Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon’s health minister, Rakan Nassereddine, says Israeli strikes have killed 394 people in the past week, including 83 children and 42 women. A previous toll had put the number of dead at 294 since Lebanon was drawn into the regional war that began 28 February between Iran, Israel and the United States.
Ashdod (Israel) (AFP) – Israeli firefighters and security forces deploy after a missile landed in an open field near the southern city of Ashdod, following air raid sirens across parts of Israel, warning of incoming missiles from Iran. Israeli authorities said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Zanzibar (Tanzania) (AFP) – Thousands take part in one of Zanzibar’s largest communal Iftar meals at the island’s Amani Stadium, where Muslims and non-Muslims gather to break the fast at sunset during Ramadan.
Beijing (AFP) – China’s top diplomat condemns the war in the Middle East, which was sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,” he told a news conference in Beijing. c
Philippines (AFP) – Entomologist Cristian Lucanas is the Philippines’ lone expert on cockroaches and says the ubiquitous bugs, which many deride as disgusting pests, deserve more study — and credit — for their key role in the planet’s ecosystem.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher says that “we’re seeing staggering amounts of money, reportedly a billion dollars a day” being spent on the Middle East war, rather than addressing the world’s “huge humanitarian caseload.” He tells reporters during a press briefing at the United Nations in New York, “It breaks my heart… we’ve lost our bearings somehow in the world”.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian pensioner Grygory Gladysh is the last occupant of a shelled residential block in Kharkiv, having seen everyone leave since the start of the war. The 79-year-old refuses to leave, saying it is too late for him to start over again elsewhere.Instead, he has endured bombing and several gruelling winters, largely alone, living off food rations and without heating or access to running water. “There’s no end in sight,” Gladysh says. “No one has said anything sensible yet — neither Russia nor Ukraine.”
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Beirut’s streets are lined with dozens of makeshift encampments after an unprecedented Israeli evacuation warning for the entirety of Beirut’s southern suburbs sent thousands in search of safety. Lebanon has been swept up in the Middle East’s war, after the Iran-backed armed Lebanese group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel to avenge the death of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
Washington (United States) (AFP) – The military campaign that the United States is waging against Iran is going “very well,” US President Donald Trump tells press at the White House. “Their army is gone… Their communications are gone. Their leaders are gone,” Trump says.
Ecuador (AFP) – Ecuador and US forces destroy a training camp for drug traffickers that belongs to the Comandos de la Frontera, a guerilla group implicated in the killing of 11 Ecuadorian soldiers in 2025, according to Ecuadorian authorities. The operation follows reconnaissance missions by the Ecuadorian Armed Forces using aircraft, helicopters, vessels, drones and specialized personnel.
Unknown (AFP) – In a week dominated by the US and Israel starting a war in the Middle East by attacking Iran, AFP looks back on the top stories from around the world in the last seven days.
London (AFP) – Across the UK, British schoolchildren take part in the annual tradition of dressing up as their favourite fictional character to mark World Book Day. At this primary school in South West London, pupils arrive at the school gates dressed as Hermione Granger, Sherlock Holmes and Pippi Longstocking, all clasping a copy of their chosen book.
