AFP Video

Hastings (New Zealand) (AFP) – Elderly New Zealanders meet for cups of tea and a task of grave importance: building DIY caskets that they will one day use themselves.

San José (United States) (AFP) – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveils the firm’s latest chips for powering artificial intelligence. “We need bigger GPUs. So ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a very, very big GPU,” says Huang at a developers conference in California, referring to the graphics processors that are vital in the creation of generative AI.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s legislature unanimously passes a new national security law with tough penalties, including life imprisonment for treason and insurrection.

Jupiter (United States) (AFP) – Headlines have dubbed the southeastern US state of Florida the world’s most likely place to be bitten by a shark. They’re right, but, at the same time, shark bites are exceedingly rare overall — a fact scientists wish more people knew.

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) – Demonstrators for and against female genital mutilation (FGM) gather outside The Gambia’s National Assembly building as lawmakers vote to advance to the next parliamentary stage a highly controversial bill that seeks to lift a ban on the practice, which has been in place since 2015.

Kars (Turkey) (AFP) – The ruined city of Ani stands on one of the world’s most sensitive borders, a crumbling bridge symbolising the state of relations between Turkey and Armenia. Once the capital of a mediaeval Armenian kingdom, Ani is important to both sides and historians hope that restoring it could repair ties between the two countries.

Unknown (AFP) – Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny, calls on Russians who oppose President Vladimir Putin to “work harder than ever” after Putin won a fifth Kremlin term following a three-day vote.

Doha (AFP) – Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are progressing in Doha, says Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari. The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead. Israel has responded with a relentless offensive that Gaza’s health ministry says has killed at least 31,800 people.

Somwarpet (India) (AFP) – In the southern Indian town of Somwarpet, locals celebrate the traditional dance festival known as ‘Theyyam’ or ‘Kaliyattam.’ The ritual combining theatre, mime and worship is one of South India’s oldest and most prominent rituals.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine says that it was shocked the United States has not yet passed a $60 billion wartime aid package, as it struggles with shortages on the battlefield two years into Russia’s invasion.