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Melbourne (AFP) – A sperm whale has cracked the hull of a yacht sailing in the remote South Pacific, forcing four sailors into a day-and-night fight for survival on the high seas. Crew members on the 16-metre Tai Tam tell AFP of their encounter with a pod of sperm whales 250 nautical miles north of tiny Norfolk Island. At 1 pm New Zealand time, about 30 minutes after the whale collision, they activated an emergency beacon. A container ship, the MV Sofrana Surville, rescued the sailors at 6 am Sunday — about 18 hours after their encounter with the sperm whale.

Moscow (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin says that Russia has “no intention of attacking anyone” but warns that if “we’re faced with aggression, we will have to respond”. His comments come as tensions mount over Kaliningrad — Russia’s heavily militarised territory that borders Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea.

HOKKAIDO (Japan) (AFP) – Police in Japan release dashcam footage from a passenger car that was attacked by a brown bear in northern Hokkaido Prefecture. The incident took place on Tuesday when two bears were spotted, believed to be a mother and cub, forcing the vehicle to halt. The larger bear then slammed its body against the car’s bonnet, before running away. One person was travelling in the vehicle, according to public broadcaster NHK, with no injuries reported.

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Cellphone theft and robbery have become a daily security concern for millions of Brazilians, with victims describing financial losses and a growing fear of moving around their own cities. Ahead of the October 4 presidential election, candidates have pledged to tackle the problem, while security companies are turning to networks of cameras and technology to help police identify suspects.

Mumbai (India) (AFP) – Indian pilot Smit Machchhar is hailed as a “hero” after fighting to retain control of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him, leaving him wounded but helping avert disaster. The airline says all passengers are safe. According to media reports, 166 of the 174 passengers were Israeli citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also praised the pilot’s “extraordinary bravery”, saying he fought back despite being wounded and helped prevent a catastrophic mid-air disaster.

Atlanta (AFP) – Footage released by Zoo Atlanta on September 30, 2026, shows one of the zoo’s giant pandas settling into its new surroundings after the zoo welcomed two pandas from China, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang. The pair arrived at Zoo Atlanta on September 27, 2026, and the zoo says they are already exceeding the team’s expectations and adjusting well to their new environment. The black-and-white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out as part of a “panda diplomacy” program to foster foreign ties.

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli passengers from flydubai flight FZ 1073 arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, where relatives sing and dance to welcome them after their flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credits the flydubai pilot, Indian national Smit Machchhar, as well as passengers, with averting catastrophe after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed him and tried to crash the plane.

Ukraine (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanks the country’s troops in an address marking Ukraine’s Defenders’ Day, saying that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are “defending our lives, defending our values, Ukraine’s right to exist.”

Rabat (AFP) – The king of Morocco names Marrakesh mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri the country’s first woman prime minister after her party won last week’s parliamentary elections. Speaking shortly after, El Mansouri says in a televised address that her appointment was “truly historic”. Without an outright majority, her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) will have to form a coalition with other parties, though the monarch retains broad powers over major policies.

Nairobi (AFP) – “Please, if he can change his mind, if something can happen, please, people are dying”: A plea from Kenyan sex worker Cecilia Joseph to US President Donald Trump. A recent report from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) found that 73% of US-funded organisations have been forced to end services to “key populations.” These include sex workers, LGBTQ communities and drug users, despite the high risk of transmission. However, US representatives say they are not to blame for deaths in these vulnerable communities.

(AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that one of the pilots of a flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv had planned to crash it and kill its mostly Israeli passengers. “During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu says in a video message.

Ecuador (AFP) – Rising waters from the Viche River have submerged the only road into the town of Cube in Ecuador’s northwestern Esmeraldas province, after days of heavy rainfall. Residents and vehicles are seen navigating floodwaters as the swollen river threatens to overflow further.