Al-Shahaniya (Qatar) (AFP) – At a camel race in the Qatari desert, jockeys are nowhere to be seen. But the animals are actually guided by remote-controlled units mounted on their backs, which are operated by drivers following alongside in all-terrain trucks. The hi-tech sport is a traditional Gulf pastime that is hoping to get a boost on the back of football as Qatar braces for the arrival of more than one million World Cup fans.
London (AFP) – After a five-year restoration project, the world-famous Big Ben bell towering above Britain’s Houses of Parliament is resuming daily operations and will be permanently reconnected from Remembrance Sunday on November 13.
Phnom Penh (AFP) – Southeast Asian leaders meet in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. The escalating crisis in Myanmar will dominate summit talks between the leaders struggling to find a way to calm the growing bloodshed in the junta-ruled country. IMAGES
Paarl (South Africa) (AFP) – South Africa’s first “green school” aims to raise a new generation of environmentally-conscious citizens, fostering children’s creativity and resilience in the face of climate disruption. Founder Alba Brandt says she came up with the idea in 2017 after spending six months at a similar initiative in Bali, Indonesia.
Mykolaiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainians in Mykolaiv, the largest city near the Kherson front, say they cannot believe Russians are really withdrawing troops from Kherson. “It is impossible to believe in this” says one local as Russian generals ordered their troops to abandon their main southern bastion and other positions on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Wednesday’s televised announcement capped weeks of creeping progress by Ukraine’s forces toward the biggest city — and only regional capital — Russia had captured in the war.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky created the trend by wearing khaki outfits in every setting since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February. In the eight months of war, his people have followed his sartorial lead.
Rome (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with Jens Stoltenberg at Rome’s Palazzo Chigi after the NATO chief took part in the NATO Cyber Defence Pledge Conference in the Italian capital. IMAGES
Rome (AFP) – NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says he is waiting to see how Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson plays out, but if confirmed, it would be “another victory for Ukraine”. The comment was made after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. SOUNDBITE
London (AFP) – Workers on London’s Underground network go on strike on Thursday 10 November, leaving commuters to find alternative methods of transport or work from home. The action by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Unite unions follows several prior walkouts this year amid a long-running dispute over job cuts, pensions and working conditions. IMAGES
Plévenon (France) (AFP) – After an unprecedented postponement due to the weather, the 138 sailors taking part in the Route du Rhum set off from Saint-Malo to attack the Atlantic Ocean, for a solo crossing to Guadeloupe, which the fastest should complete in a record time of six days.
Caracas (AFP) – Credit-hungry small business owners in Venezuela see new financing opportunities in private microfinance as they limbo through the economic crisis. The new initiative, called “Pídelo”, provides small loans to entrepreneurs from hairdressers to small business owners to expand their businesses.
Uttarkashi (India) (AFP) – From prime ministers and millionaires to labourers, Hindu faithful dream of trekking at least once in their lives to Gaumukh, where the waters of India’s holiest river, the Ganges, emerge from a Himalayan glacier. But the ice at the end of the arduous journey is receding rapidly and portends an increasingly dry future for a country of 1.4 billion people facing existential challenges from climate change.
