From Japan to Zambia, the push for paid menstrual leave
Many women have painful periods, but only a handful of countries, largely in Asia and most recently Spain, have moved to give them time off work to recover. Here is a tour of some of them ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28. - Spain - Spain has become the...
Haven’t had COVID yet? It could be more than just luck
Lindsay Broadbent, Queen's University Belfast We all know a few of those lucky people who, somehow, have managed to avoid ever catching COVID. Perhaps you’re one of them. Is this a Marvel-esque superpower? Is there any scientific reason why a person might be resistant...
Tedros, from ‘child of war’ to two-term WHO chief
By Agnès PEDRERO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is all but guaranteed to secure a second term as WHO chief Tuesday, describes himself as a man of peace, shaped by a childhood in war. The first African to head the World Health Organization and the sole candidate on...
Angola’s ruling party faces united opposition in upcoming poll. But it’s pushing back
Jon Schubert, University of Basel and Gilson Lázaro, Catholic University of Angola The election of Angolan President João Lourenço in 2017 raised hopes of a shift from the authoritarian and corrupt era of his predecessor. This was thanks to the new, more open and...
‘Kind of complicated’: Growing grapes in the world’s driest desert
By Alberto PEÑA In the middle of Chile's Atacama desert, the driest in the world, Hector Espindola has an unexpected job: he runs a vineyard. Nearly 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level, his small Bosque Viejo farm produces muscat grapes -- and another of a...
Fly me to the Moon: US, Japan aim for lunar landing
Japan and the United States said Monday they want to put the first Japanese astronaut on the Moon as the allies deepen cooperation on space projects. No non-American has ever touched down on the lunar surface, and Japan has previously said it hopes to achieve a Moon...
Biden says US would defend Taiwan militarily from invasion
President Joe Biden warned on Monday that China was "flirting with danger" and said the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if Beijing invaded, the second time in eight months he has made that vow. "That's the commitment we made," he said when asked if...
Rising star of African art hits on colonialism, tyranny and beauty of black
By Lucie PEYTERMANN In a serene studio filled with birdsong, Omar Ba takes off his shoes and gets down on his hands and knees. Then the renowned Senegalese artist begins to paint a five-metre-long canvas a deep, dark shade of black. This is how Ba, a rising star in...
New Australian PM heads to Tokyo with climate message
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took the oath of office Monday and immediately flew to a Tokyo summit with a "message to the world" that his country is ready to engage on climate change. The 59-year-old centre-left Labor Party leader was sworn in during a...
Four strange COVID symptoms you might not have heard about
Vassilios Vassiliou, University of East Anglia; Ranu Baral, University of East Anglia, and Vasiliki Tsampasian, University of East Anglia Well over two years into the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of COVID cases continue to be recorded around the world every day....