AFP Video

Paris (AFP) – Emmanuel Macron says the attack carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7 was “the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century”, at a national tribute to the French victims of the attack in Paris. Four months into the Israel-Hamas war, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached at least 27,708 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Hamas’s attack killed about 1,160 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Valdivia (Chile) (AFP) – The hearse carrying the body of former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera leaves a legal medical service building in the city of Valdivia, in southern Chile. Pinera died when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into a lake. IMAGES

Santiago (AFP) – Former Chilean president Sebastian Pinera, who died aged 74 in a helicopter crash, was “a democrat from the first hour and genuinely sought what he believed was best for the country,” says his successor, President Gabriel Boric.

Beijing (AFP) – Packed into train carriages, millions of urbanites this week leave China’s major cities for their hometowns to share meals, pay respects to their elders and deliver blessings for the upcoming Year of the Dragon.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Children in Gaza play on swings and mini ferris wheels to take their minds off the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Lisieux (France) (AFP) – Three-month-old Lucy, born in France’s Cerza zoo is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros which is considered to be under threat.

Santiago (AFP) – As the night falls, people continue to leave flowers, candles in tribute to former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera outside his home in the capital Santiago after the 74-year-old died in a helicopter crash. IMAGES

Tall Birāk (Syria) (AFP) – Oil pollution has been a growing concern in Syria since the 2011 onset of civil war, which has taken a toll on infrastructure and seen rival powers compete over the control of energy resources.

Los Angeles (AFP) – A powerful storm lashing California destroyed houses and caused mudslides after dumping months’ worth of rain in a single day in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.

Michoacan (Mexico) (AFP) – Incense fills the air and burning sticks light up the night in an Indigenous community in western Mexico where an ancient fire ritual has been brought back to life. Every year, the Purepecha people celebrate their New Year by taking a precious fire from village to village in the violence-ridden Michoacan state.