Moscow (AFP) – Images show firefighters exinguishing a huge fire which engulfed a shopping centre near Moscow, and which officials say killed one person. “The open blaze was put out at 10:45 am (0735 GMT),” Sergei Poletykin, the head of the Moscow region emergency services told Russian media. IMAGES
Stockholm (AFP) – After two years of Covid cancellations, the traditional Nobel Banquet will once again be held in Stockholm’s City Hall on Saturday evening, following the prestigious awards ceremony. In the kitchen, over 40 cooks are getting everything ready for the 1,500 plates to be served.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Fans in Zagreb burst into celebration as Croatia beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties to set up a World Cup semi-final against Argentina or the Netherlands. In Rio, fans on Copacabana beach look on in despair as Brazil are sent crashing out of the tournament.
Oslo (AFP) – Speaking to reporters in Oslo on the eve of the Nobel prize award ceremony, the co-winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Ukraine’s Oleksandra Matviichuk, calls for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be brought to justice before an international tribunal.
Lima (AFP) – For a second day, protesters clash with police in Lima during a demonstration against the new President Dina Boluarte, demanding Pedro Castillo be freed. Former President Castillo was impeached and arrested after attempting to stage a coup. IMAGES
Giurgiu (Romania) (AFP) – Romanian truck drivers waiting in line at the Giurgiu border crossing into Bulgaria express their frustration over the country’s continued non-Schengen status. The EU has approved Croatia as the newest member of the border check-free zone from next month, but Austria and the Netherlands blocked Romania and Bulgaria from joining.
Rome (AFP) – Pope Francis is unable to hold back tears as he offers prayers for Ukraine during a traditional ceremony in central Rome. He briefly broke down during the afternoon ceremony at the city’s Piazza di Spagna to mark the immaculate conception, a public holiday in Italy.
Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden says that US women’s basketball star Brittney Griner is “on her way home” after being freed from Russia in a prisoner swap. “She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home,” Biden says during remarks at the White House.
Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) – Clashes between M23 rebels and the Congolese army have displaced tens of thousands of people in the east of the DRC. Living near the road leading to Goma, the displaced are facing starvation and often have to “fight” for the meagre rations distributed by NGOs and the Congolese government.
Lisbon (AFP) – Images posted on December 7th show heavy flooding in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, inundating buildings, submerging roads and killing at least one. Lisbon City Hall has issued a red alert warning.
Moscow (AFP) – At an award ceremony in Moscow, president Vladimir Putin hints that Russia will continue strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, saying that the “uproar and clamour spreading through the universe” will not “interfere with our combat missions”.
Lima (AFP) – Peru’s leftist president Pedro Castillo was ousted by lawmakers and arrested Wednesday in a dizzying series of events in a country long prone to political upheaval. Dina Boluarte, a 60-year-old lawyer who had been vice president, was sworn in as Peru’s first female president just hours after Castillo tried to dissolve Congress in a move criticized as an attempted coup.
