China Ramps Up Campaign To Redefine ‘Human Rights’
China is ramping up a global campaign to promote its own vision of human rights, inviting the likes of North Korea and Syria to a forum on the topic and drafting other countries to back its policies at the UN. Western nations have condemned China’s rights record, including a security crackdown that has detained an […]
NZ Troops Complete Daring Volcano Mission To Get Bodies
Elite soldiers retrieved six bodies from New Zealand’s volatile White Island volcano on Friday, winning praise for a “courageous” mission carried out under the threat of another eruption. At first light, two military helicopters set off from Whakatane airport for the offshore volcano, where an eruption Monday killed at least 16 people and severely injured […]
Traditional Thai Massage Get UNESCO Heritage Status
At Bangkok’s Reclining Buddha temple, Krairath Chantrasri says he is a proud custodian of an ancient skill — the body-folding, sharp-elbowed techniques of Thai massage, which was added Thursday to UNESCO’s prestigious heritage list. Originating in India and practiced in Thailand for centuries, the massage was popularized when a specialty school opened in the 1960s […]
India Protests Spread Over ‘Anti-Muslim’ Law
Protests in India against a new citizenship law that opponents say is anti-Muslim spread to other regions on Friday, a day after two people were shot dead by police in the northeast of the country, the epicentre of days of demonstrations. Police with batons and firing tear gas clashed with hundreds of students in New […]
EU Warns Of Post-Brexit Rival Britain After Johnson Win
European leaders warned Friday that Britain could become a formidable rival, just hours after a big victory by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conservatives all but sealed the UK’s Brexit divorce. But the EU chiefs, meeting in Brussels, also expressed relief that British voters had sent a clear message, bringing to an end the first phase […]
AI Puts Final Notes On Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony
A few notes scribbled in his notebook are all that German composer Ludwig van Beethoven left of his Tenth Symphony before his death in 1827. Now, a team of musicologists and programmers is racing to complete a version of the piece using artificial intelligence, ahead of the 250th anniversary of his birth next year. “The […]
UN Talks Deadlocked, Detached From Climate Emergency
United Nations climate negotiations were deadlocked and heading deep into overtime Friday with even the best-case outcome likely to fall well short of what science says is needed to avert a future ravaged by global warming. The COP25 summit in Madrid arrives on the heels of climate-related disasters across the planet, including unprecedented cyclones, deadly […]
US Axes Tariffs On Chinese Goods In Trade War Thaw
The United States and China announced a major thaw in their trade war Friday, including immediate cuts to punishing import tariffs, but a lack of detail left markets cautious. “We have agreed to a very large Phase One Deal with China,” President Donald Trump tweeted after officials in Beijing made a similar announcement. The news […]
Trump To Face Impeachment Vote After House Approves Charges
US President Donald Trump stood on the verge of impeachment Friday after a House panel approved charges he abused his power and obstructed Congress, setting up a historic vote in the chamber next week. In a grave moment for a deeply divided nation, Democrats and Republicans in the Judiciary Committee voted along strict party lines, […]
Victorious Johnson Urges Britain To Move Past Brexit Divide
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on Britons on Friday to put years of bitter divisions over the country’s EU membership behind them as he vowed to use his resounding election victory to finally deliver Brexit next month. Johnson’s ruling Conservatives won their best result for three decades on Thursday night after promising to get Britain […]
Regime Stalwart Elected Algeria President, Protesters Angry
A former ally of Algeria’s deposed leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected president of the protest-wracked country in a widely boycotted vote, sparking another outpouring of anger on the streets Friday. Huge crowds massed once again in Algiers vowing to keep up their campaign for the total dismantling of the political establishment, following ex-prime minister Abdelmadjid […]
Jurgen Klopp Extends Contract With Liverpool Until 2024
Liverpool Football Club announce that head coach Jurgen Klopp has agreed a contract extension with the club. Assistant managers Peter Krawietz and Pepijn Lijnders have also agreed deals to continue working collaboratively alongside Klopp. The deal comes after four hugely successful years in charge of Liverpool for the 52-year-old and will ensure the long-term foundations […]