India, Syria, Senegal
Today's three stories you should know
India
Police in India have used tear gas, water cannons and baton charges against thousands of young people as they protested alleged wrongdoing in civil service examinations in the eastern Jharkhand state, including the leaking of exam papers. The demonstration followed weeks of headline-grabbing protests in the capital Delhi, also over exam paper leaks, that led to the resignation of the country’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month. The protesters in Jharkhand, who were marching on the state legislature in the city of Ranchi, are demanding an overhaul of Jharkhand’s examination system, the cancellation of some tests and an investigation by the federal police.
More from Reuters here.
Episode 11 of The Proximities Podcast is live. This week, I spoke to Eric Reidy, Migration & Special Coverage Editor for The New Humanitarian, to dig into what really happened in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa last week beyond the headlines. Our conversation is on Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here and YouTube here.
Syria
Damascus and Moscow have come to a deal over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases in Syria, with Moscow agreeing to end its use of the facilities as military outposts. Russia was the key political and military ally of former leader Bashar al-Assad as he fought a 13-year war against armed groups of which current President Ahmed al-Sharaa was a prominent leader. Under the agreement, Syria will take control of the bases, and the military facilities at both sites will become “joint training and qualification centers.” Russia did not intervene in the lightning offensive that toppled Assad in 2024, but it did provide him and his family asylum in Moscow, where they remain.
More from France 24 here.
Senegal
Seventy-one men have been arrested in Senegal and charged with “unnatural acts,” the public prosecutor’s office said, as a crackdown on the LGBT+ community appeared to intensify. Senegal passed a harsh new anti-gay law in April that doubled to 10 years the maximum prison sentence for people engaging in same-sex relations. More than 100 people have been charged since the law was introduced, including celebrities. Analysts say that the government often uses repression of LGBT+ people as a populist attempt at drawing support.
More from Africa News here.