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Bureij (AFP) – “God willing, when the war ends, I will repair my shop,” says hairdresser and barber Abdullah Ramadan as he reopens his salon amid the rubble in the Bureij camp in Gaza. The war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, according to an AFP tally. The militants also seized 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,658 people in Gaza, says the Hamas-run health ministry.

Belmarsh (AFP) – Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, says he “stands for truth and justice” in a pre-recorded statement as Assange is released from a British prison after reaching a plea deal with US authorities.

Port-au-Prince (AFP) – A surge of gang violence has upended life in the impoverished Caribbean nation and made medical care even more difficult to attain. N°34YH89P

London (AFP) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison in Britain and is set to face a final court hearing after reaching a plea deal with US authorities that brings to a close his years-long legal drama.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announces that he is replacing a high-ranking army official who was leading troops in the country’s embattled east after he was accused of incompetence and abuse of power during the Russian invasion.

Kungälv (Sweden) (AFP) – Around a century after they disappeared from the country, biologists and experts are reintroducing the Atlantic sturgeon into Swedish waters. 100 youngsters are the first to be let loose in the Göta river, north of Gothenburg. The species is considered endangered and even extinct in many of its original habitats.

Fjärås (Sweden) (AFP) – 80 adrenaline seekers are fiercely competing in old and damaged cars at the Fjaras Motor Club’s track in southern Sweden, trying their best not to topple over. Folkrace is one of the most popular forms of rallycross car racing in Sweden, kept inexpensive thanks to its lottery system for buying and selling competitors’ cars.

Sorte (Switzerland) (AFP) – A now stationary stream of rocks and mud lies across the southeastern Swiss village of Sorte, where landslides and flooding swept away vehicles and several houses.

Ingaí (Brazil) (AFP) – Fireworks and flames fill the night sky as the southeastern Brazilian town of Ingai celebrates the 92nd edition of its Sao Joao Batista bonfire festival, drawing tens of thousands to the 2,000-strong town.

Taipei (AFP) – “China has no right to punish the people of Taiwan just because of what they advocate,” says Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te after Beijing included the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases among judicial guidelines on criminal punishments for “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence.

Noumea (AFP) – Several buildings, including a police station and a town hall, were set on fire in New Caledonia. The renewed comes after seven independence activists were sent to mainland France for pre-trial detention.

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Hundreds of abortion rights activists protest on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro against a controversial bill under consideration in Congress that would equate abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide and impose up to 20 years in prison, including in cases of sexual abuse.