When Asad Dandia received a message from a young man named Shamiur Rahman in March 2012, he had no reason to suspect that he was under the watchful eye of state surveillance. Rahman simply seemed interested in deepening his relationship with Islam and getting involved in charity work. As a Muslim community organiser in New York City, Dandia was happy to help. The young man quickly became a...

A federal judge has ordered a halt to attempts under President Donald Trump to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an independent government agency charged with investigating and preventing financial malpractice. On Friday, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted a request from employees, advocates and union representatives to issue a preliminary injunction, preventing the bureau from being shuttered while court proceedings continue. “The Court cannot look...

BREAKINGBREAKING, Myanmar’s military rulers say at least 694 people killed following earthquake that also killed 10 people in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand has passed 700, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. At least 694 people were killed and nearly 1,700 injured in Myanmar’s Mandalay region – the country’s...