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Sudan

SUDANESE police said yesterday that two protesters were killed and 54 security personnel injured in demonstrations in the capital Khartoum that took place a day ago.

Sixty suspects were arrested during the protests, the police said in a statement, which blamed the protesters for committing violence against the security forces, Xinhua news agency said.

New demonstrations were staged on Thursday in the capital city to demand that the authority be handed over to a civilian government. The protesters had attempted to reach the presidential palace, but the security forces used tear gas to disperse them. | IANS

France

FRANCE’S lower house of parliament has passed a bill tightening Covid-19 measures, after three days of debates fuelled by President Emmanuel Macron’s warning that he wanted to “piss off” the unvaccinated.

The bill would require a full course of vaccination to enjoy basic parts of life, including inter-city train travel, attending events or eating out.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 wave engulfing France could reach its peak in around 10 days’ time, said Professor Alain Fischer, an official responsible for France’s Covid vaccine strategy. | AFP

United Kingdom

THE European Court of Human Rights has rejected a case brought over a UK bakery’s refusal to bake a “gay wedding cake”, saying British legal options had to be exhausted before it would get involved.

Plaintiff Gareth Lee, of Belfast, Northern Ireland, ordered a cake in 2014 for a gay activist event.

He asked a Christian bakery to adorn the cake with an image of bedroomsharing characters Bert and Ernie from the US television show Sesame Street and add the slogan “Support Gay Marriage”.

The Ashers Baking Company took the order but then declined to meet the special requests, apologised and refunded Lee’s money. | AFP

Cryptocurrency

KOSOVO’S government introduced a ban on cryptocurrency mining this week in an attempt to curb electricity consumption as the country faces the worst energy crisis in a decade due to production outages.

Due to cheap power prices in

Kosovo in recent years, many young people in Kosovo have got involved in crypto mining.

Faced with coal-fired power plant outages and high import prices, the authorities were forced last month to introduce power cuts | AFP