At sea (AFP) – Rescuers are scouring the sea off southern Italy in search of survivors and the bodies of dozens of migrants after two shipwrecks left at least 11 people dead. With up to 60 migrants potentially lost at sea, the Italian coastguard said it has been looking for “possible missing persons” since late Sunday, 16 June.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (France) (AFP) – 135 years ago, Vincent van Gogh was a patient in Saint-Remy-de-Provence’s psychiatric clinic, in southern France. Today, the clinic is open exclusively to women and follows in the artist’s footsteps with a particular focus on artistic practice and van Gogh’s heritage.
Düsseldorf (Germany) (AFP) – France’s national football team captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose in his team’s 1-0 Euro 2024 win over Austria on 17 June, leaving a question mark over whether or not he will be able to play in his team’s next game against the Netherlands.
Geneva (AFP) – “The number of civilian deaths in armed conflict soared by 72 percent” in 2023 says the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, at the first day of the 56th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. “The proportion of women killed in 2023 doubled and that of children tripled,” he adds.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Protesters travel to Jerusalem to rally outside the Israeli parliament and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, clashing with police and urging new elections as part of what has been dubbed a week of disturbance by activists.
Mina (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Saudi Arabia warned of a temperature spike in Mecca as Muslim pilgrims wrapped up the hajj in searing conditions. Authorities recorded more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on June 16 alone.
Afghanistan (AFP) – Destitute Afghans forced to flee Pakistan following the country’s crackdown on undocumented migrants mark a somber Eid al-Adha in a tent encampment in the border province of Nangarhar.
Kabaw (Libya) (AFP) – Once flourishing and known for its figs, olives, and almonds, fields around Kabaw are now mostly barren and battered by climate change-induced drought, pushing villagers to foresake lands and livestock. “Most people have left this region and migrated to the capital Tripoli,” explains the village mayor Mourad Makhlouf.
Chimborazo (Ecuador) (AFP) – Emergency responders evacuate people after heavy rain triggered a landslide in a tourist region of southern Ecuador, where at least six people were killed and 30 others remain missing.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – A section of seating from a stadium in war-torn Kharkiv has been installed in Munich, hours before Ukraine took to the field for their opening game of Euro 2024. Andriy Shevchenko, head of the Ukrainian football association and the country’s all-time top scorer, was on hand to unveil the temporary exhibition.
Matsusaka (Japan) (AFP) – Far from Parisian bistros where Burgundy snails are usually served, one Japanese man has figured out how to farm the slimy species — a feat that has long eluded the French. Toshihide Takase, 76, says he is “the only person in the world” breeding this specific delicacy.
Beijing (AFP) – China hits back after G7 leaders warned Beijing to stop sending weapons components to Russia, saying their end-of-summit statement was “full of arrogance, prejudice and lies”. When the seven leaders met last week in Italy, souring trade relations with Beijing as well as tensions over Ukraine and the South China Sea were a focus of their discussions.
