Visakhapatnam (India) (AFP) – Handcuffs encircle Google’s logo on one campaign poster, while another warns that people “cannot drink data”, as opposition mounts to the tech giant’s planned AI mega-facility in India.
King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – CCTV footage released by the Saudi Media Ministry shows the moment Riyadh International was hit by a Houthi strike on Saturday. The attack killed at least a dozen people and wounded hundreds.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV tells crowds gathered for the Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square that doctors had recently discovered an early-stage, localised lung nodule during medical examinations and that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to have it removed. The pontiff says the nodule was detected at a very early stage and is very localised.
Tehran (AFP) – At a Tehran bazaar, shopkeeper Nasir says locals once bought his nuts by the kilos, but soaring prices caused by the US-Iran war have eaten into sales, leaving businesses like his fighting for survival. Iran’s economy has been battered by years of sanctions, but the conflict that began in February with US-Israeli attacks and an American blockade of the country’s ports has put extra strain on daily life.
Mekelle (Ethiopia) (AFP) – Flights between Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and the city of Mekelle in its northern Tigray state have resumed after being suspended for more than two weeks. The flights come after the Ethiopian army pushed back the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and seized their capital, Mekelle. Unconfirmed reports say that there could be about five flights daily, and if the demand increases, the Ethiopian airline may increase the number of flights.
Mumbai (India) (AFP) – For three decades, conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah has pioneered efforts to preserve some of India’s most significant historic sites — from ancient Buddhist caves and Islamic tombs to Hindu temples and Mumbai’s imperial-era Gateway of India. In the world’s most populous nation and one of its fastest-growing major economies, urban development is advancing at dizzying speed. “It’s only in the last 30 years that we’ve managed to have city-wide listings and heritage regulations,” she says.
Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump urges Ukraine to replace Volodymyr Zelensky with a new leader, lashing out at him for strikes on Russian oil refineries that have contributed to pre-election high diesel prices. “He better damn well stop,” Trump says, before adding that he thinks “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president” who will agree to end the war.
New Delhi (AFP) – India’s “cockroach” movement founder Abhijeet Dipke is released along with two other leaders, a day after they were detained to thwart a major protest against the country’s election commissioner. Dipke and two of his Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) associates were detained before they could disembark from their flight on Saturday after arriving from Mumbai. IMAGES
Taipeh (AFP) – Taiwan aims to “deter war” by increasing its defence spending, the democratic island’s leader says, as China uses military pressure to assert its territorial claims. “Our aim by increasing investment in national defence is not to provoke, rather, it is to deter war,” President Lai Ching-te says in a speech celebrating Taiwan’s National Day.
Manchester (AFP) – “Everywhere was just run down (…) Since the stadium’s come, it seems to have pulled the communities together,” says Adam Wilson near the Etihad Stadium where the transformation of East Manchester over the past two decades has been remarkable. Since Manchester City’s takeover by deep-pocketed Abu Dhabi investors in 2008, long-neglected districts between the stadium and the city centre have become symbols of the northern city’s rebirth. The club has been found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules, but denies any wrongdoing.
Dos Hermanas (AFP) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that he “will strengthen and uphold that housing decree-law” if he secures an absolute majority in the general election scheduled for 29 November. Sanchez aims to pull off another unlikely comeback as he begins campaigning for a snap vote dominated by housing protests that have shaken Spain.
Lysekil (AFP) – Europe’s top rabbit athletes hop into action in Lysekil, Sweden, this weekend, racing down straight courses and leaping over high bars at the European Rabbit Jumping Championships. The three-day competition, running from October 9 to 11, has drawn competitors from across the continent. Among those taking part are 12-year-old Maja Hockerbo Fredriksson and her rabbit Willow, described as “very good at jumping” and ready to tackle ever-higher obstacles.
