Showing 1 - 10 of 24
‘Raped, jailed, tortured, left to die’: the hell of being gay in Turkmenistan
AFP, Published on 18/09/2025
» WARSAW - Two men who escaped one of the world’s most secretive and repressive states have told AFP how they were tortured, beaten and raped in Turkmenistan for the “crime” of being gay.
Dying breed: Tunisian dog lovers push to save age-old desert hound
AFP, Published on 27/06/2025
» RAS ANGELA (TUNISIA) - Nemcha, Zina and Zouina, three North African Sloughi hounds, play on the beach in Tunisia where their ancestors have long roamed desert plains, seemingly unaware of the existential threat to their dwindling breed.
Taliban change tune towards Afghan heritage sites
AFP, Published on 22/04/2025
» GOWARJAN, Afghanistan - In March 2001, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two decades later, they are back in power and claim to be making strides to preserve Afghanistan's millennia-old heritage, including pre-Islamic relics.
True blue tradition: how Japan's coveted jeans are made
AFP, Published on 18/12/2024
» KOJIMA-AJINO (JAPAN) - Call it an antidote to fast fashion: Japanese jeans hand-dyed with natural indigo and weaved on a clackety vintage loom, then sold at a premium to global denim connoisseurs.
Fireworks ban sparks fiery debate in China
Reuters, Published on 29/12/2023
» BEIJING - Chinese lawmakers on Friday weighed in on a fiery online debate on whether fireworks should be used to ring in the Lunar New Year in February, saying a total ban on pyrotechnics in the country credited with inventing them would be hard to enforce.
'City of jinn': magical myths haunt ancient Omani oasis
AFP, Published on 20/11/2023
» BAHLā' (OMAN) - Deep in Oman's parched interior, the ancient oasis town of Bahla abounds with myths of camel-eating, fire-mouthed hyenas and men turning into donkeys -- a reputation for magic and mystery that persists to this day.
Taylor Swift sets women's record for most number one albums
AFP, Published on 18/07/2023
» NEW YORK - Taylor Swift now has more number one albums than any other female artist in history following the recent release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," Billboard said Monday.
Japan firm's pioneering Moon landing fails
AFP, Published on 26/04/2023
» TOKYO - A Japanese startup attempting the first private landing on the Moon said Wednesday it had lost communication with its spacecraft and assumed the lunar mission had failed.
Japanese firm to attempt historic lunar landing
AFP, Published on 25/04/2023
» TOKYO: A Japanese space startup will attempt on Tuesday to become the first private company to put a lander on the Moon.
Irish Joe: Immigrant roots central to Biden's political identity
AFP, Published on 09/04/2023
» WASHINGTON - When a British journalist once asked Joe Biden for an interview, the US president responded with a joke.