Bangkok (AFP) – A devastating fire on a Thai school bus killed at least 23 people, police say after rescuers pulled children’s bodies from the charred wreckage of the vehicle. The inferno engulfed the coach on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb as it carried 38 children — ranging from kindergarten age to young teenagers — and six teachers on a school trip.
Genf (AFP) – The UN is “gravely concerned by the widening hostilities in the Middle East,” says Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the organisation’s rights office. Speaking at a press briefing, as the Israeli military claims its ground troops have carried out raids against Hezbollah in south Lebanon, Throssell adds that “a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering.”
Paris (AFP) – The Eiffel Tower in Paris is decked out in pink to mark the start of the annual “Pink October” campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – “If the state of Lebanon and the world can’t push Hezbollah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves,” says Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari. The Israeli military on Tuesday called on residents in more than 20 areas of southern Lebanon to evacuate, hours after saying it launched ground raids across the border.
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s iconic Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60 on October 1. High-speed Shinkansen trains began running between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, heralding a new era for rail travel as Japan grew into an economic superpower after its World War II defeat. The service remains integral to the nation’s economy and way of life — so keeping it dazzlingly clean, punctual and accident-free is a serious job.
Atlanta (AFP) – Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for across several southeastern US states in the wake of Hurricane Helene. As the death toll rises, President Joe Biden is set to travel to storm-ravaged North Carolina on October 2. His trip comes hot on heels of Trump’s visit to Georgia, another epicenter of the destruction.
Kabul (AFP) – Afghanistan played its first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan this month, rubbing shoulders against top teams like Argentina, Paraguay and Ukraine before being knocked out. Despite the loss, its men in white and red in Tashkent met with applause from hundreds of fired-up Afghan fans in the stadium, as seen live on a local Afghan television channel. The World Cup campaign might have ended, but for many young Afghans, the steady rise of the Afghan team has been a powerful motivator.
Teheran (AFP) – Iran will not deploy forces to Lebanon or Gaza to confront Israel, its foreign ministry says, as Israeli strikes target its allies in the region. “There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” says foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani, adding that Lebanon and fighters in the Palestinian territories “have the capability and strength to defend themselves against the aggression”.
Weltraum (AFP) – The SpaceX crew that will ferry back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station arrives at the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov board the ISS and embrace their floating colleagues Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. When Hague and Gorbunov return from the space station in February, they will bring back the two space veterans, whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months due to problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.
Keelung (AFP) – Fishermen return to the port to tie up their ships in Keelung, northern Taiwan, as Typhoon Krathon is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year. However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
