Hsinchu (Taiwan) (AFP) – The Taiwanese army conducts live-fire drills with its first batch of the advanced US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks, as the island holds its largest military drills — the “Han Kuang” Exercise — joined by a record mobilisation of reservists for 10 days of training aimed at defending against a Chinese invasion. IMAGES
Hegra (Norway) (AFP) – Norway’s iconic wild salmon is in dramatic decline, a victim of fish farming and climate change. The species’ plummeting stocks have sparked concern among sport anglers and those who make a living from the hobby, which has become part of the country’s DNA. Last year, authorities suspended fishing in 33 waterways and have this year imposed new restrictions in an effort to arrest the decline. In 2021, the fish was placed on Norway’s red list of near-endangered species.
Undisclosed (Ukraine) (AFP) – Working along a road in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Denis and his team of military engineers are installing netting, the latest measure to combat the waves of Russian drones targetting the country. “When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits,” he explains. On Wednesday 9 July, Russia launched its largest strike yet, with Ukrainian authorities reporting 728 drones and 13 missiles.
Marseille (AFP) – The wildfire menacing the southern French city of Marseille has reduced but is “not yet under control or fully contained,” according to the city’s mayor. The fire forced Marseille airport to close and interrupted train traffic, fuelled by strong winds and parched vegetation after a heatwave. Marseille mayor Benoit Payan describes it as “an extremely violent, fast-moving fire.”
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing dismisses claims made by Berlin that the Chinese military directed a laser at a German aircraft over the Red Sea as “completely inconsistent with the facts”. The German foreign ministry claimed that a plane participating in an EU-led mission to protest marine traffic was targetted, endangering personnel.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong football fans queue for hours to snap pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies and jerseys at an exhibition billed as the first of its kind outside the superstar’s native Portugal.
Yantai (China) (AFP) – Chinese farmers are attending “livestreaming bootcamps” to learn how to connect directly with consumers via their mobile phones. For 56-year-old farmer Gao Chaorong, it’s not enough just to grow crops, she says farmers need to appeal to China’s online crowd to sell their produce. The number of new rural creators, like Gao, has soared 52 percent on China’s TikTok sister app Douyin over the past year.
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) – Jordan Bardella, president of the Patriots for Europe grouping of the European Parliament, denounces “a new harassment operation” following the EU’s launch of a formal probe into a now defunct far-right group, over the alleged misuse of European Parliament funds. The investigation, announced by the EU’s public prosecutor, will look into the Identity and Democracy (ID) political grouping which, before being disbanded last year, included France’s National Rally.
Smolyan (Bulgaria) (AFP) – In southern Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains, inmates from Smolyan prison produce various types of cheese and yoghurt. From tending to herds of sheep and cows to packaging the “Guerzovitsa” white cheese, they are involved throughout the entire process. Under Bulgarian law, working can reduce an inmate’s sentence.
Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo activist group celebrate the finding of “Grandchild No. 140.” in Buenos Aires. Nearly five decades after he was born in a dictatorship-era detention center and snatched from his mother, the man becomes the 140th person identified as one of Argentina’s hundreds of “stolen grandchildren.” Rights groups say about 30,000 people died or disappeared under the brutal rule, including babies born to young activist women who were arrested and “disappeared” by Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship.
San Antonio (AFP) – Dozens of people attend a candlelight vigil in San Antonio to remember those who lost their lives in the Texas floods over the weekend. More than 100 people are known to have died as rescuers continue to search for people swept away by torrents of water. “I don’t think there’s anybody at least in this crowd, that hasn’t been impacted,” says local resident Debra Guerrero.
Washington (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, presenting the US president with a letter he sent to the prize committee. “He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other,” Netanyahu says at a dinner with Trump at the White House.
