Trump’s USA The war on the media
TV networks investigated for antitrust violations following boycott
The US Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into the media's temporary boycott of White House press briefings, the New York Times reports. According to the department, the boycott may violate the law.
For several days, TV networks ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News halted broadcasts from the White House—a move that resulted, among other things, in Donald Trump’s welcoming of Chinese President Xi Jinping never being aired.
The boycott was prompted by the President's decision to bar CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House in September.
"This isn't even close to an antitrust violation. It is literally about freedom of speech," Jonathan Kanter, former head of the US Department of Justice's antitrust division, told CNN.
Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery for a lung nodule
Pope Leo XIV is set to undergo surgery after doctors discovered a small nodule in his lungs, Reuters reports.
In a statement, the Pope said that doctors recommended the procedure and that he consequently decided to go ahead with it. A spokesperson told the AP that the Pope is expected to be fully recovered about a week after the surgery.
The nodule was reportedly detected at an early stage and is described as "localized," according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
The political situation in France
17-year-old Mohammed: "We aren't asking for luxury – just the chance to learn"
17-year-old Mohammed is one of thousands of French high school students demonstrating for better conditions at school.
He tells *The Guardian* that his school in the suburbs lacks sufficient desks and chairs, forcing students to stand during lessons. During the summer heatwaves, temperatures in the cramped classrooms felt like 40 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to think, he says.
"We aren't asking for luxury, just the chance to learn under reasonable conditions."
17-year-old Ilian says that police officers look down on the demonstrators "as if they were animals" and have used racist slurs against them.
"We are desperate to get back to the classroom and study, but conditions are so poor that we cannot stop until the government promises us action," he says.
Reports: 72 dead in airstrike on gold mine in Sudan
72 people have been killed in an airstrike hitting a gold mine on the border between Egypt and Sudan, according to the Sudanese human rights group The Emergency Lawyers, as reported by AFP.
The group accuses Egypt's air force of being behind the attack.
All the fatalities were reportedly civilians working at the mine, according to the group. Over 130 migrants die in boat accident off Djibouti
At least 139 migrants have died in a boat accident off the coast of Djibouti, the IOM (the UN migration agency) stated. At least 15 of the deceased are reported to be children.
A total of 84 people are missing following the accident.
The boat was en route to Yemen when it capsized during the night of October 9.
"This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost their loved ones," said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s head of mission in Djibouti.
Every year, tens of thousands of people attempt to travel from the African nation to Yemen in search of a better life. According to the UN, the people of Djibouti are severely affected by poverty, a precarious security situation, and climate change.
