Ecuador was known as the “isla de paz” – an island of peace – in the 1980s, when compared to its neighbors Colombia and Peru, some of the world’s biggest producers of cocaine.

But a deadly escalation of violence has upended that reputation in the past few years, as rights groups say the Andean nation has clocked some of the highest homicide rates in the region.

In April alone, the country has seen a prison riot, explosions in the port city of Guayaquil, and the slaying of at least nine people during an armed attack on a fishing port.

Civilians are finding themselves caught between criminal groups battling for control of the cocaine supply chain, which passes through Ecuador, according to Glaeldys González, an expert on organized crime at the International Crisis Group.

And Ecuadorian authorities have struggled to tackle this public security crisis “efficiently because it is mired in (a) political crisis,” González says.

Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso is at the center of this storm, and his popularity has tanked amid widespread discontent with spiraling crime rates.

“Lasso has not delivered” on campaign promises of lower taxes and more foreign direct investment, said Luis Ortiz, an Ecuadorian political analyst and development consultant. Nor has he been able to convey a successful strategy to stop the violence, he added.

Lasso faces an impeachment vote in the next few weeks over accusations of embezzlement before he took office by opposition legislators – allegations Lasso denies.

Dealt a bad hand

It was not always so hard for the self-made millionaire, who ran on a platform of liberal values before coming into power in 2021, promising more foreign direct investment and encouragement of entrepreneurship. He was lauded for a successful Covid-19 vaccination drive at the start of his term, enjoying high approval ratings at the time.

It went downhill soon after.

Lasso survived an impeachment attempt amid weeks-long protests over rising fuel and food prices last year, and his name emerged in the “Pandora Papers,” a 2021 expose of financial secrets and offshore dealings of dozens of heads of state and public officials.

Ecuadoran law prohibits public servants from holding assets in tax havens. Lasso told Ecuador’s legislative commission investigating him that he had not evaded taxes and that his tax trajectory was legally supported. The investigation was later closed by the comptroller’s office.

But opposition lawmakers have renewed their efforts to impeach him, and the President’s popular support is evaporating as crime skyrockets.

The dramatic rise in crime that has fueled anger at his government is a trend that predated his presidency. Before Lasso took office, Ecuador had already become a key transit hub for cocaine due to its location between Peru and Colombia, and the dollarization of its economy in 2000 made it an easy location to launder money, say analysts.

“The judicial system, the institution that oversees bank transfers and bank transactions – they don’t even have money to make photocopies, much less track transactions that could potentially be linked to organized crime,” he said.

Allegations of corruption have also marred the courts and police, with the US withdrawing visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, and several judges and lawyers.

Lasso, who has a weak mandate in Congress and has struggled to build coalitions, has implemented several states of emergencies to tamp the bloodletting in the country, which has seen hundreds killed in brutal prison riots between rival gangs, to very little success, say critics.

His approach has become more haphazard following the second impeachment attempt. Last week, he declared organized criminal groups as terrorists, a move that empowered the military in pursuing gangs – despite allegations of corruption that cloud the security forces.

His embrace of his predecessor’s austerity package has seen Lasso incentivize the private sector to step in on security issues, which Ortiz described as being a disaster.

This includes Lasso’s recent authorization of civilians to use guns, a move which saw “private security companies (becoming) the first to raise their hand to say: ‘hey, no way, what we are seeing right now is criminals are more equipped than police,’” Ortiz said.

Fraying relationships

The mood further soured against Lasso this year when Ecuadorian media accused the president’s brother-in-law Danilo Carrera of corruption, including a cash for executive positions scheme and fake energy contracts. Ecuadorian prosecutors had opened an investigation into the fake energy contracts in January.

Following the report, Lasso asked prosecutors to investigate Carrera over his business and personal relationship with Ruben Cherres – whom authorities sought to arrest but was found murdered in late March. Lasso has rejected the existence of a corruption structure or network in his government.

The center-right leader is one of the few friends Washington has in the region, but even that relationship may be fraying.

While several US senators have lauded Lasso, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted the US’s strong partnership with the country during a 2021 visit. But in April, a group of eight US Congressmembers sent a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to “re-evaluate our government’s close relations with the Lasso government” and look into the corruption allegations surrounding Lasso and his associates.

Lasso would be replaced by Vice President Alfredo Borrero if impeached, but he suggested to the Financial Times in April that it won’t get that far, saying he would invoke a constitutional clause that would force elections for his role and congress.

The gambit would see Lasso rule by presidential decree and hold elections in six months’ time, and critics can see why Lasso might be tempted to opt for the nuclear option.

“If the opposition’s got the 92 votes that they need to get rid of him, he’s going to press that button and give himself six months to find a way out,” said Guillaume Long, a former foreign minister for Ecuador who is now a senior policy analyst at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

If early elections are triggered, the 67-year-old Lasso has said he will run again despite losing a lot of political capital. In February, opposition parties won key mayoral positions in Quito and Guayaquil and a Lasso-backed referendum on eight reforms, including allowing the extradition of criminals, failed.

As the clock runs on Lasso’s next move, violence and economic insecurity are leading more Ecuadorians to leave the country, with statistics showing thousands making their way north through the treacherous Darien Gap this year.

Whether we call them railways or railroads, we’re all familiar with the concept – big, heavy vehicles that can’t climb steep hills, running on two steel rails. That’s the pattern, right?

Well, railway technology is more versatile than you think. Over the last 200 years it has evolved to conquer cities, mountains, deep mines and some of the world’s most extreme climates. Here’s a selection of unusual railways that break the rules in order to reach the places other trains can’t roll.

Wuppertal Schwebebahn, Germany

If ever a railway was perfectly suited to its environment, it’s the legendary Schwebebahn monorail in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region. Built to link several industrial towns along the narrow, twisting valley of the Wupper river, the suspended monorail was completed in 1901 and was instrumental in the growth of the towns, which eventually merged to become the city of Wuppertal in 1929.

It might look unusual to visitors, but to the people of Wuppertal it’s the backbone of the city’s transit network, gliding up to 40 feet above congested streets to offer fast, direct journeys along an eight-mile route.

The single rails carrying the trains are supported by a series of 486 steel portals weighing almost 20,000 tonnes in total. More than 80,000 people a day are transported by 31 modern articulated cars traveling at up to 37 mph (60 kph). A replica of the vintage Kaiserwagen (Emperor’s Car) used by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1900 also operates on special occasions but is currently being restored; it’s hoped that it will return to service by spring 2024.

Stoosbahn, Switzerland

Current holder of the record for the world’s steepest public railway, Switzerland’s Stoosbahn opened in December 2017 and has become a global tourist attraction in its own right.

The unique cars with their rotating “barrels” allow passengers to stay level and travel serenely up the mountain at gradients of up to 110%. On a route of just over one mile (1.74 kilometers), the railway climbs almost 2,450 feet (744 meters) from the valley station in just five minutes.

Stoosbahn is far more than just a joyride though – it’s a vital lifeline for the car-free village of Stoos, which sits high on a mountain near the town of Schwyz, south of Zürich. Each car is fitted with three passenger “barrels” plus a further section for freight. Every year, up to 10,000 tonnes of freight is carried – essential supplies going up the hill to restaurants and hotels, garbage and recycling traveling back down. Up to 1,500 passengers an hour, plus their skis or snowboards, can also be carried – a 50% increase over the previous funicular railway.

Riding the Stoosbahn is a unique experience, even if you’re a connoisseur of mountain railways. The smooth transition from level to almost vertical happens very quickly and the view from the rotating cabins is exceptional. You’d have to be very jaded not to be impressed with such an astonishing piece of railway engineering.

Hythe Pier Railway, England

Pier railways were an attraction at several British seaside resorts in the 19th century, the most famous being the mile-long trip to the tip of Southend Pier on the country’s east coast – which you can still experience today. Most were built for pleasure, usually to save visitors a long walk back to shore.

Hythe Pier Railway, on the south coast of England, has always been a little different though; it provides a unique link between dry land and the Hythe Ferry, which has shuttled to and fro across Southampton Water since the Middle Ages.

The current pier opened in 1881 and a quirky 2,100-foot railway was added in 1909. It is the oldest continuously operating pier railway in the world. Wagons were initially propelled by hand but in 1922 a new narrow gauge electric railway replaced the original track. Two Army surplus electric locomotives, originally built to work in a World War I mustard gas factory, have worked the trains ever since.

The bizarre-looking locomotives continue to pull (or push) their weatherbeaten little coaches along the pier to meet every ferry to and from Southampton Town Quay, despite numerous threats of closure. Visit it while you still can.

Chongqing Monorail, China

Monorails have been around for more than a century and examples can be found all over the world, but they’ve never quite fulfilled the futuristic promises of their early promoters. That said, there are a few places where the unique qualities offered by monorails are ideally suited to their environment.

Chongqing in China is home to the world’s longest and one of its busiest monorail system, carrying millions of passengers a year on two high-capacity “straddle beam” lines totaling 61 miles in length. At just over 34 miles, Line 3 is also the world’s longest single monorail line with an annual ridership of around 250 million. Opened between 2005 and 2016, the two lines have 70 stations with a mix of underground and elevated sections. Famously, one section of Line 2 passes through the heart of a high-rise apartment block.

The city’s unique topography, with extreme differences in altitude between its densely populated mountain plateaus and the Yangtze and Jialing river valleys forced Chongqing’s transit authorities to seek an alternative to conventional metro trains. Monorail’s ability to negotiate steep climbs and tight curves made it the ideal solution when this megacity needed to transform its public transit system.

Ferrobus, South America

Is it a train? Or is it a bus? Neither, it’s a Ferrobus – a unique form of improvised transport found across mountainous regions of South America.

Combining old road bus bodies with rail wheels, these wobbly-looking contraptions are a lifeline for remote mountain villages lacking official road access. Using otherwise abandoned rail lines – often built in the 19th and early 20th century to exploit mineral deposits – Ferrobus routes can be found in Chile, Bolivia and Colombia, climbing high into the Andes.

Ferrobus trips are increasingly popular with tourists seeking an unforgettable experience, and likely wanting to avoid uncomfortable and often dangerous road journeys. Chile’s Gondola Carril from Los Andes to Rio Blanco, north of Santiago, operates purely for tourists, but others provide regular, if somewhat unpredictable, transport for locals and tourists alike.

Bolivia is arguably the epicenter of the Ferrobus world, with at least three routes, although there’s a constant risk of derailments, not to mention disruption from floods, rockfalls and extreme weather.

Riding a Ferrobus requires patience and stamina, but you’re guaranteed to return with some hair-raising stories to tell your friends.

‘Pokémon With You, Japan

Gotta catch ‘em all? Here’s one that will appeal to fans of Pokémon and trains. An otherwise ordinary Japanese local train has been dressed up to resemble the all-conquering franchise’s most famous character – Pikachu.

The bright yellow signature color dominates inside and out, with Pikachu motifs covering everything from floor to walls and curtains. One car has seating, while the second car has been fitted out as a fabulous mobile playroom for junior Pokémon trainers. During the two-hour trip from Ichinoseki to Kesennuma in the Tõhoku Region, children can play, nap and socialize with giant plush Pikachus or even pretend to drive the train.

Introduced in 2017 to put a smile on local faces after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011, which also prompted the reactor meltdown in the neighboring Fukushima region, Pokémon with You is one of several “Joyful Trains” operated by railway company JR East. Ranging from traditional steam trains to luxurious, exotically decorated expresses between cities and resorts, they’re part of an incredibly rich and vibrant railway culture that attracts visitors from all over the world to Japan.

The Small Underground, Budapest

Which city is home to mainland Europe’s oldest underground railway? Paris? Berlin? Vienna? In fact, it’s the Hungarian capital Budapest, where line M1 has been operating since May 1896.

In the late-19th and early 20th centuries Hungary – then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – was a vigorous pioneer of new railway technology. This short (2.3-mile) line under Andrássy Avenue on the Pest side of the Danube river was only the third underground electric railway in the world, opening shortly after similar lines in London and Liverpool, England.

Like London’s tiny “tube trains” of the same era, the first tunnels in Budapest were built to an unusually small profile and the effects of that decision can still be encountered today on what the locals call “a kisföldalatti,” or “the small underground.” The original trains, more akin to freight cars fitted with wooden shelters, were replaced in 1973 when line M1 was rebuilt and extended, but a ride on M1 is still a very different experience from the city’s later metro lines with their wide-bodied trains and airy stations.

Thousand of people a day squeeze into the little yellow trains – a much higher ridership than when it was completed. But with its low platforms and short, angular trains, it’s very different to the usual city metro experience.

Glass Floor Hanging Train, China

Over the last two decades, China’s rail industry has become the largest and most varied in the world, helped by the astonishing expansion of the country’s high-speed network and global exports.

But there’s far more to China than sleek high-speed trains and megacity subways; the size and diversity of this enormous nation demands ingenious solutions to serve areas conventional trains can’t reach.

A unique example is the world’s first hanging monorail with a glass floor, now running in Sichuan Province. The Dayi Air Rail Project connects four stations at busy tourist spots over a seven-mile (11.5 kilometer) route in the city of Chengdu.

Unusually, the lightweight car bodies are constructed from carbon fiber and composite foam material. They are powered by rechargeable batteries with electricity from renewable sources. But the panoramic windows and transparent floor are their most spectacular features, allowing up to 120 passengers per trip a 270-degree view combining clean, efficient and quiet transport with a memorable sightseeing trip.

DMV Road-Rail Bus, Japan

Imagine a vehicle that can pick you up outside your home, drive to the nearest railway line, convert itself into a train and then switch back to drop you in the center of a nearby town. It may sound like a story from “Thomas the Tank Engine,” but that exactly what Japan’s DMV Road-Rail buses have been doing since they launched on Christmas Day 2021.

The buses, carrying around 20 passengers per trip, run a 30-mile route between the town of Kaiyo in Tokushima and the city of Muroto, Kochi Prefecture. Six miles of the route are along a rural railway line, with the rest in bus mode.

With a capacity of 23, including passengers and crew, the DMV is a diesel-powered bus fitted with a set of retractable rail wheels which can be deployed in about 15 seconds. Lighter than a traditional train, the DMV also consumes less fuel and is cheaper to maintain.

Billed as “the world’s first operational dual-mode vehicle,” it is actually the latest in a long series of similar experiments to improve rural rail services and reduce their costs. As far back as the 1930s, road buses were converted into railcars in Ireland and similar vehicles to the DMV were tested in England in the 1930s and West Germany in the 1950s.

Tokushima prefectural government hopes the DMV buses will become a tourist draw in their own right. It also believes that the vehicles could also be useful for reaching isolated communities in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes, which can leave sections of roads or railway lines unusable.

Katoomba Scenic Railway, Australia

Not far from the wonderful city of Sydney is a railway experience unlike anything else in the world. Situated in the heart of the Blue Mountains, the Katoomba Scenic Railway is another contender for the title of the world’s steepest railway. But, unlike Switzerland’s Stoosbahn, this railway delivers a hair-raising descent down sandstone cliffs and through epic rock formations and tunnels perched over a stunning rainforest landscape.

Glass-roofed cars take up to 84 visitors per trip down the 52-degree (128%) incline, although if you’re feeling brave you can adjust the angle of your seat to the “Cliffhanger” position at 64 degrees. Fortunately, there’s also a “Laidback” option for the less adventurous.

The rope-hauled railway dates back to the late-1800s when it was part of the Katoomba mining tramways, but since 1945 the remaining line has been a thrilling tourist attraction. More than 25 million people have braved the trip since it opened and the latest generation of cars feature panoramic roofs, allowing visitors to get an even better view of the forest canopy and rock formations.

Prince Louis, the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, has undertaken his first royal engagement at the age of five.

The youngster, who is fourth in line to the throne, joined his parents and siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on Monday as part of the Big Help Out – a nationwide volunteering initiative marking the end of the coronation weekend.

The young prince, together with his family, visited the 3rd Upton Scout Group in Slough, not far from Windsor, according to Kensington Palace on Monday.

The Wales family joined the scouts to renovate their scout hut.

Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, eight, were seen painting a porch.

Prince Louis, dressed in blue shorts and a blue polo shirt, joined his father on a digger and helped fill a wheelbarrow with sand.

It’s been a busy few days for the royal family following a series of events marking King Charles III’s coronation.

A coronation concert was held in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday. While Louis’ older siblings were seen dancing and singing along to the music at the star-studded event, Louis did not attend.

A day earlier, at the coronation service in London’s Westminster Abbey, Louis stole the show during segments of the ceremony.

Keen-eyed viewers may have noticed him yawning, sitting between his mother, the Princess of Wales, and his sister, but then pulling a disappearing act from the service – only to return a little later.

At the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, Louis made global headlines when he was captured throwing a tantrum and covering his ears while screaming during the flypast.

At the height of election campaigning and just three weeks before polls were set to open, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated Turkey’s first nuclear plant in a virtual ceremony, in a move that further tethered the two Black Sea neighbors.

The event last month saw the inaugural nuclear fuel delivery at the Akkuyu plant in Mersin province, which is the first in the world to be built, owned and operated by one company – that is Russia’s state atomic energy company Rosatom.

With that, Turkey extended its energy dependence on Moscow at a time when its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies were reducing such links to deprive Russia of leverage against them. It entrenched Moscow’s presence in Turkey for the long term just as Erdogan was set to head into an election that some polls predict could push him out of power.

The strengthening ties between Erdogan and Putin have caused jitters in the West, with some watching the upcoming elections with anticipation of a possible Erdogan exit.

The Turkish strongman knows this. When the US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake paid a visit in March to Erdogan’s main electoral rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan lashed out against him, calling the US diplomat’s visit a “shame,” and warning that Turkey needs to “teach the US a lesson in this election.”

Polls suggest a tight race between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, with the likelihood of the May 14 election going into a second ballot if no candidate wins a majority vote.

But analysts have said that even if Erdogan is ousted in the polls, a foreign policy u-turn for Turkey is not a given. While figures close to the opposition have indicated that if victorious, it would reorient Turkey back to the West, others say core foreign policy issues are likely to remain unchanged.

Over the past two decades, Erdogan’s Turkey has repositioned itself from a staunchly secular, Western-oriented nation to a more conservative, religiously oriented one. A NATO member that has the alliance’s second-largest army, it has strengthened its ties with Russia, and in 2019 even bought weapons from it in defiance of the US. Erdogan has raised eyebrows in the West by continuing to maintain close ties with Russia as it continues its Ukraine onslaught, and has caused a headache for NATO’s expansion plans by stalling the membership of Finland and Sweden.

Turkey has, however, also been useful to its Western allies under Erdogan. Last year Ankara helped mediate a landmark grains export deal between Ukraine and Russia, and even provided Ukraine with drones that played a part in countering Russian attacks.

“I think there are areas where we will see radical change if the opposition wins, and many of our colleagues and European diplomats in Ankara are asking to what extent Turkey will pivot back to its Western allies,” said Onur Isci, an assistant professor of international relations at Bilkent University in Ankara, noting that if the opposition wins, the first thing it will do is mend fences with the West.

Limits to Turkey’s pivot to the West

But even if relations with the West are repaired, there will be limits to Turkey’s pivot back to the West, he said, given how deeply intertwined Turkish and Russian economies have become, especially as regards energy.

Much of Erdogan’s foreign policy has been driven by economic considerations, Isci said. And that is likely to continue into the next government.

Turkey is a key trading partner for Russia, as well as a hub for thousands of Russians who fled after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pouring money into real estate and other sectors.

Trade between the two has been on the rise, and last month Putin said that Russia was keen on deepening its economic ties with Ankara, noting that bilateral trade surpassed $62 billion as of 2022, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. That makes Russia among Turkey’s biggest trade partners.

The European Union, as a bloc, however remains Turkey’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching around $219 billion, according to the European Commission. Meanwhile, trade with the US stood at approximately $33.8 billion in 2022, according to the US Census Bureau.

“In terms of the country’s outlook, it very much will be oriented towards the democratic West,” said Somer, noting that this would not mean a complete end to disagreements with Western countries.

After several delays, Turkey this year allowed Finland to finally join NATO, but it continues to stand in the way of Sweden’s membership, saying it houses Kurdish “terrorist organizations,” referring to the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU.

Issues over Sweden’s accession may, however, be resolved with or without Erdogan.

The opposition has been keen to note that “constructive steps to eliminate Turkey’s security concerns” are essential if Sweden’s membership is to be approved.

But while relations with the EU might improve if the opposition wins, the road may be longer and more challenging with the US, experts say.

“When we mention Turkey’s relationship with the West… we sometimes take both ends of the Atlantic (as one),” Isci said. “Turkey’s relationship with the US has hit a dead end, and has been going downhill for a very long time.”

Whether Erdogan or the opposition wins, he said, Turkey will try to “disentangle its relationship with the US and the EU,” given Ankara’s reliance on its European trading partners.

The European Union canceled a diplomatic reception to celebrate Europe Day in Tel Aviv due to take place on Tuesday to avoid giving a platform to Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the EU delegation to Israel said Monday.

“Regrettably, this year we have decided to cancel the diplomatic reception, as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose views contradict the values the EU stands for,” the EU delegation to Israel said on Twitter.

“We don’t endorse the political views of Mr. Ben Gvir,” EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano had said earlier on Monday. “We don’t endorse the political views of his party because they are in stark contradiction with all the values the European Union stands for and believes in.”

Ben Gvir – the leader of the nationalist Jewish Power party, who has been convicted of inciting anti-Arab racism — fired back that the EU was practicing “undiplomatic gagging.”

“It is a shame that the European Union, which claims to represent the values ​​of democracy and multiculturalism, practices undiplomatic gagging,” Ben Gvir said in a statement. “It is an honor and a privilege for me to represent the Israeli government, the heroic IDF soldiers and the people of Israel in every forum, friends know how to voice criticism and true friends also know how to hear such.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell “was directly involved,” the diplomat said, asking not to be named discussing internal EU deliberations.

The diplomat said the EU was mystified by the Israeli government decision to send Ben Gvir to the reception.

“Nobody understands why – who had this genius idea, which is not doing good to anybody,” the diplomat said.

In this vacant and damaged village, news of Russia’s evacuation of occupied towns along the southern front cannot come soon enough.

Ukrainian-held Mala Tokmachka, just over a mile (2 kilometers) from Russian-held territory in the Zaporizhzhia region, has been left ghostly and battered by shelling, leaving the central square pockmarked, and the school’s facade torn off. Shrapnel is mixed in with fallen pine cones.

Raisa, a local woman passing some Ukrainian soldiers on her bicycle, said the explosions had picked up recently and she had heard small arms fire from the nearby highway. “There is no way out for us,” she said, of the remaining 200 civilians. “We have no water, gas or power for more than a year.”

Just 9 miles (15 km) down the road is Polohy, a town that Russian occupiers said Friday they would evacuate, a process which local sources said had got underway at the weekend, although some Russian soldiers apparently remain in place.

The town is a focus for Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive. While Kyiv has said it will not announce its commencement so as to cause maximum surprise, recent statements from Russian officials in occupied areas about attacks have indicated at least its opening stages are likely underway.

Polohy is one of over a dozen frontline settlements that occupying forces announced Friday would be emptied of civilians. A Russian occupation official, Yuri Balitsky, said “we cannot risk the safety of people and will provide funds for organized travel, lump sum payments, accommodation and meals.” He added children would undergo rehabilitation and rest in children’s camps,” echoing the language of previous incidents that Ukraine has dubbed forced deportation and on which the International Criminal Court based a war crimes indictment against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian officials have said the evacuations are being used to provide cover for the departure of Russian troops, and claimed civilians are being sent to the coastal town of Berdyansk, and Russian soldiers to the heavily destroyed city of Mariupol.

It is as yet unclear what impact these evacuations – which on Sunday Russian occupation officials said amounted to 1,600 people – will have on Moscow’s ability to hold frontline towns. But it is a sign of possible weakness, and in during past Ukrainian offensives, Russian positions have collapsed very suddenly, even as their spokespeople were articulating their avowed defense. At the best, these mass departures are recognition by Russian forces that the fight ahead of them will likely be intense.

The evacuees are also being moved all the way to the coastline – a reflection of the terrain to be fought over. Russia, according to satellite imagery, has built a substantial line of defenses along its southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Below this line of trenches and concrete, there are reports of some ongoing defenses, but not of a depth that would suggest Russia can easily afford to lose this initial frontline. Once Ukraine’s well-prepared offensive has pushed past this first boundary, there is a risk for Moscow that Kyiv’s move to the coast is a lot easier. That could be disastrous for the Russian occupation and Putin’s strategic hold of the land corridor that runs through Zaporizhzhia and connects the Crimean peninsula to the rest of occupied Ukraine and the Russian mainland.

Russia’s rage

In the Ukrainian-held city of Orikihv, one of the last major population centers before this frontline, the prospect of Russian forces being pushed decisively back cannot come fast enough. A constant artillery duel busies the horizon, together with intermittent mushroom clouds from enormous, often inaccurate Russian airstrikes.

Orikhiv is persistently battered by Russia’s rage as Ukrainian military pressure increases. The town’s rescue team said there is no longer any pattern to the shelling, which seems to strike at random times and locations. Dmytro Haydar, a rescuer, described the delicate balance his team must find between responding to strikes quickly and being caught in the regular “double-tap” follow-up attacks that Russian jets often launch to hit first-responders and survivors. “We saw them, as they leave a trail in the sky,” he said of one jet attack. “We had to stand near the basement because they launched guided bombs. There’s no particular time of day or place for the strikes.” Haydar gestured towards the recent sound of outgoing artillery fire and said: “That’s not necessarily Ukrainian. It could be from the Russian-held town of] Nesterianka. The frontline is 3 kilometers away, and then it’s them.”

The team’s chief, Andrew Grygorenko, said he was trapped at the start of the war in Russian-occupied Polohy, where he lived and worked as a rescuer. The Russians forced him and his men to continue their work. Grygorenko says his men one-by-one managed to escape. He evaded their tight scrutiny of his whereabouts when a local occupation official failed to turn up to work one day, and he drove a minibus of civilians out.

The regular effective targeting of Russian positions by Ukrainian firepower sparked a manhunt in the town for an informant. “They were searching for spotters, and those disloyal to the new power”, he said. “There are many missing people and many dead. We don’t know even the full picture. After liberation of our town, we will find many more there.”

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have shared their “most sincere and heartfelt thanks” in a new message from the monarch released by Buckingham Palace on Monday, as the coronation long weekend comes to an end.

The newly-crowned sovereign wrote that he and his wife wanted in particular to pay tribute to those who helped make events in London, Windsor and beyond “as happy, safe and enjoyable as possible.”

“To those who joined in the celebrations – whether at home, at street parties and lunches, or by volunteering in communities – we thank you, each and every one,” King Charles wrote. “To know that we have your support and encouragement, and to witness your kindness expressed in so many different ways, has been the greatest possible Coronation gift, as we now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.”

In addition to the King’s message of gratitude, the palace released four new official photographs of the King, Queen and members of the royal family taken after Saturday’s historic coronation service. All were taken by renowned British photographer Hugo Burnand at Buckingham Palace.

One portrait shows the King photographed in the palace’s Throne Room dressed in the full regalia – the Robe of Estate and the Imperial State Crown while holding the Sovereign’s Orb and Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross.

He is seated on one of a pair of 1902 throne chairs that were built for use at King Edward VII’s coronation by future King George V and Queen Mary.

In a separate portrait, Queen Camilla was photographed wearing Queen Mary’s Crown and Robe of Estate in the Green Drawing Room.

The King and Queen also sat for a portrait together in the Throne Room.

Finally a fourth photograph was released of the King and Queen flanked by “working royals” – members of the family who carry out official duties on behalf of the monarch.

London-based Burnand has long held close ties to the royal family, having previously taken the official photos for both Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005, and William and Kate’s wedding in 2011. He’s also been privately taking photographs of Charles and Camilla for over two decades.

Burnand also took several photos of the King and Queen released by the palace ahead of the coronation.

The coronation of King Charles III on Saturday was a once-in-a-generation royal occasion, with thousands turning out in the streets of London to watch history in the making despite gloomy and wet weather conditions.

The service, rich in tradition and pageantry, was held at London’s Westminster Abbey – the nation’s coronation church since 1066.

Music underpinned the entire celebration, in keeping with history. Each stage was marked by either a grand choral work, an ethereal motet, an extravagant organ composition or an evocative melody, all performed by some of the most accomplished singers and musicians in the world.

The Duke of Sussex flew back to the UK for his father’s big day, sitting in the third row, wearing a morning suit with his military medals. He arrived alongside his uncles, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, and two of his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

He did not appear later on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the customary appearance, instead catching a commercial flight back to Los Angeles to join the fourth birthday celebrations of his son, Prince Archie.

The occasion marked the first time the prince had publicly reunited with members of his family since the release of his controversial memoir, “Spare.”

The rest of the holiday weekend saw the sunshine return once more as thousands across the country took part in street parties and community lunches in celebration of the newly-crowned King. Others attended a jubilant coronation concert held in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Meanwhile on Monday, Prince Louis, the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, conducted his first royal engagement at the age of five, as part of the Big Help Out – a nationwide volunteering initiative marking the end of the coronation weekend.

The youngster, who is fourth in line to the throne, joined his parents and siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in helping to renovate a scout hut.

Iran hanged two people on Monday who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, according to the judiciary news agency Mizan.

Yusef Mehrdad and Sadrullah Fazeli Zare were arrested in May 2020 and sentenced to death in April 2021 for running online “anti-Islam groups and channels,” Mizan said.

Authorities convicted both after they were found to be members of a Telegram channel titled “Critique of Superstition and Religion,” according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Members of the Telegram channel allegedly shared opinions insulting Islam. One member allegedly said that they set religious books on fire, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom claimed. Iran’s state-run AlAlam said Mehrdad was filmed burning the Quran.

Zare and Mehrdad were denied family visits and phone calls for eight months after their arrest. Mehrdad reportedly went on hunger strike in February 2022 to protest the authorities’ refusal to allow him to make phone calls, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said.

United Nations experts have previously called on Iran to stop the persecution of religious minorities, under what they described as a policy of targeting dissenting beliefs and religious practices, including Christian converts and atheists.

“Such state-sanctioned intolerance furthers extremism and violence. We call on the Iranian authorities to de-criminalize blasphemy and take meaningful steps to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief,” the experts said in a statement published in August.

The executions come days after the execution of a dual Swedish-Iranian national, Habib Chaab, who was convicted for leading a national Arab separatist group accused of attacks in Iran.

A joint report issued by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the France-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) revealed at least 582 executions were carried out last year – a 75% increase from the previous year.

It was the highest number of executions in the Islamic republic since 2015, according to the report released last month.

The report found there was a “surge” of executions in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. Amini’s death sparked a months-long national uprising, which was eventually quashed by a brutal police crackdown.

Golf fans are accustomed to hearing a curling putt described as ‘snaking.’ What they are less familiar with, though, is the sight of a snake dangling off the end of a club.

During the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow on Saturday, Rickie Fowler was on hand to provide a safe demonstration.

Fowler was on the par-five seventh hole of his third round at the PGA Tour event in Charlotte, when his tee shot went careening right towards the waters along the side of the fairway.

While searching for his ball, the American spotted a snake settled amongst some rocks. North Carolina is home to a range of snake species, many of which inhabit the waters of the Tar Heel state. Comments on the PGA’s Twitter post wavered on what species of snake Fowler handled, but it is thought to be a northern watersnake, a nonvenomous species native to North America.

Angling his wedge, Fowler gently hooked the snake to lift it out from between a gap in the rocks before it slithered away. The fact that the 34-year-old is a long-time partner with Puma-Cobra made it a fitting collaboration.

Rickie Fowler the … snake charmer?!

No fear with a wedge from @RickieFowler pic.twitter.com/nJLwQhsE5J

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 6, 2023

He eventually took a penalty drop but managed to save par, carding a three-under 68 before repeating the score on Sunday to finish tied for 14th at eight-under overall, 11 shots behind champion Wyndham Clark.

It lifts him three places to world No. 50 ahead of the PGA Championship later at Oak Hill this month, where he will again chase a first career major after three runner-up finishes.

Fowler will be hoping to avoid the fate that befell Richard Brand at last year’s event. The English golfer’s second round was derailed when a squirrel raced onto the green to stop his ball and roll it around before scampering away.

To rub salt into the wounds, Bland was not allowed to move his ball or replay his shot under US Golf Association rulings.

Snakes and squirrels have continued golf’s ever growing story of animal run-ins, with dogs, deer, and alligators all penning chapters in recent years.

Nigerian MP Ike Ekweremadu will be sentenced in the UK Friday after being found guilty of an organ harvesting plot, but fellow lawmakers in his country have joined growing calls for leniency in his case.

Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and a middleman Obinna Obeta, 51, were found guilty in March of trafficking a 21-year-old Nigerian street trader to the UK to provide a kidney for the Ekweremadus’ daughter, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement.

Prosecutors say the victim was brought to the UK after being offered a reward of up to £7,000 ($8,810) and the promise of work in the country, but he was unaware that he was expected to provide a kidney in return.

A medical consultant called off the planned transplant after becoming suspicious of the circumstances surrounding it and the victim fled, sleeping rough for days before reporting the plan to UK police last May, the CPS said.

Ekweremadu, Beatrice and Obeta will be sentenced at the UK’s Old Bailey Court Friday and face up to 10 years in prison under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

‘A distinguished public servant’

Ekweremadu was a former deputy senate president in Nigeria for 12 years and his case elicited sympathy in Nigeria where some saw him and his wife as victims of circumstance who were desperate to help their sick daughter.

Some of the country’s political class wrote to the UK court appealing for leniency ahead of his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said Wednesday he wrote to the British judiciary on behalf of Ekweremadu asking them to “temper justice with mercy.”

“We are now using this particular intervention to seek for clemency in the sentencing. … The conviction has already been done but we are seeking clemency because this is the first time our colleague is getting involved in this kind of thing,” Lawan said.

Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, the country’s junior parliament, described Ekweremadu as “a brilliant lawyer, a distinguished public servant and a dedicated family man.”

The speaker of parliament of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, Sidie Mohamed Tunis said he also written to the chief clerk of the Old Bailey Court seeking leniency for the Ekweremadus.

Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015.

But the calls for clemency failed to hold sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria questioned why high profile politicians were using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

IPC Justice, a non-governmental organization dedicated to fighting corruption in politics wrote on Twitter: “… Nigeria has a reputation for not enforcing laws against political elites, which could lead to the perception of condoning criminal activity if the Speaker advocates for clemency for someone convicted of a serious crime.”

Prosecutors in the UK have described the Ekweremadus guilty verdict as “a landmark conviction.”