Paris (AFP) – The 2024 Paralympics opened in Paris in a colourful and hope-filled ceremony, starting 11 days of competition in a city still riding the wave of the successful Olympics. French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open during a ceremony in a balmy Place de la Concorde in central Paris — the first time a Paralympic opening ceremony has taken place away from the main stadium.
Vereinte Nationen (AFP) – The UN Security Council calls for “maximum restraint” to avoid a nuclear disaster in Ukraine that “could be catastrophic to the region and the world,” warns Miroslav Jenca, assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas. International agencies have repeatedly warned of the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants following Russia’s full-scale military offensive into Ukraine in February 2022.
Salé (AFP) – In Sale, Morocco, the Shems’y school offers young people training in circus arts to promote their social integration. “It’s better to spend our time here than wasting our time on the streets,” says Mohamed, a 23-year-old circus student.
Kursk (AFP) – Early voting kicks off in gubernatorial elections in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched an offensive in early August, with voters able to cast ballots in polling booths or via house-to-house voting. The voting takes place despite Kyiv’s incursion, which has seen dozens of villages taken over and caused over 133,000 to flee.
Binh Thuan province (AFP) – Floods submerge hundreds of hectares of dragon fruit farms in south Vietnam. Scientists have warned that extreme weather events globally are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.
Bath (AFP) – Fuelled by recent shows like Bridgerton and longstanding film franchises like James Bond and Harry Potter, the UK is seeing an influx of ‘set-jetters’: visitors who choose their travel destination after seeing it on screen. In Bath, where Bridgerton — a Netflix hit — has several sets, walking tours scour the picturesque streets and stately homes seen in the show.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Chung Pui-kuen, the former chief editor of Hong Kong’s now shuttered pro-democracy news outlet Stand News, arrives at Wanchai District Court ahead of a ruling in a landmark sedition trial. It’s the first case of its kind since the city came under Chinese rule in 1997. IMAGES
Oita (Japan) (AFP) – One of the strongest typhoons to hit Japan in recent decades dumped torrential rain across southern regions on Thursday, with authorities warning of life-threatening flooding and landslides.
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado leads a mass rally in Caracas to press for recognition of the election “victory”, one month after a presidential vote it claims was stolen by incumbent Nicolas Maduro. IMAGES
Beijing (AFP) – China says it is “willing to engage” with the UN Human Rights Office over the northwestern Xinjiang region, but rejects the “politicisation of human rights” and efforts to “suppress or smear” the country. The comments come after the UN warned that “problematic” policies continued in the region, two years after a report citing possible “crimes against humanity” relating to China’s alleged treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
