Rio de Janeiro (Brésil) (AFP) – Brazil football star Neymar is ruled out of upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina after a thigh injury scuppered his recall to the national team, says head coach Dorival Junior.
Assinie-Mafia (Côte d’Ivoire) (AFP) – His self-described “naive” style of paintings, mostly inspired by “street children”, has made Ivorian artist Aboudia one of the world’s bestselling artists despite the resistance and hardships along the way. “I talk a lot about the children who are on the street. Basically, it’s not where they belong,” he states.
London (AFP) – Newly appointed England football coach Thomas Tuchel says the national team “needs to reflect the Premier League,” describing the domestic competition as “the strongest league in the world”. Speaking at Wembley Stadium, in his first press conference in the job, Tuchel says his England side will “implement a direct style” and “increase the intensity in our game.”
The Hague (AFP) – As former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appears via video at the International Criminal Court, dozens of demonstrators gather outside the building, voicing both support and opposition for the 79-year-old. Duterte has been charged with the crime against humanity of murder over thousands killed during his time in office in campaigns against drug users and dealers, rights groups say. Victims’ families have welcomed the trial, while Duterte’s supporters believe he was “kidnapped” and sent to The Hague amid a falling out with the ruling Marcos family.
Ahmedabad (India) (AFP) – Revellers across India smear and throw colours at each other, dancing to music as they celebrate Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours. Holi is observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month. “It’s significance lies in bringing people together,” says Bhavik, a reveller covered in purple powder.
Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) – The World Food Programme will be forced to stop providing vital food aid in Myanmar, “because of a shortfall in funding” says Michael Dunford, head of operations for the agency in the war-torn country. “We had aspirations to be reaching up to 1.1 million people.” The lack of funding is down to donors not meeting WFP’s requirements. “This includes the US, but it’s definitely not only the US,” says Dunford.
Tirana (AFP) – TikTok has been banned in Albania after authorities in the country ordered all internet service providers to block access to the Chinese-owned social media app. The ban was first announced last December after the killing of a 14-year-old, the culmination of a confrontation that started on TikTok. “Social media is holding our children hostage,” says teacher Trendelina Zhupa.
Montevideo (AFP) – Stargazers across the Americas are treated to a dramatic “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse. The celestial spectacle is the first of its kind since 2022, although this time the event is a “Micromoon”, with the moon at its furthest point from Earth, the opposite of 2022’s “Supermoon.” The awe-inspiring phenomenon was visible in some parts of Europe and Africa as well.
London (AFP) – Once boasting a social media following of more than 170,000, writer and artist August Lamm has ditched her smartphone and is urging others to downgrade to “dumb” phones to counter social media addiction. “When your whole social life is online, you can feel popular,” she says, adding that she “would never go back” to using a smart device. According to UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, Brits aged 25 – 34 spend on average more than four hours per day glued to their phone screens.
Naples (Italy) (AFP) – A 4.4-magnitude earthquake in southern Italy has left buildings damaged and sent several people to hospital with minor injuries, officials say. The quake struck in the early hours and was followed by several smaller tremors, sending residents fleeing into the street. The Campi Flegrei area around Naples is the caldera — or hollow — left behind by a massive eruption 40,000 years ago. Specialists say another full-blown eruption in the near future remains unlikely.
Kharkhorin (Mongolia) (AFP) – Mongolian herder Zandan Lkhamsuren lost all but two of his 280-strong flock of sheep in last year’s deep freeze — known as a ‘dzud’ — an extreme weather event that is becoming more frequent and more intense in a country badly affected by climate change. Across Mongolia, more than seven million animals were killed, over a tenth of the country’s total. The loss wiped out most of Lkhamsuren’s income, meaning his family couldn’t afford the tuition fees for his two daughters, who were both meant to start at Ulaanbaatar university.
Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe will be back to captain France in the upcoming Nations League quarter-final against Croatia, confirms coach Didier Deschamps. Mbappe has not played for the national team for the last six months.
