Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian artist Jamil Al-Baz has a message to send: stop the war in Gaza and Lebanon. Painting a mural on the ruins of a destroyed house in Khan Younis, the young man expresses solidarity and unity with Lebanon in the shadow of the ongoing war against Israel.
A man and his dog stranded at sea are rescued by the US coast guard on September 26th in the Gulf of Mexico. The sailboat they were upon was disabled during high wind and strong waves caused by the passage of Hurricane Helene. The hurricane has since weakened to a tropical storm, hours after it made landfall in the southeastern US state of Florida, killing at least three poeple and leaving flooded roads and homes in its wake.
During a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad says “since midnight, so far, more than 25 martyrs have fallen”. This week Israel dramatically intensified its attacks on Lebanon, mostly on Hezbollah’s south Beirut and southern and eastern strongholds, killing more than 700 people, according to reports from the health ministry.
Pokrovsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – The pristine, white-walled salon is one of the few havens of normality remaining in Pokrovsk, near the Ukraine border, as Russian troops close in. An example of how life goes on in the deserted, shelled-out area even as fighting continues. Inside, the buzz of hair clippers and blow dryers barely cover the thuds coming from the front line around seven kilometres away. “Sometimes it’s very loud, but it’s okay, we try to work,” says salon worker Natalya, “how can you not go to work if people are waiting for you?”
Beirut is buzzing with activity as volunteers scramble to help the tens of thousands of people displaced by Israel’s intense bombardment of Lebanon. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in support of its ally Hamas since the militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that triggered a devastating war in Gaza. This week Israel dramatically intensified its attacks, mostly on Hezbollah’s south Beirut and southern and eastern Lebanese strongholds, killing more than 700 people, according to the health ministry.
Cars, trees and houses are submerged in flood water as a strong wind batters the city of St. Pete Beach, Florida, caused by Hurricane Helene. Three people have been killed by the hurricane, which weakened on 27 September to a tropical storm – still deemed very dangerous according to authorities.
Wellington (AFP) – A New Zealand enthusiast spent half a century amassing one of the world’s largest private butterfly collections. As death nears, he has handed this life’s work of 20,000 specimens to a museum.
Shizuoka (Japan) (AFP) – The world’s longest-serving death row prisoner has been acquitted, more than half a century after his murder conviction, following a Japanese court ruling that evidence had been fabricated. Ailing health has prevented 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamada from appearing in the court to learn the outcome of the retrial, granted a decade ago after a long campaign by his supporters.
Doha (AFP) – Qatar, a mediator in the Gaza war, says it is “working with our partners” to ensure “an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon”. Cross-border violence between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has intensified in recent days after repeated failures to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas militants as the war enters its 12 month.
Kutupalong (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Rohingya refugees have endured years of boredom, misery and violence in Bangladesh — but last month’s overthrow of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina has given some fresh hope for the future. Hasina was initially lauded by the international community in 2017 for opening the borders to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing a Myanmar military crackdown. But the years since have seen rampant malnutrition and regular gun battles in camps, whose inhabitants hope that Hasina’s ouster will bring renewed attention to their plight. “We and our children live in fear at night because of the shootings,” 42-year-old Shonjida, who goes by one name, told AFP.
Hong Kong (AFP) – At 88, Yan Kar-man is one of Hong Kong’s few remaining master tailors of the cheongsam, a dress recognisable for its form-fitting silhouette and which was famously featured in Wong Kar-wai’s film “In the Mood for Love”.
New York (AFP) – Hundreds of protesters gather at Madison Square Park in New York before marching across Manhattan in a show of support for Palestine and Lebanon. The protest comes after Israel’s September 23 strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 558 people.
