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.
Geneva (AFP) – The United Nations voices deep concern over what it says is a climate of fear in Venezuela following the country’s disputed presidential election results. A UN human rights spokesperson says they are troubled by the high number of arbitrary detentions and the disproportionate use of force.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine says it is not interested in “taking over” territory it has captured during its cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, calling Ukrainian operations there “absolutely legitimate”. “Ukraine is not interested in taking over the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” says Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy during a press conference.
Chiayi City (Taiwan) (AFP) – Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusc farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool”.
