AFP UK

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Tens of thousands of fans gather at the iconic Obelisk monument, where World Cup winners Argentina are due to make an appearance with their trophy.

Beijing (AFP) – Across China, crematoriums are struggling to deal with an influx of bodies, as the country battles a wave of Covid cases that authorities have admitted is “impossible” to track. Some vehicles have been stationed outside this Beijing crematorium for hours, waiting to enter Dongjiao Crematorium.

Ezeiza (Argentina) (AFP) – Argentina’s players celebrate on board a bus after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament as they leave Ezeiza International Airport en route to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training centre in Ezeiza.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Kyiv officials on Monday illuminated a Christmas tree in the city centre, refusing to let Russia “steal” the festive season from Ukrainian children. A few dozen residents braved the sub-zero temperatures to admire the tree located next to the Saint Sophia Cathedral and its emblematic golden domes — and take selfies. Meanwhile in Kharkiv, this year’s Christmas tree was installed at an underground metro.

Manila (AFP) – Piece by piece, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun puts together dozens of human bones like a puzzle in her search for truth about the violent deaths of drug war victims in the Philippines. One of only two forensic pathologists in the country, Fortun is helping rights groups gather evidence that one day could be used in court against police accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings. “I know they were killed violently and yes, I do whisper things to them. I do ask for help,” said Fortun.

Ezeiza (Argentina) (AFP) – Lionel Messi carries the World Cup trophy off the airplane as the Argentinian national football team arrives back in Argentina. The team won the final in Qatar 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw over 120 minutes of unparallelled drama.

Bang Saphan (Thailand) (AFP) – Crew of a Thai navy vessel is preparing to set sail in search of 31 sailors missing after their vessel capsized, with dozens of others already hauled from the choppy waters. 

Washington (AFP) – The House panel that investigated last year’s attack on the US Capitol recommends that criminal charges be filed against former president Donald Trump.

Riga (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls on the leaders attending the Joint Expeditionary Force meeting in the Latvian capital, Riga, to deliver more “military aid to Ukraine”. Sunak is speaking at the third JEF meeting, which brings together the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Montreal (AFP) – The chair of the COP15 nature summit, Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, announces the adoption of a historic deal to reverse decades of environmental destruction during a marathon UN biodiversity summit. The 23-target deal pledges includes securing 30% of the planet as a protected zone by 2030, stumping up $30 billion in yearly conservation aid for the developing world, cutting environmentally destructive farming subsidies as well as safeguarding the rights of Indigenous people as stewards of their lands.

Washington (AFP) – Former president Donald Trump’s refusal to immediately intervene to stop last year’s assault on the US Capitol makes him “unfit for any office,” the vice chair of the House panel investigating the attack says.

Baabda (Lebanon) (AFP) – Nour is struggling to raise her infant daughter in Lebanon’s most overpopulated women’s prison: the Baabda prison outside Beirut, as the country’s economy lies in tatters. “I can’t always secure formula for my daughter,” says Nour. “Even when I ask my parents to bring formula, by the time they get here she’ll have gone without it for three days.”