Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse (AFP) – The sub-prefect of Narbonne, Remi Recio, says that the huge fire ravaging part of France’s Aude department is “considered contained”. The wildfire — the country’s largest in at least half a century — ravaged a vast area near the Mediterranean coast at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and wounding several others.
Monemvasía (AFP) – Gale-force winds, reaching up to 88 kilometres per hour, batter Greece, whipping up heavy seas in the medieval fortress town of Monemvasia on the southern tip of the country’s mainland. The Greek coastguard says two Vietnamese tourists died at sea and that most ferries were unable to depart on schedule from Piraeus and other Athens ports.
Wonthaggi (AFP) – Police interrogation footage of recently convicted mushroom murderer Erin Patterson is released to the public for the first time. Patterson was found guilty in July of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023 by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behaviour in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale on Friday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret.
Bogotá (AFP) – Supporters of Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe march in the capital, Bogota, after a court turned down his request to be granted temporary freedom while appealing his sentence of 12 years’ house arrest. Uribe, Colombia’s president from 2002 to 2010, was convicted of attempting to bribe witnesses in an investigation into his links with paramilitaries. The 73-year-old, who remains highly popular among Colombian conservatives and with the administration of US President Donald Trump, is the first former Colombian leader to be convicted of a crime. IMAGES
Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin names the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a potential location for an upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump. “We have many friends who are willing to help us organise such events. One of our friends is the president of the United Arab Emirates,” Putin says, standing next to UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he visits the Kremlin.
Al-Zawayda (AFP) – Palestinians watch as an aircraft drops aid parcels in the distance in central Gaza’s Al-Zawayda camp. Global criticism has soared over the suffering of the more than two million Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza, after the United Nations warned that famine was unfolding in the territory.
Gaza (AFP) – In a small plot outside his tent in Gaza City, Ibrahim Abu Jabal plants vegetables in the hope of providing daily sustenance for his children amid dire food shortages in the war-ravaged territory. Alongside his nine-year-old daughter — her head and torso wrapped in gauze after being burned while hustling in a crowd to obtain a hot meal from a charity kitchen — the displaced farmer harvests tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers to help his children “survive another day, or a little longer.”
Brasília (AFP) – Indigenous people march in Brasilia to demand action on climate justice in Brazil, as the country prepares to host the COP30 climate summit in November. IMAGES
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Thai and Cambodian defence ministers speak in Kuala Lumpur as the two countries agree to extend a shaky ceasefire deal that followed five days of deadly hostilities along their border last month. At least 43 people were killed in the conflict that ended on 29 July after a long-standing dispute over border temples erupted into violence.
(AFP) – Hidden in the green mountains of Dhofar — Oman’s largest governorate — lie four giant sinkholes whose origin are unknown to many, inspiring local folklore. The sinkholes are marketed as a tourist attraction in Dhofar, whose temperate climate draws many visitors from the Gulf during its punishing summers.
Neu Delhi (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows to protect farmers’ interests, hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order raising tariffs on India to 50 percent as a penalty over oil purchases from Russia. “For the farmers of my country,” Modi says, “India is ready.”
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community has reluctantly rallied behind a government plan to expand rights for some same-sex couples. Lawmakers are set to vote on the legislation in September when they return from their summer recess.
