Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says “all units of the state are mobilised” after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Istanbul and nearby cities on 23 April. “These days are not for politics but for unity, solidarity, and remembering our brotherhood as a nation,” Erdogan adds during the opening ceremony of the UEFA’s Istanbul Office.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israelis in Tel Aviv observe two minutes of silence as sirens wail across the country to mark the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the six million Jews killed in World War II.
Peking (AFP) – Beijing says any claims of ongoing trade talks with Washington were “groundless” after US President Donald Trump played up the prospects of a deal to lower hefty tariffs he imposed on China.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – A “massive” Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Thursday killed at least nine and wounded dozens in one of the deadliest strikes on the Ukrainian capital since Moscow launched its invasion more than three years ago.
Lao Cai (Vietnam) (AFP) – Nguyen Thi Kim’s small verdant community in northern Vietnam no longer exists, wiped away in a landslide triggered by Typhoon Yagi’s devastating heavy rains last September. She and dozens of other survivors have been relocated to a site that authorities hope will withstand future climate change-linked disasters.
Rome (AFP) – Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered in the Vatican City to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis, who died aged 88 on Monday 21 April. A long line of pilgrims and tourists stretches around the sprawling St Peter’s Square, with the Argentine pontiff lying in state ahead of his funeral.
New York (AFP) – Lorelei Crean, 17, is busy visiting colleges, finishing school work, and trying to enjoy Spring Break like any other American teenager. But US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the rights of the LGBTQ community in his first 100 days has forced Crean, who is trans, to take to the streets and become a full-time activist. “It seems like a lawless land,” they say, “so all we can do is keep fighting.”
Torkham (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Islamabad, accusing Afghans of links to narcotics and “supporting terrorism”, announced a new campaign in March to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghans, with or without documents. Many Afghans had lived in Pakistan for decades after fleeing successive wars and crises.
Taif (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – After decades of pruning thorny bushes and working arduous harvests, Khalaf Allah al-Talhi has perfected the art of capturing the fragrant aroma of the desert rose in a bottle. Known as “the city of roses”, the hills of Taif produce around 300 million of the area’s signature pink roses annually at its 800 flower farms. During harvest, workers on Al-Talhi’s farm are able to pick tens of thousands of flowers daily. But after working more than 40 harvests, the greater frequency of erratic weather — including searing summer heat, frigid winters and unexpected flooding — has presented a potent threat to Taif’s famed roses.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis’s body arrives in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilic, where it will lie in state until Saturday’s funeral. The late pontiff’s coffin rests before the Altar of the Confession underneath Michelangelo’s soaring dome.
