Washington, United States | AFP |  Confederate monuments are coming down and statues of Christopher Columbus are being toppled as Americans grapple with the ghosts of the country’s racial history in the wake of George Floyd’s death. “It seems like maybe we’ve hit a tipping point in the retelling of the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | From cardboard cut-outs in the stands to Zoom watch parties, the return of the Premier League will be a bizarre experience for locked-out supporters. The English top-flight resumes behind closed doors on Wednesday, with fans forced to adapt to an unsettling new normal due to …

Mopti, Mali | AFP |  After a busy day juggling paperwork and meetings, Brehima Traore, deputy director of a hospital in war-torn Mali, may have hoped for some rest. Then his phone rang: he was needed in the operating room. Traore is one of the doctors who keeps the hospital in …

Washington, United States | AFP |  President Donald Trump plans to address the new graduating class of the West Point military academy Saturday, as relations with the Pentagon fray over accusations that he has politicized the US military. Tensions have soared in two weeks since Trump threatened to call out active …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  George Takei, the pioneering Asian American “Star Trek” actor and LGBTQ icon, said massive anti-racism protests this month show the US is “making progress” on diversity, but warned the pandemic is renewing deep-rooted prejudices. Speaking to AFP ahead of his address at the University …

Montreal, Canada | AFP |  Students soon to graduate from Montreal’s esteemed National Circus School expect months of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has closed shows around the world and thrust their career prospects into doubt. Head upside down, feet pointed to the sky, Antino Pansa balances on a …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  From dress designers to hat makers to the hospitality sector, Royal Ascot is usually a lucrative source of income for a whole industry connected with one of Britain’s most feted social and sporting events. However, Queen Elizabeth II will be absent this year, dresses will …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  Bayern Munich could secure an eighth straight Bundesliga title this weekend, but host Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday without suspended duo Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski. Bayern will be confirmed champions with a win on Saturday if second-placed Borussia Dortmund lose at relegation-threatened Fortuna Duesseldorf earlier in …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The General Assembly of Forum for Academic Staff of Public Universities in Uganda (FASPU) has elected Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi as the new chairperson.  Leaders of several public university Academic staff associations on Thursday converged at Kyambogo University to elect the forum’s executive committee.  The …

Havana, Cuba | AFP |  Cuba is planning to welcome tourists with COVID-19 tests and limit their contact with locals as part of a raft of measures designed to get its vital tourism industry back up and running. The government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel said it would gradually open up the …