AFP UK

Virginia Beach (United States) (AFP) – A high school student in the US state of Virginia thought she was taking medication that her friend had procured to treat pain and anxiety. Instead, the pill she took was fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that killed her almost instantly. “You’re being poisoned by that because you don’t know that that’s what you’re getting. And kids, people, adults, they’re dying from it,” shares Makayla Cox’s mother at her house in Virginia Beach. Deaths are rising especially quickly among young people, who obtain counterfeit prescription drugs through social media, explains Ray Donovan, chief of operations at the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Sydney (AFP) – The Sydney Opera House lights up in memory of movie and music celebrity Olivia Newton-John, who passed away on August 8th. The pink lights honour the superstar’s massive contribution to cancer research and awareness. Newtown-John died of her third bout of breast cancer at age 73. IMAGES

Mantanzas (Cuba) (AFP) – Helicopters battle to control a fire in western Cuba that has been raging since late Friday evening and has hit a fourth oil storage facility. The fire began after it was struck by lightning and has killed at least one person and injured more than 100 others.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the “Russian war against Ukraine and against all of free Europe started with Crimea and should end with Crimea, by its liberation.” Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and has used the region as a staging ground for its attacks on Ukraine, but it has rarely been a target for Ukrainian forces. Major blasts took place near a Russian air base in Crimea on Tuesday, which Moscow insists were caused by exploding ammunition rather than Ukrainian fire. 

Cornwall (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Images of spider crabs amassing along the Cornish coastline in southwest England. As reported by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, these animals “travel from deeper coastal waters to shallower sea areas each summer, following their life cycle: they gather in large numbers in shallow waters and shed their old shells, protecting themselves from potential predators while their new exoskeletons harden”. Such gatherings have been rare in British waters until now, but marine experts at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust describe this summer as “exceptionally spectacular” in this respect, as more and more such events are reported. This year, spider crabs have been seen congregating in several coastal areas of Cornwall, including Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth, St Austell Bay and the Lizard Peninsula.

Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne (France) (AFP) – The beluga whale stranded in the river Seine in northern France was removed from the water early Wednesday in the first stage of an ambitious rescue operation. After nearly six hours of work, the 800-kilogram (1,800-pound) cetacean was lifted from the river by a net and crane at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) and placed on a barge under the immediate care of a dozen veterinarians. IMAGES 

Washington (AFP) – “The president and the White House learned about this FBI search from public reports,” says White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during her press briefing, a day after former president Trump’s residence in Mar-A-Lago, Florida was raided by the FBI. Duration: 00:27

Paris (AFP) – Two Afghan women, living in exile in Paris since the Taliban took back control of their home country one year ago, share the difficulties they have faced and their concerns for the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Mostuéjouls (France) (AFP) – French firefighters light tactical fires to try and contain a blaze between Lozere and Aveyron which has destroyed at least 700 hectares of land. No injuries have been reported.

Karbala (Iraq) (AFP) – Shiite Muslims perform mourning rituals marking Ashura in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala, the burial place of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Geneva (AFP) – Last month marked one of the three hottest Julys ever recorded, with global temperatures measuring nearly half a degree above average, according to the United Nations’ weather agency. “The world just had one of the three warmest Julys on record,” says World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokeswoman Clare Nullis.

Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Pakistan zoo is auctioning off a dozen lions to private collectors next week to free up space for a pride that won’t stop growing. The zoo is currently home to 29 lions, and officials plan an auction on August 11 to sell 12 of them, aged between two and five years old.