Geneva (AFP) – A staggering 281 aid workers have been killed around the world so far this year, making 2024 the deadliest year for humanitarians, says the UN. “These are numbers that defy comprehension, and killing of aid workers may amount to, I should say, war crimes,” explains Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), during a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.
Beijing (AFP) – A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterates calls for “calm” and “restraint” by all parties in the Ukraine war after Russia confirmed it fired an experimental “hypersonic” ballistic missile. Following the launch, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the conflict in Ukraine had characteristics of a “global” war and did not rule out strikes on Western countries.
New York (AFP) – A fresh banana taped to a wall — a work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — was bought for $6.2 million on Wednesday by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur at a New York auction. The debut of the edible creation entitled “Comedian” at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art — Cattelan’s stated aim.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip are attempting to live in their homes destroyed by Israeli bombardment, driven by the harsh conditions in tents and the high cost of renting apartments. Those whose homes are on upper floors face the challenge of destroyed stairways, forcing them to rebuild makeshift ladders and staircases made from materials salvaged from the rubble.
Cape Town (AFP) – Food scarcity and habitat decline has seen a drastic fall in numbers of the African Penguin, putting it on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s critically endangered list. “We have lost 97 percent of the population” says marine biologist Allison Kock.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova receives a phone call during a live press briefing ordering her not to comment on reports of an alleged non-nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile strike on Ukraine. An unknown male voice on the phone can be heard addressing her: “On the ‘Yuzhmash’ ballistic missile strike (…) we are not commenting at all.” Yuzhmash is the Russian name of an aerospace manufacturer in Dnipro — now called Pivdenmash — that produced missiles during the Soviet Union and is reported now to produce satellites.
Grindavík (Iceland) (AFP) – Southwest Iceland is the scene of a new volcanic eruption, the seventh the region has known in a year. A nearby fishing village and tourist hotspot has been evacuated. Volcanoes in the area had not erupted for eight centuries until March 2021, when a period of heightened seismic activity began.
Baku (AFP) – The European Union’s climate envoy Wopke Hoekstra describes the draft deal at the deadlocked UN COP29 summit in Azerbijan as “unacceptable”, with just one day left to go on the conference’s agenda.
Nonsan (South Korea) (AFP) – Deep in South Korea’s hinterlands lies a perfect replica of 1900s Seoul. Sunshine Land is the latest K-drama theme park to cash in on booming K-culture tourism, with the popularity of South Korean dramas soaring overseas.
Valparaíso (Chile) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed to Congress in Valparaiso by Karol Cariola, President of Chile’s Chamber of Deputies, and Jose Garcia Ruminot, President of the Senate. IMAGES
Ganghwa-gun (South Korea) (AFP) – Gunshots, screams, eerie laughter: South Korea’s border island Ganghwa is being bombarded nightly with blood-curdling sounds, part of a new campaign by the nuclear-armed North that is driving residents to despair.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai will on Wednesday take the stand in his collusion trial, testifying in court for the first time despite five previous trials in almost four years. IMAGES
