Twice daily

WIRE

SAT 31 OCTEvening7:37 AM

Back to the brief

WORLDNBC News

‘Looks like Mars’: Toxic smog from Indonesia wildfires sparks health crisis, protests

Photo: Reina

Almost every day for months, Indonesian schoolteacher Natanael Undas has gazed up at smoke-filled skies in apocalyptic shades of yellow and orange.

“It looks like Mars, like we’re living on another planet,” said Undas, whose home in central Kalimantan province is at the heart of devastating wildfires generating toxic smog in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia.

Although his family keeps the windows shut at all times, the noxious smoke penetrates the house anyway, sending Undas’ 2-year-old daughter into constant sneezing fits amid a spike in respiratory illnesses in haze-affected regions.

Read the original report

Opens NBC News in a new tab

WORLDThe Guardian

Día de los Muertos celebrations rise from the dead as ICE arrests continue: ‘It’s important to bring joy in dark times’

After canceling events in 2025, US cities including Henderson, Kentucky, are reviving public Day of the Dead events Julia, a 19-year-old born in the US, and her parents, undocumented immigrants from Mexico, enjoyed attending the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration each year in Henderson, Kentucky, and selling aguas frescas, horchatas and a sweet bread traditionally eaten on the Mexican holiday. Last year, her family also built an ofrenda , or altar, featuring flowers and a violin, to honor her grandfather, who played the instrument and died…

WORLDFrance 24

France's Nunez warns of high risk during protests

France is bracing for a third consecutive weekend of protests, with around 70,000 security personnel deployed to prevent a repeat of the violence seen on October 17. Shops have boarded up their premises as authorities warn of further clashes, with Halloween celebrations adding to security concerns over masked demonstrators. The protests, involving Yellow Vest activists, trade unions and students, initially focused on the rising cost of living, inequality and poor school conditions, but have since expanded to include demands for greater civil liberties…

Back to the brief