Beijing (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday opened the 20th Chinese Communist Party congress, at which thousands of hand-picked delegates are set to rubber stamp his bid to rule for a historic third term.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the Great Hall of the People as a major party gathering opens on Sunday. Xi hailed the Communist Party’s rule and defended its Covid policies as he opened a five-yearly Congress at which thousands of hand-picked delegates are set to rubber stamp his bid to rule for a historic third term.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Russia has now lost 65,000 troops during the war in Ukraine. “many citizens of Russia have given their lives for the opportunity of a few people in the Kremlin to ignore reality,” Zelensky says.
Umunankwo (Nigeria) (AFP) – Residents wade through flooded streets and displaced people dry their clothes on a grassy bank as heavy rains ravage the southeastern state of Anambra in Nigeria’s worst floods in a decade.
Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – Venezuelan migrants hoping to enter the United States from Mexico protest a new migration program, in Ciudad Juarez on the border with the United States.
Ouagadougou (AFP) – Captain Ibrahim Traore, who seized power two weeks ago in a coup in Burkina Faso, the second in eight months, is “unanimously” appointed transitional president until a presidential election scheduled for July 2024.
Bartın (Turkey) (AFP) – On a visit to Bartin, in the Amsara region of north-western Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces the discovery of the body of the last miner, bringing the death toll from the methane explosion there to 41.
Lexington (United States) (AFP) – This November, voters in Kentucky will be asked to decide whether their constitution should explicitly ban the right to abortion, which would cement the state’s near total ban on the procedure. The issue is mobilising a new breed of activists on both sides of the aisle, pushing them to go door-knocking or attend political rallies for the first time in their lives.
London (AFP) – Environmental protesters threw tomato soup over one of Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” paintings at London’s National Gallery, in the latest “direct-action” stunt targeting works of art. The gallery in Trafalgar Square said the protesters caused “minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”. The painting went back on display a few hours after the attack.
Ouagadougou (AFP) – From his bar “Le Procès” (The Trial), in the capital of Burkina Faso, the scene of two coups in eight months, Dao Moumine is the ‘judge’ of a very special court. Here, the sentence is a rum called “CPI” the French initials for the International Criminal Court. “It’s also a question of raising awareness, to show our authorities that justice in a country is very important,” says Moumine, who manages the vibrant bar in Ouagadougou.
London (AFP) – UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, says she is “sorry to lose” Kwasi Kwarteng, describing her former Chancellor as a “great friend”. In the same speech, Truss announces the appointment of former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the country’s new chief of finance. The sacking of Kwarteng comes after a disastrous period for Truss’ fledgling government during which the value of the pound has plummeted as a result of the ill-received tax cutting ‘mini-budget’.
Moscow (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Russians have fled the country since its invasion of Ukraine in February, a phenomenon that intensified last month when President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation. Many have scrambled to find their Jewish roots, which would open the doors to Israel.
