Hamburg (AFP) – Over 1,700 fans dressed up as the fictional magician Harry Potter gather in front of the townhall in Hamburg, Germany, to break the world record of the highest number of Harry Potters in one place. The event also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book in Germany.
Crevedia (Romania) (AFP) – Burnt buildings and rubble are left after an explosion that rocked an unlicensed liquified petroleum gas station near the Romanian capital Bucharest on August 26. Officials said one person died and 57 were injured with at least eight people suffering severe burns. Prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the blast.
Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Thousands of people rush to the passport office in Afghanistan’s Western city of Herat in a bid to leave the country after the authorities announced on August 23 that they would increase the number of passports issued daily from 150-200 to more than a thousand.
Crevedia (Romania) (AFP) – One person died and 46 were injured after two explosions rocked a liquified petroleum gas station close to Romania’s capital Bucharest on August 26. The injured includes 26 firefighters who rushed to the scene in Crevedia commune, north of the capital.
Bengaluru (India) (AFP) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India’s successful Moon mission will open new avenues for other countries seeking to unravel the mysteries of the Earth’s only natural satellite. Chandrayaan-3, “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, touched down on the lunar surface on on August 23, making India the first nation to land an unmanned craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole.
Choco (Colombia) (AFP) – Facing the blue waters of Colombia’s Pacific Ocean, businessmen set their sights on a giant port, but were met with resistance from Afro-Colombians and indigenous people from the Choco region, who successfully stopped the project and preserved a piece of paradise. The Gulf of Tribuga, which connects some 600 hectares of beaches, jungle and mangroves, was the scene of a battle between local communities and big business from 2006 to 2023, before Unesco declared it a biosphere reserve in June.
Niamey (Niger) (AFP) – Niger’s coup d’etat on July 26 has been backed by military and civilian musicians who are turning out new tunes to match a surge in patriotic fervour. Among them, active military sergeant and star of the moment, Maman Sani Maigochi, hopes to galvanise soldiers.
Cape Canaveral (AFP) – NASA and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft blasts off to the International Space Station, carrying four astronauts. The Crew-7 mission is commanded by American Jasmin Moghbeli and includes Andreas Mogensen of Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa of Japan and Konstantin Borisov of Russia. They will spend 6 months on the station conducting a variety of experiments.
Minsk (AFP) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko says that members of the Wagner mercenary group will remain in his country, after the presumed death of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash on August 23. “Wagner lives, Wagner has lived and Wagner will live in Belarus” he says, suggesting that Wagner fighters, who were offered exile in his country following a short-lived uprising against Russia’s military leadership, have continued to gather in Belarus and estimated their numbers to be around 10,000.
Minsk (AFP) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko says that the plane crash that presumably killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on August 23 is “too rough and uprofessional of a job” and “doesn’t resemble Putin.” The crash took place two months after the mercenary group chief launched a short-lived rebellion against President Vladimir Putin.
