(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.
Caracas (AFP) – Uncertainty hangs over Venezuelans when they head to the polls on July 28, with incumbent Nicolas Maduro vowing a “bloodbath” if he loses. The election poses the biggest threat yet to 25 years of “Chavismo,” the populist movement founded by Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez. [TO COMPLETE 364Y8NK_EN, 364Y8NK_EN]
Khishig-Undur (Mongolia) (AFP) – Mongolian herder Purev Batmunkh sighs as he picks through waste strewn across a field — the refuse of an unsightly and deadly waste pollution problem affecting swathes of the steppe.
Abidjan (AFP) – Residents from the Adjame village in Ivory Coast’s Abidjan search through rubble for their belongings as excavators demolish homes to make way for a new road.
Abidjan (AFP) – Residents from the Adjame village in Ivory Coast’s Abidjan search through rubble for their belongings as excavators demolish homes to make way for a new road.
Preparation and security near the Hotel de Ville in Paris ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. IMAGES
Philippine coastguards loading floating oil containment barriers, suction skimmer, and oil dispersant onto a boat in the port of Limay as as they prepare to go out to sea to contain spill after a Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil sank off Manila on Thursday. IMAGES
Maracaibo (Venezuela) (AFP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dances on stage during a closing rally in Maracaibo amid a climate of nervousness about possible fraud in the July 28 vote and violence in the aftermath. Maduro, seeking a third six-year term, trails far behind opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in stated voter intent, but observers doubt he is ready to give up power. IMAGES
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan’s opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado drive across Caracas on the final day of campaigning ahead of the country’s presidential election on July 28. IMAGES
Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro closes his presidential election campaign in Caracas amid a climate of nervousness about possible fraud in the July 28 vote and violence in the aftermath. Maduro, seeking a third six-year term, trails far behind opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in stated voter intent, but observers and experts doubt he will give up power after the vote. IMAGES
Muzo (Colombia) (AFP) – One man’s trash can very well become another man’s treasure in the Colombian town of Muzo, the emerald capital of the world. In this small community in the foothills of the eastern Andes mountains, multinational mining company Esmeralda Mining Services (EMS) deposits tons of earth it has processed from its operations into a cage-like enclosure. A few times a month, EMS allows hundreds of miners — known as “guaqueros” or treasure hunters — to search through the detritus and take home any precious stones they find.
