TOKYO—Global skin-care companies are split over a term commonly used on Asian antiblemish creams that means “beautiful white,” with Unilever PLC erasing it from products while Johnson & Johnson says it isn’t offensive.

The debate over the term, which is widely known among women across East Asia, reflects the fallout of last year’s antiracism protests. The demonstrations prompted many companies to reconsider product names and images seen as having origins in racist imagery, like the Aunt Jemima pancake brand that was retired by PepsiCo Inc.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

PARIS—French prosecutors brought preliminary charges against a former health minister over her actions during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, part of a probe that is examining how the government of President Emmanuel Macron responded to the crisis.

Agnès Buzyn was charged on Friday with endangering the lives of others by the Court of Justice of the Republic, a special French court that prosecutes misconduct by government ministers, a spokeswoman for the court said. Ms. Buzyn, a hematologist, was health minister from May 2017 until February 2020, when Mr. Macron tapped her to be his party’s candidate in an unsuccessful bid to be Paris mayor.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

KABUL—Women account for some 60% of the 2,400 students enrolled at Kabul’s Ghalib University, one of many private colleges that sprang up in Afghanistan over the past two decades. When it reopened this week under new Taliban rules, with women and men instructed to attend on alternate days, only 21 female students showed up.

“The women students need to recover their motivation, and their courage. Most of them are too afraid to leave their homes,” said Fatima Sediqi, the head of academic affairs at the university’s school of law and political science. “In the past, everyone went through a dark period. Recalling that time is scaring us, absolutely.”

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

BEIRUT—Lebanon’s political factions agreed Friday on a new government led by former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, ending a more than yearlong deadlock as the country struggles with an economic collapse that has pushed millions into poverty.

President Michel Aoun and Mr. Mikati signed a decree leading to the formation of a new cabinet, according to the state-run National News Agency. Mr. Mikati, a billionaire businessman, was nominated as prime minister in July after two previous attempts were abandoned. Lebanon has been run by a caretaker government with little power since shortly after the deadly Beirut explosion in August last year.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Members of an internationally renowned orchestra of Afghan women and girls remain stuck in Afghanistan after an attempt to get them out through Kabul’s airport in the last days of the U.S. war failed.

The ensemble, a symbol of Afghanistan’s cultural opening under the now-deposed U.S.-backed regime, was supported in its escape attempt by leading politicians and U.S. military figures and a team of ex-security and intelligence officials. But the plan was foiled because Taliban guards at the airport refused to wake a sleeping commander to greenlight their passage, according to several people involved. That has left dozens of the orchestra’s members in limbo and fearful for the future.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has fueled a surge in the use of cryptocurrency as Afghans grasp for ways to cope with a deepening financial crisis, market analysts and local traders say, a trend that may offer hope for an ailing economy, but that poses concerns for Western security officials.

The appeal of cryptocurrency grew as Afghans saw it as a safe place for their funds and as digital-currency transactions continued in the wake of the Taliban’s seizure, while Western governments, banks and money-service businesses cut off access to other forms of finance, local traders say. The cryptocurrency option has provided a small but critical financial lifeline amid a cash crunch in an economy racked by political crisis.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

WASHINGTON—President Biden reached out to Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeking to address economic and other issues in the two countries’ global competition, following several recent high-level meetings which U.S. officials described as unproductive.

The call, which occurred Thursday night in Washington, was the second time the leaders have spoken since Mr. Biden took office and in the seven months since then, already tense relations have worsened. The U.S. has accused China of human rights violations, imposed sanctions and warned businesses about operating in Hong Kong. The two countries have continued to trade barbs rather than cooperate on combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

SEOUL—North Korea held its first military parade since President Biden took office, though the event didn’t feature major military hardware or a speech from leader Kim Jong Un.

The parade, held in central Pyongyang, celebrated the 73rd anniversary of North Korea’s founding and occurred in the middle of the night, according to a state media report published Thursday. Mr. Kim, wearing a gray suit, watched the festivities at Kim Il Sung Square through binoculars. Thousands of unmasked spectators lined the streets.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, signaled plans to deepen ties between Russia and Belarus, a major step forward in the Kremlin’s long-held goal of exerting greater influence over its smaller neighbor.

The two presidents said Thursday that they met in Moscow to agree upon a series of more than two dozen agreements, including the free movement of goods and people, that will bind Belarus more tightly to Russia.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

KABUL—Trying to forestall a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, the United Nations and aid organizations are looking for ways to help the Afghan people without bolstering the country’s new Taliban administration, many of whose leaders remain under international sanctions.

Even before the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15 and deposed the Western-backed Afghan government, half of the country’s roughly 40 million people already needed humanitarian aid, according to the U.N.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here