Seoul (AFP) – Author Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, says she hopes her daily life will not change too much after receiving the historic honour. The short story writer and novelist is best known overseas for her Man Booker Prize-winning “The Vegetarian”, her first novel translated into English.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Defence ministers arrive in Brussels ahead of NATO and EU meetings in which Zelensky will push his “victory plan” for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Fans of the British singer Liam Payne, a former member of One Direction, describe their shock and heartbreak following his death in Argentina. The 31-year-old fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
Wonju (South Korea) (AFP) – Kpop megastar J-hope emerges from the gate of his army base after 18 months of military service. J-hope, the main dancer of the group, is now the second member to be discharged from the military after fellow member Jin, who finished his service in June.
Chisinau (AFP) – Moldova’s President Maia Sandu is making her final appearances ahead of a crunch dual vote on 20 October. Her political future and that of the whole country rests on a presidential election coupled with a referendum on EU membership for the ex-Soviet country of 2.6 million people.
London (AFP) – The cast and crew of ‘Joy’ walk the red carpet in London for the film’s world premiere. Starring Bill Nighy and James Norton, the movie tells the story of the three British pioneers of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), with the premiere attended by Louise Joy Brown, the first baby ever conceived through the method and from whom the film takes its name.
Rozlyv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Vasylii and Liliia Prus have already relocated three times, forced to move repeatedly by Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine. The couple now lives in Rozlyv, a village just 20 kilometres from Moscow’s forces and, like others in the area, increasingly under threat of shelling and occupation since the capture of the nearby town of Vugledar. Despite their current home being partially destroyed by a strike, the Prus family is reluctant to move yet again.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveils his long-awaited Victory Plan to end Russia’s invasion, urging “an invitation to NATO, now”. Speaking to the country’s parliament in Kyiv, Zelensky rules out “a trade in Ukraine’s territory or sovereignty” and backs intelligence reports that North Korea is supplying not only weapons, but personnel to Russia.
Geneva (AFP) – The UN warns that the number of people who have fled war-torn Sudan could reach three million in the coming weeks. Speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, the UN’s Sudan regional refugee coordinator Mamadou Dian Balde says the exodus has been driven by “the intensification” of the conflict, which broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Sydney (AFP) – Expanding cities, land clearance and the spread of chlamydia in particular are devastating Australia’s koala population. But scientists are hopeful their vaccine research may help preserve one of the country’s most iconic animals.
