Copenhagen (AFP) – Danish Queen Margrethe II leaves the Danish Royal Palace for a last carriage ride through Copenhagen before her abdication on January 14th. She made the surprise announcement of her decision on New Year’s Eve, informing Danes that her son would soon succeed her on the throne after her 52 years of rule. IMAGES
London (AFP) – Keepers take count of penguins, tigers and giant tortoises, among other animals, as London Zoo conducts its annual census. The data is fed into a global database of zoos around the world.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli military excavators dismantle the house of a Palestinian family, which was reportedly built without a construction permit, in the Jabal Mukaber neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Niamey (Niger) (AFP) – In Niger, traditional music masters are becoming older and rare. Their instruments, as well as their ancestral rhythms, are in danger of disappearing with them. “I make traditional musical instruments, recycle some and teach young people to play them. The ultimate goal being to prevent this cultural heritage from disappearing completely,” says Oumarou Adamou aka “Maidouma”, one of the most famous traditional musicians of Niger and grand master of the douma, a percussion instrument typical of the Hausa heritage.
Anamizu (Japan) (AFP) – The 7.5-magnitude quake on January 1 that rattled Ishikawa prefecture and killed at least 73 has forced residents to seek shelter at an evacuation centre in the town of Anamizu. The Noto region on the Sea of Japan coast was the most severely hit, with buildings ravaged by fire and houses flattened in several towns.
Suzu (Japan) (AFP) – The 7.5-magnitude quake on January 1 that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves, sparked a major fire, tore apart roads and flattened houses, leaving only devastation in the coastal town of Suzu. At least 62 people died in Japan.
Llay-Llay (Chile) (AFP) – The lithe, gun-wielding warrior in a short kimono and fang mask known as “Mami Nena” in the online video game Free Fire is in reality an 81-year-old grandmother from rural Chile. From her professional gaming chair at home, Maria Elena Arevalo becomes a merciless hunter, mowing down rivals in a game in which tens of millions of players shoot it out to survive on an imaginary remote island.
Kisii (Kenya) (AFP) – Kenya’s most lauded sculptor, Elkana Ong’esa, has seen his giant stone sculptures displayed all over the world, but believes that African art still hasn’t won the recognition it deserves. “African art needs to stand on its own and express so much that is going on around us, in Africa, as Africans,” he says. “How do we make that happen properly, continuously, and without prejudice of any kind?”
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – At the only zoo in Rafah, in the far south of Gaza, a severe shortage of food is putting lions and other creatures at risk. The owner of the zoo says he fears losing animals to hunger.
Beirut (AFP) – Emergency services are on the scene in the aftermath of a deadly strike that Hamas and security officials in Lebanon say killed the Palestinian militant group’s deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, in the Al-Musharrafiya area, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023 resulted in the death of around 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on latest official Israeli figures. The Hamas militants, whose movement has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, also took around 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in captivity, according to Israeli figures. Israel has since begun a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that has killed at least 22,185 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
