Moscow (AFP) – Vladimir Putin urges Russians to go out and vote in the face of a “difficult period”, hours before polls open in a presidential election set to extend his hardline rule. Victory in the March 15-17 contest will allow the former KGB agent to stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030, longer than any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the eighteenth century and eclipsing communist leader Joseph Stalin.
Beit Lahia (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians rush to collect aid airdropped by a plane in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, amid a gruelling humanitarian crisis that has pushed much of the strip to the brink of starvation. Five months of war sparked by the militant group Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel have left the territory of 2.4 million people on the brink of famine.
Bamiyan (Afghanistan) (AFP) – From the edge of a slope in the province of Bamiyan, rivals cheer each other on as they take turns to race down the mountainside, united in keeping skiing alive in Afghanistan. Despite the loss of sponsors and prominent skiers who left the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021, as well as a ban on women taking part, a thriving cohort of Afghans eager to keep developing the sport remains.
Marcoussis (France) (AFP) – France rugby coach Fabien Galthie says it is ideal to be able to name an unchanged side to face England in a potential Six Nations decider this weekend. Galthie has kept faith with his squad from last week’s 45-24 win over Wales for the home “Le Crunch” match in Lyon against Steve Borthwick’s England on 16 March.
Pekon (Myanmar) (AFP) – For many farmers in conflict and coup-riven Myanmar, poppy farming has become their only way of making ends meet amid the social and economic turmoil across the country. The opium resin extracted from the poppies is then refined into heroin destined for the world market – with Myanmar overtaking Afghanistan as the world’s biggest producer in 2023.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a political rally ahead of presidential election despite having little chance of overcoming the hurdles the state has placed in her way. Polls show that Machado, who won an opposition primary with 92 percent of votes cast last October, would likely beat incumbent Nicolas Maduro in elections set for July 28. But she has been disqualified by state-aligned institutions from holding public office, accused of corruption. IMAGES
San Joaquín (Venezuela) (AFP) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a rally ahead of the July 28 presidential election. Machado, who overwhelmingly won the opposition primary, was declared ineligible by a Maduro-aligned court. However, she refuses to step down despite being barred from public office for 15 years based on charges widely dismissed as spurious. IMAGES
Santiago Xalitzintla (Mexico) (AFP) – Each year, locals from Santiago Xalitzintla celebrate the “birthday” of “Don Goyo”, as they affectionately call the Popocatepetl volcano, with songs, dance and gifts. Located in central Mexico, Popocatepetl is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because some 25 million people live within a 100-kilometer (60-mile) radius.
Unknown (AFP) – Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden have each won enough delegates on Super Tuesday to clinch their party nominations in the 2024 presidential race, all but assuring a rematch and setting up one of the longest election campaigns in US history. In a campaign video released on X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump insists “Crooked Joe” “must be defeated” “because our country is in serious trouble.”
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing warns that a proposed ban coming to a vote in the US House of Representatives on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok would “inevitably come back to bite the United States.” The bill, to be voted on 13 March, would force TikTok to cut ties with parent company ByteDance or get banned in the US, and represents the biggest threat yet to the intensely popular app with 170 million US users.
Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Flash flooding has swamped the streets of the city of Herat in Afghanistan, killing at least five people and causing widespread damage, according to a local imam. “The house’s upper floor was already cracked because of an earthquake in October, so the second floor was already damaged, but last night’s rain made the house collapse,” a man whose neighbours’ house was destroyed tells AFP.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – As dire food shortages and looming famine threaten the Gaza Strip, many Palestinians hoping to buy the popular Ramadan dessert known as “Qatayef” have found the price too dear to pay, dampening the festive mood of the Muslim holy month.
