Worries about Elnaz Rekabi's whereabouts grew after she competed without a hijab at an event in South Korea. She later expressed regret for causing "concerns," but Iranian activists feel her statement was coerced.

A cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast, leaving nine people dead. Flooding has been reported in several cities, including the capital Dhaka.

Luisa Neubauer, a prominent German activist with Fridays for Future, told DW that world leaders underestimate "the amount of mistrust" felt by vulnerable countries at this year's UN climate talks in Egypt.

The human rights defender Bianca Jagger continues her battle against the political repression of the Ortega regime in Nicaragua, where she was born. Several bishops and priests are incarcerated in Nicaragua, where the Catholic Church is suspected of supporting the opposition.

German climate activist Luisa Neubauer has criticized Germany's track record on climate action and expressed doubt about the country's commitment to climate goals. "While there are promises of an 'accelerated transition' and 'more renewables,' there's also German funding going into new fossil fuels all around the world, and, in particular, on the African continent," she told DW at the COP27 climat

Bangladesh's ruling Awami League has a firm grip on the country's politics, and experts say electoral reform is needed to break the one-party monopoly.

Cities across China have rolled back some Covid-19 restrictions, requiring less testing and allowing people to isolate at home instead of in quarantine centres. The authorities have been careful not to send any signal that the relaxing of rules were in any way a response to rare displays of public discontent.

Climate change is having an immense impact on African countries and people need more information and awareness. That's the view of a leading climate activist from Kenya, who has her own climate podcast and spoke recently at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. Abigael Kima has seen the effects of climate change on her home community in the west of Kenya and has now turned her attention to trying to change attitudes.

"We just have to continue with the sanctions, especially with the political sanctions and the financial sanctions that hurt the single people who are part of this government — of this murderous government," Iranian-German filmmaker Siba Shakib told DW.

A woman who is leading what is quickly becoming a worldwide campaign to stop sexual violence has told FRANCE 24 why she believes consent education in schools is the best way to drastically reduce the problem. Chanel Contos was sexually assaulted at just 13 years old and at the time didn't even realise that what happened to her was wrong.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Hamed Esmaeilion as to why he believes the Iranian authorities intentionally “sacrificed” the 176 passengers of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 shot down on January 8, 2020. Esmaeilion told Marc Perelman why the ongoing protests in Iran “can't be silenced and will continue until the end of the Islamic regime”.

Five men appeared in court on Monday in connection to the murder of prominent Kenyan LGBTQ activist and designer, Edwin Chiloba.