Pride in Kinshasa as Congolese rumba joins UNESCO’s World Heritage List

With New York's annual Pride parade staying virtual for the second year running due to the pandemic, thousands of New Yorkers attend the alternative Queer Liberation March instead.

"Pride is back at the White House," US President Joe Biden tells a group of gay rights activists, transgender military service members and youth, and officials during a commemoration of the month that celebrates LGBTQ life in America. Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg - the first-ever openly gay cabinet member - warn against the rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation in statehouses across the US.

The Movistar Arena and the Colpatria tower in the Colombian capital Bogota light up in rainbow colours to mark pride month global celebrations.

The historic town in northern Ethiopia is famous for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches. The US has urged for rebels to "protect this cultural heritage" and to end the violence.

In the middle of a Hong Kong shopping mall, scores of people scream and chant - but it's nothing to do with protests. The crowd is gathered to see Mirror, the latest boy band frenzy sweeping the troubled city, where many are desperate for escapism and local pride.

Thousands braved the rainy weather to celebrate LGBTQ rights in Cologne, while also following COVID-related restrictions. The route was altered to avoid overcrowding.

Performers dressed in cans, tubes, mirrors and other materials salvaged from rubbish bins parade through the streets of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the 5th edition of the "KinAct" festival, which aims to raise awareness of the environment as well as art.

An opposition demonstration, banned by the authorities, is quickly supressed by the police in Kinshasa who proceed to arrest people. Local leader of the opposition party Martin Fayulu also becomes embroiled with the police during the demonstration. Along the road, a large police presence is visible for several kilometres, from the Palais du peuple (the seat of parliament, in the north of the capital) to the popular district of Tshangu.

Today's Focus takes us to Kinshasa, DRC's sprawling capital city, where growing addiction to "bombé," a new artisanal drug, is rattling authorities. The lethargy-inducing mixture is made of crushed pills (often opioids but composition varies) and chemical residue that's been filtered through exhaust pipes.

Kinshasa, a megalopolis of at least 12 million people, is known for its heaps of rubbish and rivers covered with plastic bottles. The Clean Plast company collects, processes, and recycles all types of plastic waste in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the aim of cleaning up the city.

Poland's lower house of parliament will debate a law barring Pride parades on Thursday. The bill was put forward by a conservative anti-abortion rights group that gathered the necessary signatures.