Brussels (AFP) – Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary gets a rude welcome in Brussels, as two environmental activists hit him in the face with cream pies, shouting “welcome in Belgium” and “stop the pollution”. O’Leary was holding a one-man protest outside the European Commission against repeated air traffic controllers strikes in the EU.
Tokyo (AFP) – The president of Japan’s biggest talent agency acknowledges sexual abuse committed by the company’s late founder and apologises to the victims. “I apologise from the bottom of my heart” says Julie Fujishima, the niece of Johnny and Associates founder Johnny Kitagawa, who also announces that she is stepping down as the agency’s president. Allegations of abuse by Kitagawa, targeting aspiring young stars, surfaced in 1999, but it wasn’t until early this year that an in-depth probe was launched. The media mogul died in 2019 at the age of 87.
State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) (AFP) – A devastating cyclone has left at least 36 people dead in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency. Thousands are still in need of rescue after torrential rains and flooding submerged entire neighborhoods. This is the latest in a series of extreme weather events to hit the South American country. In June, 13 people died and thousands were forced to leave their homes when another cyclone hit the same state.
Mexico City (AFP) – Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion across the Latin American country. In the Catholic-majority country, the reforms go in the opposite direction to the United States, where a Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion nationwide last year. the struggle for abortion rights in Mexico
Jakarta (AFP) – Speaking at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says he is ‘deeply concerned’ about the worsening situation in Myanmar. He called for further cooperation between ASEAN countries to promote peace in the region “by prioritising dialogue and promoting respect for international law.”
Beijing (AFP) – Former Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson and former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing co-chair the 7th China-Australia high-level dialogue in Beijing on Thursday, where Emerson says Australia continues to advocate for progress on cases of Australians detained in China, among other political and economic issues.
Kostyantynivka (Ukraine) (AFP) – A Russian strike killed at least 17 people, including one child, at a market in east Ukraine hours after America’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv to announce more than 1 billion dollars in fresh aid. Officials said the artillery strike landed in the eastern city of Kostyantynivka in the region of Donetsk, about 20 kilometres from the front line. ++ URGENT 33UG7BX
El Daein (Sudan) (AFP) – With no cell service or phone calls, people in Sudan’s war-torn western region of Darfur are resorting to a bygone means of communication: handwritten letters carried by taxi drivers to get news of their loved ones. Since fighting erupted in April between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces, the Darfur region has witnessed increasing violence. Darfur is home to around a quarter of Sudan’s population of 48 million.
Kathmandu (AFP) – Flexing on a stage in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, more than 300 bodybuilders — both men and women — compete in the 55th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Fitness Championships. The event is broken down into 45 categories, encompassing various weight and age classes and athletes from 22 Asian countries are taking part. “I was very excited to meet all the players” says Rama Somashekhar, a bodybuilder from India.
Washington (AFP) – Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of far-right group the Proud Boys, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Tarrio’s sentence is the longest yet to be handed out in connection with the assault, which left five people dead and injured 140 police officers as pro-Trump rioters sought to stop the certification of democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. “While we respect the judge’s sentence, we respectfully disagree” says Tarrio’s lawyer, Nayib Hassan.
Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden has tested negative for Covid-19 after his wife, Jill, tested positive for the virus earlier this week. “He is not experiencing any symptoms” says White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who explains that the president “will be masking while indoors and around people”. The United States has been experiencing a rise in Covid cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
Berlin (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz describes the far-right AfD party as “a demolition squad for our country”. Speaking to the German parliament in Berlin, Scholz goes on to say that nationalist policies the AfD champions, like “the dismantling of the EU”, constitute the “wanton destruction of prosperity.”
