Maiquetía (Venezuela) (AFP) – The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has left hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the US facing uncertainty.
London (AFP) – King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Chelsea Flower Show in London, with an eye on the show’s first ever dog garden, designed by celebrity Monty Dan. More than 140,000 visitors are expected to view the show’s 400 exhibitors over the next five days with this year’s focus being on innovation and climate-change adaptation.
East Flores (AFP) – A huge ash cloud rises above Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia after the volcano erupted, Indonesia’s volcanology agency reports. A series of recent eruptions has led authorities to raise their alert level to its highest.
Madrid (AFP) – The Eurovision song contest should exclude Israel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says in Madrid. The intervention by Sanchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, comes after protests against Israeli participation marked the weekend’s extravaganza in Switzerland. Russia has not been allowed to participate in Eurovision since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Landerneau (AFP) – The small Breton town of Landerneau sets a world record for the largest gathering of smurfs on Saturday, bringing together 3,076 people dressed as the blue characters, according to the organisers, after two unsuccessful attempts over the past five years. Landerneau has secured the spotlight from the German town of Lauchringen, which held the record since 2019 with 2,762 smurfs.
Vatikanstadt (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV receives US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, ahead of a US-led push to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Chicago-born pope was elected as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8.
Sderot (AFP) – Hundreds of anti-war activists gather in the Israeli southern city of Sderot to march towards the Gaza border, calling to end the war. “We want to stop this horrible war,” says Itamar Avneri, one of the organisers of the event. “We demand our government to achieve a hostage deal and a ceasefire, in order to save lives, Israeli lives and Palestinian lives, end this horrible war and destruction of Gaza, and starting to advance toward real Palestinian-Israeli peace.” Police stop protesters from marching towards the border, resulting in clashes and several arrests.
Bukarest (AFP) – Hundreds of Romanians take to the streets to celebrate after Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, wins a tense rerun of Romania’s presidential election, beating nationalist George Simion in a vote seen as crucial for the direction of the EU and NATO member.
Washington (AFP) – Americans in Washington, DC, express their sadness as former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Sandomierz (Pologne) (AFP) – Rafal Trzaskowski, liberal candidate in the presidential election, speaks to his supporters at the Civic Coalition party headquaters in Sandomierz, Poland. According to the polls, Rafal Trzaskowski is ahead of nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki (29.1%) with 30.8% of the vote. IMAGES
East Flores (Indonesia) (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the tourist island of Flores erupts again, spewing thick ash up to 6,000 metres above its peak. Authorities had raised its alert status to the highest level after the 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano erupted for 11 minutes on March 20, forcing thousands of locals to evacuate. Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
Chiclayo (Peru) (AFP) – Residents of Chilcayo, Peru gather overnight as they prepare to celebrate the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV. The US-born pontiff was made bishop of the city in 2014, after two decades of work as a missionary in Peru. Many here say it is his ‘adoptive city’ and remember him for his work with the poor, and for bringing the church closer to local residents.
