Washington (AFP) – Visitors have until New Year’s Day to admire the US National Christmas Tree and the 58 smaller trees outside the White House in Washington, DC. Decorated by students, the trees represent the various states and territories of the United States. Outside the Capitol, a 78-foot tall red spruce from North Carolina nicknamed “Ruby” is also delighting the crowds.
Yangzhou (China) (AFP) – Sirens wailed out across China at the beginning of a public memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin on Tuesday, who died last week at the age of 96.
Fountains of lava and rivers of molten rock continue to spew from Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, the world’s biggest volcano.
Elyes Jelassi, a Tunisian nurse, packs his bags before travelling to Germany to take up a new job. Germany is becoming a key destination for disillusioned young Tunisians despite a language barrier and the North African nation’s long history of ties with France.
Heavy rains in northwest Colombia sent a wall of earth crashing onto a winding road, swallowing up a bus and other vehicles and killing 27 people on Sunday. The landslide prompted a large rescue effort, with dozens of people in hard hats using backhoes and excavators to dig through the earth looking for victims.
Doha (AFP) – Brazil fans party in the streets of Doha ahead of the round of 16 match against South Korea. Fans pay tribute to their beloved idol, Pele, who is currently hospitalized in Brazil.
Johannesburg (AFP) – The general secretary of the ANC, Paul Mashatile, tells the press that the National Executive Committee “will vote against the adoption of the report of the section 89 panel” which alleges that President Cyril Ramaphosa was involved in a cover-up on a robbery on his farm. SOUNDBITE
Stromboli (Italy) (AFP) – Ashy smoke billows and lava flows from Mount Stromboli in Italy after a 4.6 magnitude tremor on Sunday, caused by the ‘sciara del fuoco’ section of the volcano that broke off and slammed into the sea, triggering a tsunami wave off the volcanic island. The wave, which was about one and a half metres high, did not reach the coast. According to the Civil Protection Services no damage was reported.
Pucon (Chile) (AFP) – A string of seismic events from Villarrica volcano in the south of Chile has alerted authorities to make emergency plans. At the Southern Andes Volcanological Observatory scientists monitor the volcano and data “to avoid any natural disaster.”
Moscow (AFP) – Images of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosting Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow in order to develop bilateral cooperation. IMAGES
Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry defends its Covid measures saying that they have protected people’s lives and the country continued to ‘optimise and improve’ their policies ‘according to the development of the epidemic situation’. Businesses reopened and testing requirements were relaxed in Beijing and other Chinese cities on Monday as the country tentatively eases out of a strict zero-Covid policy that sparked nationwide protests.
Le Chenit (Switzerland) (AFP) – Switzerland’s Risoud Forest is filled with spruce trees which are hundreds of years old. Their wood is perfect for crafting acoustic guitars, violins and other string instruments, making it sought after by luthiers around the world. But climate change has brought drier, warmer weather, threatening the special tonal qualities of the wood.
