AFP UK

Kabul (AFP) – Afghanistan played its first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan this month, rubbing shoulders against top teams like Argentina, Paraguay and Ukraine before being knocked out. Despite the loss, its men in white and red in Tashkent met with applause from hundreds of fired-up Afghan fans in the stadium, as seen live on a local Afghan television channel. The World Cup campaign might have ended, but for many young Afghans, the steady rise of the Afghan team has been a powerful motivator.

Teheran (AFP) – Iran will not deploy forces to Lebanon or Gaza to confront Israel, its foreign ministry says, as Israeli strikes target its allies in the region. “There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” says foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani, adding that Lebanon and fighters in the Palestinian territories “have the capability and strength to defend themselves against the aggression”.

Weltraum (AFP) – The SpaceX crew that will ferry back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station arrives at the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov board the ISS and embrace their floating colleagues Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. When Hague and Gorbunov return from the space station in February, they will bring back the two space veterans, whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months due to problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

Keelung (AFP) – Fishermen return to the port to tie up their ships in Keelung, northern Taiwan, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year. However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.

Hodeidah (AFP) – Fire and smoke billow from “Al-Hali” power station in the Yemeni city of Hodeida following Israeli air strikes on Sunday. The Israeli military said it was striking several Huthi rebel targets in Yemen, including power stations and a seaport. The strikes came a day after the rebels announced they targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport with a missile. In July, Israel also hit Hodeida port after a Huthi drone strike penetrated Israel’s air defences and killed a civilian in Tel Aviv.

(AFP) – Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem says the group will continue to fight Israel “in support of Gaza” and “in defence of Lebanon” in his first address after the killing of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Dolakha (Nepal) (AFP) – Search and rescue teams in Nepal’s capital pick through wrecked homes after waters receded from monsoon floods that killed at least 192 people around the Himalayan republic.

New Zealand reclaims the world record for the largest mass haka after more than 6,000 people perform the legendary Maori war dance, dethroning France. The record was broken in deafening fashion at Eden Park stadium in Auckland, where thousands of men, women and children joined together on the pitch to complete the traditional native challenge involving vigorous movements, stamping feet and rhythmic shouting.

North Korea’s young women’s football team received a thunderous homecoming, greeted by their families at the airport in Pyongyang after their title win at the 2024 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Colombia. The country’s U-20 women squad returned home on Saturday after their 1-0 victory over Japan to claim the title in Bogotá, their third such victory after tournament wins in 2006 and 2016.

Vienna (AFP) – Herbert Kickl celebrates his FPOe party’s victory in the Austrian national elections. The FPOe won 28.8 percent of votes, beating the ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP) into second place at 26.3 percent, according to near-complete results.

Karachi (AFP) – Thousands of people protest in cities across Pakistan after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah confirmed that its longtime chief had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.

Dolakha (Nepal) (AFP) – Search and rescue teams in Nepal’s capital pick through wrecked homes after waters receded from monsoon floods that killed at least 192 people around the Himalayan republic.