Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In an address to the Cannes Film Festival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says “we need a new Chaplin who will prove once again that cinema is not silent,” adding that “we will continue to fight, because we have no other choice than to fight for freedom.”
Columbus (AFP) – Authorities in Columbus, Ohio have released footage showing the moments a Tesla crashes into the Greater Columbus Convention Center on May 4, 2022. According to police, the driver of the 2020 Telsa Model S said he lost control of his brakes.
Jacobabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – A Pakistani brickmaker in one of the world’s hottest cities says he sometimes feels like throwing up due to the scorching temperatures. Jacobabad in Pakistan’s arid Sindh province is in the grip of the latest heatwave to hit South Asia — peaking at 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit) over the weekend.
Stockholm (AFP) – Finland and Sweden will submit their bids to join NATO together on Wednesday at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says.
Helsinki (AFP) – Finnish volunteers take part in military training organised by the country’s National Defence Training Association (MPK) at the Santahamina base in the capital, Helsinki. Sharing a border with Russia, MPK trainer Ossi Hietala says interest in the Nordic country’s voluntary training has seen a sharp rise since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Finland’s lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining NATO.
Moscow (AFP) – Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Defence Ministry, says that 265 Ukrainian soldiers, including several dozen wounded, surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol. “Over the past 24 hours, 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 heavily wounded,” Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defence Ministry spokesman, says in a briefing.
Magelang (Indonesia) (AFP) – Hundreds of lanterns were released into the sky by Indonesian Buddhists celebrating Vesak day at the temple of Borobudur for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.
Grenoble (France) (AFP) – The French city of Grenoble on Monday authorised the wearing of the so-called “burkini” by Muslim women in state-run swimming pools, reigniting one of France’s most contentious debates on religious dress.
Khartoum (AFP) – Tucked away east of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, a sanctuary of lush green vegetation has been a haven for dozens of exotic birds from far and wide. Akram Yehia, owner of the Marshall Nature Reserve set up the huge caged aviary in his house’s front yard four years ago, and has handcrafted dozens of birdhouses. He created a habitat of trees, adding a garden pond and mist nozzles for cooling off against Sudan’s scorching heat. Over 100 birds of 13 different species currently inhabit the reserve.
Istanbul (AFP) – Nursimangul Abdureshid has had no contact with her family for several years, ever since they disappeared in China’s western Xinjiang region. But a recent leaked list of thousands of detained Uyghurs has helped her at least shed some light on their whereabouts.
