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Shanghai (AFP) – Shoppers at Pop Mart’s flagship store in Shanghai have a mixed reaction to the announcement of an upcoming Labubu movie. “The whole fever, it was kind of intense,” says Camilla Pinheiro, wary of the heights reached by the global craze for the snaggle-toothed dolls, which rose to fame as the accessory of choice for top celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa. Pop Mart sold more than 100 million Labubu dolls last year, with Chinese officials hailing the character’s popularity as evidence of China’s growing cultural and soft power.

Arlington (United States) (AFP) – “It takes money to kill bad guys,” says US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing a report that the Pentagon has requested more than $200 billion in additional funding for the US-Israeli war against Iran. Speaking to reporters in Arlington, Virginia, Hegseth says that when the war ends “will be at the President’s choosing,” and that US munitions “are better spent in our own interests” than being handed to Ukraine.

Manila (AFP) – Lining the streets of Manila, the Philippine capital, the drivers of the city’s jeepney minibuses protest against soaring fuel prices in the midst of the Middle East war, as well as what they say is a lack of government support. Earlier in the week, the country’s transport regulator announced fare hikes across an array of public transport, but the move was quickly cancelled, with President Ferdinand Marcos instead promising commuters free rides instead. “All our money just goes to the purchase of diesel,” says Edwin Bautista, one of those protesting.

Beijing (AFP) – China condemns the killing of Iran’s national security chief in an Israeli air strike, describing it as “unacceptable.” Ali Larijani was the highest-profile Iranian killed since supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures died during a wave of US and Israeli strikes when the war began on 28 February. “China is shocked,” says foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, “we have always opposed the use of force in international relations.”

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelans momentarily put aside their political and economic troubles to celebrate their nation’s historic triumph over a star-studded United States in the World Baseball Classic title in Miami.

Helsinki (AFP) – Finland has maintained its position as the world’s happiest country for a ninth year running, according to the World Happiness Report, with Denmark and Iceland following close behind. Costa Rica ranks fourth, entering the top five for the first time, with Afghanistan at the bottom of the list.

San José (AFP) – Cuban embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, after the Central American country decided cut diplomatic ties with Cuba by closing its embassy in Havana and telling Cuba to withdraw its diplomatic staff from the Costa Rican capital. IMAGES

Tehran (AFP) – Images posted on social media on March 17, 2026 appear to show Iran’s Basij paramilitary force attempting to disperse crowds gathered for Chaharshanbe Suri, an ancient Iranian festival of light and fire marked before Nowruz, in Tehran, with gunshots heard in the background. The locations of these videos have been verified by AFPTV teams in Paris with the help of satellite images.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Israel repeatedly strikes three densely populated central Beirut neighbourhoods the morning of 18 March, with Lebanese authorities reporting a death toll of at least 12 including a director in Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on 2 March when militant group Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leading to a response of intense Israeli strikes on multiple regions around the country and ground operations in the south.

(AFP) – Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says that Israeli forces have killed Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib. The announcement, the day after Iranian security chief Ali Larijani was confirmed killed in an Israeli strike, is part of a longstanding strategy by Israel to target its enemy’s leaders.

Port Sudan (Sudan) (AFP) – The soft sounds played by musician Assem Abdel Aziz of a blues tune float through a Port Sudan school-turned-shelter, home to 120 Sudanese artists displaced by three years of war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. For filmmaker Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, “it’s a blessing that all of these artists found each other in the same place.”

Moscow (AFP) – Russia condemns the killing of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, after ally Tehran vowed retaliation for the death of the military official killed in an Israeli airstrike. Moscow is a close ally of Iran and has condemned the US and Israeli attacks. Larijani had met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in January, at a time when US navy ships were heading towards Iran ahead of the US-Israeli air campaign launched at the end of February.