Nepal’s Supreme Court issued an interim order to the government to temporarily register same-sex marriage, a notice by the apex court said. The bench issued the order to the government to make necessary arrangements for registering the marriage of sexual and gender minority couples if they demand so, the directive said. Seven people, including activist Pinky Gurung on behalf of Blue Diamond Society, an LGBTI rights organisation, filed a writ to PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and the office of the council of ministers to legalise same-sex marriage. In the order, the SC has also asked the opponents to furnish a written reply on the issue within 15 days. The petitioners said that they filed the writ as the Nepalese law has obstructed same-sex marriage despite an SC decision, which allowed such marriages 15 years ago.
Monk, child among dozens killed in Myanmar
Air strikes by Myanmar’s military on two villages in the country’s north-central region last week killed nearly a dozen civilians, including a Buddhist monk and a child, according to villagers and the head of a local pro-democracy group. The attacks on Nyaung Kone and Kyarsi villages in Pale township in Sagaing region, also wounded about a dozen people, they said. Sagaing is a stronghold of armed resistance to the ruling military, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. The takeover was met with peaceful demonstrations that were later put down by the security forces with lethal force. Many opponents of military rule then took up arms, and large parts of the country are now struggling with armed conflict that some UN experts have called a civil war.
Malaria cases detected in Texas, Florida
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after five cases of malaria were confirmed, the first locally acquired cases of the disease in the US in 20 years. Four cases of the mosquito-borne illness were confirmed in Florida and one in Texas, the CDC said, adding the cases in the two states did not seem to be related. “All patients have received treatment and are improving,” it said. Florida has issued a mosquito-borne illness alert after cases were discovered in Sarasota County and Manatee County, warning residents to drain standing water where mosquitoes can breed and wear long sleeved shirts and pants. Texas issued a health advisory after a resident who worked outdoors in Cameron County was diagnosed. The Texas health department said no further cases had been identified so far.
NZ to become 1st country to ban thin plastic bags
New Zealand became the first country in the world to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables. The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and silverware, as the government expands a campaign against single-use plastics it started in 2019 when it banned the thicker plastic shopping bags that customers used to carry home their grocery items. These days, most customers bring their own reusable tote bags to stores. Officials estimate that on average, each New Zealander sends more than three-quarters of a ton of waste to landfills every year. Associate environment minister Rachel Brooking said the 2019 bag ban had already prevented over 1 billion plastic bags from being used in New Zealand, and the new ban on thin bags would add a further reduction of 150 million bags per year.
Unwell soccer fan leaves wealth to Neymar in will
Leaving everything you own to a multi-millionaire soccer player would not be everyone’s idea of a good cause, but one Brazilian fan could not think of a more deserving recipient of his worldly goods than Neymar Jr. The anonymous fan said he identified with Neymar, which led him to officially name the Brazil striker in his will. “I am not in very good health. . . I like Neymar, I identify with him a lot. I also suffer with defamation, I am also very family-oriented and the relationship with his father reminds me a lot of mine with my father,” he said. Paris St Germain’s Neymar is one of the world's best paid sportsmen, with estimated earnings of $85 million for 2023 according to Forbes.
Helsinki dy mayor under fire after being caught painting graffiti
The deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is facing possible legal action, and calls for him to pay compensation for damages and to resign, after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency told public broadcaster YLE that cleaning up graffiti illegally painted by Paavo Arhinmäki, one of the four deputy mayors of Helsinki, cost the city around 3,500 euros ($3,830). Arhinmäki, 46, and a friend were caught by guards in a rail tunnel in eastern Helsinki just after they had completed graffiti, which Finnish street art experts said looked partly inspired by works seen in New York City in the 1970s. In a Facebook posting, Arhinmäki apologised for his“stupid fooling around.”
Drugs rain down on French countryside as trafficker panics
A French fighter jet intercepted a tourist plane over a remote Ardeche region of France over the weekend after it flew through restricted airspace near a nuclear plant, leading the pilot of the small aircraft to throw out more than a dozen bags of suspected drugs. The suspected trafficker, a Polish national with a past drugs offence, was arrested after he landed at an airstrip. Investigators found around 15 packages on the ground, containing an estimated 30 kg of a white powder that is being analysed. They also found over $49,000 in the cockpit.
Restrictions on French minors
France approved a new law requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15 years in an effort to protect children online. The legislation is part of a string of moves by the government to reduce children’s screen time and protect them from cyberbullying and other crimes. The “landmark” law would be “applied as soon as possible”, digital transition minister Jean-Noel Barrot. When the exact date the age verification bill will come into force remains unclear following Senate approval, as no specific date was set and the European Commission has yet to check it that it conforms with EU law. Sites will then have a year to comply with the policy for new subscribers, and another two to apply it to existing users.