Images released by Russia’s emergency services show rescuers responding in the aftermath of shelling on the city of Belgorod. Regional authorities said at least 10 people were killed in the attack on the city, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine, blaming it on the Ukrainian army.
Niamey (Niger) (AFP) – Thousands of people gather near a former French military base in Niamey, Niger, to celebrate the departure of the last French troops deployed in the country for anti-jihadist operations in west Africa’s Sahel region. The celebratory rally is attended by the prime ministers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, all of which are former French colonies.
Ebbsfleet (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Water pours into a tunnel used by Eurostar trains, near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent, in the south of England. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Southeastern said: “No highspeed trains are expected to run today between St Pancras and Ashford International. We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels.”
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Doctors at the Nasser Hospital say they are “are functioning at 300% of our 100% capacity”, amid shortages of medical supplies and beds for the wounded in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Fighting between Israel and Hamas is raging in the besieged Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, and 250 people taken hostage, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a relentless air and ground offensive that has killed at least 21,507 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Clouds of smoke rise in Khan Yunis following Israeli air strikes. Fighting between Israel and Hamas is raging in the besieged Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, and 250 people taken hostage, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a relentless air and ground offensive that has killed at least 21,507 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The Israeli army releases footage showing what it says is the identification and destruction of a Hamas tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip. Fighting between Israel and Hamas is raging in the besieged Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, and 250 people taken hostage, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a relentless air and ground offensive that has killed at least 21,507 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s once-prominent opposition Civic Party cleared its headquarters and shuttered its doors after nearly 18 years of its founding, as Beijing continues to quell dissent.
Kalecik (Turkey) (AFP) – Drinkers are getting into something of a fizz over Turkish sparkling wine. Despite the dominance of French champagne, Spanish cava and Italian prosecco in the market, one Turkish bubbly — made from a local grape variety that almost died out in the 1980s — won the gold medal for the Best Sparkling Wine in the World at a competition in France in 2020.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s defence ministry says the army has struck all its targets in dozens of strikes on Ukraine over a week, the latest of which killed at least 18 people and wounded over a hundred in one of the most massive air attacks of the conflict. Schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades and blocks of flats were among the buildings hit in the barrage, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – More than a dozen people have been killed and around a hundred wounded after Russia unleashed its latest wave of strikes on cities across Ukraine. Fires broke out in the capital Kyiv and southern city of Kherson as a result, whilst a missile hit a shopping centre in the city of Dnipro.
