The authorities in Mali have begun a crackdown on hookah smoking after giving a grace period to shisha bars to adjust to a ban.. "The grace period given by the authorities for importers, distributors, sellers and consumers of shisha in Mali is over," the OCS said.
They were long derided as old-fashioned symbols of grinding poverty, but mud and straw houses are making a comeback in Hungary as a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to concrete.. In the yard beside piles of sandy earth and straw, a dozen watched Gaspar demonstrate how to make mud bricks.
As Spain prepares to adopt a law simplifying the process for self-identifying as transgender, other early adopters are applying the brakes over the complexities involved in this highly sensitive issue.. The bitter dispute over transgender issues played a role in Wednesday's shock resignation of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Dancing to Iraqi pop made TikTok personality Om Fahad a hit among tens of thousands of followers, but now she is in prison, caught up in a state campaign targeting "decadent content".. Days after Om Fahad's sentencing, another TikTok influencer who goes by the online name of Assal Hossam received an even harsher sentence of two years in prison.
Russian conservative writer Alexandra Makarova fell in love with soldier Dmitry Matviyenko after he lost a leg fighting in Ukraine.. In any case, he has declined the help of a psychologist and said his love for Alexandra is enough to heal.
Still reeling from the Kremlin's decision to send troops to Ukraine, Masha Yanchevskaya is one of many young Russians torn between trying to "heal" society or seclude themselves from it.. Yanchevskaya said she wants to try to "heal" society and support those remaining in Russia through arts and education.
Despite strict government censorship and the threat of jail, residents of Russia's capital are finding subtle ways to express alarm and dissent over the Kremlin's year-long offensive in Ukraine.. The 32-year-old was detained last April and faces up to 10 years in prison for replacing labels in a Saint Petersburg supermarket with messages protesting the Ukraine offensive.
The first one challenged Ukraine's president to a fighter jet duel.. Most recently, Prigozhin posted from the cockpit of a SU-24 fighter jet and challenged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- who has been pleading for jets -- to an aerial duel.
G7 host Japan is the group's only member not to recognise same-sex unions, and ahead of this May's summit the government is under pressure to bolster its legal protections for LGBTQ citizens.. "It's a disgrace that Japan, as the G7 chair, is in this situation," Akira Nishiyama, executive officer at LGBTQ rights group J-ALL, told AFP. Nishiyama considers it "shameful" that Japan still lacks legal provisions for the community, despite Kishida last year signing a G7 pledge to ensure equal opportunities and protections regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
Joe Biden will complete a routine medical checkup on Thursday, a crucial step for the oldest-ever US president ahead of his expected fight for reelection in 2024.. Biden's last checkup was on November 19, 2021, when he underwent a complete examination, including a colonoscopy under general anesthesia.
