AFP UK

St. Petersburg (AFP) – Representatives of the Taliban participate in the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — once dubbed “Russia’s Davos” — amid Russia’s push to normalise ties with the militant Islamist group. Some 20,000 guests from 140 countries are set to take part in the forum both online and in person, according to the Kremlin, while high-profile European and American representatives are absent for the fourth year running amid Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine.

(AFP) – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the nation will never surrender as demanded by US President Donald Trump. He also warns that the United States would face “irreparable” damage if it intervenes in support of its ally Israel.

Phnom Penh (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Cambodians take to the streets of Phnom Penh for an official rally to support the government’s actions in its recent border dispute with Thailand. The march follows the death of a Cambodian soldier last month when troops exchanged fire in a disputed area where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.

Sikka (Indonesia) (AFP) – Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali have been cancelled after a volcano in the archipelago’s east erupted, shooting an ash tower 10 kilometres (six miles) into the sky.

Undisclosed (AFP) – An increase in Russian drones – both in number and ability – has forced Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern frontlines to constantly adapt and modernise. Operating in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Spartan Brigade’s ‘Black Sky’ unmanned systems battalion has repurposed agricultural drones, like several other brigades, to deliver supplies and act as bombers.

Tokio (AFP) – Japan’s meteorological agency has issued heatstroke alerts for parts of the country as temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius, with hundreds hospitalised and more extreme heat forecast in the coming days. The hot weather is headline news in the country, which last year experienced its joint warmest summer ever as climate change fuelled extreme heatwaves around the globe.

Genf (AFP) – Iran’s representative to the UN in Geneva says his country will respond “strongly” to aggression from any side, be it Israel or the United States. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel says its surprise air campaign that began on June 13 is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies. US President Donald Trump has said that Washington has played no part in the bombing campaign by its ally Israel, but has also warned Iran that his patience is wearing thin.

Birqin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Iranian missiles and Israeli air defense systems light up the sky over Birqin, in northern West Bank. After decades of hostility and a long-running shadow war waged through proxies and covert attacks, Israel and Iran are now exchanging direct fire with unprecedented intensity — raising fears of a broader conflict that could engulf the Middle East. IMAGES

Kananaskis (Canada) (AFP) – Canadian prime minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva at the G7 summit. IMAGES

Rio de Janeiro (Brésil) (AFP) – National and international buyers take part in an auction in Rio de Janeiro for the concession of oil and gas exploration rights near the mouth of the Amazon River, as activists and Indigenous people protest outside. Brazil sold exploration rights to 19 oil and gas blocks for $153 million at the start of an auction that has been criticized by environmentalists, just months before the country is set to host the COP30 climate summit. IMAGES

Freetown (AFP) – At the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, two baby chimps in their caretakers’ arms are unaware that deforestation and illegal building are threatening their habitat. Aside from the wildlife, the threat to the forests is also endangering the city’s water supply — a risk experts warn could spark security concerns in a country already vulnerable to climate change.

Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians rush the wounded and the dead to Nasser hospital as Gaza’s civil defence agency says Israeli forces have killed at least 50 people gathered near an aid distribution site in Khan Yunis in the territory’s south. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least 53 people were killed and some 200 wounded as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive flour at a World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid centre in the morning.