Uttarkashi (India) (AFP) – After 17 days of being trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel they were building, Indian workers are being airlifted to a hospital in Rishikesh, a city in the northern state of Uttarakhand. TO COMPLETE 346F4RV
Dakar (AFP) – Senegal’s military says it has seized nearly three tonnes of cocaine from a ship moored off the coast, in one of the country’s largest drug hauls.
Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders’ stunning election win may have sent shockwaves through Europe’s political elite, but in one of the country’s poorest districts, his populist message is hitting home. In Oud Crooswijk, in the heart of the port city of Rotterdam, many residents say after years of battling to make ends meet, they hope far-right leader Wilders will change things if he makes it at the helm of the country.
Beer Yaakov (Israel) (AFP) – Two Thai hostages released by Hamas arrive at Israel’s Shamir Medical Centre, where they are greeted by Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara. Seventeen hostages held for weeks by Hamas are due to arrive back in Thailand on Thursday, according to the Thai foreign ministry.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Ahmed Salaima speaks about what he witnessed in prison in Israel, after his release under a truce in the Israel-Hamas war which has entered its sixth day. So far, 60 Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza under the terms of the deal, with a Russian-Israeli, 20 Thai and one Filipino freed outside the scope of the deal. In return, 180 Palestinian prisoners — all women and minors — have been released. The truce agreement has brought a temporary halt to fighting sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Stockholm (AFP) – Parts of Europe have seen the first snowfall of the year as wintery conditions move across the continent. Temperatures in Stockholm, the Swedish capital, dropped to -4 degrees Celsius (24.8F) as the city was covered with a thick layer of snow. Berlin’s landmarks were similarly blanketed with more snow forecast for next week. And in Ukraine, storms dumped up to 25 centimetres across the country’s south, where authorities have reported 10 deaths as a result of extreme weather.
Bristol (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Faced with an influx of stray and surrendered pets, an animal rescue centre in Bristol, southwestern England, has had to get creative when it comes to raising funds, turning to the animal artists in their ranks. “We get a canvas… put some non-toxic paint on the canvas, clingfilm on top of that, and then we put their favourite treats” explains Jodie Bennett, the centre’s community and engagement officer. The artworks, created by the animals licking and playing with their materials, will be auctioned at a “Mutt Gala” in December.
Jabalia (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “We have got some very brave UNRWA staff members here” says Thomas White, the director of the agency’s operations in Gaza. UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, is the body specifically aimed at helping Palestinian refugees. Speaking in the Gaza Strip, White says “we’ve got six trucks of aid for the people in Jabalia”, a refugee camp north of Gaza City. Aid has been making its way to those in need during a truce agreed by Israel and Hamas, marking the first pause in the fighting since October 7, when Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 240 hostage. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says nearly 15,000 have been killed by Israel’s military response.
Doha (AFP) – Despite “minimal breaches” in the Israel-Hamas truce — which has over the past five days allowed the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel — “the agreement is still ongoing” says a Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Speaking during a two-day extension to the initial truce, Majed Al-Ansari says the Gulf state, a mediator in the conflict, hopes for “a sustainable truce”. The current pause in fighting is the first since October 7, when Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israeli settlements, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping a further 240. Israel’s response, a sustained air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, has killed nearly 15,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
Odesa region (Ukraine) (AFP) – At least 10 people have died in Ukraine after storms raged across the country’s south on November 27, dumping up to 25 centimetres of snow. Severe weather across the region also impacted parts of Moldova, southern Russia and the occupied Crimean peninsula, where high winds and heavy rains damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted transport networks.
Sydney (AFP) – Showing off a sixth cricket World Cup at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australian captain Pat Cummins says he’s “still on a high” a week after his team beat hosts India. The final was played in front of nearly 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad, where most of those in attendance were cheering for India, who had won all 10 of their previous matches in the tournament.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong is swamped in trash — with 13 dumpsites filled to the brim, and the final three landfills set to run out of capacity by 2030. The city’s legislature passed a bill last month to implement a two-stage blanket ban on various plastic products. The idea is “to build a plastic-free culture”, authorities said, but environmentalists are worried that the ban’s benefits could be undermined as the city would merely be replacing plastic waste with those of other materials if city continues with its “throwaway culture”. Campaigners have called a lifestyle change to reuse.
