Lagos (AFP) – Marble, gold, mirrors, and perfect lighting: in Nigeria, bathroom selfies are no joke. Bars and lounges are turning bathrooms into showpieces — not just to keep up with trends, but to pull in new customers.
(AFP) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a video posted on his Telegram channel that the Israeli army “will remain” in most of the Gaza Strip, after he gave his backing to a peace plan for the Palestinian territory unveiled by US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu also says that he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks with Trump at the White House the previous day.
Peking (AFP) – China says that it “supports all efforts” for a de-escalation in Gaza after US President Donald Trump presented a new plan to end the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Paris (AFP) – Celebrities including Jane Fonda, Andie MacDowell, Kendall Jenner, and Eva Longoria model designs from L’Oreal’s ‘Liberte, Egalite, Sororite’ (Liberty, Equality, Sisterhood) fashion show on the steps of Paris City Hall on the first day of the city’s Women’s Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026.
Kabul (AFP) – Afghanistan faces a second day ofwithout internet and mobile phone service, after Taliban authorities cut the fibre optic network. A move Pakistani digital rights activist Usama Khilji warns could devastate education, cripple the economy, and further isolate millions, especially women.
Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump secures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing for a wide-ranging Gaza peace plan, but the two leaders warn that Israel will “finish the job” against Hamas if the Palestinian militant group rejects the deal.
Ha Tinh (Vietnam) (AFP) – Clean-up operations are underway in the Vietnamese city of Ha Tinh after Typhoon Bualoi ripped roofs off homes and killed dozens of people across Vietnam and the Philippines. Bualoi has now crossed into Laos as a weakened storm.
Karachi (AFP) – Conspiracy theories and misinformation plague Pakistan’s first vaccination campaign to protect girls against cervical cancer.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Kyiv mayor Klitschko visits a residential area of the Ukrainian capital hit after Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, wounding dozens across the country and killing at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, in the capital alone, Kyiv said Sunday.
China (AFP) – China’s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge — the world’s highest from ground level — officially opens to traffic in southern Guizhou province. Previously recorded footage shows the bridge towering 625 metres (2,051 feet) above a vast gorge and river before its inauguration.
Chisinau (AFP) – Moldova’s President Maia Sandu and former President Igor Dodon cast their ballots in the country’s pivotal parliamentary elections. Dodon leads the Socialists, an opposition party that is pro-Russia. Sandu leads the Party of Solidarity and Action (PAS), a pro-EU party that has been pushing for Moldova to integrate into the EU. Sandu says that Moscow have been trying to “interfere” with Moldova’s elections — an accusation the Kremlin denies.
Saritag (Tajikistan) (AFP) – In a labyrinth of tunnels running beneath 4000-metre peaks, Tajik miners are scrabbling to secure antimony, one of the metals at the centre of a global race for rare minerals. According to the European Commission, 54 percent of the EU’s antimony imports come from Tajikistan. Just one Chinese-Tajik joint-owned company Talco Gold produces 10 percent of global supply.
