Lahore (AFP) – In a Pakistan paediatric ward, a chorus of infant coughs and straining lungs is the toll of a frigid winter, compounded by choking smog and lagging vaccination rates. The eastern megacity of Lahore is blanched every winter by smog levels rated among the worst in the world.
Eagle Pass (AFP) – Activists protest in the town of Eagle Pass in Texas, on the border between Mexico and the United States, which is the scene of tensions linked to the migratory crisis affecting the country. Officers from the Texan state have taken over the site to physically prevent migrants from crossing the Rio Grande illegally.
Unknown (AFP) – The United States launched air strikes against Iranian forces and allied militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday, with President Joe Biden vowing more to come in retaliation for a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Hundreds of worshippers gather on a beach in Rio de Janeiro to pay tribute to Iemanja, the sea goddess of the Afro-Brazilian religions Candomble and Umbanda.
Valparaíso (Chile) (AFP) – Chile declared a state of emergency on Friday as officials said 10 people were feared dead in forest fires in the central Valparaiso region, where blazes are threatening hundreds of homes. IMAGES
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Protesters burn furniture and trash cans during a protest in front of Argentina’s congress, clashing with police using tear gas to disperse the crowd. The protest comes after the country’s lower chamber of deputies gave overall approval to President Javier Milei’s reform bill in a vote, paving the way for a decisive vote in the Senate. IMAGES
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Police try to control protesters outside of Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires, after the country’s lower chamber of deputies gave overall approval to President Javier Milei’s reform bill in a vote, paving the way for a decisive vote in the Senate. IMAGES
CHER (France) (AFP) – Disgruntled farmers are protesting across Europe, demanding better compensation and conditions. They cite low wages, rising fuel costs, and increased environmental red tape as the main causes of anger. Further frustration has been directed at environmental requirements included in the EU’s updated Common Agricultural Policy and the bloc’s forthcoming “Green Deal”. Protests have erupted in France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, prompting the European Union to scramble to address their concerns ahead of 2024 European parliament elections.
Pokrovsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Some 30 kilometres from the front lies the only maternity hospital in the entire Donbas region with a neonatal unit and incubators for babies born prematurely. Despite air raid alerts and shelling, it has worked non-stop since Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago — but the proportion of babies delivered prematurely here has doubled since before the war, whilst the number of births has halved.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli women’s rights groups hold a protest in Tel Aviv to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government work to free the hostages who were taken captive by Hamas on 7 October — even if that means striking a deal with the Palestinian Islamist militant group.
Hanoi (AFP) – The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi is covered by a thick blanket of fog Friday due to high humidity, reducing visibility in the city’s motorbike-clogged roads and affecting dozens of aircraft flying in and out of the city.
Silverstone (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will make a surprise switch to Ferrari next year, after Mercedes announced he would leave the team at the end of the 2024 season.
