Paris (France) (AFP) – The Eiffel Tower lights up to celebrate Celine Dion’s 58th birthday and announce her official return to the stage. The Quebec-born singer is coming back after six years away from the public eye with a series of 10 concerts in September and October at the La Defense Arena in Paris.
New Delhi (AFP) – In India’s capital, Hindu “bhajan clubbing” is electrifying nightlife, with revellers dancing to traditional devotional songs reimagined through guitars and pounding drumbeats, transforming public venues into spiritual hangouts.
Jezzine (Lebanon) (AFP) – Ruins lie at a roadside after an Israeli strike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, their channels and a Lebanese military source says. Israel says one of them, Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah’s Al Manar channel, was a Hezbollah militant, without providing any evidence. The strike came as Israel continued raids on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli forces that had entered border villages.
Madrid (AFP) – Spain’s leftist government has closed Spanish airspace to US planes carrying out missions against Iran, in addition to denying Washington use of its bases, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles says. Spanish airspace will not be used “to go to war against something we are totally opposed to, something we do not believe in, which we consider to be profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust,” Robles adds.
Dandong (China) (AFP) – Now retired, Wang Meili of northeastern China wants to see the world — including North Korea, the reclusive nation she has always lived across a river from. “I have some free time, so we’d like to get visas to go. I’ve already got my passport,” said the 68-year-old native of the border city Dandong. For international tourists, North Korea remains almost completely closed off since travel was halted during the Covid-19 pandemic more than six years ago. But daily passenger train services resumed this month with China.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Christians in Gaza City celebrate Palm Sunday at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family, joining a procession and prayers led by parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli.
(AFP) – Drone footage provided by Project CETI, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, shows the first moments after the birth of a wild sperm whale off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean. Out of 93 species of cetaceans, a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises, only nine have ever been observed giving birth in the wild. The video is also the first evidence of “birth assistance” in non-primates, Project CETI says, since whales not related to the mother can be seen assisting with the birth.
Kyoto (Japan) (AFP) – Cherry blossom season reaches its peak in the Japanese city of Kyoto, drawing crowds of local and international visitors eager to enjoy landscapes adorned with the pink and white blooms. “It just makes everything feel brighter,” says French tourist Emilie Lambert.
Kyōtanabe (Japan) (AFP) – Dozens of competitors take part in the ISU-1 Grand Prix in Japan, a two-hour endurance race inspired by Le Mans run entirely on unmodified, store-bought office chairs. Each team consists of three members who rotate throughout the race, competing to complete the most laps within the time limit.
Berlin (AFP) – The lights at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin were switched off at 20H30 (19H30 GMT), along with other iconic landmarks around the world, to mark “Earth Hour”. This annual event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) aims to raise public awareness of the climate crisis and the importance of saving energy. IMAGES
La Havane (AFP) – One of two sailboats, that were reportedly missing, arrives to Havana, delivering the humanitarian aid they were transporting. The vessels are bringing the final shipments of Our America Convoy, an international humanitarian effort that has brought aid to support Cuba as a US oil blockade deepens the island’s energy and economic crisis. IMAGES
Beyrouth (Liban) (AFP) – Israeli warplanes break the sound barrier over Beirut, state media reports, as AFP journalists and residents hear loud booms reverberate across the city and in the mountains. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports Israeli planes breaking the sound barrier several times, including “over Beirut and its suburbs, Metn and Keserwan, reaching as far as the Bekaa and Hermel.” IMAGES
