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We need to talk about NGOs 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

William Nattrass is a freelance journalist and commentator based in Prague and covers Central Europe.Since the European Union’s Qatargate corruption scandal erupted late last year, much of the debate has increasingly focused on the blame apportionable to Brussels’ sprawling NGO sector.Along these lines, conservatives argue there’s now a pressing need to impose stricter transparency requirements on NGOs — after all, those skeptical of ulterior motives among such organizations couldn’t have dreamt up a better example of hypocrisy than allegations that an organization called Fight Impunity was sitting at the center of a web of international bribery.  Meanwhile, left-wing groups are countering this argument, saying that one or two bad apples are being used as an excuse to scapegoat the whole fruit barrel. But not only is their argument flawed — it also fails to see the opportunity such requirements could bring.In light of Qatargate, the European Commission is now trying ...

Biden’s Northern Ireland ultimatum looks doomed to fail

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

LONDON — Joe Biden is not someone known for his subtlety.His gaffe-prone nature — which saw him last week confuse the New Zealand rugby team with pro-British soldiers from the Irish civil war — leaves little in the way of nuance.But he is also a sentimental man from a long gone era of Washington, who specializes in a type of homespun, aw-shucks affability that would be seen as naff in a younger president.His lack of subtlety was on show in Belfast last week as he issued a thinly veiled ultimatum to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) — return to Northern Ireland’s power sharing arrangements or risk losing billions of dollars in U.S. business investment.The DUP — a unionist party that does not take kindly to lectures from American presidents — is refusing to sit in Stormont, the Northern Ireland Assembly, due to its anger with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol, which has created trade friction between the region and the rest of the U.K.The DUP is also refusing to support the ...

Local surfer, SDSU grad paralyzed in Easter weekend accident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A local surfer and San Diego State University graduate suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury on Easter weekend that has left him paralyzed. According to his family, 23-year-old Collin Bosse was swimming in Mission Bay with his friends on Saturday, April 8 when the unexpected happened -- he unknowingly dove into shallow waters. Community rallies behind San Diego woman paralyzed from rare neurological disorder Instead of gliding through the bay as anticipated, Collin hit his head with force on the bottom. Summer Bosse, Collin's sister, told FOX5SanDiego.com her brother immediately felt a strange sensation in his body before he sunk under the water and was unable to move.His friends -- one of them a lifeguard -- noticed something was wrong, immediately springing into action. Summer says one person stabilized his neck while others called emergency services.Once at the hospital and assessed my medical professionals, Collin's family said doctors told them he had suffere...

Ready for a challenge? Here are the hardest hikes in San Diego

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego is a paradise for outdoor adventurists, with a diverse natural landscape that's meant to explore. But with that comes dozens of trails that are not for the faint of heart -- ones sure to exhaust and drain even the most experienced of hikers.For those looking to take on more of a challenge this spring, here are some of the hardest trails for hikers in San Diego County, according to AllTrails. 7 quiet and easy San Diego trails for non-hikers El Cajon Mountain TrailLength: 11 milesEst. time of completion: 6 hours, 55 minutesEl Cajon Mountain Trail near Lakeside is regarded as the hardest trails in San Diego County. This out-and-back trail takes hikers up to the 3,648 ft. summit of El Cajon Mountain. The peak is also nicknamed "El Capitan" after the iconic Yosemite National Park granite rock formation, given similar formations seen at the mountain's summit.This is not a hike for those without experience and should NOT be tackled in the summer. The brutal trail h...

Twitter adds ‘Government-funded Media’ tag to CBC account

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

One of CBC’s Twitter accounts now has a label which describes the broadcaster as “Government-funded Media.”News of the addition to @CBC was shared late Sunday on Twitter by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who had asked the social media company to add the label to accounts that promote “news-related” content from CBC English but did not ask the same for its French counterpart.CBC media relations director Leon Mar says Twitter’s decision defies its own policy, which says government-funded media “may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content.”Mar says that is “clearly not the case with CBC/Radio-Canada.”He says CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that is voted upon by all MPs, and that its editorial independence is protected in law in the Broadcasting Act.Poilievre, in his tweet, also posted a link to a petition on the Conservative’s website that cal...

G-7 envoys urge tough stance on Chinese, N Korean aggression

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are tackling two major worries in Northeast Asia, vowing a tough stance on China’s increasing threats to Taiwan and North Korea’s unchecked tests of long-range missiles.Another major crisis, Russia’s war in Ukraine, will also consume the agenda Monday as the diplomats gather in this Japanese hot spring resort town for Day Two of talks meant to pave the way for action by G-7 leaders when they meet next month in Hiroshima.For the American delegation, the meeting comes at a crucial moment in the world’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and efforts to deal with China, two issues that G-7 ministers from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union regard as potent challenges to the post-World War II rules-based international order.A senior U.S. official traveling with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the Biden adm...

Muslims around the world consider climate during Ramadan

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — In the heart of Jakarta, the grand Istiqlal Mosque was built with a vision for it to stand for a thousand years. The mosque was conceived by Soekarno, Indonesia’s founding father, and was designed as an impressive symbol for the country’s independence. Its seven gates — representing the seven heavens in Islam — welcome visitors from across the archipelago and the world into the mosque’s lofty interior. But they don’t just see the light here. It fuels them.A major renovation in 2019 installed upwards of 500 solar panels on the mosque’s expansive roof, now a major and clean source of Istiqlal’s electricity. And this Ramadan, the mosque has encouraged an energy waqf — a type of donation in Islam that continues to bear fruit over time — to grow its capacity to make renewable power. Her Pramtama, deputy head of the Ri’ayah — or building management — division of Istiqlal Mosque, hopes that Islam’s holiest month, when the faithf...

One person critically injured in fight at west end apartment building

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

Police say one person is fighting for their life after reports of a fight in the west end of the city. Police say they were called to an apartment building in the area of Lisgar Street and Queen Street West just after 9 p.m.When they arrived they discovered one person without vital signs and life-saving measures were started as paramedics arrived on scene. More to come

Netflix keeps 'Love Is Blind' fans waiting for live reunion

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Love isn't patient, love isn't kind — at least if you ask the fans of Netflix's “Love Is Blind.” Viewers had to wait more than an hour to watch the Season 4 reunion special set to stream live Sunday — Netflix's second-ever live event on its own platform.“Love Is Blind: The Live Reunion,” hosted by Vanessa and Nick Lachey, was to stream from Los Angeles starting at 5 p.m. Pacific. Netflix subscribers were able to join a waiting room for the show 10 minutes before the start time — and those who did were still there an hour later. The show finally started airing — seemingly live — at around 6:16 p.m. Pacific, although some Netflix users still reported difficulties accessing the content.“We are sorry we're late,” Vanessa Lachey said, the sole acknowledgment of the delay at the top of the broadcast.“To everyone who stayed up late, woke up early, gave up their Sunday afternoon… we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as we had planne...

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson reflects on 100 days in office

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:25:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Sunday marks the 100th day Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has been in office. "Some days I think, 'Wow, this is the fastest 100 days I've ever experienced,'" Watson said. KXAN sat down with him in a one-on-one interview to dive into a variety of issues from affordability to public safety. Watson described the nearly four months he's been in office as "fast and furious." AffordabilityIn that time, he said he's taken steps towards getting more affordable housing. Watson said one of the ways is by bringing a consulting company to look deeper at the city's permitting process. "One of the big problems we have with getting more affordable housing is how long it takes to get a site plan," Watson said. "What I've asked them to do is a performance review of the overall site planning process, which is the part that ends up eating up so much time."HomelessnessFrom housing to addressing homelessness, the mayor said he's also spent time working on a program to help with the lack of eme...