Indonesians welcome Pope Francis to Jakarta as he kicks off a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region, with further stops planned in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. The 87-year-old will spend three days in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, with his visit devoted to inter-religious ties.
Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand) (AFP) – Thailand has caught some 1,300 tons of blackchin tilapia as authorities battle to stamp out the destructive invasive fish species, enlisting locals and even ducks to help. In July, eradicating the fish, which is native to West Africa, was declared a national priority and a parliamentary investigation is underway to determine the cause of the outbreak.
The arrest and charging of Telegram founder Pavel Durov “raises a lot of human rights concerns” says a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office Ravina Shamdasani. Russian-born Durov was detained in France on 24 August and charged with violations related to the messaging app. Speaking to reporters at a weekly UN briefing, Shamdasani explains that any restrictions on social media need to be “in line with international human rights standards.”
With megaphones and banners in hand, protesters gather outside the house of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a deal to allow the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Pressure has been mounting on the Israeli government in recent days after the killing of six captives, whose bodies were discovered in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday 1 September.
Perched on makeshift beds, chatting or reading, evacuees at a displacement centre in Russia’s Kursk region pass the time. Galina Tolmacheva and her family are among some 130,000 people forced to flee in the Russian border region, where Ukrainian forces have been conducting an offensive since 6 August. “We fled in what we were wearing,” she says, adding that her family had to set their livestock free and “leave everything.”
41 people have been killed by a Russian strike on central Ukraine, says President Volodymyr Zelensky. The attack hit a military educational facility in the city of Poltava, where Ukraine’s defence ministry says rescuers are still working to save people trapped under the rubble.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is seeking forgiveness for failing to save six hostages whose bodies were recovered from a Gaza tunnel at the weekend. He said that Hamas militants “executed” the hostages, shooting them “in the back of the head”.
Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – The United States has seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic and flown it to Florida, a move condemned by the South American leader but which Washington said was necessary due to sanction violations.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters work at a smouldering academic building in Kyiv after the latest barrage from Russia. Authorities say around 30 missiles were launched at the country, with 22 shot down by air defences. The attack came just hours before Ukrainian children were due to start their third school year in the shadow of Russia’s invasion.
Ernstbrunn (Austria) (AFP) – Following their disappearance in the 19th century, wolves have returned across Europe, with growing populations coming – some people say – too close for comfort. In the continent’s centre, Austria hosts the convergence of three isolated wolf populations and a reported increase in attacks on livestock has led several regions to approve a controversial killing of the protected species.
Mornington (Australia) (AFP) – Huge waves crash onto Mornington Pier, south of Melbourne, as wild storms lash Australia’s southeast. Winds of more than 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour have hit the region, leaving about 150,000 people without power and resulting in at least one death.
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing says it was defending its “territorial sovereignty” in the South China Sea after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese Coast Guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says its “maritime rights and interests” in the region are “legal and legitimate.”
