Vlorë (Albania) (AFP) – Beneath the crystal-clear water of the Albanian Riviera, shells and grenades dating back to World War II rust on the seabed, polluting the water and threatening lives. Divers have to go fishing for these corroded explosives – a tricky and potentially dangerous task.
Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Maksym Sologub extinguishes the fire at his grandmother’s house following an airstrike in the suburbs of Sloviansk – with a little help from his friends. “In the village where I live, people have become closer to each other. We stick together, help each other,” he says.
New Taipei City (Taiwan) (AFP) – Taiwan conducts its largest-ever disaster preparedness drill with mock scenarios from the Ukraine war and an invasion from mainland China. More than 1,800 personnel participate in the annual exercise outside of capital city Taipei.
Colombo (AFP) – Images of a Saudia plane landing in Singapore thought to be carrying Sri Lanka president from the Maldives. Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka Wednesday after his palace was overrun by protesters at the weekend.
Ourém (Portugal) (AFP) – In Portugal, firefighters battle a blaze which has ravaged thousands of hectares of land in the central municipality of Ourem since Thursday.
Colombo (AFP) – Dozens of Sri Lankans gather outside the president’s office in Colombo on Thursday morning as representatives of the anti-government demonstration said they were in talks to hand back official buildings they seized, even as they insisted the president and prime minister both quit in the face of an economic crisis.
Beirut (AFP) – The “Buck” supermoon, the brightest moon of the year due to its closeness to earth, rises over Beirut.
Panama City (AFP) – Demonstrations against fuel price hikes and corruption have been going on for more than two weeks in Panama, in one of the largest waves of protests in the country in the last three decades.
Manicoré (Brazil) (AFP) – Die-hard Brazilian tree climbers aren’t just trying to be in touch with their primate side: they are helping scientists discover the wonders of the Amazon. Their work installing cameras and collecting samples in the rainforest’s canopy is very risky – but it’s crucial to our understanding of one of the world’s most diverse habitats, about which we still know so little.
Landiras (France) (AFP) – Fires raging in the pine forests of the Gironde region of France have already burnt 1,000 hectares in Landiras, some 40 kilometres south of Bordeaux. “It was apocalyptic,” says the village’s mayor, speaking of flames 30 metres high in the middle of the night.
