El Khiyam (Lebanon) (AFP) – Smoke billows after series of Israeli strikes hit the southern Lebanese village of Khiam. Since the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed a near-daily exchange of fire between Israel’s army and Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. TO COMPLETE VIDI34HU3RQ_EN
Tula (Russia) (AFP) – Four-time Russian weightlifting champion Oleg Musokhranov will sit out the Paris Olympics this summer after insisting he would only take part under the Russian flag. Following Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee is requiring Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris under a neutral banner.
Pishin (Pakistan) (AFP) – At least 22 people have been killed in two separate bomb blasts outside the offices of election candidates in southwestern Pakistan, on the eve of a national vote marred by violence and allegations of poll-rigging. The run-up to the national vote has seen multiple security incidents, with at least two candidates shot dead and dozens more targeted in attacks across Pakistan.
Paris (AFP) – Emmanuel Macron says the attack carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7 was “the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century”, at a national tribute to the French victims of the attack in Paris. Four months into the Israel-Hamas war, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached at least 27,708 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Hamas’s attack killed about 1,160 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Valdivia (Chile) (AFP) – The hearse carrying the body of former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera leaves a legal medical service building in the city of Valdivia, in southern Chile. Pinera died when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into a lake. IMAGES
Santiago (AFP) – Former Chilean president Sebastian Pinera, who died aged 74 in a helicopter crash, was “a democrat from the first hour and genuinely sought what he believed was best for the country,” says his successor, President Gabriel Boric.
Beijing (AFP) – Packed into train carriages, millions of urbanites this week leave China’s major cities for their hometowns to share meals, pay respects to their elders and deliver blessings for the upcoming Year of the Dragon.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Children in Gaza play on swings and mini ferris wheels to take their minds off the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Lisieux (France) (AFP) – Three-month-old Lucy, born in France’s Cerza zoo is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros which is considered to be under threat.
Santiago (AFP) – As the night falls, people continue to leave flowers, candles in tribute to former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera outside his home in the capital Santiago after the 74-year-old died in a helicopter crash. IMAGES
Tall Birāk (Syria) (AFP) – Oil pollution has been a growing concern in Syria since the 2011 onset of civil war, which has taken a toll on infrastructure and seen rival powers compete over the control of energy resources.
Los Angeles (AFP) – A powerful storm lashing California destroyed houses and caused mudslides after dumping months’ worth of rain in a single day in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
