Fontanil de los Oteros (Spain) (AFP) – British astrophysicist Graham Jones and his team have travelled to northern Spain, where the eclipse will be visible in its entirety, a phenomenon that “hasn’t come to mainland Europe since August 1999,” he says. Across Europe, people have been scrambling to buy special eclipse glasses to safely observe the sun, with many retailers selling out.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to seize ships belonging to European countries in retaliation for plans to intercept and seize Russian vessels suspected of being part of Moscow’s ‘shadow fleet’. “We will be forced to respond in kind,” Putin says while overseeing naval drills in Russia’s Far East.
Vatican City (AFP) – During his weekly audience at St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV expresses solidarity with all the victims of the earthquake in Colombia, which has killed at least 240 people, while rescue efforts continue. “I assure you of my prayers for their families and for all those affected by this tragedy. I express my gratitude to all those working in rescue and relief operations,” he says before a large audience of worshippers.
Prahovo (Serbia) (AFP) – At its lowest level on record, the Danube has revealed the wrecks of a Nazi fleet in an area between Serbia and Romania. Dozens of these warships were sunk in the autumn of 1944 by the German army in an attempt to slow the Red Army’s advance along Europe’s second-longest river.
Beijing (AFP) – Customers in Beijing enjoy free access to AI tools at a bar that has become popular among developers, startup founders, and investors through the Chinese social media platform WeChat. Located in Zhongguancun, nicknamed “China’s Silicon Valley”, the AGI Bar features two boxy Nvidia workstations used to host DeepSeek V4 Flash on-premises.
Shiwa mine (Afghanistan) (AFP) – In Afghanistan’s northeast Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. Some residents in the area have profited from the gold rush, only to regret it later, such as farmer Muhammad Amin.
Pereira (Colombie) (AFP) – Colombian volunteers and rescuers continue to dredge through rubble in Pereira, searching for those trapped underneath collapsed buildings following an earthquake that killed at least 240 people and leveled more than a hundred homes and office buildings. The quake struck several cities across Colombia’s western coffee-growing region and Pacific belt on Monday morning, toppling structures, swaying towers and tossing roof tiles to the ground. IMAGES
Las Vegas (AFP) – Jury selection begins in Las Vegas in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, accused of orchestrating the shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996. During a hearing, Judge Carli Kierny and the defense discuss the jury selection schedule, ahead of opening statements scheduled for August 17.
Manila (AFP) – Workers in the Philippines wade through a garbage-filled river in the capital Manila, collecting waste and debris that washed into the waterway during days of heavy rain. Floods, landslides and accidents driven by the nine-day downpour equivalent to more than a month’s worth of rain in some areas have killed at least 16 people in the northern Philippines, rescuers said on August 10. The rains have been exacerbated by tropical storms.
Damaskus (AFP) – A Syrian court sentences former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him over charges of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” during the country’s civil war. It is the first such ruling under Syria’s transitional leaders who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule. Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive. More than half a million people were killed in Syria’s civil war and millions displaced, while tens of thousands disappeared, many into the country’s prison system.
Guatemala-Stadt (AFP) – With flowers and candles, Indigenous Maya people conduct a thanksgiving ritual on an archaeological site near Guatemala City and honor their ancestral traditions on the UN’s international Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The group gathers around a fire at the Kaminaljuyu site to say prayers and burn offerings.
Pereira (Colombia) (AFP) – Rescuers from the Colombian army help clear debris in Pereira a day after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing at least 181 people. IMAGES
