Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese court on Monday sentenced the doctor who claimed to be behind the world’s first gene-edited babies to three years in prison for illegal medical practice, state media reported. He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twins …
Read More »Ukraine rivals to exchange prisoners in controversial swap
Kramatorsk, Ukraine | AFP | Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists in the war-torn east of the country are expected Sunday to swap dozens of prisoners in a frontline operation that stirred controversy in Kiev. As part of the swap, Kiev is expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected …
Read More »‘Mass stabbing’ reported at US rabbi’s house
Washington, United States | AFP | Multiple people were stabbed at a Jewish place of worship in upstate New York late Saturday night, a public affairs group said. “At 9:50 this eve, a call came in about a mass stabbing… It’s the house of a Hasidic Rabbi. 5 patients with …
Read More »Rhino said to be world’s oldest dies aged 57 in Tanzania
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | A black rhino believed to be the oldest in the world has died in Tanzania at the age of 57, according to authorities in Ngorongoro where the animal was living. The female rhino, named Fausta, died of what is believed to be natural …
Read More »NASA’s trip to Mars begins in California ‘clean room’
Pasadena, United States | AFP | NASA’s Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission’s epic journey began in a “clean room” in California. One of two ultra-sterile labs used for spacecraft assembly at the Jet Propulsion …
Read More »Born to revolt: Why the French go on strike
Paris, France | AFP | France, it sometimes seems, is either in the throes of a major strike or facing the looming shadow of one. Workers in the country go on strike more than most nations in Europe. The current open-ended stoppages, which began on December 5, have halted most public …
Read More »Navy SEAL cleared by Trump called ‘freaking evil’ by comrades
Washington, United States | AFP | A Navy SEAL platoon leader controversially pardoned of war crimes by US President Donald Trump was described as “toxic” and “freaking evil” by veterans who served with him in Iraq, The New York Times reported Friday. Video testimony provided to war crimes investigators and published by the newspaper …
Read More »Climate change caused 15 disasters costing over $1 bn this year: charity
Paris, France | AFP | At least 15 natural disasters linked to climate change this year caused damage of over $1 billion and seven of them cost at least $10 billion, British charity Christian Aid said Friday. This year is set to be the second hottest year in history and …
Read More »Montenegro MPs held after violent protest over religion law
Podgorica, Montenegro | AFP | More than a dozen Montenegrin opposition MPs were detained in parliament on Friday after they violently protested a controversial law on religious freedom, which was passed after the group was taken away. The law has raised tensions in recent weeks between the government and a pro-Serb …
Read More »Road to riches for China’s rag trade runs through Paris
Paris, France | AFP | “Made in China” may still evoke more off the rack than catwalk, but Chinese designers are slowly installing themselves in Paris, the fashion capital, as a part of an upscale march towards the lucrative luxury market, a segment that is increasingly made up of Chinese …
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