Beijing (AFP) – Media arrive at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People ahead of the closing ceremony of China’s Communist Party Congress, where President Xi Jinping likely to seal an unprecedented third term in power. IMAGES
Tokyo (AFP) – Satoko Nagamura and her girlfriend conceived their son with donated sperm, but new legislation in Japan could effectively outlaw the procedure for lesbian couples and single women. For decades, anonymous sperm donation has existed in a legal grey zone in Japan, with no law explicitly prohibiting it, but no framework to govern it either.
Islamabad (AFP) – Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rally in Islamabad to protest the election commission’s decision to bar former prime minister Imran Khan from holding public office for five years.
Hanoi (AFP) – United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls on countries, especially developed nations, to do more to fight climate change and reach the target of net-zero emission by 2050, during a speech at a ceremony to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam’s UN membership in Hanoi.
Taipei (AFP) – Thousands of gaming enthusiasts walk around a Taiwanese park to hunt for Pokémon characters after the island lifts its Covid-19 restrictions and fully reopens its borders to international travellers.
N’Djamena (AFP) – Tensions eased on Friday after Chad’s ruling junta announced an overnight curfew on Thursday, following fatal clashes earlier in the day between police and demonstrators protesting against the military’s grip on power. The violence came on the heels of a national forum organised by Deby that extended his military government’s grip on power beyond Thursday’s deadline.
Washington (AFP) – The US budget deficit fell by half in the past year to $1.4 trillion on the back of a pandemic recovery and as relief spending eased, which US President Joe Biden says is “proof that we’re rebuilding the economy” as he touts his record ahead of November’s crucial US midterm elections in televised remarks from the White House.
Canaán Membrilo (Panama) (AFP) – Hundreds of migrants, mostly Venezuelans, exhausted and some injured, continue their dangerous jungle crossing through the Darian Gap in Panama to reach the US. “I got lost for three days in the jungle with my family”, says Venezuelan migrant Darwin Vidal at Canaan Membrillo checkpoint, “but we kept calm, we breathed, we prayed to God and we got out of there”.
Cevio (Switzerland) (AFP) – Like everywhere else in Europe, Swiss households are being called upon to save energy. But this comes naturally to the inhabitants of the Bavona Valley, one of the most remote parts of the Alpine country and which has never been connected to the electricity grid.
Leyburn (United Kingdom) (AFP) – As the Conservative Party looks for another leader, residents in the North Yorkshire market town of Leyburn in the heart of Rishi Sunak’s Richmondshire constituency give their views. Some say they’d “like Rishi to come in as our Prime Minister”, while others think “Boris should never have gone” or “there ought to be another general election”.
After the party leaders of Italy’s victorious right-wing coalition held talks with President Sergio Mattarella, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni announces that the coalition proposes that “she be appointed to be the person in charge of forming the new government”, which would make her the country’s first female prime minister. Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League.
Brussels (AFP) – The EU is shelling out 40 billion euros as part of newly announced measures to shield European consumers from soaring energy prices. “We will develop a complementary new index, to reflect better the energy price situation.” says Ursula von der Leyen during a European Council meeting in Brussels.
