Vienna (AFP) – Around 400 people gather in Vienna to protest Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision song contest, which will take place on 16 May in the Austrian capital. Five countries, including Spain, have withdrawn this year’s contest in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Bunia (DR Congo) (AFP) – People in the town of Rwampara express their fears as a new Ebola outbreak is declared in the east of DR Congo. “We are very afraid,” says John Kisembo, a motorbike taxi driver in the area. Health officials say that at least 80 people have died in the latest outbreak, which is the 17th in DR Congo since the virus was first detected in the country in 1976.
Tyre (Lebanon) (AFP) – Residents gather among debris in Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre after overnight Israeli strikes, as a bulldozer clears rubble from damaged buildings. “They have destroyed the entire neighbourhood. It is complete destruction and harm to the residents,” says Tyre resident, Ibrahim Qahwaji. The strikes come one day after Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a fragile truce by 45 days following talks in Washington, according to the United States.
Bogor (Indonesia) (AFP) – Satrio “Rio” Wiratama prepares to make his public debut later this month, after making history as the first giant panda born in Indonesia. He was born in November last year in Taman Safari Indonesia, a zoo in Cisarua, West Java, to a pair of pandas loaned by China in an act of “panda diplomacy” to celebrate ties between the two nations.
Kherson (Ukraine) (AFP) – A video released by the United Nations shows a drone strike on a convoy with a UN-marked vehicle in Kherson, damaging the vehicle as it was delivering aid to Ostriv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of deliberately attacking the vehicle, saying the car, operated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), was struck twice by FPV drones. OCHA says the vehicle was “severely damaged”.
Würzburg (Germany) (AFP) – “I wouldn’t recommend to my children today that they go to the US to study and work there,” says German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a conference with young Catholics in Bavaria, drawing applause from the audience. A traditional ally of the United States, Berlin has distanced itself from Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House and has stepped up its criticism since the start of the war against Iran.
London (AFP) – A London event dubbed ‘Bald Fest’ offers free pints to people with smooth scalps and those willing to have a head shave in a bid to celebrate the hairless. “I’ve got a pint because I stumbled into a random event in London called ‘Bald Fest’ in Soho, and yeah, I’m getting shaved,” says one soon-to-be-bald participant. “The things you do for a free beer in a cost of living crisis”.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces now control 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, suggesting troops have expanded into more of the Palestinian territory than set out in an October ceasefire plan. “There were those who said: get out, get out. We did not get out. Today we control… how much? 60 percent. Tomorrow we shall see,” Netanyahu says at an event marking Jerusalem Day.
Seoul (AFP) – South Korean entertainment company Galaxy Corporation opens a robot themed park in Seoul — featuring boxing matches and K-pop performances by humanoid robots. “I naturally became interested in robots as well, and I began to think about what it would be like if this future where robots become part of our lives could be shared with young children,” says Choi Yong-ho, CEO of Galaxy corporation.
Santiago de Cuba (Cuba) (AFP) – Santiago de Cuba, on the eastern side of the island, is affected by a blackout with residents spending more time outside to get some natural light. The outage comes amid a deep energy crisis fueled by the United States’ blockade on Cuba. IMAGES
Hundested (Denmark) (AFP) – In the small Danish coastal town of Hundested, north of Copenhagen, 15 artists from around the world apply to final touches to their works for the 15th annual Sand Sculpture Festival. “Sand is like sketching paper,” says Lotte Oster, an artist from the Netherlands. The festival was launched in 2012 and has been growing since then, with up to 60,000 visitors expected this year. The sculptures use around 1,000 tons of sand, which is reused every year. “We have water and trees around,” says Christian Warrer, who founded the festival, “so we need some events so people could find us.”
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council says Beijing’s “military intimidation” is threatening peace in the Taiwan Strait, as well as relations between China and the US. Deputy Minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Liang Wen-chieh makes the comments after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that the issue of Taiwan could lead to conflict. “If maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the greatest common denominator between China and the United States, then the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) should restrain its acts of military intimidation,” Liang tells a press conference in Taipei.
