Turkey must ‘get rid of authoritarian regime’: Kilicdaroglu
Ankara (AFP) – Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu urges voters to “get rid of this authoritarian regime” in Sunday’s historic presidential runoff election.
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Opposition candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu votes for the run-off
Ankara (AFP) – Turkey’s social democrat opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu votes for the run-off in a historic presidential election that pits him against head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. IMAGES
Erdogan praises participation rates ahead of Turkey vote
Istanbul (AFP) – While attending a ceremony at Istanbul’s Adnan Menderes mausoleum, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praises the elections’ participation rates. “Turkey has demonstrated its difference by organising the elections in a transparent and fair manner, as well as the level of participation, which is globally unprecedented,” he says ahead of the presidential run-off.
Erdogan’s ‘friends’ in Turkey’s conservative heartland expect ‘a reward’ in return for votes
Bayburt (Turkey) (AFP) – In Bayburt, with its old Fiat cars, teahouse games of backgammon and yellow tulips, life seems calm. In this village, in eastern Anatolia, support for the “Erdogan fortress” is massive. This green, rural province is the least populated in Turkey, with just 84,00 inhabitants, and the smallest contributor to the country’s GDP. But it was also the province that voted most wholeheartedly for incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the first round of the presidential elections on May 14, giving him almost 80% of its vote, compared with 49.5% nationwide. “Our expectation from Tayyip Erdogan is to give us a reward” says Yusuf Yolcu, a small business owner in Bayburt, “it would be great if he rewards us in return, if he builds a factory for us, provides us with employment opportunities.”
Sofia Salomon: angling to become first trans Miss Venezuela
Caracas (AFP) – Sofia Salomon is the picture of concentration as she poses in bathing suits and evening wear for a photo shoot in preparation for what could be an historic campaign. The 25-year-old model is hoping to become the first-ever transgender woman to vie for the Miss Venezuela crown.
Cannes: Orlando Bloom, ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell present ‘Gran Turismo’ film
British actor Orlando Bloom and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell present the film “Gran Turismo”, an adaptation of the popular video game. The film is set to be released in 2023.
Mexico president urges US Latinos to shun DeSantis
Mexico City (AFP) – Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador calls on US Latino voters not to support Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who launched his bid to oust President Joe Biden with a promise to “shut down” the border.
‘Can’t recycle our way out of this mess,’ UN environment chief says of climate crisis
Paris (AFP) – Speaking ahead of a second round of negotiations aimed at reaching an international treaty against plastic, Inger Andersen, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme, is encouraging a complete redesign of consumer habits.
Cannes: Inside the world of the film festival’s influencers
Cannes (France) (AFP) – A growing number of people walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival have no connection with the film industry, but are instead influencers. Among them is Hofit Golan, with over three million followers on Instagram.
Preserving heritage: Ethiopians recreate ancient manuscripts
Addis Ababa (AFP) – Priests and lay worshippers at the Hamere Berhan Institute in Addis Ababa, in the historic heart of the Ethiopian capital, work by hand to replicate sacred parchment manuscripts that are fast fading from their culture.
