Samawah (Iraq) (AFP) – Far from the hustle and bustle of major cities, young Iraqis are increasingly taking advantage of a renewed sense of safety to explore the country’s serene desert getaways after years of conflict.
Portugal (Portugal) (AFP) – With one of Europe’s most open immigration regimes, Portugal has seen its foreign-born population double in the past five years. In 2023, a million foreigners were living in the country, accounting for one tenth of its population. While Brazilians remain the largest population of immigrants, Indians, Nepalis, Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis now figure in the top ten of new arrivals. Despite the rise of the far-right Chega party that is polling at 20% ahead of a March 10 general election, official figures show that openness towards immigration has been steadily growing in Portugal.
Subang Jaya (Malaysia) (AFP) – Relatives of passengers on a Malaysia Airlines plane that mysteriously vanished 10 years ago gathered on Sunday for a memorial as they called for a new search. About 500 relatives and their supporters attended the event at a shopping centre near Kuala Lumpur, where Malaysia’s Minister of Transport told the crowd that the government would discuss a “no-find, no-fee proposal” with marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 aircraft carrying 239 people, disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found.
Kennedy Space Center (United States) (AFP) – A SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida carrying three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station.
Melbourne (AFP) – Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo tells AFP that his country wants to solve maritime disputes with China peacefully — but delivered a simple message to Beijing: “stop harassing us”.
Santiago de Chile (AFP) – An NGO dedicated to finding children illegally adopted and taken abroad during Chile’s 1973-1990 dictatorship will search for them using artificial intelligence. Hijos y Madres del Silencio (‘Children and Mothers of Silence’) has partnered with a South Korean marketing company to generate faces through AI based on photos of the missing children and their families to approximate what they would look like as adults.
Vatikanstadt (AFP) – During his weekly Angelus prayer, Pope Francis calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region”, adding that “disarmament is a moral duty”. Francis’ address comes as Egypt on Sunday hosts envoys for talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with heavy fighting ongoing in the nearly five-month-old war.
Beit Lahia (AFP) – The nursery department at Kamal Adwan Hospital struggles to cope with shortages of essential supplies and barely functional incubators while relying on solar energy for its operations. The unit has seen 13 children die from malnutrition, according to the doctor Ahmad Al-Kahlout.
Odessa (AFP) – Seven are confirmed dead, including a three-month-old baby and a two-year-old child, after an overnight drone strike on the southern port city of Odesa. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday urged the West to deliver more air defence systems as a wave of Russian missile, drone and artillery strikes killed several.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Competing claims have emerged since dozens of people were killed on February 28 in a scramble for aid in Gaza, with the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry saying Israeli forces shot them but the army insisting most died in a stampede.
Kapstadt (AFP) – Thousands march in Cape Town, South Africa, during the LGBTQ community’s annual Pride parade, which this year celebrates 30 years of freedom, including for LGBTQ people. Banners can be seen raising awareness for several causes, including a recent crackdown on LGBTQ rights in Ghana.
