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New Delhi (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends celebrations at New Delhi’s Red Fort to mark the 77th anniversary of the country’s independence.

London (AFP) – Chatting and laughing, drinks in hand, around 70 young women have gathered in a London pub with one aim: to find the ideal housemates. Most would like to live alone, but this is widely impossible in a city plagued by high rents. Instead they have signed up and paid for an event designed to fast-track a search process that can take months.

Dhaka (AFP) – Gone are the slogans demanding the “killer dictator” quit: if you ask Bangladesh’s youth whether they’re hopeful about the future, the writing literally is on the wall. Students who led the weeks of protests that toppled autocratic premier Sheikh Hasina are back on the streets to give the capital Dhaka a makeover.

Tel Aviv (AFP) – “Until now, Hamas has continued to set terms and refused to reach an agreement,” says Israeli government spokesman David Mencer during an online press briefing, as ceasefire talks are set to resume on August 15.

(AFP) – Ukraine is pressing ahead with its surprise offensive in Russian territory, bombarding the border region of Belgorod, where the governor has declared a state of emergency.

London (AFP) – Elusive street artist Banksy unveiled nine animal-themed murals in nine days. The series started with a goat, followed by two elephants the next day and then monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat, piranhas and a rhinoceros in subsequent days.

Bagram (AFP) – Taliban authorities mark the third anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan with a military parade in Bagram. Taliban forces seized the capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile. The anniversary is marked a day earlier on the Afghan calendar.

Beijing (AFP) – The next generation of Chinese diving champions is being trained at a Beijing swimming pool. Many are inspired by the recent Paris Olympics, where China completed a clean sweep of all eight gold medals in a historic first.

Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) – The taps have run dry, and the wells are almost empty. In Arbil, capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, Babir hasn’t bathed in weeks and impatiently waits for trucked-in water deliveries. The water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have plummeted and the UN now classifies Iraq as one of the countries most impacted by some effects of climate change.

Penteli (Greece) (AFP) – Greek emergency services say they have made progress to contain the spread of wildfires that have scorched the Athens suburbs, causing widespread damage and forcing thousands to flee their homes. At least one woman has died, with her body found in a burned-out factory.

Caracas (AFP) – At least eight people have died after a gas leak caused an explosion and the collapse of a house in a Caracas slum. The incident took place on August 12 in the Union de Petare neighborhood, the largest in Venezuela. IMAGES

La Ceja (Colombia) (AFP) – Deep in Colombia’s northwestern forests, an orchid enthusiast has gathered a colorful collection of nearly 25,000 specimens, some of which he is cloning to protect them from extinction. Around the world, the unique flowering plants are increasingly threatened by the slashing down of forests, where most orchids are found. Agricultural technologist Daniel Piedrahita, 62, has made it his life’s mission to preserve the flowers at his sanctuary dubbed “The Soul of the Forest” in La Ceja, a town in the department of Antioquia. Colombia, which will host the COP16 UN biodiversity summit later this year, has the world’s largest number of orchid species, and new varieties are regularly discovered.