Paris (AFP) – The River Seine reopens to swimmers in Paris, marking the first time since 1923 that bathers could take a dip. “It was truly a moment of pure happiness,” says Paris resident Jeannine after her swim.
Mexico City (AFP) – Restaurants and retail stores are vandalized in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City during a protest against gentrification. Hundreds turn out to denounce rising housing prices and displacement of long-time Mexican residents from neighborhoods increasingly populated by foreigners.
Las Vegas (AFP) – Fireworks light up the sky over Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip as part of Independence Day celebrations in the US state of Nevada.
Port-d’Espagne (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges memorandums of understanding with Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar during his official visit to the Caribbean nation, where over a third of the population traces its roots to India. Modi began the two-day trip on July 3. IMAGES
Kabul (AFP) – Russia has become the first country to officially recognise its rule, says the Afghan government. The Taliban swept back to power in 2021 after ousting the foreign-backed government and have imposed an austere version of Islamic law. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates recognised the Taliban during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. This time, multiple other states, including China and Pakistan, have accepted Taliban ambassadors in their capitals but have not officially recognised the Islamic Emirate.
Serra Pelada (AFP) – Four decades after Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado shot a human anthill of mud-spattered miners digging for gold in the middle of the Amazon, some of the “garimpeiros,” now into their 70s, are still hoping to get lucky. Salgado’s 1986 black-and-white photos of hundreds of men with pickaxes and spades working in the Serra Pelada open-pit mine travelled the world, depicting the hellish conditions in which people were still toiling in the late 20th century. But some veterans of its heyday remain consumed by the prospect of the riches hidden under their feet.
Kiew (AFP) – Russia has launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight, just hours after a telephone call between the US and Russian presidents ended without any breakthrough. Russian attacks have escalated as concerns mount in Kyiv over whether the US will continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages.
Chibougamau (AFP) – A large aerial drone flies over the charred remains of Canadian forests devastated by wildfires, bombarding the ground with seed capsules to accelerate reforestation. This area of northern Quebec province was ravaged by megafires in the summer of 2023 and for the second year in a row a pilot project has been using drones to plant new black spruces and jack pines.
Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool fans pay tribute to Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in northwestern Spain on Thursday. According to the Spanish Civil Guard, a vehicle veered off a motorway in the municipality of Cernadilla in the northwestern province of Zamora, confirming the deaths of Jota and his brother Andre. . TO COMPLETE VIDEO 64NE49E
Fudschaira (AFP) – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony can be heard as vehicles move along a 750-metre-long musical road stretch in the UAE emirate of Fujairah. When driving over the rumble strips on the tarmac, the vibrations produce a melody.
Malaysia (AFP) – Kubah National Park, in Borneo, is home to some of the world’s smallest and most unusual frog species. Visitors from around the world have been trekking through the rainforest on the hunt for the exotic amphibians in a pastime dubbed “frogging”.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Mercosur summit in Buenos Aires. The fate of a landmark trade deal with the European Union, which France is trying to block, looms over the gathering of South America’s bloc. IMAGES
