In northern Afghanistan's Balkh province along the border with Uzbekistan, residents tell VOA that since the Taliban have seized control, they have imposed severe new restrictions on locals. Journalist Gul Rahim Niazman reports from Balkh district in the province.
Novi Sad (Serbia) (AFP) – Serbia's Exit Festival, one of Europe's biggest, is the first large festival to go ahead on the continent since the pandemic began. Organisers expect more than 160,000 people from dozens of countries to attend, saying the event will serve as a "case study" for the industry that was hard-hit by the pandemic.
Bedford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The largest Italian community in England, with 17,000 people running businesses all over town, is preparing for a festive weekend ahead of Italy’s European Championship football final against England on Sunday. Local business owners say the evening of the final will be “absolutely crazy”.
Sri Ganganagar (India) (AFP) – India’s poor seek ways to keep cool under the scorching sun in desert city Sri Ganganagar where — as in many parts of India — people struggle to find respite from a warming planet.
Novi Sad (Serbia) (AFP) – Serbia’s Exit Festival, one of Europe’s biggest, is the first large festival to go ahead on the continent since the pandemic began. Organisers expect more than 160,000 people from dozens of countries to attend, saying the event will serve as a “case study” for the industry that was hard-hit by the pandemic.
Two bronze statues of Confederate generals are being removed from public property in Charlottesville, Virginia, almost four years after the statues were the flashpoint for the violent "Unite the Right" rally that left one person dead and many others injured.
An unprecedented heat wave that engulfed Western Canada has hit hard the region's agriculture industry by reducing the yields of crops and increasing the mortality rate of animals.
As President Biden announced the final U.S. withdrawal from the 20-year conflict, the Taliban claimed it controls 85% of Afghan territory. 'It was easy for Afghanistan to point at us as occupiers,' says Carter Malkasian, author of "The American War in Afghanistan.
Elie Honig, author of 'Hatchet Man,' says Bill Barr is a 'legal extremist' who made certain that President Trump 'could not be touched,' and 'was one of the leading cheerleaders for the lie of election fraud.'
After Pfizer announced that it is seeing waning immunity from its coronavirus vaccine and it will seek emergency use authorization from the FDA in August for a booster dose, the FDA and the CDC released a joint statement saying boosters were not needed yet.
Rosario (Argentina) (AFP) – The emblem and players of Argentina's national football team are projected onto the National Flag Monument in Rosario, Messi's hometown, ahead of the Copa America final against Brazil.
Havana (AFP) – “We are in a position to extend vaccination to the rest of the country,” says Marta Ayala, director of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), as Cuba approves emergency use of its home-grown Abdala Covid vaccine, the first Latin American coronavirus jab to reach this stage.
