AFP UK

London (AFP) – Environmental activists demonstrate outside Downing Street with an oil-splattered statue of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to protest against the Cambo oil field project in the Shetland islands.

Paris (AFP) – To mark the release of the manga ‘Kaiju No. 8’, the Japanese publisher pulls no punches, with a gigantic illustration of the comic book hero stuck on the facade of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. It may seem extreme, but it reflects the fact that France, the world’s second largest consumer of manga, remains a huge market for the Japanese comic book industry.

Sydney (AFP) – People in Sydney enjoy the first day of returned freedoms as a coronavirus lockdown ends in the Australian city after almost four months of restrictions.

Stockholm (AFP) – “It is sad that there are so few women Nobel laureates” says Göran K. Hansson, secretary general of the Royal Swedish academy of sciences, after only one woman, Maria Ressa, was awarded a Nobel Prize this year.

Peruíbe (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro says he was prevented from seeing a football match in the city of Peruibe when he could not provide a Covid pass. The mandate applies for access to popular tourist spots and other public spaces such as cinemas, theaters, gyms, museums, sports stadiums and conference venues — but not restaurants, bars or shopping malls. Brazil had a late start with coronavirus vaccination but is now the country with the fourth-most doses administered.

Moscow (AFP) – Dmitry Muratov, the chief editor of Russia’s leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta who has won the Nobel Peace Prize, says he would have given the award to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The Hague (AFP) – While the rest of the world literally looks up to the Dutch, the tallest people in the tallest country on earth insist it’s not easy being so big. So an official study by the Dutch national statistics office CBS finding that they appear to be shrinking might be construed as good news — even if it could threaten the Netherlands’ number one spot as the world’s loftiest nation.

Tokyo (AFP) – The twin pandas born at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo in June have been named Xiao Xiao for the male and Lei Lei for the female. There are an estimated 1,800 giant pandas left in the wild, mainly in bamboo forests in the mountains of China, according to environmental group WWF. Around 600 more live in zoos and breeding centres around the world.

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – A mynah bird that was brought from Afghanistan by a girl fleeing the Taliban has learnt to say “bonjour” after finding a new home with France’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Ambassador Xavier Chatel said he was moved by the little girl, who arrived carrying the bird, named Juji, at the Al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE during the chaotic evacuations from Kabul.

Manila (AFP) – Philippines journalist Maria Ressa speaks after winning Nobel Peace Prize for fighting for freedom of expression at a time when democracy is increasingly under threat.

Sao Paulo (AFP) – After 18 months of being locked up by pandemic restrictions, Brazil’s largest city Sao Paulo is breathing again, thanks in part to open-air coworking spaces. Once the domain of internet startups, these coworking businesses have branched out to a wider client base while also moving from offices to “beaches” with parasols set up on rooftops and terraces.

Copenhagen (AFP) – Copenhagen’s Noma has been named the world’s best restaurant in the 50 Best Restaurants awards. The high-end eatery has been credited with reinventing Nordic cuisine. It reworks its menu every season, creating a new creative and aesthetic language of cooking.