Saporischschja (AFP) – Firefighters in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia work to put out fires after a large-scale overnight Russian attack. The strike damaged two residential buildings, a university building and a shopping centre, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Emergency services say five people were injured in the attack.
Saporischschja (AFP) – Firefighters in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia work to put out fires after a large-scale overnight Russian attack. The strike damaged two residential buildings, a university building and a shopping centre, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Emergency services say five people were injured in the attack.
Berlin (AFP) – The AfD has “replaced the CDU as the people’s party,” says Alice Weidel, the far-right party’s co-chair, after it won a regional election in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The result was a fresh blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose CDU dropped below five percent of the vote, meaning it got kicked out of the regional parliament altogether.
Berlin (AFP) – The AfD has “replaced the CDU as the people’s party,” says Alice Weidel, the far-right party’s co-chair, after it won a regional election in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The result was a fresh blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose CDU dropped below five percent of the vote, meaning it got kicked out of the regional parliament altogether.
Valladolid (AFP) – In a test of speed and focus, puzzle enthusiasts battle it out in the final of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. Around 1700 competitors from 70 countries gathered in northwest Spain in a challenge to solve a never-before-seen jigsaw puzzle. “It’s really a battle, it’s not like let’s make nice together, people are really battling,” says volunteer Karin Harmsen.
Moskau (AFP) – The Kremlin says Germans are looking for a political “alternative” after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a state election defeat to the far-right AfD, widely seen as being pro-Moscow. “We are seeing fairly low figures for the popularity and approval ratings of the current German government,” says Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who also notes “figures relating to economic development in Germany and the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy.”
Moskau (AFP) – The Kremlin says Germans are looking for a political “alternative” after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a state election defeat to the far-right AfD, widely seen as being pro-Moscow. “We are seeing fairly low figures for the popularity and approval ratings of the current German government,” says Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who also notes “figures relating to economic development in Germany and the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy.”
Paro (Bhutan) (AFP) – Atop a steep hillside in Bhutan, an arrow slices through the air and slams into a wooden target with a thud, prompting a round of celebratory song. Traditional archery is Bhutan’s national sport and has a storied history, but some fans fear for its future as development and safety concerns eat away at space for archery ranges.
Paro (Bhutan) (AFP) – Atop a steep hillside in Bhutan, an arrow slices through the air and slams into a wooden target with a thud, prompting a round of celebratory song. Traditional archery is Bhutan’s national sport and has a storied history, but some fans fear for its future as development and safety concerns eat away at space for archery ranges.
Berlin (AFP) – Dozens of opposition protesters gather outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections and shred fake votes into ballot boxes. In Belgrade, Russian opposition organisers and voters bring apples in solidarity with Russia’s banned anti-war party Yabloko (‘apple’ in Russian), collecting donations and writing letters to Russian political prisoners. Only parties that support President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine have been registered to run in the parliamentary election.
Berlin (AFP) – Dozens of opposition protesters gather outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections and shred fake votes into ballot boxes. In Belgrade, Russian opposition organisers and voters bring apples in solidarity with Russia’s banned anti-war party Yabloko (‘apple’ in Russian), collecting donations and writing letters to Russian political prisoners. Only parties that support President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine have been registered to run in the parliamentary election.
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.
