Corumba, Mato Grosso do Sul (AFP) – Devastating wildfires ravage Brazil’s Pantanal area, the world’s largest tropical wetlands, triggering authorities to declare a state of emergency. The surge of fires before the peak of the dry season has raised alarm for the Pantanal, which extends into Bolivia and Paraguay and is home to a rich array of wildlife, including the world’s highest density of jaguars.
Nairobi (AFP) – Five people were shot dead and dozens wounded in Kenya in mounting anti-tax hike protests, NGOs said, as police clashed with demonstrators who stormed the parliament compound in Nairobi.
Beirut (AFP) – Senior Lebanese officials defend procedures at Beirut airport during a tour for journalists and diplomats after a British daily alleged Hezbollah was storing weapons at the facility. On 23 June, the Telegraph reported that Hezbollah was storing missiles and rockets at Beirut airport, where “whistleblowers” had reported the arrival of “unusually big boxes” from Iran. Hezbollah has not made any official comment.
Paris (AFP) – Draped, sequined, and in motion, the House of Dior pays tribute to the Olympics during Paris Fashion Week, almost one month before the start of the Paris Games, with mythological silhouettes and a sportier series of couture swimsuits.
Bureij (AFP) – “God willing, when the war ends, I will repair my shop,” says hairdresser and barber Abdullah Ramadan as he reopens his salon amid the rubble in the Bureij camp in Gaza. 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 37,658 people in Gaza, says the Hamas-run health ministry.
Belmarsh (AFP) – Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, says he “stands for truth and justice” in a pre-recorded statement as Assange is released from a British prison after reaching a plea deal with US authorities.
Port-au-Prince (AFP) – A surge of gang violence has upended life in the impoverished Caribbean nation and made medical care even more difficult to attain. N°34YH89P
London (AFP) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison in Britain and is set to face a final court hearing after reaching a plea deal with US authorities that brings to a close his years-long legal drama.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announces that he is replacing a high-ranking army official who was leading troops in the country’s embattled east after he was accused of incompetence and abuse of power during the Russian invasion.
Kungälv (Sweden) (AFP) – Around a century after they disappeared from the country, biologists and experts are reintroducing the Atlantic sturgeon into Swedish waters. 100 youngsters are the first to be let loose in the Göta river, north of Gothenburg. The species is considered endangered and even extinct in many of its original habitats.
