Lifestyle
Russian LGBT artists find sanctuary in Paris
For many LGBT Russian artists, the invasion of Ukraine and the accompanying political crackdown was the final straw.. The agency set up a hotline for artists from both Ukraine and Russia following the invasion and has helped around 100 artists from the two countries, providing them with studio space, as well as help with visas, language training and psychological support.
Arctic police make sure far north doesn't go too Wild West
With its ghost towns and armed men taking on a vast wilderness, one could almost mistake the Svalbard archipelago for the Wild West.. And yet Svalbard's residents are armed to the teeth.
Cairo's floating heritage risks being towed away by grand projects
Dozens of vibrantly coloured floating homes have for decades dotted the banks of the River Nile, rare havens of leafy seclusion in the Egyptian capital's hustle and bustle -- but maybe not for much longer.. Residents of the 30 or so houseboats that remain moored on the banks of the Nile last week received eviction orders, giving them less than two weeks before their homes are taken away to be demolished.
Across the Missouri-Illinois border, an abortion sanctuary in US Midwest
Abortion is now banned in Lori Lamprich's home state of Missouri, but that hasn't stopped her taking women to their appointments -- she drives them across the Mississippi River to Illinois, where it remains legal.. - 'Too important' - More than 46,000 abortions were performed in Illinois in 2020, according to official data, a fifth of them on women from out-of-state, including 6,500 from Missouri.
Young Arab artists dream of freedom in unique talent show
Young musicians, dancers, actors and comedians from across the Arab world took to the stage in Tunisia to express their visions of freedom, more than a decade after the Arab Spring uprisings.. Syrian refugee and stand-up comedian Mohamed al-Kurdi, one of the performers in Saturday's show, said that today, "young people's freedom is restricted, and not just in the Arab world".
Time's up for France's historic 'speaking clock'
For nearly 90 years, anyone in France needing to know what time it is down-to-the-second could ring up the Paris Observatory and get an automated, astronomy-based response. . It all started when in 1933, the astronomer and Paris Observatory director Ernest Esclangon, got fed up with people clogging up the centre's only phone line to ask the official time -- an essential service in the days of mechanical clocks.
Mucky business: Thai prisoners clean Bangkok sewers after pandemic delay
Flecked with sewage, a Thai prisoner grapples with an overflowing bucket as he and his fellow inmates clean Bangkok's congested drains for the first time in two years.. And for at least one of the prisoners, who had less than a year remaining to serve, cleaning the sewers helped him feel better about his past.
Far-flung Hong Kong diaspora linked by 'shared destiny'
Looking back on her decision to leave Hong Kong with her family just before the city's handover from Britain to China 25 years ago, Mary still believes she made the right call.. Under the One Country, Two Systems principle set out with Britain, China agreed that Hong Kong would maintain a high degree of autonomy and independent judicial power and that the city's leader would be appointed by Beijing on the basis of local elections or consultations.
New Danish museum recounts refugees' personal plight
Built on the site of a camp for German World War II refugees, a new Danish museum opening Wednesday shines fresh light on personal stories of forced migration, past and present.. "We have far more refugees worldwide than we had by the end of World War II. So, I suppose the issue is far more relevant today than it has ever been."
