Kiruna (Sweden) (AFP) – Weighing 672 tonnes and more than a century old, the red wooden Lutheran church of Kiruna isn’t what you’d expect to find rolling down the road. But that’s exactly what the building is doing, with crowds turning out to watch its massive relocation project. The Kiruna Kyrka, along with the rest of Kiruna’s town centre, is being moved due to the expansion of a huge underground mine that has weakened the ground.
Gondulfes (Spain) (AFP) – Illuminated by flames, Spanish firefighters battle wildfires that have been raging throughout the country’s west and northwest for over a week. The bulk of the devastation — with 373,000 hectares burnt — has taken place in the northwestern provinces of Zamora and Leon, Galicia’s Ourense province and Caceres in the western region of Extremadura. On Sunday 17 August, two firefighters were killed, one in Spain and one in neighbouring Portugal, taking the total death toll to four in Spain and two in Portugal.
Washington (AFP) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says the “question of territory is one that we will keep between me and Putin,” after talks in Washington DC with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Zelensky says it is important that the US gives “a clear signal” that it will participate in security guarantees for Ukraine.
Beijing (AFP) – China supports “all efforts that are conducive to peace” in Ukraine, says foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, following talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Washington alongside several European leaders on 18 August.
Hangzhou (China) (AFP) – Women laugh as they enjoy homemade steamed buns at a rural cottage in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, one of a growing number of women-only co-living spaces far from social pressures and male judgment. Here at “Keke’s Imaginative Space” — bearing the nickname of founder Chen Yani — participants pay 30 yuan ($4.17) a night, with costs going up to 80 yuan from the fourth day. “The all-women environment makes me feel safe,” participant Zhang Wenjing tells AFP.
Hong Kong (AFP) – There are just 1,200 to 2,000 yellow-crested cockatoos left in the wild and, despite being native to Indonesia and East Timor, one-tenth of them are in Hong Kong. As their numbers stagnate, a scientist at the city’s oldest university is on a mission to revive them using artificial nest boxes.
Brasília (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomes Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa to the Planalto Palace in Brasilia during his official visit. IMAGES
Maidan Wardak province (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Successive wars displaced Afghans over 40 years, but peace has not brought total reprieve, as climate change-fuelled shocks drive people from their homes and strain livelihoods.
La Paz (AFP) – Poll workers in La Paz begin counting ballots in Bolivia’s most closely watched general election in two decades, with right-wing candidates poised to take power for the first time since 2005. The vote, covering the presidency and both houses of parliament, unfolds amid a deep economic crisis, with annual inflation approaching 25 percent and severe shortages of fuel and dollars, the currency in which most Bolivians save. IMAGES
La Paz (AFP) – Polls close in La Paz for Bolivia’s most closely watched general election in two decades, as right-wing candidates appear poised to claim power for the first time since 2005. Voters are turning away from the ruling Movement Towards Socialism party, widely blamed for the country’s deepening economic crisis. IMAGES
La Paz (AFP) – Bolivian presidential candidate Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga casts his ballot in La Paz during the presidential and congressional elections. Nearly eight million Bolivians are voting to choose a successor to Luis Arce, who is not seeking re-election, in a country mired in economic crisis and potentially on the verge of swinging to the right after two decades of socialist rule. IMAGES
Villa Tunari (Bolivie) (AFP) – Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, barred from the presidential race and facing an arrest warrant, casts his ballot in his Chapare stronghold, where he has remained since October. Nearly eight million Bolivians are voting to choose a successor to Luis Arce, who is not seeking re-election, in a country mired in economic crisis and potentially on the verge of swinging to the right after two decades of socialist rule. IMAGES
