Unknown (AFP) – Thomas Dambo is best-known for his towering wooden “troll” sculptures. Now, he invites the public on a complex quest to find his recently-completed hundredth troll, named “Moon Mother”.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli police used water cannon to disperse protesters during a demonstration against the judicial overhaul which triggered the country’s most severe domestic crisis in years. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paused the overhaul on Monday night.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – On Monday, a large-scale strike movement paralyzed Germany’s transportation sector at the request of unions demanding higher wages to compensate for inflation.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits frontline positions and a command centre in the Zaporizhzhia region, where he presents awards to servicemen and police officials. Zelensky’s visit to the region — home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant — was made alongside UN nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi.
Solna (Sweden) (AFP) – Outdoor naps in 5°C, knife lessons and lunch over a wood fire… In northern Europe, some pre-schools are moving their education to the open air. At two “forest kindergartens” in Sweden and Denmark, educators insist that the children are finding the change of scenery to be a breath of fresh air.
Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – Standing on the roadside at sunset, a team of medics have snapped on their latex gloves, waiting for the arrival of wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Based in a frontline village, their job is to collect injured troops battling for Bakhmut, the centre of the war’s bloodiest fighting, who have been evacuated by military paramedics.
Nairobi (AFP) – Kenyan police fire tear gas at protesters as they press ahead with anti-government demonstrations despite a ban. The protesters defied a warning by the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome that the demonstrations were “illegal”. Police clash with stone-throwing demonstrators in Nairobi’s largest slum Kibera, where protesters set tires on fire. In another slum, Mathare, protesters also face off against police as residents run for cover.
Nairobi (AFP) – Tear gas and water cannon are fired as opposition leader Raila Odinga’s convoy moves through Kawangware, a congested slum of the capital, Nairobi, sending people scattering, with police also firing canisters at cars carrying journalists. Odinga had called for protests every Monday and Thursday against the government of President William Ruto, who he claims stole last year’s election, and is failing to address the high cost of living. IMAGES
Rolling Fork (United States) (AFP) – After a deadly tornado ripped through Mississippi, shell-shocked residents of the hard-hit town of Rolling Fork grapple with how much their lives changed in the blink of an eye. “I’ve been in here 20 years and it’s gone,” says one resident. “Now I’ve got to start from the bottom and come back up.”
Taoyuan (Taiwan) (AFP) – Taiwan’s ex-president Ma Ying-jeou travels to China, embarking on the first cross-strait visit by a current or former leader of the island in more than seven decades. Ma’s 12-day trip will not involve any official meetings, his office said, with his focus on paying tribute to his ancestors and promoting youth exchanges. Ma is a senior leader of the KMT, which is currently in opposition in Taiwan and advocates for warmer ties with China, but denies being pro-Beijing.
Mexico City (AFP) – Each spring, as people in Japan celebrate the cherry blossom season, Mexicans enjoy their own version of the cherished tradition thanks to the century-old legacy of a Japanese landscape gardener. In Mexico, however, it is not cherry trees but blooming jacarandas that turn the capital into a sea of violet.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israelis opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan set up bonfires and block a highway during a protest moments after the Israeli leader fired his defence minister.
