Vall de Ebo (Spain) (AFP) – Firefighters battle a blaze near Vall d’Ebo in the Valencia region of southern Spain. The wildfire began when lightning hit the area late Saturday and has since spread rapidly, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people and burning through nearly 10,000 hectares.
Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Washington of seeking to prolong the conflict in Ukraine and of fuelling conflicts elsewhere in the world, including with the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Benirrama (Spain) (AFP) – Firefighters are battling a huge wildfire in southeastern Spain that has burnt through nearly 10,000 hectares in an area notoriously difficult to access, according to officials. The fire began when lightning hit the Vall de Ebo area in the province of Alicante late Saturday and it has since spread rapidly, fuelled by strong winds, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people, Valencia’s regional government says.
West Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) – Women seeking abortions are travelling miles to this clinic in Jacksonville, Florida after their own states clamped down on the procedure. While Florida has reduced its window for abortions to the 15th week of pregnancy — it was previously the 24th week — the state’s laws are still among the most permissive in the southeast United States since the Supreme Court’s stunning reversal of the nationwide right to abortion.
Lusail (Qatar) (AFP) – Qatar’s Lusail stadium, which will be the venue for the 2022 World Cup final, is ready ahead of its official inauguration on September 9.
Mesitas del Colegio municipality (Colombia) (AFP) – Around 100 artists are participating in a body painting festival in Mesitas del Colegio, Colombia. The main theme this year is cultures of the world.
Juiz de Fora (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrives at an event accompanied by his wife Michelle Bolsonaro, to launch his presidential campaign in Juiz de Fora, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, where he was nearly killed in a stabbing attack four years ago.
Hambantota (Sri Lanka) (AFP) – A Chinese research vessel enters Sri Lanka’s Chinese-run southern port of Hambantota despite concerns from India and the United States about its activities. The Yuan Wang 5 entered the port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on condition it will not engage in any research. The Indian government has lodged a complaint with Colombo over fears the ship could spy on its activities, and the United States has also expressed concern.
Kabul (AFP) – Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 29 people in eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Monday. Scores of Afghans die each year in torrential downpours, particularly in impoverished rural areas where poorly built homes are at risk of collapse.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In his nightly address, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says “if now the world lacks the strength and determination to protect one nuclear plant, it means that the world will lose.” “It is yielding to nuclear blackmail,” he adds, warning that “this may be a precedent that other terrorists will see.”
Dinant (Belgium) (AFP) – Contestants in the Dinant Bathtub Regatta sail down Belgium’s Meuse River every year on August 15 in specially-built boats adapted from bathtubs. This year marks the event’s 40th anniversary, attracting around 15,000 spectators.
Nairobi (AFP) – Kenya’s president-elect William Ruto promises to “work with the opposition” moments after police force back fighting crowds. Ruto becomes the fifth president of Kenya, and the first member of the Kalenjin ethnic group to be elected head of state in twenty years, succeeding two presidents from the Kikuyu community – including the outgoing Uhuru Kenyatta.
