Puerto Escondido (Mexique) (AFP) – Gray skies loom over popular tourist town of Puerto Escondido as Hurricane Erick approaches Mexico’s Pacific coast as a powerful Category 3 storm. Now a major hurricane, Erick is expected to bring “potentially destructive winds and life-threatening flash floods to portions of southern Mexico” late Wednesday and Thursday, says the US National Hurricane Center. IMAGES
Acapulco (Mexique) (AFP) – Local police in Acapulco warn people on beach and in the streets of tropical storm Erick. The storm will likely strengthen to a hurricane bringing life-threatening heavy rains in the days to come, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). IMAGES
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Argentines take to the streets of Buenos Aires in support of ex-president Cristina Kirchner, a day after she began serving a six-year sentence for fraud under house arrest. Supporters of the polarizing leftist gather on the Plaza de Mayo square and spill into surrounding streets for a demonstration called by the 72-year-old’s Justicialist Party. IMAGES
Ascot (AFP) – Prince William appears in a horse drawn carriage alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot after his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales pulled out of attending the race meeting, a key event in the royal calendar. Catherine, also known as Kate, would not be attending Royal Ascot with her husband Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla as she continued to “find the right balance following her battle with cancer” the domestic Press Association news agency said.
St. Petersburg (AFP) – Representatives of the Taliban participate in the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — once dubbed “Russia’s Davos” — amid Russia’s push to normalise ties with the militant Islamist group. Some 20,000 guests from 140 countries are set to take part in the forum both online and in person, according to the Kremlin, while high-profile European and American representatives are absent for the fourth year running amid Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine.
(AFP) – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the nation will never surrender as demanded by US President Donald Trump. He also warns that the United States would face “irreparable” damage if it intervenes in support of its ally Israel.
Phnom Penh (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Cambodians take to the streets of Phnom Penh for an official rally to support the government’s actions in its recent border dispute with Thailand. The march follows the death of a Cambodian soldier last month when troops exchanged fire in a disputed area where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
Sikka (Indonesia) (AFP) – Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali have been cancelled after a volcano in the archipelago’s east erupted, shooting an ash tower 10 kilometres (six miles) into the sky.
Undisclosed (AFP) – An increase in Russian drones – both in number and ability – has forced Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern frontlines to constantly adapt and modernise. Operating in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Spartan Brigade’s ‘Black Sky’ unmanned systems battalion has repurposed agricultural drones, like several other brigades, to deliver supplies and act as bombers.
Tokio (AFP) – Japan’s meteorological agency has issued heatstroke alerts for parts of the country as temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius, with hundreds hospitalised and more extreme heat forecast in the coming days. The hot weather is headline news in the country, which last year experienced its joint warmest summer ever as climate change fuelled extreme heatwaves around the globe.
Genf (AFP) – Iran’s representative to the UN in Geneva says his country will respond “strongly” to aggression from any side, be it Israel or the United States. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel says its surprise air campaign that began on June 13 is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies. US President Donald Trump has said that Washington has played no part in the bombing campaign by its ally Israel, but has also warned Iran that his patience is wearing thin.
Birqin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Iranian missiles and Israeli air defense systems light up the sky over Birqin, in northern West Bank. After decades of hostility and a long-running shadow war waged through proxies and covert attacks, Israel and Iran are now exchanging direct fire with unprecedented intensity — raising fears of a broader conflict that could engulf the Middle East. IMAGES
