AFP UK

New York (AFP) – US actor Kevin Spacey arrives at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for the final days of his trial over accusations he sexually assaulted fellow actor Anthony Rapp when he was a minor. Rapp, who stars in the series “Star Trek: Discovery,” is claiming damages of $40 million against the two-time Oscar-winner for “emotional anguish,” for what allegedly happened in 1986, when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Moscow’s widespread use of Iranian-made drones in recent attacks on his country was a symbol of the Kremlin’s “military and political bankruptcy”.

Brussels (AFP) – The European Union is working towards fresh sanctions on Iran after collecting “sufficient evidence” it is supplying Russia with deadly drones for use in Ukraine, says Nabila Massrali, spokesperson for EU foreign policy.

Lima (AFP) – Thousands of Catholic devotees walk in procession in Lima to honour Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles), the most revered religious icon for Peruvians. The yearly ritual resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Lima (AFP) – Thousands of Catholic devotees walk in procession in Lima to honour Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles), the most revered religious icon for Peruvians. The yearly ritual resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

London (AFP) – Under-fire British Prime minister Liz Truss leaves Downing Street for the Houses of Parliament where she will answer lawmakers’ questions for the first time since abandoning her disastrous tax-slashing economic policies.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s new leader unveils plans to resuscitate the business hub’s fortunes, hoping to lure international expertise back to a city that has seen an exodus of talent and is mired in recession.

Kathmandu (AFP) – Beaten and raped by police officers as a child, “Mira” was among the many victims of sexual violence during Nepal’s civil war — and is now one of the few to recount her ordeal. Guerrilla attacks and forced disappearances were daily facts of life on both sides of the Himalayan republic’s decade-long Maoist insurgency. The conflict ended in 2006 with a peace deal that brought the Maoists into government and promised justice for those who had suffered in the fighting. Sixteen years after the war ended, only two convictions have been handed down for civil war-era crimes in civilian courts, while rape survivors are frustrated that their own traumas have been met by official indifference.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s new leader unveils plans to resuscitate the business hub’s fortunes, hoping to lure international expertise back to a city that has seen an exodus of talent and is mired in recession. “Apart from actively nurturing and retaining local talent, the government will proactively trawl the world for talent,” Chief Executive John Lee said in his first policy address.

Lejone (Lesotho) (AFP) – It’s harvest time in Lejone, a small village nestling in mountains in southern Africa more than two thousand metres above sea level. The yield is rainbow trout — the bounty from the undulating Malibamatso River. Lejone is home to one of Lesotho’s two professional fish farms — pioneering ventures in the poor landlocked kingdom.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine swaps more than 100 prisoners with Russia in what it said was the first all-female exchange with Moscow after nearly eight months of war. Images released by Yermak show dozens of women — some wearing coats and military fatigues — disembarking from white buses.

Seoul (AFP) – Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competes at an event in South Korea without a hijab in what some see as a gesture of solidarity with the women-led protests in her country. This was in breach of the Islamic republic’s mandatory dress rules of compulsory headscarf for women which also apply to all female athletes, even when competing abroad. Rekabi, 33, in her first comment since the event at the Asian Championships on Sunday, apologised on Instagram for the “concerns” caused and insisted her bare-headed appearance had been “unintentional”.