Mecca (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Muslim worshippers from across the world flock to the Grand Mosque in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca to perform the Tawaf, or circumambulating the Kaaba, during the first ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, set to start on Wednesday.
Canazei (Italy) (AFP) – Rescuers have warned that hopes of finding survivors are diminishing after an avalanche set off by the collapse of an Italian glacier during a heatwave killed at least seven people. Authorities said they did not know how many climbers were caught when the glacier gave way on Sunday on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites.
Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to press ahead with Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine after troops took control of the entire Lugansk region.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ivan Sukhanov and his family used to go to the shores of the Black Sea for summer holidays. But this year, they will go no further than the beaches on the banks of the Dnieper, in the heart of Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital has many sandy beaches, usually crowded during the hot summer weather. But on this first weekend of July, despite temperatures close to 30°, there are no crowds, three months after the withdrawal of Russian forces from the region.
London (AFP) – The world’s largest giant waterlily – and the first to be discovered in over a century – is unveiled at London’s Kew Gardens, whose herbarium has been home to misidentified plant species for 177 years. The species was uncovered by a team in the UK and partners Bolivia (where the plant is native) using a blend of modern science, including DNA analysis and molecular technology, and the centuries-old practice of botanical drawings. It is the world’s third giant waterlily.
Tokyo (AFP) – They say you never forget your first love, and after pining for his stolen guitar for almost half a century, Canadian rock star Randy Bachman has finally been reunited with the instrument which an eagle-eyed fan tracked down in Japan. Bachman, who wrote the original “American Woman” with his band The Guess Who, was in Tokyo for the emotional handover on Friday — 46 years after his cherished orange Gretsch was snatched from a Toronto hotel. DURATION: 02:16
Bogota (AFP) – Thousands marched with rainbow flags in an annual gay pride parade in Colombia’s capital Bogota. “I am marching for sensitivity, to create more opportunities on the road,” says a member of the LGBT+ community.
Richmond (Australia) (AFP) – Images of Windsor Bridge flooded in Richmond, New South Wales. Rapidly rising rivers swamped swathes of rain-lashed Sydney on Monday, forcing thousands to flee “dangerous” floods as the city’s largest dam spilled torrents of water. DURATION: 00:59
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Olympics chief Thomas Bach says the organisation would ensure that Ukrainian athletes could compete at the 2024 Games despite the Russian invasion. He was speaking during a visit to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Eighty nine athletes and coaches died as the result of the military combat. Thirteen are captured and are in the Russian captivity,” says Zelensky.
Chipping Norton (Australia) (AFP) – Images of flooding at a street in Chipping Norton, a suburb in Australia’s Sydney on Monday. DURATION: 01:35 Australia’s emergency services ordered thousands of people in Sydney to evacuate Monday as overflowing rivers swamped swathes of land and the city’s largest dam spilled torrents of water. IMAGES
Chipping Norton (Australia) (AFP) – Images of flooding at a street in Chipping Norton, a suburb in Australia’s Sydney on Monday. Australia’s emergency services ordered thousands of people in Sydney to evacuate Monday as overflowing rivers swamped swathes of land and the city’s largest dam spilled torrents of water. DURATION: 01:35
Maputo (AFP) – A Mozambican park welcomes its first white rhinos in 40 years after 19 of the threatened animals completed a 1,600-kilometre (thousand-mile) truck ride from South Africa, conservationists said. The rhinos were reintroduced to Zinave National Park in southern Mozambique under an initiative to restore wildlife and boost the local economy.
