Bangkok (AFP) – A cocktail bar owner in Bangkok hopes fruity mocktails seasoned with Kratom, a recently decriminalised tropical herb, will help keep his business afloat amid a seven-month ban on alcohol service in the Thai capital. The city, once a popular nightlife spot, is under a curfew and bars, pubs and restaurants are prohibited from selling alcoholic drinks as part of coronavirus restrictions.
Washington (AFP) – Animal welfare advocates, conservationists and scientists have carried out a three-year effort to count every cat in the US capital and provide an accurate estimate of the size of Washington’s indoor, outdoor and shelter population, as well as the health of the city’s cats. As part of the DC Cat Count, researchers set up wildlife cameras in more than 1,500 spots across the city.
Indianapolis (AFP) – The winner was not a driver but an algorithm at Indianapolis’s famous Motor Speedway, pushing its car to an average speed of 218 km/h and ushering autonomous vehicles into a new era. Nine university teams took part in the Indy Autonomous Challenge in the hopes of winning a million dollars and pushing forward the advent of self-driving cars.
Tehran (AFP) – Arab nations that normalised ties with Israel last year have “sinned” and should reverse such moves, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei says. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco all agreed to normalise ties with Israel in 2020, as Washington under the administration of then US president Donald Trump made Arab-Israeli rapprochement a foreign policy priority.
Brest (France) (AFP) – The only flat oyster native to Europe, millions of years old but threatened with extinction, is a passion of scientists and shellfish growers on the Brittany peninsula, who seek to restore the last wild beds of this exceptional dish.
Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, days before the COP26 global climate summit. In March, Saudi Arabia unveiled a sweeping campaign to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions, including a plan to plant billions of trees in the coming decades.
Atlixco (Mexico) (AFP) – Farmers from the Atlixco region in central Mexico cut cempasuchil flowers, which are used to adorn altars and tombs on the “Day of the Dead” celebrations on 1 and 2 November. According to the tradition, trails of cempasuchil flowers serve as a guide for the spirits to reach the altar.
Kleszczele (Poland) (AFP) – Hundreds of migrants from the Middle East try to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally through the forest every day to seek asylum in the EU. Nearly 6,000 Polish soldiers and border guards are patrolling to try to send them back to Belarus. Entire families are trapped between the two countries and are trying to survive in increasingly difficult conditions.
London (AFP) – Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange march to London’s High Court ahead of his appeal in his extradition case. The United States government will on October 27th begin an appeal to extradite Assange to face trial for publishing military secrets, after a British judge blocked a request earlier this year.
Police work in Kentish Town, northwest London, outside the home of the suspect held on suspicion of fatally stabbing the British lawmaker David Amess. Politicians and members of the public continue to lay flowers and pay their respects to Amess, in what the police are considering a terrorist incident.
Kenitra (Morocco) (AFP) – In 2015, Morocco’s DGAPR prison service launched Moussalaha, a de-radicalisation programme, with several partner organisations, helping terror detainees who are willing to question their beliefs.
