*Male TV presenters in Afghanistan are wearing face masks on screen to show solidarity after the Taliban issued an order that all women on news channels must cover their faces.*

Tories crushed the British unions in the 1980s, but not entirely. Now that train drivers' real income has gone way down, and they are planning a strike, Tories are planning to criminalize the strike.

UN Secretary General Guterres is forcefully denouncing fossil fuel companies, calling them "climate wreckers" and urging young people to refuse to work for them.

I prefer "planet roasters", but "climate wreckers" fits them too.

I read several years ago that US oil companies were finding it hard to hire good staff -- graduates considered them bad.

Indeed, young people are more aware of the harm and danger of fossil fuels. I hope people my age learn this soon.

Republicans are trying to force women to have more babies, but refuse to help them feed their babies once those are born.

They care, for political reasons, about fetuses, but whether a post-born fetus lives or dies is nothing to them.

Biden, speaking in Japan, said that the US would defend Taiwan if it is attacked.

Some people are going to find that shocking, but it should not be. That the US will defend Taiwan if China attacks Taiwan is entirely proper and normal. What ought to be shocking is that China is willing to consider attacking Taiwan.