Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong residents enjoy the festive atmostphere along the waterfront, taking photos in front of a giant Christmas tree with the backdrop of the city skyline. “This year it’s really important for me because out of the Covid-19, we can get together again,” says one visitor.
Grevena (Greece) (AFP) – Huddled around a campfire sharpening their work tools, a group of Greek lumberjacks take a badly needed break in an oak forest not far from the Albanian border. With petrol and gas bills increasing, loggers in northern Greece say they are doing their best to keep up with rising demand for wood, considered a more affordable option for people to heat their homes.
Crawley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ambulance staff at the UK’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) have walked out in the latest series of strikes to hit Britain over pay disputes with the government. “We’re all in it for the care of our patients, and we’re not getting to them on time” says paramedic Kirsten Reid on Crawley’s picket line. In London, members of the London Ambulance Service have trained British Armed Forces personnel to fulfil certain tasks when ambulance workers stage their walkout.
Cusco (Peru) (AFP) – Hundreds of demonstrators protest against the new Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and the Parliament in Cusco’s famous Plaza de Armas. “We are tired of all the abuse and mistreatment that they do to us” says one protester. The country is shaken by deadly demonstrations since former President Pedro Castillo’s arrest.
Terengganu State (Malaysia) (AFP) – Vehicles cross submerged streets in the Kelantan and Terengganu states in eastern Malaysia following monsoon-triggered flooding. At least five people were killed and over 70,000 rushed to evacuation centres in Malaysia after monsoon-triggered floods inundated the country’s north, authorities said Wednesday.
Dire Dawa (Ethiopia) (AFP) – Aspiring young performers practice in a faded hall with tattered carpets, hoping to earn a living and recognition. Despite meagre resources, the Dire Dawa Circus in the eastern Ethiopian city manages to teach young people discipline and hard work, even distinguishing itself at prestigious international festivals.
Pangkajene (Indonesia) (AFP) – After dawn in a small eastern Indonesia town, non-binary Bissu priests walk barefoot to perform an annual Mappalili ritual. It marks the start of the planting season on the island of Sulawesi where the androgynous Bissu community now fighting against extinction. Less than 40 Bissu remain in just a few areas across South Sulawesi, according to anthropologists, where they are actively taking on cultural and shaman-like roles to prevent their traditions from becoming a distant memory.
Kabul (AFP) – Women gather near a university in Kabul as the Tablian bans them from university education. The ban has provoked condemnation from the United States and the United Nations over another assault on human rights.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Police in Buenos Aires clear the Obeslisk area, which was the epicenter of celebrations as fans gathered earlier Tuesday to welcome home Argentina’s World Cup winners.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – One of Ukraine’s most storied ballet companies rehearses under air raid sirens before embarking this week on a run of shows in Paris, a welcome break from the airstrikes and blackouts that have bedevilled performances back home.
