Passi (Senegal) (AFP) – Elegantly clad in an immaculate white gown and matching cap, Yoro Diao, 95, is wreathed in smiles after officiating at the baptism of his brand-new great-grandson. One of a dwindling band of Senegalese soldiers who fought in France’s colonial-era wars, Diao is delighted to be back home and among his extended family after years spent in bureaucratic limbo in France.
Tando Allahyar (Pakistan) (AFP) – At 82 years old, architect Yasmeen Lari is forging the way in fortifying Pakistan’s rural communities living on the frontline of climate change. Lari, Pakistan’s first woman architect, has ditched a lifetime of multi-million dollar projects in the megacity of Karachi to develop pioneering flood-proof bamboo houses.
Kampala (AFP) – Uganda announces that President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law draconian new measures against homosexuality, described as being among the world’s harshest. Speaking at a press conference announcing the law, MP Asuman Basalirwa confirms those found guilty could face life imprisonment or even death. The news has prompted condemnation from human rights and LGBQT groups.
Jiuquan (China) (AFP) – China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions.
Jiuquan (China) (AFP) – China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions.
Busan (South Korea) (AFP) – Korean hairdresser Pyo Ye-rim suffered a litany of abuse from school bullies, but now she’s speaking out. The 26-year-old is part of a phenomenon sweeping South Korea known as “Hakpok #MeToo”, where people who were bullied publicly name and shame the perpetrators of school violence — “hakpok” in Korean — decades after the alleged crimes.
Istanbul (AFP) – Thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather on Istanbul’s Asian shore for his first appearance after his victory in the second round of the presidential election.
Istanbul (AFP) – Thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather on Istanbul’s Asian shore for his first appearance after his victory in the second round of the presidential election.
Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden says that a final bipartisan deal to raise the US debt ceiling now heads to Congress, where he urges “both chambers to pass that agreement.”
The Hague (AFP) – Dutch police says they have made more than 1,500 arrests at the Extinction Rebellion demonstration in the centre of The Hague. They are protesting against government subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. “There is broad popular support for real climate action and people are waking up to the fact that the government is actively going against this by subsidising the fossil fuel industry,” says Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
