MEXICO – Pope Francis has asked Mexican indigenous people in Chiapas state for forgiveness over the way they have been excluded from society. He made his appeal while celebrating Mass in three native languages after a new Vatican decree approved their use. The Pope also used the open-air service in San Cristobal de las Casas to warn about threats to the environment.

Throughout his five-day trip he has condemned the evils of forced emigration and drugs. He has urged Mexico’s leaders to provide “true justice” to suffering citizens.

But on Monday he drew attention to the suffering of indigenous people in his address in Chiapas state. “On many occasions, in a systematic and organized way, your people have been misunderstood and excluded from society,” the 79-year-old pontiff said after citing Popol Vuh, an ancient Mayan text.(BBC)…[+]

BRAZIL – More evidence linking the Zika virus to birth defects in babies has been found, scientists in Brazil say. The team at the PUC-Parana University discovered the virus in the brains of two babies who only lived for 48 hours.

The mosquito-borne virus is thought to cause microcephaly in babies, who are born with damaged brains and abnormally small heads. Brazil has about 460 confirmed cases of microcephaly, and is investigating about 3,850 suspected cases. The virus has spread throughout Latin-America, but Brazil has been hardest hit.

Scientists told the BBC that samples taken from the brain tissue of the two babies showed that the Zika virus was still actively present. The scientists have been following the pregnancies of 10 women in the north-eastern state of Paraiba – the second worst-hit by cases of microcephaly.(BBC)…[+]

ENGLAND – A primary school has been forced to tell parents to stop smoking cannabis on the school run – while another is reminding parents not to use foul language when dropping off their children. Deputy head Deborah Binns wrote a strongly-worded letter after receiving ‘concerning reports’ that the substance was being smoked around St John’s Primary in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester.

In the letter, Ms Binns reminded parents they needed to ‘set a good example’ for their children and that smoking drugs was a ‘serious safeguarding concern’. She also warned that police officers could start patrolling the area to keep a ‘close eye’ on the situation and that any suspects would be reported to the authorities.

(Daily Mail) (FOTO: thesun.co.uk)…[+]

NEW ZEALAND – Anna Cochrane dislocated a rib while hanging from a hot air balloon over the skies of Ashburton, but that did not stop her from smashing a world record.

The Wellington-based ambulance officer set a new world record on Sunday for the highest static trapeze act while suspended from a balloon, with a performance lasting more than five minutes at an altitude of between 3100 and 3500 metres. The previous record was just over 660m.

Cochrane was about 30 seconds into the routine on Sunday morning when she heard the ribs on her left side make “a couple of pops”. “I’m a paramedic, so I assessed myself while hanging upside down. I thought, there’s definitely something wrong…[+]

AUSTRALIA – Australian police have seized $1 billion Australian dollars’ worth of the drug “ice” from a shipment of silicon bra inserts and art supplies, the country’s federal police said, worth approximately US$700 million. According to authorities, the bust is one of the biggest in Australia’s history, and the largest seizure of liquid methylamphetamine ever. Four people have been charged over the haul, which included 720 liters of the drug, the Australian Federal Police said Monday.

Australian customs first discovered around 190 liters hidden inside thousands of stick on gel bras in a shipment from Hong Kong in December of last year. Delivery of the shipment was tracked to a storage facility where a Hong Kong national was arrested. An additional 530 liters of the drug were then found concealed in art supplies stashed in storage units in Sydney.(CNN)…[+]

FRANCE – Simone Thiot and Paulette Olivier were born on January 30 1912, before the outbreak of the First World War and the sinking of the Titanic.  Due in March, doctors gave the pair a slim chance of survival after arriving three months prematurely, with Simone weighing less than a kilo and her sister just 1400 grams. They were born to parents Marie Lamolie, a dressmaker, and Joseph, a carpenter, they told The Local. The sisters marked the big day at their retirement home in Onzain, central France, where they have become something of a local celebrity. They were sent flowers from the local council, prompting them to gush “we’re being very spoiled”.

(INDEPENDENT UK)…[+]