VIOLENCE, HOSTILITY SLOW EUROPE'S PROGRESS ON LGBTI EQUALITY

For more WORLD NEWS "SUBSCRIBE" US LONDON: Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia are the worst countries in Europe for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights, but violence against LGBTI people remains rife across the continent, a rights group said late on Sunday. Some countries have made historic strides towards giving LGBTI people legal equality, but progress has been marred by rollbacks in eastern Europe, where LGBTI rights are increasingly condemned as contrary to traditional family values, ILGA-Europe said. The group's annual Rainbow Map was launched on Sunday to mark the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17, as an index that ranks European countries based on legal benchmarks for LGBTI equality.