(AFP) – Billionaire US presidential adviser Elon Musk says he hopes Europe and the United States will agree to join in a free-trade zone, after US leader Donald Trump unleashed heavy global trade tariffs. He makes the remarks in a video address to a gathering of the Italian hard-right party La Liga.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Smoke looms over Kyiv as the sun rises following an early morning missile attack on the Ukrainian capital. The strikes injured at least three people and caused several blazes, the city’s mayor said, two days after a Russian strike killed 18 people in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
El Amra (Tunisia) (AFP) – Tunisia has dismantled camps housing thousands of undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, police say. “It was our duty to end all the disorder,” explains a national guard spokesman. Around 4,000 people of various nationalities left one of the camps cleared by authorities, who say that operations will continue over the coming days. Tunisia has in recent years become a key departure point in North Africa for migrants making the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing in hopes of reaching Europe.
Berlin (AFP) – Demonstrators protest against US-President Donald Trump and tech-billionaire ally Elon Musk in Berlin. Their demonstration is held in support of nationwide protests taking place across the United States today.
Ream (Cambodia) (AFP) – Cambodia’s leader Hun Manet says his country has “nothing to hide” as he opens a naval base renovated in recent years by China, following concerns voiced by the United States over Beijing’s role in the upgrades. “What is wrong with Cambodia modernising its military capabilities?” Manet asks during the opening ceremony, attended by an official from the Chinese Central Military Commission.
Rawalpindi (Pakistan) (AFP) – Benazir Raufi stands alone in her restaurant, her staff and customers too afraid to visit after Pakistan’s government announced it was cancelling the residence permits of hundreds of thousands of Afghans. “If I’m deported, it will destroy me,” says Raufi, 45, who is now one of many refugees fearing being forced back to Afghanistan.
Aldea Piaraçu (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva acknowledges that his government has “much to do” for Indigenous peoples while visiting emblematic Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire in the Amazon.
Geneva (AFP) – Myanmar’s military has reportedly conducted dozens of attacks since the devastating earthquake hit the country, including at least 16 since a temporary truce was announced this week, the UN says. Following reports of sporadic clashes even after last Friday’s quake which has killed more than 3,000 people, the junta joined its opponents on Wednesday in calling a temporary halt to hostilities for relief to be delivered. But the United Nations rights office has received reports of more than 60 attacks carried out by the military since the earthquake.
Helsinki (AFP) – Hidden deep underground, Finland’s massive bomb shelters are drawing renewed interest as European countries increase their defence spending. Featuring swimming pools, gyms, playgrounds and amusements parks, the unique underground facilities can be transformed into civil defence shelters within hours and host 4.8 million of the 5.5 million population.
Seoul (AFP) – South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled to remove impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his disastrous martial law declaration, triggering fresh elections after months of political turmoil. Yoon, 64, was suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He was also arrested on insurrection charges as part of a separate criminal case.
Brüssel (AFP) – NATO chief Mark Rutte insists that US President Donald Trump has not undermined the alliance’s Article 5 collective defence pledge. “Article 5, he has not undercut. He has committed to NATO, he has committed to Article 5,” Rutte tells AFP during an interview in Brussels.
Bangui (AFP) – Dancers from the Central African Republic’s (CAR) National Ballet rehearse traditional moves and steps from the country’s mosaic of ethnic groups in the capital, Bangui. They aim to preserve the heritage of a country scarred by decades of conflict, instability and extreme poverty. The dancers were recently integrated into the civil service, just like the actors and musicians who also belong to the National Artistic Ensemble.
