AFP UK

Manila (AFP) – Thousands of Filipinos gather in Manila for an anti-corruption protest. The demonstrators are angry about a ballooning scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting since President Ferdinand Marcos put them centre stage in a July state of the nation address that followed weeks of deadly flooding. IMAGES

Lima (AFP) – Protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Lima against President Dina Boluarte’s government over insecurity and corruption. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez leads a parade of army tanks amid tensions with the United States, as military drills continue along the maritime border and nationwide workshops train civilians in weapon use. IMAGES

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians inspect damage and mourn relatives killed in an airstrike that hit a tented area in a school-turned-shelter for the displaced in the Al-Daraj district of central Gaza City. Gaza’s civil defence agency reports that at least 20 people have been killed since midnight on 20 September in strikes on Gaza City, as Israel presses its new offensive to capture the territory’s largest urban centre.

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – People celebrate on the first day of the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in the German city of Munich, which will last two weeks and has gathered more than 6 million visitors in the previous year.

Lagos (AFP) – On World Cleanup Day, Nigerian conservationists set free two rescued sea turtles, a 32-kg male and a 24-kg female, after the animals were accidentally caught in fishermen’s nets. The release is led by Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative, which has cared for endangered species since 2012 and currently shelters six turtles and around 150 other wild animals.

Kramatorsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Near bloody battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces in east Ukraine, a very different kind of conflict is taking place – one for believers’ souls. Two rival Orthodox churches — one set up with the Ukrainian government’s backing in 2018 and an older church tied to Moscow — hold services in Kramatorsk, a town about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front line. Kyiv has sought to ban the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), arguing Russia has used it to spread influence.

Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump bashes US media coverage that he claims is unduly negative and therefore “illegal,” stoking a debate over free speech following the suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s TV show by ABC.

Yiwu (China) (AFP) – Tariff fears are hurting World Cup merchandise orders at Shang Yabing’s Chinese knitwear factory, where racks of scarves bear the logos of national teams from Ireland to Tanzania. Manufacturers in China’s export hub Yiwu would normally already be inundated with World Cup orders ahead of next summer’s football tournament, this time hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. But a rollercoaster ride of a trade war between Washington and Beijing is causing uncertainty for international buyers.

Moscow (AFP) – Farmers travel from across Russia to take part in Moscow’s annual ‘Aptekarsky Ogorod’ giant vegetable exhibition, pitting their giant pumpkins, zucchini and watermelons against each other. This year’s winning pumpkin weighs in at 969kg.

Salzburg (Austria) (AFP) – The European Commission presents a fresh package of sanctions against Russia for approval by member states, as the bloc seeks to up the pressure on Moscow over the war on Ukraine. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says the package would target crypto and banks, and seek to speed up the phase-out of Russian fossil fuel imports.

Nairobi (AFP) – Surrounded by incubators, a red tube snaking into her tiny nose, four-day-old Grace-Ella is being fed donated breastmilk at Nairobi’s Pumwani Maternity Hospital. It is the only facility in Kenya offering the life-giving service. “Before I accepted, I was a bit sceptical because it gave me some feeling of guilt like I could not give my daughter my own breastmilk,” says her mother, Margaret. “If it can help her not to starve, then why not?”