AFP UK

Itagüí (AFP) – Colombians stay in their beds on the “World Day of Laziness”, the closing day of a social and cultural festival held every year since 1985 in the municipality of Itagui, south of Medellin.

Manila (AFP) – The Philippine government says two of its coast guard ships were damaged in collisions with Chinese vessels that were conducting “unlawful and aggressive manoeuvres” near a disputed South China Sea reef. For its part, Beijing accuses Manila’s ships of having “seriously violated” China’s sovereignty and vows to take “forceful measures”.

Dadu (Pakistan) (AFP) – Pakistan’s high rate of marriages for underage girls had been inching lower in recent years, but after unprecedented floods in 2022, rights workers warn such weddings are now on the rise due to climate-driven economic insecurity.

Bekasi (Indonesia) (AFP) – A village in Indonesia’s West Java province has installed a 600-metre-long national flag above an alleyway to mark the country’s 79th Independence Day.

Chicago (AFP) – Several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a rally in downtown Chicago ahead of the Democratic National Convention which is being held in the city. The shadow of protest against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza is hanging over the convention.

Caracas (AFP) – Thousands rally in several cities in Venezuela and as far afield as Spain, Canada and the United States in response to a call by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to join a “Protest for the Truth.” Machado herself came out of hiding to lead a rally, seeking to intensify pressure on Nicolas Maduro to concede what she and others say was an overwhelming win for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in July 28 polls.

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accuses Hamas of being “obstinate” in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire deal and calls for more pressure on the Palestinian militant group ahead of a new round of talks next week.

Marjayoun (AFP) – People mourn after an Israeli air strike in the south of Lebanon killed 10 Syrians, according to the Lebanese health ministry, as the Israeli military reported hitting weapons stores of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Izmir (AFP) – Smoke rises as firefighters battled a strong forest fire near Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir. The fires that ravaged forests around Turkey’s third most populous city have largely been brought under control on 18 August, according to authorities.

Kursk (AFP) – At least 120,000 Russians have left their homes over the past ten days as Kyiv’s forces press on with a surprise assault on Russian territory. For Ukraine, the attack is a morale boost two and a half years after Russian forces launched their full-scale offensive on the country.

Neu Delhi (AFP) – Indian doctors dressed in white coats sit outside a hospital demanding justice after the rape and murder of a colleague. The killing of a 31-year-old doctor, whose bloodied body was discovered on August 9 at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, has focused rage at the chronic issue of violence against women.

Jīt (AFP) – Palestinians mourn after a deadly attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank’s village of Jit on 15 August. The attack has drawn international condemnation and calls for sanctions over the surge in settler violence against Palestinians since the Gaza war began.