Baltimore (AFP) – Residents of Baltimore react to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was struck by a container ship. Six of the eight-man construction crew are believed to have been killed, with four bodies yet to be found.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – France’s President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo (FIESP) in Sao Paulo, a Franco-Brazilian economic forum aimed to establishing ways to make the economy greener. IMAGES
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – A Spanish military aircraft drops humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip. The Spanish army dropped 26 tonnes of food by plane, consisting of more than 11,000 food rations, according to the Spanish government. With only a trickle of aid getting into the starving north of the Gaza Strip, the United Nations has warned of “imminent famine” as it accuses Israel of blocking deliveries.
Motala (Sweden) (AFP) – Discarded crisp bags, ketchup bottles and Tupperware containers speed along conveyer belts at a massive high-tech sorting plant dubbed “Site Zero”, which Sweden hopes will revolutionise its plastic recycling. Infrared lights, lasers, cameras and even artificial intelligence are used to sort the piles of plastic waste, Mattias Philipsson, CEO of Swedish Plastic Recycling, a non-profit organisation owned by the plastic industry, explains as he gives a tour of the plant. “We are burning more than we recycle” says Asa Stenmarck, plastics expert at the Swedish environmental agency, “so we really need to work with sorting.”
Belgrade (AFP) – A bombed-out building in Belgrade, which has stood as a national symbol of the 1999 NATO strikes on Serbia, might soon become a luxury hotel financed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law — much to the anger of locals. “I’m against the idea of making a gift to anyone, and particularly to those who were the initiators of what happened, namely official American policy at the time,” says former journalist Srdja Nikolic.
Morelia (Mexico) (AFP) – A forest fire hits an avocado plantation in Cerro del Aguila, recognized as a Protected Natural Area and Forest Restoration site in Morelia, state of Michoacan, Mexico. Forest fires affecting 18 of Mexico’s 32 states have devastated 3,049 hectares of forested areas as of 26 March, according to a report by authorities.
Baltimore (AFP) – Aerial images of Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by cargo ship Dali, in Baltimore. Authorities are set to focus on expanding recovery efforts for the bodies of six men — all reported to be Latin American immigrants — presumed killed when a giant cargo ship slammed into the bridge where they working the night shift fixing potholes.
Shanghai (AFP) – Animal lovers gather in Shanghai to watch a pet fashion show featuring four-legged models in miniature garments.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – People scramble for meagre provisions in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine looms. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says Israel has definitively barred it from making aid deliveries in northern Gaza.
Bogotá (AFP) – Ana and Angie are among thousands of Colombian women who have found themselves behind bars after resorting to drug trafficking to escape poverty. Within the confines of Colombia’s largest women’s prison, the Reclusion de Mujeres de Bogota El Buen Pastor, these women share similar stories. “Sometimes I call my children and find out they’ve gone to bed without eating, or they haven’t had lunch,” says Angie Hernandez, a single mother of two sentenced to six years and three months in prison.
Beijing (AFP) – China accuses the the US and the UK of “political manoeuvring” in order to “once again hype up the so-called cyberattacks by China” after the US, Britain and New Zealand said Beijing-backed cyber groups were behind a series of attacks on lawmakers and key democratic institutions. “We urge the US side and the British side to stop politicising the issue of cybersecurity, stop smearing China and imposing unilateral sanctions, and stop acts of cyberattack against China,” says Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
Idlib (Syria) (AFP) – “He was also hung by his hands for several days without food or water until he confessed to what they wanted,” says Ahmed al-Hakim, whose 27-year-old brother was tortured to death in a jail in Syria’s jihadist-held northwest, sparking rare protests as the United Nations warned of possible “war crimes” in the opposition bastion.
