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With crews as large as Star Trek has, you know they couldn’t get along all the time. According to Star Trek icon Jonathan Frakes, the cast of one of the Star Trek series was particularly bad at one point.

In an interview with Variety, Frakes reflected on directing Star Trek: The Next Generation episode ‘The Offspring’. “Our cast, as you probably know, is notoriously rambunctious,” he says. “I was, for better or for worse, one of the leaders of that kind of behavior on the set. Some directors really didn’t like coming to work with us because we were that bad. We would be yakking right up until action.”

While in the hot seat himself, Frakes realized the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast were harder to handle that he thought. “It happened to be a Data episode, which are always great, because Brent is a genius,” he says. “The sound department gave me a bullhorn. I had a lot of support, including from my acting company. But I realized what these other directors had gone through and what assholes we were. And I had not a leg to stand on in terms of asking them to behave.”

Oh dear. Thankfully, the episode didn’t suffer one iota, and Frakes became a regular director within the Star Trek franchise. He states that there was still a level of professionalism because of Patrick Stewart, who was a true Star Trek captain.

“Part of it was because we were so well prepared because Patrick had set his high bar from the moment he showed up, that when you come into the morning, you have done your homework, and you’re in good shape,” Frakes adds. “The smart ADs actually built time into days that were all on the Enterprise bridge, knowing that we’d all have to catch up because we hadn’t seen each other.”

Really, all of this just contributed to Star Trek: The Next Generation being not just one of the best sci-fi series ever, but one of the best TV series. The clear chemistry across the main actors across every season and all their Star Trek movies elevated what was already strong material (mostly) to even higher standards.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation Monday which marked the final step in outlawing gender-affirming procedures in the country — a crippling blow to Russia's already embattled LGBTQ community.

The bill, which was approved unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any "medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person," as well as changing one's gender in official documents and public records. The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.

It also annuls marriages in which one person has "changed gender" and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin's crusade to protect what it views as the country's "traditional values." Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against "Western anti-family ideology," with some describing gender-transitioning as "pure satanism."

Russia's crackdown on LGBTQ people started a decade ago when Putin first proclaimed a focus on "traditional family values," supported by the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 2013, the Kremlin adopted legislation that banned any public endorsement of "non-traditional sexual relations" among minors. In 2020, Putin pushed through constitutional reform that outlawed same-sex marriage, and last year signed a law banning "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among adults as well.

A Canadian-built plane fighting wildfires in Greece crashed on Tuesday, as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of tough days ahead, with blazes destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of tourists from the island of Rhodes.

Two pilots were killed when their Canadair CL-215 plane crashed on the island of Evia, east of Athens, the air force said. It gave their ages as 34 and 27.

Video from state-owed ERT TV showed the bright yellow aircraft releasing its load of water before its wingtip apparently snagged a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted. The plane had no ejection system.

Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and Greece's armed forces declared three days of mourning. "They offered their lives to save lives," Mitsotakis said of the pilots. "They proved how hazardous their daily missions in extinguishing fires are ... In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature."

ERT separately reported that the body of a 41-year-old stockbreeder who had been missing since Sunday was found burned in a shack in a hard-to-reach area on Evia.

It was unclear whether he had been killed by the fire or had died of other causes before it broke out.

'What the entire planet is facing' A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 C across parts of the country Tuesday amid a string of evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days, whipped on by strong winds.

It's still unclear how they started, although tinder-dry conditions amid the summer heat mean the slightest spark can trigger a blaze that will spread fast if not quickly quenched. Several people have been arrested or fined across Greece in recent days for accidentally starting fires.

Mitsotakis said on Tuesday the next few days would be difficult, with conditions possibly improving after Thursday.

"All of us are standing guard," he said. "In the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean, which is a climate change hot spot, there is no magical defence mechanism. If there was, we would have implemented it."

CNN's signal in China appeared to be censored halfway through CNN's Will Ripley reporting on the ousting and replacement of China's foreign minister Qin Gang after a long absence from the public view.

LONDON (AP) — Sinéad O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the singer’s family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed.

When her teenage son Shane died by suicide last year, O’Connor tweeted there was “no point living without him” and she was soon hospitalized. Her final tweet, sent July 17, read: “For all mothers of Suicided children,” and linked to a Tibetan compassion mantra.

Recognizable by her shaved head and with a multi-octave mezzo soprano of extraordinary emotional range, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.

Spacey, who was also celebrating his 64th birthday on Wednesday, began to cry and mouthed "thank you" to the nine men and three women jurors, before wiping away tears with a tissue.

The Hollywood star spoke with five of the jurors in the lobby of Southwark Crown Court, before emerging from the building to address a phalanx of journalists and photographers.

"I imagine that many of you can understand that there's a lot for me to process after what has just happened today," he said. "I am humbled by the outcome today."

He also said he was "enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision".

Spacey was swarmed by cameras as he then walked to a waiting taxi, as some members of the public clapped and wished him happy birthday and one woman shouted: "We love you, Kevin."

During the four-week trial, prosecutors described the actor as a "sexual bully" who had aggressively groped three of the men and performed oral sex on the fourth while he had passed out in Spacey's London apartment.

Spacey, tried under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, said in evidence that the case against him was weak, and that the incidents, if they had occurred at all, were consensual. He said he was promiscuous, a "big flirt" who had "casual, indiscriminate sexual encounters".

One of complainants alleged Spacey painfully grabbed his crotch like "a cobra" in the mid-2000s, an allegation Spacey described as "absolute bollocks", using a British slang term for testicles and for something which is nonsense.

While he said he might have made a clumsy pass at one of the men, he said he had never assaulted anyone and suggested that the accusers had come forward to make money.

SEOUL, July 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported, giving him a tour of a defence expo featuring Pyongyang's banned ballistic missiles as both sides pledged to boost ties.

Shoigu handed Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report said. Kim in turn thanked Putin for sending a military delegation led by Shoigu, adding the meeting deepened the "strategic and traditional" relations between North Korea and Russia.

The Russian delegation and a Chinese delegation including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong arrived in North Korea this week for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War celebrated in North Korea as "Victory Day."

The groups are the first such prominent public visitors to North Korea since the start of the pandemic, and arrive as Pyongyang looks to deepen its ties with Beijing and Moscow, finding common ground in their rivalries with Washington.

Kim led Shoigu on a tour of a defence exhibition being held to mark the war anniversary displaying newly developed weapons and military equipment, KCNA said.

"Kim Jong Un shared with Sergei Shoigu comments on the worldwide trend of weaponry development and its strategy," KCNA said.

Photographs published by KCNA showed Kim and his guests touring a large exhibition hall displaying some of the North's ballistic missiles lying on multi-axle transporter launchers. Another image showed what analysts said appeared to be a new drone.

North Korea is banned from developing weapons that use ballistic missile technology by United Nations Security Council resolutions, backed in previous years by the council's permanent members including Russia and China.

"(Kim) expressed his views on the issues of mutual concern in the struggle to safeguard the sovereignty, development and interests of the two countries from the high-handed and arbitrary practices of the imperialists and to realize international justice and peace," it said.

"He repeatedly expressed belief that the Russian army and people would achieve big successes in the struggle for building a powerful country," it said.

While KCNA did not directly mention the war in Ukraine, North Korea's defence minister Kang Sun Nam said Pyongyang fully supported Russia's "battle for justice" and to protect its sovereignty, the report said.

Shoigu praised the North Korean military as the "most powerful" in the world during a banquet in Pyongyang, KCNA reported.

MADRID, July 26 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player who moved to Spain in January after she competed without a hijab and had an arrest warrant issued against her at home has been granted Spanish citizenship, Spain said on Wednesday.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, better known as Sara Khadem, took part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships held in Kazakhstan in late December without the headscarf that is mandatory under Iran's strict Islamic dress codes.

Laws enforcing mandatory hijab-wearing became a flashpoint during the unrest that swept Iran when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police in mid-September.

The 26-year-old has told Reuters she had no regrets over her gesture in support of the protest movement against her country's clerical leadership.

Spain's official gazette said the cabinet approved granting Khadem citizenship on Tuesday "taking into account the special circumstances" of her case.

A fire broke out on a ship off the Dutch coast with around 3,000 cars on board on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several others, the coastguard said.

Rescue boats and helicopters were used to get the 23 crew members off the ship after some had jumped in the water, a spokesperson for the Dutch coast guard told CNN on Wednesday.

Pictures show gray smoke emitting from the ship amid fears the vessel could sink 27 kilometers north of the Dutch island, Ameland, off the Wadden Sea – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is considered one of the most important regions for migratory birds in the world.

The ship – which sails under the flag of Panama – was on its way from Bremerhaven in Germany to Port Said in Egypt, according to CNN affiliate and Dutch national broadcaster NOS.

Men in military fatigues claimed to have taken power in Niger hours after President Mohamed Bazoum was reportedly seized by members of the presidential guard on Wednesday, leading to protests in the capital.

In a video communique, a man identified as Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane and flanked by several apparent soldiers, announced, “We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know,” citing a deteriorating security situation in the country and “poor economic and social governance.”

National institutions have been suspended and the country’s land borders are temporarily closed, he also said, appearing to read from a text on the table before him.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said earlier in the day that there had been an “attempt to seize power by force” in the West African country, in a statement on Wednesday.

“ECOWAS condemns in the strongest terms the attempt to seize power by force and calls on the coup plotters to free the democratically-elected President of the Republic immediately and without any condition,” the bloc added.

The situation prompted intense discussions between the country’s Presidential Guard and government authorities, a source close to the president told CNN. The source did not reveal what exactly was being discussed.

Niger’s presidential complex was sealed off Wednesday, with heavily armed members of the Presidential Guard assembling outside the Presidential Palace early that morning. Roughly twenty members of the Presidential Guard could be seen outside the palace complex later in the day.

A statement on the presidency’s social media channels said President Mohamed Bazoum is “doing well” and the army and national guard were “ready to attack the elements of the GP [Presidential Guard] involved in this fit of anger if they do not return to their better senses.” CNN cannot verify the statement.

share more Reuters Reuters Most unaccompanied children failed to win asylum in Greece, NGO says Story by Reuters • 2h ago

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Fewer than a third of unaccompanied children succeeded in winning asylum in Greece last year, with the rest of the applications rejected or in limbo, aid agency Save the Children said in calling for better protection of those most vulnerable.

Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Hundreds of migrants died off the Greek shores last month when an overcrowded smugglers' boat capsized and sank.

In a report on Thursday, Save the Children said that 981 out of 3,175 asylum requests logged in Greece last year by unaccompanied children - up to 18 years old - were accepted.

"These figures suggest many lone children on the move were denied the right to protection and left without the legal documentation needed to enable them to remain in the country," said the non-governmental organisation (NGO).

It blamed bureaucracy for leaving such minors to live in Greece unofficially and without any documentation, a situation making their already fraught fate even more precarious by increasing the risk of violence, abuse and exploitation.

Why Protecting the Fediverse Matters Protecting user privacy is a vital priority for the Fediverse. Many fediverse instances, such as Kolektiva, are focused on serving marginalized communities who are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement. Many were built to serve as a safe haven for those who too often find themselves tracked and watched by the police. Yet this raid put the thousands of users this instance served into a terrible situation. According to Kolektiva, the seized database, now in the FBI’s possession, includes personal information such as email addresses, hashed passwords, and IP addresses from three days prior to the date the backup was made. It also includes posts, direct messages, and interactions involving a user on the server. Because of the nature of the fediverse, this also implicates user messages and posts from other instances.

To make matters worse, it appears that the admin targeted in the raid was in the middle of maintenance work which left would-be-encrypted material on the server available in unencrypted form at the time of seizure.

Most users are unaware that, in general, once the government lawfully collects information, under various legal doctrines they can and do use it for investigating and prosecuting crimes that have nothing to do with the original purpose of the seizure. The truth is, once the government has the information, they often use it and the law supports this all too often. Defendants in those prosecutions could challenge the use of this data outside the scope of the original warrant, but that’s often cold comfort.

What is a decentralized server host to do?
EFF’s “Who Has Your Back” recommendations for protecting your users when the government comes knocking aren’t just for large centralized platforms. Hosts of decentralized networks must include possibilities like government seizure in their threat model and be ready to respond in ways that stand with their users.

First of all, basic security practices that apply to any server exposed to the internet also apply to Mastodon. Use firewalls and limit user access to the server as well as the database. If you must keep access logs, keep them only for a reasonable amount of time and review them periodically to make sure you’re only collecting what you need. This is true more broadly: to the extent possible, limit the data your server collects and stores, and only store data for as long as it is necessary. Also stay informed about possible security threats in the Mastodon code, and update your server when new versions are released.

Second, make sure that you’ve adopted policies and practices to protect your users, including clear and regular transparency reports about law enforcement attempts to access user information and policies about what you will do if the cops show up – things like requiring a warrant for content, and fighting gag orders. Critically, that should include a promise to notify your users as soon as possible about any law enforcement action where law enforcement gained access to their information and communications. EFF’s Who Has Your Back pages go into detail about these and other key protections. EFF also prepared a legal primer for fediverse hosts to consider.

In Kolektiva’s case, hosts were fairly slow in giving notice. The raid occurred in mid-May and the notice didn’t come until June 30, about six weeks later. That’s quite a long delay, even if it took Kolektiva a while to realize the full impact of the raid. As a host of other people’s communications, it is vital to give notice as soon as you are able, as you generally have no way of knowing how much risk this information poses to your users and must assume the worst. The extra notice to users is vital for them to take any necessary steps to protect themselves.

What can users do? For users joining the fediverse, you should evaluate the about page for a given server, to see what precautions (if any) they outline. Once you’ve joined, you can take advantage of the smaller scale of community on the platform, and raise these issues directly with admin and other users on your instance. Insist that the obligations from Who has Your Back, including to notify you and to resist law enforcement demands where possible, be included in the instance information and terms of service. Making these commitments binding in the terms of service is not only a good idea, it can help the host fight back against overbroad law enforcement requests and can support later motions by defendants to exclude the evidence.

Another benefit of the fediverse, unlike the major lock-in platforms, is that if you don’t like their answer, you can easily find and move to a new instance. However, since most servers in this new decentralized social web are hosted by enthusiasts, users should approach these networks mindful of privacy and security concerns. This means not using these services for sensitive communications, being aware of the risks of social network mapping, and taking some additional precautions when necessary like using a VPN or Tor, and a temporary email address.

What can developers do? While it would not have protected all of the data seized by the FBI in this case, end-to-end encryption of direct messages is something that has been regrettably absent from Mastodon for years, and would at least have protected the most private content likely to have been on the Kolektiva server. There have been some proposals to enable this functionality, and developers should prioritize finding a solution.