India’s Young Protesters Are Bloodied but Unbowed
A day after police forcibly broke up demonstrations, thousands returned to the protest site in New Delhi to keep pushing for action over the country’s failings in education.
Mykhailo Drapatyi: What to Know About Ukraine’s New Top General
Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated commander, is popular both inside and outside of his country.
Timbers name Spain’s Marti Cifuentes as new coach
The Portland Timbers named Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach on Tuesday, signing him to a three-year contract through the 2028-29 season.
The 44-year-old Spaniard arrives with more than two decades of coaching experience across Europe, most recently with English side Leicester City in the EFL Championship.
Cifuentes replaces Phil Neville, who mutually parted ways with the Timbers in late May. Interim coach Jack Cassidy will remain in that capacity until Cifuentes’ arrival.
“This has been by far the most detailed and exhaustive head coaching search the Timbers have ever executed, and we are thrilled to have the process culminate in Marti Cifuentes taking the reins of our club,” Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said in a press release.
“Marti is a young, analytical leader who is as intellectually curious about his trade as I have seen in a coach. He has been tested in a variety of high-pressure environments and countries, and I have no doubt that with our support, Marti Cifuentes will build something truly special in Portland.”
Cifuentes has also managed clubs in Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
“I am incredibly excited to become the next head coach of this club,” Cifuentes said. “My conversations with Merritt and (general manager) Ned (Grabavoy) were truly inspiring, and their vision aligns perfectly with what I want to be part of. I have always followed MLS, and it has long been an ambition of mine to experience this league. To have the chance to do so at a club like Portland, with such an incredible fanbase and an exciting group of players, is truly special. I know how passionate this city is about soccer, and the connection between the club and the city is what makes this opportunity so meaningful.
“We want to build a team with a clear identity, strong ambition, and a real sense of togetherness, one that represents this city and makes our supporters proud. Soccer in the U.S. is entering a new era, with the country hosting the World Cup and the sport continuing to grow in so many ways. To be part of that journey and contribute to the next chapter of the game here is a privilege.”
The Timbers returned from the FIFA World Cup break to post a 5-1 road win against the rival Seattle Sounders on Thursday. Portland (15-5-8, 17 points) sits 11th in the Western Conference, currently three points below the playoff cut line.
France Joins a Global Move Toward Restricting Social Media for Children
Its new law, the first of its kind enacted by a European country, will ban access to some accounts for anyone under 15.
A Family’s Daring Escape From North Korea
Their resolve for freedom hardened during the pandemic, when they lived through a crippling food shortage and were forced to witness frequent public executions.
Inside the Fight to Rid South Africa of Black Immigrants
As immigration surges in the country, activists are going to extreme lengths to expel foreign nationals, often taking the law into their own hands.
3 Myths Fueling Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in South Africa
As the nation convulses with protests and violence, data and research suggest that some of the biggest arguments against foreigners don’t stand up against the facts.
How Republicans Turned Olive Garden Into a Voter ID Talking Point
Republicans claim that Olive Garden polices its Never-Ending Pasta Bowl more tightly than the United States does its elections. It’s not that simple.
LHC confirms death sentences of convicts in motorway gang rape case
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued a detailed judgment confirming the death sentences awarded to two convicts in the high-profile 2020 Lahore-Sialkot Motorway gang-rape case, ruling that the prosecution had established the charges beyond reasonable doubt through overwhelming ocular, medical and forensic evidence.
Through a short order, a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa had on June 3, 2026, dismissed separate criminal appeals filed by convicts Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga.
The court today issued its detailed written judgment on the appeal.
The bench also confirmed the death sentences through the mandatory capital sentence reference while rejecting the Punjab government’s appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment sentences awarded to the convicts under Section 365-A (kidnapping for ransom) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Gujjarpura police had registered the FIR following the horrific incident that shocked the nation in September 2020.
According to the prosecution, the victim, a Pakistani-origin French woman, was travelling with her children when her vehicle ran out of fuel on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway during the early hours of September 9, 2020.
While she was stranded at the motorway, two armed men allegedly smashed the car window, dragged the woman and her children into nearby bushes, subjected her to gang rape and robbed her of cash, jewellery, ATM cards and other valuables before fleeing.
Following an extensive investigation involving the Crime Investigation Agency, Punjab Forensic Science Agency and other law enforcement agencies, police arrested the accused and collected forensic, DNA and other scientific evidence linking them to the crime.
On March 20, 2021, an antiterrorism court convicted both accused under multiple provisions of the PPC and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
Besides awarding them the death penalty under Section 376(ii) PPC for gang rape, the trial court sentenced them to life imprisonment under Section 365-A PPC, 14 years rigorous imprisonment for robbery, five years’ imprisonment for mischief causing damage and directed payment of compensation (daman) to the victim.
Their properties were also ordered to be forfeited to the state.
Before the LHC, defence counsel argued that the prosecution’s case suffered from contradictions and that the convictions were based on unreliable evidence. They sought acquittal, contending that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The prosecution, however, maintained that the victim’s testimony remained consistent and was fully corroborated by independent evidence, including medical examinations, DNA analysis, forensic reports, recoveries and other circumstantial evidence collected during the investigation.
After examining the entire record, the LHC bench held that the prosecution had successfully proved the appellants’ guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The bench observed that the victim’s statement was trustworthy, confidence-inspiring and received substantial corroboration from scientific and medical evidence.
It ruled that the minor discrepancies pointed out by the defence were natural and did not affect the core prosecution case.
The bench further held that the trial court had properly appreciated the evidence and that no illegality, misreading or non-reading of evidence had been demonstrated to warrant interference in the appeal.
The judgment said the appellants/convicts exhibited complete disregard for human dignity, bodily autonomy and the sanctity of womanhood.
“Such conduct constitutes an aggravated form of sexual violence and falls amongst those offences which shock the judicial conscience,” it added.
It further noted that the societal repercussions of crimes of this nature extend far beyond the individual victim, as they create a pervasive sense of vulnerability among women and their families and erode the public’s confidence in their safety while travelling on motorways, roads and highways.
“In these circumstances, any undue leniency would amount to misplaced sympathy, diminish the deterrent effect of the law, and undermine public confidence in the administration of justice,” said the judgement.
It concluded that the appellants do not deserve any concession in the matter of sentence.
While confirming the death sentences, the bench declined the state’s request to enhance the life imprisonment sentence awarded under Section 365-A of the PPC to capital punishment.
The bench observed that the trial court had exercised its sentencing discretion judiciously and that no exceptional circumstances existed to justify enhancement.
Consequently, the bench dismissed both appeals filed by the convicts, maintained all convictions and sentences awarded by the trial court, confirmed the death sentences through the capital sentence reference and rejected the state’s appeal seeking enhancement of punishment.
Opposition leader Gandhi demands India PM's resignation over protest crackdown
India’s main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, demanded on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi step down over the police crackdown against student protests demanding reforms in the education system.
Modi must resign “for destroying the future of India’s youth”, the Congress Party leader said in a post on social media as he led a march with other MPs towards the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi.
“The government doesn’t want to take any accountability, nor does it want to have a debate on it in parliament,” said Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the lower house.
Gandhi’s comments came after police said 60 protesters were injured in clashes with security forces in the heart of New Delhi on Monday, marking the biggest street rally in the capital for about five years.
The Cockroach Janata Party movement vowed to press ahead with their campaign until the education minister resigns, a day after at least 180 people were injured in protests in New Delhi.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the heart of the Indian capital on Monday, demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and wider examination reforms, in a show of force by the CJP online movement.
The CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, fuelling one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he won his third term in office in 2024.
Shameful day
“We won’t stop. Pradhan has to be sacked,” the CJP’s Ashutosh Ranka said in a social media post.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged protesters on Tuesday not to lose hope.
“They want to break our spirit,” he said, perched on top of a lorry. “Do not let them silence you.”
Organisers and hundreds of protesters remained camped at the Jantar Mantar protest site today, many of them calling for wider changes in the education system.
On Monday, police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters to stop them from marching on to parliament, in one of the biggest street rallies in Delhi in around five years.
At least 178 people were injured in clashes between protesters and security officials, Delhi Police said.
That included 118 police personnel, including senior officers, it said while criticising what it described as “unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour” by a “violent mob”.
“During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to get injured,” it said in a statement late on Monday.
Protest organisers condemned the “high-handedness” of the authorities and said hundreds of protesters had been injured.
“It’s a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that people, honest students, who had come for a genuine issue were brutally beaten by the Delhi police,” Ranka told AFP.
Ranka, who met senior minister JP Nadda on Monday, said the government had yet to respond to their demands.
Protesters said they would not relent.
“We have become even more fearless now,” said 25-year-old law student Chandra Pratap Sishwi. “When I saw people being beaten up by the police like that, my blood boiled.”
Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday after the opposition benches demanded a discussion on the alleged “brutality unleashed on students”.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world’s most populous nation still struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
The protests follow a series of examination scandals that have shaken confidence in the country’s testing system.
Some 2.2 million aspiring medical students sat for a re-examination under tight security last month after the previous test was scrapped following the leak of a question paper.
That came on top of another scandal related to the online marking system of tests taken by nearly 2m high school students.
