Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump secures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s backing for a wide-ranging Gaza peace plan, but the two leaders warn that Israel will “finish the job” against Hamas if the Palestinian militant group rejects the deal.
Ha Tinh (Vietnam) (AFP) – Clean-up operations are underway in the Vietnamese city of Ha Tinh after Typhoon Bualoi ripped roofs off homes and killed dozens of people across Vietnam and the Philippines. Bualoi has now crossed into Laos as a weakened storm.
Karachi (AFP) – Conspiracy theories and misinformation plague Pakistan’s first vaccination campaign to protect girls against cervical cancer.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Kyiv mayor Klitschko visits a residential area of the Ukrainian capital hit after Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, wounding dozens across the country and killing at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, in the capital alone, Kyiv said Sunday.
China (AFP) – China’s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge — the world’s highest from ground level — officially opens to traffic in southern Guizhou province. Previously recorded footage shows the bridge towering 625 metres (2,051 feet) above a vast gorge and river before its inauguration.
Chisinau (AFP) – Moldova’s President Maia Sandu and former President Igor Dodon cast their ballots in the country’s pivotal parliamentary elections. Dodon leads the Socialists, an opposition party that is pro-Russia. Sandu leads the Party of Solidarity and Action (PAS), a pro-EU party that has been pushing for Moldova to integrate into the EU. Sandu says that Moscow have been trying to “interfere” with Moldova’s elections — an accusation the Kremlin denies.
Saritag (Tajikistan) (AFP) – In a labyrinth of tunnels running beneath 4000-metre peaks, Tajik miners are scrabbling to secure antimony, one of the metals at the centre of a global race for rare minerals. According to the European Commission, 54 percent of the EU’s antimony imports come from Tajikistan. Just one Chinese-Tajik joint-owned company Talco Gold produces 10 percent of global supply.
Florencio Varela (Argentine) (AFP) – Police forces have cordoned off a house in Florencio Varela, a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, after the discovery of the bodies of two women and a girl buried in the garden. Their murder and torture was tied to narco activity and live-streamed, according to authorities, sparking outrage in the South American nation. IMAGES
Buenos Aires (Argentine) (AFP) – Thousands of protesters take to the streets of Buenos Aires to call for justice after the killing of two women and a girl. Their murder and torture was tied to narco activity and live-streamed, according to authorities, sparking outrage in the South American nation. IMAGES
Hong Kong (AFP) – Restaurant owners along a Hong Kong waterfront said they face millions in repair costs after Super Typhoon Ragasa sent waves crashing into their businesses, destroying furniture and equipment.
Washington (AFP) – Former FBI chief and prominent Donald Trump critic James Comey says on Instagram that he is “not afraid” and declares his innocence after being indicted on two criminal counts as the US president escalates a campaign of retribution against political foes. The charges come days after Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free of White House pressure.
Altadena (United States) (AFP) – Nearly nine months after devastating fires in Los Angeles, some residents are still unable to return to their homes as tests show that their houses are contaminated with heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, and zinc. “We have a two-year-old daughter, and if the soil is contaminated, we cannot live here,” says Altadena resident Lawrence Gjurgevich. “There’s no guarantee we’ll be back.”
