A US court has ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for the Voice of America and other government-backed news outlets, saying the effort to dismantle it violated the law and Constitution. Over 1,300 VOA employees – including about 1,000 journalists – were put on leave following President Donald Trump’s order, that accused the broadcaster … Read more
Lebo Diseko Global religion reporter, BBC News AFP If the sole predictor of who would become the next Pope was where the Catholic Church is growing fastest, then it is almost certain he would hail from Africa. The continent’s Catholic population is expanding more rapidly than anywhere else, representing more than half of the global … Read more
Adrienne Murray Business reporter Reporting fromLolland, Denmark Femern The completed tunnel will slash travel times between Hamburg and Copenhagen A record-breaking tunnel is being built under the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany, which will slash travel times and improve Scandinavia’s links with the rest of Europe. Running for 18km (11 miles), the Fehmarnbelt will … Read more
PA Media Pope Francis meets former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle in 2018 Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland in 2018 came at a time when relationships with the Catholic Church were “quite difficult”, former Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar has said. It was to be the first papal visit to Ireland for 39 … Read more
BBC Abby Wu, who’s had more than 100 operations, is one of China’s first cosmetic surgery influencers Abby Wu was just 14 when she had cosmetic surgery for the first time. After receiving hormone treatment for an illness, Abby’s weight increased from 42kg (6 stone 8lbs) to 62kg (9 stone 11lbs) in two months. The … Read more
A Manhattan jury has found that the New York Times is not liable for allegedly defaming ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in an editorial piece it published in 2017. The verdict marks the second loss for Palin in her quest against the newspaper over the editorial, which she says wrongfully linked her to a mass shooting … Read more
AFP Skipped your dog’s walk? That could land you a fine or even a jail term under Indian criminal law In India, you can face criminal charges for tethering an animal on the street, flying a kite in a manner that causes alarm, skipping a school attendance order or handing a feeding bottle to a … Read more
Nadine Yousif BBC News, Toronto Watch: ‘We are not Americans’ – but what does it mean to be Canadian? More than 7 million Canadians have cast their ballots in advance, setting a new record for early voter turnout, Elections Canada says. Advance polling stations were open across the country for four days, from Friday to … Read more
FBI/YouTube A series of still images from one of the online videos James Morgan posted showing off his homemade weapons A Wisconsin man who threatened to use chlorine gas against officials if they attempted to take his guns has pleaded guilty to possessing material used in the production of toxic chemicals, also called chemical weapons … Read more
The Trump administration is proposing a major overhaul of the US State Department that would involve axing a war crimes office and shifting the focus of staff looking at migration and refugees. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restructure was designed to get rid of offices that are “misaligned with America’s core national interests”. … Read more