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Bulle (Switzerland) (AFP) – Cathy and Patrick found each other through a message left on a Swiss mountaintop. They owe their meeting to Thibaud Monney, a 29-year-old avid hiker who had the idea of placing small red notebooks at the top of peaks in Fribourg in western Switzerland – which has come to be known as ‘Mountain Tinder’. “Choosing a person in an image by swiping left or right didn’t appeal to me very much,” says the modern-day cupid.

Dhaka (AFP) – Once a heavily guarded palace, the former official residence of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina is being turned into a museum as a lasting reminder of her autocratic rule. The luxurious Dhaka palace, known as Gono Bhaban, was stormed by thousands of demonstrators after she fled to India on August 5, 2024.

Brasília (AFP) – Images outside the condominium where Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro lives, following a Supreme Court order placing him under house arrest for violating a social media ban. Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, is on trial at the Supreme Court for plotting a coup after failing to win reelection in 2022 against leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. IMAGES

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says the decision of countries including France, Canada and the UK to take steps towards the recognition of a Palestinian state is a “pure prize for terror”. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Saar calls the announcements “immoral” and “politically foolish”.

Warsaw (AFP) – Instead of relaxing over the summer holidays, nearly 10,000 men and women have signed up for a month-long, paid “Vacation with the Army” programme, launched by Poland’s defence ministry to promote military service among young people as the country beefs up its security. Participants spend 27 days in a unit, after which they are paid €1,400 and awarded a rank and can continue service or become part of the reserve personnel. “You have to push yourself to the limit. No one has fainted yet, but the day has only just begun,” says Michal Piekut, 29, a master’s student in internal security at the University of Warsaw.

Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Footage from the Ukrainian Presidency shows President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting wounded soldiers in a hospital in Kharkiv and awarding them for their service. Zelensky wrote in a social media post that he has also been visiting Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in the region.

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “Sometimes I feed him boiled water, anise, or mint, but this does not replace milk and food,” says the mother of five-month-old Abd al-Karim Al-Badou, who is suffering from malnutrition, as she struggles to provide for him after being displaced from Beit Lahia to the Al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City. Despite weighing a meagre three kilograms, the family said that the hospital refused to admit him due to the large number of similar cases.

Sarrebourg (France) (AFP) – Cutting logs into rounds with a chainsaw and splitting a log in two with an axe, women take part in the Stihl Timbersports French Championships. “I started when I was 15 or 16, and I was given an axe for Christmas, which is how I got started,” says Julia Barwicki, a 21-year-old competitive woodcutter.

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro take to the streets, showing support for US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against the trial of his right-wing ally. Waving US flags and holding “SOS Trump” banners, protesters back Trump after he admitted imposing 50 percent tariffs on Brazil over the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup to stay in power after failing to win reelection in 2022.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Tens of thousands of cat lovers attend an annual expo in Hong Kong dedicated to all things feline. Alongside accessories, food and personalised jewellery, the best cats around vie for awards in the CFA WCC Cat Show Competition hosted during the three-day event. According to a survey run by the organisers, Hong Kongers are spending more and more on their cats, highlighting the “cat economy” — with sectors from food to pet-friendly tourism — as an increasingly important driver of growth.

RILLY-LA-MONTAGNE (France) (AFP) – Corks aren’t popping for those who work in France’s cherished champagne industry, faced with looming US tariffs. On 7 August, a 15-percent levy on most EU exports to the US is set to come into force, with the French wine industry warning of a “brutal” impact from the tariffs, especially when combined with a declining US dollar. Producers’ associations say a drop in exports and a reduction in US consumption could create a loss of one billion euros and affect 600,000 jobs in France.

Grand Canyon (United States) (AFP) – A timelapse video published on 29 July by the US National Interagency Fire Center shows smoke rising from the Dragon Bravo fire at Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, which erupted on 4 July. As of 1 August, the fire had burned nearly 112,000 acres, according to the Fire Center.