Batang Kali (Malaysia) (AFP) – Survivors of a landslide which struck a campsite at a Malaysian farm recall the horror of the deadly disaster near Batang Kali, with rescuers scouring the muddy terrain for those still missing.
Russkiye Tishki (Ukraine) (AFP) – In Ukraine, at the front, former animal shelter worker Olena Bubenko lives in a basement with her husband, elderly mother – and 67 dogs she took in after their owners fled the Russians.
Brussels (AFP) – In an exclusive interview with AFP, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Russia is “planning for a long war” in Ukraine, and urges Kyiv’s NATO backers to keep supporting Ukraine’s military until President Vladimir Putin realises he “cannot win on the battlefield”.
Grande-Synthe (France) (AFP) – Migrants in northern France are still determined to try to cross to Britain, according to several charities drawing attention to their harsh living conditions, after four people died when a small boat packed with migrants capsized in freezing temperatures in the Channel overnight. Dozens of others were plucked from the waters of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in a large-scale rescue operation involving UK and French emergency services.
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announces that the government will raise defence spending from one to two percent of GDP by fiscal 2027 in response to what he calls China’s “militaristic behaviour”.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – In the streets of Buenos Aires, the football World Cup final between Argentina and France is the talk of the capital, with many fans eager for Sunday to come.
Manila (AFP) – Thousands of Catholics from the Philippines attend the first of nine-day dawn masses, a widely-followed tradition leading to Christmas, as relaxed Covid rules allow churches to operate to their full capacity. In Baclaran Church in the capital Manila, face mask-wearing churchgoers filled the pews as they pray for their wishes and say a word of gratitude for a blessed year.
Batang Kali (Malaysia) (AFP) – Malaysia’s fire and rescue department vehicles arrive and exit the campsite at a Malaysian farm that was hit by a deadly landslide on Friday. At least 16 people were killed in the incident near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine’s capital Kyiv continues to battle partial darkness in some areas of the city after its energy infrastructure was the target of successive Russian strikes.
Kinshasa (AFP) – Residents of the DRC capital, Kinshasa, are cleaning up and assessing the damage after one of the worst floods to strike the area in years killed an estimated 120 people on Tuesday. “I find it hard to bear” says Robert, who lost a relative, “(I have) no strength to bury the dead bodies”.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – The speaker of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Zaruba, says that almost all components of “Russian unmanned aerial vehicles are of foreign production”. Speaking at a presentation of attack drones deployed by Moscow, Zaruba highlights the role of Iran in supplying vehicles used in strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian areas.
Moscow (AFP) – Yaroslav Leonov has been living in exile since President Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s partial mobilisation in September. Back in Moscow, his wife, Yekaterina Filimonova, and their three sons have to get by on their own. “The first month was very sad” says Filimonova, “it was very hard for me and it was hard for the kids”. They are not the only ones divided by the conflict, with the chaotic and hurried exodus of tens of thousands of military-aged men tearing apart families and piling pressure on mothers across Russia.
