Wellington (AFP) – Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern hugs friends and colleagues outside Parliament in Wellington as she heads to Government House to officially resign. Ardern’s resignation, less than three years after an emphatic election victory, has ignited a national debate about the vitriol faced by women leaders, especially on social media.
Berlin (AFP) – During a joint press conference in Berlin with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says there is “no indication that President Putin has changed his goals, he wants to control Ukraine,” and adds that he’s confident a solution on battle tanks for Ukraine will “soon” be reached.
Washington (AFP) – Experts set the Doomsday Clock, which symbolizes the risks associated with nuclear weapons and other threats, at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to midnight, says Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Bangkok (AFP) – Thai police display packages of confiscated crystal methamphetamine for the press, announcing that they have seized more than a tonne of the drug in less than a week. Thailand has seen a surge in smuggling after the country’s borders reopened. “Some of these drugs were kept for a period of time before being transported to the southernmost provinces, and they were supposed to be shipped to other countries later,” says Police General Chinnapat Sarasin, Deputy National Police Chief.
Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Hundreds of Pakistani protesters gather in Lahore to protest against the burning of a Koran in Sweden. Swedish-Danish far-right politician Ramus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book on Saturday in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The Lahore protest is one of several planned in major cities across Pakistan.
Washington (AFP) – The United States is suing Google for its dominance of the online advertising market, announces Attorney General Merrick Garland from the US Justice Department in Washington, DC. “We allege that Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,” he tells a press conference.
Yaoundé (AFP) – Cameroonian journalists pay tribute to their colleague Martinez Zogo, kidnapped and found dead five days after his disappearance, his body mutilated. Candles are lit at the headquarters of his private radio station Amplitude FM, while representatives of the profession meet with Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi to express their anger and fear. “The message that is being sent through the barbarity of Martinez Zogo’s assassination is a message of fear that is being instilled in the midst of journalists and in the midst of all those who have decided not to remain silent in the face of the misdemeanours that are taking place in this country,” says Jean Bruno Tagne, director of Naja TV.
Washington (AFP) – The United States is suing Google for its dominance of the online advertising market, announces Attorney General Merrick Garland from the US Justice Department in Washington, DC.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – “About the NATO membership, we have to take it calmly and we have to wait for the elections in Turkey to take place” says Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. The comment comes after the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto announced Finland has to consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appears to grind to a halt after Ankara blasted Stockholm over anti-Turkey protests. “Keep your watch on the ball but don’t be a ball yourself,” adds Niinisto.
Geneva (AFP) – The World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that one of its doctors has been abducted in Mali by “unidentified assailants from his car”. “We’re working with local authorities to investigate the abduction and insure our colleague quick return to his family. Health workers should never be a target” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus adds during a press conference in Geneva.
Noida (India) (AFP) – For his latest Paris haute couture collection, Indian designer Rahul Mishra’s attempts to encapsulate the universe. Monday’s Fashion Week debut of “Cosmos” is the latest showcase for one of Asia’s leading stylists, whose works have been modelled by Michelle Yeoh, Viola Davis and other major film stars.
Belgaum (India) (AFP) – Dedicated to an Indian goddess as a child, Huvakka Bhimappa’s years of sexual servitude began when her uncle took her virginity, raping her in exchange for a saree and some jewellery. Bhimappa was not yet 10 years old when she became a “devadasi” — girls coerced by their parents into an elaborate wedding ritual with a Hindu deity, many of whom are then forced into illegal prostitution.
