Tehran (AFP) – In Tehran, residents fill a traditional bazaar, stocking up to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian new year, even as cities around Iran continue to be rocked by explosions. In the capital, bustling shops and street stalls betray a sense of normalcy, despite the US-Israeli war with Iran that has sent shockwaves around the world.
Jinja (Uganda) (AFP) – Laughter, songs and the sound of swinging bats fill a sports pitch in eastern Uganda, where a group of senior women gather every Saturday to play cricket. In floor-length dresses and running mostly barefoot, the so-called “cricket grannies” are an unlikely sight, but their shared love of the sport is helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness. “When I come here and play cricket with my friends, I feel joyful and alive,” says 78-year-old Jane Naisanga.
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Sixteen-year-old Hassan Kiki has been forced to flee his home twice in just two years, one in a generation of Lebanese young people whose formative years have been irreversibly impacted by years of conflict and crisis. “War has aged us,” he says, with Lebanon in the midst of the latest bout of fighting between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, which in early March dragged the country into the widening Middle East war.
Haifa (Israel) (AFP) – CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa. On 19 March, Israeli media reported that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran. The region has witnessed increasing attacks of energy facilities, with oil refineries in Kuwait and Qatar hit by Iran in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its South Pars gasfield.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Stability in the Middle East depends on the implementation of the Gaza peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, says France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The plan, Barrot says as he wraps up a short visit to Israel, includes “unimpeded humanitarian access, the disarmament of Hamas, and the restoration of a political framework based on the two-state solution.”
Santuario (Colombia) (AFP) – Nestled into a teddy bear twice its size, a baby gray titi monkey is cared for in a Colombian animal sanctuary. Caretakers at the Wildlife Care and Assessment Center Fauna Silvestre are aiming to rehabilitate the abandoned baby and release it back into the wild once it reaches adulthood. With this aim in mind, caretakers haven’t named the monkey and are taking precautions to avoid human contact, including wearing a titi monkey mask at feeding times. “If the first thing they see when they’re babies, so to speak is a human, they’ll come to believe that their herd, that their species, are humans,” says biologist Jian Pablo Giraldo.
Lamu (Kenya) (AFP) – Bound for Dubai, but stranded on the Kenyan island of Lamu, thousands of high-end cars are sitting in warehouses and parking lots, blocked from their destination by the war the Middle East. 4,000 vehicles were unloaded from two ships that left Japan days before the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran, with another 5,000 due to arrive next week, according to local port authorities. The port of Lamu is found on an island paradise and UNESCO World Heritage Site that the Kenyan government is developing into a major transport hub.
Mumbai (India) (AFP) – Huge crowds of Hindu devotees pack the streets of a southern Mumbai neighbourhood to celebrate the “Gudi Padwa” festival, which marks new year in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The festival heralds the arrival of spring and is celebrated with colourful decorations, street processions, dancing, food and prayers. “It’s vibrant, it’s very important,” says Purva Mantri, one of those celebrating.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron warns of a “reckless” escalation in the Middle East, as Iran struck a series of Gulf energy sites after an Israeli attack on its South Pars gas field. Macron’s comments come as he arrives for a crunch summit in Brussels, with European leaders set to discuss a range of global issues, from the Middle East war and the resulting energy crisis, to funding for Ukraine.
Shanghai (AFP) – Shoppers at Pop Mart’s flagship store in Shanghai have a mixed reaction to the announcement of an upcoming Labubu movie. “The whole fever, it was kind of intense,” says Camilla Pinheiro, wary of the heights reached by the global craze for the snaggle-toothed dolls, which rose to fame as the accessory of choice for top celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa. Pop Mart sold more than 100 million Labubu dolls last year, with Chinese officials hailing the character’s popularity as evidence of China’s growing cultural and soft power.
Arlington (United States) (AFP) – “It takes money to kill bad guys,” says US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing a report that the Pentagon has requested more than $200 billion in additional funding for the US-Israeli war against Iran. Speaking to reporters in Arlington, Virginia, Hegseth says that when the war ends “will be at the President’s choosing,” and that US munitions “are better spent in our own interests” than being handed to Ukraine.
Manila (AFP) – Lining the streets of Manila, the Philippine capital, the drivers of the city’s jeepney minibuses protest against soaring fuel prices in the midst of the Middle East war, as well as what they say is a lack of government support. Earlier in the week, the country’s transport regulator announced fare hikes across an array of public transport, but the move was quickly cancelled, with President Ferdinand Marcos instead promising commuters free rides instead. “All our money just goes to the purchase of diesel,” says Edwin Bautista, one of those protesting.
