Chongqing, China | AFP | Children run around a small indoor pitch in southwest China, laughing, zigzagging between cones and tossing around a rugby ball — then one kid tears up when another fails to pass to him. “Pass it on, get up and stop crying,” coach Zhang Shuangyi instructs, with …
Read More »Towards a new era: what is in Sudan’s landmark pact
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Veteran Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir ruled the northeast African country for three decades with an iron fist. Now Sudan is turning the page, ushering in a new era of civilian rule. A constitutional declaration, signed on Sunday between the ruling generals and the leaders of an …
Read More »Murder, ‘gay-hunters’ strike terror in Russia’s LGBT community
Saint Petersburg, Russia | AFP | When LGBT activist Yelena Grigoryeva found her name on a hit list of a “gay-hunting” group, she did not appear to take the threat seriously. The group called itself “Pila”, meaning “saw”, after the series of Hollywood horror films of the same name, in which …
Read More »Can an election stop a no-deal Brexit?
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Will he, won’t he — and can he be stopped? Westminster is abuzz with talk of whether Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use an election to force through his Brexit plan. Many MPs are deeply opposed to his threat to take Britain out …
Read More »Chinese yuan falls to weakest level against dollar since 2010
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s decision to let its currency weaken against the dollar on Monday sent global markets diving further into the red and provoked a Twitter tirade from US President Donald Trump. The deteriorating picture appeared to worsen as official Chinese media reported Beijing ceased purchases of …
Read More »Migrant rescue NGOs defy European states
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | A Spanish charity that saved 121 migrants in the Mediterranean last week vowed Monday to continue sea rescue operations, the latest NGO to defy moves by European nations to shut down a route exploited by trafficking gangs. Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps called on EU …
Read More »Outrage in Gambia over release of ex-president’s assassins
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Relatives of people murdered by death squads in The Gambia expressed outrage on Monday over the release of three former hitmen, who said they committed dozens of assassinations ordered by ex-president Yahya Jammeh. The men, who were part of an unofficial paramilitary unit known as the …
Read More »Trump condemns racism, white supremacy after US mass shootings
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Monday told a nation mourning the death of 31 people in two weekend mass shootings that he rejected racism and white supremacist ideology, moving to blunt criticism that his anti-immigrant rhetoric fuels violence. As flags flew at half mast at …
Read More »South African quick Dale Steyn retires from Test cricket
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African Dale Steyn, one of the great fast bowlers of the modern era, on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket in a bid to extend his longevity in the shorter forms of the game. Steyn, who made his international debut against England in …
Read More »Black men at highest risk of US police killing: study
Washington, United States | AFP | Black men in the United States are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by the police than their white counterparts, according to a new study published Monday that quantified racial disparities in law enforcement violence. High-profile killings including those of Michael Brown, Charleena …
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