Machala (Equateur) (AFP) – At least four people have been killed and over 30 injured in violence at a prison in Ecuador involving firearms and explosives, according to authorities. This is the latest spasm of prison unrest in the South American country plagued by drug-trafficking gangs. IMAGES
Santa Marta (Colombie) (AFP) – The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky, states the need to invest in Ukraine’s defense to halt the Russian offensive and ensure Europe’s security. Following the victory of populist Andrej Babis in the Czech legislative elections, the outgoing government fears a shift in policy regarding Ukraine. “If we want to stop Russia, we have to pay for it,” Lipavsky says from the Colombian city of Santa Marta, where he is attending the summit between CELAC and the EU. SOUNDBITE
Outeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Two cruise ships tower imposingly over the otherwise unassuming Brazilian port of Outeiro in Belem, the Amazon city hosting some 50,000 people for a UN climate conference starting Monday. With capacity for 6,000 people, the floating hotels were brought in as additional housing for conference delegates in a city unable to provide sufficient lodgings of the more traditional kind.
Rio Bonito do Iguaçu (Brazil) (AFP) – Cleanup efforts are underway in Rio Bonito, where many residents have been left homeless overnight after a tornado packing winds of up to 260 km per hour tore through the small town in southern Brazil. “I got home and found myself homeless, at least for now, until I can rebuild,” says local resident Nereu Sabadini. At least six people lost their lives, and 750 have been injured.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – As Russian strikes continue to hit Ukraine’s power infrastructure, most regions are facing electricity restrictions — and the capital is no exception. Kyiv now follows blackout schedules, but its businesses keep going, powered by generators and by residents’ determination. “Honestly, buying a generator wasn’t in the plans. We waited until the last moment, but we had to do it,” Anna Boyko, owner of a dimly lit cafe in the capital, tells AFP.
Tehran (AFP) – Iranians fill and drink water at public springs in Tehran amid a drought crisis and plans to cut off water supplies periodically to Tehran’s 10-million-strong population. Rainfall in the capital has been at its lowest level in a century, local officials say, and half of Iran’s provinces have not seen a drop fall in months.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the identification process for a body handed over by Hamas “will begin immediately”, at the beginning of a cabinet meeting. Israel said it had received through the Red Cross the remains of a hostage, which Hamas earlier announced belonged to officer Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the Gaza war of 2014.
Sorsogon (Philippines) (AFP) – A bridge shakes violently, trees are uprooted and lampposts are toppled in several parts of the Philippines as Typhoon Fung-wong barrels into the country’s east coast. The storm, with a radius spanning nearly the whole of the Philippines, made landfall in Aurora province on the main island of Luzon at 9:10 pm (1310 GMT), the state forecaster reported, killing at least two people and forcing more than a million to evacuate.
Virac (Philippines) (AFP) – Storm surges send waves hurtling over the streets of the Philippine island of Catanduanes as Typhoon Fung-wong bears down on the region. Fung-wong is expected to make landfall late Sunday as a super typhoon, and comes just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi ravaged the country.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The bodies of 15 Palestinians arrive in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip after they were handed over by Israel to the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC). Under the terms of the ceasefire deal struck by the US, Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli body returned by Hamas.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – With Dabkeh dances, cheers, and emotional speeches, Gazan students celebrate their graduation from Al-Aqsa University in Khan Yunis, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It’s the first class to graduate from the university since war erupted in the Palestinian territory more than two years ago. “I am not only a graduate with a degree in English Language and its teaching methods, but also living testament that the human spirit cannot be defeated,” says one student at the ceremony.
Washington (AFP) – The war in Ukraine will end “in the not-too-distant future,” US President Donald Trump says as he hosts Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House. Trump also says he isn’t worried about an artificial intelligence bubble on the markets, adding, “I love AI.” [COMPLETE VIDI83ET3CR_EN and VIDI83F23G3_EN]
