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Baku (AFP) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with his Azerbaijani counterpart in a rare visit to Baku, the latest sign of a thaw in relations between the two neighbours. During the meeting Pezeshkian says that Iran sees the region of Karabakh as “an inseparable part of Azerbaijan.” Over the past four decades Azerbaijan has fought two wars with Armenia over the mountainous region of Karabakh. Azerbaijan seized the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023.

Hai Duong (Vietnam) (AFP) – When they crashed through the gates of Saigon’s presidential palace to end Vietnam’s war, the young crew of communist Tank 390 shaped the course of the country’s history — but 50 years on they are modest about their role in a pivotal chapter of the Cold War.

Freetown (AFP) – As the conclave prepares to elect a new pope, one church in Sierra Leone’s capital is hoping an African candidate will prevail. “If we have the next pope from Africa it will actually demonstrate the totality of our Christian faith,” Reverend Father Martin Peter Leo Bassei tells AFP after holding a Sunday mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Freetown. “It will also help the others that are coming up, the other Africans…to know that nothing is impossible.”

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira welcomes senior diplomats from BRICS countries for a meeting at the Itamaraty Palace, Rio de Janeiro, to present a united front in the face of threats emerging from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies. The meeting comes at a critical moment for the world economy after the International Monetary Fund slashed growth forecasts over the impact of the American leader’s sweeping new tariffs. IMAGES

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Senior diplomats from BRICS countries pose for a family photo at the Itamaraty Palace, Rio de Janeiro, as they meet to present a united front in the face of threats emerging from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies. IMAGES

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Clutching battered pots, children and women scramble to get a meal at a community food kitchen in Gaza City after the United Nation’s World Food Programme said it had depleted its food stocks. The humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory has worsened since Israel blocked all aid entering into Gaza from March 2, days before it resumed its military campaign in the territory following the collapse of a ceasefire.

Rome (AFP) – Red-robed cardinals arrive for the fifth general congregation in the Vatican since the death of Pope Francis, in which they are expected to decide on the date of the conclave to elect the new Pope. Speculation suggests the secretive election process could begin on Monday May 5, the day after the nine days of formal Vatican mourning ends.

Inwa (Myanmar) (AFP) – When a massive earthquake hit Myanmar last month, centuries of sacred history tumbled down — towering Buddha idols, sky-scraping stupas and the pure-white Nagayon pagoda where worshippers have prayed for generations. “I am very, very sad. As a Theravada Buddhist, I have never experienced such tragedy in my 65 years”, says Thein Myint Ko in Inwa. The magnitude-7.7 tremor also killed more than 3,700 people.

Attari (India) (AFP) – As relations between Islamabad and New Delhi quickly deteriorate, the neighbouring nations have scrapped visas and expelled each other’s citizens, giving people just days to get to the frontier before it closes.

Vancouver (AFP) – Mourners lay flowers and pay their respects to the 11 victims of a car-ramming attack at a Filipino street party in Vancouver, Canada. Police say the suspect has been charged with murder with additional charges anticipated.

Sanaa (AFP) – Residential buildings lie in ruins after overnight strikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, attributed to the United States by Huthi media. Since Donald Trump came to power in January, US strikes on Yemen have become an almost daily occurrence. The Huthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, are part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” – countering US and Israeli interests in the region. They regularly launch missiles and drones at Israel and at cargo vessels plying the key Red Sea trade route. US strikes on Huthi targets seek to thwart these Huthi strikes.

Rome (AFP) – Members of the public queue to visit Pope Francis’s tomb at the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore as it opens to the public for the first time. It comes a day after 400,000 lined the streets of Rome and St Peter’s Square in the Vatican to watch the late pontiff’s funeral. “His simplicity made him feel like a neighbour”, one visitor to the tomb says.