Mocha (Yemen) (AFP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis release drone footage of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, as well as images of Saudi military equipment and bases they claim to have seized in and around Mocha and Dhubab. The recent Houthi takeover of Yemen’s Red Sea coast has left hundreds dead and heightened fears over global trade and shipping through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
New York (AFP) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeskhian says that his country has been a victim of terrorism, disputing US President Donald Trump’s earlier accusation that Tehran was guilty of committing such crimes. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York he adds that Iran “has never ever been an aggressor, has never started a war and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table.”
New York (AFP) – The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders being held in Miami in December, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says. “In order to solve problems, you have to meet with with people you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited President Putin to the G20. We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept,” Rubio says.
Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Party-goers in Pakistan are going ape over the latest craze to hit the dancefloor — giant gorillas. Entertainers dress up in the super-sized simian costumes, flailing around their limbs to DJ beats alongside revellers in the eastern mega-city of Lahore.
Thimphu (Bhutan) (AFP) – With abundant waterways, Bhutan has long relied on hydroelectric power to meet its electricity needs and stay carbon negative — absorbing more planet-warming gases than it emits. But demand is growing, and so the Kingdom is looking to solar energy to help power its development, including a new special economic zone known as the Gelephu Mindfulness City which is expected to host energy-hungry data centres.
New York (AFP) – K-9 police units work outside the UN, on the eve of the General Assembly which hundreds of heads of state and officials are set to attend, putting New York on high alert. US President Donald Trump’s war against Iran and its worldwide fallout are expected to dominate this year’s United Nations General Assembly High-level Week, with artificial intelligence also set to be a key topic in talks and speeches.
Saporischschja (AFP) – Firefighters in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia work to put out fires after a large-scale overnight Russian attack. The strike damaged two residential buildings, a university building and a shopping centre, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Emergency services say five people were injured in the attack.
Berlin (AFP) – The AfD has “replaced the CDU as the people’s party,” says Alice Weidel, the far-right party’s co-chair, after it won a regional election in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The result was a fresh blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose CDU dropped below five percent of the vote, meaning it got kicked out of the regional parliament altogether.
Valladolid (AFP) – In a test of speed and focus, puzzle enthusiasts battle it out in the final of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. Around 1700 competitors from 70 countries gathered in northwest Spain in a challenge to solve a never-before-seen jigsaw puzzle. “It’s really a battle, it’s not like let’s make nice together, people are really battling,” says volunteer Karin Harmsen.
Moskau (AFP) – The Kremlin says Germans are looking for a political “alternative” after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a state election defeat to the far-right AfD, widely seen as being pro-Moscow. “We are seeing fairly low figures for the popularity and approval ratings of the current German government,” says Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who also notes “figures relating to economic development in Germany and the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy.”
Paro (Bhutan) (AFP) – Atop a steep hillside in Bhutan, an arrow slices through the air and slams into a wooden target with a thud, prompting a round of celebratory song. Traditional archery is Bhutan’s national sport and has a storied history, but some fans fear for its future as development and safety concerns eat away at space for archery ranges.
Berlin (AFP) – Dozens of opposition protesters gather outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections and shred fake votes into ballot boxes. In Belgrade, Russian opposition organisers and voters bring apples in solidarity with Russia’s banned anti-war party Yabloko (‘apple’ in Russian), collecting donations and writing letters to Russian political prisoners. Only parties that support President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine have been registered to run in the parliamentary election.
