World News

Cuba cracks down on artists who demanded creative freedoms after ‘unprecedented’ government negotiations
María Isabel Alfonso, St. Joseph’s College of New York Leer en español. Cuban artists and intellectuals want more rights – and, in an unusual show

After years of protests, the Islamabad Zoo will convert into an animal sanctuary
The Islamabad Zoo, long a source of complaints from Pakistani animal activists, is officially closing down and converting into an animal conservation centre, city officials announced on December 8.

Ecuador’s transgender communities organize first-ever National Trans March
Rita Hester, a black transgender woman, was brutally murdered in her United States apartment in 1998. Her death became one of the catalysts behind the International Transgender Day

Internet artist behind satirical Australia war crimes image hailed as a hero on Chinese social media
Chinese online patriots have a new hero: Fu Yu(付昱), also known as Wuhe Qilin (乌合麒麟), the internet artist whose satirical image of an Australian soldier

North Macedonia court rejects lawsuit by journalists over 2017 Parliament attack
A Skopje court rejected on December 10 a lawsuit filed by three journalists against the Macedonian state in relation to the 2017 mob attack of

‘It’s not just a joke!’ Nigerian comedians unite against rape culture
Fourteen Nigerian comedians have taken a definitive stance against rape culture by making a commitment to stop making rape jokes. This was done in a

Fiji Declares State of Natural Disaster as Powerful Cyclone Hits
Fiji Roads Authority/via REUTERS On Thursday, the entire population of Fiji was ordered to take shelter as a reaction to what expected to be the worst cyclone in recorded history. Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm capable of winds up to 250 km per hour (155 miles per hour) and torrential rain, made landfall over Bua province on the northern island of Vanua Levu at about 6 p.m. local time (0600 GMT). “The impact for this super storm is

We cannot allow corruption to infest COVID-19 recovery, UN chief says |
In a message on International Anti-Corruption Day, on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the need to ensure that recovery from COVID-19 is not hampered by

Journalists at Hong Kong TV station resign en masse after 40 colleagues fired
Over a dozen journalists resigned on December 1 from Hong Kong Cable Television Limited, a major subscription-based TV station in Hong Kong, in protest after the media

Shutting school systems, wrong response to COVID-19, UNICEF says |
“What we have learned about schooling during the time of COVID is clear: the benefits of keeping schools open, far outweigh the costs of closing

Angelina Jolie Shares Advice for Women Who Fear Abuse Over the Holidays
Angelina Jolie is supporting survivors of violence. In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar U.K., the 45-year-old actress spoke about the United Nations’ 16 Days

UN spotlights ‘critical role’ of aviation in pandemic recovery, marking International Day |
“International aviation plays a key role in human affairs,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message. It allows people to discover the world and

Pakistan to introduce tougher punishment for rape—including chemical castration
Pakistan’s government approved in-principle on November 24 tougher laws against sexual assault which will include chemical castration for repeat offenders. The laws, called the Anti-Rape (Investigation and