Las Vegas (AFP) – SOUNDBITEN°9WP2K3″I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready,” says Grammy Award-winning superstar Adele in a video posted to Instagram a day before it was due to begin. Adele, who sobbed throughout the video, blamed “delivery delays and Covid” as the reasons for the adjournment of her Las Vegas residency initially due to start on January 21.
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Eastern Ukraine has been dogged by fighting since 2014, when Moscow seized control of the Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed separatists launched insurgencies in regions around the eastern cities of Donetsk and Lugansk. Now residents fear what the future holds as troops amass at the border with tensions at a boiling point.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Former pope Benedict XVI has been heavily incriminated in a new report on the handling of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Munich and Freising when he was the Archbishop Cardinal Ratzinger, says the law firm that carried out the probe.
Samburu (Kenya) (AFP) – An elephant has given birth to twins in Kenya’s north in a moment rarely witnessed among the endangered species. Just one-in-100 elephant births result in twins making the arrival of these calfs — one male and one female — a moment of nerves and celebration. Conservation group Save the Elephants said the twins were born to a mother named Bora and were first spotted by lucky tourists on a safari drive at the weekend in Samburu reserve.
Pyongyang (AFP) – Snow blankets the North Korean capital Pyongyang, leaving a layer of white over the city streets.
Tonga (Tonga) (AFP) – Satellite images of areas in Tonga before and after the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano erupted. The photos taken on January 18 show buildings in a residential area and port facilities covered by volcanic ash.
New York (AFP) – Sotheby’s has unveiled a pair of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers designed by the late US fashion icon Virgil Abloh. Two hundred pairs will be open for bidding from January 26 to February 8. The former artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear died in November 2021.
Beijing (AFP) – China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian says “all legal rights and interests of Yang Jun have been fully protected,” as China rejects comments made by the Australian Foreign Minister about the deteriorating health of the Australian academic, currently held in China, during a press briefing in Beijing.
Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – Former leader of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev denies any conflict with his successor in his first appearance since unrest in the Central Asian country sparked rumours of a power struggle. Much of the anger amid protests earlier this month that erupted into violence appeared directed at Nazarbayev, who had ruled Kazakhstan since 1989 before handing over power, but who was widely believed to remain in control behind the scenes.
Tabuk (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – People head to Jabal al-Lawz (Almond Mountain) in Saudi Arabia’s northwestern region of Tabuk, as snow covers the area following temperature drops in the kingdom. Each year, Saudis head to the 2580 metre mountain when snow falls and set up tents or picnics to experience the cold weather.
