AFP UK

Rome (AFP) – Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Angela Merkel, and Britain’s Boris Johnson, pose for photographs in front of the world-famous Trevi Fountain before throwing coins into the water.

Vatican City (AFP) – Speaking from the Vatican, Pope Francis says ‘let’s pray that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor will be heard’ as the COP26 conference begins in Glasgow, Scotland.

Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) (AFP) – Russian tourists return to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, a sun-drenched Red Sea resort town which has been battered economically in the wake of the downing of a Metrojet plane that killed 224 mostly Russian passengers in October 2015.

Los Angeles (AFP) – Oscar and Emmy winning actress Regina King cements her hand and foot prints in front of the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, “This one is really big, because it’s a trophy that everyone gets to see,” says King. 

Tādif (Syria) (AFP) – Khalil Ibrahim lives a few blocks away from his north Syria home, but a border separating regime and rebel-held territory makes it impossible for him to reach his front door. Tadif, located about 32 kilometres (20 miles) east of Aleppo city, is a quiet front line between regime forces and Ankara-backed rebels in a part of Syria controlled by a patchwork of rival forces.

Kalapara (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Experts say that Bangladesh, an impoverished delta nation of 170 million people is set for the biggest displacement in human history — due to climate change. Global sea level has gone up 20 centimetres since 1900, and could rise two to four times that much by the end of this century depending on how quickly humanity draws down carbon pollution, according to the UN climate science panel.

Sydney (AFP) – Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo comes out as gay in a video posted to Twitter. In doing so he becomes the first openly gay footballer to come out while still playing in Australia’s A-League.

Ein Gedi (Israel) (AFP) – In the heyday of the Ein Gedi spa in the 1960s, holidaymakers could marinate in heated pools and then slip into the Dead Sea. Now the same beach is punctured by craters. A spectacular expanse of water in the desert, flanked by cliffs to east and west, the Dead Sea has lost a third of its surface area since 1960.

Khartoum (AFP) – Sudanese pro-civilian rule protesters pile up bricks and rocks to block streets in the capital Khartoum as demonstrations against the military coup enter their third day.

Zwijndrecht (Belgium) (AFP) – Almost 60 percent of residents tested in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, have alarmingly high levels of a toxic chemical called PFOS in their blood. The chemical was produced by a nearby 3M factory and has been linked to multiple health problems around the world.

Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) – The city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is hosting its first major sports competition: a karate tournament bringing together five countries from the Great Lakes region, with the aim of promoting peace and peaceful cohabitation in a region that has been plagued by violence.

Las Vegas (AFP) – A pair of sneakers worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan early in his career sell for nearly $1.5 million after fees, setting a record price at auction for game-worn footwear, according to Sotheby’s. The white leather shoes with the red Nike swoosh and soles were worn by the iconic player in the fifth game of his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, when Nike’s Jordan-affiliated brand was only just taking off as a sensation both on and off the court.