Beijing (AFP) – For over two years, Chinese tattoo artist Song Jiayin has interviewed her women clients and posted the results online, recording the memories, hopes and fears of hundreds of women in ink and video. In a country where spaces for female self-expression have shrunk in recent years, getting a tattoo can feel like an empowering act.
Geneva (AFP) – “Privacy is something that is essential for freedom,” says Andy Yen, the founder and CEO of Proton, an online privacy protection firm, explaining that recent attacks on freedom of speech had resulted in a spike in demand for the service. Speaking to AFP, Yen says that Proton can use this information to spot attacks on democracy before they hit the headlines.
Phnom Penh (AFP) – The trial of Kem Sokha and his 27-year jail sentence are based on a “fabricated conspiracy” and represent a “miscarriage of justice,” US ambassador tells reporters outside the courthouse in the capital Phnom Penh. SOUNDBITE
Phnom Penh (AFP) – Cambodia’s top opposition leader Kem Sokha arrives at a Phnom Penh court ahead of a verdict in the treason trial, in a case critics say is designed to bar him from politics as the country prepares for a July election. IMAGES
Mumbai (AFP) – Anisha Rout, 11, travels 80 kilometres a day for six hours of cricket training six times a week, as she pursues her ambition to emulate her hero, Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, and become a professional player. Rout now wants to play in the Women’s Premier League, a new tournament that India’s cricket board hopes will generate huge sums of revenue like the men’s edition and inspire a new generation of players.
Easter Island (Chile) (AFP) – A new 1.6-metre Moai statue has been discovered partially buried in the bed of the dried Rano Raraku lake, in the crater of the Rano Raraku volcano, on Chile’s Easter Island.
New Delhi (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he told Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow should “end this war of aggression” and “engage in meaningful diplomacy” when the two met briefly at the G20 meeting in New Delhi, India.
Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) (AFP) – Rescuers scour the ruins of an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia after a Russian strike which local authorities say killed at least three people, hospitalising another seven. “Angels saved her” says Yana, whose mother was pulled unscathed from the rubble.
Giza Necropolis (Egypt) (AFP) – A nine-metre-long tunnel discovered hidden in the Great Pyramid of Giza could be “protecting the actual burial chamber of King Khufu”, says Zahi Hamass, an archaeologist and former Egyptian state Minister of Antiquities Affairs. The discovery was made as part of the ScanPyramids project, led by Cairo University and the French HIP Institute, which aims to scan the ancient monuments to find previously unknown internal features.
Havana (AFP) – Enthusiasts learn the art of Cuban cigar rolling in a master class in Havana, being hosted at the 23rd Habano Festival which celebrates the island nation’s tobacco industry. According to Habanos S.A, Cuba exported $568 million worth of cigars in 2021. However, since September 2022, the industry has been rebuilding after Hurricane Ian struck the island, decimating tobacco production.
Luxembourg (AFP) – Laura Kovesi, the EU’s first anti-fraud prosecutor, says her office — the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) — is ready to help investigate criminals circumventing EU sanctions imposed on Russia. “We have signed a working arrangement with the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office” she says, adding that “there is fraud everywhere in Europe.”
New Delhi (AFP) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrives at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, greeted by his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. IMAGES
