Doha (AFP) – The Torch Doha next to Khalifa International Stadium, which hosts the last-16 World Cup match between the Netherlands and the United States, displays an image of Pele as the Brazilian football legend, in fragile health in recent years, was hospitalized Tuesday in Sao Paulo. IMAGES
Rosario (Argentina) (AFP) – A grand mural honouring Argentine professional footballer player Lionel Messi has appeared in his childhood neighbourhood in Rosario – while the player performs in the Qatari World Cup. Artists Marlene Zuriaga and Lisandro “Lichi” Urteaga of the “Imagina Pintura Mural” group painted the football star on the walls of his childhood home in Argentina. Messi has become a source of pride for local residents, who hope he will one day come back to visit them.
Manila (AFP) – The bodies of 70 inmates from the Philippines’ largest prison were laid to rest Friday in a mass burial after their bodies were left unclaimed for months. They were among 176 corpses found by police in October during an investigation into the death of an inmate accused of being involved in the killing of a journalist. The bodies began piling up in the funeral home in December 2021 after their families did not claim them. Most of the deaths were due to “natural causes”, a prison official said.
Paris (AFP) – His restaurant has just been named best table in the world by La Liste 2022. Chef Guy Savoy opens the doors of his kitchen and confides his “physical approach to taste” and his passion for “the French art of living”.
Washington (AFP) – US actress and activist Jane Fonda calls for US President Joe Biden to “declare a national climate emergency” at a rally in Washington DC. “If ever there was a time for a president to take advantage of his full power, this is it. Delay is the enemy,” says the social campaigner. The 84-year-old Oscar winner is back in Washington for the first in-person Fire Drill Friday rally since 2019, when the activist used to take part in non-sanctioned protests outside the US Capitol over the climate crisis.
Copenhagen (AFP) – About 12,000 fans pack an energised Copenhagen arena as the Danish team Heroic defeats Faze, winning a coveted Counter-Strike title in pro gaming. Denmark is one of the leading eSports nations in Europe, with strong government support. “The Prime Minister was here a couple of years ago. That changed a lot. And we have eSports in schools”, notes a Heroic fan, as another fan notes that eSports is now “quite mainstream”.
Irpin (Ukraine) (AFP) – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, arrives in Kyiv for a three-day visit aimed at showing solidarity with the church and people of Ukraine. “Going somewhere and being in a place takes things from the head to the heart” says Welby, while visiting a destroyed bridge over the Irpin river, where he left a message on a wall of inscriptions. Later in his visit, the Archbishop, the Anglican world’s highest-ranking cleric, will meet Ukrainian church leaders as well as those displaced by the conflict.
Mauna Loa (United States) (AFP) – Lava flowing from Mauna Loa, the world’s largest volcano, which burst into life last week for the first time in almost 40 years.
Los Angeles (AFP) – US actor, singer and LGBTQ activist Billy Porter gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, and says he is “a representation of what being Black and Queer and HIV positive looks like today in 2022… and it’s being alive a nd living life to the fullest.”
Los Angeles (AFP) – US actor, singer and LGBTQ activist Billy Porter gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, and says he is “a representation of what being Black and Queer and HIV positive looks like today in 2022… and it’s being alive a nd living life to the fullest.”
New Orleans (AFP) – IMAGES French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte land in New Orleans, receiving a warm welcome from perfomers on the tarmac, dancing with them and posing for photos.
Since fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar five years ago, life in the overcrowded refugee settlements in Bangladesh has prompted Rohingya families to limit the size of their households and embrace contraception. Roughly two-thirds of Rohingya couples are now using some form of birth control — up from virtually none five years ago.
