The Guardian | Epstein victim says Bard president helped legitimize sex offender by Stephanie Kirchgaessner

Leon Botstein’s communications and relationship with Epstein under review by WilmerHale law firm, while Bard president says he never witnessed anything inappropriate

A victim of Jeffrey Epstein who had previous interactions with Leon Botstein said she believed the Bard College president, whose relationship with the late sex offender is currently under review, was part of a group of influential and accomplished men whose proximity to Epstein helped to rehabilitate his reputation.

Svetlana Pozhidaeva, a former Russian model who worked as a “staffer” for Epstein, told the Guardian in an interview that she saw Botstein with Epstein together “quite frequently” – including having flown with him on a trip to Epstein’s island in December 2012 – and that she believed his reputation as a “sophisticated intellectual” helped “legitimize” Epstein.

Continue reading...

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/24/jeffrey-epstein-bard-college-president

#jeffreyepstein #leonbotstein #wilmerhale #bardcollege #guardian

"Slovenia’s population of about 2.1 million includes an estimated 12,000 Roma. Many are singularly vulnerable: in 2020, Amnesty International said that life expectancy for Roma in Slovenia was 22 years lower than the rest of the population, and infant mortality more than four times higher."

Slovenia
Slovenia goes to polls in election marked by claims of anti-Romany rhetoric
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/22/slovenia-election-voting-campaign-claims-anti-romany-rhetoric
#guardian #europe #slovenia #racism #romapeople #romany #humanrights

"What is striking about the SDS compared with some of its peers on the European far right is that it is not an insurgent outsider party. It is the central pillar of the Slovenian right, and has experience in government: its longtime leader, Janez Janša, has served as prime minister three times since the millennium."

It is small, stable and a European success story. So why is Slovenia turning its back on liberalism?
Ana Schnabl
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/18/slovenia-europe-success-liberalism-orban-trump-janez-jansa
#guardian #farright #europe #slovenia

This episode of The #Guardian's #Australian #Politics podcast goes completely off the rails.

The first guest is Jennifer Parker, a #defence expert with three tours of the Gulf region to her name. She's here to argue that the Iran War is going well but her case is far from convincing. Her main points are:

1. The military is led by a highly competent four-star general, and therefore Trump's erratic public comments have no bearing on how the campaign is being executed.
/1

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2026/mar/20/iran-war-national-security-australian-politics-podcast

> Analysts say Iran’s Islamic government has survived the loss of its top leaders...

What could be the point of squeezing "Islamic" into that sentence other than to suggest that there is something unusual or dangerous about it, the same way my dad (and others indoctrinated into sexism and patriarchy in India and elsewhere) would say "lady doctor"?

It would be one thing if adjectives were dished out to other governments in equal measure. The "genocidal Israeli government issued a statement...", "the Christofascist US government"...

Sigh. I need to lean on my other news sources and walk away from the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/21/iran-hits-israeli-town-housing-nuclear-facility-in-retaliation-for-natanz-strike

#guardian #journalism #bias #islamophobia #sexism

Is anyone else stuck in this loop on the #Guardian?

I cannot read any article unless I share my cookies with 133 vendors. No thank you.

Now I am willing to pay a small monthly fee, but whenever I choose "Reject all and subscribe to Guardian Ad-Lite for €5 per month" I am brought back to the blocker.

It says:

"You are signed in. Unfortunately your account is not eligible for an Ad-Lite or an add free experience. To reject all, subscribe to Guardian Ad-Lite or sign-in with a different email."