BOERUM HILL — A genuine touch of Sicily opens in Brooklyn: Head Chef Philip Guardione, born in the shadow of Mount Etna, is considered a creative wizard in the kitchen. He has opened acclaimed restaurants all over the world, and, pictured here, he hosts a grand opening of Piccola Cucina in Boerum Hill in Brooklyn. As a child, Guardione quickly became a culinary prodigy as he helped his grandmother prepare meals for all the important holidays — Christmas, Easter and, of course, Sundays, according to his website. Guardione credits his grandmother and her secret recipes with his success. He has owned several restaurants, including the new one on Nevins St., three Manhattan locations, and in Red Lodge, Montana and Ibiza, Spain.

The phrase “Piccola Cucina” translates to “Little Kitchen” in English.

LONDON — Back home, hovering around the nest: Britain’s Prince Harry leaves after attending an Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Also known as the Duke of Sussex since his 2018 marriage, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to help military personnel wounded in action. According to the Invictus Games Foundation website, which Prince Harry continues to support as a patron, the organization “offers a recovery pathway for international wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women (WIS). We collaborate to provide opportunities for post-traumatic growth: enabling those involved to reclaim their purpose, identity and future, beyond injury.”

Prince Harry served in the British Army’s Blues and Royals unit and was deployed as part of Operation Herrick to Afghanistan during his 10 years of military duty.

MOSCOW — Counteracting Putin’s inscrutability, his soldiers are more demonstrative: Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. Victory Day is observed in Russia on May 9 (rather than with most of Europe on May 8) because when the preliminary German Instruments of Surrender were signed, midnight had already passed in the vast geography of the then-Soviet Union with its 11 time zones.

Compared to last year’s ceremonies, this year’s Victory Day carried toned-down rhetoric about the two-year-old war in Ukraine, the New York Times reports. This year, President Vladimir Putin dedicated more time to the sacrifices of Soviet citizens in World War II than to criticism of his modern adversaries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For both sides — if pepper spray, turn away: Officers of the Metropolitan Police Department pepper spray demonstrators at George Washington University in Washington, early Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the university and arrested demonstrators early Wednesday, hours after dozens marched to the home of the school’s president. Police arrested 33 protesters and pepper-sprayed them three times as they attempted to break through a line of officers on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just off the Foggy Bottom campus, police told the Washington Post.
The mayor and police chief were scheduled to testify before Congress on Thursday on why they chose not to act sooner. That meeting was reportedly later canceled.

WASHINGTON — A pitcher’s extension lays groundwork for a ‘rubberband’ release: Washington Nationals pitcher Jacob Barnes throws to a Baltimore Orioles batter during the eighth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The “rubber band” release is a pitching mechanic that involves rotating one’s thigh bone to create tension so that more energy goes into the ball pitch. Washington and Baltimore were playing close Wednesday night, both geographically and in score. But the Orioles won 7-6, when second-baseman Jorge Mateo drove in a 12th-inning run to break the tie and secure its record, now at 23-12, according to ESPN. 

The Orioles are currently leading the American League East with a 24-12 record. The New York Yankees, at #2, has 25 wins but 13 losses so far this season.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Part of Haiti’s future hangs here: A child suffering from malnutrition is weighed by health workers at La Paix University Hospital, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The poorest nation in the Caribbean, and with a population of over 11 million people, Haiti deals with high levels of food insecurity due to a lack of regular access to sufficient safe and nutritious food, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Likewise, the World Food Programme reports that Haiti’s number of food-insecure people has tripled since 2016, with nearly half the population lacking enough to eat.

The World Food Programme has been working in Port-au-Prince to reduce those numbers through its emergency response with its partnership assistance. However, this mitigation is fragile in the current situation, with gang violence disrupting society.

TENNESSEE — Nature’s revenge — like an eerie scene from a sci-fi movie, officials inspect the damage done by an alien — a tornado: Utility workers survey storm damage along Cothran Road, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Columbia, TN. Most of Tennessee was under tornado warnings on Wednesday evening.

Damaging storms continue to barrel across the South and Southeast on Thursday, with counties from Texas to South Carolina under warnings.

As of Thursday afternoon, Weather Channel radar showed the heaviest intensity of lightning in an area stretching from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston on the South Carolina coast.

ARGENTINA — At one with the turf, celebrating: Goalkeeper Guido Herrera of Argentina’s Talleres celebrates after teammate Gustavo Bou scored their side’s third goal against Ecuador’s Barcelona during a Copa Libertadores Group B soccer match at Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Cordoba, Argentina, Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

MADRID — The violent, hands-free embrace of soccer players: Bayern’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, left, fights for the ball with Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal during the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Real Madrid won 2-1, with an aggregate of 4-3.

The Real Madrid team has now won its 18th in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, scoring seven more than any other team, according to the league’s webpage.

MANHATTAN — ‘Eyes ahead, look down, say nothing …’: Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Thursday, May 9, 2024. Or is he simply sleepwalking? Although Trump’s defense attorney accused Daniels of altering her testimony, the crux of her case actually deals with the exchange of money to silence someone during the former President’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Much of the case has dealt with testimony over banking and accounting practices within the Trump Organization.

MOSCOW — ‘I wish every day could be Victory Day …’: Russian President Vladimir Putin sits during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Putin toned down some of his rhetoric from last year over the “special military operation” in Ukraine, instead focusing on the Soviet Union’s key role and sacrifices in defeating the Nazis.