Saitama (Japan) (AFP) – With her wide eyes and demure smile, Licca-chan is known as Japan’s Barbie. And her appeal is spreading to all ages, with adults turning the doll into a social media superstar.
Abuja (AFP) – Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has won the most votes in Nigeria’s highly disputed weekend election, according to final results on Wednesday, almost certainly securing him the presidency of Africa’s most populous democracy.
Larissa (Greece) (AFP) – At least 32 people were killed and another 85 injured after a collision between two trains caused a derailment near the Greek city of Larissa late Tuesday night.
Larissa (Greece) (AFP) – At least 32 people were killed and another 85 injured after a collision between two trains caused a derailment near the Greek city of Larissa late Tuesday night. IMAGES
Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announces that ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has won the presidency of Africa’s most populous democracy after a highly disputed election.
Abuja (Nigeria) (AFP) – Final vote tallies for the Nigerian presidential election are announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the national collation centre in Abuja. IMAGES
Freetown (AFP) – Between the mountain slopes and the Atlantic Ocean, Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is struggling to accommodate a growing population, now estimated by city authorities to be 1.5 million. Faced with the challenges of housing, the impoverished residents have found a solution: building on the sea. This is called ‘banking’, an illegal method that allows construction on the water. However it is not regulated and comes with risks, from flooding to fires, as well as a lack of access to basic services.
Lisburn (United Kingdom) (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he’s ‘over the moon’ about a new deal on Northern Ireland’s borders which he says will protect the peace dividend of the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking in the province, Sunak says “Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position… having privileged access, not just to the UK home market… but also the European Union single market.”
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s space agency, JAXA, names its first new astronaut candidates in over 13 years, with a surgeon and a climate scientist chosen from more than 4,000 applicants. Ayu Yoneda, a 28-year-old surgeon, will become just the third woman ever to join the two-year space training programme. “I was elated” she says, “the reason I dreamt about becoming an astronaut goes back to my childhood.”
Donetsk Oblast (Ukraine) (AFP) – In Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the scene of some of the war’s longest-running and bloodiest fighting, soldiers hold positions just a few hundred metres from the enemy. For the Ukrainian 68th Brigade, not far from the city of Vugledar, the only thing separating them from nearby Russian troops is a wide and heavily mined field, littered with the wreckage of armoured vehicles.
Lima (AFP) – Workers from Peru’s Ministry of Health fumigate El Sauce cemetery in Lima after the country declared a “health emergency” in 13 departments due to a dengue outbreak. “It’s important to attack the spread of this mosquito” explains Martin Ramos Hidalgo, a biologist at the Health Ministry, as workers search for larvae in bags of water under flowers left in the cemetery. Peru has, so far in 2023, recorded more than 11,500 cases of dengue and 16 deaths as a result of the disease. The numbers represent a 72% increase from the same period in 2022.
Firozabad (India) (AFP) – Cricketer Sonam Yadav could not afford sports shoes when she was younger, but now the 15-year-old is set to play in India’s Women’s Premier League and says the money will transform life for her family. Sonam was the youngest player drafted for the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament when she joined Mumbai Indians at auction and took home a cheque for one million rupees ($12,000).
