Crowds frock up for ‘Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly festival’
Las Vegas (AFP) – Lovers of the ’50s and vintage car enthusiasts gather in Las Vegas to celebrate the “Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Festival.”
AFP UK
Conflict in Sudan creating a healthcare ‘disaster’: WHO regional director
Cairo (AFP) – Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, regional director of the World Health Organization’s office for the Eastern Mediterranean, shares the latest update on the health status in Sudan, where deadly clashes between rival generals’ forces have entered their third week.
Armed forces rehearse ahead of King Charles III’s coronation
Odiham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Tri-service and Commonwealth personnel rehearse their roles as part of the British armed forces’ involvement in King Charles III’s coronation. The troops will escort the monarch from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace after his coronation in London.
‘A huge problem’, Sudanese doctor warns of medical shortage as fighting rages
Ed Damer (Sudan) (AFP) – Sudanese doctor Majzoub Saad Ibrahim warns of a looming shortage in medical supplies in the city of ad-Damer, the capital of the River Nile state, north of Khartoum. “The situation cannot be sustained more than a week. This is a huge problem,” he says. Fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has also impacted shop owners who rely on goods and “basic items that are regularly consumed” that are shipped from the ravaged capital.
‘I admire what Pope Francis is doing’: Budapest welcomes pontiff’s Hungary visit
Budapest (AFP) – Tens of thousands throng a central Budapest square to hear Pope Francis lead an open-air mass in which he urged all Hungarians to be more open toward migrants. The pontiff is wrapping up a three-day visit to the central European country, and his comments have stood in stark contrast to those of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has regularly espoused anti-migration rhetoric.
Heed the reed: thatcher scientist on mission to revive craft
Breitenbrunn (Austria) (AFP) – Once upon a time many homes in the picturesque Burgenland wine-growing region of eastern Austria were thatched. But now Jacobus van Hoorne’s house is the only one in the entire neighbourhood with a reed roof. And to get it approved he had to do battle for two years with the local authorities, culminating in having to set fire to a model thatched house to prove that his home wouldn’t be a fire hazard.
Biden laughs off age gags at White House Correspondents’ dinner
Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden jokes about his old age during his speech at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. Washington’s political and media elites gathered for their annual big-night-out in the US capital for an event that ranged from the traditional comedy gags to somber calls to free reporters imprisoned abroad.
Louis Vuitton holds fashion show in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul (AFP) – Louis Vuitton holds its first Prefall show at Jamsugyo Bridge, spanning Seoul’s Hangang River. Film director, Hwang Dong-Hyuk – renowned for Netflix original series ‘Squid Game’ – participated in the show scenography as Creative Advisor, and Jung Ho-yeon, South Korean model and actress, who also starred in Squid Game, lead the row of models on the runway.
Ship carrying evacuees from Sudan arrives in Saudi Arabia
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – A ship carrying 1,600 evacuees from Sudan, including a group of Iranians, arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Multiple nations are scrambling to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds.
New Zealand fights to save its flightless national bird
Wellington (AFP) – New Zealand’s treasured kiwi birds are shuffling around Wellington’s verdant hills for the first time in a century, after a drive to eliminate invasive predators from the capital’s surrounds.
Ukrainian artists shift perspectives as they depict harsh realities of war
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Two Ukrainian artists reflect on their creations as well as the evolution of their art since the start of the war, which has sparked huge interest in Ukrainian culture. Contemporary Ukrainian artists are finding ways to highlight the horrors the country faces as well as explore ideas about its future.
Huge fire at Crimea fuel depot after drone strike
Sevastopol (AFP) – A huge fire breaks out at a fuel depot in Sevastopol, the main port in Moscow-annexed Crimea, with Russian-installed authorities saying it was the result of a drone attack. Sevastopol is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and has been hit by a series of drone attacks since the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive launched last year.
