It has gone from the sidelines of American sport to become a competitive global phenomenon that might one day make the Olympics. We meet the international teams bringing the cheer When photographer Christian Sinibaldi first visited world champion cheerleaders London’s Unity Allstars Black, in January 2020, he had no expectations. In fact, he admits , he had “a few stigmas associated with cheerleaders”. What he learned that day surprised him. “I loved the energy, the connection between people,” he says. It kickstarted a fascination that would take him around the world to capture a sport on the ..read more

More than 27,000 lightning strikes recorded across France as heavy rain warnings issued in New Zealand As Storm Pierrick affected France this week, a tornado was reported to have damaged about 15 homes in Lestrem, a village of about 5,000 people in the Pas-de-Calais in northern France. The tornado formed as part of a series of severe thunderstorms that hit the region on Monday night. Winds reached about 75mph (120km/h), making this an EF0 event, the lowest strength for tornado classification. A second line of thunderstorms developed across France that night, spanning from the Belgian border in ..read more

Local authorities in Kazakhstan have started blowing up artificial dams in an effort to lower water levels in flooded areas. The deluge of meltwater has forced more than 110,000 people from their homes in Kazakhstan, Russia's Ural Mountains and Siberia as major rivers such as the Ural, which flows through Kazakhstan into the Caspian, overwhelmed embankments ..read more

Kremlin official warns of more difficult days ahead after towns and cities overwhelmed by major rivers swollen by snowmelt Russia and Kazakhstan have ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years. The deluge of meltwater overwhelmed many settlements in the Ural mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan close to rivers such as the Ural and Tobol, which local officials said had risen by metres in a matter of hours to the highest levels ever recorded ..read more

Boat drivers from former Soviet republics often have very little experience and no idea what they are doing is illegal, say NGOs People smugglers are increasingly recruiting people from former Soviet republics in central Asia to pilot boats carrying migrants from Turkey to Italy, say NGOs and lawyers. The migrants are taken by sea from Turkey to Italy, often using sailing boats, as an alternative to the longer overland route through the Balkans where border guards in Croatia and Slovenia have engaged in illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers at the EU border ..read more

Since 2014, millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities have been locked up in China and subjected to torture and forced labour. Some of those released talk about trying to rebuild their lives in neighbouring Kazakhstan Photography by Robin Tutenges ..read more

With the rivers that feed it drying up, less rainfall and a hotter climate, the world’s largest inland body of water is in peril. With five countries sharing it, can the political will to save this unique habitat be found? Text and photographs by Christian Sinibaldi ‘I used to jump from this rock into the sea just 10 years ago,” says Azamat Sarsenbayev, a 33-year-old videographer and environmental activist. “Now people are sitting on rocks that were once under water. I remember, as a kid, the sea was much deeper.” On his Instagram page, Sarsenbayev highlights the natural beauty of the Mangys ..read more

French president compliments leader for refusing to side with Moscow over Ukraine The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has vowed to boost cooperation with Kazakhstan at a time of “multiple crises in the world” as he began a trip to central Asia, a region long regarded as Russia’s back yard, which has drawn fresh western attention since the war in Ukraine began. At a meeting with Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Macron complimented the country for refusing to side with Moscow on Ukraine and announced business deals, including a declaration of intent for a partnership in the much ..read more

Fire at Kostenko mine is latest in series of deadly incidents, and has prompted nationalisation of global company’s local affiliate Kazakhstan was in national mourning on Sunday after 45 people died in a fire at an ArcelorMittal mine, the worst accident in the central Asian country’s post-Soviet history. The tragedy, which struck at the Kostenko coalmine in the Karaganda region on Saturday, came after a series of deadly incidents at ArcelorMittal mines and has prompted the nationalisation of the company’s local affiliate ..read more

Legislation under debate stipulates share of state language on television and radio should grow to 70% Kazakhstan has announced efforts to promote the use of the Kazakh language over Russian in its media, amid growing scepticism over Moscow’s influence in the country since the invasion of Ukraine. Kazakh is the official language of the former Soviet republic in central Asia, but Russian is recognised too and is widely spoken among the tightly controlled country’s population of about 20 million ..read more