Global Weekend: Gaza Votes, DC Shooting, Pagan Freedom Day
On Saturday, municipal elections took place in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, where a Palestinian woman cast her vote, marking the first such elections since the Gaza war. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, President Donald Trump was removed from the White House correspondents’ dinner after a shooting incident involving an officer. In Johannesburg, attendees celebrated Pagan Freedom Day on Sunday, coinciding with the long weekend for Freedom Day, which commemorates the end of apartheid in 1994. In Otsuchi, Japan, wildfires led to the evacuation of over 3,200 individuals. Additionally, Palestinian students conducted a sit-in in Hebron, West Bank, while Atef Najib stood trial in Damascus for alleged violations. A car explosion was reported outside a police station in Belfast. Other notable events included the TCS London Marathon and Anzac Day parades in Sydney and London.
Key facts
- Municipal elections held in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, first since the war.
- Donald Trump escorted out of White House correspondents' dinner after shooting incident.
- Pagan Freedom Day celebrated in Johannesburg during Freedom Day weekend.
- Wildfires in Otsuchi, Japan, prompt evacuation of over 3,200 people.
- Naki Sumo festival in Tokyo where babies are made to cry.
- Palestinian students hold sit-in on closed road in Hebron.
- Atef Najib on trial in Damascus for crimes against people of Deraa.
- Car explosion outside police station in Dunmurry, Belfast.
- 2026 TCS London Marathon underway.
- Protest in Tel Aviv against war with Iran and Israeli government.
- Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill four despite ceasefire extension.
- Ukrainian soldiers rest on frontline in Druzhkivka.
- Anzac Day commemorations in Sydney and London.
- New Orleans jazz and heritage festival features Go Getters Social Aid and Pleasure Club.
- Trevithick Day in Cornwall with Parade of Steam.
- Humboldt penguin chick Campito presented at La Aurora zoo in Guatemala City.
- Baduy women in Kanekes, Indonesia.
- Maldon mud race in UK.
- Free dance classes on Copacabana beach ahead of Shakira concert in Rio.
- Sri Lankan monks arrested for cannabis in Colombo.
- Iranians enjoy Chitgar lake in Tehran.
- St George's day parade in Morley, UK.
Entities
Institutions
- White House correspondents’ association
- Secret Service
- TCS London Marathon
- Go Getters Social Aid and Pleasure Club
- New Wave Brass Band
- Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure Club
- New Orleans jazz and heritage festival
- La Aurora zoo
- Knights of Nottingham
Locations
- Deir al-Balah
- Gaza
- Washington DC
- United States
- Johannesburg
- South Africa
- Otsuchi
- Japan
- Tohoku region
- Tokyo
- Hebron
- West Bank
- Umm al-Khair
- Masafer Yatta
- Damascus
- Syria
- Deraa
- Belfast
- United Kingdom
- Dunmurry
- Northern Ireland
- London
- Tel Aviv
- Israel
- HaBima Square
- Lebanon
- Druzhkivka
- Ukraine
- Sydney
- Australia
- Louisiana
- Cornwall
- Guatemala City
- Guatemala
- Kanekes
- Indonesia
- Maldon
- Blackwater estuary
- Rio de Janeiro
- Brazil
- Copacabana beach
- Colombo
- Sri Lanka
- Negombo
- Tehran
- Iran
- Chitgar lake
- Lake of the Martyrs of the Persian Gulf
- Morley
- West Yorkshire