AFP UK

Madrid (AFP) – Spain toughens its rape laws, pushing through legislation requiring explicit consent for sex in a move driven by its left-wing government.

London (AFP) – ZSL London Zoo holds its annual weigh-in where zookeepers entice nearly 15,000 animals onto the scales to be weighed and have measurements taken. All the information will be logged onto an international system to be shared with other zoos and conservation organisations.

Mykolaiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – It’s an opening night like no other at Mykolaiv’s theatre, with the audience ushered down into an underground shelter for the first performance since war broke out.

London (AFP) – Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, says French President, Emmanuel Macron, is ‘a très bon buddy de notre pays en principe’ (a very good buddy of our country in principle), following comments from UK Foreign Secretary and Conservative Party leadership candidate, Liz Truss, who said ‘the jury’s out’ on whether Macron is a ‘friend or foe’ of Britain.

Pune (India) (AFP) – Not many people can boast of conversations about planetary conquest with Elon Musk, but for Indian software engineer Pranay Pathole, a friendly chat with the world’s richest man is just a tweet away. Their unlikely online friendship has blossomed since Pathole was a teenager, with the mercurial billionaire responding to him over hundreds of tweets and private messages.

Algiers (AFP) – At a joint press conference with the French President Emmanuel Macron, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune affirms both countries’ desire for relations built around “a new approach based on mutual respect, trust and balance of interests”. Macron, for his part, acknowledges that both countries share a “painful past”, but insists on focusing on ways to “build the future”.

Sakrand (Pakistan) (AFP) – Families carry belongings salvaged from homes destroyed by monsoon rains in Pakistan, as they wade through floods to reach safety. The country’s Climate Change Minister says authorities will launch an appeal for international help to cope with the floods. According to one NGO, Pakistan is eighth on a list of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says in his daily address that Russia has put Ukrainians as well as all Europeans one step away from radiation disaster due to its actions at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The plant is under occupation by Moscow’s troops and was disconnected from the national power supply on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s energy operator.

Brasília (AFP) – The embalmed heart of Emperor Pedro I, who declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal, is being exhibited at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. The formaldehyde-soaked organ, kept in an urn, was transferred on loan from Porto, Portugal to Brasilia to celebrate Brazil’s declaration of independence 200 years ago.

Paris (AFP) – Eight-year-old Camille, who suffers from Vacterl association, a rare congential condition, arrives at PSG’s training ground in Paris where she is greeted by her idol, football star Kylian Mbappe. Camille was met with applause from crowds who had come to see her after she cycled 90km over three days for the dream meet. The PSG striker had come to Camille’s defense on Twitter after she was the target of insulting online messages from football fans.

Radomir (Bulgaria) (AFP) – Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian 17-year-old, becomes the youngest person to fly solo around the world. Five months and a day after taking off from Bulgaria in March, Rutherford returned to the small airport near the town of Radomir, an hour from the capital Sofia, to claim his record.

Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden announces that most Americans trying to pay off university loans will get $10,000 forgiven in a bid to address the decades-old headache of massive educational debt across the country.