AFP UK

Odessa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Despite beach closures due to mines in the Black Sea, Odessa residents find a way to cool-off by taking a swim off the jetty next to the city beach.

Seoul (AFP) – K-pop megastars BTS tell fans they are taking a break from the supergroup to focus on their solo careers, citing exhaustion and the pressures of stratospheric success in an emotional video appearance. But the Grammy-nominated septet’s label HYBE pushed back on Wednesday as their share price went into freefall, telling AFP that the pop juggernaut would still be working together. The seven members of BTS, credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the bombshell on Tuesday, telling fans that they were “exhausted” and needed time apart.

Raipur (India) (AFP) – Indian emergency workers have rescued a 10-year-old boy with hearing and speech impairments late Tuesday from a narrow well where he was trapped for over 100 hours. Rahul Sahu fell down the 80-foot (24-metre) well on Friday afternoon while playing in the backyard of his house in the central state of Chhattisgarh.

Gardiner (United States) (AFP) – A video captured by a stranded tourist in Yellowstone National Park shows the moment a house on the edge of the Yellowstone River falls into the water. Record flooding and mudslides destroyed roads and bridges across the iconic US park.

Mihail Kogălniceanu military base (Romania) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Macron arrived in Romania on Tuesday evening to greet the 500 French soldiers deployed at a Nato base there. IMAGES

Mihail Kogălniceanu military base (Romania) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron meets with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during a visit to Romania, after which he will travel on to Moldova. IMAGES

Beirut (AFP) – June’s full moon, known as “strawberry supermoon”, rises over the city of Beirut. On June 14, the moon orbits closest to the earth, marking the last “supermoon” of the year.

Tunis (AFP) – Passionate about crafts, Tunis-based traditional potter Ali Arfaoui has been practising his art for 35 years from his workshop on Sidi Saber in the Medina of Tunis, an UNESCO world heritage. The craftsman hand-decorates everyday objects such as plates, pots and tableware in his workshop using traditional designs in eye-catching colours, which are mostly sold to tourists in the souk of the Medina. Arfaoui is specialised in painting the ceramics, yet he did not learn to trade, it was rather passed down to him by his brothers. 

Villa Nueva (Guatemala) (AFP) – Heavy rains in Guatemala, which have left more than a dozen people dead, caused cracks and a giant hole in one of the main roads connecting the capital with the south of the country, forcing authorities to close the road.

London (AFP) – Survivors and families of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire mark the tragedy’s fifth anniversary with memorial services and tributes. The 2017 incident remains Britain’s worst residential fire since World War II. 

The Hague (AFP) – Ukraine ‘absolutely depend on that (heavy weapons) to be able to stand up against the brutal Russian invasion,’ NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tells a press conference in The Hague after meeting the leaders of seven European NATO allies ahead of a key summit.

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – With Spain in the grips of a severe heatwave, Seville’s carriage horses are suffering. Horse-drawn carriages are a popular tourist attraction in the southern Spain city, but with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, coachmen are having to take extra precautions.