AFP UK

Santiago (AFP) – Braving the 2°C waters, Chilean swimmer Barbara Hernandez has set a new record by becoming the first person to swim 2.5 kilometres in Antarctic Ocean waters.

İskenderun (Turkey) (AFP) – A Turkish warship, the TCG Sancaktar, receives and treats victims of the February 6 earthquake. Moored in the port of Iskenderun, it has on board an operations, intensive care unit and civilian and military personnel in order to unclog the region’s health system, as many hospitals have been rendered unusable by the disaster.

Hatay (Turkey) (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, before the two go on a helicopter tour of parts of the earthquake-stricken Hatay region in Turkey’s south.

Nomadic herders in the Horn of Africa have been waiting more than two years for rains that never 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, “people’s lives are in danger,” says a herder.

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.