Juba (AFP) – “The fighting must stop,” says UN aid chief Tom Fletcher during a visit to South Sudan, where a new conflict is breaking out in the country’s east. “This should not be a difficult war to end,” he adds. The fighting in Jonglei state has displaced some 280,000 people since December, according to the United Nations.
Geneva (AFP) – The UN’s leader warns that “rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force”, at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s annual session in Geneva. “Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world,” Antonio Guterres says.
London (AFP) – A Royal historian and biographer of ex-prince Andrew says the British royal family is at a “crunch point”, adding that “if they are found that they have been abetting him, enabling him, protecting him, then I think Charles will have to stand aside”. For his book, “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York”, Andrew Lownie spoke with hundreds of sources close to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Lownie shares with AFP anecdotes of the disgraced royal’s alleged misconduct in public office as well as his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Paris (France) (AFP) – Timothee Chalamet lookalikes compete at the Arlequin Cinema in Paris to determine who most resembles the French-American actor. The event is organised to celebrate the release of film ‘Marty Supreme’, in which Chalamet stars.
Floreana Island (Ecuador) (AFP) – Footage released by Ecuador’s environment ministry shows park rangers releasing giant tortoises. More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Floreana Island in Ecuador’s famed Galapagos archipelago where they disappeared more than a century ago.
West Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump supporters gather near Mar-a-Lago after US Secret Service agents killed a man carrying a shotgun and a fuel can who had breached the security perimeter of the Florida estate.
Morelia (Mexico) (AFP) – Torched vehicles lie on the side of the road in the Mexican state of Michoacan following the killing of the powerful drug lord Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera in a military operation. Oseguera’s death has sparked a wave of violence in various parts of the country, including in Michoacan where Oseguera’s cartel has a presence. IMAGES
Mexico (AFP) – National Guard convoy and forensics ambulance arrive at Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office after top drug leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera was killed in a police raid in Jalisco state. IMAGES
Mexico (AFP) – The National Guard is deployed outside Mexico’s Attorney’s Office after the country confirms that soldiers killed a powerful drug cartel leader who was one of the most wanted men in the country and in the United States. Nemesio Oseguera, the 59-year-old leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa and died while being flown to Mexico City, the army said in a statement. He had a $15 million US bounty on his head. IMAGES
Assisi (Italy) (AFP) – A steady stream of pilgrims passes through the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi to see the saint’s remains, placed on public display to mark the 800th anniversary of his death. Nearly 400,000 visitors reserve time slots to view the 13th-century skeleton until March 22.
Lviv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian police release CCTV footage they say shows a 33-year-old woman suspected of carrying out a deadly blast in Lviv and her subsequent arrest. Authorities say the explosion, caused by improvised explosive devices hidden in trash bins, killed a 23-year-old police officer and injured 25 people, and allege the suspect acted under instructions from a Russian handler.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – As the sun sets, Palestinians in Gaza gather at communal tables for the fast-breaking meal of iftar during Ramadan. Organised by the Egyptian Committee in the Gaza Strip, the meals take place in camps sheltering displaced Palestinians.
