Beirut (AFP) – Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad visits Hotel-Dieu hospital in Beirut after hundreds of paging devices used by militant group Hezbollah’s members exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon. The influx of so many casualties all at once overwhelmed hospitals in Hezbollah strongholds. The group vows to punish Israel, while Israel has made no immediate comment on the incident.
Pacaraima (AFP) – Hundreds of Venezuelans cross into northern Brazil as the political situation in Venezuela worsens following the disputed July 28 presidential election, which the opposition accuses President Nicolas Maduro of stealing. “We cannot deal with that president in Venezuela,” says Jose Antonio, one of the migrants who crossed the border.
New York (AFP) – Sean “Diddy” Combs’s lawyer says the rapper is “going to fight this to the end” after pleading not guilty to racketeering and sex trafficking charges during an arraignment hearing in New York.
Agueda (AFP) – Thousands of firefighters continue to battle wildfires in Portugal that have killed seven people and burnt more land in a matter of days than the rest of the summer combined. Scientists say that fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world. The rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Bischkek (AFP) – The effects of a warming planet are particularly visible in Central Asia, which has seen a wave of extreme weather disasters. Now, the melting of thousands of Kyrgyz glaciers has become a major threat to people in the landlocked region that already suffers from a shortage of water.
Calais (AFP) – A vigil is held in the French port city of Calais for the eight migrants who died on September 15 trying to cross the Channel from France to England when their overcrowded vessel capsized. The latest tragedy means 46 migrants have lost their lives attempting to reach British shores so far this year, a regional official said, up from 12 in 2023.
Doha (AFP) – Attempts to secure a truce in Gaza continue, says Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson during a press conference in Doha, after recent rounds of in-person talks aimed at ending the now 11-month war concluded without an apparent breakthrough. Months of behind-the-scenes negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to halt the fighting between Hamas and Israel, apart from a one-week truce beginning in late November.
Chiquitania (AFP) – A thick blanket of smoke covers Bolivia’s eastern lowlands as wildfires continue to ravage the Chiquitania region, destroying more than 3.8 million hectares of forest and farmland this year.
Loikaw (Myanmar) (AFP) – The UN is warning that as many as 630,000 people could be in need of assistance in Myanmar in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. The storm swept across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar more than a week ago with powerful winds and an enormous amount of rain, triggering floods and landslides.
Shanghai (AFP) – Transport was disrupted and tens of thousands of people were left without power after Typhoon Bebinca hit Shanghai’s eastern coastal area. It was the strongest storm to hit the Chinese megacity since 1949.
West Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) – The embattled US Secret Service defends its role a day after a gunman managed to lie in wait for Donald Trump, as another apparent assassination attempt heightened fears of election violence.
Mexico City (AFP) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leads Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City after signing controversial reforms making Mexico the only country to elect judges by popular vote. He is accompanied by president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, his close ally, who will replace him on October 1 following her landslide election win in June. IMAGES
