Van Horn (United States) (AFP) – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches six people to space, including the first from Egypt and Portugal, on the company’s sixth crewed flight. Both the New Shepard suborbital rocket and crew capsule separately returned to the base in the west Texas desert, completing the “N-22” mission around 11 minutes after lift-off.
Dhaka (AFP) – An out-of-tune Bangladeshi singer with a huge internet following has been hauled in by police at dawn and told to cease his renditions of classical songs, sparking a furore on social media. “Hero” Alom, as he styles himself, has amassed nearly two million Facebook followers and almost 1.5 million on YouTube with his unique crooning style and arresting videos.
Hanga Roa (Chile) (AFP) – With traditional dances and flower necklaces, Easter Island, a Chilean island territory in the middle of the Pacific, receives its first flight of tourists followin two years of closure due to the pandemic.
Phnom Penh (AFP) – Russia says it is ready to discuss a prisoner swap with Washington at the presidential level, a day after the conviction of US basketball star Brittney Griner on drug smuggling charges.
Istanbul (AFP) – Istanbul, a historic megalopolis of 17 million residents between two seas and two continents, is not normally thought of as a seaside resort. But like New York, Beirut and a handful of other global cities, you can swim there all summer long and return home on the metro with salty skin and sand stuck to your sandals.
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen calls China’s live-fire military drills around the island a “continued, deliberately heightened military threat”.
Pingtan (China) (AFP) – Helicopters are seen flying over the sea in China’s Pingtan, facing the Taiwan strait, ahead of Beijing’s largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan due to kick off Thursday after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. IMAGES
Yreka (United States) (AFP) – The McKinney fire leaves a trail of burnt buildings after it tore through swathes of northern California, forcing over 3,000 residents to flee. At least four have died in the blaze which has consumed over 56,000 acres so far.
Kentucky (United States) (AFP) – A Kentucky National Guard flight crew rescues residents trapped by flooding in eastern Kentucky. At least 3 dozen people have died in the floods, and possible severe weather overnight threatens to provoke further damage.
Mülheim an der Ruhr (Germany) (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Russia is responsible for blocking the delivery of a pipeline turbine it needs to keep gas flowing to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Russian energy giant Gazprom has blamed the delayed return of the unit from Canada, where it was being serviced, for the initial reduction in deliveries of gas via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline in June.
Beijing (AFP) – China insists its military exercises around the Taiwan Strait were “necessary and just” in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island. “The United States is the provocateur, China is the victim,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying tells a regular briefing.
Viganj (Croatia) (AFP) – Windsurfers from around the world are flocking to Croatia’s Adriatic coast to make the most of its unique conditions created by strong north-westerly winds.
