Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s once-prominent opposition Civic Party cleared its headquarters and shuttered its doors after nearly 18 years of its founding, as Beijing continues to quell dissent.
Kalecik (Turkey) (AFP) – Drinkers are getting into something of a fizz over Turkish sparkling wine. Despite the dominance of French champagne, Spanish cava and Italian prosecco in the market, one Turkish bubbly — made from a local grape variety that almost died out in the 1980s — won the gold medal for the Best Sparkling Wine in the World at a competition in France in 2020.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s defence ministry says the army has struck all its targets in dozens of strikes on Ukraine over a week, the latest of which killed at least 18 people and wounded over a hundred in one of the most massive air attacks of the conflict. Schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades and blocks of flats were among the buildings hit in the barrage, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – More than a dozen people have been killed and around a hundred wounded after Russia unleashed its latest wave of strikes on cities across Ukraine. Fires broke out in the capital Kyiv and southern city of Kherson as a result, whilst a missile hit a shopping centre in the city of Dnipro.
Mumbai (AFP) – Mumbai’s iconic landmarks and buildings lie covered in toxic smog, as the air quality index (AQI) in several places of the city breaches the 200-mark. India has struggled with poor air quality for decades, with a 2020 study attributing 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in the country during the previous year.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Arabs and Jews rally together in Tel Aviv in support of a ceasefire in Gaza as Israeli forces step up their bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory. The war began after Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel which left around 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement which has killed at least 21,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the strip’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – An Israeli soldier mistakenly killed hostages who had escaped from Hamas on 15 December, Israel’s army says, despite one of them apparently waving a white flag. “He was mistaken, he shot by error,” Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari tells a briefing. About 250 people were taken hostage during Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel, which left around 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel then launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement that has killed at least 21,320 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Smoke billows after an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in the Gaza Strip, near the border with Egypt.
Beit Lahia (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Beit Lahia in northern Gaza lies in ruins, with some homes completely flattened following air strikes, as Israel continues its relentless offensive against Hamas in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Hundreds gather in Tel Aviv to call for a ceasefire in Gaza while Israeli forces continue to heavily bomb the besieged Strip as the centre of fierce combat moves steadily south where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson slams Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Turkey’s president said that there was “no difference” between the Israeli leader and Adolf Hitler. The Turkish leader has lashed out repeatedly at Israel for the scale of death and destruction caused by the war in Gaza it launched in response to Hamas’ unprecedented 7 October cross-border attack. The attack killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest Israeli figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages. Israel retaliated with a relentless bombardment and a ground invasion in which at least 21,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the latest toll issued by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Ha Long (Vietnam) (AFP) – Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay is losing its famous turquoise hue as pollution and over-development threaten its wildlife and picture-perfect image. The UNESCO site is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations, but the bay’s popularity have severely damaged its ecosystem.
