Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen’s Huthi rebels claim responsibility for a missile attack targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion airport. The Israeli military said it intercepted the strike. “The operation successfully achieved its objective,” says Huthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, “sending millions of Israelis rushing to shelters”.
London (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says the United Kingdom and the European Union were stronger when Britain was a member of the bloc. “I’m very respectful for the voice of people and the choice your country made,” he tells a City of London banquet. “But I have to say the European Union was stronger with you, and you were stronger with the European Union.”
Taipeh (AFP) – Air raid sirens blare through a Taipei supermarket as a dozen shoppers and staff take part in an urban resilience drill, practising how to shelter during a crisis. The exercise comes as Taiwan holds its annual military drills to prepare the self-ruled island for a potential Chinese attack. “As soon as I got into the supermarket, it became an air raid drill,” one shopper tells AFP. “I think it’s good to participate because you learn what you should do and won’t panic.”
Chonburi (Thailand) (AFP) – Thailand’s pygmy hippo Moo Deng marks her first birthday at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, drawing crowds of diehard fans even as she left behind the cute animal infancy that earned her worldwide internet fame. IMAGES
Kandahar (Afghanistan) (AFP) – As temperatures soar in southern Afghanistan, taxi drivers in Kandahar have taken to installing handmade cooling systems on their vehicles to beat the heat. “These cars’ AC systems didn’t work, and repairs were too expensive,” says taxi driver Gul Mohammad. “So I went to a technician, had a custom cooler made by hand, and installed it in my car.”
Hsinchu (Taiwan) (AFP) – The Taiwanese army conducts live-fire drills with its first batch of the advanced US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks, as the island holds its largest military drills — the “Han Kuang” Exercise — joined by a record mobilisation of reservists for 10 days of training aimed at defending against a Chinese invasion. IMAGES
Hegra (Norway) (AFP) – Norway’s iconic wild salmon is in dramatic decline, a victim of fish farming and climate change. The species’ plummeting stocks have sparked concern among sport anglers and those who make a living from the hobby, which has become part of the country’s DNA. Last year, authorities suspended fishing in 33 waterways and have this year imposed new restrictions in an effort to arrest the decline. In 2021, the fish was placed on Norway’s red list of near-endangered species.
Undisclosed (Ukraine) (AFP) – Working along a road in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Denis and his team of military engineers are installing netting, the latest measure to combat the waves of Russian drones targetting the country. “When a drone hits the net, it short-circuits,” he explains. On Wednesday 9 July, Russia launched its largest strike yet, with Ukrainian authorities reporting 728 drones and 13 missiles.
Marseille (AFP) – The wildfire menacing the southern French city of Marseille has reduced but is “not yet under control or fully contained,” according to the city’s mayor. The fire forced Marseille airport to close and interrupted train traffic, fuelled by strong winds and parched vegetation after a heatwave. Marseille mayor Benoit Payan describes it as “an extremely violent, fast-moving fire.”
Beijing (AFP) – Beijing dismisses claims made by Berlin that the Chinese military directed a laser at a German aircraft over the Red Sea as “completely inconsistent with the facts”. The German foreign ministry claimed that a plane participating in an EU-led mission to protest marine traffic was targetted, endangering personnel.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong football fans queue for hours to snap pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies and jerseys at an exhibition billed as the first of its kind outside the superstar’s native Portugal.
Yantai (China) (AFP) – Chinese farmers are attending “livestreaming bootcamps” to learn how to connect directly with consumers via their mobile phones. For 56-year-old farmer Gao Chaorong, it’s not enough just to grow crops, she says farmers need to appeal to China’s online crowd to sell their produce. The number of new rural creators, like Gao, has soared 52 percent on China’s TikTok sister app Douyin over the past year.
