District de Saydabad (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Swathes of Afghanistan are littered with unexploded mines, grenades and mortars spanning years of conflict. When fighting in the country subsided last year, following the Taliban’s seizure of power, many people returned to previously abandoned villages, schools and farmland. It exposed a new wave of Afghans to unexploded ordnance.
Sihanoukville (Cambodia) (AFP) – Trafficked, beaten and imprisoned far from his family in China, Lu is one of a sad legion of workers lured to work in Cambodian scam hothouses swindling people with online romance and crypto investment cons. As attention on the issue has grown, Cambodian authorities have launched high-profile raids, freeing more than 1,000 foreigners from three Sihanoukville compounds last month. But international observers and rights groups are sceptical. There are fears that rather than shutting down, the groups are simply relocating.
Doha (AFP) – Switzerland fans express, if not utter joy, then at least satisfaction as they leave the Al Janoub Stadium after a narrow 1-0 victory over Cameroon in their team’s Qatar World Cup opener. “We won, which was the most important thing” says Philipp Gysling, who travelled from Toronto for the match. The Cameroonians remain confident, despite two upcoming clashes against Serbia and Brazil. “The first half was good” says Kenneth, a Cameroon fan living in Qatar, “I don’t know what the coach told the players.”
London (AFP) – The London Natural History Museum’s iconic animatronic T.Rex is gearing up for Christmas. Now inhabiting a winter wonderland, the fearsome dinosaur is clad in a custom-made festive sweater and similarly up-sized Santa hat. “It is a big British thing” explains Sam Barnes, the museum’s head of retail, speaking about the sweater rather than the T.Rex.
Manicaragua (Cuba) (AFP) – Cuba’s coffee industry is on shakey ground. In 1960, Cuba produced more than 60,000 tons of coffee. In 2021, that figure dropped to just 11,500 tons. It’s hoped that “specialty” coffees, which remain a novelty on the island, could breath life back into a flagging industry.
Cianjur (Indonesia) (AFP) – Drone shots show search and rescue workers digging through a collapsed building in Indonesia’s West Java province after a deadly earthquake struck on Monday, killing 272 people. Indonesian authorities deployed heavy machinery, helicopters and thousands of personnel Thursday in a desperate effort to locate dozens trapped in rubble.
Paris (AFP) – Including the right to abortion in the French Constitution “is not a gimmick” but “a security for all women in our country” says the country’s Justice Minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti. Addressing the right and far-right wings of the French National Assembly, who have continually worked to obstruct the debate on the Constitution revision, Dupont-Moretti warns that despite their actions to “jam up the machine” with amendment proposals, “the political will is there.”
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim arrives at national palace to be sworn in as country’s 10th Prime Minister. IMAGES
HUÁNUCO (Peru) (AFP) – Peruvian anti-drug police destroy an illegal airstrip in Huanuco, central Peru. Peru is one of the world’s largest producers of cocaine, with some 400 tons annually, according to official figures. It is one of the largest producers of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, after Colombia.
Cianjur (Indonesia) (AFP) – Rescuers continue to search for survivors in the rubble on the third day since an earthquake on Indonesia’s main island of Java claimed 268 lives and injured more than 1,000 on Monday.
Edinburgh (AFP) – Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tells a crowd of independence supporters in Edinburgh that the quest for independence from the United Kingdom is not over. “Not Westminster or otherwise, will ever silence the voice of the Scottish people,” she declares. This comes after a landmark ruling by the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court deciding that only the UK government, and not the Scottish Parliament, could allow a referendum on independence to be held.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – A sea of streamers and mini-flags flutter above the graffiti-covered walls in Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, Rochinha, where residents hope the power of football will help heal the nation after a divisive election.
