AFP UK

Lamongan (Indonesia) (AFP) – Umar Patek, convicted for making the bomb used in the deadly 2002 Bali bombing, visits a de-radicalisation foundation in East Java, in his first appearance in front of the media since being released on parole. The 2002 blasts killed 202 people, including many foreign nationals, and Patek’s early release, just halfway through a 20 year sentence, has angered survivors and the relatives of those killed.

Beijing (AFP) – China said the situation was “stable” Tuesday on its border with India, after New Delhi reported a fresh stand-off between the two countries’ militaries on their disputed Himalayan frontier last week.

London (AFP) – Mick Lynch, the General Secretary of the RMT, says “the government is provoking the situation” by blocking a deal between his union and Network Rail. Speaking outside London’s Euston Station during a 48-hour RMT strike, Lynch apologises to travellers for the disruption which will continue in the run-up to Christmas, but adds that “our members have been put in an impossible position.”

London (AFP) – Train passengers around the UK are enduring another two days of industrial action on the nation’s railway network, as pay talks between the rail union RMT and Network Rail bosses fail to find a resolution. Travellers have already been hit by snow and freezing conditions and now face further disruptions, also affecting some London Underground services — where lines are shared with Network Rail. IMAGES

Brussels (AFP) – EU ministers arrive at the Extraordinary Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in Brussels to discuss mechanisms for capping gas prices on the European market. Images shows arrivals of Agnes Pannier-Runacher, French Minister for the Energy Transition; Mikulas Bek, Chairman and Czech Minister for European Affairs; Andrej Stancik, Slovak State Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs; Raffaele Fitto, Italian Minister for European Affairs, Cohesion Policies and the NRRP; Tytti Tuppurainen, Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering and Jozef Sikela, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Industry and Trade. IMAGES

London (AFP) – Outdoor swimmers take to near-freezing water in London after the first snowfall of the winter.

Yeoncheon (South Korea) (AFP) – Scene outside the military base where BTS member Jin starts his mandatory military duty, the band’s first member to enlist since a hiatus announcement this year left fans heartbroken over the K-pop juggernaut’s uncertain future. IMAGES

Jukkasjärvi (Sweden) (AFP) – 200 kilometres above the Arctic Circle lies the Esrange Space Center which, since the late 1960s, has been a rocket range and scientific research base. Surround by thousands of square kilometres of icy wilderness, the site, originally founded for the study of auroras, is now locked in a race with other space stations to be the first to launch satellites from mainland Europe.

Solihull (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The deaths of three boys who fell into a frozen lake in Solihull, near the city of Birmingham, are a “tragedy beyond words”, says the Area Commander of the region’s fire service, Richard Stanton. The boys, aged eight, 10 and 11, were rushed to hospital in a state of cardiac arrest on Sunday 11 December.

Brussels (AFP) – European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says charges against a European parliament vice president were “very serious”, after allegations that Qatar paid bribes to burnish its image. Her comments come after Greek MEP Eva Kaili was arrested in connection with a corruption investigation linked to the World Cup host country.

Amsterdam (AFP) – An unlikely marriage between tulips and Bitcoin sees a huge flower farming greenhouse in The Netherlands heated by whirring servers, themselves powered by solar panels. This approach to circular energy usage helps both businesses save on huge energy costs. “Some growers have decided, because of the increase in gas prices, to stop growing this year” explains Danielle Koning, a flower farmer whose facilities now house six Bitcoin miners.

London (AFP) – Londoners wake up to a white morning in the first winter snowfall of 2022 after a cold snap that saw yellow warnings issued for the capital. Overnight snow has caused major travel disruptions, with flights cancelled and train and road networks experiencing major delays.