Lifestyle

Pirarucu: Amazon's giant air-breathing fish in poachers' sights

A fish larger than a man, tasty as well as beautiful, the freshwater pirarucu is a favorite with poachers in a lawless part of the Amazon jungle where Brazil, Peru and Colombia meet.. - 'Cow of the Amazon' - For the Kanamari, the story of the pirarucu is that of "a tree leaf that fell into the water and became a giant fish," tribal chief Mauro da Silva Kanamari told AFP. "Arapaima gigas" by its scientific name, the pirarucu is one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet. 

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

Skies clear as New York's Gov Ball music fest kicks off

New York's Governors Ball kicked off Friday under clearer skies after days of wildfire-induced noxious smog blanketed the city and threatened to derail the annual music festival.. The three-day Governors Ball music festival is set to continue through Sunday, and along with the headliners will feature Lil Nas X, Haim, Lil Uzi Vert, Rina Sawayama, Omar Apollo and Ice Spice. mdo/mlm

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Pope thanks well-wishers, resumes work from hospital

Pope Francis thanked those who have sent him get-well wishes following his hernia surgery, as the Vatican said Friday he was back at work from his hospital room.. The head of the Catholic Church had breakfast Friday before spending "most of the morning in an armchair" rather than in bed, the Vatican said.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Toxic smoke dissipates over northeastern US

Residents of northeastern United States were breathing more easily Friday as smoke from Canadian fires gradually cleared after blanketing several cities in a noxious haze this week.. More than 111 million people in the United States had been under air quality alerts on Thursday due to the fires.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Funny old world: The week's offbeat news

From a disastrous leadership election to some not very smart AI.... - No butts in Ashgabat - Another glorious new dawn for Turkmenistan, which basks in the enlightened leadership of "Hero Protector" Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the world's only singing dentist turned dictator.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Anglican leader dismayed over Uganda church's backing for anti-gay law

The head of the worldwide Anglican Communion Justin Welby on Friday said he had expressed his "grief and dismay" to the Ugandan Church over its support for the country's anti-gay law.. "I have recently written to my brother in Christ, the Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, to express my grief and dismay at the Church of Uganda's support for the Anti-Homosexuality Act," Archbishop of Canterbury Welby said in a statement.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 1 mins read

Lifestyle

Indonesia Indigenous group requests internet blackout

An Indigenous community in Indonesia has requested an internet blackout in their area to minimise the "negative impact" of the online world, officials said Friday.. The inner group asked authorities to shut down internet reception or divert nearby telecom towers so the signal would not reach them, according to a letter seen by AFP. "This request is a part of our efforts to minimise the negative impact of smartphones on our people," Baduy representatives wrote. 

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 1 mins read

Lifestyle

Queens of the desert: drag show is oasis of glamour in rural S. Africa

Deep in South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region, a glittery drag show in an old hilltop hotel brings a burst of weekly excitement to a sleepy conservative town.. Every Saturday night, Mark Hinds and Jacques Rabie, the owners of the Karoo Theatrical Hotel, amaze their guests with a night-long cabaret and drag show in the small town of Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 1 mins read

Lifestyle

Australia's Qantas lets female cabin crew ditch high heels

Australia's national airline announced on Friday that it will scrap its gender-based uniform guidelines, allowing male cabin crew to wear make-up and giving women the option to ditch high heels.. Qantas said the new "style and grooming guidelines" would ditch the previous "male" and "female" uniform categories.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 1 mins read

Lifestyle

Syrians lose life-saving care as Turkey halts medical visits

Huddled inside a tent in rebel-held northwestern Syria, Umm Khaled says she fears her baby will die unless she gets specialist treatment in neighbouring Turkey for a congenital heart defect.. "When she cries, she turns blue and her heart beats very fast," Umm Khaled said, as her three other young children sat on the ground in their tent in the village of Halzoun.

Thu, Jun 8, 2023 3 mins read