Tirana (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compares Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to the notorious Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, as he calls for greater backing to help Kyiv fend off the invading Russian forces. Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded with allies for more aid, warning that a Ukrainian victory depends on the West boosting support for his outgunned nation.
Cypress (United States) (AFP) – Texas, last an independent country around 180 years ago, now boasts a pocket of people who want that status back, advocating a divorce from the United States they call “Texit”. Its advocates say the dramatic decoupling — loosely inspired by Britain’s Brexit from the European Union — would help resolve a roiling immigration border crisis and a fight with Washington over who controls the border with Mexico.
Namapa (Mozambique) (AFP) – A throng of displaced people wait for humanitarian aid in the town of Namapa after having fled from northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, a region where tens of thousands have been driven from their homes by a wave of jihadist attacks. Mozambique has been battling an insurgency since October 2017 when fighters — since proclaimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group — attacked coastal areas in gas-rich Cabo Delgado, close to the Tanzanian border.
Pando (Bolivia) (AFP) – At least 40 people have died as a result of Bolivia’s ongoing rainy season which has caused intense flooding in many parts of the country. The South American nation’s rainy season, which began in December and is expected to continue until March, has been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, causing rivers to overflow.
Montreal (AFP) – The Canadian city of Montreal is experiencing almost summer-like heat, with temperatures hitting 15 degrees Celsius, even though winter is not yet over.
London (AFP) – New banknotes and coins bearing the image of King Charles III are on display at the Bank of England museum in London.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The UN humanitarian agency OCHA is warning of “almost inevitable” widespread starvation in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The Hamas attack on October 7 that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people in Israel and Israel’s military retaliation has killed over 29,500 people.
Birzeit (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – At the Palestinian Museum in the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Birzeit, Gaza’s art and heritage is on display as an “ongoing artistic demonstration” in solidarity with the war-ravaged coastal territory. Sparked by the militant group Hamas’s unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel, Gaza’s bloodiest war has devastated the Hamas-ruled strip, with its rich cultural heritage becoming just one of the many casualties of Israel’s retaliatory offensive.
A baby Siberian tiger has been born at Copenhagen Zoo, in a boost to conservation efforts for the endangered big cats. According to the zoo, barely 500 of these rare tigers still live in the wild, mainly in the Russian Far East, northeast China and possibly North Korea.
Kfardebian (Lebanon) (AFP) – Hundreds of Lebanese glide on pristine white slopes at a luxury ski resort north of Beirut, eager to disconnect from news of the war in Gaza as Hezbollah and Israel exchange near-daily fire on Lebanon’s southern border. Only around 80 kilometres separate the snowy mountain town of Kfardebian from border regions where the violence has displaced nearly 90,000 people, according to the United Nations.
Doha (AFP) – Qatar is “hopeful” of a Gaza war ceasefire and is pushing for an agreement before Ramadan, its foreign ministry spokesperson says. The gas-rich Gulf state, which hosts Hamas’s political bureau, has been a key mediator in negotiations involving the Palestinian militant group, Israel, the United States and Egypt.
Hong Kong activists stage a rare public protest against government plans for a new national security law, saying it lacks democratic oversight and human rights safeguards.
