Quito (AFP) – Hot air balloons take off from the Mitad del Mundo complex in Quito, Ecuador, as part of the fifth edition of the Mitad del Mundo International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Crews from Mexico, Brazil, and Ecuador take part in the event.
Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva says he urged US President Donald Trump in a phone call to resolve their countries’ trade dispute, saying US tariffs were baseless. “The tariffs that you imposed on Brazil are, you know, not just unrealistic, they were imposed on the basis of a lie,” he tells supporters at a rally in Belo Horizonte.
The Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is “growing exponentially,” warns the United Nations’ senior Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis. “The outbreak is faster than our response,” says Harneis, speaking from Bunia in DRC, with more than 2,500 people out of over 5,000 cases having died.
The Amazonian river port of Guayaramerin is emerging as a new flashpoint in the Latin American drug trade as powerful Brazilian gangs cross the river into the sleepy corner of Bolivia, causing violence to spiral. “Gangs and robbery mafias can cross over here, and the people here in Guayaramerin are living in fear,” says 31-year-old housewife Yestin Duran.
At a warehouse in Osaka, a novel new tool has been installed to help tackle Japan’s dangerous summer heat: a human refrigerator. The “Do Hiemon Box” looks like a phone booth and blows jets of air chilled to five degrees Celsius onto its occupant for rapid heatstroke prevention.
Beijing (AFP) – China says that US “sanctions and pressure” would not resolve the Middle East conflict, as Washington urges governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. The United States has vowed it would “collapse” the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as “economic terrorism” doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began.
Mexico City (AFP) – Young Mexicans face off in one of the latest social media trends, the ‘aura battle,’ a contest where rivals showcase their best moves, poses and meme-inspired gestures to see who has the most ‘aura’. “It’s about who has the most confidence”, says organizer Aldhir Gonzalez.
Sydney (AFP) – “I thought that pretty much sums up Nick Kyrgios,” says Sydney tennis coach Jai Garner, reacting to the news that the Australian star has been provisionally suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Kyrgios’ suspension on 19 August, the latest episode in a career marked by controversy, injuries and mental health struggles. “Commitment to tennis requires quite a lot out of one person,” says Sabrina Levine, “maybe there comes a time when they just want a break.”
Beijing (AFP) – Baristas, sandwich makers, boxers and even dalmatians, robots of all shapes and sizes go on show at a huge Beijing robotics conference. Hundreds of firms are showcasing their AI-powered machines in the Chinese capital, highlighting the country’s drive to transform its labour market. China has invested heavily in robotics as a strategic industry, giving rise to a thriving and diverse sector. “They are way superior to most robots that we have in the US or in Europe,” says Soumodip Sarkar, the executive president of a science park in Portugal touring Chinese facilities.
Seoul (AFP) – Police officers clear the road for fire engines as people descend into designated shelters, with South Korean authorities holding a civil defence drill simulating a national emergency such as an air raid. The drill comes on the heels of an announcement by Seoul that the joint US-South Korean military exercises – Ulchi Freedom Shield – would end early “at the suggestion of the US side.” President Donald Trump has described the joint drills as “hostile” and “very insulting” to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who Trump says he plans on meeting later in the year. North Korean officials have said they are “completely unaware” of any talks set between Pyongyang and Washington.
El Cerezal (Spain) (AFP) – Spanish firefighters and military emergency crews are battling a new wildfire near Cerezal, in the western Spanish region of Extremadura. The blaze comes just weeks after a wave of fires burned around 27,000 hectares of land to the west of Madrid, the capital, and forced the evacuation of nearly 60,000 people.
Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits a homelessness charity in Newcastle as he unveils plans to offer those sleeping rough a way off the streets by Christmas. “In this country, I don’t think, in this day and age, anybody should be forced to sleep rough”, says Burnham. The announcement comes a month after Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister, and builds on his promise on his first day in office to end rough sleeping.
