Whipsnade (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Benja, a baby southern white rhino frolics around its 21-acre paddock in the spring sunshine alongside its mother, Jaseera, at Whipsnade Zoo, north of the UK capital. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that there about 16,903 white rhinos left in the wild, with their numbers having been decimated by poaching.
North Sulawesi (Indonesia) (AFP) – After days of repeated volcanic eruptions in the area, authorities in northern Indonesia are evacuating prison inmates and local residents. Mount Ruang, in North Sulawesi, began spewing a cloud of ash more than a mile into the sky in the evening of April 16, with debris damaging nearby homes.
Nagaur (India) (AFP) – Indian election officials get set on the eve of the world’s biggest democratic vote, in which 968 million are eligible to cast their ballots across a six-week period. The marathon duration of the vote is an effort to ease the immense logistical challenge and takes into account local weather, religious festivals, farm harvests and school holidays across the country.
Capri (Italy) (AFP) – “If Ukraine loses, Putin will never sit at a peace table” says Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, as he opens a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Capri. Also on the agenda are the escalating tensions in the Middle East, with Tajani explaining that those at the meeting would have to “address how to sanction Iran in some way” following the country’s attack on Israel.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Leonardo Muylaert went viral on social media thanks to an unexpected superpower that has changed his life: his resemblance to Superman. The Brazilian lawyer then decided to get a Superman suit and try the alter ego on for size.
Bogotá (AFP) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro holds a welcoming ceremony for his Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at the Casa Narino Presidential Palace in Bogota. IMAGES
North Sulawesi (Indonesia) (AFP) – Images released by the Indonesian Center for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation show Mount Ruang erupting, sending vast plumes of smoke and molten lava into the air. Ruang is located on a small island north of Indonesia’s Sulawesi. Authorities have evacuated local residents to a nearby island.
Yangon (AFP) – About 200 to 300 relatives and friends wait outside Yangon’s Insein prison to meet with released prisoners after Myanmar’s military junta announced a pardon for more than 3,300 prisoners under a regular amnesty to mark the country’s Buddhist New Year. Wednesday’s prisoner amnesty includes 13 Indonesians and 15 Sri Lankans who will be deported, the junta said.
Berlin (AFP) – At a press conference in Berlin, Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock calls for the European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Iranian drone technology after Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – People in Gaza queue for hours to buy subsidised bread from a bakery in northern Gaza after fresh supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP)were able to access heavily blockaded area.
