Wonju (South Korea) (AFP) – Kpop megastar J-hope emerges from the gate of his army base after 18 months of military service. J-hope, the main dancer of the group, is now the second member to be discharged from the military after fellow member Jin, who finished his service in June.
Chisinau (AFP) – Moldova’s President Maia Sandu is making her final appearances ahead of a crunch dual vote on 20 October. Her political future and that of the whole country rests on a presidential election coupled with a referendum on EU membership for the ex-Soviet country of 2.6 million people.
London (AFP) – The cast and crew of ‘Joy’ walk the red carpet in London for the film’s world premiere. Starring Bill Nighy and James Norton, the movie tells the story of the three British pioneers of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), with the premiere attended by Louise Joy Brown, the first baby ever conceived through the method and from whom the film takes its name.
Rozlyv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Vasylii and Liliia Prus have already relocated three times, forced to move repeatedly by Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine. The couple now lives in Rozlyv, a village just 20 kilometres from Moscow’s forces and, like others in the area, increasingly under threat of shelling and occupation since the capture of the nearby town of Vugledar. Despite their current home being partially destroyed by a strike, the Prus family is reluctant to move yet again.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveils his long-awaited Victory Plan to end Russia’s invasion, urging “an invitation to NATO, now”. Speaking to the country’s parliament in Kyiv, Zelensky rules out “a trade in Ukraine’s territory or sovereignty” and backs intelligence reports that North Korea is supplying not only weapons, but personnel to Russia.
Geneva (AFP) – The UN warns that the number of people who have fled war-torn Sudan could reach three million in the coming weeks. Speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, the UN’s Sudan regional refugee coordinator Mamadou Dian Balde says the exodus has been driven by “the intensification” of the conflict, which broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Sydney (AFP) – Expanding cities, land clearance and the spread of chlamydia in particular are devastating Australia’s koala population. But scientists are hopeful their vaccine research may help preserve one of the country’s most iconic animals.
One of two newborn twin pandas is presented at Berlin Zoo. The two eight-week-old cubs, who are yet to be named, will take turns to greet the public in the zoo’s Panda Garden. It is the mother Meng Meng’s second set of twins, having given birth to the first pair in 2019.
Sydney (AFP) – Expanding cities, land clearance and the spread of chlamydia in particular are devastating the populations of one of Australia’s most iconic animals. But scientists are hopeful:”The chlamydia vaccine research will probably be quite pivotal for populations that we’re trying to protect from the disease of infertility.”
Madrid (AFP) – French football star Kylian Mbappe trains in Madrid amid Swedish media reports that he is being investigated by police for rape after he made a two-day visit to the Nordic capital. Mbappe has denounced the accusation as “fake news”. Swedish prosecutors on Tuesday 15 October confirmed a rape probe but did not name the suspect.
Doûris (Lebanon) (AFP) – The Israeli army carries out strikes in southern Lebanon, hitting villages across the border. The retaliatory attacks from Tel Aviv follow a Hezbollah drone attack on 13 October, which killed four Israeli soldiers and injured at least 60 people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit Hezbollah ‘mercilessly,’ adding the country will strike the Iran-backed Lebanese group ‘in all parts of Lebanon.’
Barcelona (AFP) – Tourists are flocking to Barcelona in ever increasing numbers, fuelling anger among locals who complain that mass tourism is overcrowding public spaces and driving up house prices in Spain’s second city.
