Guayas (Ecuador) (AFP) – Police in Ecuador arrest 68 suspected members of a criminal group that tried to take control of a hospital in a town in Guayas (southwest), as the country wages a war on drugs with thousands of military personnel deployed. IMAGES
Abidjan (AFP) – Cape Verde are ready to “fight for the win and the three points” when they take on Egypt in their last Africa Cup of Nations group game, says coach Pedro Brito, commonly known as Bubista. The Blue Sharks have already qualified for the last 16 after winning their first two matches, but still face a tough task against “one of the biggest teams in Africa”.
Nashua (United States) (AFP) – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley turns spotlight on ex-president Donald Trump’s mental fitness ahead of the US state’s first-in-the-nation primary election. Her comments come a day after former US President Donald Trump appeared to confuse her with former speaker Nancy Pelosi during a rally.
Jaijaipur (India) (AFP) – As India prepares to inaugurate the Ram temple at Ayodhya — built on the site of an ancient mosque torn down by Hindu zealots in 1992 — members of the Ramnami religious movement, covered from head to toe in tattoos of Ram’s name, gather to celebrate. Once barred from entering holy sites because of their place at the bottom of India’s millennia-old caste hierarchy, Ramnamis aim to show that all can worship their beloved Ram.
Gweedore (Ireland) (AFP) – Waves crash onto rocks on Ireland’s northwest coast as storm Isha approaches, with “destructive gusts” expected Sunday, according to the Irish Meteorological Service. The storm will also hit the UK with heavy rain and the “potential for damaging violent storm force winds across western and northern Scotland” the UK’s Met office says.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis calls for the release of a group of people including six nuns that were kidnapped by an armed group in Haiti on January 19.
Amsterdam (AFP) – Amsterdam officially kicks off the tulip season with National Tulip Day. The public are invited to pick a bunch of tulips for free in a specially constructed picking garden.
Kahramanmaras (Turkey) (AFP) – Aerial images show the ‘Kapicam’ cemetery in Kahramanmaras province where thousands of victims who lost their lives in the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023 are buried.
Washington (AFP) – In snow and freezing temperatures, thousands of anti-abortion activists and supporters attend the annual March for Life rally in Washington, DC, warning Republicans that the sensitive issue of reproductive health will weigh heavily on November’s presidential election.
Gulmarg (India) (AFP) – Winter in the Himalayas should mean blanketing snow, and for Gulmarg in Indian-administered Kashmir, one of the highest ski resorts in the world, that usually means thousands of tourists. But this year, the deep powder once taken for granted is gone.
