Habarana (Sri Lanka) (AFP) – A Sri Lankan passenger train has derailed after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island’s worst such wildlife accident, police said.
TBOUNG KHMUM (Cambodia) (AFP) – Cambodia is still littered with unexploded ordnance from decades of conflict, and US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze virtually all American aid has forced many long-running projects to clear the deadly debris to grind to a halt.
Seoul (AFP) – Image of a convoy thought to be carrying South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arriving at the Seoul Central District Court to attend his first criminal hearing. He is the country’s first sitting head of state to stand trial in a criminal case as hearings open Thursday on his bid to impose martial law. IMAGES
People outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital offer their well-wishes to Pope Francis, who has been a patient at the facility since last week. “I hope for the best,” says medical student Silvia Roda. The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted with bronchitis after suffering breathing difficulties and the Vatican has since revealed that he has developed pneumonia in both lungs. “He has so much to do for young people,” says Annamaria Santoro, “it’s very sad.”
Istra (Russia) (AFP) – In Russia, the Kremlin is increasingly instilling support for the armed forces in the classroom, in bid to ensure its youngest citizens are behind the “special military operation” in Ukraine. Russian children are being encouraged to join pro-military youth movements, and thousands learn from text books that justify the Ukraine operation as the latest in a string of successful Russian and Soviet campaigns to defend the motherland.
Moscow (AFP) – Speaking to lawmakers in Russia’s State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praises US President Donald Trump for blaming the Ukraine conflict on moves to admit Kyiv into the NATO military alliance.
Manila (AFP) – Filipinos in Manila’s Addition Hills village exchange containers of mosquitoes for cash, as the government attempts to address rising dengue cases in the country. The “Peso for a Mosquito” project gives residents an incentive of one peso (US$0.017) for every five mosquitoes — dead or alive — turned over to the village hall.
Darlington (United Kingdom) (AFP) – In a workshop in northeast England, a team mainly comprised of military veterans apply the finishing touches to a Viking longship named “Stormbird”. The project is a labour of love for dozens of ex-servicemen and women struggling with mental health problems. Threatened with closure when the pandemic hit, the project survived under the stewardship of Bob Marshall, who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland during a 26-year army career. “People always think that they can’t, and we will prove to individuals that they can,” he says.
Shwe Kokko (AFP) – Battered and bruised Chinese workers from online scam centres in Myanmar face an anxious wait to return home, as Beijing and Thailand finalise plans for their repatriation. Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar’s borderlands and are staffed by foreigners who are often trafficked and forced to work, swindling people around the world in an industry analysts say is worth billions of dollars. An AFP stringer saw signs of physical abuse, including massive bruising and burns on the buttocks of some of the hundreds of people, most of whom are believed to be men from China.
Rome (AFP) – A dozen faithful from Bolivia pray outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis was admitted last week for bronchitis. The Vatican says the pontiff has since developed pneumonia in both of his lungs, but added that the 88-year-old was in “good spirits”.
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Rio de Janeiro swelters under extreme heat, with maximum temperatures expected to exceed 40ºC for a second consecutive day. As residents and tourists seek relief from the oppressive conditions, authorities have implemented public health measures and urged everyone to stay hydrated.
Brasilia (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomes and meets with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at Planalto Palace in Brasilia. IMAGES
