Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) – The Soweto Ndofaya trail is becoming a sensation amongst local, national, and even international hikers. Its founder and only guide, Masike Lebele, wants to promote change and reassure people that the South African community is worth exploring – despite the stigma of crime and poverty that surrounds the township on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Addis Ababa (AFP) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, announces that the Central Emergency Response Fund will release $250 million to “support some of the most vulnerable people” in the world, including those at risk of famine in the drought-hit Horn of Africa.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna at the Munich Security Conference.
Choam Krovean (Cambodia) (AFP) – Running into a thigh-deep muddy lake, villagers in eastern Cambodia’s Boeung Kroam lake, use bamboo baskets and nets to scoop up their catch as part of a traditional fishing ceremony. The annual ceremony, back after a two-year pandemic hiatus, is held after the rice harvest and participants are only allowed to use traditional tools such as woven baskets and nets.
Moscow (AFP) – Images released by the Russian Defence Ministry show spokesman Igor Konashenkov claiming that the Russian military has taken control of Gryanykivka, a small village near the city of Kupiansk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
Coral Gables (Etats-Unis) (AFP) – Melissa Sorokin sees herself as “a bee advocate,” passionate about helping whenever possible to rescue the at-risk creatures that play such a critical role in biodiversity. She clears bees from people’s homes in Miami without killing them.
Baghdad (AFP) – In an annex of Iraq’s national museum, a conservator pores over a 17th-century manuscript, carrying out delicate restoration work as part of efforts to preserve and digitise 47,000 precious texts. In a country that bears the scars of decades of conflict and has seen antiquities and cultural heritage regularly plundered, the House of Manuscripts’ collection has managed to survive.
Rafha (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – A desert bloom triggered by heavier than usual winter rains has carpeted the sand dunes of northern Saudi Arabia in purple blooms, drawing sightseers from across the Arabian peninsula. “It’s magical…It’s like a painting,” says Qatari visitor Abdul Rahman Al-Marri.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – At the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that “the most important lesson to be learnt is the importance of North America and Europe standing together.”
Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – Officers from the State Border Guard of Ukraine fire mortars at Russian positions in embattled Bakhmut, which Russia has been trying to encircle and wrest ahead of February 24, the first anniversary of what Russia’s “special military operation” in the country. “We have to make sure that Russian soldiers don’t advance closer to our positions and that we push them out” says Artem, deputy commander.
Islamabad (AFP) – Images of a pet leopard inside a cage in a former zoo in Islamabad, after it escaped captivity at a house in the Pakistani capital. The leopard roamed the streets for hours before being shot with a sedation dart by officials, who took it to the city’s former zoo that was shut down in 2020 over its treatment of animals.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) (AFP) – Twelve years on since the nuclear catastrophe triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeast Japan are preparing to release treated wastewater into the sea. The move faces local opposition, especially from the members of fishing community, who fear further reputational damage.
