Mae Ai (Thailand) (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of people in northern Thailand have become collateral damage from the civil war in neighbouring Myanmar, turning to drugs as supply through the area rockets on the back of the conflict. ++ ALSO SEE VIDI_98VX8T3 ++
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – New strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs after the Israel military announces “wave” of attacks on Hezbollah targets, alongside new bombing on Iran. IMAGES
Porto Rafti (Greece) (AFP) – Beneath the surface of the flat, turquoise waters of Porto Rafti, a popular yachting harbour near Athens, hydraulic drills are hard at work as part of a project to protect a vital species of seagrass. Vital to the health of the Mediterranean, posidonia meadows have been destroyed by decades of boat anchors ripping along the seabed. Now, Greek maritime authorities are working to install new eco-moorings, giving boats somewhere to dock without dropping anchor.
(AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that his country is “not done yet” in its war against Iran, which it is fighting alonside the United States. Speaking a day after US President Donald Trump told reporters that the war would be over “very soon”, Netanyahu explains that Israel’s “aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny.”
Or Yehuda (Israel) (AFP) – CCTV footage from the central Israeli city of Or Yehuda shows the moment of a strike, which seriously injured one person. Israel has come under fire from Iranian drones and missiles since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, which sparked the spiralling Middle East war.
Berlin (AFP) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voices concern over the apparent lack of “a common plan” to bring the Iran war to a “convincing end.” Speaking during a press conference in Berlin, Merz says that “with every day this war continues, more questions arise.” His comments came with the Middle East war — triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February — now in its second week.
Namie (Japan) (AFP) – Not far from the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, soundtracked by meows and barks, Toru Akama tends to his house full of animals. The former power plant worker now dedicates his life to the pets left behind in the wake of the triple disaster in March 2011, which saw Japan’s strongest-ever earthquake, the resulting tsunami, and a devastating nuclear meltdown. “I felt the duty to protect these animals,” says Akama, who has successfully rehomed around 1,000 pets in the last 15 years.
Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Argentinians march a day after for International Women’s Day against Javier Milei’s government. They take the streets calling for equal rights and an end to violence against women. IMAGES
Washington (United States) (AFP) – Iran is “trying to hold the world hostage” through its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accuses Tehran of being a “terrorist government.” Rubio’s comments came at an event at the US State Department, with the Middle East war — triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran — continuing into its second week.
Liege (Belgium) (AFP) – Police in the western Belgian city of Liege stand guard outside a synagogue after an explosion that damaged the building in the early hours of Monday morning. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, which is being investigated as a suspected “terrorist” crime. The explosive device “blew out the windows and blew out the door,” says rabbi Joshua Nejman.
Juba (AFP) – Years of natural disasters, corruption and armed conflict have pushed South Sudan’s healthcare system to the brink and with fighting once again on the rise, what little is left is being tested by an influx of those wounded. More than 80 percent of the system’s health provision comes from foreign donors, namely NGOs, who can’t officially pay hospital staff, but give out “incentives” with government salaries going unpaid for months at a time. This is despite significant foreign aid, with the country receiving $1.4 billion in 2024, the largest amount globally as a share of GDP.
Bekasi (Indonesia) (AFP) – Rescuers dig through a mountain of rubbish, looking for at least four people missing after a collapse at one of the world’s largest open landfill sites. At least four people were killed by the landslide at Indonesia’s Bantargebang site, which sits just 25 kilometres from the capital Jakarta.
