Pyin Oo Lwin (Myanmar) (AFP) – People gather in the hills of central Myanmar to mark the annual Tazaungdaing light festival that marks the end of the rainy season in a fiery display of exploding hot air balloons. The festival in the former British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin has not been held for two years because of the Covid pandemic and unrest following the military’s coup last year.
Beijing (AFP) – About 30,000 runners, some wearing face masks, take part in a chilly and smoggy first Beijing Marathon since 2019 after Covid cancelled previous races.
Sagami Bay (Japan) (AFP) – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledges to beef up Japan’s naval and military capacity, warning that nations must prepare to face aggressors, and also denouncing North Korea’s recent blitz of missile tests, one of which flew over Japan for the first time since 2017 and prompted a rare evacuation warning. He was making his remarks during Japan’s international naval fleet review which gathered ships from Japan and 12 other countries — including Australia, India and the United States — at Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo.
Atlantic City (United States) (AFP) – In Atlantic City, the largest organ in the world is coming back to life. The pipe organ in the New Jersey city’s Boardwalk Hall was constructed in the 1920s, during the seaside resort area’s golden age. But the instrument suffered the wrath of a hurricane in 1944, and wear and tear after years of quasi-abandonment for a while left it unusable. Now, through private donations and careful restoration, it is coming back to ear-pleasing functionality.
Lima (AFP) – Thousands of protesters march in Lima to demand the resignation of leftist President Pedro Castillo, who is under an unprecedented six investigations for alleged corruption.
Edenbridge (United Kingdom) (AFP) – In the town of Edenbridge, Kent, southeast England, a giant effigy of former UK prime minister Liz Truss is torched as the “Celebrity Guy” on Britain’s annual bonfire night celebrations. Edenbridge has poked fun at famous figures for more than 20 years, torching effigies of them alongside the traditional Guy Fawkes.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Thousands of people march through downtown Buenos Aires during the city’s 31st pride march. The Argentine trans community led the emblematic march, with demands for equality and labour rights.
Madrid (AFP) – Two climate activists from the group “Futuro Vegetal” each glue a hand to the frames of two paintings by Spanish master Francisco Goya at the Prado museum in Madrid, as seen on images distributed by the group. The protest did not damage either painting, but the protesters scrawled “+1,5°C” on the wall between the two artworks in reference to the Paris Agreement target of capping warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Seoul (AFP) – Tens of thousands attend a candlelit vigil in Seoul to commemorate the 156 people killed in a Halloween crowd crush, with public anger growing over one of the country’s deadliest peacetime disasters. The victims, mostly young people, were among the estimated 100,000 that flocked to the capital Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightlife district to celebrate the first post-pandemic Halloween.
Gorodnya (Ukraine) (Ukraine) (AFP) – Amid fears of an attack coming from their northern border with Belarus and Russia, Ukraine’s border guards are fortifying their positions. ‘Our main goal is to prevent invasion. But if it happens again in this area, then to be ready to stop the enemy at the state border line, to prevent them from advancing deep into our country’ says an armed border guard who did not want to be named.
Los Angeles (AFP) – Carey Mulligan and victims of ex-producer Harvey Weinstein walk the red carpet in Hollywood as part of the premiere of “She Said”, the film that tells the story of the two New York Times journalists who unveiled Weinstein’s abuses and sparked the #MeToo movement in the United States.
Kupiansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – In early September, the Ukrainian army liberated Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. Little was left when the Russians withdrew, fuelling widespread allegations of systematic looting.
