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.
Preah Vihear (AFP) – A landmine-hunting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record by sniffing out more than 100 mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance. Ronin, a giant African pouched rat, has tracked down 109 landmines and 15 other potentially deadly war remnants since his deployment to northern Preah Vihear province in August 2021, the Belgian charity APOPO says.
Seoul (AFP) – South Korea’s Constitutional Court upholds President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his disastrous martial law declaration, voting unanimously to strip him of office for violating the constitution.
Toluca (Mexique) (AFP) – Images of the Stellantis plant in Toluca, Mexico. The auto giant has announced it is pausing production in Mexico, where it makes Dodge cars and RAM trucks. IMAGES
Maiquetía (Venezuela) (AFP) – A plane carrying more than 300 Venezuelan migrants lands in Venezuela’s international airport in Maiquetia. The plane comes from Mexico but the Venezuelan migrants were originally in the United States, announces Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior and Justice, who was on the tarmac waiting for the plane. There were 313 Venezuelans in the plane according to Cabello. IMAGES
Amsterdam (AFP) – A small crowd gathers for the inauguration of a ‘stolperstein’, or ‘stumbling block’, in a street in east Amsterdam, where it honours the life of Ilse Wagner, a Jewish girl who was deported from the Netherlands and killed by the Nazis in the Sobibor extermination camp. Wagner’s name is familiar to those who have read Anne Frank’s diary, as she was a friend of the young writer. “This is beautiful,” says Helen Romain-Levien, a relative of Wagner.
Brüssel (AFP) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismisses questions over US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance as “hysteria” as he tells NATO allies to commit to spending five percent of GDP on defence ahead of his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
