AFP UK

Manila (AFP) – Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life to a halt in the Philippine capital, with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region’s Marikina River burst its banks.

Brasília (AFP) – Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro flashes the electronic ankle monitor that the Supreme Court of Brazil ordered him to wear the media in Brasilia. IMAGES

Pristina (AFP) – Renowned lawyer Arianit Koci shaves his head outside Kosovo’s assembly building in protest against MPs’ failure to elect a speaker and constitute a new parliament for the fiftieth consecutive time — continuing a political stalemate months after they were voted into office. The deadlock stems from the fact that outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party Vetevendosje (VV), which topped the polls, did not win enough seats to have its choice for speaker installed. Observers fear the fractured political scene could result in a snap election if no government can be formed.

Rincon (AFP) – Gloria Cuevas thought she’d reside forever in Rincón, on Puerto Rico’s west coast, a destination favored by surfers and known for its gorgeous sunsets and beaches. But then, her landlord decided to transform the house into an Airbnb. Like many Puerto Ricans, she was forced out by the rising cost of living and an explosion of short-term rentals on the Caribbean island that’s also a hotspot for foreign investment and offers tax incentives to attract outsiders.

Kiew (AFP) – During a visit to Kyiv, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot says that the package of sanctions adopted against Russia last Thursday by the EU was “by far the harshest of the past three years”. The new sanctions include lowering the price cap on Russian crude oil exports which is now set at just over 45 dollars a barrel, 15% below the average market price of a Russian barrel.

Busra al-Harir (AFP) – Syrian authorities evacuate Bedouin families from the Druze majority city of Sweida in the south after a ceasefire halted bloody clashes between the communities. The evacuees were headed for reception centres in neighbouring Daraa province and to the capital Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The violence has left more than 1,100 dead, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, whose toll also includes hundreds of government security personnel.

Kiew (AFP) – Firefighters work to clear rubble the morning after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that killed at least one person and left a shop and school on fire, according to city officials. “Rescuers have now completely extinguished the fire and are continuing to dismantle and cut away dangerous structures,” says Pavlo Petrov, a spokesperson for Kyiv’s state emergency service.

Santiago (AFP) – Chilean President Gabriel Boric welcomes his Spanish, Brazilian, Colombian, counterparts to the Palacio de la Moneda, in Santiago, where he is hosting the “Democracy Always” high-level summit. IMAGES