Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Canada) (AFP) – Restaurants and cafes in Canada are no longer permitted to offer plastic straws, food containers, checkout bags, or cutlery to customers as of Wednesday. Despite a court ruling it as unconstitutional, the regulation banning single-use plastics was introduced last year and was to be phased in as part of Ottawa’s commitment to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.
Tokyo (AFP) – A second-hand pop-up store in Tokyo by casual clothing giant Uniqlo was a first for the Japanese firm, but also a sign that a local aversion to used garments may finally be fading.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Following Israeli strikes on the overcrowded Shabura neighbourhood of Rafah, in southern Gaza, a Palestinian woman tells AFP she escaped unhurt from a huge explosion “by a miracle”. Many Palestinians from elsewhere in the besieged territory have fled to Rafah after having been driven from their homes by more than two months of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Russian army’s “troops have the initiative” on the ground in Ukraine, voicing growing confidence of victory as fatigue builds among Kyiv’s allies nearly two years into the conflict. Putin, who has announced he will run for re-election in March, lashes out at the West and claims it is seeking Moscow’s destruction.
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis offers a prayer for the victims and injured after an earthquake hit China’s northwestern Gansu province and neighbouring Qinghai on 18 December, calling on emergency services to bring “comfort and relief” to those affected. Almost 1,000 were injured across the two provinces, according to state news agency Xinhua, making it China’s deadliest since 2014.
Chennai (India) (AFP) – People are forced to wade through knee-high water in Chennai’s streets after intense rainfall in southern India triggered deadly floods, with local media reporting more than 10 deaths. Hundreds remain stranded in the state of Tamil Nadu as water submerges the roads, with the air force having to drop 10 tonnes of emergency supplies to those trapped.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky says that there was no end in sight to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as fatigue builds among Kyiv’s allies nearly two years into the war and the Kremlin voices growing confidence of victory. Zelensky also acknowledges that the result of next year’s elections in the United States could have a “very strong impact” on the course of the war, with Republican favourite Donald Trump likely to have a very different policy on Ukraine to current president Joe Biden.
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters battle large smoke plumes after a missile struck an apartment block in the Russian-held city of Donetsk near the frontline in east Ukraine, severely damaging the building’s facade. Alexey Kulemzin, the city’s Moscow-backed mayor, claimed on his Telegram channel that the strike was carried out from the Ukrainian side and injured at least 13 people.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Huddled amid the tents at a camp outside the southern Gaza town of Rafah, volunteer entertainer Roya Hassuna plays the oud for displaced children in a bid to offer respite from the horrors around them. The children are among thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by more than two months of relentless Israeli bombardment. They have been forced to abandon their daily routines and live under Israeli bombardment since Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel killed about 1,140 people, according to an AFP count based on Israeli figures. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory says more than 19,667 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, most of them women or children.
London (AFP) – As businesses look for ways to both beat the traffic and cut their carbon emissions, cargo bikes are an increasingly common sight on the streets of London. While the UK has lagged behind some other European nations in adopting the vehicle, sales of E-cargo bikes are going from strength to strength in the UK market. “We can get through the traffic faster, we can get across town quicker”, says Joe Sharpe, co-founder of green logistics company Zhero.
