Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistanis drink tea, known locally as “chai”, in a restaurant in Islamabad as a minister urges citizens to cut back on the popular drink in order to preserve foreign currency that pays to import the leaves used in brewing the beverage.
Quito (AFP) – Several thousand indigenous people flocked to Quito on the third consecutive day of protests against Ecuador’s government, and as their leader Leonidas Iza, accused of paralysing public transport by blocking roads, was released from detention.
Canberra (AFP) – Australia’s new prime minister Anthony Albanese says he has written to the United Nations to raise the country’s 2030 emissions reduction target to 43 percent.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are seen onboard a train bound for the Ukraine capital Kyiv, that left from Poland. IMAGES
Quito (AFP) – The Ecuadorian police and protesters clash on Wednesday as anti-government demonstrations continue in the capital city Quito for the third consecutive day. The protests were called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) — a group credited with helping topple three Ecuadoran presidents between 1997 and 2005.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is as close to EU candidate status “as we could have only dreamed of even a few years ago”. He adds, “the answer to our candidacy will be the answer of the European Union not only to Ukraine but also to themselves, their future.”
Rhodes (France) (AFP) – Three female lynx, born on May 18, undergo their first medical examination and are fitted with an electronic identification chip at the Sainte-Croix animal park in Rhodes, in France’s northeast.
Amesbury (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Britain vows it will pursue its controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda after a first flight was cancelled following a legal ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.
Odessa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Despite beach closures due to mines in the Black Sea, Odessa residents find a way to cool-off by taking a swim off the jetty next to the city beach.
Seoul (AFP) – K-pop megastars BTS tell fans they are taking a break from the supergroup to focus on their solo careers, citing exhaustion and the pressures of stratospheric success in an emotional video appearance. But the Grammy-nominated septet’s label HYBE pushed back on Wednesday as their share price went into freefall, telling AFP that the pop juggernaut would still be working together. The seven members of BTS, credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the bombshell on Tuesday, telling fans that they were “exhausted” and needed time apart.
