Bogotá (AFP) – A group of Indigenous people originally from Bogota perform rituals at the foot of a mountain where forest fires go on for a fourth day amid record temperatures.
Funafuti (Tuvalu) (AFP) – Voters in Tuvalu cast their votes to elect a new government, amid speculation that the Pacific micronation could switch diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to Beijing. IMAGES
Sydney (AFP) – Thousands of Australians gather for an “Invasion Day” rally in downtown Sydney in solidarity with indigenous people, calling for Australia Day to be abolished or celebrated on a different date. IMAGES
Geneva (AFP) – Israel’s permanent representative at the UN accuses the World Health Organization of “collusion” with Hamas. “WHO chose to turn a blind eye” says Meirav Eilon Shahar, “even when presented with concrete evidence” of “the weapons, the headquarters, the closed rooms”. The war in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched unprecedented attacks on Israel, resulting in around 1,140 lives, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says that at least 25,700 people have been killed by Israel’s military response, most of them women and children.
Mitzpe Ramon (Israel) (AFP) – One of eight Israeli units offering combat positions to women, the Bardelas Battalion has just spent two weeks in southern Gaza, the new centre of fighting in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “To be one of the first women who gets inside (Gaza), it’s a little weird” says Eliora, a soldier in the unit. More than 200 Israeli soldiers have died since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed Israeli settlements, causing around 1,140 deaths, according to an AFP tally. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says that Israel’s military response to the attack has left more than 25,700 people dead, mostly women and children.
Abidjan (AFP) – On the streets of Abidjan, Ivorian football fans are optimistic about their team’s chances in the Africa Cup of Nations, despite the hosts barely scraping out of the tournament’s group stages. Ivory Coast, or The Elephants, suffered a shock 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea and only qualified for the knockout phase courtesy of a Morocco victory against Zambia. The hosts are one of two sides to have sacked their manager during the tournament and must now hope for a result against reigning AFCON champions Senegal.
Brussels (AFP) – “How can we elevate the standard of living for farmers?” asks EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, speaking as farmers in several European countries protest against rising costs associated with carbon-cutting targets, fuel prices, inflation and Ukrainian grain imports diverted to neighbouring states due to Russia’s invasion.
Taichung (Taiwan) (AFP) – Freshly shaven-headed army recruits report for duty at a training camp in the western Taiwanese city of Taichung, where they are set to undergo eight weeks of basic training. They are the first conscripts brought in under an extended one-year compulsory service program. The increase, on the previous four-month period of service, was announced in 2022 in the face of an increasingly aggressive China.
Taipei (AFP) – Two US lawmakers meet Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te to reaffirm Washington’s support for the self-ruled island, which has facing increasing threats from Beijing. China claims Taiwan is part of its national territory and before the January 13 poll warned that Ching-te, whose party rejects Beijing’s claims, would bring “war and decline” to the island.
Melbourne (AFP) – A statue of British explorer Captain Cook has been torn down and defaced on the eve of Australia’s national holiday in St Kilda, Melbourne. Calls to scrap or change Australia Day have increased in recent years, with nationwide Indigenous-led protests drawing tens of thousands to ‘Invasion Day’ rallies around the country.
