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Iraq Announces 1st Cholera Death Since New Outbreak

FILE - A nurse stands outside a coronavirus vaccination room at a clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, April 21, 2021. AP
FILE - A nurse stands outside a coronavirus vaccination room at a clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, April 21, 2021. AP
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Iraq Announces 1st Cholera Death Since New Outbreak

FILE - A nurse stands outside a coronavirus vaccination room at a clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, April 21, 2021. AP
FILE - A nurse stands outside a coronavirus vaccination room at a clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, April 21, 2021. AP

A cholera outbreak in Iraq claimed its first victim Tuesday, with 17 new cases recorded in the country within 24 hours, a health ministry spokesperson said.

The death was recorded in the northern province of Kirkuk, the ministry's Seif al-Badr was quoted as saying by state media.

"Over the past 24 hours, 17 new cases were detected, bringing the total to 76 cases registered in Iraq since the start of the year," he said, according to AFP.

The outbreak was first officially reported earlier this month, with Kirkuk accounting for one of the 13 cases confirmed at that time.

The other infections were mostly concentrated in neighboring Sulaimaniyah province, in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

The country's last broad cholera outbreak dates back to 2015, Badr had said previously, with the central provinces of Baghdad and Babil to its south the worst affected.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours without medical attention.

It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

According to the World Health Organization, researchers estimate that annually there are between 1.3 million and four million cases of cholera worldwide, leading to between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths.

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Varieties

France Presses Ahead with Music Festivals Despite Extreme Heat

Two women walk in front of the sea at the beginning of the "Promenade des Anglais" on the French riviera city of Nice, on June 20, 2026. (AFP)
Two women walk in front of the sea at the beginning of the "Promenade des Anglais" on the French riviera city of Nice, on June 20, 2026. (AFP)
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France Presses Ahead with Music Festivals Despite Extreme Heat

Two women walk in front of the sea at the beginning of the "Promenade des Anglais" on the French riviera city of Nice, on June 20, 2026. (AFP)
Two women walk in front of the sea at the beginning of the "Promenade des Anglais" on the French riviera city of Nice, on June 20, 2026. (AFP)

France on Sunday prepared to host its annual street music festival in boiling heat, with a third of the country placed on red alert and alcohol consumption banned.

Every year on June 21, musicians take over France, filling street corners and rooftops as revelers celebrate midsummer late into the night.

This year, however, the Fete de la Musique coincides with a ferocious heatwave, with a record 35 departments -- roughly a third of the country -- placed under the highest heat alert.

Weather service Meteo-France warned that temperatures could reach as high as 41C in some places.

While some cities have cancelled street events, celebrations in others - including Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg - will go ahead.

Last year, around two million people attended the festival in Paris alone, many of them travelling from Britain.

To ensure public safety, authorities will deploy 4,800 police officers and gendarmes, along with 2,500 firefighters, in and around the capital.

Gatherings along the lower banks of the Seine will be prohibited to reduce the risk of people falling into the water.

According to AFP estimates, around 53 million people in France will be affected by the heat on Sunday, with a further 45 departments under orange alert.

The number of departments on red alert has reached a record high, surpassing the previous peak of 20 recorded on July 24-25, 2019.

The Atlantic port city of Nantes is offering free access to swimming pools and museums until the end of the red alert period.

Varieties

After Samurai Blue Sweep Aside Tunisia, Japan Fans Clean Up Monterrey Stadium

A fan of Japan collects trash after the World Cup Group F match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
A fan of Japan collects trash after the World Cup Group F match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
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After Samurai Blue Sweep Aside Tunisia, Japan Fans Clean Up Monterrey Stadium

A fan of Japan collects trash after the World Cup Group F match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)
A fan of Japan collects trash after the World Cup Group F match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP)

Japanese ‌fans celebrated their team's 4-0 victory over Tunisia in the 1,000th match in World Cup history on Saturday by staying behind at Monterrey’s stadium to collect rubbish from the stands.

The practice, known in Japan as gomi hiroi, reflects an emphasis on taking responsibility for shared spaces.

Ken Okawa, 30, said he was happy to bring this tradition to his very first World Cup match as he stooped down to collect discarded cups and other garbage ‌from the floor ‌around his seat.

"We are guests in ‌Mexico," ⁠he said. "I have ⁠been treated wonderfully, so this is my way of showing my appreciation."

The practice is instilled from a very young age in Japan, where schoolchildren are taught to clean up their own classrooms.

Miku Takeya, 41, said that the habit of tidying up after herself has become second ⁠nature.

"It's a natural part of our culture," she ‌said. "We do this to ‌ensure that everything we use is left clean so that the ‌next person can use it comfortably."

Images of Japanese ‌fans cleaning up in stadiums after Samurai Blue matches during this year's World Cup have gone viral.

Ahead of Saturday's match, Nuevo León Governor Samuel García said he had arranged for 20,000 ‌trash bags to be distributed in the stadium during the match, as well as ⁠at Fanfest ⁠and other tourist sites, following requests from Japanese fans, according to local media.

While this practice has captured global attention, many Japanese fans say it is nothing out of the ordinary for them.

"It's common sense in Japan," said Ichiro Oyo, 27.

Still, Ryo Matsuoka, 32, said he was proud to bring this part of Japanese culture to the world stage.

"I think it is a matter of great pride that this is being showcased in a stadium like this, where people from all over the world are watching," he said.

Varieties

French Police Raid House for Drugs and Find a Picasso

Staff members pose next to Pablo Picasso's 'Buste de femme', during a media preview by Sotheby's in central London on June 11, 2026, to highlight masterpieces from the Lewis Collection, estimated to be worth some 200 million pounds (267 million USD). (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Staff members pose next to Pablo Picasso's 'Buste de femme', during a media preview by Sotheby's in central London on June 11, 2026, to highlight masterpieces from the Lewis Collection, estimated to be worth some 200 million pounds (267 million USD). (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
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French Police Raid House for Drugs and Find a Picasso

Staff members pose next to Pablo Picasso's 'Buste de femme', during a media preview by Sotheby's in central London on June 11, 2026, to highlight masterpieces from the Lewis Collection, estimated to be worth some 200 million pounds (267 million USD). (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Staff members pose next to Pablo Picasso's 'Buste de femme', during a media preview by Sotheby's in central London on June 11, 2026, to highlight masterpieces from the Lewis Collection, estimated to be worth some 200 million pounds (267 million USD). (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

A police raid looking for drugs at a house in a Paris suburb turned up a painting by Pablo Picasso, prosecutors said Saturday, according to AFP.

"This discovery was made during a search carried out as part of an investigation into drug trafficking," said the public prosecutor's office of Creteil, south-east of Paris.

They had opened an investigation into theft and dealing in stolen goods, the statement added.

On Friday, four people were brought before a court for an immediate hearing in connection with the case, the office said.

According to newspaper Le Parisien, which first reported the story, the search was carried out on Monday by investigators in Champigny-sur-Marne, a town east of Paris.

As well as the Picasso, the police seized cannabis resin, luxury clothing and several thousand euros in cash, the newspaper said.

The Creteil prosecutor's office said the painting had been authenticated as a work by the Spanish painter, but did not specify which painting it was.