Leeds (United Kingdom) (AFP) – No more masks indoors and no limits on social gatherings: England’s so-called “freedom day” means day-to-day pandemic restrictions have been lifted, but in the streets and in the scientific community some concern remains as coronavirus cases surge across the nation.
Doha (AFP) – The Afghani people “expected much more” from the latest talks in Doha between the Afghan government and Taliban says Abdullah Abdullah who oversees the Afghan government’s delegation. For months, the Afghan government and the Taliban have been meeting on and off in the Qatari capital, but have achieved little, if any, notable success but Abdullah says “the door is open” for further talks.
Mount Arafat (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Pilgrims gather to pray next to Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat, a key ritual in the hajj pilgrimage. Access to climb the mountain is forbidden this year due to Covid-19, with the pilgrimage taking place in downsized form for the second year running. Just 60,000 people, all citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia, have been selected to take part in this year’s hajj, with foreign pilgrims again barred.
New York (AFP) – CCTV camera footage released by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) shows a mother saving her 5-year-old boy from an attempted kidnapping in Queens. The two perpetrators fled in their vehicle after the victim’s mother retrieved her child through the car window. The boy was not injured during the incident, according to NYPD. Police have arrested a 24-year-old male and are asking for public assistance in identifying the second individual.
Portland (AFP) – More than 2,100 US firefighters in southern Oregon continue to fight the massive Bootleg Fire, which is 22 percent contained, authorities say.
New Delhi (AFP) – Residents and students attend a vigil at the gates of the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi to pay homage to Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photographer Danish Siddiqui. The Reuters news agency photographer was killed covering fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban near a border crossing with Pakistan.
Adenau (Germany) (AFP) – On a visit to a town devastated by deadly flooding, German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the disaster “frightening” while praising peoples’ solidarity in the face of tragedy.
Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says recent violent unrest and looting, which claimed more than 200 lives, united the country as well, as he visits cleanup and rebuilding efforts in Soweto township in Johannesburg.
Tokyo (AFP) – Two athletes have tested positive for the coronavirus in the Tokyo Olympic Village after a team colleague was also infected, raising fears of a cluster just days before the opening ceremony.
New York (AFP) – Inside an unassuming store in New York’s Greenwich Village, around a dozen men unlock black briefcases, remove sports cards and begin to trade them — a growing hobby and industry that has boomed during the pandemic.
Tokyo (AFP) – A ten-metre-tall puppet which is part of Tokyo Olympics’ cultural programme arrives in the capital from tsunami-hit Tohoku region. Mocco, an imaginary creature from the land of Japan’s northeastern region, set off on the journey in mid-May, and staged a show in a park in downtown Tokyo. But due to Covid-19 measures, no spectators were allowed.
Tokyo (AFP) – Tokyo Olympics organisers reveal the first Covid-19 case in the Games Village as they seek to reassure competitors that the pandemic-delayed event will be safe. “We discussed with IOC how much we should disclose about it. And IOC concluded that if we gave the name of the country, this person would be most likely identified. This, obviously, would raise privacy issues,” says Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto.
