AFP UK

Lake Poopo (Bolivia) (AFP) – Bolivia’s Lake Poopo has mostly disappeared — leaving the Indigenous communities reliant on its waters without a source of food and work.

Taipei (AFP) – Chinese veterinary experts make a rare visit to Taiwan to help treat Tuan Tuan, a giant panda at Taipei Zoo diagnosed with a brain tumour in September.

Ankara (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the traffic of vessels carrying Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products has resumed following a phone call between the Turkish and Russian defence ministers.

Moscow (AFP) – Russia confirms that it is resuming its participation in the Ukraine grain deal, saying it has received “sufficient” guarantees from Kyiv on demilitarising a maritime corridor. Moscow had pulled out of the UN-brokered deal after its Black Sea Fleet based in Crimea’s Sevastopol port was targeted by drones in what Russia called a “terrorist attack”.

Copenhagen (AFP) – Denmark’s Social Democrat Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen clung to power in Tuesday’s general election after final results gave her left-wing bloc won a one-seat majority.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong is hosting a finance summit attended by some of the world’s top bankers, defying criticism by US lawmakers over their decision to share a stage with John Lee, the city’s leader who is sanctioned by Washington. “Social disturbance is clearly in the past. It has given way to stability to growing in business and community confidence in Hong Kong’s future,” says John Lee, Hong Kong’s leader who took office this year.

Seoul (AFP) – People watch news reports on the latest missile launch by North Korea at a busy Seoul train station. North Korea fires more than 10 missiles on Wednesday, including one that landed close to South Korea’s waters that President Yoon Suk-yeol said was “effectively a territorial invasion”.

London (AFP) – Environmental activists try to breach the gates of Downing Street as part of a high-profile campaign to halt new oil and gas exploration in Britain. Members of the Just Stop Oil group attempt to climb into the street housing the prime minister’s official residence but were unsuccessful.

Karokh (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Many Afghan schoolgirls are resorting to working in the country’s saffron fields in the western province of Herat since the Taliban shut their schools for more than a year now. While the industry has always recruited women, this year it has seen a surge in female employment as more and more high school girls work in the fields.

Los Angeles (AFP) – Librarian Rosie Grant spends her free time baking cookies from recipes found on gravestones throughout the country. She documents her cooking on TikTok, under the account @ghostlyarchive, where she currently has over one hundred thousand followers and 4.5 million likes.

Morbi, Gujarat (India) (AFP) – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the disaster site where a newly renovated pedestrian bridge collapsed in his home state of Gujarat, leaving 134 people dead. Nine people have been arrested on homicide charges over the collapse of the 150-year-old structure. The suspension bridge was packed with people celebrating the final day of the Diwali holidays. Forty-seven children were among those killed.

Tokyo (AFP) – The Tokyo Metropolitan Government building is illuminated with rainbow lights as the Japanese capital begins issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the megacity, a long-awaited move in a country without marriage equality.