Kherson (Ukraine) (AFP) – In Kherson and its surrounding region, residents blame Moscow as hundreds are forced to flee the rising floods following the destruction of the Russian-held Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine. Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for its collapse and consequent floods.
Niger (Niger) (AFP) – A long trek across the Sahara desert of northeastern Niger brings visitors to one of the most astonishing and rewarding sights in the Sahel: fortified villages of salt and clay. Who built these cities? When? Why? Many questions have never been fully answered.
Pichincha Province (Ecuador) (AFP) – The Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve near Ecuador’s capital Quito is a UN-designated biodiversity hotspot and the center of an increasingly heated debate over mining. Mining companies want to exploit sites within the sprawling reserve, home to species like the spectacled bear. At least 12 mining concessions are in exploratory stages, although no mine has yet opened.
Nova Kakhovka (Ukraine) (AFP) – A video posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Twitter account shows the damaged Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. The destruction of the Russian-held dam situated in southern Ukraine leaves thousands of close-by residents in “a critical zone.” Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for its collapse.
Seoul (AFP) – People visit the Seoul National Cemetery to commemorate those killed in war.
Esmeraldas (Ecuador) (AFP) – More than 500 residents were evacuated from their homes in the northern Ecuadorean province of Esmeraldas, which borders Colombia, as heavy rain caused six rivers to overflow.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – An overnight Russian strike hits the centre of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, as expectations grow over the start of a long-awaited Ukrainian offensive.
Probolinggo (Indonesia) (AFP) – Thousands of worshippers from Tengger tribe scale Mount Bromo, an active Indonesian volcano in East Java, to toss livestock, food and other offerings into its smoking crater in a centuries-old religious ceremony called the Yadnya Kasada.
Santorini (Greece) (AFP) – Off the spectacular Greek tourist island of Santorini, divers drag deadly “ghost nets” from the depths of the Aegean Sea which have claimed the lives of thousands of fish. George Sarelakos, head of the NGO Aegean Rebreath, says that the nets are “a huge problem around the globe… they represent about ten percent of marine litter found at the sea bottom.” Over the last five years, Aegean Rebreath’s 300 volunteer divers have removed more than 28 tonnes of nets and hundreds of thousands of plastic bags from Greek waters.
Istanbul (AFP) – Canadian entrepreneur-turned-climate-activist Craig Cohon, 60, who has been walking more than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) across Europe as part of his mission to help offset his lifetime carbon footprint, ends his journey in Istanbul. Having set off from London on January 3 for a carbon zero campaign he named “Walk it Back”, the self-proclaimed former “fossil fuel dinosaur” passed through 14 countries and 82 cities walking 25 kilometres a day in a bid to raise awareness on the impacts of climate change and to promote a carbon-neutral lifestyle. “I want to make sure that before I die that I am an advocate for making sure carbon is priced into our lives and that we put a price on carbon”, Cohon says.
