AFP UK

Jakarta (AFP) – In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws. City authorities are cracking down on use of the long-sacred ondel-ondel puppets, originally used by the Betawi people to ward off evil spirits, and are drafting new legislation to restrict them to set events. “I’m worried that the ban could lead to more street crimes, because most of the buskers have no other jobs,” ondel-ondel artist Mulyadi tells AFP.

Beijing (AFP) – A Beijing city official admits that authorities had not been prepared for the heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital and killed 44 people. “This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan,” Yu Weiguo, ruling Communist Party boss in the hard-hit Miyun district, tells a news conference.

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israelis and Palestinians share their views the day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel does not take substantive action on the Gaza humanitarian crisis and a ceasefire. Starmer’s move, paired with French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, would make the two European allies the first G7 nations to do so.

Comapa (Guatemala) (AFP) – Two earthquakes measuring 5.6 and 5.3 magnitude in Guatemala leave two dead, as well as cracks and partial collapses in homes in two southeastern towns near the border with El Salvador. Authorities in Comapa evaluate the damage caused. Guatemala has been experiencing strong seismic activity since July 8, when it was struck by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that left seven dead, about 15,000 affected, and 2,170 homes damaged. IMAGES

Tumaco (Colombia) (AFP) – Residents of Colombian Pacific town of Tumaco, southwest, evacuate and queue for gasoline following a tsunami alert triggered by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s eastern coast, authorities said. IMAGES

Vatikanstadt (AFP) – In the Vatican, thousands of Catholic social media personalities gather for the church’s two-day ‘Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers’ — the first time the Vatican has hosted such an event. “That the Church, that the Vatican has decided to organise this event encourages us in this mission and tells us that it is important, go ahead, we are with you,” says Sister Albertine, a nun from France who has hundreds of thousands of followers online.

Arouca (AFP) – Portuguese firefighters work to contain a large fire in Arouca municipality, after forest blazes across Portugal led to almost the whole country being put on high alert for fires.

Peking (AFP) – China’s military accuses Taiwan of forcing its people to become “cannon fodder” after the island’s armed forces held the 10-day “Han Kuang” military drills this month, which Beijing describes as “merely a show”.

Chiang Mai (Thailand) (AFP) – Lion ownership is legal in Thailand, and the country’s captive lion population has exploded in recent years, with nearly 500 registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes. Experts warn the trend endangers animals and humans, stretches authorities, and likely fuels illicit trade domestically and abroad.

Waikïkï (United States) (AFP) – Heavy traffic builds up at Hawaii’s popular Waikiki surf beach as people try to reach higher ground amid a tsunami alert. The warning came after Russia’s sparsely populated Far East was hit by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. Officials from countries with a Pacific coastline issued warnings to avoid affected beaches. IMAGES

Pyongyang (AFP) – North Korean officials welcome Russian passengers with flowers at Pyongyang International Airport as the two countries resume the first commercial flights between their capitals in decades. Russia and North Korea have pulled closer in the last year, with Pyongyang sending weapons and troops to aid Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Beijing (AFP) – Aerial images of a flooded village northeast of China’s capital Beijing, where buildings, roads, cars and fields have been inundated after torrential downpours that sparked deadly landslides. IMAGES