Rome (AFP) – Visitors in Rome, struck by the heatwave, arm themselves with hats and umbrellas to brave the hot temperatures. Italian hospitals have seen an uptick in heatstroke cases in elderly and vulnerable patients — particularly among those living in cities. Scientists say the “urban heat island” effect means the air in densely-populated and built-up areas experience is far more humid than in rural areas.
Belgrade (AFP) – Aerial images taken at night of tens of thousands of protesters in central Belgrade, who demand early elections after months of student-led strikes. Anti-graft protests have rocked the Balkan nation since November when the roof of a train station collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people — a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption. IMAGES
Caracas (AFP) – Colourfully-clad revellers participate in Caracas’ Pride march. IMAGES
Glastonbury (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A massive crowd at Glastonbury welcomes Lewis Capaldi with huge cheers as the Scottish singer staged a surprise comeback at the British music festival’s main Pyramid Stage. The crowd sings “oh Lewis Capaldi” as he walks out, returning to the stage where two years previously he decided to take a break after being unable to finish his hit song – Someone You Loved. “It was sentimental,” says Charlie Boi, an entrepeneur. “We were here last time when he had the complications so it was nice seeing him make that comeback in full effect.”
Bangkok (AFP) – Thousands of anti-government protesters rally in Bangkok, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign after a leaked diplomatic phone call stirred public anger over her leadership.
Washington (AFP) – Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a peace agreement in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas. The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast swathes of territory. Rwanda has denied having links to the M23 rebels. It has called its military activity in the region a “defensive” measure against forces such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. US President Donald Trump called the deal “pivotal”, adding that it would be an opportunity for the US to access DR Congo’s mineral wealth.
Venice (AFP) – Numerous celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Ellie Goulding, Tom Brady and Oprah Winfrey, leave their hotel in Venice to attend the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez.
Seville (Spain) (AFP) – As a heatwave grips Europe, temperatures in Seville reach 42 degrees Celsius, prompting locals and visitors alike to seek ways to stay cool. In Rome, temperatures have reached highs of 38 degrees Celsius. The island of Sicily in the south has banned outdoor working during the hottest part of the day. Italy’s trade unions calling for the policy to be extended.
Bangkok (AFP) – Thousands of anti-government protesters rally in Bangkok, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign after a leaked diplomatic phone call stirred public anger over her leadership. IMAGES
Geneva (AFP) – All hypotheses on how the Covid-19 pandemic began remain on the table, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says following an inconclusive investigation into the global catastrophe’s origins. He says WHO aren’t ruling out any hypotheses — including a lab leak or zoonotic spillover (transmission from animal to human).
Lund (Sweden) (AFP) – Their little mouse houses, which appeared without warning on streets, have attracted crowds in Sweden and abroad for nearly a decade. But the previously-anonymous artistic duo “Anonymouse” announced in the spring the end of this project, after creating up to 40 urban artworks and gathering hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Now, six of their buildings, which have decoration so intricate they resemble movie sets, are being exhibited for the first time in the Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art in Lund in Southern Sweden.
New York (AFP) – Magazine legend Anna Wintour has stepped down as editor of US Vogue after 37 years during which she was often hailed as the single most influential figure in the fashion world.
