AFP UK

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.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Burned cars, shattered glass and fallen branches line the streets of Beirut after an overnight Israeli airstrike. The Lebanese health ministry says an Israeli raid in the Jnah area, which borders Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut, killed at least five people and wounded 21 others.

Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) – Cheering, jumping and hugging: jubilant Bosnia fans celebrate their national team clinching a spot in the 2026 World Cup. “The match was tense right up to the last second, but we knew in our hearts that we were going to win,” exclaims Teo Laic. Bosnia beat Italy 4-1 in a penalty shootout, marking disappointment for four-time champions Italy, who have failed to qualify for the past three World Cups.

Amsterdam (AFP) – Three same-sex couples get their marriages officiated in the Amsterdam city hall by mayor Femke Halsema in a ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first legal gay marriage in the Netherlands. “This is a right that we have and that we need to protect,” says newlywed Eelke de Jong.