Cundinamarca (Colombia) (AFP) – Heavy rains on Wednesday complicated the search for nine people still missing after a landslide that killed at least 20 in central Colombia, authorities said.
Yamazaki (Japan) (AFP) – The famed Yamazaki distillery marks its 100th anniversary this year with plenty to celebrate, as Japan’s acclaimed aged whiskies command increasingly eye-watering prices thanks to growing demand and longstanding shortages.
Auckland (AFP) – New Zealand police commissioner Andrew Coster speaks after a gunman killed two people and wounded at least five at a building site in central Auckland, just hours before New Zealand’s biggest city hosts the opening game of the Women’s World Cup football tournament.
Auckland (AFP) – New Zealand police commissioner Andrew Coster speaks after a gunman killed two people and wounded at least five at a building site in central Auckland, just hours before New Zealand’s biggest city hosts the opening game of the Women’s World Cup football tournament.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Bruce Lee, a consummate martial artist whose films spawned a kung fu craze around the world, was one of the first Asian men to achieve Hollywood superstardom before his untimely death at 32. His influence can still be felt in Hong Kong, where he spent his childhood and final years, and fans recently held exhibitions and martial arts workshops to mark the 50th anniversary of Lee’s death.
Auckland (AFP) – Police officers stand at the site of a shooting in central Auckland. A gunman opened fire at a building site in central Auckland on Thursday in an “alarming incident” that left two people and the shooter dead, New Zealand police said.
The head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, tells a press conference in Kyiv that “countries and leaders near and far should publicly condemn” Russia’s decision to withdraw from the grain export deal negotiated last summer. “The aim was to transport food from Ukraine to the rest of the world”, where “economies are dependent on Ukrainian wheat imports”, she says.
Pyramid (United States) (AFP) – In the Nevada desert, beneath a bone-dry lakebed, real estate projects are flourishing thanks to an ambitious water project by a private company. With a 45-kilometer underground pipeline, Vidler Water Resources is bringing water from a remote ranch area straight into the rapidly sprawling northern suburbs of Reno — a gamble that could prove lucrative in a region regularly hit by droughts. But local farmers and environmentalists worry about the long-term impact of these water transfers.
Manila (AFP) – Barbie fans in the Philippines express mixed feelings at the premiere of the film about the famous doll, which almost fell foul of censors. The movie sparked scrutiny from the country’s censors over a scene with a fictitious world map criticised for allegedly showing China’s claims in the disputed South China Sea.
Odesa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian firefighters battle to extinguish the flames after a Russian strike on the city of Odesa, as seen in images released by the country’s State Emergency Service. “Brave rescuers eliminate the consequences of Russian terror. Civilian objects were again hit by the occupiers. Five people were injured”, Sergiy Kruk, the emergency sevice’s head wrote on Twitter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “deliberately” targeting grain export infrastructure in Odesa, after Moscow ended a landmark deal and lifted security guarantees in the Black Sea.
