Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Christians in Gaza City celebrate Palm Sunday at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family, joining a procession and prayers led by parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli.
(AFP) – Drone footage provided by Project CETI, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, shows the first moments after the birth of a wild sperm whale off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean. Out of 93 species of cetaceans, a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises, only nine have ever been observed giving birth in the wild. The video is also the first evidence of “birth assistance” in non-primates, Project CETI says, since whales not related to the mother can be seen assisting with the birth.
Kyoto (Japan) (AFP) – Cherry blossom season reaches its peak in the Japanese city of Kyoto, drawing crowds of local and international visitors eager to enjoy landscapes adorned with the pink and white blooms. “It just makes everything feel brighter,” says French tourist Emilie Lambert.
Kyōtanabe (Japan) (AFP) – Dozens of competitors take part in the ISU-1 Grand Prix in Japan, a two-hour endurance race inspired by Le Mans run entirely on unmodified, store-bought office chairs. Each team consists of three members who rotate throughout the race, competing to complete the most laps within the time limit.
Berlin (AFP) – The lights at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin were switched off at 20H30 (19H30 GMT), along with other iconic landmarks around the world, to mark “Earth Hour”. This annual event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) aims to raise public awareness of the climate crisis and the importance of saving energy. IMAGES
La Havane (AFP) – One of two sailboats, that were reportedly missing, arrives to Havana, delivering the humanitarian aid they were transporting. The vessels are bringing the final shipments of Our America Convoy, an international humanitarian effort that has brought aid to support Cuba as a US oil blockade deepens the island’s energy and economic crisis. IMAGES
Beyrouth (Liban) (AFP) – Israeli warplanes break the sound barrier over Beirut, state media reports, as AFP journalists and residents hear loud booms reverberate across the city and in the mountains. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports Israeli planes breaking the sound barrier several times, including “over Beirut and its suburbs, Metn and Keserwan, reaching as far as the Bekaa and Hermel.” IMAGES
Paris (France) (AFP) – “I wish I looked down more, but I could feel my legs going very jelly,” a tourist from New York says after venturing out onto a 40-meter-long walkway suspended nearly 60 metres above the ground on the Eiffel Tower, an attraction that will be in place until May 3. N°A4XQ2NQ
Belgorod (Russia) (AFP) – Sirens wail across the Russian city of Belgorod, where, more than four years into the war in Ukraine, retaliatory rocket and drone fire from Kyiv’s army has become part of daily life. Around 40 kilometres from the border with Ukraine, Belgorod has been one of the places inside Russia that has suffered the most, with officials reporting hundreds of civilian deaths, and water, power and communications outages a frequent occurence. “No one wants these sirens, these wars,” says Natalia, a local pensioner.
Moscow (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin insists Russia has “never refused to develop” relations with Europe. The comments come as Russia tries to tempt Europe to resume purchasing its sanctioned oil and gas amid the Mideast war, with Hungary and Slovakia recently receiving sanctions exemptions for Russian oil. Speaking at a virtual Security Council meeting, Putin repeats his frequent comments blaming the West for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and insists that all subsequent diplomatic crises are “not our fault”.
New York (AFP) – UN rights chief, Volker Turk says the deadly bombing of an Iranian elementary school “evoked a visceral horror.” His remarks came at the start of an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council focused on the February 28 strike on the first day of the Middle East war, which reportedly killed 168 students and staff.
Grapevine (United States) (AFP) – At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, attendees express a range of views on the war in Iran, with some Iranian-American participants and activists voicing support for regime change, while others debate the scope of US involvement. “Maybe a small number (of boots on the ground) to go do certain tasks, gather the plutonium. But no, not occupy the country, no, I do not support that,” says Roger Aronoff, executive director Citizens Commission on National Security.
