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.
Grenoble (France) (AFP) – The French city of Grenoble on Monday authorised the wearing of the so-called “burkini” by Muslim women in state-run swimming pools, reigniting one of France’s most contentious debates on religious dress.
Khartoum (AFP) – Tucked away east of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, a sanctuary of lush green vegetation has been a haven for dozens of exotic birds from far and wide. Akram Yehia, owner of the Marshall Nature Reserve set up the huge caged aviary in his house’s front yard four years ago, and has handcrafted dozens of birdhouses. He created a habitat of trees, adding a garden pond and mist nozzles for cooling off against Sudan’s scorching heat. Over 100 birds of 13 different species currently inhabit the reserve.
Istanbul (AFP) – Nursimangul Abdureshid has had no contact with her family for several years, ever since they disappeared in China’s western Xinjiang region. But a recent leaked list of thousands of detained Uyghurs has helped her at least shed some light on their whereabouts.
Vilkhivka (Ukraine) (AFP) – Residents of the Ukrainian village of Vilkhivka — about 30 kilometres from the border with Russia — fear the return of Russian troops despite their retreat after a long occupation.
Cannes (France) (AFP) – Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux comments on why there will be no official Russian representatives at the event, nor a total boycott of Russian cinema. The festival banned official Russian delegations from the event but will feature “Tchaikovski’s Wife” by exiled Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been outspoken about the war. DURATION: 01:10
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazilian dancer David Motta, who left Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet two months ago due to the war in Ukraine, stars in the Swan Lake ballet at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theatre before joining the Staatsballett in Berlin.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis quips that a shot of tequila would help him with a painful knee that has forced the 85-year-old Argentinian to use a wheelchair. “You know what I need for my leg? A little tequila!” Francis jokes with a group of newly-ordained Mexican priests in a video that went viral on TikTok.
Baghdad (AFP) – Another sandstorm has descended on climate-stressed Iraq and has sent at least 4,000 people to hospital with breathing problems. It is the eighth dust storm since mid-April to hit the country, which has been battered by soil degradation, intense droughts and low rainfall linked to climate change.
San Diego (AFP) – Msituni, a three-month-old giraffe calf at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, walks without trouble after having leg braces fitted to correct an unusual disorder that caused her legs to bend the wrong way.
Stockholm (AFP) – Sweden will apply for membership in NATO, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says, reversing two centuries of military non-alignment.
