AFP UK

Manila (AFP) – Less than a year after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to protect free speech, Philippine journalist Maria Ressa is fighting to stay out of jail while her news website Rappler faces possible closure. But the spirited veteran reporter — a vocal critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war — refuses to be cowed into silence. “I have seen some of my rights go by, but we’re still here. We’re doing the stories, we’re fighting for press freedom,” she says in an interview with AFP from Rappler’s office in suburban Manila.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Ukraine is making efforts to “restore the supply of food to the world market”, and says that progress in talks on allowing Ukraine’s grain to leave its blocked Black Sea ports is necessary to solve the global food crisis.

As they struggle to contain two fires which have burnt over 2,800 hectares of forest in Gironde, in the southwest of France, firefighters worry there is worse to come. “The weather forecast tomorrow says there will be a heatwave, which will make it easier for the fire to spread”, says the department’s fire and rescue service’s director Marc Vermeulen.

Nakhon Nayok (Thailand) (AFP) – A baby elephant had to be rescued from a manhole in central Thailand. Its mother stayed with the infant as it was unable to climb out, and had to be sedated to allow the rescue to go ahead. Unfortunately the mother then partially tumbled into the hole and had to be pulled out herself.

Vlorë (Albania) (AFP) – Beneath the crystal-clear water of the Albanian Riviera, shells and grenades dating back to World War II rust on the seabed, polluting the water and threatening lives. Divers have to go fishing for these corroded explosives – a tricky and potentially dangerous task.

Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Maksym Sologub extinguishes the fire at his grandmother’s house following an airstrike in the suburbs of Sloviansk – with a little help from his friends. “In the village where I live, people have become closer to each other. We stick together, help each other,” he says.

New Taipei City (Taiwan) (AFP) – Taiwan conducts its largest-ever disaster preparedness drill with mock scenarios from the Ukraine war and an invasion from mainland China. More than 1,800 personnel participate in the annual exercise outside of capital city Taipei.

Colombo (AFP) – Images of a Saudia plane landing in Singapore thought to be carrying Sri Lanka president from the Maldives. Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka Wednesday after his palace was overrun by protesters at the weekend.

Ourém (Portugal) (AFP) – In Portugal, firefighters battle a blaze which has ravaged thousands of hectares of land in the central municipality of Ourem since Thursday. 

Colombo (AFP) – Dozens of Sri Lankans gather outside the president’s office in Colombo on Thursday morning as representatives of the anti-government demonstration said they were in talks to hand back official buildings they seized, even as they insisted the president and prime minister both quit in the face of an economic crisis.

Beirut (AFP) – The “Buck” supermoon, the brightest moon of the year due to its closeness to earth, rises over Beirut.

Panama City (AFP) – Demonstrations against fuel price hikes and corruption have been going on for more than two weeks in Panama, in one of the largest waves of protests in the country in the last three decades.