There are rules and world leaders must insist they are honoured in practice and in spirit. After this atrocity in Iran, a more effective tribunal for crimes against children is essential

The killing of a reported 168 people, primarily schoolgirls, in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab in Iran has shaken to its very core the conscience of the world.

The attack, carried out nearly two weeks ago when classes were under way, reduced the school building to rubble. Parents who had sent their daughters to school discovered minutes later that classrooms had become mass graves.

Gordon Brown is the UN’s special envoy for global education and was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010

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Irish artists, British indie legends and US stars such as Tom Waits also contribute, with Springsteen writing essay about the ‘bottomless humanity’ of the late Pogues frontman

Bruce Springsteen has written an essay celebrating the “flashing, alive and historically rich” songwriting of the late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, as an all-star covers album is announced featuring Springsteen, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp and others.

Springsteen’s cover of A Rainy Night in Soho is out now, the first song to be released from 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan, which is out 13 November.

Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention. They were natural rebels unable to stifle or heed the impulses that led them to their glory and personal hardships. Great art is by nature lawless. We do not get to choose our obsessions. We do not get to dictate our blessings or our transgressions. It’s a little joke the gods play on us. Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator. The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humour in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self-obliteration. Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s.

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Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report finds

The rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.

At least $2bn (£1.5bn) has been spent by 11 African governments on Chinese-built surveillance technology that recognises faces and monitors movements, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies, which warns that national security is being used to justify implementing these systems with little regulation.

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Make use of every inch of parmesan or other grana-type cheeses with this most simple and lovely of risottos

Parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, lodigiano, trentingrana and the other members of the grana-type cheese family (there are many, and all are worth seeking out) are far from cheap. Which is why it is important to use every last bit, including the rind with the last few millimetres of cheese still attached. That functions as a sort of highly flavoured and fatty stock cube that can be added to soups and stews. The best place to keep your precious rinds is in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer, which also preserves flavour and stops them drying out, until they’re pulled out and added directly to whatever needs a boost, or to make one of the nicest, most delicately flavoured and cheesy broths, which in turn makes a lovely risotto.

I have written about risotto many times here, with each version a new favourite, and providing lessons in a dish that, regardless of how much I learn and practise, I am always chasing: the right proportions of rice to broth, as well as a pleasing consistency and texture. I know I am not alone in this, and was reassured by a friend from Bergamo, in Lombardy, who told me that, despite having made thousands of risotti, he feels much the same, that every pan is an adventure and personal challenge, and that he wouldn’t have it any other way. This is his recipe, which he describes as the simplest of risotti and a layered celebration of grana cheese.

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Charity criticises new measures that would make it harder for inquests to pass verdict of unlawful killing

Men whose abusive behaviour drives women to take their own lives are more likely to get away with their crimes because of proposed law changes, justice campaigners say.

Ministers want to make it harder for inquests to pass verdicts of unlawful killing, which have been crucial in getting justice for women who committed suicide after suffering abuse.

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Nog nooit was de opkomst bij gemeenteraadsverkiezingen zo laag geweest als in 2022. Slechts 51 procent van de kiesgerechtigden ging toen stemmen. Nu de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 2026 dichterbij komen, staat de vraag hoeveel mensen er gaan stemmen weer volop in de schijnwerpers. Wat zal de opkomst worden? Wij denken dat die lager wordt dan ooit. […]

Het bericht Opkomst bij gemeenteraadsverkiezingen wordt in 2026 lager dan ooit verscheen eerst op StukRoodVlees.

US Veterans Affairs and Department of Justice moved to establish legal guardianship over homeless and at risk of being homeless veterans (NYT archive), which could be used to force more of them into involuntary or institutional care by establishing more complete and permanent legal control over the rights of veterans. It goes beyond the executive order which established civil commitment over veterans.

Of the 33,000 homeless veterans in the US, 14,000 live on the streets and make up around 5 percent of the unsheltered homeless population. For most Americans, health care and guardianship are handled by state systems or private hospitals. The federal government normally has no direct operational authority in those cases. Veterans, however, are one of the few groups the federal government can act for directly. They're different because their care often occurs in federally operated hospitals and their benefits and housing programs are federal programs, giving the VA (who administers benefits through federal hospitals) a practical role in initiating the legal processes. This policy shift represents a radical change from the deinstitutionalization that occurred in the in the US.

Wonen neemt voor een steeds groter deel van de mensen in en om Amsterdam een steeds grotere hap uit hun inkomen. Oorzaak: er zijn te weinig betaalbare woningen voor huishoudens met een laag inkomen, schrijft Het Parool.

Dat blijkt uit het onderzoek Wonen in de Metropoolregio Amsterdam, dat elke twee jaar wordt uitgevoerd in opdracht van gemeenten en woningcorporaties in de Metropoolregio Amsterdam. Het komt erop neer dat de prijsklassen van woningen sterk uit verhouding zijn met de inkomensverdeling in de regio.

Het aantal huurders in Amsterdam en de ommelanden dat vanwege hun inkomen is aangewezen op midden- en duurdere huurwoningen groeit, en zij geven een almaar groter deel van hun inkomen uit aan woonlasten. Huurders waren in 2025, na aftrek van eventuele huurtoeslag, gemiddeld 27 procent van hun netto-inkomen kwijt aan alleen de huur van hun woning.

DAKAR (ANP/AFP/RTR) - Senegal heeft de straf voor relaties tussen mensen van hetzelfde geslacht verhoogd naar 5 tot 10 jaar cel. Eerder was dat 1 tot 5 jaar cel. De beslissing komt te midden van een harde campagne tegen de lhbti-gemeenschap in het land.

Een enorme meerderheid van de nationale vergadering in Senegal stemde in met het wetsvoorstel, dat ook straffen oplegt voor mensen die schuldig worden bevonden aan het "promoten" en "financieren" van relaties tussen mensen van hetzelfde geslacht. 135 stemden voor, 0 tegen en 3 onthielden zich van stemming.

Sinds februari zijn er tientallen mannen gearresteerd op grond van de anti-lhbti-wetten in Senegal. Doorzoekingen van telefoons en beschuldigingen van homoseksualiteit vormen vaak de aanleiding voor arrestaties.

banzainetsurfer has added a photo to the pool:

Kotohira, Nakatado District, Kagawa, Shikoku, Japan
日本四国地方香川県仲多度郡琴平町

Built in Kotohira in 1835, Kanamaruza Theater (金丸座) is Japan's oldest surviving, complete kabuki playhouse. From time to time, it still stages kabuki performances, featuring some of the country's most popular kabuki stars.

When no shows are held, the theater is open to visitors who can explore Kanamaruza's audience hall, stage, and dressing rooms.

Source: www.japan-guide.com/e/e5452.html