Damaskus (AFP) – Syrian bartenders prepare drinks at pubs in Old Damascus’s Christian-majority Bab Sharqi neighbourhood, after Syrian authorities reverse a decision to shut bars and restaurants serving alcohol following public outcry. “What happened yesterday makes no sense, especially with the holiday season just around the corner,” says one bartender.
Ciudad Juárez (AFP) – A US eight-wheeled Stryker armored vehicle patrols the border area in Sunland Park, New Mexico. On his return to office in January, US President Donald Trump launched what he vowed would be the biggest migrant deportation wave in American history, and hundreds of migrants have been expelled to third countries in Central America.
Bangkok (AFP) – Rescuers dig through rubble for workers who were trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed in Bangkok during a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand. IMAGES
Naypyidaw (Birmanie) (AFP) – Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing gives a speech on state-run TV confirming that 144 people have died and 732 are injured after a powerful earthquake hit the country. The junta has also declared a state of emergency while calling for international aid.
Naypyidaw (Birmanie) (AFP) – Hundreds of injured are taken to hospital in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyidaw, where the wounded are treated outside following damage sustained to the building in the deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake. “I was afraid that the building would collapse so I went outside of the house. But I was hit by a wooden cabinet that fell on me and I was injured in the head and foot”, says Shwe Sin.
Jakarta (AFP) – At a smoke-filled warehouse in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, hundreds of young men and women throw their arms in the air, bouncing to British songs from the 1990s. The party, more than 7,000 miles from British shores, is inspired by the “Britpop” scene at the height of Cool Britannia, about 30 years ago.
Lac Rose (Sénégal) (AFP) – Senegal’s most famous lake, Lake Retba, is slowly regaining its iconic pink colour after three long years of a dull yellow hue brought on by the run-off from heavy rains. Its recovery is delighting visitors as well as locals.
New York (AFP) – A model of Hollywood’s favourite alien, E.T., made by the legendary special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi, is going to auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The model appeared in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film of the same name.
Bangkok (AFP) – A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand. In Bangkok, the collapse of a building under construction has killed at least three people while dozens of others remain trapped. Myanmar has reported 20 dead so far and has declared a state of emergency while calling for international aid.
Bangkok (AFP) – A 30-storey building under construction collapsed in Bangkok after a powerful earthquake hit Thailand on Friday, trapping 43 workers, police and medics said. The massive building intended for government offices was reduced to a tangle of rubble and twisted metal. IMAGES
Montreuil-au-Houlme (France) (AFP) – Located in the north of France, the Suzi Handicap Animal shelter takes in and cares for animals that are disfigured, have been abused or even tortured. “We often hear people say here that we are a centre with only monsters. And I find that very hard because, for me, they are the most wonderful in the world,” says founder Stephanie Lisicki.
Andong (Corée du Sud) (AFP) – Mountains and forests continue to burn in South Korea as the country battles its worst-ever wildfires. At least 27 people have been killed with multiple raging blazes causing “unprecedented damage”, according to the acting president.
