AFP Video

Images of the Independence Square in Kyiv and a display of seized Russian military equipment in the city as Ukraine marks 6 months of war.

Chongqing (China) (AFP) – The riverbed of the Jialing river in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing, a tributary of the Yangtze river, runs dry as the country is hit by record temperatures and droughts.

Beirut (AFP) – Relatives of the victims of Beirut’s deadly 2020 port explosion protest after a large section of the damaged structure collapsed, calling for the remaining block to be preserved as a memorial to those killed. The damaged complex has come to symbolise the deadly explosion, but also state negligence and corruption, which many Lebanese blame for the blast.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – “This is definitely not our responsibility”, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Crimea Platform conference, after Russia accused Ukrainian intelligence of being behind the car bomb that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of an ultranationalist intellectual allied with Vladimir Putin. The bombing had apparently targeted Dugina’s father Alexander Dugin.

Makaylab (Sudan) (AFP) – After torrential rains caused floods in Sudan’s River Nile state which killed at least 52, people are left to sift through the wreckage of the thousands of homes the floods destroyed. In inundated Makaylab village, some 400 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum, residents lament the destruction the water left behind – and fear that the rains could just be the start of an even worse autumn to come.

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Outside the house of Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Kirchner, her supporters and opponents hold rival rallies after she was accused of corruption by a public prosecutor. Riot police have to hold back the two competing demonstrations, with the former president facing a potential 12-year jail sentence.

Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says there can be “no mercy” for those behind a car bombing that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of ultranationalist intellectual Alexander Dugin who has claimed to be close to President Vladimir Putin. Moscow says Ukrainian intelligence was behind the attack — a claim dismissed by Kyiv.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – On the country’s National Flag Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promises that the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag will fly over all of Ukraine – including Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014. “No matter how someone tries to twist history, these colours are historically associated with Crimea,” Zelensky says.

Helsinki (AFP) – With Russian tourists using Finland as a stop-off on the way to Europe, Porsches, Bentleys and other luxury cars with Russian licence plates are filling up the parking garage at Helsinki’s airport. The European Union shut its airspace to Russian planes after Moscow invaded Ukraine, forcing anyone who wants to travel to Europe to drive across the border or take a longer route using non-Western airlines.

Catanzaro (Italy) (AFP) – A luxury yacht sinks some 15 km off the coast of Catanzaro, in southern Italy. All four passengers and five crew members were rescued from the 40-metre vessel, which was heading from Gallipoli to Milazzo when it sank. The reason the yacht sank is unclear and an investigation has been opened.