‘Massive’ child sex abuse in French Catholic Church

French Catholic clergy sexually abused some 216,000 minors in the seven decades since 1950, a “massive phenomenon” that was covered up for decades by a “veil of silence,” an independent commission said Tuesday.

German Afghan mission cost over 17 billion euros

The 20-year-long mission by German soldiers and development workers in Afghanistan cost more than 17.3 billion euros (20.1 billion dollars), according to official figures.

Indian Court orders compensation payment for Covid death

India’s top court ordered state authorities to pay $672 (50,000 rupees) as compensation for each death caused by Covid-19, as a way to help families cope with the loss, according to its order reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

Australia’s NSW state premier resigns amid COVID-19 battle

The premier of Australia’s biggest state economy New South Wales (NSW), Gladys Berejiklian, resigned on Friday after a corruption watchdog said it was investigating whether she was involved in conduct that “constituted or involved a breach of public trust”.

Saudi Arabia & Iran may re-establish relations

Riyadh and Tehran may soon formally resume relations severed in 2016. A report said officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran had met this week. The series of contacts were reportedly mediated by the Iraqi government.

Flight carrying Americans from Kabul departs for US

A group of American citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated to the United Arab Emirates from Afghanistan flew out of the Gulf state bound for the United States on Thursday, the country’s foreign ministry said, after being temporarily held up for vetting.

US, China military, in talks on defence issues: Pentagon

US and Chinese military officials held “frank, in-depth” talks this week on a range of defence issues, the Pentagon said Wednesday, as the countries grapple over their competing interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia threatens YouTube ban after German RT outlet blocked

Moscow threatened on Wednesday to block the YouTube video platform after the internet media firm removed the German-language channels of Russia’s RT state media outlet.

WHO sounds alarm at global vaccination targets being missed

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of vaccinating at least 10 per cent of the population in every country in the world by the end of September is not going to be met, according to its latest figures.

Ruling party elects Kishida as leader in win for Japan establishment

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) anointed former foreign minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader on Wednesday, a victory for the party elite that virtually ensures the soft-spoken consensus-builder will become prime minister within days.

China energy crunch triggers shutdowns, pleas for more coal

China faces mounting pressure to ramp up coal imports and ensure supplies to keep lights on, factories open and water flowing as a severe power crunch roils the northeastern industrial heartland.

Russia opens new criminal case against Navalny

Russia sharply escalated a campaign against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, opening a new criminal case against President Putin’s fiercest domestic critic that could allow the authorities to hand him another decade in jail.

German SPD seeks three-way alliance to succeed Merkel

German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz vowed on Monday to strengthen the European Union and keep up the transatlantic partnership in a three-way coalition government he hopes to form by Christmas to take over from Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

Germans vote in historic election, Merkel set to step down

Germans are voting to elect a new parliament that will then replace the veteran Chancellor Angela Merkel. The race has been extremely tight, and the coalition-building to follow will likely be messy.

Iceland elects Europe’s first female majority parliament

Iceland’s ruling left-right coalition strengthened its majority after a national election that for the first time saw more women than men elected to a European parliament, final results showed on Sunday.

N. Korea says open to talks if South drops double standards

South Korea’s call for a formal end to the Korean War is premature but the door for dialogue is open if it scraps its double standards and hostile policy, a senior North Korean official said in comments published by state media on Friday.

World’s youth take to the streets again to battle climate change

Young people around the world took to the streets on Friday to demand urgent action to avert disastrous climate change, in their largest protest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three dead in Delhi courtroom shootout

A mob boss has died after gunmen from a rival gang entered a courtroom where he was on trial and opened fire. The gunmen, dressed as barristers, were subsequently shot by police and died of their wounds.

US envoy resigns over expulsions to Haiti from Texas camp

The US envoy to Haiti dramatically resigned on Thursday in a letter that excoriated Washington for deporting hundreds of migrants to the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation from a border camp in recent days.

China’s Xi calls for jointly facing challenges at UNGA

Speaking at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling for bolstering confidence, jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

UN commissioner urges international effort on Myanmar

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday warned of a human rights catastrophe under military rule in Myanmar and urged the international community to do more to prevent conflict from worsening.

Earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country’s biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second-largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states.

New WHO air-quality guidelines aim to cut deaths linked to fossil fuels

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday issued its first air quality guidelines since 2005 aimed at reducing deaths from key pollutants that cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Canada PM Trudeau’s bid for majority fails

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday acknowledged he will need to work with other parties after he fell short of winning a majority in parliamentary elections, leaving him once more dependent on opposition legislators to govern.

Berlin voices support for France in AUKUS submarine row 

Germany, (dpa.com) 21 September 2021-EU powerhouse Germany says France being snubbed by Australia in favour of a partnership with the US and the UK is a signal to continental European nations to stand together and boost self-reliance.

China, France condemn ‘Aukus Defence Pact’ warns of arms race

China has warned that Australia’s new defence agreement with the United States and Britain is “extremely irresponsible” and risks triggering an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region.

Over 10,000 migrants sleeping under Texas bridge

Haitians fleeing a country hammered by political turmoil and two natural disasters made up most of over 10,000 migrants sleeping on the ground and desperate for food in a squalid camp under a bridge in southern Texas on Friday, in a growing humanitarian and political challenge for U.S. President Joe Biden.

India breaks own COVID vaccination record

India broke its daily COVID-19 vaccination record on Friday by administering over 20 million doses of vaccines in a single day as states organised a special inoculation drive on the occasion of prime minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.

UK court to ensure sexual assault papers can be served on Prince Andrew

London’s High Court said on Wednesday it would take steps if necessary to serve papers on Britain’s Prince Andrew in a U.S. lawsuit brought by a woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her two decades ago.

North and South Korea conduct duelling missile tests

North Korea and South Korea test fired ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the latest volley in an arms race that has seen both countries develop increasingly sophisticated weapons while efforts to get talks going on defusing tension prove fruitless.