Al Qahtaniyah (AFP) – Meteors streak across the sky over northeastern Syria. The Perseid meteor shower, which occurs annually, typically begins in mid-July but is barely visible at first. The peak viewing period, when stargazers can see the most meteors, usually happens around mid-August and can be seen worldwide.
Haifa (AFP) – A vast underground parking garage underneath the Rambam Health Care Campus in the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa can be converted into an emergency healthcare facility. After the events of 7 October, part of the carpark has been prepared should tensions with Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon erupt into all-out war.
Mercadal (Spain) (AFP) – Aerial images show the aftermath of severe flooding after heavy rain in Mercadal, on the Balearic island of Menorca.
Maluti Mountains (Lesotho) (AFP) – High up in the Kingdom of Lesotho, surrounded by dry and brown slopes, lies southern Africa’s only ski resort, Afriski. The slopes primarily made with artificial snow, attract visitors from far and wide, who revel in the unique experience.
Bogotá (AFP) – On the first day of their visit to Colombia on 15 August, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle meet with Vice President Francia Marquez at a cultural show at the National Center for the Arts and highlight the dangers of online misinformation at the “Responsible Digital Future” panel in Bogota. The couple will be in Colombia until 18 August and will visit Cartagena and Cali for a series of events against discrimination and cyber harassment.
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calls for an ‘immediate’ ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, during a press conference in Beirut following a meeting with parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
Urziceni (Romania) (AFP) – Crushing a lump of dry soil in her hand, Iulia Blagu illustrates the impact of one of Romania’s worst droughts in years. Subjected to blazing heat and a lack of water, the farmer’s cornfields have been devastated and she has been forced to take out a bank loan to pay her workers. Blagu isn’t alone in a country that, according to the Environment Ministry, is losing 1,000 hectares of arable land per year due to climate change.
Mpenda (DR Congo) (AFP) – The Democratic Republic of Congo says an mpox outbreak has killed 548 people there this year, as the first case outside Africa of the virus’s more dangerous variant was recorded in a traveller in Sweden. Pakistan has also recorded a case but it’s not clear which strain of the virus it is.
Mpenda (DR Congo) (AFP) – The Democratic Republic of Congo says an mpox outbreak has killed 548 people there this year, as the first case outside Africa of the virus’s more dangerous variant was recorded in a traveller in Sweden. Pakistan has also recorded a case but it’s not clear which strain of the virus it is.
Unknown (AFP) – Australian breakdancer Raygun speaks out against the “pretty devastating” hatred unleashed online since her widely lampooned Paris Olympics performance.
Rotherham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – With police tape blocking its entrance, the Rotherham Holiday Inn Express remains a crime scene ten days on from anti-immigration riots. The hotel houses asylum seekers and was targeted in a wave of far-right protests that swept across England following the murder of three young girls in Southport on 29 July, and the spread of misinformation that falsely claimed the attacker was a recent migrant. Many in Rotherham look back on the violence in disgust, but some are still sympathetic to the grievances of those involved.
Berlin (AFP) – Baby pygmy hippopotamus Toni makes her first public appearance at the Zoological Garden in Berlin. She was born on 3 June and, according to the zoo, was named after German footballer Antonio ‘Toni’ Rudiger, who is also the hippo’s honorary sponsor. The species is endangered in the wild, where it is found in the forests and swamps of West Africa.
