AFP UK

Pigcawayan (Philippines) (AFP) – Images show flooding along a road in Pigcawayan, in the central Philippines, after Tropical Storm Nalgae lashed the country, killing at least 67 people.

Mahabad (Iran) (AFP) – Protesters take to the streets of the Kurdish city of Mahabad as demonstrations re-erupt a day after a protester was killed in a rally commemorating the 40th day since Mahsa Amini’s death. The clerical state has been gripped by six weeks of protests that erupted when Amini, 22, died in custody after her arrest for an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress rules for women based on Islamic sharia law.

San Francisco (AFP) – Two former Twitter employees leave the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, carrying their belongings in cardboard boxes after being fired. Elon Musk has begun his first full day leading Twitter, with critics and fans anxious to see how the planet’s richest man will run one of the world’s leading social media platforms. Among Musk’s first acts in power on Thursday were the reported firing of chief executive Parag Agrawal and other senior officials — though the company did not reply to AFP’s request for comment and Agrawal still listed himself as CEO on his Twitter profile.

Barcelona (AFP) – Prosecutors in Spain drop the corruption and fraud charges faced by Brazilian footballer Neymar, and others, standing trial over transfer irregularities.

Playa Vista (United States) (AFP) – At a rally in California, United States Senator Bernie Sanders says that – beyond abortion rights and the fight against climate change – the upcoming US midterm elections are about “whether or not this great country remains a democracy”.

Taipei (AFP) – Chinese vets have received a rare invite to Taiwan after a male panda named ‘Yuan Yuan’, symbol of an era of warmer ties, was moved into end-of-life care.

Tehran (AFP) – Iranians rally in Tehran to condemn a mass shooting at a Shiite Muslim shrine in the southern city of Shiraz after Wednesday evening prayers that state media said killed at least 15 worshippers. The attack was claimed by the Sunni extremist group Islamic State.

Beijing (AFP) – China says it will “not be intimidated by the US’s nuclear blackmail” after the Pentagon released a US nuclear posture report which foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin slams as being “blatantly tailored” towards Beijing.

San Francisco (AFP) – Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has bought Twitter – and wasted no time in making his mark on the social media platform.

Bangkok (AFP) – Almost a decade after fleeing China, more than 50 Uyghurs are currently languishing in Thai detention facilities facing an uncertain future as the kingdom strives to strike a balance between Beijing and Washington. Abdullah Sami, a 35-year-old Uyghur from Xinjiang, who fled China through Thailand and now lives in Austria, has been in contact with some of the detainees. “I tell them with sorrow that there is no news”, he says.

Kabul (AFP) – Hundreds of aspiring male cricketers flock to Chaman-e-Huzuri park in Kabul on Fridays, where they emulate their world cup heroes on the dusty ground. Cricket was largely unknown in Afghanistan until the early 2000s, but the sport has since exploded when it was brought to the country from Pakistan by Afghan refugees. Since the Taliban came to power last year, uncertainty over women’s cricket threatens the sport, with funding from peak bodies and participation in international competitions tied to growth of both men’s and women’s cricket.

Gummatapura (India) (AFP) – Gummatapura and surrounding villages celebrate the Gorehabba festival by collecting heaps of cow dung and holding cow dung fights to honour the village deity.