BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
A new study says an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America, the UN population fund reported Wednesday as it decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.
UNFPA's latest “State of World Population” report also estimates that nearly 500 maternal deaths per day occur in countries with humanitarian crises or conflicts, and shows that women of African descent in the Americas are more likely to die giving birth than white women.
“Sweeping global gains in sexual and reproductive health and rights over the last thirty years are marred by an ugly truth — millions of women and girls have not benefited because of who they are or where they were born,” the fund said in a statement.
UNFPA executive director Dr. Natalia Kanem said the unintended pregnancy rate has declined by nearly one-fifth since 1990 and the maternal death rate has dropped by more than one-third since 2000.
But “inequalities within our societies and health systems are widening, and we have not adequately prioritized reaching those furthest behind,” she said. Improvements in health-care access have mostly benefited wealthier women and members of ethnic groups with better access to care, the fund said.
Kanem hailed some progress: More than 160 countries have passed laws against domestic violence, and “legislation against LGBTQIA+ sexuality” that was once widespread has been on the retreat. Now only one-third of countries have such laws.
While she credited “the world's agreement” that led to such gains, Kanem also warned: “Human reproduction is being politicized. The rights of women, girls and gender diverse people are the subject of increasing pushback."
“And yet, today, that progress is slowing. By many measures, it has stalled completely," she said. “Annual reductions in maternal deaths have flatlined. Since 2016, the world made zero progress in saving women from preventable deaths in pregnancy and childbirth.”
“Health systems today are weak," Kanem added. "They’re tainted by gender inequality, by racial discrimination and by misinformation.”
The fund called for new investment in sexual and reproductive health, as well as improvements in sexuality education, stopping gender-based violence, and “ending unmet need for contraception” — an issue that has driven a wedge in some countries.
Under the term of then-president Donald Trump, the United States halted funding for UNFPA largely over concerns about abortion — depriving the fund of tens of millions of dollars over four years.
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended that the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the militant Hamas group.
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.