Dahieh (Lebanon) (AFP) – “Enter, rescue, and leave” is the mantra of Animal Lebanon. The organisation’s volunteers risk their lives daily to rescue cats left behind by their owners, forced to leave amid Israeli strikes on Beirut.
Aguas Blancas (Uruguay) (AFP) – A mass of stone, golden roofs and ornate facade rises imposingly, defying the winds. It seems fit to crown a corner of the Himalayas, but this Tibetan Buddhist temple lies in the hills of southeastern Uruguay, the most secular country in Latin America.
Masnaa (Lebanon) (AFP) – An Israeli strike has cut off the main international road to Syria, as Israel claims Hezbollah was transporting weapons through the crossing. The border with Syria is the only land route out of Lebanon and the strike could leave thousands who are unable to fly out trapped.
Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says “the resistance in the region will not back down” and “will win,” as he addresses a crowd at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran. Khamenei’s address is the first since Iran launched its second ever attack on Israel — the first since exchanges of fire pitting Hezbollah fighters against Israeli troops escalated into full-blown war in Lebanon.
Kaohsiung (Taiwan) (AFP) – Taiwanese workers clean up debris after Typhoon Krathon ripped through the southwestern city of Kaohsiung, knocking down trees and damaging buildings and market stalls. Across the island, at least two people were killed and more than 600 were reported injured.
Yinchuan (China) (AFP) – Scientists in China’s nascent wine industry are using genetics and artificial intelligence to address imperfect weather conditions, as well as anticipate future problems that might be wrought by rising global temperatures.
Gaza (AFP) – “One of the most difficult situations is when we see someone under the rubble and … we cannot do anything for them,” says civil defence spokesman in Gaza City Mahmud Basal, as he reflects on the work of the emergency services nearly one year since the war began in the territory.
Baabda (AFP) – Lebanon’s health minister says 97 paramedics and firefighters have been killed since Hezbollah and Israel began fighting last October, adding that more than 1,900 people have died as a result of Israeli fire. Israel announced this week that its troops have started “ground raids” into parts of southern Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah, after days of heavy bombardment of areas across the country where the group holds sway. Hezbollah began strikes on Israeli troops a day after Hamas staged its October 7 attack on Israel.
Uman (AFP) – The Ukrainian city of Uman has been a site of worship for Orthodox Jewish pilgrims for over 200 years, but with Russia’s ongoing invasion and airlines cancelling flights due to rising tensions in the Middle East, the journey has become even harder. With Iran having fired ballistic missiles at Israel, whose soldiers are involved in clashes with the militant group Hezbollah near the border with Lebanon, pilgrim Rony Eli-Ya said he was not sure how he would return to his home near Tel Aviv.
London (AFP) – Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla host a reception at St James’s Palace to celebrate the Commonwealth ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that this year will be taking place in Samoa. After dancing with the King, Honorary Consul for Samoa in the UK Freddie Tuilagi says, “As the host… we’re here to give a bit of a taste to the King of what he’d expect,” adding that the King “loves it!”
Kaohsiung (AFP) – Typhoon Krathon slams into Taiwan as Kaohsiung residents were instructed by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) to take shelter before Krathon made landfall there with wind gusts of 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour. Schools, offices and businesses across Taiwan remained shut for a second consecutive day as the wind toppled trees, knocked over motorcyclists and blew cargo containers from a pier.
Paris (AFP) – Frederic Jiguet, ornithologist at the Museum of Natural History, has been capturing crows since 2015 using his cage installed in the heart of the Jardin des Plantes to study their movements and survival. He hopes to change the relation between mankind and the birds, classified as pests throughout France.
