Bandar Abbas (Iran) (AFP) – The US launches fresh strikes on Iranian military targets, following days of attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump says that the ceasefire deal signed in June is now “over”, as he berates his NATO allies for not backing him up in his campaign against Tehran.
Miami Beach (United States) (AFP) – “What a crazy match!” says Argentina fan Mariana, after a late comeback from Lionel Messi saw Argentina beat Egypt 3-2, securing their place in the quarter finals. Despite the heartbreak, fans in Egypt are proud of their team, which made its first group of 16 match since 1934. “We did the impossible, and the impossible wasn’t enough. Today, our players were heroes,” says Egypt fan, Ali El Deeb.
Beijing (AFP) – China denounces a sharp escalation in hostilities in the Middle East after the United States carried out strikes on dozens of targets in Iran, with Beijing’s foreign ministry warning both sides against “reigniting” the war in the Middle East. “Reigniting the war is not in the interests of either side, and military means cannot solve the fundamental problems,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a news conference. Iran and the US signed a ceasefire agreement on June 17, which US President Donald Trump now says is “over”.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Belgium fans erupt after beating the United States in a World Cup last-16 game mired in controversy over President Donald Trump’s lobbying of FIFA to overturn a one-game ban given to US striker Folarin Balogun. “I’m especially happy that we proved Trump wrong after he wanted to change the rules and ended up losing,” says one fan in Brussels.
Ankara (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells a NATO summit in Ankara that his country’s forces would bolster the western military alliance’s defences, renewing his argument for Kyiv to join. Zelensky also uses a speech to ask leaders for “more air defence missiles”, which he says are Ukraine’s “top priority”.
Pamplona (Spain) (AFP) – Bulls charge through the narrow, packed streets of Pamplona in northern Spain during the first ‘encierro’ of the San Fermin festival. Dense crowds of runners try to stay close to the bulls without falling over or being gored.
Nairobi (AFP) – A formerly homeless man in Kenya’s capital, Rodgers Oloo Magutha, aka ‘Nairobi Birdman’, has gained a large social media following after years of rescuing and living with injured birds. “I am one of a kind in this country and Africa and the world,” he says. The bird enthusiast also dismisses health concerns raised by Nairobi’s authorities over his habit of eating with the birds. “I’ve been living on the streets where we’ve been eating together, we’ve been sleeping together in the cold, but nothing ever happened to me,” he says.
London (AFP) – Slowly coasting over the UK capital, the London Eye hosts the world’s first rotating tattoo parlour, with the artists inking a design within one of the attraction’s 30-minute turns. “I love to do something different and unique and that way when everybody asks I can brag that I got it done on the London Eye,” says Meg Gianforte.
Litochoro (Greece) (AFP) – At the foot of Mount Olympus, home of the Greek Gods, devotees of polytheism gather during the four-day-long Prometheia Festival. “We worship our Gods, we worship nature, as you can see all around us. Because for the ancient Greeks, their temple was nature itself”, says one worshipper.
Tehran (AFP) – Vast crowds gather for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, with authorities estimating millions are on the streets in numbers that could rival those of his predecessor’s farewell nearly four decades ago.
Seattle (AFP) – The United States face the biggest day of soccer in their history as they take on Belgium for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals, after a dramatic reprieve for star striker Folarin Balogun thanks to the intervention of President Donald Trump. Balogun, who has scored three goals at the World Cup, had been set to miss the clash in Seattle after receiving a straight red card for stepping on a Bosnia-Herzegovina defender’s foot — until Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino asking him to review the punishment, two sources familiar with the matter told AFP.
Praia (Cape Verde) (AFP) – Thousands of ecstatic fans parade Cape Verde’s football team through the streets of Praia as they return home from their first ever World Cup following a slender defeat to Argentina in the knockout stages.
