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Tanegashima Space Center (Japan) (AFP) – At the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, scientists are readying a mission to the moons of Mars, where they hope to collect samples that could unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth. The unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), is set to blast off in the coming months, before orbiting Mars for around three years. During this time, a lander will collect sample material from the surface of Phobos, before returning to Earth in 2031. The mission is a collaboration between Japan’s space agency JAXA and counterparts from France and Germany, as well as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and a score of universities and tech firms.

Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s government will propose record defence spending for 2027, says President Lai Ching-te, with the island facing growing military pressure from China. Announcing spending of just over 35 billion US dollars, Lai says the funding plan “demonstrates Taiwan’s determination to strengthen its self-defence.” China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex the island of 23 million people.

Mützenich (Germany) (AFP) – Over the weekend, firefighters in Belgium were battling the country’s worst wildfire in more than a century, which spread to 3,000 hectares as of Sunday 16 August. The blaze began on Friday, with the cause still unknown, before growing to scorch vast swathes of the High Fens park reserve, an area of boggy peatlands, pine forests and hiking trails. The fire in Belgium comes in a summer that has seen much of Europe swept by weeks of wildfires, fuelled by hot and dry conditions.

Marfa (United States) (AFP) – Locals and NGOs are fighting back against Trump administration plans to build an enhanced border patrol system in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, which sits at the United States’ southern frontier with Mexico. The park, famed for its Santa Elena Canyon, is “one of the crown jewels of the United States National Park System,” says Jake Knight of the Big Bend Protection Alliance, who adds that “people have been treasuring this place for many, many centuries.”

Changsha (China) (AFP) – At a gleaming new factory in China’s hinterland, hundreds of masked workers in white hygiene uniforms season, haul, and sift through mounds of latiao, one of the country’s favourite snacks and, recently, a viral overseas trend. Spicy, sweet, and curiously chewy, Chinese latiao – literally “spicy sticks” – are often condemned as junk food, yet have nonetheless become an industry worth close to 100 billion yuan ($17.4 billion), with livestreams targeting youthful consumers and the fiery snacks even reaching overseas as TikTok users embrace them as part of a ‘Chinamaxxing’ trend.

East Manggarai (Indonesia) (AFP) – Residents assess the damage a day after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck East Manggarai regency in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, killing at least 53 people. The quake damaged homes, businesses, a church complex, and left a bank building in Borong in ruins. “We are afraid to go inside, so for the time being, we are still staying outside,” says one resident.

Castel Gandolfo (Italy) (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV renews his appeal for an end to “ongoing violence” against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and urges the international community to advance a two-state solution, saying it is essential for a “just and lasting peace”.

Fnideq (Morocco) (AFP) – Scores of migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, are intercepted in northern Morocco near the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta, according to an AFP correspondent. The interceptions come two weeks after thousands of migrants attempted to enter the small Spanish territory. “I want to get to Ceuta,” says one migrant. “There’s no work here. There’s no money, there’s no housing,” he explains.

Wetlet (Myanmar) (AFP) – Severe monsoon flooding has swamped villages and paddy fields across central Myanmar, forcing people out of their homes, including many already displaced by war. “Our livelihoods are completely ruined,” says U Sint, a Burmese villager. The UN estimates that 390,000 people across the country have been affected by the severe flooding.

Santa Cruz de la Serós (Spain) (AFP) – Footage released by Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit show firefighters continue to battle a large wildfire in northeastern Spain. Authorities in the Aragon region have deployed what they call the largest firefighting force in its history, with French reinforcements also due to assist. Around 1,000 firefighters, including army personnel and crews from other parts of Spain, are expected to be involved.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian firefighters extinguished flames overnight after Russian strikes in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left at least five people dead and several others injured. “Russia won’t spare anyone. You see what they’re doing?” says Nadiya, a worker at a book market that was struck. At the same time, hundreds of Ukrainian missiles targeted Russia, killing at least seven people, according to authorities.

Santa Cruz de la Serós (Spain) (AFP) – Firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain, which has already burnt 15,000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents, according to the local government in Aragon. It comes as countries across Europe battle wildfires amid blistering temperatures and tinder-dry conditions.