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New York (AFP) – Nathan’s Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest returns to its historic Coney Island location for the first time since the pandemic, with World Champion Joey Chestnut keeping his title but falling short of breaking a record and briefly interrupted by an animal rights activist. Top-ranked female Miki Sudo regained her title after missing the competition last year due to pregnancy. “This is the greatest sporting competition in the history of the world,” says one audience member dressed as a hot dog, celebrating the fact that the event “brings everybody together” for the American National holiday. 

New York (AFP) – Nathan’s Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest returns to its historic Coney Island location for the first time since the pandemic, with World Champion Joey Chestnut keeping his title but falling short of breaking a record and briefly interrupted by an animal rights activist. 

Liverpool (Australia) (AFP) – Australian firefighters and rescue workers help stranded drivers on a flooded road and evacuate residents in Liverpool, New South Wales. 

Highland Park (United States) (AFP) – Police officers guard the scene of a mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. At least six people were killed and 19 injured, according to published reports. IMAGES 

Shanes Park (Australia) (AFP) – Images of flooding in Shanes Park, a suburb in Sydney on Tuesday. The flooding follows torrential east coast rains which have prompted evacuations. DURATION: 01:20

Mecca (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Muslim worshippers from across the world flock to the Grand Mosque in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca to perform the Tawaf, or circumambulating the Kaaba, during the first ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, set to start on Wednesday.

Canazei (Italy) (AFP) – Rescuers have warned that hopes of finding survivors are diminishing after an avalanche set off by the collapse of an Italian glacier during a heatwave killed at least seven people. Authorities said they did not know how many climbers were caught when the glacier gave way on Sunday on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites.

Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to press ahead with Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine after troops took control of the entire Lugansk region.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ivan Sukhanov and his family used to go to the shores of the Black Sea for summer holidays. But this year, they will go no further than the beaches on the banks of the Dnieper, in the heart of Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital has many sandy beaches, usually crowded during the hot summer weather. But on this first weekend of July, despite temperatures close to 30°, there are no crowds, three months after the withdrawal of Russian forces from the region.

London (AFP) – The world’s largest giant waterlily – and the first to be discovered in over a century – is unveiled at London’s Kew Gardens, whose herbarium has been home to misidentified plant species for 177 years. The species was uncovered by a team in the UK and partners Bolivia (where the plant is native) using a blend of modern science, including DNA analysis and molecular technology, and the centuries-old practice of botanical drawings. It is the world’s third giant waterlily.

Tokyo (AFP) – They say you never forget your first love, and after pining for his stolen guitar for almost half a century, Canadian rock star Randy Bachman has finally been reunited with the instrument which an eagle-eyed fan tracked down in Japan. Bachman, who wrote the original “American Woman” with his band The Guess Who, was in Tokyo for the emotional handover on Friday — 46 years after his cherished orange Gretsch was snatched from a Toronto hotel. DURATION: 02:16

Bogota (AFP) – Thousands marched with rainbow flags in an annual gay pride parade in Colombia’s capital Bogota. “I am marching for sensitivity, to create more opportunities on the road,” says a member of the LGBT+ community.