Kinshasa (AFP) – The Congo River has burst its banks, causing widespread flooding in DR Congo’s capital Kinshasa, with dark, foul-smelling water pouring into homes across working-class neighbourhoods and affecting local businesses in the central African megacity. Kinshasa is crisscrossed with small rivers and waterways, which often double as open sewers. Many have now overflown.
Sanaa (AFP) – Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree responds to air strikes by US and British forces on Huthi rebels. The attack, early on January 12, came after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed Huthis, who say they act in solidarity with Gaza.
Dhaka (AFP) – Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is sworn in for a fifth term after a landslide victory in an election boycotted by the opposition.
Deir el-Balah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Mourners gather in Deir el-Balah for the funerals of medics who the Palestinian Red Crescent says were killed in an Israeli strike on an ambulance in central Gaza on Wednesday. The Israeli military has denied carrying out the attack. Over 23,350 people have been killed, mostly civilians, in more than three months of war between Hamas and Israel.
Mexico City (AFP) – Bullfighting will return to the Mexican capital on January 28 after the country’s Supreme Court overturned a 2022 ban, announces the director of the Plaza Mexico bullring. Those who support a bullfighting ban say the law does not recognize animal suffering. So far, only five of Mexico’s 32 states have banned the practice.
Sydney (AFP) – Hundreds of Elvis impersonators swaggered through Sydney’s Central Station on Thursday, boarding the “Blue Suede Express” on an annual pilgrimage.
Kinmen (Taiwan) (AFP) – Kinmen residents are preparing to vote in a crucial presidential election on Saturday that is being watched closely from Beijing to Washington, and whose winner will set democratic Taiwan’s course over the next four years.
Las Vegas (AFP) – Two teams of five drones each, protected by spherical carbon frames, face off at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. As part of the ‘drone soccer’ demo, both teams attempt to fly their ‘striker’ drone through a goal post suspended 3.5 meters above the pitch. Ro Sang Heub, President of the Federation of International Drone Soccer Association, says he wants to see it become ‘one of the major sports played by everybody.’
East Flores (Indonesia) (AFP) – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia continues to erupt, spewing towering ash clouds as authorities raise the alert status to the highest level. The eruption follows weeks of heightened volcanic activity on the mountain, located on Flores Island, and prompted thousands to leave their homes and stay at temporary shelters.
The Hague (AFP) – South Africa accuses Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, saying that even the deadly October 7 Hamas attack could not justify such alleged actions, as it opens a case at the top UN court.
Quito (AFP) – With city streets largely deserted apart from a military deployment, Ecuador finds itself in a “state of war” according to its president, as drug cartels wage a campaign of kidnappings and attacks in response to a government crackdown.
Belgorod (Russia) (AFP) – A train carrying hundreds of children leaves the Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine after weeks of deadly shelling by Kyiv’s forces. It is one of the biggest civilian evacuations on Russian soil since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in February last year. Yelena Gokova, one of hundreds of parents escorting their children to the station, says that she “decided to choose the lesser of two evils” by agreeing to an offer by authorities to send them to children’s camps further from the border.
