Bangkok (AFP) – Thousands of protesters in cars and on bikes mass in Bangkok’s central shopping district, one of several mobile rallies across Thailand demanding Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha resign over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The kingdom is grappling with its worst outbreak so far, registering record numbers of daily infections each week as hospitals struggle to cope.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis expresses his “concern” over the situation in Afghanistan and calls for “dialogue” to resolve the conflict. The Taliban are on the brink of total victory in Afghanistan, with their fighters ordered to wait on the outskirts of the capital and the government conceding it was preparing for a “transfer of power”.
Drosopigi (Greece) (AFP) – In her family’s garden in Drosopigi, where much has been destroyed by the wildfires, Eleni Haniosakis finds it hard to hide her dismay as she looks at the charred hillside tumbling down to the Greek capital some 20 kilometres away. Eleni and her mother were among hundreds forced to abandon their homes that week, unsure of whether they would see them again, as Greece battled some 600 blazes fuelled by bone-dry conditions during one of the worst heatwaves in decades.
Avellino (Italy) (AFP) – Italian firefighters attempt to put out fires in the country’s Avellino and Molise regions, fuelled by unrelenting temperatures enveloping southern Europe. The emergency services use helicopters and airplanes to extinguish fires with water.
Barcelona (AFP) – FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman urges to avoid “living in the past” ahead of the first Liga match of the post-Lionel Messi era on Sunday 15 August against Real Sociedad.
Kahramanmaras (Turkey) (AFP) – Russia says all eight people onboard a Russian water-dropping plane died when it crashed in Turkey during a firefighting mission. Moscow’s defence ministry has said five Russian servicemen and three Turkish nationals were killed in the crash near the southern Turkish city of Adana.
Plymouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Plymouth residents stage a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the victims of Britain’s first mass shooting in 11 years, after a 22-year-old gunman described as a ‘troubled loner’ shot dead five people including his mother and a three-year-old girl before taking his own life.
Fraser Island (Australia) (AFP) – A collar camera fitted to a dingo in Australia captures the dog’s life on Fraser Island, as part of efforts to track and prevent interactions between people and the wild dogs. From posing for snap-happy onlookers to scavenging on the pristine sand of the world heritage site off Queensland’s coast, the collar camera captured the daily life of the dog, also known as wongari, in close up detail for the first time, according to the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
Unzen (Japan) (AFP) – Rescuers search for the missing in Unzen city, Nagasaki prefecture, after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in western Japan.
Kamchatka (Russia) (AFP) – Rescuers search Kuril Lake in Russia’s far east after a helicopter carrying 16 tourists and crew on a sightseeing trip crashed into the lake, leaving eight people feared dead and two others in serious condition. The Mi-8 helicopter crash-landed into the icy waters in the mountainous Kamchatka peninsula amid poor visibility and sank.
Mandas (Italy) (AFP) – Italian firefighters have been at work since the early morning to extinguish wildfires affecting the rural area of the Italian southern island of Sardinia and blazes that threatened a carriage museum in Calabria.
Albany (United States) (AFP) – SOUNDBITE New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul addresses New Yorkers for the first time since Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation over sexual harassment allegations. In just under two weeks, Hochul will succeed Cuomo as the state’s 57th governor.
