Prayagraj (India) (AFP) – Keen to improve India’s abysmal crowd management record at large-scale religious events, organisers of the world’s largest gathering of humans are using artificial intelligence to try to prevent stampedes. Organisers predict up to 400 million pilgrims will visit the Kumbh Mela, a millennia-old sacred show of Hindu piety and ritual bathing which began on Monday and runs for six weeks.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia and Iran sign a new treaty underpinning their economic and military cooperation, in what both sides cast as a major milestone in their relations. The signing ceremony takes place in the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian. Moscow has looked to the Islamic republic as a strategic ally since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, worrying Western officials who see both as malign actors on the world stage.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – People clean up and inspect the damage after a Russian attack killed four people and injured three in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to the city’s military administration. Kyiv is frequently targeted by Russian drones and missiles, but deaths are rare in the capital, which is heavily protected by air defence systems and better able to fend off attacks than elsewhere in the country.
Singapore (AFP) – Indian world chess champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy attend a felicitation event organised by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) in New Delhi. Gukesh beat China’s Ding Liren in December to become the youngest world champion and sees a bright future for chess in India.
Berlin (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says US tech billionaire Elon Musk “endangers” democracy in Europe with his attacks on the continent’s leaders and support for the far-right.
Wuhan (China) (AFP) – Five years on from the pandemic, China’s Wuhan city in central Hubei province is buzzing with life, a far cry from the quiet streets and crowded hospitals during the world’s first Covid-19 lockdown on January 23, 2020. One such hospital built in days to treat the sick stands empty and a wall has been erected in front of the wholesale market where scientists believe the virus could have crossed over from animals to humans. “I think people (in Wuhan) are moving forward,” university student Jack He, who was in Wuhan during the lockdown, tells AFP. “These memories are getting fuzzier and fuzzier, but they still have an impact on us. It feels like those few years were particularly tough.”
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – France’s president says that Paris will soon host an aid conference to help rebuild Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah war last year, as he visits Beirut in a show of support for Lebanon’s new leaders.
Macau (AFP) – British pop artist Philip Colbert has launched a city-wide art exhibition featuring giant colourful lobsters across the Chinese region of Macau. The largest, a 15-metre-high inflatable sculpture entitled “Lobster Submarine”, can be seen from the city’s waterfront. The outdoor exhibition runs from January 15 to March 16 at five venues across Macau, including the historical sites of Iec Long Firecracker Factory and Taipa Houses, as part of a community revitalisation project. AND SOUNDBITES
Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – California prisoners help fight wildfires in a Los Angeles mandatory evacuation zone. Fire-wrecked Los Angeles wait for dangerous winds to drop and give a much-needed break to firefighters. “It’s the first thing I’ve done in my life that I’m proud of” says inmate Jacob Castro.
New Delhi (AFP) – The ancient game of kho kho is enjoying a resurgence in India, with organisers of the first international tournament hoping their efforts will secure the sport’s place in the Olympics. “My elder sister played the sport, but was not able to pursue her dreams,” Indian women’s team player Nasreen Shaikh, 26, told AFP. “We have crossed the first barrier of playing in a World Cup. The next big step would be an entry in the Olympics.”
Warsaw (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells reporters that “the sooner Ukraine is in the EU, the sooner Ukraine becomes a member of NATO… the sooner the whole of Europe will get the geopolitical certainty it needs” after meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia launched a war against Kyiv in February 2022, and has pledged to speed up Ukraine’s process to join the EU.
Maputo (AFP) – Mozambique’s new president Daniel Chapo takes the oath of office in the capital Maputo and says the Southern African nation needs “unity” following weeks of violent demonstrations over the fiercely disputed election results. “Today, more than ever, we need unity, courage and determination. It won’t be an easy journey, but we have to have full confidence in the strength of the Mozambican people, of our national unity, which is the secret of our success,” Chapo says in a speech.
