Lifestyle

UN warns world to prepare for El Nino impact

The United Nations on Tuesday warned the world to prepare for the effects of El Nino, saying the weather phenomenon which triggers higher global temperatures is set to persist throughout 2023.. "The effect of El Nino is usually perceived with a delay in time," he added, with an eye on global temperatures increasing further.

Afghan Taliban order women's beauty parlours to shut

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have ordered beauty parlours across the country to shut within a month, the vice ministry confirmed Tuesday, the latest curb to squeeze women out of public life.. Mohammad Sadeq Akif Muhajir, spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, would not say why the order had been given.

Afghan Taliban order women's beauty parlours to shut

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have ordered beauty parlours across the country to shut within a month, the vice ministry confirmed Tuesday, the latest curb to further squeeze women out of public life.. Beauty parlours mushroomed across Kabul and other Afghan cities in the 20 years that US-led forces occupied the country.

Death of Nahel brings old problems in France's suburbs back to the surface

The death of French teenager Nahel M., killed by a police officer during a traffic stop a week ago, has reignited the anger of young people and brought deeper problems back to the surface, according to residents of Paris's working-class suburbs.. For her, it was obvious -- the death of Nahel was a "spark" reigniting "deeper problems".

Medical, but hold the marijuana: new CBD source found in Brazil

In a laboratory tucked away on a sprawling university campus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian molecular biologist Rodrigo Moura Neto is running tests on a seemingly ordinary plant with a potent secret.. "It was wonderful to find a plant (with CBD but) without THC, because you avoid all the mess around psychotropic substances," says Moura Neto, who has spent the better part of five decades researching in this small lab at Rio de Janeiro Federal University.

Britain's public health service at 75: on life support?

Deeply loved but wracked by crisis, Britain's National Health Service (NHS) on Wednesday marks 75 years since it was founded as the Western world's first universal, free healthcare system.. "The government (ministers), they may use private health care but the ordinary citizen in the UK uses the NHS, relies on the NHS." In a report for the 75th anniversary, the King's Fund charity compared the health systems of 19 similar countries and found Britain's in a sickly state.

UN chief reiterates plea for support for Haiti

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for international support for Haitian police to deal with the country's "unprecedented" wave of violence in recent months.. He said support for the police was needed to "dismantle the gangs that have created this unprecedented violence."

EU wants deal on migrant policy by year-end: Spain

The EU wants an accord by the end of 2023 on how to handle the thousands of migrants heading for the continent, despite fierce opposition by Hungary and Poland, Spain's prime minister said Monday.. The nationalist governments in Hungary and Poland in particular have opposed the redistribution plan, in a dispute that flared last week during a European Union summit meeting.

A 'feminist diplomacy' for France? Not quite yet

France has made "undeniable efforts" to roll out a feminist foreign policy with women holding top ministerial jobs, but is still falling short in defending women's rights around the world, according to a new report.. "France, the country of human rights, can be an example for the world," said Pierre-Brossolette, particularly as Sweden has fallen back from the lead. 

Bye bye 'Barbie': Vietnam bans new movie over South China Sea map

Vietnam has banned the upcoming "Barbie" movie from cinemas over scenes with a map showing China's claims to territory in the South China Sea, state media reported Monday.. And in 2018, Vietnam cut a scene from the romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians" that featured a designer bag with a map of the world showing the disputed South China Sea islands under Beijing's control.