The Canadian government has quietly withdrawn its sponsorship from a major European conference on disinformation, creating an awkward diplomatic moment at an event meant to defend democratic institutions. The gathering, known as Disinfo2026, is organized by EU DisinfoLab, a non-profit based in Brussels, and brings together researchers, fact-checkers, journalists, academics and government officials from around the world. This year’s edition is being held in Vilnius, Lithuania, and among its sessions are panels that explore a once-unthinkable idea: that the United States, a traditional guardian of the rules-based international order, has itself become a source of foreign information manipulation and interference.…

The streets of Durban’s city center were thick with smoke and tension on Thursday. From a distance, the glow of burning vehicles cast long shadows over shops that had, until recently, been run by foreign nationals. By the time the flames were brought under control, five cars had been reduced to charred shells, and the windows of several small businesses had been smashed. Similar scenes unfolded in Soweto, the sprawling township outside Johannesburg, where a group of residents pushed into a shop owned by a Somali trader, shouting accusations and grabbing groceries before police arrived. The owner was chased away,…