Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “we are at war” after a barrage of rockets were fired and fighters from the Palestinian enclave infiltrated Israel, a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Panama City (AFP) – Images show the President of Panama Laurentino Cortizo and President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves holding a meeting in Panama City to discuss migration issues. IMAGES
Yerevan (AFP) – “Me and people like me still exist, we still want to fight” says Sergei Davidyan, an Armenian military veteran who refuses to accept the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan claimed full control of in a recent offensive. Davidyan fought twice — in 2016 and 2020 — and was seriously injured in the latter, a 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Jeonju (South Korea) (AFP) – South Korean writer Eun Seo-ran was happily single, until a medical emergency made her want family around to help. But she took an unconventional route: legally adopting her best friend.
Darret Ezza (Syria) (AFP) – Overnight Syrian regime shelling hits the town of Darret Ezza, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo in Syria, killing and least three people and injuring several others.
Oslo (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron pays tribute to the bravery of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Quetzaltenango (Guatemala) (AFP) – Guatemalans have taken to the streets for the fourth day in a row, denouncing what they call a campaign to prevent president-elect Bernardo Arevalo from taking power. A political outsider that has pledged to fight corruption, Arevalo scored a shock upset win at the polls in August which is thought to have alarmed the old guard political elite.
Geneva (AFP) – Elizabeth Throssell, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, says that a strike that killed dozens in the eastern Ukrainian village of Groza was inflicted by “what appeared to be a Russian missile”. Most of those killed in Groza were attending a wake when a cafe and shop were struck on 5 October. One eight-year-old boy was counted among the dead.
Darret Ezza (Syria) (AFP) – Overnight Syrian regime shelling hits the town of Darret Ezza, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo in Syria, killing and least three people and injuring several others.
Vakhdat (Tajikistan) (AFP) – While some Afghan refugees are trying to rebuild their lives in Tajikistan, away from the dangers they faced across the border, others dream of starting new lives abroad. Tajikistan has taken in an estimated 10,000 Afghan refugees, but they are not allowed to live in any of the major cities. Former English teacher Bibikhawa Zaki, 25, who fled Afghanistan with her family a few months before the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, says she wants to leave Tajikistan for Canada, which has pledged to take in 40,000 Afghan refugees.
Rangpo (India) (AFP) – Sikkim’s Rangpo has witnessed widespread destruction after deadly flash floods which were triggered by a glacial lake burst in the northern part of the Himalayan state. At least 40 people have died with dozens still missing and thousands stranded across the remote state. Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than ever due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Ulaanbaatar (AFP) – Mongolia’s storied circus performers say that years of state neglect for their craft have left them few spaces left to train — but are determined to restore the country’s long-lost love for the big top.
