Eldorado do Sul (Brazil) (AFP) – Some 400 municipalities have been hit by the worst natural calamity ever to hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with at least 107 people dead and hundreds injured.
Malmö (Sweden) (AFP) – The war in Gaza looms over the Eurovision song contest, with thousands taking to the streets of host city Malmo, in Sweden, to protest against Israel’s participation in the event.
Moscow (AFP) – At Russia’s Victory Day parade, President Vladimir Putin says the country’s strategic nuclear forces are “always on alert”. “Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us” he says, addressing a large audience on Moscow’s Red Square for the bombastic event marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
Istanbul (AFP) – Six-year-old Kuki and one-and-a-half-year old Alita recently joined the ‘official staff’ of Istanbul Airport, one of the bussiest in the world, with a mission to provide comfort for tense travellers.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Gazans inspect the rubble after a strike on a building in Rafah. “They have been saying they will declare a truce since the start of the war. They are just lying,” says the owner of a destroyed house. Israel says the city is home to Hamas’s last remaining battalions. US President Joe Biden has vowed to cut off artillery shells and other weapons supplied to Israel if a full-scale offensive into Rafah goes ahead.
Rayong (Thailand) (AFP) – One person has died in a massive blaze on an industrial park housing a gas storage facility in eastern Thailand, officials said Thursday. Four people were also hurt in the blaze, and some 200 evacuated.
London (AFP) – At a press conference in London, UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, says the government “does not have a supply of weapons to Israel” before adding that the UK has a number of licences for arms sales that make up less than one percent of Israel’s total. The former prime minister goes on to say that the UK does not support a major operation in Rafah as it currently stands and will not until it can be sure there is a “very clear plan for how to protect people, save lives and all the rest of it.”
Hellisheidi (Iceland) (AFP) – Swiss start-up Climeworks unveils its second plant in Iceland sucking carbon dioxide from the air and stocking it underground, scaling up its capacity tenfold with the aim of eliminating millions of tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
Cairns (Australia) (AFP) – Toxicologist Jamie Seymour runs a facility studying Australia’s deadliest marine animals in a bid to understand them and keep people safe. His team milks sea creatures of their venom to create life-saving antivenoms.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue lights up with messages appealing for donations for the flood victims in Rio do Grande Sul. The state in southern Brazil has been hit by torrential rains and flooding, leaving at least 100 people dead and some 400 muncipalities affected.
