Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – “It was a rollercoaster,” Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola tells reporters after the team opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a first half demolition of Leicester in a thrilling 6-3 win.
Seoul (AFP) – South Koreans gather outside a Shinsegae department store in Seoul to watch a Christmas-themed LED light display.
Greenbelt (United States) (AFP) – The James Webb Space Telescope — soon to become the most powerful ever to be launched into space — after technical and weather delays is set to take off on Christmas Day from the base in France’s South American department.
Shanghai (AFP) – Shanghai residents head to Christmas markets to soak in the festive atmosphere amid the light displays and performances.
Beijing (AFP) – There is a “high probability” of Covid-19 outbreaks inside the Winter Olympics bubble, Chinese officials say at a press conference.
Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s oldest university launched an overnight operation Thursday to dismantle and remove a statue commemorating those killed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in the latest blow to academic freedoms as China cracks down.
Gitega (Burundi) (AFP) – In Burundi’s capital, drummers take part in the final of a drumming competition between participants from all of the country’s provinces. Listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO since 2014, the ritual dance of the royal drum is a tradition that Burundians hope to preserve and share with the world.
Stockholm (AFP) – A Swedish company has come up with a microchip that can be inserted under the skin so that users can carry their Covid passports in their arm.
London (AFP) – UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announces measures to support businesses as the Omicron Covid-19 variant sweeps through the country.
Shah Alam (Malaysia) (AFP) – The Malaysian military uses boats to distribute food to people trapped in their homes after massive floods left at least 14 people dead and more than 70,000 displaced.
La Palma Island (Spain) (AFP) – The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma is the first since 1971, and the longest on record on the island. While the eruption has been the source of destruction and displacement, for scientists it is also a unique opportunity to learn. Around 70 experts have been monitoring the volcano and examining the rare and valuable data spilling out from it.
Jakarta (AFP) – Divers dressed as Santa Claus swim with mermaids and greet visitors in a Jakarta’s aquarium with a Christmas tree made of recycled materials.
