Washington (United Kingdom) (AFP) – British military equipment giant BAE Systems says 2023 has seen “unprecedented” additional contracts of 430 million pounds from the UK government, as global conflicts fuel the demand for munitions. They have increased staffing to meet the surge in munitions demand.
Geneva (AFP) – Flags flew at half-mast at United Nations compounds across the globe on 13 November, as staff observed a minute’s silence in memory of colleagues killed in the besieged Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas conflict. A ceremony was held in Geneva, the second-largest UN headquarters after New York, where Director-General Tatiana Valovaya says “over the last month, 101 of our colleagues have lost their lives in Gaza.”
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh calls on the United Nations and the European Union to “parachute aid into the Gaza Strip,” which has been devastated by Israeli strikes and fighting between Hamas and Israeli troops. According to the UN, around 980 lorries carrying humanitarian supplies have been let into Gaza since 21 October through the southern Rafah Crossing.
Neuville-sous-Montreuil (France) (AFP) – Residents in Neuville-sous-Montreuil, in the flood-hit northern Pas-de-Calais department of France, feel helpless as the region faces a new spell of rain, which could make the situation even worse.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Thousands of people take to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to cool off as a heatwave strikes parts of Brazil in the middle of spring. According to the Alerta Rio system, the maximum temperature recorded on Sunday was 42.5 degrees Celsius in Iraja, a working-class neighborhood in the north of the city. The previous record in 2023 was 41.8 degrees Celsius in February, in the middle of summer.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden will discuss “global peace and development” on the 15th of November 2023 at a summit in San Francisco, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says. The Xi-Biden summit will follow a series of meetings in recent months between high-level officials in Beijing, Washington and elsewhere, but will be the leaders’ first encounter since November 2022 in Bali.
Kathmandu (AFP) – Dogs in Nepal are decked with marigold garlands and bright vermillion paint to celebrate a day dedicated to them as part of a Hindu festival. Kukur Tihar, the second day of the five-day Tihar festival, is reserved for worshipping dogs as agents of Yamaraj, the god of death, and for appreciating their loyalty and companionship to humans.
Lampung (Indonesia) (AFP) – A critically endangered Sumatran elephant was born in western Indonesia, according to officials, giving renewed hope to conservation efforts for the subspecies. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Sumatran elephants are on the brink of extinction with only about 2,400 to 2,800 left in the world.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip have been forced to adapt to the lack of basic resources, with many resorting to traditional clay ovens to cook their food. Already impoverished, relentless bombardment has left access to basics like bread “challenging”, according to the UN. On October 7 Hamas, in power in Gaza, launched an attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians and taking 239 hostages, according to Israel. Since then Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip and has killed more than 11,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
Seoul (AFP) – US and South Korean defence chiefs have updated a key military agreement against nuclear-armed North Korea for the first time in a decade as they hailed their “stronger than ever” alliance. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is in Seoul for an annual security meeting with his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik, as the allies ramp up their defence cooperation in the face of growing missile and nuclear threats from Pyongyang.
New Delhi (AFP) – Residents in Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog following celebrations for the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali. The air quality dipped to the “very poor” category early on 13 November, with authorities warning of further air quality deterioration. Delhi regularly ranks among the most polluted major cities on the planet. The city is blanketed in acrid smog at the onset of winter every year. The government has already announced emergency school closures, stopped construction and banned diesel vehicles from entering the megacity in a bid to bring down pollution levels and get rid of the toxic smog.
Barcelona (AFP) – A celebratory light show graced the newest towers of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica on Sunday as the iconic attraction moves closer to completion 141 years after construction started.
