Tokyo (AFP) – Giant balloon sculptures and a field of silver spheres by the late Japanese “polka dot queen” Yayoi Kusama go on display ahead of the opening of Tokyo Atlas, a new international exhibition in the capital. Her two balloon works are being shown together for the first time anywhere in the world, according to the exhibition’s organisers. The artist died in August, aged 97.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar says the British consulate in Jerusalem is “ceasing operations” but that seven diplomats would be allowed to remain in a limited capacity. The move comes after Israel ordered the closure of the consulate in September as retaliation after London led Western sanctions over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Lisbon (AFP) – Russia and Ukraine are at a stalemate that could see one or both sides escalate to break the impasse, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, warning of a “very dangerous” situation. Any escalation between Moscow and Kyiv, which have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, “could quickly turn what is a war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict”, Rubio says during a stopover in Portugal at the end of a tour of Europe.
Semporna (Malaysia) (AFP) – Green turtles have made the rare jump from “endangered” to “least concern” in global conservation rankings, a remarkable success when many species are declining. The recovery follows decades of conservation efforts, including egg relocation, marine protection, genetic research and trade bans. In Malaysia’s Sabah state, conservationists continue their work on the frontline.
Nairobi (AFP) – People in Kenya’s capital Nairobi express fear after Kenya reports its first Ebola death. health officials Kenya’s first-ever death from the disease. “When I heard yesterday that they were announcing that Ebola has entered Kenya, I got so scared because I don’t know how our government will deal with it,” says Edwin Orwa, who works in security. The victim was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in May. “As a country we don’t have an outbreak,” says Mary Muthoni, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, whilst visiting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi alongside officials from the WHO and Africa CDC to inspect health screening measures.
Moscow (AFP) – Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says most of the reporting about the plague situation in Siberia is “false” when asked about a reported second case. The United States, the European Union and the World Health Organization have all called on Russia to be transparent over the reported plague death of a laboratory technician at a research institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region last week.
Tokyo (AFP) – The governor of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, Genta Koja, says there is an “urgent need” to reduce the burden of US bases after the murder of a woman allegedly committed by an American Marine. The case has triggered outrage in Japan, where any crimes involving US forces have long inflamed criticism of the troops’ presence.
Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Fans and the national coach share their emotions as Lionel Messi retires from international football after helping his side beat Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. “He is a one-of-a-kind footballer,” says Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni. “Messi united us as a country and made us care more for one another as people,” says Argentina fan and graphic designer, Boris Bonifasich.
Stockholm (AFP) – Sweden will send its Patriot air defence system to protect a Polish base used for military and civilian support of Ukraine, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. According to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces, the air defence system and around 100 troops would be sent to protect the NATO logistics hub in Rzeszow, arriving in December to take over from a Dutch contingent.
Lake Issyk-Kul (Kirghizstan) (AFP) – In the middle of Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake, a team of scientists and divers uncover the remains of a submerged city. Found on an ancient trading route between China and Europe, little is known about the history of the once-thriving settlement under Lake Issyk-Kul or how it came to be flooded an estimated 800 years ago. “For now, we can’t even say for sure how many sites there are, or exactly what periods the underwater remains belong to,” explains expedition director Maxim Menshikov.
Sofia (Bulgaria) (AFP) – Bulgaria is conducting a “rescue operation” after drones hit two commercial ships in the Black Sea off the country’s coast, says Prime Minister Rumen Radev. One ship’s crew has been rescued and authorities have launched a major search for the missing crew of the second sunken vessel. The dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast in what Ukraine said was a Russian-launched drone attack.
New York (AFP) – Leading artificial intelligence companies “don’t fully control” their models yet, says former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon. Speaking as he testifies before the New York City Council, the whistleblower, who resigned from Anthropic last month, calls on companies “to be far more transparent with the public and independent experts,” adding that he believes “we should slow down frontier AI development until we can be confident that it’s safe.”
