Antwerp (Belgium) (AFP) – “It’s unheard of” says the head of Belgian Customs, Kristian Vanderwaeren, as the organisation announces it seized a record total of 110 tonnes of cocaine in 2022 at the port of Antwerp. Belgium’s main container terminal is now considered the main gateway for illegal drugs into Europe, with supply being plentiful enough to push prices down, according to Vanderwaeren.
Bucha (Ukraine) (AFP) – Volunteers and members of the Kazakh community in Ukraine distribute free tea, coffee, biscuits and Kazakh fried bread, or ‘baursaki’, to Bucha residents in the ‘Yurt of Invincibility’– a traditional Kazakh yurt that has been installed in the city to serve as a heating point for locals, amid the disruption to power and water supplies.
London (AFP) – People queue in London to buy Prince Harry’s much anticipated autobiography, “Spare”, as some bookshops opened their doors at midnight to cater for immense demand. Beyond the Channel, the biggest royal book since Andrew Morton’s biography of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, has also caused a stir, with eager buyers in Paris and Germany.
Juliaca (Peru) (AFP) – At least 12 people have been left dead after protestors in Peru tried to storm an airport in the southern city of Juliaca. The clash is another violent outburst in Peru’s ongoing, month-long, political crisis, as protestors demand the removal of President Dina Boluarte, who took power after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was ousted and arrested on December 7.
Brasília (AFP) – Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, visits the country’s Supreme Court, damaged and locked down by security forces after supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the building on Sunday. Lula meets with state governors as police say 1,500 arrests have so far been made in connection with the riots, which echoed those to the north, in Washington D.C on January 6 2021.
Brussels (AFP) – NATO and the European Union vow to bolster their backing for Ukraine to fight off Russia’s invasion. “We must continue to strengthen the partnership between NATO and the European Union. And we must further strengthen our support to Ukraine,” says NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg after signing a joint declaration with the EU’s top officials. SOUNDBITE
Copenhagen (AFP) – “An ongoing surge in China is not anticipated to significantly impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the WHO European Region” says the World Health Organization’s European regional director, Hans Kluge. “The surge of two virus variants circulating in China are those that have already been seen in Europe and elsewhere,” he adds. China is battling a wave of Covid cases since the government’s decision to lift nearly three years of restrictions. SOUNDBITE
Balikpapan (Indonesia) (AFP) – As Indonesia’s capital Jakarta sinks at an alarming rate, the country’s top architects are facing the daunting task of designing a new, sustainable and green capital city in the middle of the world’s oldest stretch of jungle.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Demonstrators gathered in Sao Paulo on Monday night to show their support for democracy and demand punishment for the people who stormed the halls of power that took place in Brasilia on Sunday.
Seoul (AFP) – China has suspended the issuing of short-term visas to South Koreans in response to Seoul’s imposition of travel restrictions on Chinese travellers due to Covid concerns, Beijing’s embassy in Seoul says.
Cappelle-la-Grande (France) (AFP) – The Dunkirk Carnival in northern France returns after three years of Covid-related cancellations. Over a thousand people gathered in the streets of Capelle-la-Grande to hear the first band of the carnival season, which will run until mid-April.
Aptos (United States) (AFP) – Residents of Aptos in Santa Cruz County, California begin surveying flood damage after the latest heavy storm slammed the US state. A swathe of the Golden State is under flood warnings as it struggls to cope with more rain on top of near-record downpours.
