Tokyo (AFP) – Hundreds gather to say farewell to two popular pandas departing Tokyo for China, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in 50 years as ties between the Asian neighbours fray.
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Footage from the Israeli army shows what it says is the operation to recover the body of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, which also claims he was repatriated to Israel for burial. The removal puts an end to a lengthy process to locate and return the last of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas militants during their October 2023 attack on Israel.
Jerusalem (AFP) – As the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza, Ran Gvili, have been identified and are being repatriated to Israel for burial, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the next step is “disarming Hamas and demilitarising the Gaza Strip […] not reconstruction” in a speech to Parliament.
New York (AFP) – New Yorkers take part in a snowball fight in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park, as a major winter storm sweeps through vast expanses of the United States. “I think we all needed a little bit of levity and lightness” and “to remember that we’re all community and we can look out for each other,” one participant tells AFP.
Minneapolis (AFP) – Protesters march through the streets of Minneapolis following the fatal killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents, before gathering at a growing memorial near the site of the shooting to mourn and demand accountability. Pretti was killed less than three weeks after another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was shot dead by an ICE agent — on a street just over a mile (1.6 kilometers) away.
Taipei (AFP) – An American climber took on Taiwan’s tallest building on Sunday, without ropes or safety gear, in a daring feat that drew hundreds of spectators to the tower’s base and many more online through a live Netflix broadcast. “The Taipei 101 is actually an incredibly family-friendly climbing objective,” Alex Honnold told reporters after completing the feat. “For most climbs you go to some far-flung place, you don’t have cell service… Here we Facetime the kids, we fly home tomorrow… it’s pretty chill.”
Yangon (Myanmar) (AFP) – Polls close in the final round of Myanmar’s month-long election, with the dominant pro-military party on course for a landslide in a junta-run vote critics say will prolong the army’s grip on power. The elections are the first to be held by the military junta that came to power after the 2021 coup. “We hope for a situation where we can live peacefully and comfortably,” says one voter. Another worries that the elections are “unlikely to be free and fair.”
Philadelphia (AFP) – Images posted on social media show snowfall and snow clearing operations across the US, from Texas to Pennsylvania. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that up to 240 million Americans could be affected by the storm.
Tirana (Albania) (AFP) – Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in Albania’s capital Tirana, with some hurling molotov cocktails at the police who used teargas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The demonstrators gathered at the main government building, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and demanding his resignation.
Minneapolis (AFP) – People in Minnesota clash with law enforcement as anger erupts over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, by ICE immigration officials. This comes just weeks after ICE agents shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. “This is an administration that has no regard for humanity, civil rights,” says one protester.
At sea (AFP) – Images provided by the French Armed Forces General Staff show the French Navy’s intervention of the Grinch tanker, suspected of belonging to the Russian ‘shadow fleet’. The ‘shadow fleet’ is a clandestine network of tankers that carry oil for countries such as Russia and Iran in violation of US and EU sanctions.
Santa Barbara (United States) (AFP) – Ahead of the US midterm elections, the Republican Party is working hard to project an image of unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, despite his declining popularity in the polls. “We’re going to be successful in holding the majorities in both the House and the Senate [and] defy history because we have the best president that’s ever lived,” says Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters at a party meeting in Santa Barbara, California.
