Montlouis-sur-Loire (France) (AFP) – Asian hornets are still buzzing as the leaves begin to turn yellow, tiger mosquitoes are still stinging in early October, and green bugs are still invading homes… Several species of insects, disrupted by climate change, continue to swarm in mid-autumn.
Covasna (Romania) (AFP) – Encounters with bears have become common in Romania, home to the largest brown bear population in Europe after Russia, estimated at 8.000 by the Ministry of Environment. With the population increase and tourists inciting bears to leave the forests by feeding them, the country is facing a growing number of attacks — dividing herders, farmers and conservationists.
Madrid (AFP) – Eleven gold pieces valued at more than 60 million euros belonging to Ukraine’s historical heritage were recovered by police in Madrid. Dating back to between the 8th and 4th century BC, the pieces were smuggled out of Ukraine before 2016 after being displayed at an exhibition in Kyiv.
Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) (AFP) – Residents of the resort city of Cabo San Lucas inspect the damage a day after Hurricane Norma slammed into Mexico’s northwestern coast bringing heavy rain and the threat of flash floods. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm. Two people died a week earlier when another hurricane, named Hurricane Lidia, made landfall in the western states of Jalisco and Nayarit.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “We condemn the stances that constitute a license to kill and a political cover to commit massacres and sow destruction of Gaza and its people”, says Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during a weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah. More than 4,600 Palestinians have been killed across the Gaza Strip in Israeli bombardments in retaliation for attacks by the Palestinian-based Islamist militant group Hamas, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in Gaza. At least 1,400 people were killed during the attack on Israel during the October 7 attack.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israelis chant slogans and hold placards during a demonstration in Tel Aviv calling for the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack.
Antwerp (Belgium) (AFP) – The pumpkin regatta in Kasterlee (Antwerp) is a unique event in Belgium, a kayaking competition in large hollow-out pumpkins. “Every year we start small pumpkins and every year we get from the bigger pumpkins the seeds and mix them to make every year bigger and bigger pumpkins. This year we have pumpkins of more than 1000 kilos” explains Gert Peeters, the organiser and pumpkin patch owner.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians search through the rubble for survivors, amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, after Israeli strike. “We were asleep peacefully. Around 1 am, we heard the loud explosion of the strike, and the doors came off and the windows shattered, and black dust and smoke covered the whole place,” says one Gazan.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis pleads for an end to the Hamas-Israeli conflict amid fears it could widen. “War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!” Francis says after his traditional Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s Square. Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people. Israel’s retaliatory bombing campaign has killed more than 4,650 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced swathes of densely populated Gaza to smouldering ruins.
Bron (France) (AFP) – Employers and jobseekers move and sweat together at a dance workshop organized by Pôle emploi near Lyon to facilitate recruitment. “There was really a release” from dancing and “you feel better” before the interview, explains one candidate. “Normally, it’s CV-sending, reception, face-to-face interviews, very formal, and here, what’s interesting is the aspect of getting moving, dancing, anonymity, not knowing who’s who, which helps to de-stress,” adds a recruiter.
Nantou County (Taiwan) (AFP) – A Taiwanese couple decked out in a tux and gown embrace in front of a mountain of trash in an unorthodox wedding photo — one the environment-conscious bride hopes will discourage her guests from generating unnecesary garbage. Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh and her fiance are having their “environmentally friendly wedding” in January, and have asked guests to bring their own containers for taking home leftovers.
Cairo (AFP) – “Egypt affirms and reiterates its complete rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians and their exodus to the Egyptian territories in Sinai” says Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the International Peace Summit in Cairo.
