AFP Video

Rome (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi tells the parliament he intends to hand in his resignation after efforts to bring the country’s fractious parties to heel failed, kicking off a snap election campaign which could bring the hard right to power. While making his announcement in the lower house of parliament, Draghi was moved by the warm round of applause he received from MPs, saying, ‘Thank you. Sometimes even central bankers’ hearts are touched.’

London (AFP) – Buckingham Palace is reopening its doors to visitors for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic with an exhibition of twenty-four original photographs of Queen Elizabeth II’s official portraits — a celebration of the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee.

Colombo (AFP) – One of the longest queues in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo is for the exit, as thousands of people line up outside the immigration office seeking passports to escape the country’s economic crisis.

Maskwacis (Canada) (AFP) – Members of the Ermineskin Cree Nation in western Canada await the visit of Pope Francis, as the country reckons with the crimes and trauma that its residential school system inflicted upon First Nations children, who were forcibly enrolled.

Somerset (Massachusetts) (United States) (AFP) – US President Joe Biden warns that climate change represents a “clear and present danger” to the nation as he outlines new executive action aimed at tackling global warming.

Colombo (AFP) – Around 200 people gather to watch the contest outside the presidential secretariat in Colombo. But word quickly spreads that parliament had elected Ranil Wickremesinghe — a man now feared to be preparing a crackdown on their movement.