Cienega de Zapata (Cuba) (AFP) – The wings of the world’s smallest birds are an almost invisible blur as they whiz around tourists visiting Bernabe Hernandez’s private garden in Cuba, transformed into a haven for a hummingbird found only on the island. The small bird is listed as “near-threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Jos (Nigeria) (AFP) – At least 21 people have been killed when their school, the Saint Academy, collapsed in Jos, central Nigeria. The victims were mostly pupils sitting their exams. Building disasters are fairly common in Africa’s most populous nation, mainly due to lax enforcement of construction standards, negligence and low-quality materials.
Dar Bel Amri (Morocco) (AFP) – In the sun-baked village of Dar Bel Amri, north of Morocco’s capital Rabat, land workers wait idly by the roadside for farm work made scarce by a six-year drought. “There’s nothing for us. I’m 66, is anyone going to offer me a job? No,” says farmer Benaissa Kaaouan.
Hall’s Harbour (Canada) (AFP) – A bridge in Hall’s Habour has collapsed after flash floods hit the fishing village in Canada’s Nova Scotia province. The floods, caused by the arrival of Hurricane Beryl, killed one person on 11 July, after 100 mm of rain fell in a few hours on the eastern coast of Canada.
Nicosia (AFP) – Fifty years on from an invasion that carved the island of Cyprus in two, many residents, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, still hope for a solution. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 still a divided island, while the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus remains isolated internationally, recognised only by Turkey.
Constantí (Spain) (AFP) – In the dead of night, armed Spanish police raid homes in a small Catalan town, looking for hidden marijuana plantations run by criminal gangs with serious firepower. The wealthy northeastern region of Spain has become a production hub for cannabis and, as a result, guns are becoming increasingly common, with instances of armed violence on the rise.
Quito (AFP) – Images of a court in Quito after the main suspect in the assassination of Ecuadoran presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot dead just before the country’s 2023 election, has been sentenced to more than 34 years in prison. IMAGES
Mardin (Turkey) (AFP) – In Turkey’s Mardin province, after a fire which killed more than 1,000 animals and 15 people, farmers and veterinarians work hard to heal the injured animals.
Simaltar (Nepal) (AFP) – “I swam and grabbed a branch on the hill,” says Jugeshwor Ray Yadav, a survivor of a landslide in Nepal that swept two buses off a highway and into a river. According to authorities, more than 60 people are missing after the accident in the central district of Chitwan.
Edirne (Turkey) (AFP) – Early July marks the beginning of the “Kirkpinar”, a centuries-old oil wrestling festival in Edirne, north-west Turkey. A traditional Turkish form of wrestling, the sport sees athletes compete while doused in olive oil. “This is our Olympic Games, the home ground of our ancestors”, says Murat Kalender, a 27-year-old wrestler hungry to win.
Kabul (AFP) – On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee.
Cape Coral (United States) (AFP) – Fernando Dayan Jorge Enriquez, a champion sprint canoeist who fled his native Cuba three years ago, will head to the Paris Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. Jorge Enriquez gave Cuba a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, but after defecting and crossing the US border with Mexico, he now trains in canals that crisscross Cape Coral, Florida.
