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Pakistan: Male contraception still taboo despite looming demographic crisis

One of Pakistan’s greatest challenges is controlling its rapidly growing population. With more than 258 million inhabitants, the country is already the fifth most populous in the world. By 2030, its population could surpass 300 million, pushing Pakistan into fourth place globally, ahead of Indonesia. This rapid demographic growth is far outpacing the country’s capacity for socio-economic development and infrastructure expansion. In several key social sectors, Pakistan continues to lag behind neighbouring India and Bangladesh. Yet contraception remains largely taboo in a society shaped by strong traditional values, where it is sometimes viewed as religiously forbidden. A report by Shahzaib Wahlah and Ondine de Gaulle, in collaboration with Hameer M.

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Rough start. #grickledoodle #lordoftherings #tolkien #horror #rough #focus…

Rough start. #grickledoodle #lordoftherings #tolkien #horror #rough #focus #eyeofsauron #cartoon #art #drawing #funny #humor

A cartoon illustration of the Eye of Sauron sitting on a couch with a cup of coffee scrolling his phone in a messy apartment. Caption reads "The Eye of Sauron just couldn't get focused that day."
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New Zealand sees brain drain to Australia amid stagnating economy

New Zealand is facing a major brain drain. Even former prime minister Jacinda Ardern has chosen to relocate to Australia. Her decision has reignited a debate over the country's persistent struggle to retain its talent, against a backdrop of a stagnating economy and a soaring cost of living. Our Auckland correspondent Emma Garboud-Lorenzoni reports.

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Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Review: Autofocus Zoom for a Bargain

A close-up of a camera lens with visible reflections, lying on a dark marbled surface. The image includes a "PetaPixel Reviews" banner in the lower left corner.

Even now in 2026, autofocusing lens design out of the Chinese manufacturers is still in its relative infancy. We have seen some excellent autofocus-equipped prime lenses from companies like Sirui and Viltrox, but who knew that a manufacturer known for making boutique manual-focusing M-mount lenses would be the first to market with a zoom?

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World Cup 2026: Fans in Houston deterred by soaring ticket prices

The fan zones are open, the stadiums are ready and the biggest World Cup in history is officially underway in the US, Mexico and Canada. Seven matchs are planned in Houston, Texas. The host city expects to attract around half a million visitors and an economic windfall of $1.5 billion. Yet some hotels remain half empty and many fans complain that soaring ticket prices have made the tournament unaffordable. FRANCE 24's Pierrick Leurent and Wassim Cornet report. 

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As British town councils face budget cuts, local residents lend a helping hand

Peeling paint, rundown roundabouts and shuttered post offices: in recent years, local public services across the United Kingdom have been in steady decline. But in some communities, volunteers have decided to step in – filling the gaps where the state has fallen short. Our France 2 colleagues report from Yorkshire, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.

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7R509604

schildzilla posted a photo:

7R509604

🌹 Some shots with my TTArtisan 100mm F2.8 Bubble Bokeh mounted on my Techart LM-EA9 Autofocus adapter. Not the best lighting conditions for bubbles, but still ok.
👗 You can find more photos of this beautiful woman within her album here and on her Instagram account
www.instagram.com/oui_mariii/
👠 More photos of her coming soon.
🌹 Follow me to don't miss any new photos of her and other beautiful models!

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Extreme heatwaves: Indians struggle and suffer from water shortages

In late April, 98 of the world's 100 hottest cities were located in India. From mid-April to May 2026, daily maximum temperatures exceeded 46°C across large parts of the country. During extreme heat, lack of access to cooling can mean the difference between life and death in the world's most populous country. While government data puts the heatwave death toll at 37, social activists say that figure falls far short of the reality faced by people forced to work in scorching temperatures. The heat stress has also been compounded by acute water shortages in several parts of India. FRANCE 24's Navodita Kumari and Fantine Dantzer report.

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