Family News

Tears as North and South Koreans meet after decades

By AFP

Sokcho - With tears and cries, dozens of elderly and frail South and North Korean family members met on Monday for the first time since the peninsula and their relationships were torn apart by war nearly 70 years ago.

S. Korean families gather on eve of rare reunion

By AFP

Sokcho - Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans gathered excitedly Sunday on the eve of their first meeting for nearly seven decades with family members in North Korea.

Never said goodbye: seven decades of separation in Korea

By AFP

Seoul - When Kim Kwang-ho fled advancing North Korean forces he expected to return home within days, so did not bother with a proper goodbye to his mother and brother. On Monday he meets his sibling for the first time in 68 years.

Vietnamese dad of Kim murder suspect wants 'kind' daughter home

By AFP

Nam Dinh - Doan Van Thanh proudly displays diplomas and photos of his daughter at his home in rural Vietnam, hopeful she'll be freed from a jail in Malaysia where she's on trial for the murder of the North Korean leader's half-brother.

Korean family reunion brings no end to heartache

By AFP

Yongju - The first reunions in years of families divided by the Korean War evoke bittersweet memories for Kim Jong-gyu, whose few hours with her brother in 2014 -– under the watchful eyes of the North's agents -– were probably their last ever together.

Two Koreas agree on list of family reunion participants

By AFP

Seoul - The two Koreas have finalised a list of families separated by the Korean War whose members will be briefly reunited this month after decades of separation, Seoul said Monday.

New Zealand PM back to work after maternity leave

By AFP

Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister and new mum Jacinda Ardern, only the second world leader to give birth while in office, ended her maternity leave Thursday and immediately announced baby Neve will accompany her to the United Nations next month.

'Gentle soul': Family pays tribute to Briton killed by Novichok

By AFP

London - The family of a British woman who died after being exposed to the same nerve agent that poisoned a Russian ex-spy four months ago remembered her as "a gentle soul" on Tuesday.

Good for business: British lesbian on her Hong Kong court win

By AFP

Fpo - When a British lesbian took on the Hong Kong government for the right to live and work in the city with her partner it was an intensely personal struggle -- but to her surprise it also struck a chord with finance giants in the economic powerhouse.

Good for business: British lesbian on her Hong Kong court win

By AFP

Family of Thai cave boy long for birthday party reunion

By AFP

Mae Sai - Pheeraphat Sompiengjai's family still have a birthday cake in the fridge waiting for his return home, as the discovery of the missing boy and his football team in a Thai cave brings joy to relatives but despair at the long rescue ahead.

Guatemala mother reunited with kids after six weeks separation in US

By AFP

New York - Yeni Gonzalez sobbed as she clutched the lollipop given to her Tuesday by one of her three children, whom she had not seen since being arrested and separated from them by US border police six weeks ago.

N. Zealand PM hopes for new world for daughter Neve

By AFP

Auckland - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed her newborn daughter would be called Neve as she left an Auckland hospital Sunday, and expressed hope that one day a woman giving birth in office would no longer be a "novelty".

Koreas to hold reunions for war-separated families in August

By AFP

Seoul - North and South Korea agreed Friday to resume reunions for families separated by the Korean War in August -- the first such meetings since 2015 and the latest step in a remarkable diplomatic thaw on the peninsula.

Political milestones for women after New Zealand PM gives birth

By AFP

Auckland - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has become only the second leader to give birth while in office, in another milestone for women in politics.

New Zealand prime minister gives birth to baby girl

By AFP

Auckland - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave birth to a baby girl in an Auckland hospital Thursday, becoming only the second world leader to do so while in office.

Canada PM says US family separations 'wrong'

By AFP

Ottawa - The US practice of separating migrant children from parents caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally is "wrong," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday."What's going on in the United States is wrong," he told reporters.

New child adoption scandal engulfs Ireland

By AFP

Dublin - The birth certificates of 126 children adopted in Ireland between 1946 and 1969 were doctored to show their new families as their biological parents, the government admitted on Wednesday.

Japan backlash over 'mums should care for toddlers' remark

By AFP

Apo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government came under fire Tuesday after a senior MP suggested only women should raise children under three and another urged newly-weds to have at least three kids.

New Zealand PM reveals maternity leave arrangements

By AFP

Wellington - New Zealand's pregnant Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday revealed her government's plans for running the country after she gives birth and takes six weeks maternity leave.

Grandfather planned Australia family murder-suicide: father

By AFP

Perth - The grieving father of four children who were killed in a family mass murder and suicide case that rocked Australia said Sunday their grandfather was to blame for what he called a planned shooting.

'I was so naive': Weinstein wife lifts lid on scandal

By AFP

New York - The estranged British fashion designer wife of Harvey Weinstein claims she "never" suspected him of wrongdoing and was "so naive," in her first interview since the Hollywood mogul's downfall over sexual misconduct revelations.

Transgender man gives birth in Finland first

By AFP

Apo - A Finnish woman who underwent hormonal therapy has become the nation's first transgender man to give birth, local media said Wednesday, triggering controversy as laws require infertility to change gender.

Fujimori health better, but family feud makes him sick: doctor

By AFP

- Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori feels better after being hospitalized earlier this week, but a feud between his politically ambitious children is not helping the recovery, his doctor said Thursday.

From Russia to sex: scandals shake US first family

By AFP

New York - A porn star is suing the president. A former Playboy model has apologized to the first lady for sleeping with her husband. The eldest son is divorcing and the scandal-plagued son-in-law's security clearance has been downgraded.

What we know about the gunman in France

By AFP

Paris - The gunman who killed three people in southwest France on Friday before being shot dead by police was a 25-year-old small-time drug dealer with a history of minor crimes.

Pope Francis says to visit Ireland in August

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis said Wednesday he will visit Ireland in August, the first trip to the country by a pontiff since John Paul II went there in 1979.

Tearful reunions, uncertain fates for Syrians fleeing Ghouta

By AFP

Adra - Syrian soldier Ayman al-Khatib scoured the crowds streaming out of Eastern Ghouta until he spotted his parents. Falling to his knees, he embraced them for the first time in seven years.

El Salvador releases second woman jailed over abortion

By AFP

Sansalvador - A Salvadoran woman serving a 30-year sentence for aggravated homicide over an alleged abortion after she was raped was released from prison on Tuesday having served half her sentence.

Something borrowed: grooms and guests for hire in Vietnam

By AFP

Hanoi - Kha's wedding day looked perfect from the outside but she was hiding a dark secret: the 27-year-old was three months pregnant and her husband was fake, hired for a staged wedding to avoid the social stigma of becoming a single mother.