World News
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France and UK engage in blame game over English Channel tragedy
At least 27 people attempting to seek refuge in the UK have died after their boat capsized in the English Channel, just off the northern port of Calais. According to French authorities, three young children were amongst those who lost their lives at sea. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the tragedy was the “largest loss of life”…
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Afghanistan: How a remote border crossing allows nomads to travel
Angoor Ada lies on an arid high plateau in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika, one of the many backwaters of Afghanistan. The area would not be of much importance, if it weren’t connected to the border with Pakistan. The border crosses near the edge of the long-stretched plateau, where the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan begins. After arriving in…
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African women tell of experiences of violence
Violence against women, or gender-based violence (GBV), includes many types of abuse, ranging from physical, sexual, and emotional violence to female genital mutilation and trafficking. The rate of GBV in sub-Saharan Africa is higher than the global norm. Around 44% of African women, or more than two in five, have been subjected to gender-based violence, a 2020 study found. Survivors…
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India battles floods amid spike in extreme weather events
After dozens lost their lives in severe flooding in southern India, climate experts are now calling on government officials to prioritize climate-proof infrastructure and take measures to prevent further destruction from major weather events. India’s tech hub Bengaluru was inundated by floodwaters, following torrential downpours which killed scores of people across the south of the country over the past few…
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Going bananas for hair
A Ugandan company makes artificial hair from banana plant byproducts, using the strands from stems. It makes for a stronger and environmentally friendly hair extension. SOURCE: DW News
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Human Rights Watch: Gender-based violence remains rampant in South Africa
A new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed the dire state of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa and is urging the government to do more to combat the troubling findings. Described as the country’s “second pandemic” by President Cyril Ramaphosa, GBV in South Africa is still increasing at an alarming rate, making it one of the world’s…
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Philippines prepares for reopening as quarantine lifted for 44 countries
Following the headline on Tuesday that the Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from 44 “green list” countries, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reportedly gearing up for the eventual reopening of Philippine borders to international tourists, despite a steady decline in Covid-19 cases in the country. According to the Manila Times, the Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente…
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US Summit for Democracy excludes Thailand, includes Taiwan
US President Joe Biden is convening a Summit for Democracy next month, inviting over 100 countries to participate with one notable exception — Thailand — and one controversial inclusion — Taiwan. The event, which will take place virtually on December 9 and 10, has invited 110 participants, according to a list published yesterday from the US State Department. While Thailand…
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North Korea sentences man to death for smuggling copies of Netflix’s “Squid Game”
A man has been sentenced to death by firing squad in North Korea. A student has been jailed for life, and his teachers and school administrators were fired, facing banishment to work in remote mines or themselves. Six people were also sentenced to five years in prison. And their crime? Smuggling and watching Netflix’s most popular South Korean TV show,…
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Ethiopia: Peace increasingly elusive as violence escalates
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former soldier, arrived on the front lines of the ongoing Tigray conflict on Tuesday, according to a government spokesperson. No details have been given on his precise location Abiy’s decision is being widely interpreted as an attempt to mobilize Ethiopians in the fight against Tigray forces. “You could comment…
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Afghanistan: What Taliban’s new media rules mean for female actors
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unveiled a new set of restrictions on Afghan media on Sunday, banning television channels from showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — which replaced the Ministry of Women’s Affairs after the Islamic fundamentalist group seized power in the country in August — also told…
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New Zealand sets to reopen to tourists from April 30, 2022
International travellers who have been fully vaccinated will be able to enter New Zealand starting April 30, 2022, with the reopening to be phased in over time, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, after two years of border shut down since March 2020. Fully vaccinated residents and Australians with a residence visa can travel to New Zealand starting January…
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Europe’s fight against coronavirus
The Netherlands: Unrest even in a soccer stadium Up until this past weekend, the Dutch soccer club SC Cambuur Leeuwarden was making the kinds of headlines everyone wants. The team got off to an excellent start in the country’s first league, and was about to host FC Utrecht for the week’s top match. That’s when unvaccinated supporters who were prohibited…
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Pakistan launches ‘historic’ measles and rubella vaccine drive
Cases of measles and rubella have increased drastically in Pakistani children during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, health authorities are fighting back with one of the largest vaccination campaigns in history. SOURCE: DW News
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20 year old Hong Kong activist convicted
The youngest Hong Kong pro-democracy activist yet has been convicted and jailed under the territory’s harsh national security laws. BBC reports that the 20 year old Tony Chung was being tried for the crimes of secession and money laundering, and has been sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison. Beijing has been cracking down on activists ever since…
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Thai research institute identifies global post-pandemic trends
There is no doubt that in many ways, the world looks like a very different place now than it did before Covid-19. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has identified a number of global megatrends that they say will be a big part of post-pandemic life. The institute says that industries will have to learn to adapt to these new…
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Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024: White House
The White House has confirmed that US President Joe Biden will run again in the 2024 presidential elections. According to a Reuters report, spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the president intends to run for a second term. At the time of her media address, Biden was on board Air Force One, on his way to a Thanksgiving event with US troops…
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Taliban bans TV shows with female actors, orders female journalists to wear “Islamic hijab”
The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has released a set of orders targeting female actors and women in the media. According to a Reuters report, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has confirmed a ban on TV shows that use female actors and a rule that female news presenters must wear Islamic dress. In total, the ministry has issued 9 rules,…
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Myanmar’s shadow government raises US$6.3 million for “revolution”
In a campaign for a “revolution” against Myanmar’s military following the February 1 coup and bloody crackdown, the country’s shadow government began issuing special “treasury bonds” and say they raised more than US$6.3 million on the first day. The National Unity Government, or NUG, is a coalition of pro-democracy organisations, ethnic minority militaries, and remnants of the country’s deposed civilian…
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EU lawmakers pass Common Agricultural Policy deal — but green critics sound alarm
After years of negotiations, European lawmakers voted to reform the bloc’s huge farming subsidy program — the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The farm deal worth €386.6 billion will be implemented from January 1, 2023, and makes up one-third of the EU’s budget. It will be the bloc’s farming policy till 2027 and aims to meet the EU’s climate sustainability goals…
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American Music Awards – BTS, first Asian band to win Artists of the Year
South Korean band BTS had a huge night at the American Music Awards. They not only won the highly coveted ‘Artist of the Year’, they also picked up the Best pop song of the year and Best duo or group. Significantly, BTS are the first Asian musicians to pick up the main award in an otherwise white-washed US pop industry.…
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Cambodian refugees under UN protection arrested after deportation from Thailand
Following the arrest of a third Cambodian refugee deported from Thailand, the UN Refugee Agency says it is “dismayed” by Thai authorities’ move to force refugees back to the territory where they face prosecution. Earlier this month, two Cambodian nationals, who were both registered refugees under UN protection, were expelled from Thailand. This past Saturday, a third refugee, who is…
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Singapore’s travel pass site went down as applications for Malaysians open
The SafeTravel website of Singapore, which allows foreign visitors to apply for a vaccination travel pass before entering, was down for several hours yesterday, which was the first day people from Malaysia could apply. Around noon, the website had a message that said “it was undergoing regular maintenance.” It was then restored around 3pm, but a text box recommended customers to…
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Philippines waives quarantine for “Green List” countries
The Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from countries classified on the government’s “green list.” The Philippines, home to over 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia, is now accepting fully vaccinated visitors from countries on the “Green List”, but they must submit a negative RT-PCR test done within 72 hours of departure, rather than quarantine or an on-arrival…
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Sudan: Is Hamdok’s return a signal of democracy or military victory?
Sudanese protesters have taken to the streets to call for democracy and an end to military rule after the deposed civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, pledged to return to the government jointly led with the military. Nearly four weeks after a military coup, Hamdok was reinstated on Sundaywhen he signed a 14-point power-sharing deal with General Abdel-Fattah Burhan. “Sudanese blood…
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Crime Fighters: A Caring Family Counts
Too many pregnancies in a short space of time led 20-year-old Linda Malongo to exhaustion. But her husband, Tommy, didn’t understand why women need time to recover between births, or why unplanned pregnancies can put the health of both mother and child at risk. Sitting under the papaya tree in his backyard, Tommy tells us his story, wishing he could…
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Kenya ramps up fight against COVID
The Kenyan government over the weekend issued new health regulations to prevent a surge of COVID-19 cases. From December 21, Kenyans will have to prove they are fully vaccinated to gain access to government services in hospitals, education, tax and immigration offices, as well as many public places, including national parks, bars and restaurants. Workers in the public transport sector…
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India farm laws — what impact will the repeal have on Modi’s standing?
Thousands of farmers continue to protest in India even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unexpectedly rolled back contentious agricultural laws his government rammed through parliament last year arguing that they would modernize the nation’s farm sector. The laws sparked yearlong protests from tens of thousands of farmers, who feared new rules would dramatically reduce their incomes. The row…
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Xinjiang footage sheds new light on Uyghur detention camps
A 20-minute video featuring more than a dozen detention facilities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has offered fresh evidence and renewed the discussion around China’s large-scale crackdown on ethnic minorities in the region. The video was filmed by a Chinese man named Guanguan, who went to Xinjiang after reading a series of articles from US news outlet BuzzFeed News,…
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Vietnam’s resort island Phu Quoc welcomes first group of international tourists
After a nearly two-year border shutdown, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc resort island welcomed more than 200 international tourists from South Korea on Saturday. The fully vaccinated travellers are able to enjoy the Southeast Asian island without undergoing a 14-day quarantine. The fully vaccinated tourists can also take part in activities such as sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment events by showing their vaccine…
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