AFP Video

Schools across Afghanistan open for the new academic year, with girls lamenting being banned from joining secondary-level classes for a third year in a row.

Port-au-Prince (AFP) – The security situation in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is undermining the business of small shopkeepers, who are struggling to make ends meet. Haiti, already in the throes of a deep political and security crisis, has been plagued by renewed violence.

Washington (AFP) – Tourists and Washington D.C. residents visit the famed Tidal Basin as cherry blossom trees reach an early peak bloom, the second-earliest one on record in a century.

Los Angeles (AFP) – At almost 60, Dr. Dre, major hip hop producer and artist, gets his star on Hollywood Boulevard, the 2775th of the Walk of Fame, in front of hundreds of fans and some of his most famous collaborators like Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

Bucharest (AFP) – Over the past twenty years, stand-up comedy has been growing steadily in Romania, but remains predominantly masculine. Held for the first time, “Change The Punchline!” is a month-long all-female stand-up comedy residency in Bucharest. The aim: to encourage a new generation of female comedians to kick off their career.

Bangkok (AFP) – Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin takes the bull by the horns as he welcomes an unusual visitor to his offices — an enormous white buffalo known as Ko Muang Phet, that recently sold for $500,000.

Osaka (Japan) (AFP) – A plastic statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s founder Colonel Sanders has been a lucky charm for superstitious Japanese baseball fans for years. But after Osaka’s Hanshin Tigers recent win, luck no longer needed, a ritual to show gratitude is held at a temple before the disposal of the “dilapidated” statue.

Vatican City (AFP) – “War is always a defeat” says Pope Francis as he delivers his weekly audience at the Vatican. The 87-year-old turns his thoughts to the people of “the tormented Ukraine and the Holy Land, Palestine and Israel,” repeating his call for peace talks.

Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s foreign ministry accuses the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “racism and neo-Nazism” over its imposition of neutrality rules for Russian Olympians and possible sanctions for athletes who take part in the Kremlin-organised “Friendship Games.” On Tuesday, the IOC barred Russian athletes from taking part in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Games and criticised Moscow for planning its own rival competition.

Beijing (AFP) – China slams the “smears” of countries that have criticised Hong Kong’s new national security law, commonly referred to as Article 23.