Preah Vihear (AFP) – A landmine-hunting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record by sniffing out more than 100 mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance. Ronin, a giant African pouched rat, has tracked down 109 landmines and 15 other potentially deadly war remnants since his deployment to northern Preah Vihear province in August 2021, the Belgian charity APOPO says.
Seoul (AFP) – South Korea’s Constitutional Court upholds President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his disastrous martial law declaration, voting unanimously to strip him of office for violating the constitution.
Toluca (Mexique) (AFP) – Images of the Stellantis plant in Toluca, Mexico. The auto giant has announced it is pausing production in Mexico, where it makes Dodge cars and RAM trucks. IMAGES
Maiquetía (Venezuela) (AFP) – A plane carrying more than 300 Venezuelan migrants lands in Venezuela’s international airport in Maiquetia. The plane comes from Mexico but the Venezuelan migrants were originally in the United States, announces Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior and Justice, who was on the tarmac waiting for the plane. There were 313 Venezuelans in the plane according to Cabello. IMAGES
Amsterdam (AFP) – A small crowd gathers for the inauguration of a ‘stolperstein’, or ‘stumbling block’, in a street in east Amsterdam, where it honours the life of Ilse Wagner, a Jewish girl who was deported from the Netherlands and killed by the Nazis in the Sobibor extermination camp. Wagner’s name is familiar to those who have read Anne Frank’s diary, as she was a friend of the young writer. “This is beautiful,” says Helen Romain-Levien, a relative of Wagner.
Brüssel (AFP) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismisses questions over US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance as “hysteria” as he tells NATO allies to commit to spending five percent of GDP on defence ahead of his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Budapest (AFP) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Hungary’s decision to leave the International Criminal Court, as the Israeli leader visits Budapest despite an ICC arrest warrant against him over war crimes in Gaza.
Langon (AFP) – In France, south of Bordeaux, the Maison Claude Darroze restaurant is fully booked. The eatery, a well-known spot for Girondine gastronomy for decades, has gambled on dropping its Michelin star status. “Starting a strategy with more attractive prices, of course, inevitably affects the wallet, brings more flow, more people coming,” says restaurant owner Jean-Charles Darroze.
Sagaing (AFP) – Earthquake victims in Sagaing, Myanmar, race to secure vital aid in the central Myanmar city, which was ravaged by the deadly 28 March quake. The city, just 14 kilometres from the epicentre, has suffered some of the worst damage and unreliable infrastructure, already run down by four years of civil war, has complicated efforts to provide relief. The death toll from the major quake has risen above 3,000, the ruling junta has said, with fears it could increase further.
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Timelapse of the crescent moon passing by and superimposing over the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. IMAGES
Weltraum (AFP) – The first humans to take a spaceflight directly over Earth’s polar regions share images of Antarctica from an altitude of 460 kilometres. Mission commander Chun Wang shared the video on his X account after SpaceX launched “Fram2”, a days-long, privately funded orbital mission involving four astronauts.
Sagaing (Myanmar) (AFP) – Hundreds of people in Myanmar’s Sagaing line up for vital aid after the city was ravaged six days ago by a deadly earthquake. Sagaing lies just 14 kilometres (8.6 miles) from the epicentre of the quake, which flattened buildings across the country and killed at least 3,000 people.
