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.
Beijing (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he told Chinese President Xi Jinping in talks that he wanted Beijing to use its “influence” on Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine.
Pope Francis warns the world is on the edge of a “delicate precipice” buffeted by “winds of war”, during a trip aimed at building dialogue between faiths.
Sakhir (Bahrain) (AFP) – One of the world’s leading Islamic clerics calls for dialogue between the faith’s two main currents to settle sectarian differences, in an address to religious leaders including Pope Francis.
Belize City (AFP) – In Belize City, residents are cleaning up after Hurricane Lisa battered the Central American nation, causing flooding and power outages.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Scholz is the first G7 leader to visit China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the world’s number two economy largely close its borders. IMAGES
When a North Korean missile triggered air raid sirens on South Korea’s island of Ulleungdo on Wednesday, no one – including the deputy mayor – knew what to do. The missile eventually splashed down 167 kilometres from the island in South Korean waters, in what Seoul described as “effectively a territorial invasion”.
Wazirabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – Police investigate the scene where former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was shot in the leg at a political rally. The former international cricket star has been leading a chaotic convoy of thousands since Friday from the city of Lahore towards the capital Islamabad, campaigning for fresh elections after being ousted from office in April.
Beijing (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives in Beijing seeking to bolster a vital economic relationship but facing criticism about his country’s heavy reliance on a nation growing more authoritarian under Xi Jinping. IMAGES
