Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Ukrainian drones hit a warehouse for a Russian e-commerce giant near Saint Petersburg early Friday, triggering a fire that sent smoke pouring over the historic city, according to local officials. Kyiv has targeted Saint Petersburg as it steps up long-range drone strikes on Russian energy, military and logistics sites in recent weeks. IMAGES
Villars-sur-Ollon (Switzerland) (AFP) – “You feel like you’re flying,” says tourist Anais Fougairolles after experiencing a new swing installed at 2,110 metres atop the Swiss Alps in the Villars resort. The ski area’s director Martin Deburaux says he hopes the swing will allow the resort to attract thrill seekers during the snowless seasons as it prepares for “more unpredictable snowfall” amid climate change.
Harlow (United Kingdom) (AFP) – New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits a pub in Essex after announcing a tax cut for struggling pubs, clubs and live music venues in a bid to ease the cost of living crisis. “Pubs need to know that the cavalry is coming,” says Burnham. The latest tax cut is expected to save some 32,000 hospitality businesses in England around £1,100 ($1,400) a year, but ministers have struggled to give full details of how it would be funded.
Manila (AFP) – The UK’s new Foreign Minister Ed Miliband highlights the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to ease the cost of living crisis, supporting Ukraine against “Russian aggression” and relieving the suffering of the people of Gaza whilst on the sidelines of the ASEAN Southeast Asian summit in Manila in footage provided by the UK government. The summit comes during Miliband’s first week in his new role in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new cabinet.
La Guaira (Venezuela) (AFP) – Hundreds of animals rescued from the rubble after the twin earthquakes in Venezuela remain in temporary shelters, waiting to be reunited with their families or adopted. The Mision Nevado shelter in hard-hit La Guaira has already reunited more than 50 pets with their owners and is taking care of over 300 animals. “It’s always emotional for us,” says veterinary student and shelter worker Amanda Gonzalez. “Because when an animal connects with a person, that’s pure energy to us. But at a reunion, we all end up crying.”
Skrat (Bulgaria) (AFP) – “For now I feel fine,” says Kiril Apostolov who, at 90-years-old, is still doing the rounds as the only doctor in the Bulgarian village of Skrat, climbing steep mountain roads as he carries out at-home patient visits. Apostolov’s case is far from unusual in Bulgaria, where many general practitioners continue working well past retirement age, with no one to replace them, especially in rural areas.
Le Porge (France) (AFP) – A fierce wildfire has swept through at least 2,400 hectares and continues to spread in southwestern France, north of the Arcachon Basin (Gironde), where more than 12,000 residents and tourists have been evacuated. “The children are scared, and well, we’ve never experienced anything like this here before,” says Sophie, a resident of Le Porge. Two firefighters were killed tackling a blaze near Bordeaux airport.
Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Police inspect the damage after two trams collide on a key bridge in Rotterdam, leaving at least 15 hurt, one seriously, according to officials. Rotterdam’s mayor says that one tram was standing still, waiting for a boat to pass the bridge when the second one hit it from behind. The Erasmus Bridge is a major landmark in the Dutch port city, spanning the Maas river, and an important transport hub.
Humanes (Spain) (AFP) – Residents evacuated from their homes in the Spanish province of Guadalajara north of Madrid gather at a Red Cross shelter in Humanes, as one of Spain’s largest wildfires this year continues to rage on. Some 1,200 people have been evacuated from their homes and the flames have so far scorched more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land, officials said. “I don’t know how I’ll react when I see the houses still standing, but all burnt down. It’s very hard, very painful,” says one evacuee.
Paris (France) (AFP) – France’s parliament has approved a bill prohibiting social media access for children under 15, making France the first European country to ban children from apps such as TikTok. President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September. The European Commission has also unveiled an age verification app that EU member states, including France, have begun testing in recent months. In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a social media access ban.
Sumba Island (Indonesia) (AFP) – Two hours from the tourist beaches of Bali, slavery is still a reality on the Indonesian island of Sumba, where some are born into bondage. They work from dawn to dusk without pay, are passed on in marriage and are sometimes beaten and raped by their masters. Yet most are resigned to their fate because their status “cannot be wiped away”, as one young slave — or “ata” — tells AFP.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he is dismissing Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army, and appointing joint forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty in his place. “I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapaty,” he says. It comes amid a political crisis triggered by the removal of a popular defence minister, who accused Syrsky of forcing him out and stalling his attempt to reform the military.
