Beijing (AFP) – President Xi Jingping joins thousands of other delegates for the opening of the annual National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament. In an opening report, the Chinese government said it would aim for economic growth of “around five percent” for the coming year — one of its lowest in decades.
Geneva (AFP) – The World Health Organization urges all countries to reveal what they know about the origins of Covid-19, following US claims of a Chinese lab leak, countered by furious denials from Beijing. “If any country has information about the origins of the pandemic, it’s essential for that information to be shared with WHO and the international scientific community,” says WHO’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In Ukraine, a country that elected former comedian Volodymyr Zelensky as president, it didn’t take long for the stand-up scene to reboot in the wake of Russia’s invasion. But the jokes are not quite the same anymore. “All my humour is built on my personal experiences” says Maryna Voytsekhovska “and at the moment, the war absorbs all of our lives, so my jokes also revolve around it”. Ivan Zhornokley, a comedy night organiser explains that his events “show that we are laughing and therefore we are not surrendering.”
London (AFP) – An unusual bed could see its first royal sleepover on the eve of King Charles III’s coronation if a tradition dating back to medieval times sees a revival. The “State Bed”, never used after it was remade after a fire in 1834, is in a dedicated room in parliament’s Speaker’s quarters where it returned after going missing in the 1960s when a family bought for £100 at an auction.
Lampedusa (Italy) (AFP) – Images provided by the Italian Coast Guard show the rescue of 211 migrants from an overloaded boat sailing in rough waters and bad weather around 15 miles off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The operation comes less than a week on from a deadly shipwreck off the Italian coast in which 67 migrants died.
Athens (AFP) – Thousands stage sit-ins and demonstrate in Athens to demand justice for the victims of the country’s worst train tragedy. The protesters are mostly university students of similar ages to many of the victims of Tuesday’s crash.
Unknown (AFP) – In a video posted on Telegram, the chief of the Russian paramilitary group ‘Wagner’ says his fighters have “practically surrounded” Bakhmut, an eastern Ukrainian city that Moscow’s forces have been trying to seize for months. “If earlier we were fighting against the professional army” says Yevgeny Prigozhin, “we are now increasingly seeing old people and children.”
In space (AFP) – A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docks with the International Space Station (ISS), carrying NASA’s Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev, and Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates. IMAGES
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.
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
