Pristina (AFP) – Renea Morina’s decoration skills are in high demand in the Kosovar capital, Pristina, this holiday season. The 16-year-old window painter is bringing a festive touch to businesses around the city in the run-up to Christmas, a venture she began to help her mother financially.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Sitting in the empty dining room of the central Tbilisi hotel he owns, Shalva Alaverdashvili is one of those whose business is suffering under Georgia’s ongoing political crisis, with the country’s vital tourism industry feeling the impact. The 46-year-old’s hotel has been right in the midst of the regular pro-EU protests that have gripped the city since disputed October elections and Alaverdashvili says the unrest has triggered a wave of cancellations that has cost hoteliers around “3.5 million euros” collectively.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Images of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visiting the Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo, as he prepares to return to Brasilia after getting the go-ahead from his doctors following emergency head surgery. IMAGES
Moscow (AFP) – “I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow,” says Russian President Vladimir Putin, “but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him”. The toppled Syrian leader fled to Moscow as Islamist-led rebels took over the country earlier in December, an event that Putin says is not “a defeat for Russia.”
Hanoi (AFP) – A fire in a Hanoi karaoke bar has killed 11 people and left another two in hospital, in what police believe is an act of arson. Police in the Vietnamese capital say they received reports of the fire at 11:00pm and arrested a suspect around midnight.
Beijing (AFP) – Responding to a Pentagon claim that corruption in China’s military could hamper its modernisation, Beijing urges the US to “abandon its Cold War mentality”. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says the report “ignores facts, is full of bias and spreads the theory of the China threat”. According to the US report, at least 15 high-ranking military officers and defence industry figures were removed from their posts between July and December after “a new wave of corruption-related investigations.”
Banda Aceh (Indonesia) (AFP) – Djafaruddin still breaks down when thinking about the children orphaned by the world’s deadliest tsunami two decades ago. At least 225,000 people were killed when waves unleashed by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake ravaged coastal communities in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Djafaruddin was in one of the worst hit areas, Banda Aceh, and shifted dozens of dead bodies.
Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – Texas authorities attempt to disperse dozens of migrants who are gathered by the Rio Grande on the Mexico-US border in Ciudad Juarez after hearing rumours that US authorities would let them cross to mark International Migrants Day. IMAGES
Guna Yala Archipelago (Panama) (AFP) – In the clear blue, pristine waters off Panama’s coast, several ships are rusting under the Central American country’s sun, raising concerns about their impact on the environment. Local advocates are now seeking innovative solutions to turn these derelict ships into artificial reefs.
(AFP) – Residents of French overseas territory Mayotte share their experiences as access to water and electricity remains difficult. Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte on 14 December before barrelling on to Mozambique, was the latest in a string of storms worldwide fuelled by climate change. A preliminary toll from France’s interior ministry shows that 22 people were confirmed killed and 1,373 injured but officials are warning that the toll could rise exponentially.
Vatikanstadt (AFP) – Pope Francis expresses his support “for all the inhabitants of the Mayotte archipelago, which has been devastated by a cyclone”.
Damaskus (AFP) – The first flight since the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad takes off from Damascus airport to Aleppo in the country’s north. Forty-three people including journalists are on board. Earlier this week, airport staff were painting on planes the three-star independence flag that became a symbol of the 2011 uprising and which the country’s new rulers have adopted.
