Utrecht (Netherlands) (AFP) – Lara Peters and her husband Mathijs Dordregter have chosen a “sustainable” wedding, with one of the busiest railway stations in The Netherlands as the venue. The couple and guests wear pre-owned outfits for the ceremony to promote eco-friendly fashion.
Agios Nikolaos (Greece) (AFP) – An African dust storm paints Crete’s skies orange and batters the coast of the southern Greek island, disrupting Easter weekend travel. Authorities in Athens and mainland Greece have issued warnings ahead of heavy rainfall and gale-force winds expected until 3 April.
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – The small rescue team from NGO Animals Lebanon heads into Beirut’s southern suburbs, struck almost daily by Israeli aircraft, looking for trapped animals. The NGO says its teams have rescued 241 animals from south Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas under heavy bombardment since the start of the war in the Middle East. “These animals have nothing to do with the war,” says volunteer Issam Attar.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) – On a dusty field, coach Hida Ghaddar teaches more than football at her Breakthrough Soccer Academy in northern Nigeria’s largest city, Kano, which is currently gripped by a drug epidemic. “Playing football itself helps these players avoid all of this,” she says, adding that “drug abuse and playing football don’t go together.” Ghaddar combines sports drills with discipline, schooling and job support to help youths avoid drugs — all while nurturing their dreams of one day playing on the global stage.
Titusville (United States) (AFP) – “It was everything I expected,” says Ryan who, along with a crowd of fellow space enthusiasts gathered in Florida, watched the launch of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the Moon. Blasting off from the Space Kennedy Center, the rocket will conduct the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years and will see the first woman, first person of color and first non-American take part in a Moon mission.
(AFP) – Iran’s military vows to carry out “crushing” attacks against the United States and Israel, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb the country “back to the Stone Ages.” Speaking the day after Trump’s remarks, Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari tells the US that the war — which has spread through the Middle East, rocking markets and impacting hundreds of millions worldwide — “will continue until your humiliation”.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – In front of an audience of around 100 people, drag performers put on a show in a shelter under a square in central Tel Aviv. After years of conflict in the region, including the most recent war with Iran, the performances offer the audience much-needed escapism. “It just came from a place that we just need fun, just hang out and have fun,” says drag queen Flame.
Singapore (AFP) – Around 20 retirees in Singapore learn to tackle a series of relatively demanding exercises in “geriatric parkour”, building their agility and enjoying a sense of camaraderie.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Dubbed “hero trees” for their majestic appearance, Hong Kong’s kapok trees usually signal the arrival of spring with their bright red flowers blooming on bare branches. However, that stark contrast has been fading in recent years. Flowers are now appearing on leafy branches, as leaves that should have been shed during winter persist into spring — a sign, conservationists say, that nature is falling out of sync as the climate warms.
Brugelette (Belgium) (AFP) – A zoo in Belgium welcomes the birth of a golden monkey, a rare and endangered species, born on 17 March 2026 at Pairi Daiza Park — the first such birth in the country. The baby is reportedly in good health and is being cared for by its mother. A few days earlier, another golden monkey was born at France’s Beauval ZooParc in a first in Europe.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia will keep providing assistance to Cuba, a foreign ministry spokesperson says, after it sent an oil tanker to provide the crisis-hit island with its first shipment of crude since January. Moscow historically maintains close ties to Havana and has criticised Washington for blocking fuel deliveries to the island.
Cocoa Beach (United States) (AFP) – One day before the next launch for NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon, excitement is building among visitors to Florida’s Space Coast. “It’s definitely cool to know that humans are going further than ever before in history,” says one tourist. Three men and one woman are set to embark on the first crewed journey to the Moon since 1972, a landmark odyssey that aims to launch the US into a new era of space exploration.
