London (AFP) – British music retailer HMV returns to the iconic site of its former flagship store in central London, with UK 1980s band Madness present for the occasion. “It was crazy but it was absolutely worth the wait,” says Terry Hammond, leaving with his copy signed by Madness.
Teknaf (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Bangladesh police officers stop 58 Rohingya refugees from attempting a sea crossing to Indonesia, after hundreds attempted the journey the previous week. Thousands of members of the predominantly Muslim minority risk their lives each year by making the sea journey from refugee camps in Bangladesh, often in flimsy boats, to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia. Bangladesh is home to one million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled a violent crackdown by the Myanmar military in 2017 that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide investigation.
Freetown (AFP) – Alleged escaped prisoners from Sierra Leone’s Pademba Road prison – according to a man who told AFP he was a prisoner himself – walk in the streets of the Brookfields neighbourhood of Freetown. AFP could not confirm from the authorities that the prison gates had been opened. Armed clashes have erupted in Sierra Leon’s capital in what the government says was an attack on a military armoury, as it imposed an immediate national curfew.
Samburu (Kenya) (AFP) – An elephant in northern Kenya, who goes by Alto, has given birth to a set of twins, a rare event for the planet’s largest land mammals. Twins make up only about one percent of elephant births. The twins, both female, were born in the Samburu National Reserve.
Freetown (AFP) – A military armoury in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown came under attack on November 26, announces the government, as it imposes an immediate national curfew. The government says those attempting to break into the armoury have been repelled. Witnesses told AFP they heard gunshots and explosions in the city’s Wilberforce district. ANIMATED MAP
Sderot (Israel) (AFP) – Smoke from a fire near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip is seen from the Israeli town of Sderot. The cause of the fire and its exact location are not clear. It comes on the third day of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas. Hamas’s October 7 attack sparked an air and ground offensive by Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants. In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the war, officials in the Hamas-run territory said. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – On the first day of a four day truce, Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, have been waiting since the start of the truce to refill their empty gas bottles. Gazans have struggled to survive with shortages of water and other essentials such as gas and fuel. Hamas’s October 7 attack sparked an air and ground offensive by Israel, which vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants. In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the war, officials in the Hamas-run territory said. About 1,200 people, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack, according to Israeli officials.
Bangkok (AFP) – Bangkok kicks off its annual light festival. The sixth edition of the “Awakening Bangkok” festival showcases 29 illuminated installations under the theme of “Time Passage” along historical streets and markets in the capital city’s old town area and will run until December 3.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Images released by the Palestinian Red Crescent on November 24 show them evacuating wounded people from the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City to the European Hospital in Khan Yunis on the first day of the four-day Israel-Hamas truce. Hamas’s October 7 attack sparked an air and ground offensive by Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants. In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the war, officials in the Hamas-run territory said. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Thailand (Thailand) (AFP) – A sister of a released Thai hostage expresses joy and disbelief that her brother, who was held by Hamas for weeks, will finally return home. “I am very happy because my hope was very dim… but suddenly there is hope,” says Roongarun Wichanguen, sister of 33-year-old hostage Vetoon Phoome. Some 24 hostages seized during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel last month were released, officials say, as a four-day ceasefire offered some relief to residents of the war-torn Gaza Strip. Nearly 40 Palestinian prisoners were also released, according to a charity.
