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United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Ukraine and its allies are facing “the reality of Putin weaponizing winter,” says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as he convenes a G7+ ministerial meeting to address support for the Ukrainian energy sector, which Russian forces continue to pummell. The meeting comes days after EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced 35 billion euros, backed by frozen Russian assets, would go towards helping Ukrainians “keep warm.”

Berlin (AFP) – The leaders of Germany’s far-right AfD hail the party’s electoral success after coming a narrow second place in a regional vote in Brandenburg, falling just behind the centre-left SPD of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We are the only party that has consistently achieved successful results,” says co-leader Alice Weidel, reflecting on gains made in recent regional votes in Thuringia and Saxony.

Dunstable (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Several vehicles lay stranded in a flooded street in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, to the north of London, after heavy rains battered the area. The local fire service says it has responded to 11 emergency incidents and police have warned residents against travelling in the stricken areas.

Colombo (AFP) – Residents in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, are hoping for change following the country’s election of its first leftist president in Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. The previously fringe politician, whose party led two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s before renouncing violence, has ridden a wave of support since Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic meltdown.

Colombo (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s first leftist president, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, is sworn into office, vowing to restore public faith in politics. The leader of the People’s Liberation Front warned, however, that he had no magic solution to the hardships suffered following an unprecedented economic crisis.

Kolkata (AFP) – Fans of India’s tram system hail it as the “glory” of Kolkata and an integral part of how the megacity grew, but the 151-year-old network is under threat.

(AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in the United States to present Kyiv’s plan to end two and a half years of war with Russia. Speaking on board his flight to Pennsylvania, Zelensky called the proposal a “victory plan” which he said would bring “a truly just peace.”

Leticia (AFP) – An intense drought in Colombia has lowered the water levels of the Amazon River, the longest and most voluminous river in the world. Indigenous communities in Leticia, the capital of the Amazonas department, and surrounding towns are unable to navigate waterways and have to walk up to four hours. Experts partly blame rampant deforestation in the Amazon, which in turn reduces humidity and rainfall, for the receding water levels.

Genf (AFP) – Children under the age of five account for nearly a third of mpox cases in Burundi, according to UNICEF’s Regional Health Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa, Paul Ngwakum. The east African nation is now the second hardest hit on the continent, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international emergency last month.

Glasgow (AFP) – When the Taliban banned women in Afghanistan from attending university, many students had to abandon their dreams for the future. Now, a campaign by the Linda Norgrove Foundation will enable 19 Afghan women studying medicine to continue their education in Scotland.