Until she got married two years ago, Safaa Mohamed used to wear a burkini when she went swimming in the sea. But her husband put a stop to that — even though he enjoys the water every summer in the coastal city of Alexandria. “My husband says it’s inappropriate because [the burkini] is too tight and [shows] my legs,” says Mohamed, a 28-year-old homemaker.

Now, she has found an answer — an extra-long loose burkini that frequently comes with a burqa — that’s dividing Egypt over questions of gender, religion, safety and discrimination, all centered on an unlikely subject: swimwear.

Like any 22-year-old, Agnes Chow Ting loves to listen to music — contemporary Japanese songs are her favorite — and let loose at karaoke bars. But unlike others her age, she hasn’t been able to unwind in a long time. “My city is burning; there is no time for ‘me time,’” says the Hong Kong pro-democracy leader who has been able to do the unthinkable — rattle the mighty and powerful China.

For months, chaos and anti-government protests have roiled Hong Kong. The protests that began in June over plans to allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China — a proposal withdrawn in September — show no sign of stopping. With every passing day, the violence unleashed on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters by authorities is escalating, with the shooting of a protester last week followed by a ban on face masks. Chow and her fellow activists from the political organization Demosistō are livid.