Six In The Morning Saturday 24 July 2021

 

India monsoon: Rescuers search for survivors after heavy rains

Rescuers are scouring devastated parts of western India for survivors after heavy rains caused deadly floods.

Tens of thousands of people have been moved out of affected areas, with record-breaking rainfall reported along parts of the coast.

The states of Goa and Maharashtra have been badly affected, with many feared missing near the financial hub Mumbai.

Curfew imposed in Afghanistan to curb Taliban offensive

Insurgents have captured key border crossings and encircled several provincial capitals

Agence France-Presse

Sat 24 Jul 2021 14.08 BST

Afghan authorities have imposed a night-time curfew across 31 of the country’s 34 provinces to curb surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive in recent months, the interior ministry has said.

The widespread Taliban offensive has seen the insurgents capture key border crossings, dozens of districts and encircle several provincial capitals since early May.

“To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements, a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country,” except in Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The Cuban authorities are afraid of us

The real Cuba has moved even further away from the country propagated by the authorities and in the state-run media. The anger on the streets is growing, says Cuban blogger and government critic Yoani Sánchez.

No one in the queue speaks. A woman looks down at her shoes, while a young man drums his fingers on the wall.

Some time has passed since Cubans took to the streets in a protest unprecedented in the last 62 years, and the outrage is still very palpable. As images of police brutality, more testimonies from mothers whose children have been missing since the protests started, and videos of militarized cities emerge, popular anger grows. 

Anti-lockdown protests grip Australia, clashes erupt in Sydney

Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Australia's two largest cities on Saturday, with several arrested in Sydney after violent clashes with police.

A group charged mounted officers while throwing pot plants and bottles, as opponents of Sydney's month-long stay-at-home orders took to the streets.

In Melbourne, local media said thousands of protesters had thronged the streets after gathering outside the state parliament in the early afternoon.

Maskless demonstrators flouted rules on non-essential travel and public gatherings a day after authorities suggested restrictions could remain in place until October.

Protest erupts at Myanmar’s Insein prison amid COVID outbreak

Anti-military government chants heard from inside the notorious colonial-era jail, which is used to hold opponents of the February coup.

A protest has erupted at a prison in Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon against what activists said was a worsening COVID-19 outbreak at the jail, which is used to hold opponents of February’s military takeover.

The protest on Friday was one of the first of its kind since the February 1 coup in the Southeast Asian country, where people across the country demonstrate daily against military rule.

Thousands join Pride event in Hungary as LGBTQ people face growing hostility

By Saskya Vandoorne, Melissa Bell and Kara Fox, CNN

Updated 1510 GMT (2310 HKT) July 24, 2021

Some 30,000 people have joined the annual Pride celebrations in Budapest on Saturday, organizers say, with attendees marching in colorful outfits across the Hungarian capital in support of inclusion and freedom.

But this year, Pride is also a protest, as LGBTQ people and their allies rally against the country's increasingly hostile policy towards their communities -- punctuated by a new, homophobic law recently passed by Hungary's hardline government.