- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
Taiwan LGBTQ activists hold Valentine's Day marriage law protest
LGBTQ activists in Taiwan braved a Valentine's Day downpour Monday to protest against the island's same-sex marriage law, which critics say falls short of full recognition for many international couples.
Under the law, Taiwanese people may legally wed foreigners but only from countries that also recognise marriage equality.
Taiwan's courts have been open to considering challenges on a case by case basis, but that requires the presence of both partners -- an impossible task for many as foreign tourists are banned during the pandemic.
"It's not me who loves the wrong person -- it's the government that fails to correct its mistake," said Andrew Chuang, who has been separated from his Japanese partner for more than two years.
He was among the dozens of LGBTQ activists and couples who gathered in front of Taiwan's seat of executive power to protest against the rules.
They tied hundreds of yellow ribbons around the compound's metal gates -- a reference to the 1973 hit song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", in which lovers yearn to be reunited.
Each ribbon had the names and nationalities of separated couples, along with the number of days they have spent apart.
Foreign arrivals in Taiwan are currently limited to a few categories, including diplomats, some international students, migrant workers from select countries.
Those able to stay on work or student visas are scared of future separations with no end in sight for the pandemic.
Taiwanese social worker Joyce Chan's partner of eight years, Queenie Oyong, is currently on a student visa but is afraid that a return to her native Philippines -- where same-sex marriage is banned -- could lead to an indefinite separation.
"We don't just want to be each other's Valentines -- we want to become a real family," Chan said at the protest as she knelt on the ground during her plea to the authorities.
So far, three couples have won their challenges in court and have been allowed to wed despite the foreign partner being from a country that does not recognise same-sex marriage.
Home to a thriving LGBTQ community, Taiwan has recorded more than 7,000 same-sex marriages since the law was passed in 2019.
Y.Nakamura--AMWN