Athens (AFP) – Workers sort out ballots at a warehouse in Athens to be distributed throughout the capital ahead of Greece’s elections on May 21, widely anticipated to be the most unpredictable national polls in a decade.
Beijing (AFP) – A Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the central Indian Ocean and a multi-national search and rescue operation is underway to locate the mariners, says Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
Mykolaiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters and emergency workers put out fires and search for residents overnight after a Russian missile strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. According to the city’s mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, at least six high-rise buildings were damaged as a result of the strike. “A shopping mall and a car showroom, several shops and a public transport stop were damaged, an industrial infrastructure facility was hit. So far, we’re aware of one injured person” he said via Telegram.
Berlin (AFP) – Any decision to send F16 fighter jets to Ukraine rests on the White House, says German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius. Speaking at a joint press conference with UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, Pistorius says that, despite a jet “coalition” announced by Britain and the Netherlands this week, matters relating to the F16 “are not questions that are answered in Berlin”. Pistorius’ comments echo those made by Wallace.
Faenza (Italy) (AFP) – Italian coastguard rescues two elderly people who took refuge on the roof of their flooded house in Faenza, as heavy rains cause devastation across the northern Emilia Romagna region. At least eight people have died and thousands have been evacuated, according to officials
Forlì (Italy) (AFP) – Images show firefighters searching for and helping people in flooded areas of Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region. Authorities say the flooding has so far killed three people, with local mayors warning residents they are still in danger.
Hiroshima (Japan) (AFP) – Security is tight at every G7 summit, but this year’s host Japan has more to prove than most, after an attack last month on the prime minister and the 2022 assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe. Some 24,000 security personnel are reportedly being deployed to Hiroshima during the summit, most dispatched from other parts of the country.
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party picks Hou Yu-ih, the island’s popular mayor of New Taipei City, as the presidential candidate.
Sittwe (Myanmar) (AFP) – Rohingya families in the Ohn Taw Chay camp pick through the piles of debris that had once roofed their homes after Cyclone Mocha snapped bridges, downed power lines and ruptured close-lying huts in displacement camps and villages across Rakhine state, leaving tens of thousands of the persecuted minority even more on the edge. +ALSO SEE VIDI33F89VZ_EN+
Jakarta (AFP) – Hundreds of exuberant Indonesians fill the city centre of Jakarta, igniting flares and passionately chanting in the capital, as they celebrate their first footballing gold at the Southeast Asian Games after 32 years.
