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AFP / Andre

Smoke gets in your lungs

Sam Reeves Thursday 31 October 2019

Kuala Lampur -- As I looked out of the window of my apartment in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur last month, the skyscrapers on the horizon disappeared behind vast clouds of acrid, yellow-brown smoke. Across town, the Petronas Twin Towers – the city’s best-known landmark -- were being swallowed by an enormous, fast-advancing bank of toxic smog.

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AFP / Delil Souleiman

Absurd and meaningless

Delil Souleiman Saturday 19 October 2019

"When my son was born, we named him Avan. It means prosperous and thriving and I hoped the name would reflect the path his life would take," writes Delil Souleiman, a photographer in northern Syria.

"Now it’s a year later and I think -- how could you have given him a name like that? How can anyone have any hope amid all the devastation and destruction in my sad country?"

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AFP / Yamil Lage

Lines and resignation in latest Cuba shortage

Katell Abiven Wednesday 16 October 2019

"By 11 am on a recent Saturday morning , I’ve already driven to three gas stations in Havana, without being able to find diesel," writes Cuba bureau chief Katell Abiven. 

"The fuel gauge of my Kia Sportage is getting lower and lower. I only have a quarter of a tank. Despite the heat, I turn off the air conditioning to save the little gas that’s left, for I don’t know when I’ll be able to fill up...another day in the latest shortage on the island."

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  • AFP / Saul Loeb
  • AFP / Brendan Smialowski
  • AFP / Brendan Smialowski
  • AFP / Brendan Smialowski

Mad days in the court of King Donald

Sebastian Smith Wednesday 16 October 2019

"Standing a sofa's length from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, I realized I was listening to the leader of the free world rage on the subject of jockstraps," writes Sebastian Smith.

"As so often before in this job of White House correspondent, I felt my eyes bulge in amazement. Then I took a deep breath, refocused, and tried to speed up my note taking. After all, it was just another day in the Trump White House."

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AFP / Alexander Joe

Zimbabwe's 'end of an error'

Susan Njanji Friday 11 October 2019

"I had just stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a bath towel and my hair dripping, when the sound on my cell phone filled me with dread," writes Johannesburg-based journalist Susan Njanji. 

"The ringtone signalled that messages were pouring into a WhatsApp group that was usually very quiet. One glance at the screen confirmed it -- 'this death is going to happen exactly the way I had been hoping to avoid,' I thought before frantically starting a long flurry of calls."

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