AFP UK

Buin (Chile) (AFP) – Named Julieta, she is the fourth specimen of the critically endangered species to be born in the South American country.

Bucharest (AFP) – Romanian authorities issued an orange level alert across Romania on Monday as temperatures reach almost 40 degrees Celsius in some areas and between 33-37 degrees Celsius expected all throughout the week.

Cairo (AFP) – Civil defence workers search the rubble of a residential building that collapsed in Cairo’s Hadayek al-Qubba district, killing eight people including seven members of one family.

Moscow (AFP) – Russian president Vladimir Putin vows to retaliate after a Ukrainian attack on a bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to Russia killed two civilians. Speaking at a briefing on the state of the key infrastructure after the attack, Putin adds that “the defence ministry is preparing relevant proposals.”

Concord (United States) (AFP) – There is not a peach in sight this year in the orchards of Stuart Gregg, a farmer in Georgia, where 90 percent of the peach crop has been decimated by an abnormally mild winter, followed by a cold snap – an extremely rare event for the US southern state that is so closely associated with the fruit that it is nicknamed the “Peach State.” “It was a complete loss,” says the 29-year-old farmer. Experts warn this could occur more often as a result of climate change. Not far from the farm, Dario Chavez, a professor specializing in peaches, is developing new hybrid varieties more suited to a warmer weather.

London (AFP) – A knitted sweater made famous by Princess Diana goes on display at Sotheby’s in London, before headlining the auction house’s ‘Fashion Icons’ sale taking place in New York in September.

Rethel (France) (AFP) – At its brand new plant in Rethel in the Ardennes, Agronutris is breeding a new kind of star: black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens). These flies transform unwanted agricultural waste into protein: ‘gold’ for feeding pets and, above all, farmed fish, a market that is booming worldwide due to the pressure of demand.

Rome (AFP) – Tourists queue at Rome’s historic Colosseum despite temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius, as unforgiving heat scorch parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Mexico City (AFP) – At the Mexican National Mental Health Centre, animals including dogs and hamsters play a key role in therapy for patients. For nurse Silvia Hernandez Rosas, the sessions have helped her “to make better decisions,” after working on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic took its toll on her mental health.

Panama City (AFP) – A shooting took place in a market in Panama where hundreds of football fans were watching Panama take on Mexico in the Gold Cup Final. The incident left no casualties. A man was taken into custody at the scene of the attack. Mexico went on to beat Panama 1-0 to win a record-extending ninth CONCACAF Gold Cup crown.

Stornoway (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Around 55 pilot whales have died in a mass pilot whale stranding on a beach on the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland. Marine rescuers were called to the beach north of the town of Stornaway on Sunday at 7am (0600 GMT). Eight adults and four calves who were still alive had to be euthanised on July 16. According to British Divers Marine Life Rescue, one of the dead whales appeared to have had a vaginal prolapse while giving birth, which possibly caused the whole pod to strand.

Moscow (AFP) – Russia accuses Ukraine of being behind an attack on a road and rail bridge linking the Russian mainland to Crimea in which it said two people were killed. “Two civilians died: a man and a woman, driving a car on the bridge,” the Russian Investigative Committee says.