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Schwerin (Germany) (AFP) – Voters in the German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin head to the polls in regional elections where far-right and far-left gains could send fresh shock waves through Berlin and rock the government of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz has scheduled a crisis meeting of his centre-right CDU party leadership to discuss the first results as they come in, cleared his calendar for the following days and is skipping a trip to the UN General Assembly to deal with potential aftershocks.

France (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says a deal between the United States, Denmark and Greenland helps “to reaffirm Danish sovereignty” over the Arctic territory. US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had struck a deal with Denmark to give Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security, barring Russia and China from setting up bases there. Denmark and Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — both hailed the deal and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian artist Ubayy Al-Qarashli paints a mural of US rapper Macklemore on the ruins of a building in Gaza City in tribute to his support for Palestinians. Macklemore was booted from Ed Sheeran’s tour after his declaration of “Free Palestine” at a New Jersey concert this month drew backlash from owners of US stadiums hosting future dates. Sheeran has since called the situation in Gaza “unjustifiable,” following a wave of criticism that he had failed to back his opening act.

Chile (AFP) – The El Nino weather phenomenon has brought rainfall to parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert, activating the flowering of plants across areas of the normally arid landscape. The bloom has drawn visitors and photographers to the region to document the seasonal transformation. “While there are several deserts that bloom when it rains, the geographical scope and diversity of species found here are unique,” biologist Cesar Pizarro Gacitua tells AFP.

Pasadena (United States) (AFP) – Chinese dancer Wu Yufei alongside his crew of robots have made it to the finale of the popular US TV show America’s Got Talent. From synchronized dance routines to kung fu moves, Wu says the robots’ rapid learning ability is “quite terrifying.”

Madrid (AFP) – Shakira kicks off a marathon 12-concert run in Madrid, bringing an end to both her world tour and the Colombian superstar’s eight-year absence from Spain. The 49-year-old “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” singer will take to a temporary 50,000-seater “Shakira stadium” erected in the south of the Spanish capital up.

Cape Town (AFP) – Thousands gather at vigils in Cape Town and Tembisa for victims of gender-based violence in South Africa as a string of murders in Gauteng province fuel public anxiety. Police have imposed a lockdown in Kempton Park in the Ekurhuleni municipality and officers mounted roadblocks after three of the bodies were found this week. South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, has some of the highest rates of violence against women and children in the world, according to UN Women.

Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump says he is banning news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing them of reporting “fake news” about his administration. The move drew immediate accusations that it was unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the courts, while the impacted news outlets said they would not be cowed.

Kapuas Hulu (Indonesia) (AFP) – Indonesian villager Octavius wades through the forest in rubber boots and tattered joggers, ears pricked, eyes peeled, a telephoto lens on his phone primed to capture orangutans, monkeys or birds. The daily photo hunt earns Octavius and hundreds of others in Borneo cash as part of a conservation programme seeking to make animals worth more alive than dead.

San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – Dozens of protesters march in San Francisco to demand that artificial intelligence companies “stop the AI race” as fears mount over the safety of the technology. A security research company said Friday it managed to break into OpenAI’s internal systems using the latest software from Anthropic, exposing how quickly the technology can carry out sophisticated cyberattacks.

Damascus (AFP) – Syrian singer Assala Nasri makes a triumphant comeback to Damascus in a sold-out concert after 15 years of exile due to her opposition to ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s new Islamist authorities, who overthrew Assad in 2024, have welcomed Assala, with Culture Minister Mohammed Yassine Saleh calling her “the daughter of Damascus”.

London (AFP) – Prince Harry attends the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in his first public appearance since returning to the United Kingdom. Harry and wife Meghan have kept a low profile since returning to Britain three weeks ago. Speculation abounds over the reasons for their return, given that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left in the middle of a falling-out with his family, which only worsened after Harry published his tell-all memoir ‘Spare’.