World News

In crowded camps, Rohingya refugees embrace family planning

Rohingya cleric Abdur Rashid still believes children are divine gifts, but life in a Bangladeshi refugee camp with six little mouths to feed has left him and his wife unwilling to accept another heavenly blessing.. "Children are blessings from God and he's the one who arranges necessities for them -- but we have been stuck in this squalid camp for years now," Rashid told AFP. "I prefer not to bring in any more life in the face of this hardship."

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 3 mins read

World News

High-profile Australian rape case won't resume after mistrial

An Australian rape case that sparked national protests will not return to court after a mistrial, because of fears the intense public scrutiny could have a grave toll on the accuser's mental health, prosecutors said Friday. . Public prosecutor Shane Drumgold said plans for a second trial had been shelved to protect Higgins' health. 

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Colombia police sexually abused at least 28 during protests: Amnesty

At least 28 people were sexually abused by police during Colombia's mass anti-government protests last year, Amnesty International said Thursday.. The report also describes police insinuating to detained male protesters that they would be punished through sexual violence, before placing them in rooms where they were sexually assaulted.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Peru slaughters more than 37,000 poultry after bird flu outbreak

Peruvian authorities have culled at least 37,000 birds on a chicken farm due to bird flu, officials said Thursday.. Avian flu is a disease that has no cure or treatment and causes high mortality in wild and domestic birds such as ducks, chickens and turkeys, among others.    cm/mdl/caw

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

US, France vow to settle spat over green industry subsidies

President Joe Biden said Thursday US support for green industry was not intended to be at Europe's expense as he and French leader Emmanuel Macron pledged to surmount a serious transatlantic trade dispute.. And we're going to continue to create manufacturing jobs in America, but not at the expense of Europe," he pledged.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 2 mins read

World News

All churned up: Austrian oat milk ad draws farmers' ire

Austrian farmers were left fuming after an advert for winter tourism featured oat -- instead of cow's -- milk, in what industry representatives sourly slammed as an "affront to Tyrolean farmers".. "It can't be that a promotional video for Tyrol features 'oat milk' and not the very own, genuine Tyrolean milk," Josef Hechenberger, president of the Tyrolean Chamber of Agriculture said in a statement.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

'Rogue wave' kills person on Antarctic cruise

One person died and four were injured when a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm as it sailed off the southernmost tip of South America, the company said Thursday.. The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Biden ready to speak to Putin 'if he is looking for way to end the war'

US President Joe Biden said Thursday he would be willing to speak to Vladimir Putin for the first time since the Ukraine invasion if the Russian leader truly wants to end the war.. Biden was speaking during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has said he will speak again to Putin after his trip to Washington and has warned against cutting off the Russian leader.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 2 mins read

World News

Russian booksellers 'worried' by spectre of censorship

Russian publishers at a leading Moscow bookfair told AFP Thursday they were "all very worried" by new restrictions and feared the return of Soviet-like censorship.. Tatiana Stoyanova, who also works at the same publishers, said the restrictions could lead to a revival of the Soviet "samizdat" practise that saw the underground publishing of banned books. 

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read

World News

Tea culture in Azerbaijan, Turkey enters UNESCO list

The culture of tea practised in both Turkey and Azerbaijan was on Thursday added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, recognised as a symbol of "identity, hospitality and social interaction".. "Tea culture in Azerbaijan and Turkiye is an important social practice that shows hospitality, builds and maintains social ties, and is used to celebrate important moments in the lives of communities," it said.

Thu, Dec 1, 2022 1 mins read