Lifestyle

Priests in Bolivia 'saints by day, demons by night': alleged victim

A Bolivian former seminarian who says he was the victim of a vast sex abuse network in the Catholic Church has told AFP of decades of "hell" meted out to children by men of the cloth.. "It wasn't only one priest, there is a structure of priests who helped and supported each other so this (abuse) could continue to happen," he told AFP. Priests heard young victims' complaints, then rebuked them and expelled them from school, Lima alleged.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

AI chatbots offer comfort to the bereaved

Staying in touch with a loved one after their death is the promise of several start-ups using the powers artificial intelligence, though not without raising ethical questions.. "It's a very fine ethical area that we're taking with great care," Smith said.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

Canada wildfires shroud New York in apocalyptic haze

Smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded New York in an apocalyptic smog Wednesday as cities along the US East Coast issued air quality alerts and thousands evacuated their homes in Canada.. "At home we closed our windows and put our air filters on," she told AFP. Organizers canceled the opening night of a concert series in Brooklyn set to feature Corinne Bailey Rae on Wednesday due to the poor air quality.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

Pope awake and joking after hernia operation

Pope Francis was said to be awake and cheerful Wednesday after undergoing a three-hour hernia operation which has revived concerns over the 86-year-old's increasingly fragile health.. The Vatican press office said the operation "went without complications and lasted three hours".

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

Smog from Canada wildfires blankets New York

An orange-tinged smog caused by Canada's wildfires shrouded New York on Wednesday, obscuring its famous skyscrapers and causing residents to don face masks, as cities along the US East Coast issued air quality alerts.. America's financial capital and much of New York state were subject to an air quality health advisory alert that was in effect until Wednesday night.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

'AI doctor' better at predicting patient outcomes, including death

Artificial intelligence has proven itself useful in reading medical imaging and even shown it can pass doctors' licensing exams.. "So our basic insight was, can we start with medical notes as our source of data, and then build predictive models on top of it?"

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Think morals are declining? So has everyone, ever, study says

Do you feel like society's morals have declined recently?. This illusion of moral decline may have "troubling consequences," the researchers warned.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read

Lifestyle

What's the state of Philippine human rights under Marcos?

When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was swept to power in 2022, human rights activists feared the worst.. Red-tagging has continued under Marcos, who has "not said anything explicit" against the practice, said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch in the Philippines.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 4 mins read

Lifestyle

Gemelli, the popes' hospital they call 'Vatican III'

Rome's Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis awaits surgery for an abdominal hernia, is the favoured choice of pontiffs to the point of being dubbed "Vatican III" by John Paul II. The Polish pope, who was head of the Catholic church from 1978 until his death in 2005, was treated nine times at Gemelli and spent a total of 153 days there.. John Paul II returned to the hospital several times, though in the end he died at the Vatican on April 2, 2005.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 2 mins read

Lifestyle

Deadly booze brings profit and pain to Kenya's streets

Along a polluted riverside, smoking charred oil drums in Mathare are cooking up chang'aa, a potent liquor that's both a scourge and a lifeline.. The economic impact resonates far beyond Mathare's riverside where the chang'aa is distilled, or the countless bars pouring out measures of the clear spirit.

Wed, Jun 7, 2023 3 mins read