Kallakurichi (India) (AFP) – A batch of toxic illegal alcohol has killed at least 34 people in India, with more than 100 others rushed to hospital, according to state officials. Hundreds die every year in the country from cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries.
Abha (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Saudi taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb has become the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Olympics and is dreaming of bringing home the Gulf kingdom’s first gold medal when she competes in Paris. “This is a challenge for me, as the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Olympics… I’ve reached the point where I must achieve something,” she says.
Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Torrential rains in Bangladesh trigger landslides, burying alive at least nine people – eight of them Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.
Grand Island (United States) (AFP) – Ukrainians, Afghans, and Mexicans are moving to Nebraska, a conservative bastion in the central United States — and despite Republicans’ heated political rhetoric, local businesses are welcoming the new arrivals with open arms. For President Joe Biden, the issue of immigration has become a political balancing act ahead of the November presidential election.
At sea (AFP) – The Philippine military says the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats in a violent confrontation in the South China Sea on June 17 in which a Filipino sailor lost a thumb. China has defended its actions, with its foreign ministry saying that “no direct measures” were taken against Filipino personnel.
Nuseirat (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Walking up and down the shore near central Gaza’s crowded Nuseirat camp, 17-year-old Sojood Al-Harazin is selling tea and coffee to support her family. Originally from Gaza City, she was forced south by the conflict ravaging the territory. The war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, according to an AFP tally. The militants also seized 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,300 people in Gaza, says the Hamas-run health ministry.
Madrid (AFP) – King Felipe VI marks the 10th anniversary of his accession to the Spanish throne, a decade during which he has endeavoured to restore the image of the monarchy, damaged by the excesses of his father Juan Carlos. The sovereign, Queen Letizia and their two daughters – Leonor, Princess of Asturias and heir to the throne, and Infanta Sofía – preside over the changing of the Royal Guard, the first act of the official ceremony.
London (AFP) – Chopping, frying and chatting ahead of World Refugee Day, chefs Najee and Sanobar help their Syrian colleague Faten teach family recipes to a group of young professionals. The session is taking place at the Migrateful Cookery School in central London, a charity aimed at supporting asylum seekers, refugees and migrants struggling to integrate.
Paris (AFP) – Paris Fashion Week kicks off with hip-hop mogul Pharrell Williams playing on the language of one-world unity as he stages his latest branding event for Louis Vuitton at UNESCO’s headquarters.
Beijing (AFP) – China accuses the United States of “spreading false information” after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing’s support for Russia’s defense industry was prolonging the war in Ukraine and “has to stop.”
Gorman (United States) (AFP) – California firefighters are still tackling the “Post Fire”, the state’s biggest blaze of the year so far, just north of Los Angeles. In the western United States, recent wet winters have prompted the rapid growth of vegetation, which experts warn could prove dangerous as it dries out in the weeks and months ahead.
London (AFP) – The colossal titan arum flowers in the Princess of Wales conservatory of Kew Gardens, a rare spectacle. The plant is native to the rainforests on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.
