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Chiang Mai (Thailand) (AFP) – Thousands of lanterns light up the sky of Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai as the northern city celebrates the traditional Yi Peng festival.

Baku (AFP) – Former US Vice President Al Gore says it is “absurd” to host UN climate talks in petrostates and says the way decisions are made on who gets to be a delegate to the conferences should be reformed, with tests for oil companies wishing to attend. Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producer is currently hosting COP29 in Baku.

Geneva (AFP) – The UN warns that renewed systematic Russian targeting of Ukraine’s already devastated energy infrastructure could take a dire toll and spur new mass movement as the war-torn country braces for winter. “If they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point,” says Matthias Schmale, the United Nations’ resident humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

Kinshasa (AFP) – When DR Congo’s Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra was founded thirty years ago it was a rag-tag band of around a dozen string musicians with so few instruments players were forced to share. Today it boasts 200 members, has performed across the world and has become one of the most famous orchestras in Africa. “We should be proud,” says Oscar Sukami, a local fan of the orchestra. “So the government must intervene to really continue to encourage, to facilitate the task of this ensemble so that it is equipped with all, all, all the possible elements as in Europe that can enable it to keep moving forward.”

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – An Israeli strike hits Beirut’s Tayouneh area after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order in the Lebanese capital. Since September 23, Israel has ramped up its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges initiated by Hezbollah over the Gaza war.

Lima (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Peru for an Asia-Pacific summit where he will meet US counterpart Joe Biden under the shadow of a looming trade war with the incoming Donald Trump administration. IMAGES

Rome (AFP) – Rare frescoes dating back to the 17th century have been found by chance by an electrician working in Rome’s Villa Farnesina. The Renaissance works were discovered a year ago behind a false ceiling above the vaults of the palace during a routine maintenance check by the Accademia dei Lincei, which recently granted AFP a visit to film the paintings.

Moscow (AFP) – Moscow residents react after Russian authorities ordered the closure of the city’s award-winning Gulag History Museum, dedicated to the victims of Soviet-era repression. The closure was officially put down to alleged violations of fire safety regulations, but comes amid an intense Kremlin campaign against independent civil society and those who question the state’s interpretation of history.

Irving (United States) (AFP) – Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread concern across the boxing world.

Namhkam (Myanmar) (AFP) – More than 1,000 recruits of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) receive military equipment during a ceremony marking the end of their special combat training. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military deposed head of state Aung San Suu Kyi and her government in 2021, and launched a crackdown that sparked an armed uprising.

London (AFP) – A jazz concert in the halls of London’s Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, features Spanish pianist Albert Marques and Keith LaMar, a death row prisoner joining from his cell via phone call at a maximum state prison in Ohio. Supporters of LaMar are calling for his release and an end to the death penalty in the United States.

Lima (AFP) – Peruvian President Dina Boluarte opens the APEC CEO summit in the capital, Lima. IMAGES