AFP UK

Acapulco (AFP) – Cliff divers resume their legendary jumps in Acapulco, southern Mexico, in front of a handful of tourists after the devasting passage of Hurricane Otis in October.

Vatikanstadt (AFP) – Pope Francis deplores the death of two women in a Catholic parish in Gaza, where he says “defenceless civilians are being bombed and shot at”. Speaking at the end of his Angelus prayer, the 87-year-old pontiff says “I continue to receive very serious and painful news from Gaza,” after the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said on Saturday that a Christian mother and daughter were shot dead by an Israeli soldier on the grounds of the Gaza Strip’s only Catholic church.

Stockbridge (AFP) – A million holiday lights shimmer at the Naumkeag public garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Manila (AFP) – Filipinos attend a pre-dawn mass ahead of Christmas at a church in Manila.

Naperville (AFP) – A family in Illinois who are fans of American popstar Taylor Swift decorate their home for Christmas with dozens of the singer’s photographs and song names.

Baqa al-Gharbiya (AFP) – With the war in Gaza, the Palestinian labourers working the greenhouses of Marwane Abou Yassine, a farmer in the predominantly Arab city of Baqa al-Gharbiya, are no longer allowed to leave the West Bank, so volunteers come to help him with his harvest. “It helps in a way, but it’s not what we need. But what can we do?” says fellow farmer Ibrahem Mawasi. N°347U72V

Breda (AFP) – Cannabis smokers in two Dutch cities, Tilburg and Breda, can now light up legally for the first time as authorities roll out a trial selling weed from government-approved suppliers for the first time.

Donetske (Ukraine) (AFP) – With bawdy songs and violin solos, a live concert near Ukraine’s front line offers troops a chance to unwind and at least temporarily clear their heads of warfare. Performed by fellow soldiers, the intimate show is staged at a recovery centre for Ukraine’s 23rd mechanised brigade in the eastern Donetsk region.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Following a long night of talks in Brussels, the European Union has agreed to begin membership negotiations with Kyiv. Despite the decision, made in the face of opposition from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, not all Ukrainians are filled with optimism. While EU membership talks were agreed, Orban refused to greenlight another 50 billion euros in support to Ukraine over the next four years.

Beijing (AFP) – Visitors to a section of the Great Wall in Badaling on the outskirts of Beijing are faced with biting winds and freezing cold weather conditions. Temperatures have plunged in China’s capital over the past few days, bringing the city’s first snowfall of the winter season.

London (AFP) – Matthew Gill, a media lawyer, provides analysis of the UK High Court ruling that Prince Harry was a victim of phone hacking by journalists working for Mirror Group Newspapers. He says that while the outcome is hugely significant for Harry, the case will also be important for the “100-plus others who are celebrities claiming against the Mirror for voicemail interception”.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Heavy rains, flooding and cold temperatures have worsened already difficult living conditions for displaced Gazans staying in temporary shelters at camps in the south of the besieged strip. Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues despite mounting international calls for restraint. The war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. The Israeli army launched a massive retaliatory campaign that has killed more than 18,700 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has said. Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets towards Israel throughout the war, the vast majority of which have been intercepted by air defences, according to the Israeli military.