Beijing (AFP) – Beijing warns the Philippines to stop “provocative actions” after Manila said the China Coast Guard used water cannon on two of its vessels in the South China Sea, causing damage to one of them. Manila and Beijing have a long history of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, with several collisions involving Philippine and Chinese vessels in recent months.
Odesa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters battle huge flames engulfing the top floor of the Odesa Law Academy’s Palace of Students building, after a Russian ballistic missile containing cluster munitions targeted the highly populated area. At least five people were killed.
Le Mesnil-le-Roi (France) (AFP) – “Heritage” or “ruin”? In Le Mesnil-Le-Roi, west of Paris, a building requisitioned in World War II, labelled as a ‘German brothel’, continues to divide opinions 80 years later.
Sciez (France) (AFP) – An ornithological park in the French Alps is reintroducing the white-tailed eagle – considered the largest eagle in Europe – and raising public awareness of the predator, 130 years after the species went extinct in mainland France.
Rohtak (India) (AFP) – Choreographer Sahil Kumar found fame showcasing folk dances on TikTok, garnering more than 1.5 million followers, but his profile has been dormant since his last video four years ago, just before India’s decision to ban the platform. “Our sources of income stopped, and our connections were affected,” says the influencer, now gathering just under 94,000 people on Instagram.
Beijing (AFP) – China says that rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah met in Beijing recently for “in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation”.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, on Monday became the first British royal to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded the country more than two years ago.
Ebensee (Austria) (AFP) – Red ropes and larger-than-life dresses float in the tunnel of a former Nazi death camp in Ebensee, Austria, as the exhibition by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota “Where are we now?” opens to the public. More than 8,000 prisoners died at the Ebensee camp between 1943 and 1945, mostly of hunger and malnutrition as they were forced to work on the construction of a huge tunnel network. Opening her exhibition at the site, Shiota says the theme of her work is “absence in the existence”.
Cajamarca (Peru) (AFP) – At least 25 people died and more than a dozen were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine from a mountain road in northern Peru, local authorities said on Monday. The incident late Sunday happened on a potholed dirt road in the Andean region of Cajamarca.
Etobicoke (Canada) (AFP) – Canada’s 17-year-old swimmer, Summer McIntosh, has been setting world records and winning victories since she was seven or eight. She is set to compete in the Paris Olympics, training 10 times a week.
Mai Mahiu (Kenya) (AFP) – People in the Kenyan village of Kamuchiri recount the experience of the deluge which hit their local area overnight after a dam nearby broke, killing dozens. Kamuchiri village lies close to the town of Mai Mahiu, just north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
Orly (France) (AFP) – The passenger transport control unit, also known as ‘Boers’, is on the hunt for fake taxis at Orly airport. With three months to go before the Paris Olympic Games, clandestine taxis remain a big issue to tackle.
