Artemisa (AFP) – Cubans evacuate and prepare ahead of Hurricane Rafael, which is expected to make landfall on the island as a hurricane on November 6, compounding the misery wrought by a massive blackout and Hurricane Oscar. On Wednesday morning, the storm was about 260 kilometers southeast of Havana and was packing winds of 99 mph (160 kph), making it a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Five is the strongest.
Shizuoka (AFP) – Snow finally falls on Mount Fuji after the Japanese mountain’s longest-ever stint with bare slopes. The active volcano’s iconic snow cap usually starts forming in early October, but this year, the country experienced one of its hottest summers on record — as extreme heatwaves fuelled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe.
Peking (AFP) – World leaders and foreign ministers race to congratulate Donald Trump as he triumphed in a stunning US election victory over Kamala Harris. Trump’s victory was called by multiple television networks. It will return him to the White House after a long, bruising campaign that saw the polarising Republican ride out two assassination bids and a criminal conviction.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv late Tuesday to protest the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant, calling on his successor Israel Katz to prioritise a hostage deal to return the captives still held in Gaza.
Fujikawaguchiko (Japan) (AFP) – Japan’s highest mountain has been missing its famous white cap throughout October, after one of the hottest summers on record.
East Lansing (United States) (AFP) – “As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza,” Kamala Harris says during a rally in the swing-state of Michigan, which is home to a large Arab-American community.
Macon (United States) (AFP) – Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump calls on voters to deliver a “landslide that is too big to rig” during a rally in Georgia as the tense US election heads into its final hours.
Chisinau (AFP) – Moldova’s pro-EU President Maia Sandu describes her re-election as a “lesson in democracy”, after narrowly seeing off Alexandr Stoianoglo from the pro-Russian Socialist party. “Today, you have saved Moldova!” she told citizens after the tense vote that laid bare divisions in the former Soviet republic bordering war-torn Ukraine.
Picanya (Spain) (AFP) – Local businesses sweep away muddy water from their warehouses in the suburb towns of Valencia, six days after devastating floods tore through southeast Spain. Since the disaster, anger has grown at authorities’ preparation for and response to the floods.
Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) – Militant attacks and suspicion stemming from misinformation are hampering Pakistan’s battle to eradicate polio, but teams of dedicated volunteer health workers are determined to fight on.
East Flores (Indonesia) (AFP) – Thousands of people in several villages on Indonesia’s popular tourist island of Flores have been evacuated after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, killing at least 10 people.
Chonburi (Thailand) (AFP) – The polls put the US election on a knife-edge, but as Americans go to vote, Thailand’s superstar baby hippo Moo Deng has predicted former president Donald Trump will regain the White House.
