RUSSIAN GENERAL BELIEVED TO BE DETAINED IN AFTERMATH OF WAGNER MUTINY

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, has been exiled by Russia's president following a brief mutiny. However, the status of several high-ranking generals remains uncertain. There are unconfirmed reports of one general with ties to Prigozhin being arrested, and another general has been mysteriously absent from events attended by President Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Kremlin's opaque politics has sparked speculation that some military officers colluded with Prigozhin and may face consequences for their involvement in the mutiny, which briefly posed a challenge to Moscow. General Sergei Surovikin, who has longstanding connections to Prigozhin, has not been seen in public since early Saturday, and there are reports suggesting his arrest. While it is unclear whether Surovikin has been detained, there are indications that he and his close associates have been out of contact with their families. Reports of a purge within the ranks have emerged as authorities investigate potential alignments with Prigozhin. Surovikin's association with Prigozhin dates back to their involvement in the Russian military campaign in Syria, where they supported President Bashar Assad's government. According to U.S. officials, Surovikin was believed to have had advance knowledge of the mutiny. In the fall, Surovikin was appointed by Putin to lead Russian forces in Ukraine, overseeing a bombing campaign that targeted critical infrastructure but failed to disrupt power supplies. He was later replaced by Valery Gerasimov, who now leads the Russian operations in Ukraine as the chief of the General Staff. Surovikin was demoted to the position of Gerasimov's deputy. The fate of Gerasimov himself is also uncertain, as he has been conspicuously absent from events attended by Putin, unlike Defense Minister Shoigu.

U.S. TOP COURT RULES AGAINST RACE-BASED ADMISSION IN VARSITIES

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-conscious student admissions programmes currently used at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina in a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other under-represented minority groups on campuses.

The Justices ruled in favour of a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in its appeal of lower court rulings upholding programmes used at the two prestigious schools to foster a diverse student population.

Harvard and UNC have said they use race as only one factor in a host of individualised evaluations for admission without quotas and that curbing its consideration would cause a significant drop in enrolment of students from under-represented groups.

Critics, who have tried to topple these policies for decades, argue these policies are themselves discriminatory, regardless of the circumstances.

‘NATO NATIONS CLOSER TO COMPROMISE ON UKRAINE MEMBERSHIP’

Nato members are closing in on a compromise on Ukraine’s membership aspirations that may set out how Kyiv could join the military alliance, the US ambassador to Nato Julianne Smith said. “Most of us feel confident that we are going to be able to come to an agreement,” Smith said. Kyiv has received support from Nato members in eastern Europe,but the US and Germany have been more cautious, fearing that it could take the alliance closer to an active war with Russia.

WILL APPEAL DECISION AGAINST RWANDA POLICY, SAYS SUNAK

The UK Court of Appeal has ruled against the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, dealing a blow to the Rishi Sunak administration. Sunak has stated that he will seek to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. The policy, known as the 'Rwanda policy,' is part of the government's strategy to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel by sending them to Rwanda while their asylum applications are processed. The High Court previously deemed the policy legal, but this decision was appealed by a charity. The Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, stating that there were substantial grounds to believe that individuals sent to Rwanda could face persecution or inhumane treatment in their home countries. The court clarified that the decision was not a commentary on the political merits of the Rwanda policy. Currently, a bill to address illegal migration is under consideration in the UK Parliament.

3 STABBED DURING GENDER CLASS IN CANADA UNIV

Toronto : A suspect has been charged in the stabbing of a professor and two students during a class on gender issues at Canada’s University of Waterloo in what police are calling a hate-motivated attack. Police say Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, an international student who had been studying at the University of Waterloo, faces three counts of aggravated assault, four counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. “The accused targeted a gender studies class and investigators believe this was a hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity,” police said in a statement. A 38-year-old female professor, a 20-year-old female student and 19-year-old male student were sent to hospital with serious injuries. About 40 students were in the class at the time. Police say the accused has been arrested.

PROTESTS IN FRANCE FOR THIRD DAY OVER POLICE SHOOTING OF TEEN DRIVER

Nanterre : President Macron battled to contain a mounting crisis on Thursday after unrest erupted for a third day over the deadly police shooting of a teenager of North African descent during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.

Protesters set several cars alight in Nanterre, a working class town on the western outskirts of Paris, following a largely peaceful street march in memory of the 17-year-old who was shot dead there on Tuesday. Television images showed protests setting up road barricades and hurling projectiles at lines of police, who fired back with tear gas. At least one bank was ransacked. “Vengeance for Nahel,” was scrawled across buildings and bus shelters, referring to the youngster.

Earlier, Macron held a crisis meeting with senior ministers over the shooting. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said 40,000 police officers would be deployed across the countryto quell the unrest.

The incident has fed longstanding complaints of police violence and systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies from rights groups in France. The local prosecutor said the officer involved had been put under formal investigation for voluntary homicide. The officertold investigators he wanted to prevent a car chase, fearing another person would be hurt.

FRENCH MINORS TO SOON NEED PARENT CONSENT FOR ONLINE USE

France approved a new law on Thursday requiring social media platformsto verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15 years in an effort to protect children online. The legislation is part of a string of moves by the government to reduce children’s screen time and protect them from cyberbullying and other crimes. The “landmark” law would be “applied as soon as possible”, digital transition minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

The exact date the age verification bill will come into force remains unclear following Thursday’s Senate approval, as no specific date was set and the European Commission has yet to check it that it conforms with EU law. Sites will then have a year to comply with the policy for new subscribers, and another two to apply it to existing users.

Tech firms who breach the law will face a fine of up to 1% of their global revenues.

LINE ON BIDEN’S FACE CAUSED BY SLEEP DEVICE: WH

Washington : The White House on Wednesday put to bed speculation about a mystery line on President Biden’s face, explaining that he has begun wearing a CPAP device to help ward off sleep apnea. The faint horizontal line, like a shallow indentation, was noticed by reporters seeing 80-year-old Biden up close earlier this week and again on Wednesday. Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden was using a CPAP machine, referring to a widely used medical device to prevent snoring and the potentially damaging interruptions in breathing caused by sleep apnea. CPAPs include a mask with straps that cross the face. Bates said Biden has “disclosed his history with sleep apnea” since 2008. As the oldest president ever and seeking another four-year term, Biden’s health is under constant scrutiny.

GOOGLE TO BLOCK NEWS LINKS IN CANADA OVER LAW ON PAYING PUBLISHERS

Ottawa : Google will remove links to Canadian news from search results and other products in Canada when a law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers comes into effect, the Alphabet-owned company said on Thursday. Google joins Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc in announcing an end to news access for Canadian users of their platforms after Bill C-18, or the Online News Act, was passed into law last week. The legislation came after complaints from Canada’s media industry, which wants tighter regulation of tech companies to prevent them from elbowing news businesses out of the online advertising market.

“We’ve now informed the government that when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada,” Google said. “We don’t take this decision or its impacts lightly and believe it’s important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible,” it said. The act outlines rules to force platforms such as Facebook and Google to negotiate deals and pay news publishers for their content, a step similar to a groundbreaking law passed in Australia in 2021. The companies say the proposals are unsustainable for their businesses.

NZ TO BECOME 1ST COUNTRY TO BAN THIN PLASTIC BAGS AT SUPERMARKETS

Beginning Saturday, New Zealand will become the first country to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables. The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and silverware, as the government expands a campaign against single-use plastics it started in 2019 when it banned the thicker plastic shopping bags that customers used to carry home their grocery items. These days, most customers bring their own reusable tote bags to stores. Officials estimate that on average, each New Zealander sends more than three-quarters of a ton of waste to landfills every year. Associate environment minister Rachel Brooking said the 2019 bag ban had already prevented over 1 billion plastic bags from being used in New Zealand, and the new ban on thin bags would add a further reduction of 150 million bags per year.