Baghdad (AFP) – Hundreds of people attend the funeral in Baghdad of Hussein Khalil – the former bodyguard of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – his son Mahdi, and Haider al-Moussawi, commander of the security unit of the Iraqi armed group the Sayyed al-Shuhada Brigades. All three were killed a day earlier in an Israeli drone strike in Iran near the Iraqi border.
Chitral (Pakistan) (AFP) – Tourists and locals attend the Shandur Polo Festival in northwestern Pakistan, which each year features local teams competing in freestyle polo, the oldest form of polo that exists only in northern Pakistan, where there are no rules for the game. Located at a height of 3,700 meters, Shandur, at the top of a mountain in Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is home to the highest polo ground in the world and a festival dating back to 1936.
Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin slams strikes on Tehran as “unprovoked aggression” and says Moscow is trying to help the Iranian people as he hosts Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Damascus (AFP) – At least 22 people were killed in a suicide attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus on Sunday. “The Syrian Ministry of Interior condemns the criminal, sinful bombing that targeted the Saint Elias church today, with preliminary indications pointing to it being a suicide attack carried out by the ISIS organisation,” says Noureddine al-Baba, spokesman for the Syrian ministry.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations slams the United States for its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. “The United States, a permanent member of this Council… has now once again resorted to illegal force, waged a war against my country,” Amir Saeid Iravani tells an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. “For 40 years the Iranian government has called for death to America and death to Israel,” rebukes Dorothy Shea, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations.
Vienna (AFP) – The UN nuclear watchdog head demands the return of agency inspectors to Iran’s nuclear sites in a bid to “account for” its highly enriched uranium stockpiles following attacks by Israel and the United States on its atomic programme.
Mexico (AFP) – More than a thousand people gather with coloured umbrellas under the rain in Mexico City’s Zocalo square to form a huge LGBTQ flag to celebrate Pride Month, in an event organised by the local government. IMAGES
Sadd Dūkān (AFP) – Water levels at Iraq’s vast Dukan Dam reservoir have plummeted as a result of dwindling rains and further damming upstream, hitting millions of inhabitants already impacted by drought with stricter water rationing. Amid these conditions, visible cracks have emerged in the retreating shoreline of the artificial lake, which lies in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region and was created in the 1950s. Iraq has been intensely impacted by the effects of climate change, experiencing rising temperatures, year-on-year droughts and rampant desertification.
Lissabon (AFP) – Hundreds of colourfully-clad revellers celebrate the pan-European LGBTQ pride event, EuroPride, in Lisbon, which is hosting the annual parade for the first time. The EuroPride festival, an event advocating for LGBTQ equality, is held in a different European city each year. “It’s very important to take to the streets, beyond the celebration itself, for demands, equality, visibility, and everything we need in this world,” says Xurry, a painter.
Istanbul (AFP) – Iran will defend itself by all means necessary, its foreign minister says, following the US strikes against key sites in Iran’s nuclear programme. “Iran continues to defend Iran’s territory, sovereignty, security and people by all means necessary against not just US military aggression, but also the reckless and unlawful actions of the Israeli regime,” says Iranian diplomatic chief Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
Santa Catarina (AFP) – At least eight people have been killed after a hot air balloon with 21 passengers caught fire in southern Brazil, according to the governor of Santa Catarina state, where the incident occurred. It was the second fatal balloon accident in the vast South American country in less than a week after a woman died during a balloon ride in southeastern Sao Paulo state.
Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump says the US military has carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, following days of speculation over whether the United States would join its ally Israel’s bombing campaign. Trump’s intervention threatens to dramatically widen the conflict after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in.
