North Sulawesi (Indonesia) (AFP) – Clouds of smoke rise from Indonesia’s Mount Ruang as it erupts in North Sulawesi, forcing thousands of evacuations. Indonesian authorities are on alert after days of volcanic activity, with molten rocks raining down on nearby villages.
Haifa (Israel) (AFP) – Medical staff at the Rambam Health Care Campus, in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, take part in a large-scale drill, simulating a rocket attack on the city. The site’s underground structure is fortified against missiles, chemical and biological warfare and can be converted from a 1,500-vehicle underground parking lot into a 2,000-bed hospital in case of a sudden emergency.
Capri (Italy) (AFP) – The G7 is opposed to an Israeli “military operation in Rafah” says Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Speaking as Italy hosts the G7 on the island of Capri, Tajani also says that the group’s “political goal” is de-escalation in the Middle East, following reports of explosions in Iran.
Colombo (AFP) – Sri Lanka marks on Sunday five years since Islamist bombers slaughtered 279 people in the island’s deadliest suicide attack, but grieving families say they are still waiting for justice.
Balaka (Malawi) (AFP) – Millions of people in Southern Africa are being pushed into hunger by an El Nino-driven dry spell. The weather phenomenon, which raises global temperatures, has caused erratic rainfall and unexpected pests that have devastated agricultural communities.
Whipsnade (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Benja, a baby southern white rhino frolics around its 21-acre paddock in the spring sunshine alongside its mother, Jaseera, at Whipsnade Zoo, north of the UK capital. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that there about 16,903 white rhinos left in the wild, with their numbers having been decimated by poaching.
North Sulawesi (Indonesia) (AFP) – After days of repeated volcanic eruptions in the area, authorities in northern Indonesia are evacuating prison inmates and local residents. Mount Ruang, in North Sulawesi, began spewing a cloud of ash more than a mile into the sky in the evening of April 16, with debris damaging nearby homes.
Nagaur (India) (AFP) – Indian election officials get set on the eve of the world’s biggest democratic vote, in which 968 million are eligible to cast their ballots across a six-week period. The marathon duration of the vote is an effort to ease the immense logistical challenge and takes into account local weather, religious festivals, farm harvests and school holidays across the country.
Capri (Italy) (AFP) – “If Ukraine loses, Putin will never sit at a peace table” says Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, as he opens a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Capri. Also on the agenda are the escalating tensions in the Middle East, with Tajani explaining that those at the meeting would have to “address how to sanction Iran in some way” following the country’s attack on Israel.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Leonardo Muylaert went viral on social media thanks to an unexpected superpower that has changed his life: his resemblance to Superman. The Brazilian lawyer then decided to get a Superman suit and try the alter ego on for size.
Bogotá (AFP) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro holds a welcoming ceremony for his Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at the Casa Narino Presidential Palace in Bogota. IMAGES
North Sulawesi (Indonesia) (AFP) – Images released by the Indonesian Center for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation show Mount Ruang erupting, sending vast plumes of smoke and molten lava into the air. Ruang is located on a small island north of Indonesia’s Sulawesi. Authorities have evacuated local residents to a nearby island.
