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Syrians return to homes devastated by war

When Syrian grandfather Omar Kafozi returned to his house near Damascus after Bashar al-Assad's ouster, he saw unfathomable destruction.

Djokovic condemns 'violence' against protesters in Serbia

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic sent his support to the thousands of people protesting against the government in Serbia on Sunday and condemned "violence" against his compatriots.

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Taiwan's TSMC to help train German students for semiconductor careers

Germany's Saxony state signed an agreement with Taiwanese chip giant TSMC on Tuesday to train German students in an effort to meet the growing demand for workers in the semiconductor sector.

Slowly but surely, French ex-PM edges to presidential run

His physical appearance transformed but largely pledging continuity with the rule of President Emmanuel Macron, France's popular former premier Edouard Philippe is staking out the ground for a run for the presidency in 2027 against an increasingly stern challenge from far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen.

Swiss students break world record for electric car acceleration

From zero to 100 km/h in less than a second: a racing car built by students has broken the world record for electric vehicle acceleration, a Swiss university said Tuesday.

US panel denounces France abaya ban as targeting Muslims

A US government advisory panel on Friday denounced ally France's ban on schoolgirls wearing abayas, saying the restriction on the long, flowing dresses was meant to "intimidate" the Muslim minority.

Court backs French abaya Muslim dress ban in schools

France's top administrative court on Thursday upheld a government ban on traditional over-garments worn by some Muslim women in schools and rejected complaints it was discriminatory and could incite hatred.

French schools refuse dozens of girls wearing Muslim robe

French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas -- an over-garment from the shoulders to the feet worn by Muslim women -- on the first day of the school year, a government minister said Tuesday.

France imposes abaya ban on first day of school

French authorities were on Monday imposing a newly-announced ban on the abaya Muslim dress for women in schools, with over 500 establishments under scrutiny as children across the country returned to class.

Children eager for school in Ukraine after living abroad

Makar and Nadiya Mikhailyuk chatter excitedly as they get ready for their first day back at school in Ukraine, after they and their mother moved back from Poland.

Belgian university enters new era with Taylor Swift course

From "Alice in Wonderland" to "The Great Gatsby", "Rebecca" to "Jane Eyre", the songs of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift are filled with clear and subtle literary references.

Nicaragua seizes Jesuit university

A Jesuit university in Nicaragua said Wednesday it is suspending classes and all other activities after the leftist government announced the seizure of all its assets, accusing the school of terrorism.

Hezbollah chief in new attack on same-sex relations

The leader of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement on Saturday stepped up his attacks against the region's long-marginalised LGBTQ community.

German teachers pushed out for calling out 'far-right' pupils

Two teachers have been pressured out of their jobs in a small German town after denouncing the alleged right-wing extremism of their pupils, in a case that sparked a national outcry.

US First Lady says 'proud' of return to UNESCO

US First Lady Jill Biden said on Tuesday she and her husband Joe were proud that their country had rejoined UNESCO, the UN cultural agency Washington had quit during the Trump administration.

UK Roald Dahl Museum acknowledges author's 'undeniable' racism

The Roald Dahl Museum in Britain has detailed work it is undertaking "towards combatting hate and prejudice," it said, acknowledging that the renowned children's writer's racism was "undeniable and indelible".

Yolanda Diaz, the Communist rallying Spain's left

"Less noise and more talking" is the rallying cry of Spain's popular Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz, who's hoping her straight-talking message of unity will reinvigorate Spain's radical left in Sunday's election.

In New York, over-enrolled school offers hope to migrant children

Last year siblings Eliezer, 10, and Elaiza, 12 traveled by bus and foot through eight countries from Venezuela to the United States.

Dangerous and degrading: pit toilets blight S.Africa schools

Schools across rural South Africa have perilous and degrading pit latrines -- a heritage of the apartheid era that campaigners say symbolises inequality and government ineptitude.

56-year-old 'gaokao holdout' fails to make the cut for 27th time

After failing to achieve a high enough score on China's dreaded college entry exam for the 27th time, 56-year-old Liang Shi is beginning to wonder if he will ever make it to his dream university.

US school test scores haven't recovered since pandemic

American 13-year-olds continue to struggle academically in the wake of the pandemic, especially in mathematics, according to official data out Wednesday.

Abaya controversy tests French schools' secular limits

A reported increase in Muslim girls wearing the abaya dress at French schools has triggered a debate about their violation of the country's sacrosanct commitment to secularism in education.

Ugandans bury more victims of horrific school massacre

Grief-stricken Ugandans were on Monday burying more victims of last week's horrific school attack in the remote west of the country blamed on a notorious militia based in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Harvard morgue manager charged with selling stolen body parts

The morgue manager at America's prestigious Harvard Medical School allegedly took dead body parts from his workplace without permission and then sold them, US prosecutors said Wednesday.

Homework will 'never be the same' says ChatGPT founder

Artificial intelligence tools will revolutionise education like calculators did, but will not supplant learning, ChatGPT's founder Sam Altman told students in Tokyo on Monday, defending the new technology.

UNICEF 'concerned' by reports of Taliban ban on foreign school NGOs

The Taliban government may have banned international NGOs from offering education to out-of-school Afghan children, UNICEF said Thursday, putting the teaching of half a million boys and girls at risk.

Millions of Chinese students sit gruelling college entrance exams

Millions of Chinese students sit for notoriously tough college entrance exams on Wednesday, the first since the country lifted zero-Covid rules that forced classes online for months on end.

Self-made millionaire sits China's university exams for 27th time

Among the millions of fresh-faced high schoolers sitting China's dreaded "gaokao" college entrance exam on Wednesday, Liang Shi sticks out like a sore thumb -- a grey-haired, self-made millionaire stubbornly taking the test for the 27th time.

Spell it out: Paris' Champs-Elysees hosts mass 'dictation'

Not to be outdone by US-style spelling bee extravaganzas, Paris's most famous street the Champs-Elysees was transformed into an open-air mass "dictation" spellathon Sunday, pitting thousands of France's brainiest bookworms against one another.

Students given community service over fatal hazing

A Belgian court on Friday sentenced 18 members of a college fraternity to community service over the death of a black student during a two-day hazing ritual in 2018.

Florida school curbs access to poem read at Biden inauguration

A Florida school has restricted access for students to the poem "The Hill We Climb," read at President Joe Biden's inauguration before a live audience of nearly 34 million people, the poet says.

Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan acquitted in Swiss rape trial

A Swiss court on Wednesday acquitted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on charges of rape and sexual coercion, finding no evidence against the former Oxford University professor.

Pupil started deadly Guyana dorm fire over confiscated phone: source

The weekend school dormitory blaze that killed 19 minors in central Guyana is believed to have been started by a disgruntled pupil angry at having her mobile phone confiscated, a government source told AFP on Tuesday.

Defence pleads for Islamic scholar's acquittal at Swiss rape trial

Tariq Ramadan's lawyers pleaded Wednesday for the controversial Islamic scholar to be acquitted on the third and final day of his trial in Geneva on charges of rape and sexual coercion.

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