Rabat (AFP) – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI used an address on Saturday to “once again” reiterate openness to restoring ties with Algeria, which broke off diplomatic relations with Rabat last year. Morocco and Algeria have long been at odds over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, where the Algiers-backed Polisario Front is seeking independence from Morocco’s rule.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine’s president urges civilians to evacuate the frontline Donetsk region, the scene of fierce clashes with the Russian military, as Kyiv called on the Red Cross and UN to gain access to its soldiers being held by Moscow’s forces. The eastern Donetsk region has faced the brunt of Russia’s offensive since its assault on Kyiv failed weeks into the invasion launched on February 24. Zelensky warns in his daily address that thousands of people, including children, were still in the region’s battleground areas, with six civilians killed and 15 wounded on Friday, according to the Donetsk governor.
Samburu (Kenya) (AFP) – Salome has four human children of her own, but for the past five years she’s been mother to Loijipu as well, the black rhino orphan who lives in the Sera Conservancy in Northern Kenya.
Thingvellir (Iceland) (AFP) – Located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the North American and Eurasian continental plates, Iceland’s Silfra rift is one of the world’s most famous dive sites, popular with tourists who venture into its freezing waters in summer and winter alike.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the UN and the Red Cross “must react” and “protect the lives of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war.” This call follows the shelling of a prison in the separatist-controlled east that had claimed more than 50 lives. (COMPLETES VIDI32FP46V_EN)
Idlib (Syria) (AFP) – Timelapse images show the Milky Way galaxy glimmering in the night sky as it eerily lights up the town of al-Nayrab, in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region, on the frontline between regime forces and rebel fighters. of the Milky Way over Syria’s Idlib
Sydney (AFP) – Kate Bush fans dress in red and dance together, paying homage to the iconic artist’s 1978 track Wuthering Heights. The event went ahead for the first time since 2019 after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a couple of years… really excited to get back into it today,” said Kate Bush enthusiast Sharbill Lahood.
Iqaluit (Canada) (AFP) – Pope Francis ended his trip to Canada Friday as he began — by apologizing to Indigenous survivors of Catholic-run schools where for decades children were abused, after meeting with Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic.
Panama City (AFP) – Mili the dog sniffs suitcases at a Panama dog training centre as she trains to start her new job working in the Central American country’s customs. Just six months before, Mili was discovered in a shipping container that had crossed the Atlantic.
Iqaluit (Canada) (AFP) – Pope Francis meets people in the primary school of Iqaluit, in the Canadian Arctic, in the final stop of a landmark tour apologizing for the Church’s role in Catholic-run school where Indigenous children were abused.
