AFP Video

Gorontalo (Indonesia) (AFP) – A mayor’s office in Gorontalo, Indonesia, lies in ruins and blackened after being set on fire during a protest against increased mining activity in the area. The demonstration, which began on Thursday, was the latest in a series of clashes triggered by the growing presence of mining companies on Indonesia’s main islands, where residents have complained about poor working conditions and land encroachment. Many are demanding compensation.

Brezna (Montenegro) (AFP) – A mattress, a blanket, and 1,000 euros for the person who stays in bed the longest: welcome to the festival of laziness, organised in a small village in Montenegro. “I’m proud of myself because I still manage to hold on,” says participant Gordana Filipovic.

Denverton (United States) (AFP) – Solano County’s vast plains are dotted with cows and slowly turning wind turbines, but underneath this visible calm local residents are facing a battle to keep their land. About five years ago, a shadowy Silicon Valley group began buying parcels of land for the “California Forever” project, a futuristic tech city. So far, the company behind this, Flannery Associates, say they’ve acquired more than 50,000 acres. “It just breaks my heart” says Cassandra, a ranch owner in Solano, “it’s going to ruin all of our country.”

Yerevan (AFP) – The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is “extremely tense” says Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who adds that the “humanitarian crisis is ongoing”. Pashinyan’s comments, made at a government meeting, come as demonstrators take to the streets of Yerevan for a third day to protest against the government’s handling of the crisis in the disputed territory.

Geneva (AFP) – UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani warns that the situation “has not improved with regards to the rights of women in Iran”. Speaking during a press briefing, Shamdasani explains how Iranian women who flout the strict Islamic dress code — mandating head coverings and modest clothing — now “risk 10 years in jail”, compared to a previous sentence of just two months. The financial penalty has also risen, she says, from 11 US dollars to 8,500 US dollars.

Bogotá (AFP) – The body of Colombia’s most famous artist, Fernando Botero, arrives in Bogota after being flown in from France. Colombians will bid farewell to Botero with a week of tributes before he will be transported to the Italian town of Pietrasanta, his last resting place.

Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) – In Iraq’s largely conservative and patriarchal society, a women-run catering service has helped single mothers achieve financial security amid the brutal IS rule and the war to defeat it. ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES

Derna (Libya) (AFP) – Italian firefighters continue to search for missing people in homes filled with mud and debris in Libya’s flood-devastated Derna. The flood disaster, which killed thousands in the eastern coastal city, also displaced more than 43,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Washington (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the National Archives in Washington, DC, thanking the US for its support in the war against Russia. Following a meeting at the White House with President Biden, Zelensky and his wife spoke at the National Archives and gave out awards to Ukrainians and Americans supporting the country during the conflict.

Yerevan (AFP) – Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says his country is prepared to welcome 40,000 ethnic Armenian families from Nagorno-Karabakh, after Azerbaijan claimed to have regained control over the breakaway region in a lightning military operation.