Feature

June 13, 2024 11:54 AM

Troubled G7 leaders focus on Ukraine war, China in Italian summit

Group of Seven (G7) leaders start their annual summit on Thursday looking to double down on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and offer a united face in confronting China's political and economic ambitions. With the Middle East, migration and artificial intelligence (AI) also on a packed a...

June 12, 2024 8:30 PM

Palestinian detainees say they faced abuse in Israeli jails

Palestinians held in Israeli detention since the start of the war in Gaza said they faced systematic ill-treatment by prison authorities whom they accused of deliberately withholding vital medical treatment. Human rights groups and international organizations have alleged widespread abuse of inmate...

June 12, 2024 12:51 PM

Hamstrung at home, G7 leaders struggle to resolve global woes

Group of Seven (G7) leaders will fly to southern Italy this week for their annual summit in downbeat mood, confronting myriad woes at home even as they seek solutions for many of the world's most pressing problems. U.S. President Joe Biden faces a polarized electorate and dismal approval ratings ah...

June 11, 2024 11:54 AM

South Africa’s unity government must harmonise wildly different visions

Talks to forge South Africa's post-election unity government will need to bring together parties with goals as contradictory as seizing white-owned farms and mines, ditching Black empowerment policies and tearing up the constitution. How well the African National Congress (ANC) harmonises these div...

June 11, 2024 11:30 AM

Study shows elephants might call each other by name

Over the years, researchers who study elephants have noticed an intriguing phenomenon. Sometimes when an elephant makes a vocalization to a group of other elephants, all of them respond. But sometimes when that same elephant makes a similar call to the group, only a single individual responds. Coul...

June 10, 2024 11:28 PM

Good things happen to good people: The Jasprit Bumrah phenomenon

By: Aditya Ahuja In the world of sports, where emotions often run high and tempers flare, true character is revealed in moments of adversity. Jasprit Bumrah, the ace Indian fast bowler, has shown that his greatness lies not only in his beautiful skill but also in his beautiful character. Yesterday...

June 10, 2024 11:02 AM

Iraq’s Mosul springs back to life 10 years after it fell to ISIS

It was the simple night-time act of watering flowers on his street in Mosul's Old City that made Saqr Zakaria stop and think about just how safe this last bastion of Islamic State militants had become since it was liberated in 2017. "I thought for a second, 'where am I?'" said Zakaria, who left the...

June 9, 2024 2:50 PM

South Korea’s young shamans revive ancient tradition with social media

With statues of the Buddha and local gods, candles and incense sticks, Lee Kyoung-hyun's shrine looks similar to those of Korean shamans from centuries past. But the 29-year-old shaman - also known as Aegi Seonnyeo, or "Baby Angel" - reaches her clients in a thoroughly modern way: through social me...

June 9, 2024 3:36 PM

Banks say growing reliance on Big Tech for AI carries new risks

The boom in artificial intelligence will increase banks' dependence on big U.S. tech firms, creating new risks for the industry, European banking executives said. Excitement around using artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services - widely used already for detecting fraud and money-launderin...