Teheran (AFP) – When Paniz Faryoussefi mounts the podium and reaches for her baton, she represents more than just the hope of a thrilling orchestral performance. The 42-year-old is the first female philharmonic conductor in Iran, a country where women’s professional and cultural lives are still heavily restricted.
Ezeiza (AFP) – Powerful explosions have torn through an industrial park near Argentina’s capital, sparking a huge blaze and injuring more than 20 people. Firefighters were still battling to put out the fire early the next day, according to local media, after authorities earlier warned it would be challenging to bring the blaze under control.
Belém (AFP) – COP30 president Andre Correa do Lago seeks to ease tensions with Indigenous protesters, acknowledging shortcomings in Brazil’s climate policymaking while insisting the government was committed to defending Indigenous interests at the UN climate summit. On Tuesday, Indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 compound, clashing with security personnel, some of whom sustained minor injuries. Then on Friday, dozens of Indigenous protesters blocked the entrance for roughly two hours to spotlight their struggles in the Amazon.
Bradford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The sky above Bradford lights up during the city’s UK City of Culture celebrations, as hundreds of drones recreate the David Hockney’s most famous paintings.
Tokyo (AFP) – Tech firms are racing to bring robots into everyday life. From Japan to China, massive sums are being poured into “physical AI,” a booming sector that could put more than a billion humanoid robots in homes and workplaces by 2050.
Città di Castello (Italy) (AFP) – Delving into centuries-old diaries and farming documents, Isabella Dalla Ragione looks for forgotten fruit varieties before hunting them down in the real world by scouring Italy’s abandoned gardens and orchards. The fruit detective’s goal is to preserve the country’s agricultural heritage, saving varieties which could help farmers withstand an increasingly unpredictable and changing climate. “Maintaining a wide diversity means being able to find solutions,” says the 68-year-old, who has recovered around 150 varieties from several Italian regions.
Belém (Brazil) (AFP) – Dozens of Indigenous protesters dance and chant their way through the halls of the UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil. From the Munduruku community, the demonstrators are calling for the demarcation of their traditional homelands in the Amazon rainforest. They also oppose the the Ferrograo project, a nearly 1,000 kilometer railway intended to cross Brazil from west to east.
Geneva (AFP) – “We warned repeatedly about the strangulating, suffocating siege” on the Sudanese town of El-Fasher, says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. The comments come as the UN launches a probe into alleged atrocities in the town, which was recently captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) followed an 18-month siege. Sudan’s ambassador to the UN accuses the international community of “waiting for all these atrocities to unfold” before acting, and asks “if this is not genocide, then what is?” Since erupting in April 2023, the war between Sudan’s army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million more.
Las Vegas (AFP) – Latin stars light up Las Vegas, attending the Latin Grammys, the biggest celebration of Spanish and Portuguese-language music. Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny enjoyed a victory lap, scooping up five awards, including the coveted best album prize. “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” (“I should have taken more photos”) was released in January, kicking off a year in which the 31-year-old has swept the entertainment world. In February 2026, he is set to perform the Super Bowl halftime show, routinely one of the television events of the year.
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – With more than 450 million YouTube subscribers and an estimated net worth of around half a billion dollars, social media superstar MrBeast has now opened a pop-up amusement park in Saudi Arabia. The 27-year-old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has built his immense following over the years. Modelled on his videos, ‘Beast Land’ will feature obstacle course-like challenges for visitors to take on, with each day’s highest scorer receiving 7,000 riyals, or 1,866 dollars. On 27 December, when the park closes, the visitor with the highest overall score will win one million riyals, or 266,645 dollars.
Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s defence minister says that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine demonstrate “a contempt for humanity” and “violate international law.” The comments from Boris Pistorius come just hours after a wave of strikes on Kyiv, in which at least six people were killed.
Arslanbap (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – The Arslanbob forest, the world’s largest wild walnut grove, has been slowly fading for years, hit by the overgrazing of livestock, illegal logging and rising temperatures. For locals, walnuts are a bread-and-butter issue, and now their future might be in danger.
