Quinta Grande (Portugal) (AFP) – Images show thick smoke blanketing the sky on the Portuguese island of Madeira as a helicopter attempts to tackle a wildfire. Some sixty firefighters and rescue workers have been dispatched from Lisbon to help their local colleagues contain the fires that have been raging there for several days. Four people, including one firefighter, have been hospitalised as a result of the fires.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – In footage from the Israeli Government Press Office, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says “this is no time for neutrality” as he visits Israel in the wake of last weekend’s bloody attack by Hamas militants. More than 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed in the attack, with the country’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant calling the violence “a war on the existence of Israel as a prosperous state”. Responding to the attack, Israel has been pounding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, with officials there reporting close to 2,000 deaths.
Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) (AFP) – “We advance gradually, thicket by thicket” says ‘Poltava’, the deputy commander of Ukraine’s first battalion. He’s sitting in a shelter in the country’s southeast, where Ukraine’s army has come up against heavily armed and fortified Russian positions. Even small advances come at a high price on a front line that has ground to a near halt. “Moving by day means death” explains Igor Korol, the battalion’s commander.
Dunkirk (France) (AFP) – More than 80 years on from the Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo, in which hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers were saved, researchers are identifying the ships that sunk as they helped in the heroic effort. With an array of technology, archaeologists on board the Andre Malraux are able to scan the wrecks, cataloging an unseen underwater heritage. “It’s quite an emotive feeling” says Mark James, a geophysicist from Historic England, “you realise the human sacrifice that was made”.
Beijing (AFP) – The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, says that trust between Europe and China “has been eroded”. Speaking in Beijing, he blames the deterioration on “the persistent difficulties experienced by European companies” trying to access the Chinese market.
Beirut (AFP) – Speaking in Beirut, Lebanon, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says “the United States cannot with one hand, send arms and bombs to kill children, women and civilians in Gaza” while urging others to “exercise restraint”. The comment comes as Israel and Hamas continue to trade heavy fire, seven days after Hamas gunmen crossed the border and killed 1,200 people. Israel’s response, a relentless air bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip has left more than 1,530 people dead.
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that the expected ground offensive by Israeli forces will cause unacceptable civilian casualties, and that his country is ready to help mediate. “It is difficult to use heavy equipment in residential areas. It will have serious consequences for all parties,” Putin tells the CIS summit in Bishkek.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discusses the situation for Thai nationals in Israel with Israel’s ambassador to Thailand, Orna Sagiv. There are approximately 30,000 Thais in Israel, most working in the agricultural sector, according to government figures.
Bogotá (AFP) – Colombian nationals evacuated from Israel arrive at Bogota airport after being repatriated by a Colombian air force plane. Colombian evacuees pose outside the plane with an Israeli flag. IMAGES
On Saturday, Australians will decide whether to recognise First Nations peoples in the constitution for the first time in the 1901 constitution and create an Indigenous advisory body — a so-called “Voice” — for policies that affect their communities. Opinion polls give the reforms little hope, with recent surveys indicating the “yes” camp is polling at just over 40 percent and the “no” side at nearly 60 percent.
Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport (France) (AFP) – A special Air France flight from Tel Aviv brings home French nationals unable to leave the conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Yongin (South Korea) (AFP) – South Korea gets its first up-close look at a new pair of baby giant pandas which were born near Seoul in July. The name-revealing ceremony doubled as an early celebration of the 100 days since their birth.
