Ankara (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded defeat on Sunday in the country’s local elections, deeming the vote a “turning point” for his party after two decades in power.
Morelia (Mexico) (AFP) – Forensics and security forces work at the scene after a mayor was shot dead in Mexico, the latest politically related killing in the country plagued by violence and organized crime. Guillermo Torres, 39, and his 14-year-old son were attacked at a restaurant in Morelia, the capital of western Michoacan state, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. His son survived. IMAGES
Sintra (Portugal) (AFP) – Every year on Good Friday, hundreds of Portuguese gather on Magoito beach in the Sintra region to collect mussels in an effort to respect the Christian custom of not eating meat on the Easter holiday.
Washington (AFP) – Kites take to the sky in the annual Blossom Kite Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The event is part of the festivities of the nearly month-long National Cherry Blossom Festival, honouring the relationship between the United States and Japan.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis presides over Easter Mass in St Peter’s Square, ahead of his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, amid concerns about the 87-year-old pontiff’s patchy health.
Pantin (France) (AFP) – At a time when the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are set to usher in a new era for open water swimming in the Seine, a group of intrepid swimmers known as “Ourcq Polaires” meet up every week in the Ourcq canal, defying the 1923 swimming ban, to enjoy the benefits of cold water swimming and rediscover a “natural” environment.
La Roche-Posay (France) (AFP) – Heavy rain and overflowing rivers flood parts of western France, causing at least one disappearance and the mobilisation of more than 500 firefighters. In La Roche-Posay, western France, the river Creuse is expected to rise close to the all-time 1896 record of 7m3.
Deir el-Balah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Displaced Gazans set up a tent-like structure made of food cans delivered to the war-torn strip through aid packages, an attempt to “think out of the box” and show the world their dependence on aid deliveries, amid the humanitarian crisis brought by the deadly Israel-Hamas war.
Peruvian investigative police break down the door of President Dina Boluarte’s home as part of an ongoing corruption investigation related to undisclosed luxury watches. IMAGES
Belgorod Region (Russia) (AFP) – In Russia’s Belgorod region, near the Ukrainian border, children are being evacuated by train after regional authorities announced 9,000 minors would be moved to other regions. The move follows weeks of deadly bombardment from Kyiv in the region, repeatedly targeted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
