Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) – Security services stand on high alert after a blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive Pakistani police headquarters on Monday left dozens dead and at least 150 more injured, prompting the government to put the country on high alert.
Volgograd (Russia) (AFP) – At the Stalingrad Battle Museum in Russia’s southern city of Volgograd, dozens of teenagers stand in a circle, waiting to take oath as they join the patriotic Youth Army movement. Though patriotism has always been a feature of being young in Russia, Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine has encouraged many to take their patriotism a step further.
Melbourne (AFP) – After his record-equalling 10th Australian Open win, Novak Djokovic says he hopes to return to action shortly but remains unsure about how quickly his injured hamstring will heal. His 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas saw Djokovic equal Rafael Nadal’s men’s record of 22 Grand Slam tournament wins and go back to world number one in the rankings.
Bilecik (Turkey) (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says for the first time that Ankara could accept Finland into NATO without its Nordic neighbour Sweden. Erdogan’s comments come days after Ankara suspended NATO accession talks with the two countries over Sweden’s refusal to extradite Kurds Turkey considers to be terrorists.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that although China will strive for peaceful reunification with Taiwan it will not promise to “renounce the use of force”. The comments come after a senior US Air Force general warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 –- most likely over Taiwan –- and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year.
Gode (Ethiopia) (AFP) – Nomadic herders in the Horn of Africa have been waiting more than two years for rains that do not come. The last five rainy seasons since the end of 2020 have failed, triggering the worst drought in four decades in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. With livestock decimated and livelihoods destroyed, many have been forced to abandon their traditional way of life.
Perth (Australia) (AFP) – Australian authorities are searching for a tiny radioactive capsule along a desert highway after it went missing while being transported from a mine in the country’s remote west. The 8mm by 6mm silver capsule, which is used in mining operations, has been unaccounted for since mid-January, and contains the radioactive substance Caesium-137. It is believed to have fallen off a truck while being moved to a storage facility.
Tangerang (Indonesia) (AFP) – Ali Saga, a former leprosy patient, remembers one of the most devastating moments of his life when he visited a health clinic in Indonesian capital Jakarta. “I looked like a zombie,” he says. “‘Stand back! this person is a leper, be careful!’ I couldn’t believe it’s the doctor saying that.” Now he is using his pain to help other residents of a village on the outskirts of the capital to live a normal life after leprosy with hand-crafted prosthetic limbs. After Brazil and India, Indonesia has the world’s third-highest cases of leprosy — a contagious bacterial disease transmitted by prolonged close contact with untreated cases.
Paris (AFP) – Lion dances and traditional costumes return for Paris’ annual Lunar New year parade, as revellers welcome the year of the rabbit in the 13th arrondissement, home to a large Chinese community in the city. It is the first time the parade has been held in three years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Delhi (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the iconic freedom movement leader who was shot dead at point-blank range 75 years ago.
Kohat (Pakistan) (AFP) – Two separate transport accidents in western Pakistan on Sunday claimed 51 lives, when a bus plunged off a bridge and a boat on Tanda Dam carrying a class of children, aged between seven and 14, capsized.
Lima (AFP) – Anti-government protesters clash with police in the streets of Lima as Peru’s embattled president Dina Boluarte urged lawmakers to find a way out of a deepening political crisis by agreeing to snap elections in December.
