AFP UK

London (AFP) – Speaking ahead of the 25th anniversary of Britain’s transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that Beijing ‘has been failing to comply with its obligations’ to the territory under the ‘one country, two systems’ pledge which it made in 1997. Johnson says this threatens ‘the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers, and the continued progress and prosperity of their home’, but that Britain will do ‘all it can to hold China to its commitments’.

Aynak (Afghanistan) (AFP) – About 40 kilometres southeast of Kabul, hidden in immense rocky peaks, an ancient Buddhist city is in danger of disappearing forever, swallowed up by the exploitation of one of the world’s largest copper deposits by a Chinese consortium.

An Nayrab (Syria) (AFP) – Timelapse images show the Milky Way galaxy glimmering in the night sky as it eerily lights up an abandoned and destroyed amusement park on the frontline between regime forces and rebel fighters, in the town of al-Nayrab, in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region.

Dover (United States) (AFP) – Every May and June, hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs come ashore in the Delaware Bay, on the East Coast of the United States, to spawn at high tide. Horseshoe crabs are vital for the safety of human vaccines because their blood contains cells that the biomedical industry uses to test vaccines.

Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – While some farms near the frontline in eastern Ukraine have been abandoned due to the fighting, shepherds Valentyna Gakova and her son are still looking after their goats in Sloviansk.

Hong Kong (AFP) – John Lee was sworn in as the new Chief Executive of Hong Kong by Chinese President Xi Jinping during an oath-taking ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain. IMAGES

Hong Kong (AFP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Friday Hong Kong’s “true democracy” started after the city’s handover to China from colonial Britain 25 years ago. “After reuniting with the motherland, Hong Kong’s people became the masters of their own city,” Xi said. “Hong Kong’s true democracy started from here.”

Hong Kong (AFP) – Celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain begins with at the city’s Victoria Harbour, complete with a military flypast and a flotilla spraying plumes of water. IMAGES DURATION: 00:53

Hong Kong (AFP) – Police presence in Hong Kong ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit to the city for the its 25th anniversary of returning to China and the inaugural ceremony of the finanical hub’s sixth-term government. IMAGES 

Hong Kong (AFP) – Buffeted by strong winds, a crowd including incoming chief executive John Lee watch as oldiers release the Hong Kong and Chinese flags to the sound of the national anthem to mark the 25th handover anniversary. IMAGES 

magou (Grèce) (AFP) – Firefighters from several countries take part in EU-funded training ahead of their deployment across Greece this summer to prevent and fight wildfires.

Kremenchuk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Injured Ukrainian civilians recall the moment that a Russian missile hit a busy shopping centre in the city of Kremenchuk, killing at least 18 people. Western leaders have dubbed the Kremenchuk strike a war crime. Russia says it hit a depot storing Western arms, and Putin on Wednesday denied Moscow’s forces were responsible for the attack.