Tiflis (AFP) – The speaker of Georgia’s parliament says that he has signed a controversial “foreign influence” bill into law. The measure was adopted despite mass protests, Western condemnation and a presidential veto.
Peking (AFP) – China denies accusations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that it is working to prevent other countries from attending a planned peace summit on the war in Ukraine.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Thousands of Georgians gather in the capital Tbilisi for a charity concert aimed at raising funds for those arrested during weeks of protests against a controversial “foreign influence” law.
Mexico City (AFP) – Claudia Sheinbaum is elected Mexico’s first woman president by a landslide, making history in a country plagued by rampant criminal and gender-based violence.
Midrand (South Africa) (AFP) – President Cyril Ramaphosa urges South African party leaders to work together in the public interest after his ANC lost its 30-year-old governing majority in a bruising general election. But, in a sign of possible turmoil to come, graft-tainted former president Jacob Zuma boycotted the results ceremony and his party refused to recognise the outcome.
(AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says China is “working hard” to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited. “China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,” Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.
Moscow (AFP) – Although omnipresent on state television channels, the conflict remains barely visible in the streets of Moscow. Only adverts at a few bus stops show jobs with the army and praise the “heroes” on the frontline. A trendy food court in the centre of Moscow is buzzing with customers, despite a steep rise in inflation since the start of the conflict.
Bangkok (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people pack the streets in central Bangkok for the annual Pride celebrations during which Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the “government and public sectors will work together to legalise same-sex marriage successfully”. The Thai parliament is expected to finalise same-sex marriage legislation later this year, bringing the kingdom another step closer to becoming the first Southeast Asian country to recognise marriage equality.
London (AFP) – Kenneth Greenway says he is inundated with requests for the foraging courses that he and his team run at the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in east London. “We can’t do enough foraging tours,” he says. “I guess the recent surge in interest is as a result of the recent pandemic, with a lot more people spending time in parks, thinking about plants, wondering what they can do with them.” Foragers touch, smell, pick and taste a number of plants on the three-hour tours. “I’ve just loved it, every minute of it” says George Page, a course attendee. “It empowers you but also it makes you feel you’re really part of nature,” says Rosa Nguyen, another attendee.
Singapore (AFP) – Images show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meeting with president of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam and prime minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Singapore for a security forum as he seeks to rally support for Kyiv while a Russian offensive gains ground.
Paris (AFP) – A video posted on X by “Riposte Alimentaire”, a climate activist movement, shows an environmental activist sticking an adhesive poster on Claude Monet’s painting the “Coquelicots” (Poppies) and speaking to draw attention to global warming at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. “This nightmarish painting in front of us is what awaits us if no alternative is put in place! At +4°C, we’re in for hell”, she declared.
Jiquilisco (El Salvador) (AFP) – At a market in El Salvador, Blanca Ramos complains that few people are buying her bananas: the economy is a challenge for President Nayib Bukele in his second term. Having reduced gang violence to historic lows, Bukele must now focus on the economy, analysts say. It is vital that he tackles high public debt and poverty, they warn.
