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Burkina Faso’s transitional government has passed a law making homosexuality illegal, punishable by two to five years in prison and fines. Foreign nationals convicted could also face deportation, according to Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala.

The law, approved unanimously by the 71-member government in power since a 2022 military coup, is part of wider reforms to family and citizenship rules and is expected to take immediate effect. Rights groups warn it could violate human rights and restrict legal protections. Burkina Faso joins several African countries, including Mali, Uganda, and Ghana, in penalizing same-sex relations, Al Jazeera reported.

Indonesian police fired tear gas near Bandung’s Islamic University (UNISBA) and Pasundan University on Tuesday as protests over government spending and workers’ rights intensified. Students were reportedly injured, and campuses served as temporary medical hubs for demonstrators, according to Reuters.

The unrest, sparked by increased legislative perks and the death of a motorcycle taxi driver hit by a police vehicle, has spread across 32 provinces, leaving at least eight dead. Human rights groups and the UN have criticized security forces’ heavy-handed response, while the arrest of a legal aid director has fueled further controversy.

President Prabowo Subianto engaged with labor unions demanding wage reforms but warned against violence. The protests highlight growing public frustration and a test of his administration’s handling of dissent, Reuters reported.

The death toll from Sunday night’s powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has climbed to 1,411, officials confirmed. The 6.0-magnitude quake also left more than 3,000 people injured, with Kunar province among the hardest hit, Al Jazeera reported.

Rescue teams are racing to find survivors, but access to remote mountain villages remains difficult as roads and communications are cut off. Aid workers warn that many victims are still trapped under rubble.

Afghanistan lies in a quake-prone region, with frequent tremors in the Hindu Kush Mountains where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed that the Federal Reserve must remain independent, even as he admitted it has made “a lot of mistakes.”

Speaking near Washington, he defended President Trump’s dismissal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, who faces mortgage fraud allegations, insisting the move was not an attempt to take control of the central bank. Bessent said the Fed’s structure prevents any administration from “stacking the board,” adding that markets remain stable with stocks at record highs, according to Reuters.

He argued Cook should resign if the accusations are proven and urged the Senate to quickly confirm Stephen Miran as interim head of the Council of Economic Advisers following Adriana Kugler’s resignation.