Volgograd (Russia) (AFP) – In his modest apartment in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, former university lecturer Roman Melnichenko is in trouble for speaking out against Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. The 49-year-old is fighting the courts to be able to teach again, despite the risk of ending up in prison.
Mexico City (AFP) – As a cub, Frida, a Bengal tigress, lived chained in a car park. Now she lives in an ecological reserve in Mexico, home to animals rescued after being acquired as pets or held by criminals.
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s replica of ‘Pillar of Shame’, a sculpture created by Danish artist Jens Galschiot commemorating those killed during the Tiananmen Square crackdown, has been defaced with spray paint a week after it was erected in the capital city Taipei.
a (Turkey) (AFP) – Heavy floods caused by strong rain and winds over the weekend have led to the death of at least four people in Turkey’s Ankara Province. Bad weather warnings are still in place in 42 towns and cities in the north and centre of Turkey, including the capital.
Tokyo (AFP) – Engineers at Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries show off their latest invention: a four-legged rideable robot modelled after an Ibex, a species of wild goat found in the mountains of Europe, Asia and northeastern Africa.
Beijing (AFP) – Long lines of people are seen waiting for Covid testing as Beijing tightens virus restrictions after seeing a rapidly spreading outbreak. China is the last major economy still committed to a zero-Covid strategy, stamping out new cases with a combination of targeted lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines. IMAGES
Taipei (AFP) – Hundreds of Hong Kongers in Taiwan and their supporters marched the streets in Taipei on Sunday to commemorate the third anniversary of the 12 June anti-extradition law protest, which developed into a pro-democracy movement in the former British colony.
Mateus Leme (Brazil) (AFP) – Men on horsebacks take part in Brazil’s Cavalhada, a traditional festival held in Mateus Leme city, south-eastern of Minas Gerais state. During the festival, the riders re-enact a medieval battle between Moors and Christians.
Mons (Belgium) (AFP) – Belgium’s traditional Ducasse de Mons folk festival, nicknamed “Doudou”, has returned after a pandemic-induced hiatus. The event attracts tens of thousands of people every year, and was listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005.
Washington (AFP) – Thousands of people demonstrate in New York, Washington, DC, and Parkland, Florida to push for action on the devastating gun violence plaguing the country, where Republican politicians have repeatedly blocked efforts to enact stricter firearms laws. A day after the nationwide rallies organized by March for Our Lives, a bipartisan group of US senators announced measures aimed at curbing gun violence.
