which nearly 30 people—mostly women and children—were killed. Calling Copts their “favourite prey,” the video called on IS group sympathisers to attack them on sight, and pledged to bring the fight to the streets of Cairo.
Philippine protesters condemn drug war on anniversary of uprising
By Buena Bernal, For CNN
Thousands of Filipinos took to the streets Saturday to mark the anniversary of the 1986 uprising against Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos amid concerns of an authoritarian relapse under current President Rodrigo Duterte.
Crowds gathered on a highway in Manila, the same area that millions flocked to 31 years ago in a peaceful revolt that led to Marcos' ouster.
The so-called People Power Revolution three decades ago attracted government leaders, church groups and civilians in a series of protests that ended Marcos' 14-year military rule marred by human rights violations.
Edge of darkness: looking into the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way
It would take a telescope as big as a planet to see the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. But a team of scientists think they know how to do it
At the heart of our galaxy, a vast black hole is devouring matter from the dust clouds that surround it. Little by little, expanses of interstellar material are being swallowed up by this voracious galactic carnivore that, in the process, has reached a mass that is 4m times that of our sun.
The Milky Way’s great black hole is 25,000 light years distant, surrounded by dense clusters of stars, shrouded by interstellar dust and, like all other black holes, incapable of emitting light.
Yet scientists believe they will soon be able to take a photograph of this interstellar behemoth – an extraordinarily ambitious feat that will involve the creation of a radio telescope that has the effective size of our entire planet and whose operation will involve scientists from four continents.
It was morning in the land of the gods. “The mountains and the waters serve our sovereign,” wrote a seventh-century poet. “And she (Empress Jito), a goddess, is out on her pleasure-barge upon the foaming rapids.”
Lovely times those must have been. If only they could have lasted. But morning dew evaporates, children grow up, nations shed their divinity and “our sovereign” commands “the mountains and the waters,” if at all, in vain.
Japan’s monarchy claims the oldest royal lineage in the world. The reigning Emperor is, theoretically and maybe even historically, Empress Jito’s descendant. So tangible a link to so remote a past is no doubt a factor in a deeply conservative strain in the national character.
Can the Muslim and Buddhist communities of Rakhine State come to an understanding under Aung San Suu Kyi's rule?
In December 2016, former secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, visited Myanmar for talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, regarding simmering tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State, on the western coast of the country.
Rakhine is home to over one million displaced people, most belonging to the Rohingya community. It is one of the largest stateless populations in the world, in spite of their belief that they are indigenous to Rakhine.
The Rohingya have been called the most persecuted people in the world - at this moment in time - and are denied Myanmarese citizenship. Physical violence against them is common, with hundreds killed and thousands of houses belonging to them burned down since 2012. Reports of sexual abuse by the police and even the army have also been rife, with many Rohingya denied access to healthcare, means of employment and food.
His latest comments echo a tweet sent following his November election win in which he pledged to increase US firepower.
Speaking to journalists at the White House, Trump said he would like to see a world with no nuclear weapons, but is concerned that the US has fallen behind on nuclear weapon capacity.
Critics say the US and Russia already have more than enough warheads to deter any nuclear attack.
Donald Trump press ban: Guardian, BBC and CNN denied access to briefing
The Guardian, New York Times, CNN and more were barred from ‘gaggle’ hours after Trump once again called much of the media an ‘enemy of American people’
The White House barred several news organizations from an off-camera press briefing on Friday, handpicking a select group of reporters that included a number of conservative outlets friendly toward Donald Trump.
The “gaggle” with Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, took place in lieu of his daily briefing and was originally scheduled as an on-camera event.
But the White House press office announced later in the day that the Q&A session would take place off camera before only an “expanded pool” of journalists, and in Spicer’s West Wing office as opposed to the James S Brady press briefing room where it is typically held.
Syrian civil war: More than 40 people killed in triple suicide attack targeting government forces in Homs
Al-Qaeda linked militants launch assault on military intelligence and state security buildings
At least 42 people have been killed and many more injured in a triple suicide bombing attack by al-Qaeda linked militants on security offices in the Syrian city of Homs.
The jihadis opened fire before detonating their explosives at two headquarters operated by Syrian government forces, killing at least 42 people including a senior military security officer, General Hassan Daaboul.
He was killed with 29 other victims at a military intelligence building, while 12 more people died at a state security branch, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
136 Turkish diplomats, relatives seek asylum in Germany
More than 130 Turkish diplomats, soldiers and their family members have sought refuge in Germany since last July's failed coup, according to German government data in documents seen by AFP on Friday.
"The government is aware of 136 asylum applications filed by diplomatic passport holders from Turkey. They also include family members," said the interior ministry in a written reply to a query from a lawmaker.
The ministry said however that it did not have data on how many among the applicants are diplomats and how many are soldiers stationed at NATO bases.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has accused US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen of having orchestrated the putsch, and launched a sweeping crackdown against his followers.
Refugees who sheltered Snowden now live in fear in Hong Kong
"I (am) very scared, maybe they can arrest me," said Supun Kellapatha, a Sri Lankan asylum seeker who gave up his family's bed for Snowden. "I don't have (a) normal life now."
For weeks in 2013, the families took turns hiding Snowden in their cramped Hong Kong apartments, when he was trying to evade the authorities after carrying out one of the biggest intelligence thefts in US history. They kept their story secret until going public last year.
In Mexico, momentum grows to put out welcome mat for 'Dreamers'
Before Maggie Loredo left her home inGeorgia’s Dalton County for her grandfather’s house in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, she called the office of the Mexican public education secretariat.
If I want to apply to a public university, she asked, but I grew up in the United States, which documents am I going to need?
Nothing but your transcripts and diploma, the attendant told her.
At the time, in 2008, that sounded alluringly simple to Ms. Loredo, who had lived without legal status in the US since she was a toddler. She was contemplating a dramatic remedy to her stagnating work life: a move to the forgotten country of her birth, where public college is free and no immigration-related work rules would crimp her career aspirations.
Kim Jong-nam killing: Suspect 'was paid $90 for baby oil prank'
An Indonesian woman arrested for the murder of the half-brother of North Korea's leader has said she was given 400 Malaysian ringgits ($90) to carry out a prank.
Indonesian embassy officials met Siti Aisyah, 25, on Saturday in the Malaysian capital.
She said she was given the cash to smear Kim Jong-nam's face with "baby oil" as part of a reality show joke.
Tests show Mr Kim was killed with the highly toxic nerve agent VX.
It is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
