Stockholm (AFP) – People gather in the Kungstradgarden park in central Stockholm to admire the blooming of the Swedish capital’s cherry blossoms. On 11 April, Sweden posted its earliest ever start to what it considers to be “summer”, with three southern towns posting average temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius for five straight days, according to the Scandinavian country’s meteorological service.
Berlin (AFP) – German police officers remove several protesters at Berlin’s Humboldt University as a few hundred students stage a sit-in to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza over Israel’s war with Hamas. Demonstrations have struck education institutions in several European cities in recent weeks, echoing the mass Gaza protests that have led to clashes in US universities.
Suaq Balimbing (Indonesia) (AFP) – Scientists have observed an orangutan applying medicinal herbs to a face wound in an apparently successful attempt to heal an injury, the first time such behaviour has been recorded. The apparent treatment seen by researchers in Indonesia in 2022, and reported in the journal Nature Scientific Reports on 2 May, is the first time a wild animal has been seen applying medicinal plants to a wound.
Washington (AFP) – Joe Biden faces a tough reelection battle this November, but for one day at least The Force was with him, after legendary “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill made a surprise visit to the White House to meet the US president. Hamill, 72, who played the powerful Jedi knight Luke Skywalker in the film series and is a vocal Democratic Party supporter, jokes that he asked Biden if he could call him “Joe-bi Wan Kenobi”.
Sanaa (AFP) – Thousands of Huthi supporters take to the streets of Sanaa in Yemen in solidarity with the Gaza Strip as the rebel group threatens to extend their attacks on Israel-linked shipping to the Mediterranean after months of strikes on vessels in the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Huthis, who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping since November, prompting US and British reprisals.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – UK foreign minister David Cameron visits Kyiv and is received by president Volodymyr Zelensky, as he promises to back Ukraine “for as long as it takes” against Russia’s invasion. His visit comes after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced £500 million in additional military funding for Kyiv, with the goal of reaching £3 billion per year.
Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) – Vehicles navigate flooded streets in Arbil as heavy downpours struck Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region for the second day.
Fujikawaguchiko (Japan) (AFP) – A small Japanese town begins erecting a barrier to block views of the country’s most famous sight, Mount Fuji, after locals complained of bad behaviour by photo-hungry tourists.
(AFP) – The body of an Israeli man who was murdered during the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7 was held in Gaza, the government and the kibbutz where he had lived, said on Friday. Dror Or, 49, is the latest hostage to have been confirmed dead by Israel after being captured during the Hamas attack. The attack that triggered the Gaza war, left around 1,170 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. The militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 34,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. SOUNDBITE
Paris (AFP) – French students from several Paris campuses gather at Place de la Sorbonne square to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
