Africa

Hundreds bravely came together to celebrate Pride despite living in a country which has outlawed their sexualities. It has been illegal to be gay in the Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly called Swaziland, since the Brits colonised the African nation in the 1800s. Campaigner Mangaliso Mndzebele told Metro.co.uk the country, one of three monarchies left on the continent, has historically seen LGBTQ+ people as ‘satanic’. Former prime minister Maphevu Dlamini said in 2018: ‘Being gay is an abnormality and a sickness.’ Most LGBTQ+ people in Eswatini are still living in the closet, local activists have said. The British common law criminalises sodomy between two men and, although it does not specify anything about women, this is seen as a blanket ban on same-sex relationships. The law has not been enforced by police or courts for decades, but LGBTQ+ communities say they still ‘face human rights violations’ in their daily lives. This is because the community fears they … [Read more...] about How people in one of Africa’s last monarchies celebrate Pride even though it’s illegal

Restitution activist Njobati Sylvie could not hide her joy when Germany's Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced that a statue of Ngonnso would be returned to Cameroon. Ngonnso is a mother deity of the Nso people in northwestern Cameroon. A statue of her was taken by Kurt von Pavel, a German colonial officer in Cameroon, who subsequently donated her to Berlin's Ethnological Museum in 1903. "I feel super elated, it has been a journey that has culminated to a win for the Nso community, Cameroon and by and large the entire African continent," Njobati told DW. Ngonnso has a central role for the Nso as she is considered a mother deity The restitution journey Njobati started the Twitter campaign #BringBackNgonnso in 2020, which played a large part in raising awareness for the restitution cause. But her activism actually started before that — when she decided to reconnect with her Nso heritage and trace her roots. Njobati grew up in Cameroon's Anglophone region … [Read more...] about Cameroonian activist pushed for restitution of deity

Prince Harry and Elton John announced on Tuesday the launch of the MenStar Coalition , which hopes to "expand the diagnoses and treatment of HIV infections in men," with the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The two were attending the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. The coalition consists of seven founding organizations, including the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Harry was at the event as the co-founder of Sentebale, an Africa-based charity that helps young people with HIV. He said he was "honored to be sharing the stage with someone who has always put people at the center of his work," in reference to John. "For over a quarter-century, Elton has worked tirelessly to fund research and services in communities around the world. And today he has come to Amsterdam to announce his latest endeavor, a billion-dollar global partnership to break the cycle of … [Read more...] about Prince Harry joins Elton John in launching the MenStar Coalition, an initiative to end AIDS by 2030

In 1997, Newsweek reported extensively on the untimely death of Princess Diana and its aftermath. In this piece, Jerry Adler and Donna Foote report on how the tragedy will affect Diana's children, Prince William and Prince Harry. We are republishing the piece on the occasion of Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle. She had tried, she often said, to give her two sons as normal a life as possible. So when Prince William said he'd like to meet one of the world's most beautiful women, Diana did what any mother of a teenage boy would do—phoned Cindy Crawford, whom she barely knew, and invited her to tea. Arriving at Kensington Palace, the supermodel found herself alone in a room with William, where they chatted for a few minutes until Diana joined them, and, noticing her son blushing, confided to Crawford: "He's just like me; when he runs out of things to say, he just blushes." In a few years, when he adds to his titles that of World's Most Eligible Bachelor, William (now 15) … [Read more...] about Prince Harry, growing up without Princess Diana

Influential British theatre and film director Peter Brook has died at the age of 97, according to reports in French media. Brook won multiple awards including Tonys and Emmys during his 70-year career and worked with stars including Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud and Adrian Lester. The Le Monde newspaper said he died in Paris on Saturday. Brook's publisher, Nick Hern Books, paid tribute to him, saying he "leaves behind an incredible artistic legacy". Born in Chiswick, west London, in 1925 to Lithuanian Jewish parents, he attended Westminster School followed by Oxford University. Advertisement His first production was of Dr Faustus in 1943 at the Torch Theatre in London . He made waves during his time as director of productions at the Royal Opera House between 1947 and 1950, where he staged an experimental version of Richard Strauss's Salome with sets by Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. More on Theatre Cinderella … [Read more...] about Peter Brook: Influential British theatre and film director who worked with Sir Lawrence Olivier dies at 97

The world is currently witnessing biodiversity loss at a rate and scale unprecedented in human history. Over 1 million species are at risk of extinction. Many are disappearing before we have had a chance to discover them. Climate change, pollution and disappearing habitats are among the forces that have pushed nature toward a cliff edge. The situation is so severe that scientists say we are facing the " sixth mass die-off " ⁠— the scale of which has not been seen since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. Yet 2022 presents a window of opportunity, with the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada set to bring together world leaders to discuss a road map to deal with the crisis in nature. In our latest Global Ideas web special we take a deep dive into why protecting biodiversity is so critical, and what the concrete and effective solutions are to tackling the problem. 'Biodiversity loss is the greatest threat to humanity' What impact does … [Read more...] about Nature in crisis: How can we prevent biodiversity loss?

“If your jewellery isn’t made in New Zealand, there’s no way of knowing where your gold was mined,” said Ash Hilton from Good Gold and Ash Hilton Jewellery. The United States, UK, Canada and Japan are moving to ban imports of Russian gold in a bid to hamper the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, but New Zealand has not signalled it will follow suit. A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was aware of the plan, and was looking at all options to further pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, and cut off its financial system from international markets. But for buyers who want to avoid inadvertently buying jewellery made from Russian gold, things are tricky because many jewellers do not disclose the ultimate sources of the gold in their bling. READ MORE: Would you pay $17,499 for a lab-created diamond? Queenstown man selling Central Otago gold mine claim for $80,000 Old rings become treasure as gold rally revives scrap recycling … [Read more...] about Buy locally-made jewellery to avoid Russian conflict gold

An elderly tourist has died after a shark bit her leg and arm off at a popular holiday resort in Egypt. Officials said the 68-year-old woman was barely alive after the shocking attack and died in an ambulance on her way to the Nile Hospital in Hurghada on Friday. Disturbing footage shows the sea turned red with blood as the woman tries to swim away and witnesses scream in horror from a nearby pier. A flotation device is thrown into the water in the hope of pulling her closer to shore but it lands far short. It is believed a Mako shark attacked the Austrian tourist who could not be resuscitated by the emergency responders. It remains unclear how she was able to get to the beach. The Egyptian authorities have now closed off a stretch of the Red Sea coastline for three days, banning all ‘sea activities’ including diving, snorkelling, wind surfing and kite sailing. Shark attacks are relatively rare in Egypt’s Red Sea coastal region. In 2020, a young Ukrainian boy … [Read more...] about Shark bites leg and arm off tourist who dies in ambulance on way to hospital

Paige Turley is already being tipped as a Love Island favourite after making her debut on the show last night. The 22-year-old singer and former Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist was quickly coupled up with fellow Islander Ollie Williams in Sunday’s series opener – but it didn’t take her long to mention her famous ex-boyfriend, even apologising to him about their relationship. Just who is her very famous ex, and why did she feel the need to say sorry? Here’s what you need to know… Who is Love Island contestant Paige Turley’s famous ex boyfriend? Paige’s famous former boyfriend is none other than chart-topping singer Lewis Capaldi. She was reported to be the inspiration behind Lewis’ chart-topping hit Someone You Loved – and told The Sun: ‘It’s a great song. It’s relatable, and it would probably fit right in. ‘That will be my walk-in song, probably.’ When did Paige and Lewis date? The pair dated on and off before finally calling it a day in … [Read more...] about Who is Love Island contestant Paige Turley’s famous ex boyfriend?

When Bryce Stewart dived after the toothed, steel-weighted nets of a scallop dredger rumbling over the bottom of the Irish Sea 22 years ago, he witnessed destruction he could never have seen from a boat. "Half crabs. Smashed up sea urchins. Starfish missing some of their arms," said Stewart, a marine ecologist at the University of York. "There was literally a trail of dead and dying things on the seabed." Bottom trawling — a powerful practice in which heavy nets are dragged along the floor of the ocean to catch fish and seafood — is one of the most harmful ways to feed the world. It destroys ecosystems and sweeps up unwanted marine life that gets thrown overboard. From 1950 to 2014, bottom trawlers discarded $560 billion of bycatch, which was more than the value of all catches from longline fishers over the same period. Metal bars and toothed nets wreak havoc on ocean ecosystems Now scientists fear another environmental disaster bubbling under the surface: climate … [Read more...] about How bottom trawling hurts ocean life and speeds up climate change