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Revived TV drama breaks Iraq’s taboos


Baghdad (AFP) – After nearly three decades, an Iraqi TV programme banned by Saddam Hussein for its gritty depiction of life under sanctions has returned to screens. This Ramadan, a revived “Wahiba’s World” is one of several Iraqi shows focusing on social issues such as drug addiction, crime, divorce and unemployment.

©AFP

Cancer patients in the Philippines falling for alternative ‘cures’


Rizal (Philippines) (AFP) – Filipino single mother Mary Ann Eduarte delayed chemotherapy for her breast cancer for several years and instead took food supplements falsely promoted on social media as cures for the deadly disease. They didn’t work and the cancer spread to her lungs and bones. Eduarte is one of many Filipinos duped by medical misinformation flooding the social media platforms where they rank among the world’s heaviest users.

©AFP

Cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, DC


Washington (AFP) – On the brink of spring, Washington’s iconic cherry trees are now in full bloom, and people gather to savor the floral scent of the cherry blossoms along the capital’s Tidal Basin.

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China congratulates Russia’s Putin on presidential election victory


Moscow (AFP) – Key Russian ally China congratulates President Vladimir Putin on his election victory. With 99 percent of polling stations having submitted results, Putin had secured 87.33 percent of all votes cast, official election data shows, according to state news agency RIA. A record victory for Putin in a presidential election where he faced no genuine competition, with the polls criticised by several Western nations as neither free nor fair.

©AFP

Mass ‘stop genocide’ pro-Palestinian protest in Spain


San Sebastian (Spain) (AFP) – Hundreds of people lie on the ground by the sea in the Basque city of San Sebastian, Spain, during a pro-Palestinian protest asking to “stop the genocide”. Gaza has been devastated by more than five months of war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which triggered the war with its unprecedented October 7 attack.

©AFP

Nicaragua’s ‘Bodybuilding Grandfathers,’ local and social media legends


Santa Teresa (Nicaragua) (AFP) – Sixty-year-old brothers Arturo and Walter Perez, ‘legends’ in Nicaragua for sustaining their bodybuilder physique over decades, have gained significant success on TikTok, with over 175,000 followers. The brothers emerged from a low-income background, overcoming the challenges of being deaf, to start their fitness journey as teenagers.

©AFP

The pain and money behind the Afghan game of buzkashi


Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Played for centuries in Afghanistan’s northern steppes, the national equestrian sport buzkashi, at the heart of Afghan identity, has evolved from a rough, rural pastime to a professionalised phenomenon flush with cash.

©AFP

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