Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – Around the frontline of Bakhmut, Ukrainian servicemen fire a German Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer as they continue to target Russian positions. But the unit claims the self-propelled weapon is unsuitable for the conditions of the region, as many brigades across Ukraine receive NATO training and tanks as part of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive.
Levallois-Perret (France) (AFP) – Every day since 1980, the Belenos – a 20-metre catamaran equipped with a conveyor belt – is out on the Seine waters cleaning the floating waste. It now has a new mission: to help make the river swimmable in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Tokyo (AFP) – A new Harry Potter studio opens its doors in Tokyo. Spread over a 30,000 square-metre site, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo “The Making of Harry Potter” has overtaken its London predecessor by becoming the world’s largest indoor Harry Potter attraction.
Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Spain midfielder Rodri Hernandez insists beating Croatia in Sunday’s Nations League is “very important” to the team “after all this time” without a trophy. A win would give Spain a “better mentality going into future tournaments”, he explains.
Hezreh (Syria) (AFP) – At a rubbish dump in the impoverished rebel enclave of Idlib province, both men and boys rummage for plastic to be sold and transformed into floor rugs and other recycled items. In war-torn Syria, recycling is rarely an environmental impulse but rather a grim lifeline for needy residents looking for work.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Mali’s foreign minister calls for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in his country. “The government of Mali calls for the withdrawal without delay of Minusma,” the name of the United Nations force in Mali, says Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, during a Security Council meeting.
Assinie-Mafia (Ivory Coast) (AFP) – A hundred kilometers east of Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, the lagoon that winds between the villages of the commune of Assine isolates the residents, cutting them off from easy access to emergency medical care. The solution? An ambulance boat. N°33JV23C
New York (AFP) – Flashing peace signs and with a cocktail in hand, American rapper Post Malone walked the red carpet at the Songwriters Hall of Fame gala before receiving the Hal David Starlight Award, honoring songwriters at the apex of their careers and making a significant impact in the music industry.
Washington (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that his coming visit to China aims to open up better communications “by addressing misperceptions and avoiding miscalculations.”
Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, a “disgrace” to the Jewish people. “I have many Jewish friends from my childhood. They say that Zelensky is not Jewish, that he is a disgrace,” Putin tells an annual economic forum in Saint Petersburg.
