AFP UK

Indianapolis (AFP) – Guests inspect firearms while attending the 152nd National Rifle Association Convention at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Fire burns the doors of a police station and the former Convent of the Jacobins in Rennes, during demonstrations against the decision of the French Constitutional Council, which validated most of the controversial government pension reform.

Protestors invade the streets of Paris after France’s constitutional court approved the key elements of President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

Corona (United States) (AFP) – Tourists zipline over the colorful landscape of flowering California poppies after several springs of absence and heavy winter rainfalls. Some trails have been closed to walkers to protect these bright orange plants, very popular with photographers and social media users

Guwahati (India) (AFP) – Over 11,000 dancers and musicians are performing Assam’s Bihu dance at a stadium in Guwahati, in northeast India, setting two world records and taking the traditional dance form to the global stage. Bihu dance is an integral part of Assamese culture and is performed during the annual Bihu festival, which marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year.

Kourou (AFP) – The European Space Agency’s JUICE space probe has successfully launched on a mission to discover whether Jupiter’s icy moons are capable of hosting extraterrestrial life in their vast, hidden oceans. The rocket was launched from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana and its trajectory is “nominal”, i.e. in line with what is expected, according to the teams on site.

Beijing (AFP) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urges China to ask “the Russian aggressor to stop the war” in Ukraine during press conference with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing.

Boston (AFP) – Exterior of the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, where 21-year-old national guardsman, Jack Teixeira, is due to appear, after he was arrested on suspicion of leaking a trove of sensitive US government secrets.

Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – The Ukrainian army is using civilian drones in the trenches. “These are the eyes of our army. With the help of a drone, we carry out both reconnaissance and surveillance, but also identification of the enemy and escort of assault groups” explains Oleksandr, a drone operator and 5th Brigade Air Support Department Commander.

Bangkok (AFP) – There was wet and wild fun in abundance on the streets of Bangkok Thursday, as the city celebrated the Thai new year festival Songkran, following a three-year pandemic-related hiatus.

Beijing (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva receives an official welcome from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a ceremony in Beijing, at the start of a state visit.

Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – Torrential rain has left much of South Florida inundated and forced residents to evacuate. The Wednesday downpour dumped 25 inches (63.5 cm) of rain on Fort Lauderdale in 24 hours, almost twice the amount of water set by the previous record in 1979.