Singapore (AFP) – Singaporeans bid farewell to a two-year-old panda cub as authorities prepare to send him to China where he will join the country’s breeding program. Le Le, the first panda to be born in the city-state, makes his final public appearance at the River Wonders wildlife park before a month-long quarantine ahead of his departure.
Beijing (AFP) – A group of winter swimmers jump into the freezing waters of Beijing as heavy snowfall hits the capital, with temperatures dipping below freezing and forecasts of more chilly weather to come this week. They’re not the only ones who seem to like the cold, as giant pandas take a stroll and enjoy their lunch under the snow.
Warsaw (AFP) – Far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun uses a fire extinguisher to put out a hanukkiah, a nine-branched menorah lit especially for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, in the parliament lobby. Braun, who is notorious for previous acts of anti-Semitism and statements against Ukraine, has already been fined and was expelled from the parliament’s proceedings. The incident has drawn criticism from all major political groupings, including from the new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk who denounced the “unacceptable” act.
Kisii (Kenya) (AFP) – Kenya banned Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in 2011, but few expected the practice would then migrate to backroom clinics and private homes. In Kisii county, 300 kilometres (180 miles) west of Nairobi, more than 80-percent of FGM procedures are now carried out by health workers, according to government data. Medicalised FGM as it is known is defended by practitioners and communities alike as a “safe” way to preserve the custom, despite risks to the victim’s physical, psychological and sexual health.
Beijing (AFP) – China accuses Britain of having “malicious intentions” towards Hong Kong after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with the son of jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai. “UK recently introduced a national security law, but it blatantly opposes national security legislation for China’s Hong Kong. Its double standards and malicious intentions are clearly exposed,” says Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
Tomi (Japan) (AFP) – At a small farm surrounded by mountains, Yuki Nakamura harvests highly prized grapes, a variety that can fetch over $100 a bunch in Tokyo but has been widely copied without approval in neighbouring countries. The premium grape called “Shine Muscat,” developed by a Japanese national institute after 33 years of efforts, is highly sought after in China and South Korea where copycats have emerged.
London (AFP) – Campaigners gather outside the UK’s High Court as a legal challenge gets underway attempting to block a government-backed plan to build a road tunnel through the landscape surrounding Stonehenge. The proposed four lane dual-carriageway would replace the existing two lane road which frequently becomes blocked with traffic travelling between London and southwest England where it passes the ancient standing stones. The campaigners are seeking a judicial review, having won a previous legal battle to stop the project. Author and popular historian Tom Holland, attending the protest, says the proposed tunnel would “desecrate… the most significant prehistoric landscape in Britain, maybe in the whole of Europe.” Rollo Maughfling, who calls himself the “Arch-Druid of Stonehenge”, says it would be “a terrible disturbance… worse than it’s ever been in all of these 5,000 years.”
Siem Reap (Cambodia) (AFP) – Cambodia’s tiny number of female tuk-tuk drivers have to dodge not only other road users but also a barrage of taunts, misogyny and prejudice as they weave through the streets of Siem Reap, shepherding tourists to the city’s attractions.
Gardena (United States) (AFP) – The bathrobe worn by Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski in the 1998 film is set to go on auction in California. It could “set a new world record for the most expensive bathrobe we have ever sold”, says Martin Nolan, the auction house’s executive director.
“We condemn anyone who encourages Israel to continue its killings,” says Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during a cabinet meeting in Ramallah. Heavy urban battles rage on in the Gaza Strip, more than two months into a war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages — 137 of whom remain in Gaza, Israeli officials say. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas in response, and began a military campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 18,200 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
