AFP UK

Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says that dozens of people in his entourage tested positive for the coronavirus before he went into self-isolation earlier this week.

Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) – Mexican cowboys, or “charros” showcase their stunts as they mark their national day. The festival celebrating the art of “charreria” usually spills into the streets with a colourful parade, but for the second consecutive year celebrations have been limited to the arena of the Jalisco Charros Association due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Berlin (AFP) – On a stretch of grass between the Reichstag and the chancellery in central Berlin, six young people have been quietly camping in a cluster of tents since late August — and refusing to eat. For the young activists, their hunger strike is “the last resort to draw attention to the extreme seriousness” of the climate crisis.

Taean (South Korea) (AFP) – South Korea’s ministry of defence releases footage of a successful a submarine ballistic missile launch, making the country the seventh in the world with the advanced technology and raising the prospect of a regional arms race. The test, supervised by President Moon Jae-in, comes hours after nuclear-armed North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, according to the South’s military, and as China’s foreign minister visited Seoul.

Málaga (Spain) (AFP) – A huge fire has ravaged the forests in the Sierra Bermeja mountains in the southern Spanish province of Malaga, forcing mass evacuations, including to a sports centre set up to house evacuees from neighbouring towns.

Kabul (AFP) – A Pakistan International Airlines jet touches down in Kabul, before making a return flight to Islamabad. This is the first international commercial flight to leave Kabul since the Taliban retook power last month, offering some hope to Afghans still desperate to leave the country.

Monza (Italy) (AFP) – The sight of the hefty back tyre of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Formula One car crashing down towards the helmet of Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix made for sickening viewing. The seven-time world champion was beached in his Mercedes, but ultimately saved by his halo, a cockpit head protection system introduced in March 2018.

Glasgow (AFP) – Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pushes the devolved country’s case for independence, saying Brexit and other hardline policies by the UK government have been a direct hit on Scotland’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amsterdam (AFP) – Half a century after a small group of radicals created Greenpeace, the head of the environmental organisation warns that it still has far to go on the climate crisis before it can truly celebrate. Created on September 15, 1971 when a boat of the same name tried to stop a US nuclear test, Greenpeace has become one of the world’s best known action groups with its headline-grabbing stunts.

London (AFP) – Members of Emma Raducanu’s former tennis club in south London, Parklangley Club, gathered on Saturday night in raucous fashion to cheer the 18-year-old on to victory in the US Open final in New York.

Rouen (France) (AFP) – The Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announces plans to run for president in next year’s election, joining a growing list of challengers to centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron. Hidalgo was the first woman to be elected mayor of Paris and she now hopes to become France’s first female president. Polls currently show Hidalgo would garner only seven to nine percent in the first round of voting for president in April if picked to represent the Socialists.