Beijing (AFP) – Beijing slams the “politicisation” of educational exchanges after the United States revoked the right of Harvard University to enrol foreign students, many of whom come from China. “The Chinese side has consistently opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning says at a regular press briefing.
Villa del Rosario (Colombia) (AFP) – People are stranded on the Colombian side of the Simon Bolivar International Bridge as Venezuela closes its border with neighboring Colombia from May 23 to May 26, ahead of legislative and regional elections scheduled for this weekend. IMAGES
Paris (AFP) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrives at the Elysee Palace where he is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron. IMAGES
London (AFP) – UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood tells MPs that 20 prisons will be involved in a “national roll-out” of the use of “so-called medication to manage problematic sexual arousal” — also known as chemical castration — in sex offenders.
Lyman (Ukraine) (AFP) – For around three years, 86-year-old Lidia Isayeva has been living alone in a cellar to shelter from Russian strikes that have destroyed her apartment and part of her hometown. Despite the risks, some Ukrainians choose to stay at home in the ruins, holding on to a lifetime of memories in towns where many have lived forever. “It’s an optimism that can lead to death,” says Roman Bugayov, from East SOS, which helps people evacuate from the front.
Langemark (Belgium) (AFP) – Belgian deminers have been picking up World War I munitions for over a century and believe they still have another century’s worth of work. British, German and French shells and munitions are turning up at the surface in Flanders by the thousands every year. Each year, the teams respond to more than 2,000 requests from farmers or construction crews to remove munitions, and have built up an expertise that they share across the world.
Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels claim responsibility for a missile attack on Israel, the second in less than 12 hours. The group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree says they targeted Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport “using a hypersonic ballistic missile”.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accuses European governments of incitement against his country after the fatal shooting of two embassy staffers in Washington.
Taree (Australia) (AFP) – Rising floodwaters have stranded more than 50,000 people in eastern Australia, as torrential rain pummels water-logged towns for a second day and engorged rivers swallowed roads, leaving two dead. Rising floodwaters stranded more than 50,000 people in eastern Australia on Thursday, as torrential rain pummelled water-logged towns for a second day and engorged rivers swallowed roads, leaving two dead.
Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry calls for a “full investigation” after Israeli troops fired what they called “warning shots” as foreign diplomats visited the occupied West Bank.
Ulaanbaatar (AFP) – Hundreds of young Mongolians turned out in the country’s capital calling for the prime minister’s resignation on allegations of corruption, a longstanding source of deep public anger in the landlocked democracy.
Washington (AFP) – Police officers set up a cordon near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington after two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late Wednesday. IMAGES
