World News

Argentina VP Kirchner vows not to seek presidency again

Argentina's Vice President and former leader Cristina Kirchner has vowed not to seek a return to the highest office as the country gears up for the October election.. Kirchner, who was also previously the first lady, had said in December that she was "not going to be a candidate for anything," after the courts handed her a six-year prison sentence and barred her from public office for life, though as vice president she has temporary immunity. 

Fri, Apr 28, 2023 1 mins read

World News

UN expert urges Japan to sanction Myanmar junta

Japan should sanction Myanmar as it has done for Russia over its Ukraine invasion, a United Nations expert said Thursday, slamming the junta's "barbarism and oppression".. Sanctions against the junta "would weaken its capacity to attack its people," he added, accusing the military of "barbarism and oppression".

Fri, Apr 28, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Pope to meet Orban on visit to be dominated by Ukraine war

Pope Francis heads to Hungary Friday for a three-day visit likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine and his meeting with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose views often clash with his own.. After being received at the presidential palace by President Katalin Novak -- who told local media she was brushing up on her Spanish ahead of the visit -- Francis will meet with Orban.

Fri, Apr 28, 2023 3 mins read

World News

'I'd rather die': Syrians in Lebanon fear deportation

Samer and his family thought they had found safety in Lebanon after fleeing Syria's war nearly a decade ago, but amid growing anti-refugee sentiment, Beirut handed his brother to the Syrian army.. Syrian authorities released the wife and children but arrested his brother, who together with Samer had taken part in anti-government protests more than a decade ago. 

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Ecuador labels criminal gangs as terrorists

Ecuador on Thursday declared members of organized crime groups to be terrorists, a distinction that allows the military to pursue them with greater freedom.. Interior Minister Juan Zapata said this month that there are "more than 13 organized crime groups" in Ecuador, some with several thousand members.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 1 mins read

World News

Libya green group battles to save remaining forests

War-ravaged Libya is better known for its oil wealth than its forests, but environmentalists hope to save its remaining green spaces from logging, development and the impacts of climate change. . - Falling water tables - But Libya and its forests face other, more long-term challenges -- especially water scarcity driven by climate change and population pressures.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 3 mins read

World News

India arms Hindu village militias to combat Kashmir rebels

Brandishing a bolt-action rifle, civil servant Sanjeet Kumar is one of 5,000 Kashmir villagers who have joined all-Hindu militia units armed and trained by Indian forces to fight off rebel attacks.. "The purpose is to create a line of defence, not a line of attack," Kanchan Gupta of India's information ministry told AFP. India first created a civil militia force in Kashmir in mid-1990s as a first line of defence when the armed rebellion against Indian rule was at its peak.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 3 mins read

World News

China rehabilitation scheme makes morticians of murderers

Once jailed for murder, Cao Yongsheng now makes a living caring for the dead, benefitting from a bold rehabilitation scheme that's giving some of China's most serious criminals a second life as funeral workers.. Cao, one of the earliest participants, said the scheme helped him trade unstable work and bleak prospects for a stable income, a happy marriage and deep roots in his community.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Women take on Japan's political gender gap for 'true democracy'

Women are a rare sight in Japanese politics, but 20-year-old Rinka Saito is determined to run for office one day because "you can't have true democracy without diversity".. Saito fought to end a tradition of hiring "companions" -- women in their early 20s who serve drinks and chat with guests -- for political events.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Heavy air strikes in Khartoum as Sudan truce extended

Sudanese fighter jets pounded paramilitaries in Khartoum on Thursday while deadly fighting and looting flared in Darfur, as the army and a rival force agreed to extend an existing ceasefire even as battles raged.. - Violence beyond Khartoum - Fighting has also flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023 4 mins read