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Tanegashima Space Center (AFP) – Japan’s flagship H3 rocket carrying six small satellites successfully lifts off following a failed launch in December due to engine failure. The satellites loaded onto Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s rocket include Tokyo University of Science’s “Umitsubame”, which observes the Earth and other targets with a high-performance camera, and Shizuoka University’s “Shiraito”, which is testing space debris capture technology.

Okomu (AFP) – An orphan baby forest elephant rescued after wandering out of Nigeria’s Okomu National Park is being raised by wildlife carers from the conversationist NGO ANI in the hope of returning him to the wild, highlighting efforts to protect one of the country’s last remaining elephant populations. The breed, smaller and more elusive than their savannah cousins, are endangered and their population has collapsed in recent decades largely because of habitat loss and poaching. The National Park Service of Nigeria also played a part in this tiny calf’s rescue.

London (AFP) – David Hockney, whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88. Considered one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art, he was a pioneer in the pop art movement in the 1960s. The globally renowned painter and master draughtsman kept painting, experimenting and exhibiting right up until his death.

New York (AFP) – France’s air force acrobatics team stages a flyover of the Statue of Liberty, part of commemorations for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. The mission, dubbed “Liberte 250,” highlights France’s support for the US insurgents who took on the British crown, making Paris the oldest international ally of Washington.

Mexiko-Stadt (AFP) – Protesters block the city center with tents a day before the World Cup kickoff in Mexico City. The authorities closed the area around the fan zone with metal fences to prevent protesters from entering. The CNTE teachers’ union has been on strike for days to demand a salary raise and pension reform, while relatives of Mexico’s wave of missing people have separately taken to the streets.

Moskau (AFP) – The Kremlin calls on the United States and Iran to restart peace talks and says new strikes could have “negative consequences” for the global economy. “We call on all parties in this conflict to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table,” says spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Arguineguin (AFP) – On day six of his trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV tells migrants in the Canary Islands they are “not just numbers or files,” stressing their dignity and aspirations. “You have dreams that no one has the right to despise,” the pontiff says during a ceremony in the port of Arguineguin.

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – In Rio’s Tijuca and Saude neighborhoods, entire streets have become open-air canvases ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Residents paint murals and hang decorations from their windows in support of Brazil’s national team, which is hoping to win a long-awaited sixth World Cup.

San Isidro (Argentina) (AFP) – Víctor Stinfale, friend and legal advisor to the football leyend Diego Maradona, testifies at the San Isidro courthouse in the trial investigating the death of the Argentine star, who died in November 2025. IMAGES

Karur (India) (AFP) – With a smartphone strapped to her head, Indian housewife Nagireddy Sriramyachandra films herself performing everyday chores to train AI-powered humanoid robots to take on household jobs in the future.

Beijing (AFP) – Beijing cleaner Lin Meiqiong found her work a little easier the day she was paired with an unlikely new colleague — a tall, wheeled robot with AI-powered tidying skills.

Yongin (South Korea) (AFP) – In her tiny apartment in South Korea, where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike AI-powered doll she says she prefers to people.