Ketapang (AFP) – Eight orangutans rescued in recent weeks from blazes that tore through Borneo island have been released into a protected forest, according to Indonesian authorities and rescuers. The apes were rescued from several locations razed by fires, mostly plantations near their forest habitats, in West Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island, according to the forestry ministry and the YIARI wildlife rehabilitation foundation.
Kiew (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv will respond if Russia refuses to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an “energy ceasefire”. Speaking via video link to a security forum in Warsaw, Zelensky says Ukraine will only stop its long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and exports if Moscow ends its attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
Vadodra (AFP) – People in India’s western city of Vadodara celebrate the Hindu festival of Navratri, with traditional Garba dancing and devotional rituals at the Lakshmi Vilas Palace. Navratri, meaning nine nights, honours the Hindu goddess Durga and the triumph of good over evil. In the western state of Gujarat, the festival is marked by Garba, a traditional folk dance in which people move in circles to rhythmic music, often dressed in colourful traditional attire.
Bureij (AFP) – Mahmoud Al-Kronz trains children and youth in the martial art of Taekwondo in Al-Bureij, in central Gaza Strip, among the ruins and harsh conditions left by the war. After a three-year hiatus, the trainees are back, practising the sport they love and dreaming of competing internationally. “We are ready to overcome the obstacles and challenges facing us,” says Al-Kronz.
Berlin (AFP) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Russia will only negotiate “seriously” under pressure, days after US President Donald Trump announced a temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel. “For Germany and for Europe, such a decision is out of the question,” Merz says.
Pjöngjang (AFP) – Footage released by North Korea’s state broadcaster, KCTV, shows leader Kim Jong Un attending a ceremony with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Tensions are ratcheting up between North and South Korea, after weeks of mounting friction over a landmine explosion along their heavily fortified border.
Visakhapatnam (India) (AFP) – Handcuffs encircle Google’s logo on one campaign poster, while another warns that people “cannot drink data”, as opposition mounts to the tech giant’s planned AI mega-facility in India.
King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – CCTV footage released by the Saudi Media Ministry shows the moment Riyadh International was hit by a Houthi strike on Saturday. The attack killed at least a dozen people and wounded hundreds.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV tells crowds gathered for the Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square that doctors had recently discovered an early-stage, localised lung nodule during medical examinations and that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to have it removed. The pontiff says the nodule was detected at a very early stage and is very localised.
Tehran (AFP) – At a Tehran bazaar, shopkeeper Nasir says locals once bought his nuts by the kilos, but soaring prices caused by the US-Iran war have eaten into sales, leaving businesses like his fighting for survival. Iran’s economy has been battered by years of sanctions, but the conflict that began in February with US-Israeli attacks and an American blockade of the country’s ports has put extra strain on daily life.
Mekelle (Ethiopia) (AFP) – Flights between Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and the city of Mekelle in its northern Tigray state have resumed after being suspended for more than two weeks. The flights come after the Ethiopian army pushed back the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and seized their capital, Mekelle. Unconfirmed reports say that there could be about five flights daily, and if the demand increases, the Ethiopian airline may increase the number of flights.
Mumbai (India) (AFP) – For three decades, conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah has pioneered efforts to preserve some of India’s most significant historic sites — from ancient Buddhist caves and Islamic tombs to Hindu temples and Mumbai’s imperial-era Gateway of India. In the world’s most populous nation and one of its fastest-growing major economies, urban development is advancing at dizzying speed. “It’s only in the last 30 years that we’ve managed to have city-wide listings and heritage regulations,” she says.
