Modern slavery: British activists demand action

In 2018, more than 500 suspected victims of trafficking were held in UK detention centres, according to a recent report.

Campaigners against people trafficking in Britain are accusing government organisations of failing to protect victims.

They say hundreds of exploited workers are ending up in jail when they should be in hospital being treated for torture injuries.

Al Jazeera’s Emma Hayward has been meeting some of the many victims of slavery.

Syria: Children increasingly killed by air attacks in Idlib

Russian-backed government forces are reportedly responsible for destroying many civilian homes, killing many people.

A growing number of children are among the civilian victims of air attacks by Syrian or Russian aircraft in an offensive to take the province of Idlib from opposition forces.

Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reports from Antakya near the Turkey-Syria border.

U.S. sanctions Jammal Trust Bank for financial ties to Hezbollah: Treasury

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday sanctioned Lebanon-based Jammal Trust Bank SAL and its subsidiaries for allegedly facilitating the financial activities of Hezbollah, according to the Treasury Department, which said the bank funnels money to the families of suicide bombers.

Separately, it also sanctioned four individuals for moving money from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hamas through Hezbollah, which the United States says is backed by Iran.

Trump admin blocking visits to border sites, Dems say

The House Oversight and Reform Committee is objecting to the Trump administration’s decision to block committee staffers from conducting additional visits at 11 border detention facilities after visits last week revealed serious problems.

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The committee chairman, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, says the refusal contradicts testimony by acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan that he welcomed congressional visits to the facilities.

The department’s inspector general has warned that some sites pose “an immediate risk to the health and safety of DHS agents and officers, and to those detained.”

Cummings says in a letter to McAleenan that it appears the administration “expects Congress to be satisfied with receiving agency tours of facilities” without questioning the department’s policies or decisions. He says “that is not the way effective oversight works.”

Sri Lanka PM admits shortcomings for Easter Sunday bombings

Coordinated suicide bombers struck 3 churches and 3 hotels, killing more than 250 people and leaving hundreds injured.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has admitted that serious shortcomings led to the Easter Sunday bombings, which left more than 250 people dead.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Select Committee investigating the attacks, he accepted that his fallout with the president had also been a factor.

Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez reports.

This baffling response from a Trump spokeswoman blows CNN host Chris Cuomo’s earpiece ‘right out of my head’

That’s how Kayleigh McEnany, spokeswoman for Trump’s re-election campaign, answered CNN host Chris Cuomo’s question during a contentious interview on Wednesday about the president’s penchant for stretching the truth.

“You don’t think this president has ever lied?” asked Cuomo as he kept pressing the issue. “You don’t think the president has lied to the American people? You have to answer that question first. He has never lied to the American people?”

McEnany didn’t budge. “No, I don’t believe the president has lied,” she fired back. “Do you believe the fake news media has lied?”

At that point, Cuomo said “Wow! That blew my IFB right out of my head” before he told her the interview was over. But he couldn’t let it go just yet.

“If you can’t admit this president’s lied to the American people, you will not have credibility with this audience,” he said. “When a president is telling the American people every day not to believe in a free press, that they’re the enemy of the state, and he lies about the allies of G-7 saying what we really want to know is why your media hates the country. He’s to blame for sowing the seeds of division.”

Watch the full interview:

GZERO VIDEO: Impact of US sanctions on Iran

NEW YORK (GZERO MEDIA) – Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour talks about the impact of US sanctions on Iran and why Iranians supported the 2015 nuclear deal.

“The Iranian people want to be South Korea, not North Korea,” he tells American foreign policy expert Ian Bremmer.

This video is made available to The Straits Times under a partnership with GZERO Media, a subsidiary of the Eurasia Group.

Forever 21 may file for bankruptcy: Report

Fashion retailer Forever 21 may reportedly be preparing for a bankruptcy filing.

The fashion chain, established in 1984, has been in negotiations with financial advisers and lenders in wake of unprofitable stores and dwindling cash reserves, according to a report from Bloomberg.

A last-ditch effort to restructure its debt may keep the company from filing Chapter 11, Bloomberg reported.

There are 600 Forever 21 stores in the U.S. and additional operations in Canada, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Should it go into bankruptcy, Forever 21 would be the latest clothing retailer to file for Chapter 11 protection.

Lord & Taylor, one of America’s oldest department stores, closed its flagship New York City store earlier this year. The brand was just sold to a rental clothing company Le Tote Inc. for $100 million—after struggling financially as more people shop online.

Iconic retailer Barneys New York also recently filed for bankruptcy.

Forever 21 has not returned ABC News’ request for comment.

ABC News’ Soo Youn contributed to this report.