Here are today’s biggest headlines.
World Cup winners paint President Trump into a corner
Megan Rapinoe and her team did what Donald Trump told them to do – they finished the job. Now the question is, how will the President honor World Cup winners who have carved out a remarkable political and societal legacy?
‘I’m down with’ booing of FIFA boss, says Megan Rapinoe
In the aftermath of World Cup final victory, USWNT coach Jill Ellis, part of her face hidden by a white cap with a USA badge on the front, was alone on a podium facing a puzzled media. Her captain was not by her side, as is usually the custom in post-match press conferences.
Don’t blame the ambassador, blame the leaker, say UK leaders
Senior British politicians have defended the country’s ambassador to the US in an escalating scandal over leaked diplomatic cables that described President Donald Trump as “inept,” “insecure” and “incompetent.”
Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein accused of paying girls as young as 14 for sex
Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a criminal indictment Monday charging billionaire Jeffrey Epstein with having operated a sex trafficking ring in which he sexually abused dozens of underage girls, allegations that have circulated around the politically connected businessman for years.
Trump says Iran ‘better be careful’ as Tehran increases uranium enrichment
US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Iran after the country moved to increase uranium enrichment beyond the purity threshold reached in a landmark nuclear deal Washington pulled out of last year.
British Airways faces $230 million fine. It would be a record under Europe’s tough data privacy law
British Airways faces a record $230 million fine after a website failure compromised the personal details of roughly 500,000 customers.
South African ‘Spaceboy’ set to be first black African in space dies in crash
Mandla Maseko, the South African DJ who won a chance to become the first black African in space has died in a motorbike crash, his family said in a statement.
A Detroit festival charged white people $20 and black people $10, then they got hit with backlash
The group behind AfroFuture Fest reversed its decision to charge white people more than others for tickets to its August festival after it says they received threats and a ticketing website threatened to unpublish their event.
‘Terminator’ found guilty of DR Congo war crimes
A former Congolese rebel leader has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Fighters loyal to Bosco Ntaganda disembowelled babies and smashed their heads in, said judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC). In all, Ntaganda, nicknamed “Terminator”, was convicted on 18 counts, including murder, rape, sexual slavery and using child soldiers.
Would-be African astronaut dies in road crash
A South African who won the chance to be the first black African in space has died in a motorbike accident before turning his dream into reality. Mandla Maseko, 30, was killed on Saturday, a family statement says.
Africa Live: Ghana scraps new parliament plan
Plans for a new $200m (£160m) debating chamber in Ghana have been shelved, a parliamentary spokeswoman says. Kate Addo told local radio station Neat FM that there was no need for the building to go ahead for now. There has been a wave of public anger since the proposal was put forward last month.
Why West Africa wants a single currency
Fifteen countries in West Africa have agreed to adopt a single currency next year called the eco. Experts are divided on the impact it would have on the region’s economy, especially in the eight member states which use CFA franc – which is backed by France.
Fans celebrate the USWNT’s World Cup victory, but call out double standards
The U.S. Women’s National Team beat the Netherlands 2-0 on the field on Sunday, securing their second consecutive World Cup win. It’s an especially sweet victory after weeks of complaining from other nations, which claimed the American women were celebrating their wins too arrogantly.
Netflix responds to study reporting increased depictions of smoking on TV
Smoking is on the rise – at least it is on TV, according to a report from Truth Initiative, which has been tracking on-screen depictions of smoking and found a drastic increase between 2018 and 2019. The number one offender? Netflix.
The best viral videos of 2019 (so far)
Can you believe that we’re already halfway through a year of viral videos? These days it seems like the internet meme machine blows things up, only to forget about them a day later. So you may need a reminder of the best moments in the past few months that united us all in tears, laughter, and occasionally, sweet, sweet keyboard rage.
Yes, your emails are being tracked. Here’s how to stop it.
Here’s something you might want to think about next time you check your email: chances are, at least some of your messages are being tracked. From how many times you open a message, the time of day, and even what city you’re in, the very act of reading an email can send a surprising amount of data back to the sender, even if you never respond.
Gorgeous rose-colored Hubble photo is your daily reminder that space is super cool
Outer space is vast and full of darkness. But there is beauty to be found all throughout, as Hubble constantly reminds us. Take this newly shared image of NGC 972, a spiral galaxy discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel in 1784. It’s not our closest neighbor, at around 70 million light-years away, but it sure takes a good photo.
