Rawalpindi (Pakistan) (AFP) – Despite winning the right to medically transition in 2018, many transgender people in Pakistan still turn to unqualified surgeons because of a lack of trained doctors, high costs and cultural taboos.
Tokyo (AFP) – Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first woman prime minister: as the country’s fifth premier in as many years, she leads a minority government and has a long to-do list, not least handling the scheduled arrival of US President Donald Trump next week.
Washington (AFP) – Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, which he has said will be built entirely with private money.
Paris (AFP) – France’s ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy becomes the first former head of an EU state to be jailed, continuing to proclaim his innocence as he enters a Paris prison. France’s right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of seeking to acquire funding from Moamer Kadhafi’s Libya for the campaign that saw him elected.
Tāplejung (Nepal) (AFP) – Nepal’s mountains including Everest have long drawn climbers from across the world, but a growing community is exploring hidden Himalayan summits promising solitude and the chance to be first to the top. “They come here for unknown peaks to do first ascents or find new routes,” says Nepali climber and guide Vinayak Malla.
Flumserberg (Switzerland) (AFP) – In Flumserberg, a resort nestled in the heart of the Swiss mountains, nine cows and their female riders line up at a start marked out with hay — all hoping to claim the crown of the Cow Grand Prix. The race, which began in 2006, is open to exclusively women.
Ljubljana (AFP) – Asked about a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron says any negotiations regarding Ukraine’s territory must be handled only by President Volodymyr Zelensky. “The only peace that can exist is a robust and lasting peace,” says Macron during a visit to Slovenia.
Kathmandu (AFP) – People in Kathmandu celebrate Kukur Tihar, the second day of the five-day Tihar festival, which is dedicated to honouring dogs as agents of Yama, the Hindu God of Death and Justice, and for appreciating their loyalty and companionship to humans.
Mumbai (India) (AFP) – Toxic air in India’s capital hit more than 56 times the UN health limit after fireworks for the Hindu festival of Diwali worsened air pollution.
Paris (AFP) – Nicolas Sarkozy’s lawyer calls it “a grim day” for France as the former French president is taken into custody at La Sante prison in Paris. Sarkozy has been given a five-year jail term for criminal conspiracy over a plan for late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to fund his electoral campaign. He denies any wrongdoing.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and at the Nuseirat camp for displaced people mourn relatives killed in strikes the day before. Israel resumed enforcement of a Gaza ceasefire after carrying out dozens of deadly strikes on Hamas positions Sunday, accusing the group of targeting its troops, in the most serious violence since the truce began.
Paris (AFP) – “We stood in line like 40 minutes until they finally got confirmation that it had been closed,” says an American tourist as the Louvre is closed for a second consecutive day following a major jewellery heist from its Apollo Gallery. Officials said a team of 60 investigators was working on the theory that an organised crime group was behind the theft of nine pieces of jewellery, one of which — a crown covered in more than 1,000 diamonds — they dropped as they fled.
