Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine says its forces recaptured 37 square kilometres from Russian forces last week. Kyiv announced a highly-anticipated counteroffensive several weeks ago after it accumulated stockpiles of Western arms and ammunition. Ukrainian forces are coming up against heavily entrenched Russian defensive positions both along the southern and eastern fronts.
Bogotá (AFP) – More than 100,000 people were on the streets in Colombia’s capital Bogota on Sunday to take part in the largest-ever LGBTQ Pride parade in the country’s history, the city’s mayor said.
Parintins (Brazil) (AFP) – Despite the rain, Brazilians queue for hours to get into the Bumbodromo stadium on the second day of the annual folklore festival known as Boi Bumba, in Parintins, an island on the Amazon River about 370km east of Manaus, northern Brazil. The ox is the central figure of the festival.
Port-au-Prince (AFP) – The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on the international community to make Haiti a priority while on a visit to the Caribbean nation, mired in political, economic and security woes.
San Pedro Huamelula (Mexico) (AFP) – The mayor of a village in Mexico’s Oaxaca state marries a ‘princess’ spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) in an age-old ritual that locals say represents the unity of humans and nature and brings prosperity to the community.
Lëpushë (Albania) (AFP) – In the shadow of the impressive Albanian mountains, Duni lives alone in a huge house nestling in a deep valley. She is one of the last “sworn virgins” in this small Balkan country, women who have chosen to live as men in order to become the pillars of their families.
Colombo (AFP) – A Thai elephant gifted to Sri Lanka two decades ago is flown back to its birth country after a diplomatic spat over the animal’s alleged mistreatment. Thai authorities had gifted the 29-year-old Muthu Raja, also known back in its birthplace as Sak Surin, to Sri Lanka in 2001. But they demanded it back last year after allegations it was tortured and neglected while housed at a Buddhist temple in the island nation’s south.
Paris (AFP) – Officers carry out checks and a partial evacuation of the Champs-Elysees in the French capital, Paris, as part of a large police presence deployed in anticipation of a fifth consecutive night of riots following the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel. Protesters, mostly minors, have torched cars, damaged infrastructure and clashed with police in an outpouring of rage since an officer shot Nahel M. point blank as he attempted to flee a traffic stop.
Providence (United States) (AFP) – Rosewood out, mushroom spores in: Rachel Rosenkrantz, a sustainability-minded guitar-maker has integrated mycelium and other biomaterials in her quest to create more environmentally friendly, plastic-free instruments. In her Rhode Island workshop, the French luthier explains the process and her research, saying “it’s not a hippie solution anymore”.
Alushta (AFP) – As Russia’s Ukraine campaign drags on into a second year, Russian tourists have stopped flocking to Crimea, spelling another disastrous summer tourism season. Whereas cheap flights used to bring thousands of eager beachgoers from Moscow and other cities, Crimea is now only accessible by car or by train, with air travel called off for security reasons. “We hope to have a prosperous season. But not many people come to Crimea now,” tourist boat owner Sergei Knyazev says.
Créteil (France) (AFP) – People run inside the Creteil Soleil shopping centre in Creteil, southeast of the capital Paris, as violence and looting hit France in a fourth night of protests. French police made nearly 1,000 arrests as the country braces for more riots ahead of the funeral of the teenager who was killed by an officer during a traffic stop.
London (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces a new recruitment drive for the country’s National Health Service (NHS). If successful, the “long-term workforce plan” will see more than 300,000 new staff added. The publicly funded NHS, which marks its 75th birthday on 5 July 2023, is facing an estimated workforce shortfall of 360,000 by 2037 because of an ageing population, a lack of domestically trained health workers and difficulties retaining staff.
