Luliang (China) (AFP) – Newlyweds Zhang Gang and Weng Linbin pose in front of a red backdrop adorned with a Chinese government emblem, fanning out the wad of cash they have received as an incentive to get married. They are one of hundreds of couples to tie the knot in the Chinese city of Luliang after authorities there started offering cash rewards for getting hitched in an effort to boost birth rates.
Khmelnytsky (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says it is “not very pleasant” that US President Donald Trump spoke to Russia’s Vladimir Putin “first”. Speaking the day after Trump spoke to both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Zelensky says Moscow should only be invited to talks “after a plan to stop Putin has been worked out”. Trump’s conversation with Putin has shocked many European leaders who are now fearful that they and Kyiv could be cut out of any eventual negotiations.
Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – “I would not taint any movie with the reality of the world we’re living in right now,” says Harrison Ford, speaking at the US premiere of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’. “I prefer the reality of the Marvel universe to the morning’s news, ” adds the 82-year-old action veteran. Despite Ford’s wishes, Marvel’s latest offering has faced an online backlash over supposedly unpatriotic comments made by lead actor Anthony Mackie, in which he said he didn’t think the term “America” should be among the “different things” represented by the superhero.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – At least 28 people have been injured after a car crashed into a crowd of striking workers in the German city of Munich, with officials reporting that some of the victims are in a life-threatening condition. A car drove into the crowd before being shot at by police, who arrested the driver, at 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker. The incident follows a string of similar events in Germany and comes amid an already inflamed debate on migration in the run up to federal elections on 23 February. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the suspect should be punished and deported.
Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia) (AFP) – Offering a distraction to nervous flyers at Skopje’s airport, Dino is the North Macedonian capital’s ‘Zen Dog’. The four-year-old golden retriever pays frequent visits to the airport where he creates “a more relaxed atmosphere,” says Maja Bajalska Georgievska, head of communications for the company operating the site.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels in the wake of a call between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin that has raised fears that Ukraine will be cut out of peace talks. Trump’s opening of talks with Putin has shocked many in Europe, who insist Kyiv and its allies must be involved in negotiations to end the nearly three-year war.
Traiguén (Chile) (AFP) – Wildfires ravage southern Chile, including Traiguen in the Araucania region, scorching thousands of hectares and forcing evacuations. IMAGES
Toronto (Canada) (AFP) – “We’re being stabbed in the back,” says Shale Tobe, the vice president of a Canadian steel service center in Toronto after US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to begin enacting tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on March 12.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Emergency services and police at the site the morning after a Russian missile strike hit the Ukrainian capital Kyiv killing at least one person and wounding three, the city’s mayor said, after authorities issued a ballistic alert.
Montpellier (AFP) – “This is quite an exceptional event. In fact, it’s the first cheetah birth in Europe in 2025,” says a veterinarian at the Montpellier Zoo, where three cheetah cubs were born on January 24. It is a vulnerable species and breeding in captivity is rare.
Stockholm (AFP) – Dozens of people observe a minute of silence and flags are flown at half-mast in Stockholm a week after a mass shooting in the Swedish city of Orebro, the worst in the country’s history, killed 10.
San Fernando de Henares (AFP) – Former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales says he is “totally sure” Jennis Hermoso consented to his kiss after the Women’s World Cup Final in 2023. “She gave me permission,” he tells his trial, in which prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half year sentence for sexual assault and allegedly coercing the player to downplay the incident.
