Nancy (France) (AFP) – In a French neonatal ward, Aline Martin of the Opera national de Lorraine sings lullabies, Disney tunes and hymns to soothe premature babies. “We’ve noticed that the vibrations of the human voice, especially the lyrical voice, have a comforting quality for babies,” says Martin.
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says Europe must ramp up its defences to deter Russia’s hybrid warfare, after a catalogue of air incursions, cyber attacks, and damage to undersea cables. “This is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond,” she tells the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Argentine President Javier Milei headlines a concert in Buenos Aires to mark the release of a book he hopes will revive his sagging fortunes, as the country continues to navigate a period of political and economic uncertainty.
Rio Negro (Brazil) (AFP) – A wounded jaguar, reportedly injured by gunfire, is rescued by Brazilian military police and members of SEPET — the Animal Protection Secretariat for the Amazonas, in the waters of Rio Negro, Brazil.
Kfar Aza (AFP) – Israel marks the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack, as Hamas and Israeli negotiators hold indirect talks to end the two-year war in Gaza under a US-proposed peace plan.
Kolkhozobod (AFP) – Despite Tajikistan’s abundant water reserves, access to clean drinking water remains a privilege in this mountainous Central Asian country. The 25,000 mountain glaciers in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan mean the two countries control around two-thirds of the region’s water reserves, suggesting water should be abundant. But outdated infrastructure and funding difficulties complicate the supply of plentiful and reliable drinking water.
Nuseirat (AFP) – Gazans share their views as Israel marks the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack, and Hamas and Israeli negotiators hold indirect talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza under a US-proposed peace plan. “When the world marks October 7, it should rather remember the motive behind the October 7 [attack]. 77 years of occupation over the Palestinian people, with injustice, oppression, prisons, killing, displacement, and destruction,” says one displaced Palestinian man.
Doha (AFP) – Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari says that Israel should have ceased operations in Gaza already, in line with US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Pjöngjang (AFP) – Figure skaters from Russia, China, and North Korea perform in the Pyongyang International Figure Skating Festival, held in North Korea’s capital, to celebrate the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Caracas (AFP) – President Nicolas Maduro says Venezuela foiled a false flag operation by what he called local terrorists to plant explosives at the US embassy in Caracas and exacerbate a dispute between the two countries over drug trafficking. The incident comes as thousands take to the streets of the capital to call for peace.
Hongkong (AFP) – Waving a fire dragon adorned with burning incense sticks, volunteers pump up the festival atmosphere in Hong Kong ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the city’s Tai Hang neighbourhood. The ritual is said to have originated in the 1800s to ward off the plague.
