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By Farah Master, Reuters Photo: 123rf China will no longer send children overseas for adoption, the government said, overturning a more than three-decade rule that was rooted in its once strict one-child policy. More than 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted by families across the world since 1992, when China first opened its doors to international adoption. Around 82,000 of these children, mostly girls, have been adopted in the United States, according to China's Children International (CCI). China was one of just seven countries that allow New Zealanders to adopt children not related to them, under the Hague Convention. The others are Chile, Hong Kong, India, Lithuania, the Philippines and Thailand. On Thursday (local time), Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said the Chine...

Photo: 123RF A fire at a primary boarding school in central Kenya has killed 17 students, a police spokeswoman said on Friday. President William Ruto said he had asked authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account. More rescuers were on their way to the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, the spokeswoman, Resila Onyango, said in a broadcast on Kenya's Hot 96 FM radio, and authorities would provide details later. "We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured ...," Onyango told Reuters by telephone. "Our team is at the scene at the scene at the moment." The fire had burnt the students beyond recognition, Citizen Television said earlier. "I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held t...

Pope Francis speaks during an interreligious meeting with religious leaders at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta on 5 September 2024. Photo: AFP / Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana Papua New Guinea is preparing to roll out the red carpet for the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis' arrival on Friday. It has been 30 years since a Pope stepped foot on the South Pacific nation. The last visit by a Pope to PNG was John Paul II in 1995. The visit is part of an 11-day, multi-country papal trip, where Pope Francis will travel to capital Port Moresby and Vanimo from 6 to 9 September. Today I begin an Apostolic Journey to several countries in Asia and Oceania. Please pray that this journey may bear fruit.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 2, 2024 More than 37,000 people have already registered to atte...

By Rich McKay, Reuters Cars line the road as parents arrive to meet students after a shooting at Apalachee High School on 4 September, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. Photo: AFP / Getty Images North America Georgia state officials arrested the father of the 14-year-old suspected school shooter Colt Gray in connection with a shooting that killed four people and wounded nine at Apalachee High School. Colin Gray, 54, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. "These charges stem from Mr Gray knowingly allowing his son Colt to possess a weapon," Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, told a media conference. Colt Gray has been charged with f...

Beetlejuice is back after more than 30 years. Photo: Warner Bros. By Velvet Winter of the ABC It's showtime! Decades after cult film Beetlejuice exploded onto our screens, the 'Juice' is loose once again with the sequel: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. For the uninitiated, Beetlejuice is set in a world where homes are haunted by ghosts, the afterlife exists (and is cartoonishly gory), and all the grottiest parts are rolled into one ghoul - Beetlejuice (well, technically, Betelgeuse). He's a self-professed "bio-exorcist", a pro at ridding houses of pesky humans so the ghosts that inhabit them can get a bit of peace and quiet. Back in 1988 when the original film was released, director Tim Burton was still the relatively new kid on the block, having only just hit success with his first feature fi...