Leuven (Belgium) (AFP) – Speaking at an EU-US Trade and Technology Council in Leuven alongside European officials, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that while the US welcomes Israel’s move to allow temporary aid deliveries into northern Gaza, “the real test is results”, marking a shift in Washington’s policy over Israel’s war against Hamas militants.
Quito (AFP) – Images of the Mexican embassy in Quito after Ecuador asked the country’s ambassador to leave the country, declaring her “persona non grata” over President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s of Ecuador’s elections in which a candidate was assassinated. IMAGES
Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc (Canada) (AFP) – An abundance of critical minerals in Canada’s Quebec province is attracting a lot of interest from mining companies but their claims –- sometimes on residential properties –- are causing worries for homeowners.
Lezhë (Albania) (AFP) – Long considered a Garden of Eden for migratory birds, the Vain Lagoon along the northern Albanian coast has been increasingly abandoned by a range of species as rising temperatures wreak havoc on wetlands across the country.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Standing at 1.91 metres, 18-year-old Sarah Chaari is world No. 1 in taekwondo under 67 kilos. She won her ticket to the Paris Olympics at the prestigious Manchester Grand Prix last December.
Moscow (AFP) – Speaking during a congress meeting in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin has “every reason to believe that the main goal of those who ordered the bloody, horrific terror attack in Moscow was to inflict damage on our unity,” referring to a deadly attack on the capital’s concert hall in March. Moscow has repeatedly tried to blame Kyiv or the West for the attack, claims that Ukraine and Western leaders have denied.
Hualien (Taiwan) (AFP) – People staying at a government-run shelter set up at an elementary school describe how they escaped their buildings after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit Taiwan’s Hualien a day earlier. “That one was scary, the other ones were quite okay. The other earthquakes so far in Taiwan were quite okay. That one was different,” says Hendri Sutrisno.
Saint-Denis (France) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron has “no doubt” that Russia is targeting the organisation of the Olympic Games, “including in terms of information”, by suggesting that Paris is not ready.
Washington (AFP) – US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Washington backs Palestinian statehood but after talks with Israel and not through full membership at the United Nations. “That is something that should be done through direct negotiations through the parties and not at the United Nations,” Miller says, going on to call the Israeli army strike that killed seven aid workers of the food charity World Central Kitchen “a tragedy that should have never happened”.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Rescuers rush to evacuate people from damaged buildings after overnight Russian air strikes in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv killed four people and injured 11, according to officials. Three of them were rescue workers, killed in a strike on a residential building.
