AFP UK

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Female DJs are increasingly the stars of concerts and private parties across Saudi Arabia, an unthinkable phenomenon just a few years ago in the traditionally ultraconservative kingdom. Lujain Albishi, who performs under the name biirdperson, started experimenting on DJ decks during the pandemic. Her big break came last year when she was invited to perform at MDLBeast Soundstorm, a festival in the capital Riyadh that drew more than 700,000 revellers for performances including a set by superstar French DJ David Guetta.

La Teste-de-Buch (France) (AFP) – Helicopter images show the forest and campsites of the Gironde coastline, in southwestern France, which was ravaged by flames as well as the creation of a deforestation zone by firefighters to prevent the fire from spreading to the Landes. The wildfires burned nearly 21,000 hectares of forest in the region.

Manila (AFP) – The Philippines has no plan to rejoin the International Criminal Court, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr says, with the tribunal’s prosecutor seeking to resume a probe into the ex-president’s deadly drug war. “The Philippines has no intention of rejoining the ICC,” Marcos Jr told reporters, after previously indicating he would not cooperate with the investigation.

Saint-Aignan (France) (AFP) – The Beauval Zoo weighs panda twins Yuan Dudu and Huan Lili two days before their first birthday.

Arwād (Syria) (AFP) – Khaled Bahlawan hammers nails in a wooden boat he is building by hand, toiling in the scorching sun everyday to preserve an ancient Syrian craft his family is the last to master. The Bahlawan are the only manufacturers of traditional wooden boats on the Syrian coast, a Phoenician craft dating back thousands of years, now threatened by low demand in the age of technology.

Paris (AFP) – The fifteenth edition of the “Traversée de Paris” (“Crossing of Paris”) brought together 800 vintage cars on Sunday to criss-cross the streets of the French capital. “We can see great cars, a Citroën, the Mustangs and others, it’s wonderful” says Jean-Pierre Podevin, a tourist from Nantes.

Beijing (AFP) – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kicked off an Asia tour that has been shrouded in secrecy following an escalation in tensions with China over Taiwan. With no word yet if Pelosi will make a stop on the island, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, warned that a possible visit to Taiwan would be a “gross interference” that could lead to “very serious” consequences.

London (AFP) – England fans in London celebrate their team’s victory in the women’s Euro final against Germany.

Klamath River (United States) (AFP) – Properties in the community of Klamath River lie in ruins after they burned in the McKinney Fire, in Klamath National Forest, northwest of Yreka, California. Fueled by drought in a changing climate, the fire grew to over 50,000 acres in less than 48 hours.

Mafra (Portugal) (AFP) – Portugal battled major forest fires over the weekend as temperatures rose sharply. A blaze broke out in the Mafra area, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Lisbon, where some 400 firefighters were drafted in to fight the blaze. IMAGES

London (AFP) – After a victorious final in the Women’s Euro, England players interrupt their coach Sarina Wiegman’s press conference by dancing and singing “It’s coming home!” 

Beirut (AFP) – In Lebanon, Khalil Mansour has to queue for hours every day just to buy bread for his family and some days he can’t afford any as the country grapples with a financial crisis. The price of subsidised bread has gone up, although by less than if there were no subsidy, but bakeries have started rationing the staple product.