Sanaa (AFP) – Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree says the group has struck “sensitive” targets in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the western coastal city of Yanbu. “The two operations successfully achieved their objectives,” he says. The missiles are the latest in a series of escalating Houthi attacks since July.
Middlesbrough (United Kingdom) (AFP) – An exhibition of contemporary artworks — from a giant elephant to lifesize metal figures — by four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2026 is opening to the public at northeast England’s Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) ahead of the announcement of the winner in December.
Noida (India) (AFP) – In Noida, just outside New Delhi, Swami Prem Parivartan, long known as India’s ‘tree father’, presses a young tree into the earth, continuing a nearly half-century mission to restore the country’s vanishing green cover. “It is not about planting one tree or two trees or thousand trees or 500 trees. It’s about how you manage the land on which those plants have been planted,” the 60-year-old says. His ‘Give Me Trees’ trust estimates it has planted or preserved 26 million trees, restoring vegetation across an area about 3.5 times the size of New York City.
Paris (France) (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV warns against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines” as he makes his first papal trip to France with concerns high worldwide about artificial intelligence. “If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good,” he says at the French presidential palace.
Kabul (AFP) – Taxi drivers in Afghanistan are turning on the tunes in their cars, defying a ban imposed by the Taliban government despite the fear of getting caught by morality police. The music that used to flow constantly out of restaurants, cafes and shops in the capital Kabul has been muted for five years, replaced only by religious or patriotic songs supported by the Taliban authorities in power since 2021.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia will consider an invitation from the US government for President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders in the United States in December, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says. “We certainly receive this kind invitation with appreciation. We value this invitation,” he says.
Bayantal (AFP) – When Mongolian herder Ganchimeg’s sheep strayed dangerously near a salty lake this summer, she was in a “total panic”. But thanks to an app designed to help herders navigate the risks that climate change is bringing to Mongolia, her husband was able to reach the sheep before they drank the salty water. Herders are on the front line of climate change, bringing with it extreme weather events – including deadly cold snaps and droughts – which compound desertification caused by overgrazing.
Burton upon Trent (AFP) – England winger Anthony Gordon says the Three Lions lack the ability to control games like Spain do, speaking at a press conference ahead of the team’s Nations League clash against the World Cup winners on Saturday at London’s Wembley stadium. “I’m not sure we can ever get that, but we can definitely get better, or maybe go the other way, and really play to our strengths, which is play physical, play direct football, and on the counter-attack,” says Gordon, who joined Spanish side Barcelona from Newcastle in the summer.
Vereinte Nationen (AFP) – Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodriguez, says there will be elections in the country after thanking US President Donald Trump for resuming diplomatic relations, during her speech at the UN General Assembly.
Peking (AFP) – People in China’s capital Beijing express hope that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-stakes meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington will stabilise ties between the two countries. “I really hope this visit sends out friendly signals and brings more good news to global stock markets,” says Lu Hao.
Tehran (AFP) – Iranians in Tehran express little confidence after President Donald Trump said US and Iranian representatives had met for “very good” talks at the United Nations. “There is no hope for these negotiations,” says one man. “This process must not be allowed to repeat itself, as that would only give the enemy time to regroup and launch an attack,” one woman adds.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – After US President Donald Trump claimed that Cuba “will fall,” without explaining how, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Cubans on the streets of Havana remain defiant. “I don’t think he [Donald Trump] will intervene in Cuba, even though he can say whatever he wants and maybe he might try. But we Cubans are different from other countries. We’re not a country that lets itself be intimidated,” says Cuban resident Carlos Sotolongo.
