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New York (AFP) – Supporters join SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America members as they hold a “National Day of Solidarity” rally outside the Amazon and HBO offices in New York.

Beijing (AFP) – North Korea’s first international commercial flight in three years has landed in Beijing as Pyongyang shows tentative signs of easing its prolonged Covid isolation. North Korea shut its borders in early 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are increasing signals the country may be moving towards reopening. A previously scheduled North Korean flight to Beijing on 21 August was abruptly cancelled, with no official reason given.

Johannesburg (AFP) – Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives in South Africa to attend the BRICS summit, a loose association of major emerging economies which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and this year’s host, South Africa. Lula was greeted on the tarmac by Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, with a traditional dance performance.

Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) – Ever since authorities in northeast Nigeria closed a dozen camps for people displaced by the region’s jihadist conflict, those still open have found themselves overwhelmed, with food aid more and more scarce. But for most, returning to their homes is not an option — where danger and insecurity remain.

Alexandroupoli (Greece) (AFP) – Images of wildfires spreading and its aftermath near the Greek city of Alexandroupoli, as the country continues to battle the deadly brazes. The flames killed two and forced widespread evacuations in the second deadly wave of fires in a month. IMAGES

Tokyo (AFP) – The release of wastewater from Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific will begin on Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announces, despite opposition from fishermen and protests by China.

Montaña de Izaña (Spain) (AFP) – Firefighters on the Spanish island of Tenerife are still battling a wildfire that has burnt at least 14,900 hectares so far and caused more than 12,000 people to flee, according to local authorities. The blaze broke out on 15 August in a mountainous northeastern area, quickly morphing into the Canary Islands’ biggest-ever wildfire. Authorities have said it appears that the fire was started deliberately.

Cathedral City (United States) (AFP) – Images show a road damaged by flooding in Cathedral City, California, where the police department announced an outage of the emergency 911 call line on Sunday night, advising people to head to the nearest fire or police station in person. Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California with record rainfall, shutting down schools, roads and businesses before edging in on Nevada on Monday.

Palmdale (United States) (AFP) – Tractors clear mud as partial flooding and road closures hit Palmdale, California after Tropical Storm Hilary. The storm drenched Southern California with record rainfall, shutting down schools, roads and businesses in the typically dry area.

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A British nurse has been jailed for life, with no prospect of release, for murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to kill six others while they were in her care. Lucy Letby, 33, was convicted of killing five baby boys and two baby girls, making her the UK’s most prolific child serial killer in modern history. She was arrested following a string of baby deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between June 2015 and June 2016.