Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te in his inauguration speech calls on China to “cease political and military intimidation” of the self-ruled island, which Beijing sees as part of its territory.
Lima (AFP) – LGBTQ+ groups call a protest outside Peru’s Ministry of Health, in the capital Lima, against a new government decree listing transsexualism as a “mental disorder.” The government on May 10 updated its list of insurable health conditions — which since 2021 has offered benefits for mental health treatment — to include services for transgender people. IMAGES
The Hague (AFP) – Israel lashes out at South Africa’s case before the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) describing it as “distorted” and saying Rafah is a “stronghold” for Hamas. The comments by Israel’s representatives at the ICJ come as Pretoria urges the court to order a halt to Israel’s ground offensive in Rafah. The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the death of more than 1,170 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Out of 252 people taken hostage that day, 128 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 38 who the army says are dead. At least 35,303 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out, according to data provided by the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza. Israeli military says 279 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27
West Halmahera (Indonesia) (AFP) – Mount Ibu on Indonesia’s remote Halmahera island erupts again — the second massive eruption in two days — spewing ash and smoke 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the sky. Hundreds of people living near the erupting volcano have been evacuated after authorities raised its alert status to the highest level.
Rouen (France) (AFP) – French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announces that the 25-year-old policeman who shot dead a knife-wielding man who had tried to set fire to the synagogue in Rouen and threatened them will be “decorated”. (COMPLETES VIDI34RW9V9-EN, VIDI34RW6K3_EN and VIDI34RY47Z_EN)
Cannes (France) (AFP) – Mika, Iggy Pop and other celebrities attend a photo call event on the fringes of the 77th Cannes film festival.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Small ships are seen off the coast of Gaza as they prepare to bring aid from larger vessels at sea towards to the temporary pier that was anchored by US troops to a beach in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – The EU’s spokesperson reiterates the bloc’s condemnation of the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who on 15 May was shot and hospitalised after a cabinet meeting.
Banska Bystrica (Slovakia) (AFP) – People outside the Banska Bystrica hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated after he was shot, react in horror to the attack. “Feel free to throw a tomato or an egg at him” say Karol Reichl, “but don’t come with a gun”.
Johannesburg (AFP) – Dotted across South Africa’s Johannesburg region, thousands of abandoned gold mines attract illegal mining activity, with criminal gang violence often spilling into nearby communities. Zamimpilo, just west of Johannesburg, sits atop an old deposit and residents of the informal settlement say they can’t be sure they will “wake up alive” as illegal miners — or ‘zama zamas’ — go about their business practically unimpeded.
Johannesburg (AFP) – Courtnae Paul is one of seven African breakdancers hoping to represent the sport as it makes its Olympic debut in the 2024 Paris Games. The South African describes the discipline as “a mixture of martial arts, gymnastics, all the cool stuff” at one of the last few events before Paris, where dancers — known as B-boys and B-girls — will be judged on technique, musicality and originality.
Caen (France) (AFP) – Prison staff in France are protesting the day after two officers were killed by armed men in the country’s north. The deaths occurred during an ambush on a prisoner transport convoy, with a van being rammed head-on by a stolen car and an inmate being freed in the process.
