Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Volunteers prepare traditional pastries called “ka’ak” in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations which come at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
New York (AFP) – A timelapse shows the sky darkening over New York City as people gather on the observation deck of skyscraper the Edge, during the solar eclipse.
Ingram (United States) (AFP) – A rare total solar eclipse where the Moon can be seen completely obscuring the Sun as seen from Canada, USA and Mexico.
Mexico City (AFP) – Hundreds of Mexicans gather outside the National Autonomous University of Mexico in the capital to watch a rare total solar eclipse. The “path of totality,” where the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s light, will streak across Mexico and the United States, before returning to the ocean over Canada’s Atlantic coast, in a celestial spectacle witnessed by tens of millions of people. IMAGES
Jerusalem (AFP) – The Rafah offensive “will happen – there is a date”, says Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement in Jerusalem.
ISLAND OF MOZAMBIQUE (Mozambique) (AFP) – People gather on a beach on a small island in Mozambique around a damaged boat which had earlier capsized, killing around a hundred people, with authorities saying that many children are among the victims. The converted fishing boat was carrying about 130 people fleeing a cholera outbreak on the mainland when disaster struck.
Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he’s “not over the moon” after his side were held to a damaging 2-2 draw by Manchester United, handing the initiative to Arsenal in the Premier League title race. Klopp’s side would have gone top with a victory against their bitter rivals at Old Trafford. But despite taking the lead through Luis Diaz’s 23rd minute strike and dominating the majority of the game, Liverpool couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Thousands gather in front of Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem to demand the return of the hostages in Gaza abducted by Hamas militants six months ago. Although truce talks on ending the bloodiest war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militants have resumed, Israel has repeatedly ruled out a ceasefire without the return of the hostages taken by Hamas in its 7 October attack.
Hualien (Taiwan) (AFP) – Two search dogs, a labrador named Roger and a Jack Russell terrier named Wilson, have become unlikely stars in Taiwan for their heroics in helping to find and rescue several victims of a magnitude-7.4 quake, the island’s strongest in 25 years. At least 13 people have been killed and more than 1,140 injured by the earthquake which struck the island on 3 April.
Jerusalem (AFP) – After six months of the bloodiest war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s 7 October attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel is ‘one step from victory’ against the Palestinian militant group. Israel has faced growing global opposition to the war, which has left the Palestinian territory in ruins, and Netanyahu faces intense political pressure at home.
