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Gummatapura (India) (AFP) – Gummatapura and surrounding villages celebrate the Gorehabba festival by collecting heaps of cow dung and holding cow dung fights to honour the village deity.

Tokyo (AFP) – The Japanese manga “One Piece” is a cultural phenomenon. It has sold about 500 million copies worldwide and this year marks the 25th anniversary of its serialisation. But the much-beloved manga is now on the cusp of its final chapter. AFP met three fans to learn how it has impacted their lives.

Jerusalem (AFP) – Prime Minister Yair Lapid claims Israel’s foe Lebanon de-facto “recognises” the Jewish state, thanks to a sea border deal the two states are expected to sign. Lapid also hails the deal as fortifying Israel’s “security” against armed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

REGION DE DONETSK (Ukraine) (AFP) – Amongst the residents of a small village in east Ukraine, one man has less luck than most: he, like the president, is also called Volodymyr Zelensky. Far from a blessing, his name has led to more than his fair share of run-ins with the Russian invaders.

United Nations (United States) (AFP) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that the world “cannot afford any more greenwashing”, as a UN emissions gap report revealed current efforts to limit global warming and reach net zero are falling “pitifully short”.

Unknown (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon’s Hezbollah will end an “exceptional” mobilisation against Israel, its leader Hassan Nasrallah says after Lebanon and Israel struck a maritime border deal, declaring its mission “accomplished”. The Lebanese armed group had been threatening to strike at Israel for months.

Paris (AFP) – Environmental activists storm the Climate Finance Day event in Paris to denounce BNP Paribas’ continued investments in fossil fuels.

Buenos Aires (AFP) – BTS fans have begun to camp outside River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires after British band Coldplay announced that the superstar Korean group’s Jin will make a guest appearance on stage.

San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) (AFP) – The turquoise glimmer of open-air pools contrasts sharply with the dazzling white of salt flats in Latin America’s “lithium triangle,” where hope resides for a better life fueled by a metal bonanza. A key component of batteries used in electric cars, demand has exploded for lithium — the “white gold” found in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia in quantities larger than anywhere else in the world.

Jecheon (South Korea) (AFP) – If North Korea unleashes a nuclear attack on the South, architecture professor Lee Tae-goo has a plan: he’ll retreat to his purpose-built bunker and stay underground for at least two weeks to avoid radiation poisoning. With thick concrete walls, steel-reinforced doors and an air purification system, Lee says his shelter, buried under a metre (three feet) of earth, could keep him safe from a nuclear disaster and withstand a direct hit from a conventional missile.

United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Methane concentrations in the atmosphere made their biggest-ever registered increase in 2021, the United Nations reports. The causes of last year’s rise are still being investigated, but analysis indicates that the largest contribution to the increase since 2007 comes from sources such as wetlands or rice paddies.

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Students from Brazil’s School of Santa Claus celebrate their graduation ahead of the Christmas season outside the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.