AFP UK

Unknown (AFP) – Justin Bieber tells fans in a video posted to Instagram that he’s been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is causing him partial facial paralysis. The 28-year-old pop singer recently announced he was pausing his Justice World Tour due to illness, hours before his first slated concert in Toronto. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a complication of shingles that occurs when an outbreak impacts the facial nerve near one ear. In addition to facial paralysis, it can cause hearing loss.

Kathmandu (AFP) – The annual Pride parade is back on the streets of Nepal’s capital after a two year hiatus during Covid-19. Hundreds walked the streets of Kathmandu waving flags, holding signs, and shouting pro-LGBTQIA+ slogans. Nepal has some of the most progressive policies on homosexuality in South Asia, but the law still does not allow for gay marriage. It introduced a transgender category for citizenship certificates in 2013, and passports must also include a third gender category. Despite this progress, and bureaucratic hurdles still complicate matters for some – like the transgender community. Attendees at this year’s Pride parade hope to raise awareness on equal rights.

London (AFP) – At the ‘Small is Beautiful’ exhibition in London, visitors must lean or squat to appreciate every detail of the 143 miniatures made by 33 local and international artists. With paper folds displayed on the walls, figurine under glass bell of Greta Thunberg, replicas of buildings, the possibilities offered by the miniature format seem endless and joyful for artists, and visitors can have tremendous fun finding the little figurines in a landscape entirely made up of brightly coloured sweets. For Lisa Swerling, her small-scale art is a way of showing “support for the little ones among us who are trying to change things.” The exhibition, located in South Kensington, is open until July.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says that “Russia wants to devastate every city in the Donbas, every single one, without exaggeration.”

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Over 170,000 participants march in the streets of Israel’s coastal city of Tel Aviv, waving vibrant rainbow flags, during an annual Pride parade in an explosion of glamorous self-expression.

Malmö (Sweden) (AFP) – Two rubbish bins on Davidshallsbron bridge in Sweden’s southern city of Malmö have been equipped by city authorities with loudspeakers, blaring out sexual phrases like “ooooh, right there yeah” when the lid is opened to encourage passers-by to use the bins to get rid of their rubbish.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleads for Ukraine’s entry into the European Union, asking for his country not to remain in a “grey zone”, while EU leaders must decide by the end of June if they will grant official candidate status to Ukraine.

Gorenka (Ukraine) (AFP) – In a wooden toy factory outside Kyiv, production has started again after the withdrawal of Russian troops. Now, each online purchase on the company website includes a 5-euro donation to the war effort. Customers in 85 countries on five continents have already made their donations.

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – “Kill me or sentence me to death instead of sending me to Rwanda.” In his late twenties, Hadi (name changed for his protection) fled Iraq for the UK after he faced persecution for being gay. Under a controversial law, the UK plans to send asylum seekers who arrived illegally on British soil to Rwanda, 6,000 kilometres from London. The East African country is “not a tolerant place for LGBTIQ people” according to Aderonke Apata, director and founder of the NGO ‘The African Rainbow Family’ which helps LGBT asylum seekers integrate into British society.

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Tens of thousands of members of left-wing social organisations protest in Buenos Aires to demand greater assistance from the Argentine government to soup kitchens and an increase in subsidies, in a country with an inflation that is close to 60% per year.

Washington (AFP) – Previously unseen graphic footage of protesters clashing with police during last year’s riot at the United States Capitol building is aired by a congressional panel investigating the deadly attack.

Los Angeles (AFP) – Drag queens dressed as Marilyn Monroe sing “Happy Summit, Mr President” to life-sized cardboard figures of US President Joe Biden and other leaders attending the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, calling them to take action on climate change. “We want to also bring other presidents as well into the spotlight, such as President Bolsonaro of Brazil, who has an anti-Amazon, anti-indigenous agenda,” says Oscar Soria, campaign director of the activism nonprofit Avaaz.