AFP UK

Trollhättan (Sweden) (AFP) – Ahead of Sweden’s September 13 general election, migration remains a deeply divisive issue, with calls for tougher policies and more deportations clashing with the healthcare sector’s growing reliance on migrant workers. Opinion polls for the upcoming general election show that healthcare is the top concern among voters. Polls have for months pointed to a victory for the centre-left opposition headed by the Social Democrats, but the gap has narrowed in recent weeks.

Dallas (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump promises $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, as he attends the first Republican national convention held specifically for a midterm election. The central Republican gamble is whether Trump can mobilize voters personally loyal to him even when he is not actually running, without further alienating independents who have soured on his presidency.

Palawan (Philippines) (AFP) – Philippine rescuers race to extinguish a fire that erupted aboard a ferry near a tourist hotspot, killing at least five people and leaving 86 others missing, according to the coast guard. The blaze broke out on the M/V June Aster about 2.2 kilometres (1.3 miles) off the coast of Palawan province, the coast guard says.

Dallas (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump urges supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” as he rallies Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections at the party’s convention in Dallas. Opinion polls overwhelmingly show that Trump’s approval ratings are in the low 30s, as voters become increasingly angry about high prices and the war he launched against Iran.

Pyongyang (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanks troops deployed overseas in a speech marking the 78th anniversary of the country’s foundation, a nod to Pyongyang’s military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. “I also extend my special gratitude and profound respect to the commanders and soldiers of our military participating in overseas military operations,” Kim says in his speech, broadcast on North Korea’s state media KCTV.

Shaoshan (China) (AFP) – Fifty years after his death, diehard fans of the Chinese Communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong line up in his hometown to pay tribute — holding portraits, leaving huge floral tributes and singing revolutionary songs. As China grapples with a slowing economy, nostalgia is growing for Mao’s egalitarian ideals, but his drastic policies are also blamed by historians for mass starvation and millions of deaths.

Khirbat al Fakhīt (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians inspect the rubble after Israeli bulldozers demolished 10 homes in the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Fakhit, reportedly for being built without permits. According to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,108 Palestinians in the West Bank, including civilians and militants, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Seoul (AFP) – Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro accuses China of “disrespect” after his speech is interrupted at a defence forum in South Korea’s capital. Teodoro is on stage for a panel discussion at the Seoul Defense Dialogue when he receives a paper from what appeared to be an event staffer, which apparently exerts China’s rejection of a landmark 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague that overwhelmingly sided with the Philippines in its case against China’s claims to the South China Sea.

Venice (AFP) – “I would have loved to have more female colleagues in competition,” says director May el-Toukhy, one of only two female directors in the top competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Speaking to AFP, alongside the lead actress from her film ‘Woman Unknown’, el-Toukhy adds that she has “been the only woman in so many different settings,” and hopes to “be part of changing the discourse.” The festival’s initial list of nominees for the top prize saw el-Toukhy as the only woman, compared with 20 male directors, before a second film directed by a woman was added into the mix. Venice boss Alberto Barbera angered many observers in July when he said the initial 20-1 male domination of the top competition was because the submissions from women “were not enough to put them into the competition”.

London (AFP) – British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband announces to parliament that the UK will bring in “a new comprehensive sanctions regime” targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, after increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied territory. The UK is one of 12 countries to have announced such measures, with their foreign ministers issuing a joint statement on Tuesday.

Manila (AFP) – In a Manila market, a platoon of plastic Santa Claus figures hangs from the ceiling of a shop that is already stacked high with Christmas decorations, despite the holiday being four whole months away. But in the Philippines, the arrival of the “ber months” — September, October, November, December — signals the start of the world’s longest and most anticipated Christmas season in the predominantly Catholic country.

London (AFP) – An eight-metre embroidered “Beer Tapestry” tracing the history of brewing through the ages adorns The Museum Tavern pub opposite the British Museum, as London welcomes visitors to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. The installation aims to offer a light-hearted tribute to the medieval masterpiece’s historic visit to Britain, on loan from the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, northwestern France. The Bayeux Tapestry tells in intricate detail the 1066 Battle of Hastings, which marked the start of the Norman Conquest and was pivotal in England’s development.