Maracaibo (Venezuela) (AFP) – Venezuelans from different states are affected by a nationwide blackout that authorities blame on sabotage of the national power grid – the latest crisis to hit the country after a disputed presidential election.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israel has identified the bodies of six dead hostages discovered in an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, army spokesperson Daniel Hagari says. The six were among 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7 attack that triggered the ongoing war, 97 of whom remain captive in Gaza including 33 the Israeli army says are dead. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says that at least 40,738 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants, now in its 11th month.
Tarqumya (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israeli forces deploy at the site of a deadly shooting near Tarkumiya crossing near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s medical emergency service announced the death of three people in the attack, as Israeli police said the victims were police officers.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli protesters demanding a hostage deal rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, with some blocking roads and scuffling with police. A day after the protest, Israel’s military announced the discovery of six dead Gaza hostages “from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area.”
Venice (AFP) – Jude Law and the cast of “The Order,” directed by Justin Kurzel, walk the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival to present the film in contention for the Golden Lion.
Tokār (Sudan) (AFP) – People wade through floodwaters in the Tokar commune near the Red Sea in northeastern Sudan, as heavy rains swept through the locality over the past days. The war-torn country has experienced an intense rainy season since last month, with intermittent torrential flooding mainly in the country’s north and east.
Quito (AFP) – A sprawling Ecuadorian forest reserve in the Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve, home to some 600 species of birds and 270 species of mammals, is at the center of a tug-of-war between environmentalists and miners who see it as a way out of poverty. A year ago, residents and environmentalists won a hard-fought victory in a referendum that banned all metal mining in the forest.
Putrajaya (Malaysia) (AFP) – Malaysia celebrates its 67th Independence Day in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, where King Sultan Ibrahim and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim watch parades and military processions involving over 17,000 people. Malayan independence from the British Empire was declared on 31 August 1957.
Sydney (AFP) – Hundreds of endangered Green and Golden Bell frogs huddle inside a sauna, protected from Sydney’s winter chill. The sauna -– a small greenhouse containing ten black-painted bricks — may offer a pleasant warmth, but it also protects the frogs from a deadly fungus called chytrid that would otherwise drive them to extinction.
Lagos (AFP) – Nigeria’s megapolis Lagos is looking at waterways as a “potential jewel in the crown” of its plan to ease road congestion woes that add hours to commutes for millions. The state government has ambitious plans for more integrated public transport as Lagos barrels towards becoming the world’s most populated city by the end of the century.
