Orly (France) (AFP) – Orly airport, south-east of Paris, is experimenting with 3D scanners to simplify cabin baggage screening and allow security officers to “focus on the quality of service”. The 3D technology means passengers no longer have to remove liquids and certain electronic devices from their luggage, “a breath of fresh air”, according to one employee.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, says the country’s military is ready for action as preparations for its highly-anticipated offensive on Russian positions draw to a close. “Preparations are coming to an end” he tells reporters in Kyiv, “training programs have been completed… in a global sense, we are ready.”
Mushaki (DR Congo) (AFP) – The East African force (EAC), made up of soldiers from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, and South Sudan, was set up to thwart insurgents in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For months now, they have proclaimed progress, saying the M23 rebels have quit key strongholds. But on the ground, residents tell of a whole other story. “The M23 are still there. The arrival of the EAC soldiers has changed nothing,” says a man from Bunagana, a border town which the Ugandan army officially liberated from the M23 on March 31.
Uman (Ukraine) (AFP) – Emergency workers fight a fire in a residential building in Uman, south of Kyiv, where deadly Russian missile strikes killed at least 10 people, according to regional officials.
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan should sanction Myanmar as it has done for Russia over its Ukraine invasion, says Thomas Andrews, a United Nations expert on the human rights situation in Myanmar. “I urge Japan to consider joining all other G7 countries in imposing targeted economic sanctions on the Myanmar military,” he said.
Tafraout (Morocco) (AFP) – Doctors are positioned in various strategic spots along the Marathon des Sables for a mission on one of the “toughest footraces on Earth”: to take care of runners. Doctors help participants with foot injuries, caused by the terrain of sand and stone, the duration as well as the heat during the race.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that a near-collision in the South China Sea between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine patrol vessel carrying journalists was caused by the latter’s “premeditated and provocative action”.
Washington (AFP) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the United States is working with Sudan’s warring generals to extend an expiring, shaky ceasefire that he helped broker. “We’ve had a 72-hour ceasefire, which like most ceasefires is imperfect but nonetheless has reduced violence. And that’s obviously created somewhat better conditions for people in Sudan,” he tells reporters at a briefing.
Taipei (AFP) – Dancers from the United Ukrainian Ballet are preparing for a two-day performance in Taiwan. The dance company, which was established after Russia invaded, consists of dancers from all over Ukraine and performs in various countries “to show our culture, to show that we exist.”
Upper Marlboro (United States) (AFP) – At 16, Morissa Hall is a first-generation Black cowgirl and rising rodeo star, against the sport’s stereotypical whiteness and masculinity. Her goal is to inspire new riders with the help of her father Morse Hall, who coaches her and takes her to competitions, where “95% of the time, she’s the only little girl of color there.” She is part of a growing community of African American female riders in Maryland, just an hour away from Washington, DC, with champions as young as 12-year-old twins Reagan and Ryan Jackson. For Brittaney Logan, a member of a Black cowgirl collective, riding is a lifestyle: “We go to McDonald’s on our horses!” she tells AFP. “I want Black women especially to see that this is here.”
