Yerevan (AFP) – Police in Armenia arrest hundreds of protesters as opposition supporters seek to spread their month-long anti-government demonstrations throughout Yerevan. Yerevan has been gripped by anti-government protests since mid-April, with opposition parties demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation over his handling of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.
Mîmess (Lebanon) (AFP) – Migrating storks stopover at a pine forest in the southern Lebanese village of Mimess as they make their way north towards Europe. Flocks of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) travel through Lebanon in the spring on their way to breed in eastern Europe. According to the Association for Bird Conservation in Lebanon (ABCL), thousands of these birds are illegally shot down in Lebanon every migration season.
Washington (AFP) – A missile test or nuclear test by North Korea is a “genuine possibility” during US President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Asia, says US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Washington (AFP) – “We’re confident that at the end of the day, Finland and Sweden will have an effective and efficient accession process, that Turkey’s concerns can be addressed,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says during a press briefing at the White House, in reference to Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO.
Rawalpindi (Pakistan) (AFP) – A zoo in Pakistan’s city of Rawalpindi has declared a “heatwave emergency” as temperatures soar in the South Asian nation. Caretakers rush to install air coolers and give ice blocks to the animals to help them battle the scorching sun.
Kigali (AFP) – Models from the LGBTQ+ community and Rwandans with disabilities strut their stuff for the Isano Fashion Show in Kigali as they mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
Tasmania (Australia) (AFP) – On the campaign trail, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison barrells into a young boy during a friendly kick around, eliciting a chorus of stunned “ooohs” and “aaaws” from spectators. Morrison was playing five-a-side soccer in northern Tasmania, where he is trawling for votes ahead of Saturday’s nail-biter election.
Maputo (AFP) – In the Mafalala museum, the Iverca association fights to preserve the history and culture of the oldest and most famous neighbourhood of Maputo. Formerly reserved for blacks during the colonial period, it is in this neighbourhood where all the country’s cultures mix. It is also where several of the main figures of the struggle for independence were born, starting with Samora Machel, the first Mozambican president, as well as many artists of the “revolution”, painters, writers, musicians.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Gamlet Zinkivsky is a street art star in Ukraine. Back in his city of Kharkiv, he paints Molotov cocktails on wooden planks that cover broken windows after the fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian army, saying his art “inspires” the Ukrainian people to “fight and defend”.
Ankara (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, urges the alliance’s members to “respect” Ankara’s concerns regarding the two countries, which Turkey accuses of providing safe haven to terrorists. Erdogan has accused Stockholm of providing safe haven to members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) designated as terror groups by Ankara.
