Indonesia (AFP) – Thousands of people have been evacuated after Indonesia’s Mount Ruang started erupting on 30 April, spewing lava and ash more than five kilometres into the sky. Authorities have issued the highest level of alert due to the threat of a tsunami from debris sliding into the sea.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong was lashed by nearly 10,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, according to data from the city’s weather observatory.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renews calls for Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal as he starts talks with Israel’s leadership in Tel Aviv.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Chicken with potatoes, carrot-and-cabbage salad: it looks like a detox meal, but it’s the menu at a school cafeteria in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is seeking new ways to fight childhood obesity.
Manila (AFP) – A Philippine zoo is giving tigers frozen treats made of animal blood and preventing lions from mating during the hottest time of the day as a heatwave scorches the country.
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing warns the Philippines to stop “provocative actions” after Manila said the China Coast Guard used water cannon on two of its vessels in the South China Sea, causing damage to one of them. Manila and Beijing have a long history of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, with several collisions involving Philippine and Chinese vessels in recent months.
Odesa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters battle huge flames engulfing the top floor of the Odesa Law Academy’s Palace of Students building, after a Russian ballistic missile containing cluster munitions targeted the highly populated area. At least five people were killed.
Le Mesnil-le-Roi (France) (AFP) – “Heritage” or “ruin”? In Le Mesnil-Le-Roi, west of Paris, a building requisitioned in World War II, labelled as a ‘German brothel’, continues to divide opinions 80 years later.
Sciez (France) (AFP) – An ornithological park in the French Alps is reintroducing the white-tailed eagle – considered the largest eagle in Europe – and raising public awareness of the predator, 130 years after the species went extinct in mainland France.
Rohtak (India) (AFP) – Choreographer Sahil Kumar found fame showcasing folk dances on TikTok, garnering more than 1.5 million followers, but his profile has been dormant since his last video four years ago, just before India’s decision to ban the platform. “Our sources of income stopped, and our connections were affected,” says the influencer, now gathering just under 94,000 people on Instagram.
