AFP UK

Port-au-Prince (AFP) – The Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is facing an increasingly precarious humanitarian situation as it spirals deeper into gang violence.

Melbourne (AFP) – Particpants at the Moomba Festival’s Birdman Rally fling themselves into Melbourne’s Yarra River with costumes and inventive homemade flying devices.

Klungkung (Indonesia) (AFP) – Hindus in the Indonesian island of Bali hold an effigy parade and a purification fire ceremony in preparation for the Hindu new year.

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – In Gaza City, residents try to collect the remains of food fallen on the ground from airdropped parcels as famine looms in parts of the besieged territory. UN agencies warn the airdropped aid falls far short of the needs of Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people.

Libreville (AFP) – Gabon’s Foreign Affairs Minister announces that the country has been reinstated into the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), after it was suspended following the army coup that overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba on August 30, 2023.

Larnaca (Cyprus) (AFP) – A ship belonging to the Spanish charity Open Arms is loaded with humanitarian aid in Cyprus’s Larnaca port as they prepare to set sail to war-torn Gaza ahead of Ramadan. The boat is “ready” to embark but awaiting final authorisation, according to the charity. The sea route aims to counter aid access restrictions, which humanitarians and foreign governments have blamed on Israel, more than five months into the war which has left Gaza’s 2.4 million people struggling to survive.

Oudtshoorn (South Africa) (AFP) – From fashion runways around the world to the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris and the Rio carnival, South African ostrich feathers have taken centre stage. The country dominates the world market — generating around 70% of by-products, including feathers, leather, eggs and meat, with the majority of these coming from the small town of Oudtshoorn.

Timbuktu (Mali) (AFP) – In the streets of Mali’s Timbuktu, hundreds take part in the annual meticulous and traditional restoration of the Great Djingareyber Mosque. The ancestral technique involves using use plaster and clay to revive and preserve the historic site, central in the country rocked by ongoing conflicts.

Syn-Tash (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – In the Tian-Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, villagers have built an artificial glacier to provide water for their drought-hit farms. By re-directing water from the mountain’s peaks, the glacier replaces natural glaciers, the main water source for the region, which are slowly disappearing due to global warming.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Anti-Hamas leaflets dropped by Israeli forces on the war-torn city of Rafah, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, are met with dismissal by Palestinians who only wish for “a solution to stop the war”, says Attallah al-Satel. “What is the purpose of this leaflet?” he asks.

Karachi (AFP) – Revving round a dusty oval in the heart of Pakistan’s largest city, women on motorbikes is a rare sight in the culturally conservative country. Teaching novices to ride two-wheelers, the “Rowdy Riders” are unlocking a new tier of freedom for women.

Gyeongsang (South Korea) (AFP) – A South Korean fishing boat carrying a crew of nine, including seven Indonesians, capsized off the country’s southern coast, leaving six missing, according to local authorities. So far three crew members have been rescued from the 29-ton vessel but all were unconscious, says the Korea Coast Guard’s Tongyeong. Patrol boats, navy vessels, and aircraft have been deployed for the ongoing search efforts.