Hong Kong (AFP) – Celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain begins with at the city’s Victoria Harbour, complete with a military flypast and a flotilla spraying plumes of water. IMAGES DURATION: 00:53
Hong Kong (AFP) – Police presence in Hong Kong ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit to the city for the its 25th anniversary of returning to China and the inaugural ceremony of the finanical hub’s sixth-term government. IMAGES
Hong Kong (AFP) – Buffeted by strong winds, a crowd including incoming chief executive John Lee watch as oldiers release the Hong Kong and Chinese flags to the sound of the national anthem to mark the 25th handover anniversary. IMAGES
magou (Grèce) (AFP) – Firefighters from several countries take part in EU-funded training ahead of their deployment across Greece this summer to prevent and fight wildfires.
Kremenchuk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Injured Ukrainian civilians recall the moment that a Russian missile hit a busy shopping centre in the city of Kremenchuk, killing at least 18 people. Western leaders have dubbed the Kremenchuk strike a war crime. Russia says it hit a depot storing Western arms, and Putin on Wednesday denied Moscow’s forces were responsible for the attack.
Madrid (AFP) – During his press conference at the NATO summit in Madrid, US President Joe Biden denounces Russia for causing the rise in gas prices, and creating the food crisis by “not allowing grain out of Ukraine.” Biden also adds that the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade is “outrageous behaviour” and a “mistake”.
Nairobi (AFP) – Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto vows to implement an ‘inclusive employment-creating economic model,’ as part of a coalition manifesto if he wins elections in August. He says the initiative would give work to those at ‘the bottom of the pyramid.’ The 55-year-old former agriculture minister is seeking to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta who must stand down after serving the maximum of two five-year terms.
Madrid (AFP) – Russia’s pullout from the captured Snake Island in the Black Sea shows the futility of President Vladimir Putin’s strategic goals in Ukraine, says British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a press conference at the NATO summit in Madrid.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett makes a toast with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who is set to become the Jewish state’s caretaker prime minister at midnight. The pair held a ceremonial event to hand over “the responsibility for the State of Israel”, after parliament voted to dissolve itself. Bennett spent a year as Prime Minister, but his unwieldy, eight-party coalition was ultimately undone by its ideological divisions.
Cairo (AFP) – Dozens of vibrantly coloured floating homes have for decades dotted the banks of the River Nile, rare havens of leafy seclusion in the Egyptian capital’s hustle and bustle — but maybe not for much longer. Residents of the 30 or so houseboats that remain moored on the banks of the Nile last week received eviction orders, giving them less than two weeks before their homes are taken away to be demolished.
