AFP UK

Montevideo (AFP) – Strong winds and waves batter Uruguay’s capital Montevideo as subtropical cyclone Yakecan hits the South American country with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour.

Cannes (France) (AFP) – Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker… actors, directors and jury members walk the red carpet on the opening night of the 75th Cannes film festival.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In an address to the Cannes Film Festival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says “we need a new Chaplin who will prove once again that cinema is not silent,” adding that “we will continue to fight, because we have no other choice than to fight for freedom.”

Cannes (France) (AFP) – US actor Forest Whitaker, who scooped an Academy Award for “The Last King of Scotland” and starred in cult films such as “Ghost Dog,” tells journalists during a press conference that Cannes “changed the trajectory of his career,” as he prepares to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony.

Columbus (AFP) – Authorities in Columbus, Ohio have released footage showing the moments a Tesla crashes into the Greater Columbus Convention Center on May 4, 2022. According to police, the driver of the 2020 Telsa Model S said he lost control of his brakes.

Buffalo (AFP) – President Joe Biden called out what he branded the “poison” of white supremacist ideology behind a deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and said that racism is being stoked for political gain. Speaking in the city where a white teen is accused of murdering 10 African Americans in a neighborhood supermarket, Biden said: “What happened here is simple and straightforward terrorism. Domestic terrorism.”

Jacobabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – A Pakistani brickmaker in one of the world’s hottest cities says he sometimes feels like throwing up due to the scorching temperatures. Jacobabad in Pakistan’s arid Sindh province is in the grip of the latest heatwave to hit South Asia — peaking at 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit) over the weekend.

New York (AFP) – As his merengue-inflected single “Suavemente” once again tops France’s songs chart, Algerian rapper Soolking performs at the Apollo Theater in New York, delighting fans and wooing new followers with his blend of rap and Maghrebian folk music. “It’s an honor for me,” the artist says, admitting he never thought he would someday perform in the legendary venue.

Stockholm (AFP) – Finland and Sweden will submit their bids to join NATO together on Wednesday at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says.

Helsinki (AFP) – Finnish volunteers take part in military training organised by the country’s National Defence Training Association (MPK) at the Santahamina base in the capital, Helsinki. Sharing a border with Russia, MPK trainer Ossi Hietala says interest in the Nordic country’s voluntary training has seen a sharp rise since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Finland’s lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining NATO.

Moscow (AFP) – Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Defence Ministry, says that 265 Ukrainian soldiers, including several dozen wounded, surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol. “Over the past 24 hours, 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 heavily wounded,” Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defence Ministry spokesman, says in a briefing.

Magelang (Indonesia) (AFP) – Hundreds of lanterns were released into the sky by Indonesian Buddhists celebrating Vesak day at the temple of Borobudur for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.