Man arrested in France for keeping white tiger cub
Investigators in southeast France have seized a white tiger cub at the home of a suspected exotic animal trafficker, while pythons and endangered marsupials were found at his mother’s house, a police source said Saturday. Members of the public health agency OCLAESP were recently informed of the illegal sale of lemurs and their investigations led…
Israel assassinates Hamas operative in Gaza as Palestinian militants fire 600 rockets
Israel and Hamas were locked in one of the bloodiest rounds of fighting since the 2014 Gaza War on Sunday night as civilian casualties mounted on both sides and Israeli forces massed for a possible ground offensive. Four civilians were killed in southern Israel on Sunday after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a barrage…
Thailand’s king Maha Vajiralongkorn takes to the throne as snubbed sister falls into line
Click:bearing manufacturer The new Thai King was doused with holy water before finally putting on a towering 7kg bejeweled gold crown as he ascended to the throne at the start of three days of pageantry steeped in ostentatious traditions. The series of ancient rites, last seen almost 70 years ago, began with a royal purification…
A mirror, a sword and a gem: Inside the mystery-laden coronation of a new Japanese emperor
Perhaps unsurprisingly for the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the ascension of his son Crown Prince Naruhito will be shrouded in a series of ancient rituals and ceremonies as complex as they are mysterious. Forget fairytale crowns. A sword, a mirror and a jewel will instead play the most symbolic…
Political dirt diggers target Pete Buttigieg as Indiana mayor’s rise catches rival campaigns unawares
The knives are out for the improbable early star of the 2020 Democrat presidential contest. Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor from Indiana, has stunned his fellow candidates by surging into third place in some polls, having been unheard of only weeks ago. His meteoric rise has left flat-footed the shadowy political dirt-diggers who operate on…
Transgender community in Bangladesh finally granted full voting rights
Bangladesh’s marginalised transgender community has finally been granted the right to use their correct identity to register as a voter. Government officials have given full recognition to the hijras cultural status by creating a specialist "third gender" category on Bangladesh’s national voters list. Previously, the hijra community could only sign up to vote as men or women – but many avoided doing…
Two US Navy warships sail through strategic Taiwan Strait, risking tension with China
The US military sent two navy warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday in a move that risks adding to tensions between China and the international community over access to the strategic waterway. The increasing frequency of US navy voyages through the 112-mile sea passage that separates Taiwan from China has raised objections from Beijing but…
Joe Biden demands respect for US workers as he touts ability to win back Trump voters
Joe Biden pledged to restore dignity and respect to American workers as he used his first 2020 campaign stop to outline a pitch for winning back wavering Donald Trump voters. Leaning into his "Middle Class Joe" nickname, the former US vice president spoke of a “broken” economy built by blue collar employees but only benefiting the rich. …
A mirror, a sword and a gem: Inside the mystery-laden coronation of a new Japanese emperor
Perhaps unsurprisingly for the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the ascension of his son Crown Prince Naruhito will be shrouded in a series of ancient rituals and ceremonies as complex as they are mysterious. Forget fairytale crowns. A sword, a mirror and a jewel will instead play the most symbolic…
Desperate migrants in Libya detention centres forced to fight on front lines of new civil war
It was morning when fighters entered the halls of Tajoura detention centre, where Alec had been living more than five months, and ordered him to come with them. Crammed in and locked up with hundreds of others, and only one meal a day, many of the other migrants and refugees lay listless and weak. He…