Moscow (AFP) – With artists from more than 20 countries and ambitions for a billion-plus viewers, Russia revives its Intervision song contest. With Russia banished from Eurovision, the song contest extravaganza born on the other side of the former Iron Curtain over its offensive in Ukraine, the Kremlin has pushed Intervision as a means to strive for new cultural and political alliances.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin calls the recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western nations, including Britain, Australia and Canada, a “message of hope”. Portugal is also expected to make an announcement of recognition, as Israel comes under huge international pressure over the war in Gaza triggered almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls moves by several western nations to recognise a Palestinian state an “absurd reward for terrorism” which endangers Israel’s existence. Britain, Australia and Canada have recognised a Palestinian state in a seismic shift in decades of western foreign policy.
Berlin (AFP) – Thousands of people set off for the Berlin marathon. The women’s race was won by Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru, while Sabastian Sawe, also from Kenya, has won the men’s.
Elsbethen (Austria) (AFP) – Three octogenarian nuns return to their former convent in the Salzburg province of Austria, after having being sent against their will, they say, to a care home by the Catholic Church. Sisters Rita, 81, Regina, 86, and Bernadette, 88, have graced international headlines following their plight.
Calais (France) (AFP) – Several dozen people gather in Calais to pay tribute to the 518 migrants who have died in the English Channel since 1999, laying flowers at the foot of hundreds of pairs of shoes laid out on the beach.
Manila (AFP) – Thousands of Filipinos gather in Manila for an anti-corruption protest. The demonstrators are angry about a ballooning scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting since President Ferdinand Marcos put them centre stage in a July state of the nation address that followed weeks of deadly flooding. IMAGES
Lima (AFP) – Protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Lima against President Dina Boluarte’s government over insecurity and corruption. IMAGES
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez leads a parade of army tanks amid tensions with the United States, as military drills continue along the maritime border and nationwide workshops train civilians in weapon use. IMAGES
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians inspect damage and mourn relatives killed in an airstrike that hit a tented area in a school-turned-shelter for the displaced in the Al-Daraj district of central Gaza City. Gaza’s civil defence agency reports that at least 20 people have been killed since midnight on 20 September in strikes on Gaza City, as Israel presses its new offensive to capture the territory’s largest urban centre.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – People celebrate on the first day of the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in the German city of Munich, which will last two weeks and has gathered more than 6 million visitors in the previous year.
Lagos (AFP) – On World Cleanup Day, Nigerian conservationists set free two rescued sea turtles, a 32-kg male and a 24-kg female, after the animals were accidentally caught in fishermen’s nets. The release is led by Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative, which has cared for endangered species since 2012 and currently shelters six turtles and around 150 other wild animals.
