Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis welcomes Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in the Vatican. According to the Holy See press office, the pair discussed the Catholic Church’s contribution to humanitarian aid in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Mexico City (AFP) – Catholic pilgrims wake at sunrise after camping outside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City to commemorate the Virgin of Guadalupe on her feast day, the patron saint of Mexico. IMAGES
Chekka (Lebanon) (AFP) – In the northern Lebanon town of Chekka, Suheil Hamawi received a heartfelt welcome as he returned home after spending 33 years in deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s jails, including the infamous Saydnaya facility.
Rome (AFP) – With a tape measure around his neck and a thimble on his finger, Raniero Mancinelli slides a needle into a black cassock with red piping destined for a Catholic cardinal. Mancinelli, one of Rome’s last ecclesiastical tailors, has dressed many popes and clergymen since he opened his business in 1962.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country wants relations with the new Syrian government, but warns that Israel “will respond forcefully” if Iran establishes a presence in the neighbouring state or if Syria “permits the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or if it attacks us.”
Latakia (Syria) (AFP) – “We cried with happiness. Finally, we have been freed after a long period of oppression” says a resident of Syria’s port city of Latakia as she celebrates in the street after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, outsed by an Islamist-led opposition alliance. Syria’s 14-year civil war killed 500,000 people and forced half the country to flee their homes.
Tabernas (Spain) (AFP) – A cowboy collapses after gunshots ring out outside a saloon — this is not America’s Wild West but Spain’s arid Almeria region, long a popular backdrop for Western movies. The elaborate sets featuring dusty streets and saloons now also serve as Western-themed amusement parks.
Qardaha (Syria) (AFP) – Rebel fighters joyously observe as the tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s father Hafez burns in his hometown of Qardaha. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor told AFP the rebels had set fire to the mausoleum, located in the Latakia heartland of Assad’s Alawite community.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Images of the Hospital Sirio-Libanas in Sao Paulo, where Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent intracranial surgery for bleeding that put pressure on his brain. Lula, 79, remains under observation in intensive care in the hospital following the emergency operation carried out on December 10. His doctors have said he should be released next week. IMAGES
Damascus (AFP) – Syrians flock to the iconic Old City of Damascus two days after an Islamist-led rebel alliance toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Pro and anti-Netanyahu protesters rally outside a court in Tel Aviv as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testifies in his corruption case for the first time. Netanyahu, who has repeatedly sought to delay his court appearance, dismissed the accusations as he spoke in court. He is the first sitting prime minister of Israel to face a criminal trial and faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases. The trial is scheduled to last for several months, with an appeals process that could further prolong matters.
Tiflis (AFP) – Irakli Pipia is one of many protesters who say they have been beaten in Georgia’s massive pro-EU demonstrations, in a political crisis that shows no sign of abating. Police have arrested more than 400 people, with most reporting physical abuse, according to the Social Justice Centre NGO, which provides legal counselling to those affected. Tens of thousands have rallied for over a week in Tbilisi, infuriated by the government’s decision to shelve EU accession talks and accusing it of steering Georgia towards the Kremlin.
