Jakarta (AFP) – At a packed festival in central Jakarta, hijab-clad sexagenarian singer Rien Djamain bursts into an upbeat track about nuclear destruction to a crowd of thousands, mostly young Indonesians. Behind the frontwoman of the all-female Nasida Ria band are her fellow musicians, dressed in silver and black sequined dresses, backing up her velvety vocals with bongos, violins, mandolins, bamboo flutes and tambourines.
Fort Worth (United States) (AFP) – Relatives of passengers who died in the twin Boeing 737 MAX crashes leave court after confronting the airplane maker in Fort Worth, Texas, some four years after the tragedies in Ethiopia and Indonesia. “We asked the judge to impose some additional monitoring and additional review of the safety measures that Boeing is taking,” attorney Paul Cassell tells reporters. “We’re here today to make a statement – no third crash,” adds Naoise Connolly Ryan, who lost her husband in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. TO COMPLETE VIDI337W3H6_EN
Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Civilian protesters and police marched through Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince to demonstrate against a slew of killings of police officers by armed gangs in worsening violence in the Caribbean nation.
Saqqara (Egypt) (AFP) – Egypt unveils a gold-laced mummy and four tombs, including of an ancient king’s “secret keeper”, discovered in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo. The vast burial site at the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal graves and ancient Coptic Christian monasteries.
Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Images of civilian protesters and police protesting outside the headquarters of the National Police of Haiti and of streets blocked with barricades in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, to demonstrate against a slew of killings of police officers by armed gangs in worsening violence in the Caribbean nation. IMAGES
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israel launches air strikes on Gaza in response to militant rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, as tensions rise following the deadliest army raid on the occupied West Bank in years. IMAGES
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) – Protesters gather outside the Council of Europe in Strasbourg demanding more EU support for Ukraine. A partially-destroyed Ukrainian ambulance is displayed outside the Council of Europe. “This ambulance is a symbol that reminds us at every moment that pain is common,” says Svetlana Spenle, president of the association “Women 4 Ukraine”, who attended the rally outside the European institution.
Bangkok, Thailand (Thailand) (AFP) – From sleek boutiques to rickety stalls, hundreds of cannabis dispensaries have sprouted across Bangkok following decriminalisation, but in a nation infamous for being tough on drugs, giddy Thai vendors are asking: can the high times last? In a Southeast Asian first, the kingdom removed parts of the marijuana plant from its narcotics list in June 2022, effectively legalising the substance -– albeit with a confusing lack of detail.
Washington (AFP) – The US Justice Department announces it has shut down the Hive ransomware operation, which had extorted more than $100 million from more than 1,500 victims worldwide.
Kochi (India) (AFP) – In an act of defiance, students at Ernakulam Law College in Kochi, India, huddle together to watch the the screening of the BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’, which looks at Modi’s role during the deadly 2002 sectarian riots. Many universities have banned the screening, after Modi’s government attempted to block its spread online.
Altengrabow (Germany) (AFP) – On the occasion of his first military troop visit to the Altengrabow training ground, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius answers a question from an English-speaking journalist about the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine, saying that they should be sent “at the end of March” this year.
Hula Valley (Israel) (AFP) – Thousands of cranes rest along the Agamon Hula Lake area of the Hula Valley in northern Israel, on their seasonal migration route from Europe to Africa.
