West Halmahera (Indonesia) (AFP) – A tower of ash more rises more than five kilometres into the sky as eastern Indonesia’s Mount Ibu experiences one of its largest eruptions this year. Authorities have called on people not to go within five kilometres of the volcano, which is one of Indonesia’s most active and erupted more than 21,000 times last year.
Tottenham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his players “know that it’s not done” in this season’s Premier League as the title race heads to the last game. The reigning champions beat Tottenham 2-0 on Tuesday night to take them two points above second-placed Arsenal ahead of the final round of matches on Sunday 19 May.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Workers in a crowded bakery stamp buns with the words “peace” as they make thousands of the tasty treats for an annual festival on Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau island.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – During a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that military aid is “now on the way”. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on 13 May on an unannounced visit to assure Ukraine of continued American support and the flow of much-needed weapons as Russia presses on with its new offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – At the annual Covent Garden “May Fayre and Puppet Festival” puppeteers and enthusiasts celebrate the 362nd anniversary of the first recorded performance of the UK’s traditional Punch and Judy show.
Doha (AFP) – Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemns an attack by right-wing Israeli activists on Gaza-bound aid trucks near a crossing with the occupied West Bank. Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political office in Doha since 2012, has been engaged — along with Egypt and the United States — in months of behind-the-scenes mediation between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Protesters are detained by police officers in Tbilisi, Georgia, as thousands rally outside the parliament against the adoption of a controversial Kremlin-style “foreign influence” law. Tbilisi has seen three straight nights of mass rallies over the bill that mirrors repressive laws in Russia which have been slammed by the European Union and the United States.
Seoul (AFP) – Youn Sung-ho is a comedian-turned-musician whose viral Buddhism-infused sets have been credited with reviving the religion’s popularity among young South Koreans, even as his performances have ruffled feathers regionally, including triggering police reports in Malaysia.
Mumbai (AFP) – At least twelve people were killed and dozens more injured after a billboard collapsed during a fierce storm in India’s financial capital Mumbai.
Tanah Datar (Indonesia) (AFP) – Rescue workers search for people still missing after flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia. Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos into two districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening, while flooding hit roads, homes and mosques.
London (AFP) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he is ‘confident’ his ruling Conservative Party can win general elections expected later this year, but refuses to set a date for the vote. Sunak mounts a defence of the Tories’ 14 years in power and claims that Britain would be less safe under Keir Starmer’s Labour opposition, which is widely tipped to come back to power.
Quiévrain (Belgium) (AFP) – A haircut but also a state of mind, an emblem of non-conformism and self-mockery: the European mullet festival took place on the 11th and 12th of May in Belgium. Organised since 2019, the festival – and the “European Mullet Cut Championship” that takes place alongside it – is held alternately in Belgium and France.
