Paris (AFP) – The hot-air balloon-like cauldron, lit at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games by former athlete Marie-José Pérec and judoka Teddy Riner, remains accessible to the public until the end of the Games on August 11, in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. The flame functions electrically as light projects onto a cloud of water, within easy reach of the public during the day before rising 60 meters above the ground at nightfall.
Tokyo (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says on Sunday 28 July that there was “every indication” that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was behind a rocket strike in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights that killed 12 young people. “Every indication is that indeed the rocket was from Hezbollah. We stand by Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks,” Blinken told reporters in Japan.
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez casts his vote at a Caracas polling station, as the country votes between the continuity of President Nicolas Maduro or change, amid high tension after the incumbent threatened a “bloodbath” if he loses. IMAGES TO COMPLETE VIDI366F7VW_EN, VIDI66C2R6_EN, VIDI36637TM_EN
Paris (AFP) – In an interview with AFP in Paris, US Olympic icon Allyson Felix says she believes Kamala Harris winning November’s US presidential election would be a “monumental” moment for the country. Felix has won 11 Olympic medals over the course of her career, and is now an advocate for maternal health in the US and around the world.
Cualedro (Spain) (AFP) – Every year, from May to September, Adriano Borrás and his team of shearers travel through the countryside of northern Spain and Portugal, shearing sheep. This crucial activity, vital for the sheep’s health yet increasingly rare in Spain, is performed to the rhythm of punk music, which they claim soothes the animals. Their nomadic lifestyle embodies the philosophy of these ‘punk shearers,’ who believe that ‘everything in the cities will collapse’.
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he would ensure the results of election, in which he is seeking a third six-year term amid claims of opposition harassment, were respected.
Caracas (AFP) – Images of Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez at a Caracas polling station, as the country votes between the continuity of President Nicolas Maduro or change, amid high tension after the incumbent threatened a “bloodbath” if he loses. IMAGES TO COMPLETE VIDI366F7VW_EN
Versailles (France) (AFP) – The Chateau of Versailles is ready to host the 2024 Olympic Games’ equestrian and modern pentathlon events. In this western Parisian town, horses have long been omnipresent.
Karakuduk (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – In the middle of the Kazakh steppes, residents of the village of Karakuduk will not find any alcoholic drinks on shelves due to a prohibition movement growing in popularity across the Central Asian country. The village is one of the firsts to ban alcohol in the country with a long-standing alcoholic problem.
Paris (AFP) – Arson attacks have scrambled France’s high-speed rail network for tens of thousands of passengers, after what officials called premeditated acts of “sabotage” just hours before the Paris Olympics opened. French rail operator SNCF says 800,000 people will be affected.
(AFP) – Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House. Obama’s backing will add to the growing momentum behind Harris’ campaign, which has enjoyed a groundswell of support since she announced her 11th-hour candidacy.
Chasiv Yar (Ukraine) (AFP) – Destroyed homes pockmarked with holes line the streets of the hilltop town of Chasiv Yar, near Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine. The sound of artillery fire rings out as FPV drones remain an ever present threat for those operating there, trying to prevent Russians from occupying the town.
