Government
What could EU associate member status mean for Canada?
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the European Union's ambition to make his country the first associate member of the bloc - but what would that mean in practice? Carney says he is seeking a unique relationship with the EU, in an apparent reference to the fact that EU treaties do not currently provide for associate membership. Germany had proposed Ukrainian associate membership earlier this year but Kyiv rejected the idea, saying it only wanted full EU integration. The EU itself also seemed reluctant. At the her State of the Union address on Wednesday, von der Leyen listed several key areas for cooperation, although she did not give specific details about how Canadian associate membership would work.
UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes
Image caption, At least 156 people, including 120 children, were killed in February's strike on the primary school in Minab UN human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians. A new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, external said February's missile strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd constituted indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure. There was no immediate comment from the US. It has previously denied striking Lamerd and said it is investigating what happened in Minab. The experts also found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January.
Zelensky appoints new chief prosecutor after predecessor's corruption scandal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a new acting prosecutor general, after the predecessor resigned over an anti-corruption investigation. Anton Kovalskyi, 42, was appointed on Thursday to replace Ruslan Kravchenko, who stood down last week following searches of his offices by Ukrainian anti-corruption officials related to illegal call centres in the country. Officials said they identified a money-laundering scheme led by an official in Kravchenko's office, a claim he rejected. The investigation into Kravchenko's office is the latest corruption scandal impacting Kyiv during the war against Russia. Accusations have been levelled at several members of Zelensky's inner circle.
Meta ordered to remove UK deepfakes as oversight board criticises 'inadequate' safeguards
Meta has had policy changes recommended to it, including demoting'high risk' content, making it less likely to appear in users' feeds. Meta has had policy changes recommended to it, including demoting'high risk' content, making it less likely to appear in users' feeds. Meta ordered to remove UK deepfakes as oversight board criticises'inadequate' safeguards Meta's "supreme court" has ordered the tech company to take down deepfake videos of a UK politician and a young Muslim woman from Facebook and do more to tackle AI-generated fake imagery . A fake video showing a Labour party councillor in Scotland making inflammatory comments about refugees should not have been left up by Facebook, the board said. It also ruled that an AI-generated video of a Muslim campaign volunteer should have been removed after it falsely depicted her offering health advice while carrying out absurd exercises or eating junk food.
Verified video shows wreckage of Saudi fighter jet shot down over Yemen
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, BBC Verify has confirmed the footage was filmed in western Yemen. Footage verified by the BBC shows the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet which the Iran-backed Houthi group says it shot down over Yemen. The US-made aircraft was downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile as it conducted hostile operations over the Marib region, according to a Houthi statement on Wednesday. Experts have told BBC Verify the incident is a propaganda coup that shows the Houthis' military capability has advanced and they are prepared to further escalate its conflict with Saudi Arabia.
This widdle biddy baby world is breaking planet formation theories
Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Mashable Selects Creator Playbook In My Bag Say More Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net All Series Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds . Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series.