Paris (AFP) – Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was “elected through free elections,” says French President Emmanuel Macron, contrasting this with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, “who kills his opponents and has manipulated his election for a long time”. Macron’s comments come ahead of a planned visit to the White House next week, where he will meet US President Donald Trump.
Abidjan (AFP) – Bertin Gnongan Aba was asleep when his home was torn down, forcing him to flee with just the clothes on his back. Like tens of thousands in Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan, Aba’s home was destroyed by government bulldozers in an effort initially meant to move residents out of at-risk areas, but there are plans to also develop the land cleared in a bid to modernise the sprawling city. Activists have labelled the destruction a “humanitarian disaster.”
Buenos Aires (AFP) – “Francis, the city prays for you,” reads a tribute displayed on Buenos Aires’ iconic obelisk, as Pope Francis marks a week in hospital with pneumonia. Admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties, the Pope has shown slight improvement in recent days, despite pneumonia in both lungs, according to the Vatican. IMAGES
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hamas of a “cruel and evil violation” of the Gaza ceasefire deal by failing to return the body of hostage Shiri Bibas. On 20 February, the group returned four bodies to Israel and said they belonged to Bibas, her two young sons and an elderly man. While Israeli authorities confirmed the identities of the children and man, the fourth body was not that of Shiri, they said.
Collegeville (United States) (AFP) – Benedictine monks and architects were once the only pilgrims to a Minnesota monastery, but the Saint John’s Abbey Church is now finding new fame as the basis for “The Brutalist”, the epic drama about an immigrant architect haunted by the Holocaust, is a favorite to win best picture at the Oscars.
After more than a year of conflict between Hamas and Israel, Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, according to the United Nations. One rehabilitation clinic in Gaza City is providing prosthetic limbs to help amputees adapt to their new reality.
Wintzenbach (AFP) – Storks are returning to eastern France earlier and earlier, with milder winters resulting in some birds avoiding the arduous migration to Africa altogether. Many are drawn to the abundant food available in waste disposal centres across Europe.
London (AFP) – People take part in a two-hour “digital detox” night organised by the “Offline Club” in London, with over 150 young adults aged mostly between 20 and 35 eager to spend an evening off their screens. According to the UK’s telecoms regulator Ofcom, young Brits spend an average of four hours and three minutes a day glued to their smartphones.
Brasília (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accuses US President Donald Trump of wanting to “become an emperor of the world” and “chime in on all countries and public policies against migrants.” Lula’s comments come after Trump lashed out at Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, branding him a “dictator” and blaming him for Russia’s invasion of his country.
Rafah (AFP) – Trucks loaded with caravans and bulldozers pass through the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip, as Hamas handed over the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages to the Red Cross early in the morning as part of a truce deal with Israel. Hamas had previously accused Israel of holding up the delivery of heavy machinery needed to clear war debris.
Villa del Rosario (Colombia) (AFP) – Tolls destroyed at the Colombia-Venezuela border after ELN guerrilla groups allegedly carried out explosive attacks. Four bombings, including one involving a car bomb, were carried out between February 19 and 20 in two Colombian cities bordering Venezuela, possibly by ELN guerrillas, according to officials. IMAGES
Peking (AFP) – China calls for the United States to show “mutual respect” in managing commercial tensions, after President Donald Trump said a trade deal with Beijing was “possible”. “Trade and tariff wars have no winners,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun says at a regular press briefing.
