Global Pulse

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  • Video shows scale of flash flood hitting Nepal-Tibet border

    Video shows scale of flash flood hitting Nepal-Tibet border

    Newly released video footage, curated and edited by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has laid bare the catastrophic destructive power of a sudden flash flood that struck the remote Nepal-Tibet border region. Ahead of public distribution, BBC editors added prominent white flash overlays to the raw footage, a modification implemented to mitigate distress for audiences, given the harrowing nature of the content captured.

    The cross-border region, known for its rugged, mountainous terrain and proximity to rapidly melting glacial systems, has long been classified as high-risk for sudden water-related disasters. Climate researchers have warned in recent years that rising global temperatures are increasing the frequency of glacial lake outburst events and unexpected flash floods in the Himalayan border zone, putting local communities and infrastructure in extreme danger.

    The released footage offers audiences a rare, unflinching look at the speed and force with which flash floods can overwhelm remote landscapes. The edited overlay warnings ensure that viewers are prepared for the disturbing imagery without being fully shielded from the reality of the disaster’s impact, enabling greater public awareness of the growing climate-linked risks facing Himalayan communities.

  • Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say

    Door was locked at Pakistan hospital where fire killed 14 babies, witnesses say

    Just moments after dawn broke over Islamabad on a Wednesday morning, a catastrophic fire tore through the maternity ward of one of Pakistan’s largest state-run medical facilities, leaving 14 newborn infants dead and igniting widespread public anger over systemic safety failures. The blaze originated in a faulty air conditioning unit on the third floor of the mother and child wing at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a flagship public hospital in the Pakistani capital. Of the 15 babies present in the ward when the fire started, only one survived.

    Eyewitness accounts paint a chaotic, terrifying picture of delayed response, inadequate safety infrastructure, and locked exits that trapped vulnerable patients as smoke and flames spread rapidly. Hivsa Walid, who was at the hospital visiting her sister-in-law — who had given birth just days earlier — was nearby when the fire began. She initially mistook panicked shouts for news of a natural patient death, before spotting thick smoke billowing through the hallway. The pair managed to escape with their unnamed newborn, fleeing bare of any belongings.

    “We didn’t even think about our things. We just grabbed the baby and ran down the stairs,” Walid told reporters. “Some women had given birth just hours before. Everything happened so fast, it was all a blur.”

    Grieving relatives have decried a hours-long wait for emergency responders and a lack of emergency preparedness at the hospital. Khurram Mehmood, a 40-year-old father who lost his three-day-old daughter in the fire, told reporters that rescue teams took far too long to arrive. Jaweria, another grieving mother, said the maternity ward door was locked from the outside, leaving her waiting outside in agony for help. “I cried and screamed for two hours,” she said. “Police showed up after four hours just to start an investigation. Why did the doctors leave those babies locked inside? To hell with all of you — rescue teams, police — babies burned to death and no one came to save them.”

    Hospital administration has pushed back against claims that the door was locked. Rana Imran Sikander, PIMS’s executive director, told the BBC that the door was staffed, not locked, and that the controlled access policy was in place to prevent infant abductions — a known issue at public hospitals across Pakistan.

    Multiple witnesses, however, confirm that emergency safety measures were virtually non-existent at the facility. Walid noted that even as a leading government hospital, PIMS lacked functioning fire safety equipment and clear emergency evacuation protocols. “There should have been fire extinguishers, there should have been procedures, but no one did anything — everyone just ran,” she said. One bereaved father, who had been visiting the ward for eight days prior to the fire, told Reuters the building had no functional fire security systems and no accessible emergency exits. “Most doors were kept locked. They only left one door open for visitors, because they worried we would come to see our babies too often,” he said.

    Witnesses also reported that on-duty medical and security staff were absent when the fire broke out. Trapped relatives had to break down interior doors to escape, while rescue teams had to smash exterior windows to reach the blaze and evacuate patients, one anonymous witness told AFP. Abdul Ghafoor, another witness, said he tried to enter the building to rescue trapped patients but was turned back by dense toxic smoke. “Patients were trapped inside with all that black smoke, and rescue teams didn’t get here for almost two hours,” he said.

    Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf has disputed claims of delayed response, telling AFP that emergency teams arrived on scene “immediately” after the first emergency call was placed.

    The tragedy is the latest in a string of deadly fire incidents across Pakistan in recent years, where lax enforcement of building codes, weak safety regulations, and chronic underinvestment in public infrastructure have repeatedly led to high death tolls. Earlier this year in January, a fire at a shopping mall in Karachi killed dozens of people, with survivors reporting that locked emergency exits dramatically increased the number of fatalities.

    In response to the PIMS fire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement expressing “deep sorrow and heartfelt regret” over the loss of the newborns. He ordered federal authorities to launch an immediate full investigation into the cause of the blaze and the response failures, and has already suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the top-ranking official in Pakistan’s national health department. “The loss of these children is an irreparable tragedy,” the prime minister’s statement read.

  • Inquest opens into death of ex-Cambridge University professor Jason Arday

    Inquest opens into death of ex-Cambridge University professor Jason Arday

    LONDON — A formal coroner’s inquest has launched into the sudden passing of 41-year-old Jason Arday, a trailblazing Cambridge University professor who resigned his post last month amid intense public scrutiny over alleged academic misconduct and inflated personal achievement claims.

    Arday, who made history in 2023 as Cambridge University’s youngest Black professor, was found dead at a residential address in south London on August 13, just eight days after stepping down from his role as Professor of Sociology of Education. The first short preliminary hearing for the inquest was held this Wednesday at London Inner South Coroner’s Court, a standard procedure for any death in the United Kingdom marked by unclear circumstances.

    Senior Corer Dr. Julian Morris told the court that available documentation leads him to classify Arday’s death as unnatural, 12 days after it occurred. “It therefore follows that I must open an investigation,” Morris confirmed. While law enforcement have labeled the death unexpected, they have stressed there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the passing.

    The controversy that preceded Arday’s resignation and death began when Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher, first raised public questions about Arday’s academic credentials last month. Cofnas, who left Cambridge after his sharp criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion programs triggered widespread campus protests, has previously claimed that in a purely merit-based system, Black people would be almost entirely excluded from high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment. Last week, Cofnas was suspended from his current academic post at Ghent University in Belgium, though the suspension has not been officially linked to the Arday controversy.

    Following Cofnas’ initial accusations, UK news outlets published reports claiming that more than 100 passages from Arday’s 2015 doctoral dissertation matched verbatim or nearly verbatim content from an earlier academic paper written by another researcher. Beyond the plagiarism claims, public scrutiny extended to a series of personal claims Arday had made throughout his career. These included assertions that he had raised £5.5 million ($7.5 million) for charity through extreme endurance feats, such as running 30 marathons in 35 days and 600 miles in six days. Arday later amended these fundraising and achievement claims. Critics also questioned his widely shared personal narrative of overcoming severe developmental delays that left him non-verbal until age 11; Arday stated he received an autism diagnosis in childhood and remained unable to read or write until he turned 18.

    Before his resignation on August 5, Arday publicly denied all allegations of intentional plagiarism, though he acknowledged that he had made minor errors in citation and sourcing when completing his doctorate.

    News of Arday’s death sparked an immediate wave of mourning across academic and social circles. A community fundraiser launched in his memory has already raised close to £225,000 ($305,000) from more than 7,900 individual donors. All funds raised are designated to support Arday’s family with living and financial costs, as well as cover funeral and memorial service expenses.

    The formal opening of the inquest comes just one day before the UK publication of Arday’s memoir, *Great and Unfortunate Things*, by publisher Simon & Schuster. The book, which was released in the United States earlier this August, chronicles Arday’s personal life story: from growing up as an autistic, non-verbal child who remained illiterate until his late teens, to breaking barriers as the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s centuries-long history.

  • Sanctioned international court president says she asked Japan to help de-escalate tensions with US

    Sanctioned international court president says she asked Japan to help de-escalate tensions with US

    THE HAGUE (Rebuilt Report) — In a video press briefing from the court’s headquarters in The Hague on Wednesday, International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane pushed back firmly against recent U.S. sanctions targeting her, stating there is no legitimate justification for the punitive measures and urging Japan’s government to broker diplomatic action with Washington to prevent further tensions between the U.S. and the global judicial body.

    Last week, Akane, a veteran Japanese jurist, became the newest ICC official added to a growing list of court personnel targeted by U.S. sanctions. The measures freeze any assets Akane holds within U.S. legal jurisdictions, bar her and her immediate family from entering the United States, and cut off her access to basic global financial services.

    The U.S. has defended its punitive campaign against the ICC, claiming the court has overstepped its official mandate. The sanctions were imposed as retaliation for ICC investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan. To date, the Trump administration has applied sanctions to nine of the ICC’s 18 sitting judges, both of the court’s deputy prosecutors, its former chief prosecutor, and one additional member of the prosecution’s office staff.

    “I insist that there is no reason I have to be sanctioned,” Akane told reporters, confirming the sanctions, which she had anticipated ahead of their announcement, have not shaken her commitment to judicial work nor hindered the court’s operations. “ICC will never be defeated. Justice will and should prevail.”

    Despite acknowledging the sanctions have imposed “unreasonable inconvenience and threat” on her personal life — including the suspension of her personal credit cards — Akane said she remains fully committed to protecting the court, its judicial body and staff, and upholding the ICC’s core mandate.

    As a longstanding U.S. ally that has consistently enshrined the rule of law as a central pillar of its diplomatic agenda, Japan has a critical role to play in convincing Washington to step back from further escalation, Akane argued. She also called on the Japanese government to encourage other ICC member states to resist U.S. pressure to withdraw from the court.

    “The ICC is a last hope for the victims of serious international crimes,” Akane said. “I would like Japan to do everything it can to defend the ICC and the rule of law in the global society.”

    The standoff has placed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a delicate position, forcing her to balance Japan’s formal commitment to international rule of law with its critical security and political alliance with the U.S. under Donald Trump.

    On Tuesday, Takaichi publicly acknowledged the rift, telling reporters that the U.S. sanctions against Akane are “not compatible” with Japan’s official position, and that the government “take this very seriously.” “I share the sense of crisis and concern that President Akane has faced, and we will continue to provide necessary support,” Takaichi said.

    She pushed back against criticism from both opposition and ruling party lawmakers that her government has avoided tough confrontation with the Trump administration, noting that Japan has repeatedly called on Washington to reverse the sanctions against Akane.

    The pressure on Takaichi’s government ramped up this week, when a cross-party bloc of ruling and opposition lawmakers adopted a formal statement denouncing the Trump administration’s sanctions against the ICC president. The group called for the U.S. to retract the measure and urged the Japanese government to take stronger action to support Akane and the court.

    Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi confirmed Tuesday that the foreign ministry has dispatched a senior official to The Hague to meet directly with Akane to coordinate support options. Motegi also warned that the U.S. stance against the ICC remains “extremely severe,” and that Washington has signaled it could impose additional sanctions in the coming period.

    Japan joined the International Criminal Court as its 105th member state in 2007, during the first administration of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

  • China advises its citizens to leave Taiwan ally Eswatini over ‘security risks’

    China advises its citizens to leave Taiwan ally Eswatini over ‘security risks’

    In a fresh development that intertwines security concerns and long-running diplomatic friction over Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry has issued an urgent advisory calling on all its citizens to depart the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, citing elevated and pervasive security threats within the country.

    The announcement names rampant cyber fraud and gambling-linked criminal activity as the core security concerns driving the evacuation order, though no specific granular details about recent incidents were provided in the official statement. To mitigate risk, Chinese authorities are urging their nationals to relocate to neighboring South Africa, which the ministry describes as a relatively safer alternative destination.

    Eswatini holds unique diplomatic significance for cross-strait relations: it is the only African country among 13 nations worldwide that maintains formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing formally claims as an inalienable part of its sovereign territory. China has waged sustained diplomatic pressure over decades to push countries to cut official ties with Taipei and recognize Beijing’s one-China principle instead.

    Local private media outlet the Times of Eswatini reported this week that 40 Chinese nationals have been held in detention since last month, after being re-arrested while attempting to exit the country. The group was first apprehended in March alongside dozens of other foreign citizens during law enforcement raids targeting suspected illegal online gambling operations in Mbabane, Eswatini’s capital, and surrounding suburban areas. According to the outlet’s reporting, legal representatives for the detained Chinese nationals confirm that their clients pleaded guilty to minor immigration violations, paid all court-ordered fines, and were subsequently ordered released by the Eswatini High Court. The lawyers argue that the second arrest of the 40 citizens violates the country’s own legal framework and is entirely unlawful. As of press time, the Eswatini government has not issued any public comment responding to these claims or to China’s evacuation advisory.

    China’s advisory further warns that any Chinese citizens who choose to disregard the order and remain in or travel to Eswatini will expose themselves to extremely high security risks, and that the Chinese government’s ability to provide timely consular assistance to those in trouble will be severely compromised. No official data has been released on the total number of Chinese citizens currently residing or working in Eswatini.

    This latest exchange comes after a series of escalating diplomatic tensions between Beijing, Mbabane and Taipei earlier this year. In April, Taiwan accused Beijing of coercing neighboring countries to revoke overflight permission for a planned trip by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to Eswatini, an attempt that Taipei said was intended to derail the visit entirely. The trip, originally scheduled to mark the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s ascension to the throne, was initially postponed due to the overflight dispute, and Lai ultimately made a low-key, unannounced visit to the kingdom in May. After the visit concluded, Beijing’s foreign ministry issued a scathing statement dismissing Lai as an “international laughing stock”.

    In another visible sign of diplomatic friction earlier this year, China eliminated tariffs on imports from all African countries — with the explicit exception of Eswatini.

  • How Dolly Parton helped the world – from children’s books to supporting Covid vaccine

    How Dolly Parton helped the world – from children’s books to supporting Covid vaccine

    Dolly Parton, the globally beloved country music icon whose name is synonymous with chart-topping hits and warm Southern charisma, leaves behind far more than a legendary entertainment career: a decades-long legacy of grassroots philanthropy that has transformed millions of lives across the United States and beyond. Though Parton passed away recently, her team’s request that fans honor her memory by donating to her signature initiative, the Imagination Library, ensures her work will continue lifting up communities for generations to come.

    Born the fourth of 12 children in a cramped one-bedroom cabin in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Parton grew up immersed in working-class poverty. Her father, Robert Lee Parton, a hardworking tobacco farmer, was unable to read or write—a barrier that the young Dolly watched prevent him from achieving all his dreams. That experience would shape the core of her charitable work for the rest of her life. “He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams,” Parton once wrote. In 1988, she turned that motivation into action, founding the Dollywood Foundation to expand access to life-changing educational opportunities for children.

    Seven years later, in 1995, the foundation launched the Imagination Library, Parton’s most far-reaching philanthropic project. Designed to foster early literacy, the program mails a free, personalized book every month to every child under the age of five, starting from birth. What began as a small local initiative limited to Sevier County, Parton’s hometown, quickly expanded across the U.S., then crossed borders to reach Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. To date, the program has distributed more than 332.4 million free books, putting a personalized, owned book into the hands of children who have never had a book of their own before. “They get this little book with their little name on it in the mail, and they feel special… they know that somebody out there is thinking of them,” Parton explained of the program’s quiet power.

    The Imagination Library has earned widespread praise from educators, authors, and community leaders around the world. Scottish councillor Lee Mills, a lifelong Parton fan who brought the program to Dundee after his election, noted: “Dolly’s legacy will last with every page turned of a children’s book. I will do my utmost best to ensure that this is delivered to every child in Scotland.” For British author Selina Brown, whose children’s book *My Rice is Best* was selected for distribution, the program does more than boost literacy—it advances critical representation in children’s publishing. “For my book in particular, the protagonist is black. It helps with representation, it helps with real life situations and having a book that speaks directly to you and speaks to a different world is important,” Brown told the BBC.

    Early literacy was far from Parton’s only educational focus. In the early 1990s, she launched an innovative high school graduation incentive program in Sevier County: every 12- to 14-year-old student who stayed in school to graduate would receive $500, with a peer buddy system to keep students accountable. Though Parton joked the initiative was a “bribe,” it delivered transformative results: the county’s high school dropout rate plummeted from 35% to just 6%, according to foundation data. More recently, in 2022, Parton extended educational support to adult learners, announcing that all Dollywood employees—seasonal, part-time, and full-time alike—would have 100% of their college tuition and textbook costs covered if they chose to pursue further education. The foundation also runs an annual scholarship program that awards $15,000 to five graduating high school seniors pursuing personal and professional dreams.

    Beyond education, Parton’s giving extended to medical research, disaster relief, and wildlife conservation. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world in 2020, Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, funding early-stage research that was critical to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which ultimately reached 95% efficacy against severe disease. To encourage vaccine uptake, she even reworked the lyrics to her iconic hit *Jolene*, famously singing, “vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I’m begging of you, please don’t hesitate,” before sharing a video of herself receiving the injection. This contribution was just one of many major gifts to medical causes: a 2007 benefit concert raised $1 million for a new Sevier County hospital and cancer center that includes the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services; in 2017, after her niece received leukemia treatment at Nashville’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, she donated $1 million to the facility, followed by a second $1 million gift years later to fund pediatric infectious disease research. Earlier this year, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital announced it would be renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital in recognition of her decades-long partnership and support.

    When disaster struck her home state, Parton was always one of the first to step up. After a devastating 2016 wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes in Sevier County, she organized a star-studded telethon that raised more than $13 million, then pledged $1,000 a month for six months to nearly 900 displaced families. When Middle Tennessee suffered catastrophic flooding in 2021, she helped raise $700,000 to support affected residents. She has also partnered with the American Eagle Foundation to host the world’s largest sanctuary for non-releasable bald eagles at her Dollywood amusement park. The sanctuary’s breeding and rehabilitation work contributed to the recovery of the species, which was removed from the U.S. endangered species list in 2007.

    Throughout her life, Parton earned widespread recognition for her generosity, including the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which honored her as “one of the entertainment world’s most generous philanthropists.” For Parton, giving was not just a public gesture—it was a core part of who she was. “I’m kind of addicted to the feeling of giving,” she once said. “Knowing that I’m doing something good for someone else.” She often spoke of her hope that her work would outlive her, writing that her father, who inspired the Imagination Library, was prouder of that initiative than he ever was of her entertainment career. When announcing her death, her team echoed that vision, asking fans to forgo sending flowers and instead donate to the Imagination Library to carry her work forward. “When I’m done, I can rest in peace knowing I’ve done my best,” Parton once said. “I hope that when my time comes, I’ll leave something behind that others can use to lift themselves up.” That vision, it seems, is already secured.

  • Wrexham complete signings of Ekomie and Kabore

    Wrexham complete signings of Ekomie and Kabore

    Wrexham AFC has capped a busy period of summer transfer activity by wrapping up two high-profile senior signings: Issa Kabore from Manchester City and Jacques Ekomie from French Ligue 1 side Angers, bringing the club’s total senior new arrivals to five so far this window.

    Kabore, a Burkina Faso international right wing-back, previously spent the 2025-26 season on loan at the Racecourse Ground, where he turned in a standout campaign that convinced Wrexham to secure his services permanently. The 55-cap defender has put pen to paper on a three-year contract for a transfer fee that could rise to £4.75m, with Manchester City retaining a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights for any future sale.

    The 2025-26 loan spell marked a turning point for Kabore, who joined Manchester City from Belgian side Mechelen in 2020 but never made a senior first-team appearance for the Premier League giants, spending the entirety of his City tenure on loan at clubs across Europe and England. He made an immediate impact after arriving at Wrexham last September, notching two assists on his debut to help the Welsh side secure a dramatic 3-2 opening victory against Norwich City at Carrow Road. He went on to record eight assists in Championship play – more than any other Wrexham player that season – and established himself as a regular starter under manager Phil Parkinson before a hamstring injury sustained during international duty in November sidelined him. After featuring for Burkina Faso at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Kabore returned to Wrexham and regained his starting place for the second half of the campaign.

    “I’m very happy to be back. It feels good to be here again,” Kabore said after completing his move. “Everybody knows our ambition is to get to the Premier League, and I’m here to fight for that promotion.”

    Parkinson echoed that excitement, noting: “We’re delighted to welcome Issa back to the football club. He had a successful loan spell with us last year, and we’re looking forward to working with him again and watching him really develop as a player this coming season.”

    Joining Kabore in Wrexham’s latest batch of signings is 23-year-old Gabonese left-back Jacques Ekomie, who has signed a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Ekomie, who entered the final year of his contract with Angers, was reportedly targeted by Wrexham’s Championship rivals West Ham United and German club Hamburger SV, making his move to north Wales a significant coup for the Red Dragons.

    Ekomie began his professional career at Bordeaux before moving to Angers in summer 2024. He made 21 appearances in his debut season with the French top-flight side, and cemented his place as a starter in 2025-26, featuring in 32 of 34 Ligue 1 matches and starting 25 of those contests. “I’m excited to be here. It is a very big and interesting project for me – I’m here to progress, and I’m very happy to be here,” Ekomie said. “I want to achieve great things at Wrexham. I think it is an ambitious project and I want to bring all my experience to help the team achieve our goals.”

    Parkinson noted that the transfer was the result of extended work from the club’s recruitment team, saying: “We’re very pleased to sign Jacques. It’s a transfer we worked very hard on. Jacques is a good young player and we’re looking forward to integrating him into the group.”

    Ekomie’s arrival addresses a key gap on Wrexham’s left flank, where previous summer signing Liberato Cacace has been plagued by injuries since joining from Empoli in 2025. The New Zealand international started just eight of Wrexham’s 46 Championship matches last season and has missed all three of the club’s opening games this term, despite having two years remaining on his current contract. Midfielder George Thomason has been forced to fill in as a makeshift wing-back in Cacace’s absence, so Ekomie’s addition provides much-needed depth for Parkinson’s side.

    Ekomie and Kabore join right-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman as Wrexham’s five senior summer signings to date. The transfer window is set to close at 23:00 BST on 1 September, and Parkinson has described the summer window as a challenging one, revealing that multiple potential deals have already fallen through. Ahead of Wrexham’s recent 1-1 draw with Watford, the manager noted there are “no guarantees” the club will add further players before the deadline, though the club is still reportedly looking to reinforce its midfield and forward ranks in the final days of the window.

    Wrexham CEO Mike Williamson recently emphasized the club’s transfer strategy, saying the side has prioritized quality over quantity in its summer recruitment. Parkinson’s team will return to Championship action this Friday, hosting Birmingham City at the Racecourse Ground in a 20:00 BST kickoff.

  • Aerial footage shows flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border

    Aerial footage shows flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border

    Newly verified aerial video footage captured in the aftermath of a sudden natural disaster has documented destructive flash floods sweeping across low-lying settlements near the Nepal-Tibet international border. The recorded visual evidence, which has undergone formal authentication from Nepalese authorities, clearly shows fast-rising muddy water submerging local town streets, swallowing residential and commercial structures, and sweeping away vehicles and infrastructure in its chaotic path.

    In the wake of this unanticipated catastrophe, official search and rescue operations have been launched after local administration confirmed that hundreds of travelers are currently unaccounted for. Among the missing are multiple foreign tourists who were visiting the popular cross-border mountain tourism region when the flood struck. Disaster response teams have been deployed to the affected area, though challenging terrain and lingering hazardous conditions have slowed initial relief and search efforts.

  • Zelenskyy awards Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom for Starlink role

    Zelenskyy awards Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom for Starlink role

    In a formal presidential decree announced Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bestowed the Order of Freedom — one of Ukraine’s most prestigious state honors — on billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, citing his extraordinary personal contributions to safeguarding Ukrainian human life and national freedom, and deepening bilateral cooperation between Kyiv and Washington.

    Musk’s emergence as one of the most consequential and polarizing private figures in Ukraine’s two-year full-scale war against Russian invasion traces directly to his pivotal decision to deploy SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network across Ukrainian territory. What began as an emergency connectivity solution has grown into an irreplaceable communications lifeline for both frontline Ukrainian troops and civilian populations across the country, filling critical gaps left after Russia’s widespread attacks on Ukraine’s ground-based telecommunications infrastructure.

    Today, Starlink is fully integrated into nearly every layer of Ukraine’s military operations. Frontline commanders and infantry rely on the satellite network to coordinate troop movements and share real-time battlefield intelligence, while Ukrainian drone operators use Starlink’s stable connectivity to maintain control of long-range attack drones, guiding them to targets deep behind enemy lines. Military analysts widely credit Starlink’s support as a core factor behind the unexpected success of Ukraine’s mid-range drone campaign launched earlier this year, which caught Russian logistics units off guard and disrupted critical supply lines for Moscow’s invading forces.

    Even as Musk’s technology delivers tangible battlefield gains for Kyiv, the tech entrepreneur’s unilateral control over Starlink’s operating parameters has made him both an indispensable partner and a potential source of strategic vulnerability for Ukraine. Currently, Starlink services are disabled across all Russian territory, a restriction that blocks Ukrainian forces from maintaining connectivity when guiding long-range drone strikes targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Zelenskyy has publicly pushed Musk to reverse this policy, and has even sought diplomatic backing from the U.S. government to pressure SpaceX to adjust its terms of use. Musk has repeatedly pushed back on this request, warning that enabling Starlink use inside Russia would amount to a dangerous escalation of the conflict.

    Beyond the battlefield, Musk’s outsized influence has already spilled over into Ukrainian domestic politics, contributing to a high-profile government shake-up earlier this year. Last week, Zelenskyy confirmed that miscommunication around SpaceX’s position on Starlink use inside Russia played a role in the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who served as Kyiv’s primary liaison with Musk and SpaceX. According to Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry incorrectly conveyed that SpaceX had approved expanded Starlink use, leading to an awkward confrontation with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Zelenskyy of misleading him. While Zelenskyy stopped short of accusing Fedorov of intentional misinformation, he confirmed the incident was a contributing factor to Fedorov’s ouster as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle in July.

    SpaceX also took a step earlier this year that aligned with Kyiv’s strategic goals, when the company blocked unauthorized Starlink terminals being operated by Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territory, a move that further strengthened Ukraine’s battlefield position. That action, paired with the provision of civilian and military connectivity within Ukraine, has helped reinforce the positive ties between Kyiv and Musk that Zelenskyy sought to recognize with this week’s honor. As of Wednesday, Musk had not issued any public comment in response to the award.

  • Heart, hope and a steely determination: Dolly Parton’s musical legacy

    Heart, hope and a steely determination: Dolly Parton’s musical legacy

    Dolly Parton, the one-of-a-kind country music legend whose career spanned seven decades and reshaped both the music industry and conversations around gender and worker rights, leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as both an artist and a trailblazer.

    Few of Parton’s hits carry the layered history and cultural weight of 9 to 5, the iconic theme song for the 1980 comedy film of the same name, her first major Hollywood project. The song’s origin story is as memorable as its catchy hook: while on set, Parton could not access her banned guitar, so she created the track’s distinct beat by strumming her acrylic nails together, mimicking the clack of a typewriter that matched her character’s experience as an overworked, underappreciated office secretary facing constant belittlement and sexual harassment from her male boss. Immediately recognizing she had created something special, she ran to share the unfinished song with co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, who also produced the film. Fonda later recalled that both she and Tomlin were instantly moved, knowing the track was far more than a movie theme—it was an anthem for working women everywhere. When 9 to 5 was released in November 1980, it became Parton’s only solo number-one hit on the U.S. charts and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Beyond its commercial success, the track’s legacy lies in its unflinching take on working-class struggle and gender inequality in corporate spaces. On the surface, the jaunty, infectious chorus (“Working 9 to 5 / What a way to make a living!”) resonates as a universal nod to the drudgery of daily work, but deeper lyrics reveal a quiet, righteous fury: “It’s a rich man’s game, no matter what they call it / And you spend your life putting money in his wallet. They just use your mind and they never give you credit.” Those words gave voice to widespread unspoken frustrations among working women, a testament to Parton’s skill at wrapping sharp social commentary in accessible, memorable melody. What many listeners miss, however, is that this quiet anger was rooted in Parton’s own lifelong experience navigating the rampant sexism of the music industry, which she began facing as a 13-year-old rising performer.

    Parton’s path to stardom was forged through repeated stands against industry exploitation, a pattern of courage that paved the way for future generations of female artists. Her first major break came in 1967, when she was hired as the “girl singer” on the nationally syndicated Porter Wagoner Show, which brought her talent into millions of American homes each week. Over the next decade, the pair released 21 hit duets, and as Parton’s star grew to outshine Wagoner, she made the difficult decision to launch a solo career—writing the timeless ballad *I Will Always Love You* as a heartfelt farewell and apology to her mentor. Instead of accepting her departure graciously, Wagoner sued Parton for breach of contract in 1979, demanding $3 million in damages. Eager to avoid a lengthy, career-derailing court battle, Parton settled for roughly $1 million, a choice she never regretted. “I made up my mind that if he could live with it, I could live without it,” she wrote in her autobiography, adding, “I am neither his conscience nor his accountant.” True to her trademark graciousness, Parton never held a grudge, continuing to credit Wagoner for giving her her first big break, but she never let goodwill override her commitment to protecting her work and her autonomy. That conviction was tested again just a few years later, when Elvis Presley expressed interest in covering *I Will Always Love You*. Parton was elated at the opportunity, but just one day before the scheduled recording session, Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker delivered an ultimatum: Elvis would only record the track if Parton surrendered half of the song’s lucrative publishing rights. Parton refused, explaining that she intended to leave the rights to her family as a legacy. Though she cried all night after the deal fell through and always wondered what Presley’s version would have sounded like, she never questioned her choice. That decision ultimately paid off decades later, when Whitney Houston recorded her record-breaking cover of the track for 1992’s *The Bodyguard* soundtrack. Because Parton retained full publishing rights, she earned enough from the hit to buy Presley’s iconic Graceland mansion. Instead of keeping the windfall for herself, she invested the proceeds into a majority-Black neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee—a intentional choice to honor Houston’s legacy.

    That willingness to stand up for artistic autonomy inspired countless women who followed in her footsteps, most notably Taylor Swift, who re-recorded her entire early catalog to reclaim control of her work from private equity firms that purchased her master recordings. When asked about Swift’s campaign, Parton praised her openly: “Smart! She’s so smart, she’s so great, she’s genius. I mean really, look at what she’s doing! That’s amazing!” After Parton’s passing, Swift honored the trailblazer, crediting Parton’s “backbone of steel” in the lifelong fight “to defend her own self worth as an artist.”

    Beyond her industry activism, Parton’s musical legacy is defined by her unparalleled ability to turn quiet, everyday moments and personal stories into universally resonant art. She wrote her first song at just six years old: *Little Tiny Tasseltop*, a tender ode to her favorite doll with corn-silk hair. That commitment to drawing from personal experience shaped her entire discography. Her 1971 classic *Coat of Many Colors* tells a deeply moving story of childhood poverty and pride, centered on a hand-sewn coat her mother made for her when her family could not afford store-bought clothes. The 1974 concept album *My Tennessee Mountain Home* is a full musical autobiography, opening with a recording of the first letter Parton wrote home after moving to Nashville as a teenager, where she reassured her family she would be fine even if success took time. The album cover featured a photograph of the two-room log cabin that was her actual childhood home, and its lyrics frame her humble upbringing not as a hardship, but as a source of joy and community: “We might have been poor but we didn’t know it / We’d heard that word but we didn’t know what it meant.”

    This diaristic, personal songwriting style produced some of the most beloved hits in country music history, from *Jolene*—the haunting story of a red-headed woman threatening Parton’s marriage—to *All I Can Do*, a tender love letter to her long-time husband Carl Dean. Even as her over-the-top stage costumes and signature blonde bouffant became cultural touchstones, her lyrics remained rooted in raw, relatable authenticity. Long before 9 to 5 cemented her status as a feminist voice, Parton was pushing back against gendered double standards in tracks like *When Possession Gets Too Strong* and *Just Because I’m A Woman*, which challenged the idea that women should be judged more harshly for their mistakes than men: “My mistakes are no worse than yours / Just because I’m a woman.” At a time when the music industry forced women into narrow, limiting stereotypes—housewife, temptress, fallen woman—Parton leaned into the performative nature of these roles to satirize them, while never hiding her core strength. On 2008’s *Backwood Barbie*, she sang, “I’ve always been misunderstood because of how I look. Don’t judge me by the cover, cos I’m a real good book”—a message that inspired generations of women to reject others’ expectations and embrace their true selves.

    Even as the country music establishment leaned heavily into conservative politics in later decades, Parton used her platform to unite diverse audiences. In a 2002 performance at Los Angeles’ House of Blues, she playfully changed the lyrics of *Jolene* to center a drag queen, to the delight of the crowd of drag performers in attendance. Beyond music, Parton’s philanthropic work touched millions of lives: she funded scholarships for low-income students and built the Imagination Library, which has delivered more than 200 million free books to young readers across the world.

    No other star has ever been able to replicate Parton’s magic, and no successor was ever billed as “the next Dolly Parton”—for good reason. She was one of a kind: irreplaceable, unapologetic, and unforgettable. A legend in her own lifetime, her legacy will continue to resonate for generations to come.