Jakarta (AFP) – Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo warns against turning the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) into “an arena for rivalries that cause destruction” at an opening ceremony for the ASEAN summit in Jakarta. Southeast Asian leaders will be in the Indonesian capital for a three-day summit focused on finding a united voice on the years-long Myanmar crisis.
Nairobi (AFP) – African heads of state and other world leaders, including representatives from the UN and EU, gather in Nairobi for a landmark African Climate Summit aimed at showcasing the continent’s potential as a green powerhouse. The conference saw its most significant pledge so far when the UAE announced $4.5 billion in clean energy investments in Africa.
Hai Duong (Vietnam) (AFP) – When Nguyen Truong Chinh last visited his son Nguyen Van Chuong, a deathrow inmate in Vietnam, they cried together ahead of his imminent execution for a crime they say he did not commit. Chinh, 77, has been campaigning to free his son — whose murder conviction came after allegations of torture — for 16 years, and faces regular harassment in a country whose hard-line communist administration stifles dissent.
Istanbul (AFP) – Fans rejoice after Turkey defeated Serbia in the Euro-2023 women’s volleyball tournament.
Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport (France) (AFP) – “I will start my life, start my job here. And I’m happy because I’m free,” says women’s rights activist Naveen Hashim after she arrived in France along with four other Afghan women who were threatened by the Taliban. The women had been unable to leave Afghanistan on airlifts to Western countries when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Jakarta (AFP) – Southeast Asian leaders meet in Indonesia to seek a united voice on the years-long Myanmar crisis and tackle rifts including China’s growing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea.
Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin says he is “ready to promote” a return to the Black Sea grain deal initiative provided Russia’s demands are met, which would primarily involve removing sanctions on Russian exports and agricultural technology. However, both Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan insist they will go ahead with plans to implement a separate initiative to directly deliver tens of thousands of tons of grain to six African countries. The comments come at a press conference following bilateral Russo-Turkish talks aimed at reviving the Black Sea grain deal.
Venice (AFP) – Traditional Italian boats and gondolas parade down Venice’s Grand Canal for the city’s annual Historical Regatta. “As a Venetian it is always a wonderful experience every year to see it,” says Martina Eckel.
Chamonix (France) (AFP) – Twenty years after it started, the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail is still full of surprises. American Courtney Dauwalter and her compatriot Jim Walmsley have won the 20th edition of the 173 km race. Crossing the line in first place after 23 hours 29 minutes and 14 seconds, Dauwalter became the first athlete of any gender to win three major ultra races in the same year.
Taitung (Taiwan) (AFP) – Typhoon Haikui toppled hundreds of trees, damaged coastal roads and dumped torrential rains across Taiwan Monday before it weakened into a severe storm and headed for southern China.
