AFP UK

Imatra (Finland) (AFP) – A crowd of people gathers in the Eastern Finnish city of Imatra on a bridge overlooking Imatrankoski rapids. At the same time every day, the river’s almost century-old dam is opened and water rushes under the bridge, to the sound of music. It is a popular attraction especially for Russian tourists. But since the end of July, the show has kicked off with the Ukrainian national anthem, to protest the Russian invasion.

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Zookeepers assist a lioness in feeding its three newly-born lion cubs at Nama zoo in Gaza City, amid fears that they will die due to nutritional factors. The zoo’s staff took several precautionary measures to ensure that the cubs were safe once they were born. Each cub needs to be breastfed every hour.

Paris (AFP) – The French capital is full of summer tourists who are braving long queues and soaring temperatures to visit the Ville Lumiere’s most iconic sites.

Kaub (Germany) (AFP) – The Rhine river in Germany has fallen below a key waterline level used as a reference for judging its accessibility for shipping. The water dropped below the 40-centimetre (15.7-inch) reference level in Kaub, a noted bottleneck for shipping where the Rhine runs narrow and shallow. That level is considered necessary for much of the transport along the river.

Schwedt (Germany) (AFP) – Thousands of fish have washed up dead on the Oder river running through Germany and Poland, sparking warnings of an environmental disaster as residents are urged to stay away from the water.

Havana (AFP) – Colombia’s government gives the green light to resume peace talks with the country’s largest remaining rebel force, a key electoral promise that brought leftist President Gustavo Petro to power earlier this week. Colombian government officials met with members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Havana, where they have been based since 2018, with Bogota saying it officially recognizes the “legitimacy of dialogue… in the search for peace.”

Erie (United States) (AFP) – Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding after an Iranian fatwa ordered his killing, is on a ventilator and could lose an eye following a stabbing attack at a literary event in New York state.

Kabul (AFP) – Taliban fighters fired into the air Saturday to disperse a rare women’s protest in the Afghan capital, days ahead of the first anniversary of the hardline Islamists’ return to power. About 40 women — chanting “Bread, work and freedom” — marched in front of the education ministry before a group of Taliban fighters dispersed them by firing their guns into the air. IMAGES

Corigliano Calabro (Italy) (AFP) – Intense thunderstorms hit Scilla, on the Calabria coast in southern Italy.

Rome (AFP) – An Italian man is rescued after becoming trapped in a collapsed tunnel near the Vatican. Firefighters dig him out from under a road in the west of Rome, before he is finally freed and taken to hospital. According to police the man is suspected of being part of a gang burrowing its way to a nearby bank.