AFP UK

Two Russian Su-27 jet fighters collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder tells reporters.

Tsuchiyu-onsenmachi (Japan) (AFP) – The hot springs at Tsuchiyu Onsen are beloved by bathers but also power a small geothermal plant, making use of an abundant yet barely tapped green energy source in Japan. Although the country dotted with active volcanoes has the world’s third largest potential for geothermal power, the resort town’s plant remains a rare example. One key obstacle to developing the industry is objection from the owners of the relaxing natural baths known as onsen, a major tourism draw across Japan.

Paris (AFP) – Tourists in Paris react to the large piles of garbage which have built up on streets across the French capital following strike action by dustbin collectors against the government’s pension reforms.

San Diego (AFP) – Australia will buy as many as five US nuclear-powered submarines, then build a new model with US and British technology under an ambitious plan to bulk up Western muscle across the Asia-Pacific in the face of a rising China. The announcement came Monday at an event at a San Diego naval base with US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Blantyre (Malawi) (AFP) – Struck by the return of Cyclone Freddy, Malawi’s southern region, including the commercial hub of Blantyre, has been experiencing torrential rains since Friday, resulting in the deaths of around 100 people. Malawi has declared a state of disaster in several regions of the south of the country. More than 10,000 people were affected by the storm.

Saint-Denis de la Réunion (AFP) – Emma, one of Reunion’s two reproductive green turtles, has overcome injury to lay eggs after a four-year wait for the islanders. Emma, 30, weighs 150 kilos and has become a star of the reproduction process since laying her first eggs in 2007, on a secret beach.

Tokyo (AFP) – Tokyo residents show little sign of unmasking following the Japanese government’s decision to ease mask guidelines, recommending them only on trains during rush hour and in hospitals or care homes.

Nantes (France) (AFP) – Bags of rubbish pile up in Nantes, a city in northern France, where garbage collectors have been on strike since March 7 to protest against government pension reforms.

Chilobwe (Malawi) (AFP) – As Cyclone Freddy returns to Malawi, heavy rains cause flooding and landslides. More than 60 people were killed in Malawi’s Blantyre city, according to the Red Cross, and many more have been injured and left stranded.

Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – In the early morning, three attack helicopters take off from a secret base in Ukraine, flying low towards the eastern city of Bahkmut. As they approach their target, they suddenly rise, firing a hail of rockets, before taking a sharp turn and returning to their base, all at a dangerously low altitude. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion a little over a year ago, Ukrainian helicopter pilots have been flying dangerous combat missions every day at the controls of their old Mi-8 and Mi-24 aircraft.

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Michelle Yeoh’s mother, Janet Yeoh, gathered with some 200 people including family members and friends at an Oscars watch party in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, as the Malaysian movie star won the Best Actress prize at the Oscars. Her daughter became the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress.

Salzburg (Austria) (AFP) – At the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, artists bring puppets to life as they perform for crowds using the theatre’s signature ‘cross’, played with one hand. It takes the puppeteers years to master their craft, and the practice has been recognised with UNESCO World Heritage status.