El Jalocote (Mexico) (AFP) – National Guard members clean up the debris from flash flooding that has killed at least eight people and left another two missing in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. On September 25, heavy rain turned a mountain stream into a torrent of muddy floodwater that swept away villagers, according to local authorities.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Saudi envoy Nayef al-Sudairi holds talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in the West Bank city of Ramallah. On 26 September, Saudi Arabia sent its first delegation in three decades to the occupied West Bank to reassure Palestinians it will defend their cause even as it forges closer ties with Israel. On the same day, Israel’s tourism minister Haim Katz arrived in Riyadh for the first such high-level public visit to the oil-rich kingdom.
Las Vegas (AFP) – MMA champion and Cameroon star Francis Ngannou trains with boxing legend ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson in Las Vegas, a month ahead of a boxing bout with British heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury. “For this fight, I’m not training with the MMA mentality like an MMA guy, I’m going out there to box, I’m training as a boxer,” Ngannou says.
Hangzhou (China) (AFP) – A replica Eiffel Tower looms over a neighbourhood near Hangzhou, the Chinese city currently hosting the Asian Games. The tower is one of many replicas of Western architecture that dot China, although the country’s leaders have clamped down on “bizarre” foreign-inspired structures in recent years.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Saudi Arabia has sent its first delegation in three decades to the occupied West Bank to reassure Palestinians it will defend their cause even as it forges closer ties with Israel. Meeting with Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki, the Saudi ambassador said the country’s leadership hopes for the region to be ‘secure and stable’.
Thimphu (Bhutan) (AFP) – Thousands of people attend the Thimphu Tshechu, which takes place annually in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu.
Hollywood (United States) (AFP) – Striking writers whose industrial action has paralyzed the American film industry for almost five months have reached a deal with studios that could see them go back to work. They were demanding better pay, greater rewards for creating hit shows and protection from artificial intelligence. This breakthrough raises hopes that actors, who also joined strikes in July, can also reach terms with studios to end a months-long impasse. This industrial action has seen film and TV production largely halted, costing the California economy billions of dollars.
Medellín (Colombia) (AFP) – Hundreds of people bid farewell to Colombian artist Fernando Botero in his hometown of Medellin, as his coffin is carried by soldiers in Botero Square to the Museum of Antioquia, which houses hundreds of paintings and sculptures that the artist donated to the city. IMAGES
Dakar (AFP) – More than 500 swimmers take part in the Dakar to Gorée Island swimming race in Senegal. Organiser said the annual event, in its 34th edition, would be “a good stage” for young swimmers preparing for the Youth Olympic Games, which are due to be held in Senegal in 2026.
Odesa region (Ukraine) (AFP) – Images released by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service show firefighters battling a blaze following an overnight Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region. Ukraine officials say its forces downed 26 out of 38 drones, with some drones getting through and damaging infrastructure around the port of Izmail.
Timba (Colombia) (AFP) – People from the Colombian town of Timba take part in a procession against violence after bombs that targeted two police stations in the department exploded and killed two civilians. The country has been battered by decades of civil conflict between the state and various left-wing guerrilla groups, right-wing paramilitaries, and drug traffickers. A government-agreed ceasefire is planned from October 8.
Beijing (AFP) – Speaking at the end of a four-day trip to China, the EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis raises the issue of Europe’s ballooning trade deficit with China, which he says has reached 400 billion euros ($423 billion). Economic relations between China and the EU were thrown into the spotlight this month after the bloc launched a probe into Chinese subsidies for its electric vehicle industry.
