AFP UK

Los Angeles (AFP) – US film stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt greet fans and walk the red carpet in Hollywood for the action comedy “Wolfs”.

Saraain El Faouqa (AFP) – Relatives mourn 10-year-old Fatima Abdallah, who was killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon. At least 37 people died, and more than 2,900 others were wounded as pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in the unprecedented attacks. The blasts, spanning two days, have dealt a major blow to the Iran-backed militant group, which blamed its arch-foe Israel for the attacks on its communication systems and vowed revenge.

Sangin (Afghanistan) (AFP) – The Taliban’s decree banning poppy production in Afghanistan, the world’s top poppy producing country, has caused a sharp drop in harvests and hit growers hard as they struggle to make ends meet after switching to less profitable crops.

Saida (Lebanon) (AFP) – Smoke rises from a mobile phone shop in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, after a second wave of device explosions hits the country. The blasts came a day after the simultaneous detonation of pagers used by Hezbollah killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others across Lebanon. The unprecedented attack is being blamed on Israel, though Israel has made no comment.

Siem Reap (AFP) – The centuries-old temples of Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat host a parade of luxury cars. The event aims to promote the UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, where the ruins of the Khmer empire’s greatest monuments are surrounded by lush forests and giant trees.

Beirut (AFP) – Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad visits Hotel-Dieu hospital in Beirut after hundreds of paging devices used by militant group Hezbollah’s members exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon. The influx of so many casualties all at once overwhelmed hospitals in Hezbollah strongholds. The group vows to punish Israel, while Israel has made no immediate comment on the incident.

Pacaraima (AFP) – Hundreds of Venezuelans cross into northern Brazil as the political situation in Venezuela worsens following the disputed July 28 presidential election, which the opposition accuses President Nicolas Maduro of stealing. “We cannot deal with that president in Venezuela,” says Jose Antonio, one of the migrants who crossed the border.

New York (AFP) – Sean “Diddy” Combs’s lawyer says the rapper is “going to fight this to the end” after pleading not guilty to racketeering and sex trafficking charges during an arraignment hearing in New York.

Agueda (AFP) – Thousands of firefighters continue to battle wildfires in Portugal that have killed seven people and burnt more land in a matter of days than the rest of the summer combined. Scientists say that fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world. The rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Bischkek (AFP) – The effects of a warming planet are particularly visible in Central Asia, which has seen a wave of extreme weather disasters. Now, the melting of thousands of Kyrgyz glaciers has become a major threat to people in the landlocked region that already suffers from a shortage of water.

Calais (AFP) – A vigil is held in the French port city of Calais for the eight migrants who died on September 15 trying to cross the Channel from France to England when their overcrowded vessel capsized. The latest tragedy means 46 migrants have lost their lives attempting to reach British shores so far this year, a regional official said, up from 12 in 2023.

Doha (AFP) – Attempts to secure a truce in Gaza continue, says Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson during a press conference in Doha, after recent rounds of in-person talks aimed at ending the now 11-month war concluded without an apparent breakthrough. Months of behind-the-scenes negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to halt the fighting between Hamas and Israel, apart from a one-week truce beginning in late November.