AFP UK

Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, a prominent multi-talented figure in Nigeria’s music industry, is banking on her fame to foster the “next great artist or producer or songwriter” with her newly established foundation in Lagos. As part of the initiative, she is partnering with the famed US-based Berklee College of Music, which for the first time is offering a programme that brings the school’s teaching style to the Nigerian music scene.

London (AFP) – Reform UK leader Nigel Farage poses in front of Westminster one day ahead of local elections under the campaign ‘Vote Reform, Get Starmer Out’. He is optimistic about Reform’s chances, saying “We’re doing incredibly well in many, many traditional Labour areas, the kinds of parts of the country that they’ve dominated now for over a century.” Polls predict the party is set to make huge gains in the UK’s biggest election since the 2024 general election, which will be a key litmus test for Keir Starmer’s declining popularity.

A Croatian company has been rolling out what it says is Europe’s first robotaxi service on the streets of Zagreb. Backed by Uber and powered by Chinese self-driving firm Pony.ai, Croatia’s Verne is operating 10 automated vehicles for a select number of customers in the city. The service is intended to be fully autonomous, with a human “operator” temporarily behind the wheel during the current phased rollout, in case intervention is needed. Verne hopes the cars will be fully driverless by the end of the year.

The United Nations calls on Israel to “immediately” release two activists taken from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and demand an investigation into “disturbing accounts” that they are being severely mistreated. The flotilla set off from Europe with the aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

Qalandiya (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Young Palestinians perform theatre during an educational and recreational event on a portable stage, at Qalandiya camp for refugees, south of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The purpose of the mobile theatre is to “open up space for emerging artists to find platforms for training and developing their skills,” says Dima Alaeddin, project manager of the Art Elephant Project.

Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump accuses Iran of “playing games” with a deal to end the war — an agreement which Trump says must ensure that Tehran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. “What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television, they’ll say, ‘We did not speak to the President,'” says Trump. “They want to make a deal, and who wouldn’t?” he adds.

Rio Branco (Brazil) (AFP) – People lit candles outside the Instituto Sao Jose, a junior high school where a teenage shooter killed two staff members and injured two other people, in northwestern Brazil. A 13-year-old boy was arrested by police, the government of Acre state said in a statement. IMAGES

Yerevan (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron serenades guests at a state dinner in Yerevan with a rendition of “La Boheme,” the 1965 hit by Franco-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, accompanied on the drums by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The moment was captured on 4 May by Agnes Vahramian, director of the French public radio station Franceinfo, during the French leader’s state visit to Armenia as part of the first ever EU-Armenia summit.

Yerevan (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron criticises US “threats of destabilisation” after Washington’s announcement of a possible 25 percent tariff on cars imported from the EU. “If this or that country were threatened by customs duties, the European Union has equipped itself with instruments that would then have to be activated,” the French leader says during a press conference in Yerevan on the sidelines of a summit between the EU and Armenia.

Moscow (AFP) – Moscow holds a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade on 9 May. For the first time in many years, the parade will have no military hardware on display, over fears that the event could be targeted by Ukraine. Kyiv has intensified its retaliatory long-range strikes in recent weeks, hitting a spate of Russian oil facilities and a luxury high-rise building in Moscow.

Kuta (Indonesia) (AFP) – Bali is famed for its natural beauty, but beyond its palm-lined beaches, accumulating waste spoils parts of the resort island. Bali’s largest landfill was declared off-limits for organic waste from the beginning of April, as the government moves to enforce a longstanding ban on open tips. But with no immediate alternatives provided, trash is piling up in the streets and attracting rats, prompting health concerns. “It’s not a good look,” says Australian tourist, Justin Butcher. “You have many rats here at night time. The smell is not very good”.

Yerevan (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has not been officially contacted about a Kremlin offer for a ceasefire on 9 May, when Russia holds large-scale World War II commemorations. Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Zelensky says that Ukraine is not able to have “any holidays” because of the conflict.