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Rabat (AFP) – The king of Morocco names Marrakesh mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri the country’s first woman prime minister after her party won last week’s parliamentary elections. Speaking shortly after, El Mansouri says in a televised address that her appointment was “truly historic”. Without an outright majority, her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) will have to form a coalition with other parties, though the monarch retains broad powers over major policies.

Nairobi (AFP) – “Please, if he can change his mind, if something can happen, please, people are dying”: A plea from Kenyan sex worker Cecilia Joseph to US President Donald Trump. A recent report from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) found that 73% of US-funded organisations have been forced to end services to “key populations.” These include sex workers, LGBTQ communities and drug users, despite the high risk of transmission. However, US representatives say they are not to blame for deaths in these vulnerable communities.

Nairobi (AFP) – “Please, if he can change his mind, if something can happen, please, people are dying”: A plea from Kenyan sex worker Cecilia Joseph to US President Donald Trump. A recent report from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) found that 73% of US-funded organisations have been forced to end services to “key populations.” These include sex workers, LGBTQ communities and drug users, despite the high risk of transmission. However, US representatives say they are not to blame for deaths in these vulnerable communities.

(AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that one of the pilots of a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv had planned to crash it and kill its mostly Israeli passengers. “During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu says in a video message.

(AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that one of the pilots of a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv had planned to crash it and kill its mostly Israeli passengers. “During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu says in a video message.

Ecuador (AFP) – Rising waters from the Viche River have submerged the only road into the town of Cube in Ecuador’s northwestern Esmeraldas province, after days of heavy rainfall. Residents and vehicles are seen navigating floodwaters as the swollen river threatens to overflow further.

Seoul (AFP) – Seoul’s military demands an apology from North Korea, blaming them for a recent explosion in the demilitarised zone that severely injured three South Korean soldiers, a charge Pyongyang denies. “We strongly urge an apology and responsible measures from the North,” says Kang Hyun-woo, chief director of operations of Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Lagos (AFP) – On day seven of his solo dance marathon, Benjamin Daniel Gabriel — popularly known as Ben Dancer — shimmies and shuffles towards a world record in Nigeria, dancing non-stop for 176 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. The current record of 127 hours was set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023. Still waiting for the official ratification of his record, Gabriel is already itching to play a bigger cultural ambassador role to promote African culture and dances. “The idea of the Guiness World Record was never for the Guinness World record itself,” he says. “It was to get the global attention for people to look more towards African indigenous dances”.

Gangjin (South Korea) (AFP) – Members of animal welfare group Humane World for Animals Korea rescue dozens of dogs from a dog meat farm in Gangjin County, South Korea, in what the NGO says is its last such operation before the country’s dog meat ban takes effect in February 2027. “We are hoping that across Asia, other countries where the dog and cat meat trade still exists, can really learn a lesson from the fact that South Korea has phased out a really substantial dog meat industry in about three years,” says Wendy Higgins, director of international media at Humane World for Animals.

Lille (France) (AFP) – Hundreds of secondary school students take part in protests across France as part of a national day of action over the country’s public services, demanding more resources for education. “Do you know why these students are mobilising?” says Marie Mesmeur, an MP in Rennes. “Because they’re worried their future is being sacrificed,” she explains. Some students have been protesting for over a week, with around 180 schools affected by the demonstrations, according to the Interior Ministry.

Thoothukudi (India) (AFP) – On a shrinking island off India’s southern coast, workers thread bright green seagrass shoots onto wooden frames before they are planted on the ocean floor. The restoration work unfolding on Kariyachalli island aims to use artificial reefs, transplanted corals and seagrass meadows to boost its natural defences, slow erosion and protect the mainland from surging seas. “If you are not able to provide that resilience, you are absolutely at the mercy of vulnerabilities,” says senior state official Supriya Sahu.

Madrid (AFP) – The Madrid pensioner, whose eviction sparked nationwide protests that have piled pressure on the government to resolve Spain’s housing crisis, can return home, says a spokesperson for the tenants’ union. Speaking to reporters, Valeria Racu says news of the deal between 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal and the property owners is “some of the best news we could have received”. Unaffordable housing has been a running issue for years in Spain, but Abascal’s eviction last week thrust the crisis to the forefront of the political debate.