Zoetermeer (AFP) – With temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius in the Dutch countryside just outside the Hague, many are pulling on their skiing gear and heading to one of the flat country’s many artificial slopes as the sport gains popularity. A country mainly known for its speed skaters, the Royal Dutch Ski Federation is aiming to make skiing a “top sport.”
N’Djamena (AFP) – People in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, discuss the country’s presidential election the day after the vote, which was aimed at ending three years of military rule that opponents of junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno have dismissed as fixed. The election results are expected on May 21, with a possible second round on June 22.
Auschwitz-Birkenau (AFP) – Thousands attend an annual Holocaust memorial march, named the March of the Living, at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in southwestern Poland.
Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is sworn into office for his fifth term in power at the Kremlin. The 71-year-old, who has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, secured a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition.
Riga (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledges to defend Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in the event of a Russian attack, after talks with his counterparts from the three Baltic countries in Latvia’s capital Riga.
Balkhel (Afghanistan) (AFP) – For decades, the neighbouring Afghan tribes agreed on only two things: the high ground between them was unremarkable, but it was a hill worth dying on. The Balkhel and the Sabari had blamed each other for violence spasming back and forth, year after year, as the Pashtun tribesmen turned heavy weapons on each other in eastern Khost and Paktia provinces. Now the twin tribes have been made to agree the fighting must stop. Afghanistan’s Taliban government has established its writ over the age-long conflict.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israelis rally in Tel Aviv to call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to accept a truce deal with Hamas and the release of hostages. “End this war. Save all the hostages. End this horror and bring our loved ones back home,” says Yehuda Cohen, whose son, Nimrod Cohen, was taken by Hamas on October 7. Gaza’s bloodiest-ever war began following Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel estimates that 128 of the 250 hostages abducted by militants on October 7 remain in Gaza, including 35 whom the military says are dead. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has conducted a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,735 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Ahmedabad (India) (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi casts his ballot in the city of Ahmedabad, during a third round of voting in the country’s ongoing election, which is taking place in seven phases over six weeks. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win a third term in the marathon vote.
Porto Alegre (Brazil) (AFP) – Rescue teams and residents navigate the flooded streets in Brazil’s Porto Alegre after an unprecedented deluge hit the city. The rain has abated, but hundreds of municipalities are in ruins amid fears that food and drinking water may soon run out.
Paris (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping says China is willing to launch an initiative with France for a worldwide truce during the Olympic Games after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Paris (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping toast during a state dinner at the Elysee Palace, given to mark the Chinese leader’s visit to France. IMAGES
Kagtaou (Chad) (AFP) – For decades, cotton has sustained southern Chad. But the prized crop is now under threat as cotton farmers are struck by climate change and conflict with herders. In Kagtaou, some say they have been “abandoned” by the government and are now pinning their hopes on the presidential candidate Succes Masra in the May 6 election.
