Messi played his last game for Argentina and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean

Messi played his last game for Argentina, Brazil’s elections led to a presidential runoff, Venezuela marked 100 days since twin earthquakes devastated the nation, Chileans blessed their pets and Cuban baseball got its first private sponsor.

A supporter of opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro wears a mask of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, during a campaign rally a day ahead of the country's general election, in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro state, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Rocio Bucci carries an image of the Virgin of Lujan while taking part in the annual procession to the Basilica of Lujan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator protests outside the Israel Embassy to show solidarity with the Palestinian people living in Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, Bogota, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Spain's skateboarder Oscar Rodriguez, right, practices downhill at the Cerro Lambare venue in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, ahead of the World Skate Championship. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Solar panels operate near water tanks in Nova Sociedade, a riverine Arapium Indigenous community, near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A girl carries her rabbit for a pet blessing ceremony at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Lights are raised among buildings to honor the victims of two catastrophic earthquakes in June, 100 days after the disaster in La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

An Industriales player, wearing a jersey featuring a private sponsor logo, holds a baseball bat before a game against Pinar del Río in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A demonstrator wears the red star of the Worker's Party during a student march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A drone display featuring Argentina's Lionel Messi is seen at the end of his final match for the national team, a soccer friendly against Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. (AP Photo/Julian Bongiovanni)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 24 vehicles were burned and shops looted as protests over a court ruling easing access to asylum turned violent in two South African cities on Thursday.

Acting national police commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane said 10 vehicles were torched in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and 14 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, where three people were arrested.

“The right to raise concerns and to protest does not give anyone the right to commit crime,” she said, adding that public-order police deployments had been reinforced in areas facing unrest.

Protests in Soweto and Durban opposed the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove procedural barriers to seeking asylum. They followed months of anti-immigrant tensions, with demonstrators demanding the deportation of foreigners living in South Africa illegally.

The Soweto violence, which left several burned-out cars lining the streets, erupted near a Home Affairs office in Orlando West, according to metro police spokesperson Xolani Fihla. No injuries were reported, and officers were checking whether additional vehicles had been burned.

Fihla said police received reports of shots fired toward protesters, which triggered retaliatory vehicle burnings. He did not identify who allegedly fired or who owned the vehicles.

“The situation is a bit tense, but it has died down from the earlier violence that we did see during the day,” he said.

Community leader Tshepo Mposula said the demonstration began peacefully outside Home Affairs before residents moved to shut foreign-owned convenience stores. He alleged that foreign nationals fired shots, angering protesters who then set vehicles alight.

“It was not supposed to escalate to this level. This was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration,” he said.

Fihla said the violence had subsided, although tensions remained high. Officers were still deployed, and roads remained closed. He acknowledged that officers initially monitoring the march lacked specialized public-order training and equipment. “We couldn’t predict that this type of situation would happen,” he said.

In the eastern coastal city of Durban, where looting of shops owned by foreign nationals was reported by the state broadcaster, SABC, riot police were deployed to the city center. Smoke billowed over parts of downtown Durban as firefighters battled blazes.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col. Robert Netshiunda told SABC that three foreign nationals were arrested on suspicion of attacking a protester and breaking the protester’s neck — an incident he said may have sparked the violence.

Earlier Thursday, the government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration held an urgent briefing to address overcrowding at asylum offices after implementing a July Constitutional Court ruling.

The court struck down procedural barriers that prevented some people from seeking asylum, including those who entered South Africa irregularly, lacked asylum transit visas or missed reporting deadlines, the committee said.

Home Affairs later directed refugee reception offices to accept those applications, but officials acknowledged they were unprepared for the number of people who came forward.

“We confirm that all refugee offices were overwhelmed by the numbers of those coming for applications,” the committee said after meeting Wednesday night.

Authorities pledged to expand processing capacity, speed up decisions and strengthen identity checks. They stressed that the ruling allowed people to have their claims assessed but did not automatically grant refugee status or permanent residence.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

A car burns near a political party poster after it was set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

Cars burn after they were set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

A car burns after it was set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)