Dehra (India) (AFP) – Exhausted, elated and cradling her newborn daughter in a rundown government hospital, young mother Manu Bala had just done her part to help make India the world’s most populous nation. The UN announced that India would this week eclipse China with more people than any other country.
Moscow (AFP) – Unwilling to announce a second mobilisation drive, Russia has instead launched the biggest PR campaign for the army since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine last year.
Moscow (AFP) – The Russian incarnation of KFC opens its first restaurant in Moscow after the American fast food chain exited the country over the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine. The new owners of the US giant’s former restaurants across Russia are resuscitating Rostic’s, a brand that appeared in the tumultuous early years of post-Soviet Russia.
Unknown (AFP) – US toy manufacturer Mattel unveils a new Barbie with Down syndrome, in bid to make the popular dolls more inclusive. The toy was brought to market through work with the National Down Syndrome Society.
Sakhir (Bahrain) (AFP) – After becoming the first country in the Gulf region to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2004, Bahrain has started manufacturing Bell Helmets, worn by renowned racing world champions like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – A new art installation, “Unbroken”, has been set up outside the National Opera of Ukraine, showing a graceful Ukrainian ballerina printed on bullet casings. Its creators hope it will provoke discussion around the ongoing conflict.
Saint-Denis (France) (AFP) – The bust of Marie-Antoinette or a reproduction of Antinous displayed in the Capitol in Rome: the moulding workshop of the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais in Saint-Denis has been reproducing works of art for over 200 years. Created just after the Louvre Museum to safeguard its heritage but also to export works for schools and institutions, the workshop now also caters for private orders.
Cajamarquilla (Peru) (AFP) – Images released by the Peruvian University of San Marcos show the the remains of an adolescent who lived between 800 and 1200 years ago. These are the first such remains discovered in section 8 of the famous Cajamarquilla archaeological complex on the outskirts of Lima.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urges the UK to be “careful in words and deeds” after British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned Beijing of global impact from any conflict over Taiwan in a foreign policy speech.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lays a wreath in front of memorials dedicated to the victims of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. A reactor at the Chernobyl power plant, about 100 km north of Kiev, exploded on April 26, 1986, when Ukraine was still part of the USSR.
Washington (AFP) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden meet and shake hands at the White House ahead of a bilateral meeting during Yoon’s six-day visit to the United States.
Garabulli (Libya) (AFP) – Boats transporting migrants of different nationalities arrive in the port of Garabulli after being rescued by the Libyan coastguard. The Libyan coastguard recovered the bodies of 11 drowned migrants, including a child, after their Europe-bound boat sank off the coast of Libya, and saved the survivors of the shipwreck who were able to swim to shore.
