Global Pulse

分类： society

  • Christa Pike’s prognosis still unclear after failed execution, lawyer says

    Christa Pike’s prognosis still unclear after failed execution, lawyer says

    Almost three decades after one of Tennessee’s most high-profile 1990s murder cases sent 19-year-old Christa Pike to death row, a botched execution attempt has thrown the state’s capital punishment system into chaos, leaving the convicted killer fighting for her life and reigniting fierce debate over the ethics of lethal injection protocols.

    Pike, now 50, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal 1995 torture and killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow University of Tennessee student. The attack, carried out alongside Pike’s then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, sparked intense national media attention that secured Pike’s place as one of the few women on U.S. death row.

    Three decades after her conviction, state officials attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection on Wednesday this week. The attempt failed, and Pike was transferred to a Nashville hospital for emergency care. On Sunday, her lead defense attorney Stephen Ferrell confirmed to CNN that Pike remains in critical condition, with an uncertain long-term prognosis.

    According to Ferrell, medical teams are still working to clear two full doses of pentobarbital, the lethal injection drug, from her system. As of Sunday, she remains on a ventilator and has not regained consciousness at any point since the botched procedure. Ferrell, who has not been permitted to visit Pike in the hospital, said he has only received updates through her medical power of attorney, leaving key details about her condition still unknown.

    “She’s still in the hospital, on a ventilator, critically ill, we really don’t know the prognosis yet, and may not know for several days,” Ferrell said. “If she recovers — she may not fully recover — and there may be issues about her competence. I mean, we just don’t know any of this. We have had no discussions about this. The Tennessee attorney general’s office so far has not given us any indications of what their intentions will be.”

    Long before the execution attempt, Pike’s legal team warned state officials that her pre-existing medical conditions, including thrombocytosis (a blood clotting disorder) and small veins, put her at high risk of extreme suffering and a botched procedure. Those warnings went unheeded, and the execution moved forward despite last-minute legal challenges.

    In the wake of the failed attempt, top Tennessee officials have already stepped down or instituted sweeping changes to the state’s death penalty system. On Saturday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ordered a full suspension of all executions for the remainder of 2026. Hours before that announcement, the head of the state’s prison system announced he would resign from his post. State correctional authorities have so far declined to explain what went wrong during the execution attempt, and have not said whether they will attempt to execute Pike if she recovers.

    Ferrell has called on state leaders to intervene permanently, urging the governor to commute Pike’s death sentence to life in prison at a minimum. He noted that Pike has already served more than 30 years on death row, most of that time in solitary confinement, and endured what he described as unthinkable suffering during the botched procedure.

    “She has endured a torturous attempt at executing her,” Ferrell said. “We don’t know right now — and we may never know — what sort of torture she endured during [her failed execution].”

    For the family of victim Colleen Slemmer, the botched execution has brought renewed pain. Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, traveled to Nashville from out of state to witness the execution, only to leave when the attempt failed. In an interview with local outlet WJXX, Martinez said she broke down in tears after learning the procedure was unsuccessful, and argued that the state owed her an apology for the failed outcome.

    The Tennessee Department of Correction has stood by its lethal injection protocol, saying in a statement that its existing guidelines do not allow for additional medical procedures beyond those already carried out during the attempt.

  • Why pastors may not be seen – or heard – preaching on Ghana’s buses for much longer

    Why pastors may not be seen – or heard – preaching on Ghana’s buses for much longer

    In the pre-dawn hush before Accra’s morning rush engulfs Neoplan bus station, the air shifts from the quiet rumble of idling engines to the rhythmic sound of drumming, singing, and prayer. Leading a small group of 13 worshippers – nine men and four women – 61-year-old pastor Boateng Bismark James lifts his voice in blessing for drivers and passengers bound for destinations across Ghana. For nearly three years, Boateng has led this ritual: gathering believers at the station, praying together, then boarding long-distance commercial buses to spread the Christian gospel to travelers who may never set foot in a traditional church on Sundays. But a newly enforced law is poised to bring this deeply ingrained cultural and religious practice to an abrupt end.

    Ghana is a majority Christian nation, where public transport evangelism has been a common sight for decades. On cross-country bus routes, it is not unusual to see pastors standing in the stairwell beside the driver or pacing the aisle, reading from scripture and calling on passengers to repent, their voices carrying over the noise of the engine for hours on end. Many travelers offer voluntary donations to preachers, and for figures like Boateng, these gifts have become a critical source of income – enough to put his youngest child through university, he says. “Not everyone can get to church on Sunday,” Boateng explained to the BBC in an interview conducted before he boarded a bus bound for Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city. “There are many passengers who need this message of salvation. We have even prayed for the sick on buses, and people say they have felt healed.” As Boateng moves through the rows of idling buses, his clerical collar marking his calling, some passengers lean in to listen to his message, while others stare down at their phones or chat quietly with traveling companions. “Some people tell me they had never heard the gospel in a church, but through preaching on the bus, they have found it in the Bible,” he says.

    The new regulation, passed by Ghana’s parliament in May and enforced in recent weeks, classifies preaching and hawking on moving public service vehicles as a public nuisance, citing risks to passenger safety and comfort. Anyone convicted of violating the ban now faces up to eight months in prison, a fine of nearly 50 dollars, or both. This is not the first time Ghana has restricted bus evangelism: a 2012 ban carried penalties of up to 30 days in prison, but weak enforcement allowed the practice to continue largely unchallenged. The updated law significantly strengthens penalties to crack down on the persistent activity. Notably, preachers who use megaphones in lorry parks and open-air markets are not targeted by the new rules, leaving that form of evangelism untouched.

    The ban has deeply divided public opinion in one of the world’s most religious nations. Critics of bus evangelism, who support the new rules, argue that unregulated preaching is not just an annoyance but a genuine safety hazard, saying loud, mobile preachers can distract drivers and increase the risk of accidents. “I just want to travel in peace,” says Chery Lokko, a 30-something traveler who spoke to the BBC. “Some preachers spit without noticing when they’re shouting, especially if you’re sitting close to them. It’s a nuisance with the noise and the mess. I just want quiet when I’m on the bus.” This frustration has spilled into public view: a video recently went viral on Ghanaian social media showing a passenger angrily shouting down a pastor who tried to board a minibus, demanding he get off the vehicle before it departed.

    But supporters of public transport evangelism say the ban infringes on constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom, and note that bus preaching reaches people who rarely attend traditional church services. Bernice Nartey, a passenger heading to Kumasi, says she believes preachers should be allowed to speak as long as passengers consent. “Sometimes the message helps people repent,” she says. “If someone is going through a really stressful time, a pastor’s word can give them new hope.” Boateng says he and his fellow preachers are shaken by the new rule, and are calling for a religious exemption that would allow them to preach before the bus departs Accra. “We are very worried because many pastors here depend on the gifts from passengers to support their families,” he says. For Boateng, this is not just a matter of religious calling: it is his livelihood.

    Even within religious circles, opinions differ. The Christian Council of Ghana declined to comment on the new law, but Senior Pastor Enoch Paul Hayes of the prominent International Central Gospel Church says he does not believe the ban violates religious freedom. He has urged fellow preachers to abide by the law and adapt their methods, pointing to social media as an alternative platform that can reach thousands of people with the gospel message, far more than could ever fit on a single bus.

    Ghana’s constitution does guarantee freedom of religion, but it also allows for restrictions on that freedom when public safety is at stake. For Boateng and hundreds of other bus preachers across the country, the new rules leave a difficult choice: find new ways to practice their ministry and give up a key source of income, or continue preaching and risk jail time and fines for breaking the law.

  • Cornell president says university ‘must do better’ after frat house rape allegations

    Cornell president says university ‘must do better’ after frat house rape allegations

    A high-profile sexual assault allegation has thrown Cornell University into the national spotlight, prompting institutional promises of reform and an independent state-led investigation after a 20-year-old former student filed a civil suit claiming she was drugged and gang-raped by multiple members of the campus Chi Phi fraternity. The accuser, identified only as Jane Doe to protect her privacy, alleges that the attack unfolded over hours on October 19, 2024, inside the fraternity’s on-campus housing. According to her claims, the assault involved both alcohol and ketamine, leaving her so impaired that she was incapable of giving informed consent to any sexual activity.

    Two weeks after the alleged incident, Jane Doe filed an official report with Cornell University Police, which launched an internal investigation. Despite the inquiry, no criminal charges have been filed against any of the seven men she named as perpetrators. Frustrated by the outcome of the university’s probe, Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League institution last month, arguing that Cornell failed to uphold its duty to protect her and did not take adequate disciplinary action against the accused attackers.

    In response to the public surfacing of the allegations, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff released an eight-minute video address to the campus community Saturday evening, where he described Jane Doe’s claims as “deeply disturbing.” Acknowledging that the case has sparked urgent, necessary questions about the campus culture surrounding drug and alcohol misuse, as well as longstanding flaws in how the university handles sexual assault investigations, Kotlikoff conceded that the institution “must do better.”

    “Our core work going forward must center on fostering a campus culture where sexual assault is recognized as inexcusable, where every member of our community understands the meaning and necessity of informed consent, and where survivors feel secure coming forward to report harm,” Kotlikoff said in the address. He added that university leadership is tasked with building an environment where survivors “are treated with compassion and dignity” rather than being dismissed or pushed aside.

    As part of broader systemic reforms planned to address campus sexual violence, Kotlikoff called for a comprehensive public review of the role that fraternities and sororities play in Cornell campus life. “Being part of a Greek life organization can never erase individual responsibility for our own actions, how we treat fellow community members, or the obligation to speak up when someone is in danger,” he emphasized. Kotlikoff also confirmed that the university has authorized an independent review of its handling of the Jane Doe case conducted by an outside law firm, and expressed full support for the state’s separate criminal investigation.

    New York Governor Kathy Hochul also publicly weighed in on the case, saying she was deeply disturbed by reports of how the initial investigation was conducted by the university. In response, Hochul appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James to lead an independent state review of the case and oversee a new criminal investigation. The incident has already galvanized Cornell’s student body, with many students expressing long-simmering frustration over the university’s track record of handling sexual assault reports at a recent public hearing on the case.

  • Father and son smoke shop workers arrested in Mississippi students’ suspected kratom deaths

    Father and son smoke shop workers arrested in Mississippi students’ suspected kratom deaths

    A devastating incident linked to an unregulated herbal substance has rocked the University of Mississippi community, leaving two students dead and leading to the arrest of a local smoke shop owner and his son. The case has reignited long-simmering national debate over the legal status and public health risks of kratom, a plant-based product often sold openly at convenience and smoke shops across the United States.

    Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against 51-year-old Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and 18-year-old Islam Yahya Mosleh, the father and son duo who worked at a vape, tobacco and beer retail store in Oxford, Mississippi. The pair face charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, connected to the two student deaths that occurred last September.

    According to official court documents and statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, the tragedy unfolded on September 21. First, law enforcement responded to a report of an unresponsive student in their on-campus dormitory. First responders pronounced the student dead at the scene, with initial assessments pointing to a drug overdose as the likely cause of death. Investigators recovered open packaging of suspected kratom derivatives at the scene, with several tablets already removed and consumed.

    Roughly 60 minutes after the first death was discovered, a second University of Mississippi student was found dead at an off-campus location. This victim also showed clear signs of an overdose, and identical suspected kratom derivative packaging was found near the body. Investigators traced the packaging back to the Moslehs’ local retail shop, leading law enforcement to execute immediate search warrants at the store. During the search, officers seized a large stock of suspected kratom derivatives classified as controlled substances under U.S. law, and took the father and son into custody shortly after.

    While the official toxicology reports confirming the exact cause of the two students’ deaths have not yet been finalized, public health and law enforcement officials have already issued urgent public warnings about the dangers of consuming unregulated kratom and its synthetic derivatives. Kratom, a tropical herb that produces opioid-like effects on the human body, has grown steadily in popularity across the U.S. over the past 10 years. It is most commonly sold over the counter in pill or liquid form, often marketed as a natural pain reliever or energy booster at gas stations, smoke shops and online retailers.

    The product has been the center of regulatory controversy for years. Anti-kratom public health advocates have long pushed for nationwide bans, pointing to a growing body of evidence linking its use to overdose deaths, addiction and organ damage. Several countries, including the United Kingdom, have already classified kratom as an illegal controlled substance. However, in the U.S., the substance is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and remains legal for sale in a number of states — including Mississippi, where the recent deaths occurred.

    Crucially, prosecutors emphasize that the products linked to the student deaths are not natural kratom leaf. The derivatives involved, identified as MGPI, MGM-15 and MGM-16, are classified as Schedule I controlled substances under federal U.S. law. According to prosecutors, these lab-modified derivatives are far more potent than both natural kratom leaves and even morphine, carrying a drastically higher risk of fatal overdose. The tragedy has already sparked new calls for stricter state and federal regulation of kratom products and their derivatives, as public health officials warn consumers of the unregulated risks lurking in products sold openly across much of the country.

  • Tennessee prison chief to resign after Christa Pike’s failed execution, governor says

    Tennessee prison chief to resign after Christa Pike’s failed execution, governor says

    A high-profile leadership shakeup has hit Tennessee’s correctional system, after the state’s top prisons official stepped down in the wake of a botched lethal injection attempt that left convicted murderer Christa Pike — the only woman on Tennessee’s death row — clinging to life in a Nashville hospital.

    Governor Bill Lee made the resignation of Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada public Saturday in a joint statement with the departing official. Strada framed his departure as a decision made for the good of the state, noting that the ongoing probe into the failed execution is “entirely appropriate and necessary.” In his remarks, Lee praised Strada’s years of service, saying the commissioner “has served with integrity,” and thanked him for prioritizing the needs of Tennessee residents amid the ongoing crisis.

    The botched execution took place Wednesday, when execution teams administered two lethal doses of pentobarbital to Pike, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Now 48 years old, Pike survived the two injections, and was rushed by ambulance to a Nashville hospital for emergency care. According to legal documents submitted by her legal team, medical providers are currently working to flush the execution drugs from her system. As of Thursday night, Pike remained unconscious, intubated and reliant on a ventilator to breathe.

    Pike’s attorneys have detailed harrowing details of the botched procedure, saying that throughout the two doses, “she could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly.” The legal team had repeatedly warned state officials in advance of the execution that Pike’s pre-existing medical conditions — including thrombocytosis, a disorder that causes excessive blood clotting, and naturally small veins — created a high risk of severe, unnecessary pain and complications during lethal injection. Those warnings went unheeded: multiple last-minute legal challenges to block the execution failed, with the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting two separate stay requests, and Governor Lee turning down a plea for clemency.

    In the aftermath of the failed procedure, the Tennessee Department of Defense has stood by its execution protocol, stating that “the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out.” To date, state officials have not explained what caused the procedure to fail, nor have they confirmed whether they will attempt to execute Pike a second time.

    Pike’s legal team moved quickly to protect evidence related to the botched execution, filing an emergency motion Friday to preserve all documentation and physical materials connected to the attempt. They are also currently pushing to have Pike’s death sentence commuted to a life prison term.

    In response to the incident, Governor Lee has ordered an independent external review of the attempted execution, and has put a full halt to all scheduled executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year.

    The case dates back to 1995, when 18-year-old Pike and her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp beat, tortured and killed Slemmer, a fellow student, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The killing drew extensive local media attention, and Pike was sentenced to death the following year, marking the start of her nearly 30-year stay on death row.

  • Protesters across Spain demand action over housing crisis

    Protesters across Spain demand action over housing crisis

    A wave of mass demonstrations has spread across Spain this weekend, as thousands of frustrated citizens take to the streets demanding sweeping tenant protections, just days after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority leftist coalition government saw its emergency housing legislation defeated in Congress.

    The current housing crisis, which has sent rents skyrocketing and pushed thousands of vulnerable households into risk of eviction, reached a breaking point last month with the forced eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home after she could not cover a sharp rent hike. That incident ignited immediate public outrage and nationwide protests, pushing Sánchez’s government — a partnership between his Socialist Party and the left-wing Sumar alliance — to rush two emergency decree bills to parliament in a bid to address widespread anger.

    The proposed legislation carried a series of key reforms to ease pressure on renters: the first bill would have suspended evictions for vulnerable tenants through 2030, extended expiring rental leases for two years until 2028, raised taxes on tourist-focused short-term apartment rentals, and restricted residential property purchases by the government-labeled “vulture funds” that have bought up large swathes of Spanish housing stock. The second bill enshrined automatic renewal of rental contracts, a top longstanding demand from tenant advocacy groups and left-wing political actors.

    Despite the government’s last-minute push, both bills failed to secure enough support to pass. The first was defeated by a vote of 178 against to 172 in favor, while the second was rejected 184 to 166. The conservative opposition People’s Party (PP) and far-right Vox had already pledged to block both measures from the start. Already lacking a parliamentary majority, Sánchez’s coalition relied on backing from small nationalist parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country to pass the bills — but the centre-right pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) announced its opposition just ahead of the vote, condemning the legislation to defeat.

    In response to the parliamentary defeat, tenant unions across the country organized roughly 50 coordinated marches for Saturday in major population centers including Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, one of the first cities to see large-scale mobilizations earlier this month. Clashes erupted in the eastern coastal city of Valencia near the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, which was hosting an industry real estate summit. Spanish media reports confirm that dozens of protesters pushed past security barriers and threw projectiles at police officers, who responded by firing rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. A spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants’ Union described widespread public anger boiling over into the streets, confirming the demonstration had kicked off earlier Saturday morning.

    The largest demonstration is projected to take place in the capital Madrid, where pro-housing reform activists have maintained a continuous encampment at the iconic central Puerta del Sol square for multiple days leading up to Saturday’s mobilization. “We’re not here for pleasure or comfort. We’re here out of conviction,” protester David told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE ahead of the march. Madrid’s Tenants’ Union released a statement Friday night arguing that while the government’s proposed reforms fell far short of what was needed, the outright rejection of the legislation has dramatically worsened a housing crisis that is already devastating working-class communities across the country. The union has now called for a general strike to demand urgent action on the country’s deepening housing shortage.

    While the property management company that owns Abascal’s apartment later negotiated her return to the home at a reduced rent following the public backlash, protests have continued to gain momentum as broader systemic issues drive unrest. Official data underscores the severity of the crisis: the Bank of Spain estimates a national shortage of 700,000 affordable homes, driven by a persistent gap between growing housing demand and stagnant new construction. National statistics institute INE reports that overall house prices rose 12.2% over the past year as of the second quarter of 2026, while real estate firm Idealista data shows average national rents climbed 8.5% in 2025 alone. Madrid saw average rents jump 9.7% last year, making it one of the country’s most expensive rental markets alongside Barcelona, where average rent hits €23.80 per square meter compared to Madrid’s €22.70 per square meter.

    The parliamentary defeat of the housing bills has also intensified political speculation, with analysts now suggesting Sánchez could be forced to call an early general election. The next scheduled national vote is not set to take place until summer 2027, but the minority government’s repeated struggles to pass legislation amid shifting parliamentary alliances have raised questions about its ability to govern through to the end of its term.

  • The South African men trying to end violence against women: ‘Every man needs to play a part’

    The South African men trying to end violence against women: ‘Every man needs to play a part’

    In the cramped, winding pathways of Organic Market, an informal settlement tucked near Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, a small group of men gather on a dusty street outside a local tavern. Chairs are dragged into a rough circle, and as some sip cold bottled beer, the men turn their conversation to a crisis that has gripped South Africa for decades: the epidemic of violence against women and femicide.

    This gathering is organized by Father A Nation (FAN), a non-profit organization working to reframe masculinity across the country, targeting men and boys to encourage accountability and end gender-based harm. For 30-year-old Kgomotso Mathekga, attending his first meeting is a vulnerable act of confronting his own past. Speaking openly to the group, he admits he once physically assaulted his girlfriend during an argument, grabbing and slapping her. The relationship ended, he says, and he has been cut off from his child ever since. “Now I feel pain,” Mathekga shares. “I feel like I’ve contributed to the problems in South Africa, instead of being the gentleman that I know I am.” He adds that growing up without positive male role models has left a void that many local men fill with harmful, violent behavior, a trend he has witnessed repeatedly in his neighborhood, especially when alcohol is involved. “I see men hitting women all the time, especially when they are both drunk,” he says.

    Leading the meeting is Itumeleng Stephen Tamaga, known to locals as Bra Steve, FAN’s on-the-ground organizer in Organic Market. Raising his fist, he opens the session with a rallying cry: “We are men!” The group responds with cheers and applause. “We must stand together to fight against gender-based violence and femicide,” Bra Steve tells the gathered men. For him, the solution starts with rebuilding a sense of dignity among local men, many of whom grew up without fathers or positive male guidance. “We are a lost generation,” he says. “We must restore dignity to the men around here.”

    This grassroots push comes at a moment of renewed national fury over gender-based violence in South Africa. Over three months earlier this year, the bodies of 12 women were discovered in Ekurhuleni, a metropolitan area just east of Johannesburg. The discovery has reignited long-simmering questions about the scale of the crisis, which activists and survivors have long labeled a national emergency. Police have not confirmed a serial killer is behind the deaths, though they have not ruled out connections between some cases, and suspects in several deaths have already appeared in court. But the string of killings has pushed the issue back to the top of the national agenda, forcing both government and community leaders to confront the staggering statistics behind the violence.

    Official data underscores the severity of the crisis. Between April and June 2026 alone, South Africa recorded 5,427 murders – one of the highest quarterly homicide rates in the world. Of those, 569 were women, an average of six women killed every day, according to the South African Human Rights Commission. A further 1,052 women survived murder attempts in that same period. A 2022 study from the Human Sciences Research Council found that more than 35% of South African women will face physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the government’s failure to adequately address the crisis, recently announcing a new package of measures aimed at improving women’s safety, including expanded street lighting in high-risk areas and a review of thousands of unsolved gender-based violence cases. But for FAN project coordinator Zizipho Mtwesi, these steps are too little, too late. “When I think about all of these recent murders in Johannesburg, I get angry,” Mtwesi says. “Why do we have to wait for this to happen for us to act?” FAN’s approach, he explains, is to intervene before violence occurs, reaching out to men to change their attitudes before harm is done.

    Craig Wilkinson, FAN’s founder, outlines the organization’s two-pronged approach. “We get men to talk, to process their feelings,” he explains, standing at the center of the circle of men in Organic Market. “And as they do, this healing takes place. The second phase is teaching and training positive masculinity.” He tells the gathered men that they hold the power to end the crisis: “You as a man are a powerful force for good. You choose what kind of man you want to be. Women need to be safe.” Today, FAN operates across the country, running healthy masculinity training programs in dozens of South African schools and colleges, with the ultimate goal of eliminating gender-based violence entirely.

    For women in Organic Market, the recent string of killings has only deepened a constant state of fear. As Linkie, a local resident, cleans clothes in a large metal bucket outside her shack, she says the anxiety never leaves. “We are not safe when we are outside our place,” she says. “We are afraid when we see a car behind us when we walk. We feel afraid. What if this guy’s going to kidnap me or do something to me?” Providence Maseko, a salon worker in the settlement, shares that feeling of distrust. “Safety here is very bad,” she tells Bra Steve when he stops to invite her to a community conversation. “Maybe you are the serial killer. How do I know who to trust?” Maseko says she now only uses e-hailing taxis for all trips, even short ones, in a desperate bid to stay safe. Bra Steve responds by inviting her to join future community meetings, saying open conversation between men and women is the only path to rebuilding trust.

    As the men’s meeting wraps up on the dusty street outside the tavern, Mtwesi leaves the group with a clear message: every man has a role to play in ending violence. “If they wouldn’t allow these things to happen to their own daughters or own mothers, they mustn’t allow it to be done to someone else’s daughter, which is their wives or their girlfriends,” he says.

    For Mathekga, the meeting has reinforced a new mission: to become the role model he never had growing up. “Many of our fathers and uncles are in prison,” he says. “We no longer have role models, so we must now become the role models ourselves and help make this country better.”

  • Cornell frat house rape accuser ‘under siege’ online, says lawyer

    Cornell frat house rape accuser ‘under siege’ online, says lawyer

    A sexual assault allegation against seven Cornell University students has ignited widespread national debate and triggered a major shakeup in how the case is being investigated, after the accuser revealed she is facing overwhelming online harassment from internet users attempting to publicly identify her. The 20-year-old woman, referred to in legal filings only as Jane Doe, alleges she was gang-raped by seven men at a Cornell fraternity house in Ithaca, New York back in 2024. She claims she was completely incapacitated by intoxication and pressured to take ketamine before the attack, leaving her unable to give legal consent to any sexual activity. No criminal charges were brought against the accused men in the immediate aftermath of the incident, but the case has been reopened after Doe filed a civil lawsuit against her alleged attackers. The lawsuit has pushed the allegations into the national spotlight, renewing speculation that criminal charges could eventually be filed. In recent media interviews, Doe’s attorney Thomas Giuffra shared that his client is struggling deeply amid the relentless online harassment she has endured. “She is not doing well. She is under siege on social media where people are trying to identify her,” Giuffra told CNN. He added that misleading, false postings on public court forums have attempted to out Doe, and have even incorrectly misidentified unrelated women as the accuser, putting innocent people in the line of fire. The growing controversy surrounding the case prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to announce Friday that she was removing local county prosecutors from the investigation and appointing state Attorney General Letitia James, the state’s top law enforcement official, to lead the probe moving forward. Hochul told reporters she had lost all confidence that the local prosecutor’s office could fairly and effectively oversee the investigation. “This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her,” Hochul said during the press conference. Beyond the investigation shakeup, the governor also pledged to close a long-criticized loophole in New York state law that currently makes it far harder to prosecute rape cases when the alleged victim voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs before the assault. As harassment of the accuser has intensified online, a wave of solidarity has erupted across social media platforms, with hundreds of women posting self-recorded videos tagged “I am Jane Doe” to protect the accuser’s anonymity. The campaign is designed to clog internet searches for the accuser’s name and make it harder for online sleuths to track her down. Many participants have also shared their own personal experiences of sexual assault in their videos, turning the movement into a broader call for accountability for campus sexual violence. The push to unmask Doe gained traction after a conservative political commentator publicly pledged to reveal her identity, arguing that it is unfair for the accuser to remain anonymous while the seven men she has accused are publicly identified, even though they have never been criminally charged. Online attempts to dox both the accuser and the accused have already led to multiple cases of dangerous mistaken identity. According to local reporting from the Free Press, an active-duty U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who shares the same name as one of the accused men was incorrectly served with Doe’s civil lawsuit, and has since been flooded with online abuse and violent threats. Campus activists and Cornell students have repeatedly expressed public frustration over how the original inquiry into the allegations was handled, with many calling for greater transparency and accountability from both the university and local law enforcement. The case has already reignited long-simmering national conversations about campus sexual assault, survivor privacy, and gaps in state sexual violence laws that critics say leave many survivors without paths to justice.

  • Women given shorts at Oktoberfest to prevent upskirting

    Women given shorts at Oktoberfest to prevent upskirting

    MUNICH — As the world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival draws its 16-day run to a close this weekend, a longstanding beloved attraction at the event is at the center of a growing debate over digital privacy, gender-based harassment, and gaps in German legislation targeting invasive upskirting filming.

    The Teufelsrad, or Devil’s Wheel, is one of Oktoberfest’s oldest surviving attractions. The spinning circular ride works by accelerating faster and faster until centrifugal force throws riders off the platform. The constant rotation and sudden shifts in speed routinely lift the hems of the traditional dirndl dresses many women wear to the festival, creating an opportunity for bad actors in the crowd to capture invasive footage.

    In recent years, thousands of these voyeuristic videos have been uploaded to social media platforms, where some have racked up millions of views. Investigations by local broadcaster BR uncovered that a coordinated network of content creators, including professional YouTubers from Ukraine and local creators from Bavaria, have profited heavily from these clips. One single video reportedly earned its poster upwards of €9,000 (£7,650). According to Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, at least 32,000 invasive videos of Teufelsrad riders are currently in circulation online. Many of the videos clearly show women’s underwear, and some have even been digitally altered to add fake nudity, BR reports.

    While filming upskirts is already illegal in Germany, carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison, advocates and observers argue that existing law does not go far enough to address this growing crisis. Elisabeth Polaczy, the 80-year-old operator of the Teufelsrad, has taken matters into her own hands. For three years running, she has offered free cycling shorts to women and girls riding the attraction while wearing dresses, to protect their privacy.

    “At this year’s Oktoberfest alone, I’ve distributed more than 100 pairs,” Polaczy told the BBC. “I want to do everything I can to make people feel secure.” She added that while providing the free shorts is not cheap, the effort is worth it for her own peace of mind. The ride’s venue is posted with prominent signs in German and English, alongside official police notices, warning visitors that non-consensual filming is illegal. Still, Polaczy acknowledges that it is impossible to police every visitor with a smartphone, leaving gaps in protection that she is trying to fill. Even some Oktoberfest waitresses have started adopting the practice, wearing cycling shorts under their work dirndls to avoid similar harassment.

    Bavarian police have stepped up their own efforts to crack down on the practice, launching a targeted public awareness campaign at the festival starting in 2025. This year alone, officers have already arrested a 45-year-old Swiss man for allegedly filming under a woman’s dirndl with his phone. Police made 10 upskirting-related arrests in 2025 and seven in 2024.

    But Josephine Ballon, head of the German non-profit Hate Aid which supports victims of digital gender-based violence, said current legislation fails to cover key scenarios that leave women vulnerable. Ballon explained that existing law only applies to intentional upskirting, not cases where a skirt lifts naturally from the motion of a ride and is still captured on camera. She added that new compact recording devices, such as hidden camera glasses, also create new loopholes that current law does not address. Ballon is pushing for harsher penalties for anyone who non-consensually shares intimate images of women online, as well as for platforms that host the content. Drafting for a new updated law is already in the works, according to Ballon.

    City officials in Munich have also taken steps to regulate commercial content creation at the festival. New rules ban unpermitted live streaming from Oktoberfest grounds, and require all professional content creators and influencers to purchase a filming permit in order to capture and monetize footage at the event. Hundreds of permits have been issued to influencers this year, who typically earn revenue from brand sponsorships and product placements posted to their channels.

    As the festival closes, the steps taken by Polaczy and city officials highlight a growing recognition of the need to address digital harassment and invasive content creation that disproportionately targets women in public spaces.

  • Riot police clash with students as education protests rage in France

    Riot police clash with students as education protests rage in France

    What began last week as a small, localized protest over failing education standards in Paris has exploded into a nationwide movement that has shut down more than 700 French secondary schools and sparked violent confrontations between demonstrators and riot police. High school students are leading the demonstrations, fueled by years of mounting frustration over persistent understaffing, overcrowded learning spaces, crumbling infrastructure, extended school hours, and planned national education budget cuts that threaten to worsen already strained conditions.

    By Friday, the unrest had spread to major cities across the country, including Montpellier, Nantes, Marseille, Belfort, Strasbourg, Rennes, and multiple districts of the Paris metropolitan area. In many urban centers, protesters lit barricades and trash bins on fire, blocked roadways, and damaged school property. In the northeastern city of Belfort, a 17-year-old demonstrator was taken into custody on charges of attempted homicide following an attack that targeted a serving police officer. France’s Education Ministry confirmed that at least 65 school and law enforcement staff have been injured in the unrest across the country.

    In the Parisian suburb of Pantin, police charged crowds of demonstrators and made multiple arrests after projectiles were thrown at officers. Local law enforcement deployed tear gas in Strasbourg to pre-empt escalating violence, per reports from Reuters. One of the hardest-hit sites was Nelson Mandela High School in Nantes, where a fire set by protesters destroyed the building’s glass entrance lobby and damaged multiple interior spaces, leaving an estimated €2 million ($2.1 million) in total damages. French authorities have confirmed that they seized dangerous contraband from demonstrators during raids, including homemade petrol bombs, an axe, and explosive mortar fireworks. The Education Ministry noted that hundreds of schools have suffered damaged gates, fences, and entrance facilities, labeled as “significant damage” to public education infrastructure.

    For many participating students, the government’s heavy-handed law enforcement response has only amplified their anger. “As far as we’re concerned, we’ve won – our school is closed this morning,” 16-year-old protester Lola told AFP during Friday’s demonstrations. She added, “It makes us even angrier – the police have no right to hit us or use tear gas on us.”

    The unfolding crisis comes at a critical political juncture for French President Emmanuel Macron, just six months ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Senior government officials have framed the unrest as a breakdown of public order, rather than a reflection of legitimate student grievances. French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed that the situation has “gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public order disturbance.” He added that around 2,000 people, most of whom are minors, have been taken into custody since the movement began, and prosecutors have been instructed to seek financial damages from parents for destruction caused by their children.

    French Education Minister Édouard Geffray claimed Friday that the original student movement had been “hijacked” by external agitators with no connection to the school system. He told French broadcaster BFMTV that multiple teachers reported “the people in front of me were not my students.”

    Many parents across France have expressed growing anxiety about the unrest, fearful that their children will be caught up in escalating violence between protesters and police. In southern Paris, 53-year-old Anya told AFP she had forbidden her son from attending demonstrations but was searching for him after he left home. “We’re afraid the situation might escalate,” she explained.

    Despite the government’s condemnation, multiple major French trade unions have publicly backed the student protesters and their demands. Three leading education and public service unions—SNEP-FSU, SNUEP-FSU, and Solidaires—have called on their members to support the movement. In an official statement, the Solidaires Trade Union Federation argued, “Let’s not let them fire on our children. Secondary school pupils have the freedom of assembly, association and demonstration.”