‘You did not cry when you had sex, so shut up’: Balkan women share agonising #MeToo gynaecology stories

A tide of #MeToo testimonies about painful gynaecological procedures and abusive medical staff is rippling across the Balkans, where women are breaking taboos in patriarchal societies to share their traumatic hospital experiences. The outcry was sparked by one female politician’s emotional account of an agonising treatment she received after a miscarriage, shocking many in a region…

Loblaw Recalls No Name Chicken Burgers Over Salmonella Concerns

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Loblaw Companies Ltd. is recalling certain packages of No Name brand chicken burgers out of what the retailer calls “an abundance of caution.” The company says the burgers, which have a best before date of Feb. 6, 2019, may pose a risk of salmonella if they aren’t prepared properly. The products were…

Gang steals €2.3m from security van in Italy, ripping the back open ‘like a can of tuna’

Italian police are hunting a gang of armed robbers who blocked a motorway with burning vehicles and used a digger to rip open a security van “like a can of tuna” to steal €2.3 million (£2.1 million) in cash. The four men, who were masked, fired shots from automatic weapons to intimidate the security guards…

Fort McMurray Wildfire, 2 Years Later: Hundreds Of Insurance Claims Unresolved

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Deadlines have been extended for hundreds of insurance claims that remain unresolved more than two years after a wildfire dubbed “The Beast” tore through Fort McMurray and surrounding areas in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. “This is unprecedented, not just for the people of Wood Buffalo, but for our industry,”…

WestJet 'Reviewing' Baggage Policy Targeting Travellers To Jamaica, Trinidad And Tobago

Until last week, Nellrene Walker loved WestJet. She wanted her money to support a Canadian airline; she had good experiences with WestJet in the past; and she liked that its pilots had recently unionized and its flight attendants were likely to be next. Today, following the airline’s public apology for her flight-booking experience, she and…

Nawaz Sharif sentenced to seven years in prison in controversial corruption case

A Pakistan court on Monday jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for seven years on graft charges that he says were politically motivated. The anti-corruption court said in its ruling that the three-time prime minister was unable to prove the source of income that led to his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. Mr Sharif was…

Former UN human rights chief says princess who tried to flee UAE is ‘troubled’

A former UN human rights chief has been  accused of ‘reciting from Dubai’s script’ after she described a princess who fled the UAE as “troubled” following an unusual meeting at the home where she is allegedly being held captive.  Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, met with Sheikha Latifa earlier this month in Dubai…

UAE re-opens embassy in Syria as Arab leaders begin to welcome Assad back from the cold

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has re-opened its embassy in Syria, taking a major public step towards welcoming Bashar al-Assad back into the fold of Arab leaders after years of estrangement.   Syria was suspended from the Arab League shortly after the Syrian war broke out in 2011 and most Arab states closed their embassies in…