Wellington (AFP) – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admits that New Zealand’s widely praised “Covid zero” strategy has failed to halt a stubborn outbreak in Auckland and says a new approach is needed.
Kohdaman (Afghanistan) (AFP) – (COMPLETES VIDI9NZ6P3_EN)N°9P26D6Taliban supporters and senior figures hold their first mass rally outside Kabul, in a show of strength as they consolidate their rule of Afghanistan. No foreign government has yet recognised the Islamist former rebels’ rule, but their hold on power within the country is all but unchallenged seven weeks after they took the capital. The official victory gathering in Kohdaman township, in the hilly outskirts of the capital, was attended by 1,500 men and boys.
Austin (AFP) – Tens of thousands of women take to the streets across the United States in protests aimed at countering a conservative drive to restrict access to abortions.
Vatican City (AFP) – In his Angelus prayer, Pope Francis deplores the “terrible outbreak of violence” in the prison of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where at least 118 inmates died – including six beheaded – in rioting among rival gangs before police regained control.
Okomu (Nigeria) (AFP) – In Nigeria, the government has launched a drive to revive the country’s once thriving palm oil business, part of a bid to diversify away from petroleum and help create jobs. But small-scale producers say that loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria are only going into the pockets of bigger factory owners.
London (AFP) – Petrol station customers tell their story as they queue for fuel in London. “We have to drive our children to school”, says one, “the government should have anticipated a human response”, says another. A lack of tanker drivers has triggered panic-buying at petrol stations, forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to call in the armed forces from Monday to deliver stocks.
Chełm (Poland) (AFP) – Thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have crossed or tried to cross the 400-kilometre (249-mile) Belarus-Poland border since August. Three teenagers prepare to spend a cold night in the forest in southeast Poland, as one recounts how he is making the journey for a third time after twice being sent back into Belarus by Polish border guards in recent weeks. All three are from Iraq’s hard-pressed LGBTQ community, saying they fled their homeland because they faced harassment after protesting in favour of gay rights there.
Tegucigalpa (AFP) – Members of the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, set fire to 3.313 kilos of cocaine seized from cartels throughout 2021 in operations across the country.
La Palma Island (Spain) (AFP) – Highly liquid lava flows continue to threaten the Spanish island of La Palma, almost two weeks after the first eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano since 1971.
Edinburgh (AFP) – Queen Elizabeth II speaks at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh saying the beginning of a new session is the time for renewal and fresh thinking after a particularly difficult time. She adds that she will attend the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow in November and that “the eyes of the world” would be on Scotland during the event.
Rome (AFP) – Wild boars overshadow mayoral race as Rome demands clean-up
Noumea (AFP) – Vaccination rates drop in New Caledonia despite high Covid cases
