AFP UK

Taoyuan (Taiwan) (AFP) – Taiwan launches weeklong war games aimed at more realistically simulating an attack from China amid a growing threat of conflict.

Eldoret (Kenya) (AFP) – Kenyan rangers move quickly but carefully as they handle the giraffe that’s just been darted by a veterinarian on a farm in Sergoit, in western Kenya, the first stage of an operation to move it hundreds of kilometres away.

Jacksonville (AFP) – Vice President Kamala Harris — who is the first female, Black and South Asian vice president in US history — received the endorsement from President Joe Biden after he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race over health concerns and has won the crucial backing of Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi, to lead the party against Donald Trump in November.

Daruvar (Croatia) (AFP) – Croatian national police chief Nikola Milina confirms that six people were killed in a shooting at a nursery home in a small town in country’s east. The victims include five residents of the home and one employee, with police arresting the gunmen shortly after. According to media reports, the perpetrator’s mother was among those killed.

Dhaka (AFP) – Bangladesh’s top court has pared back contentious civil service hiring rules but failed to mollify university student leaders, whose demonstrations against the scheme sparked nationwide clashes that have killed at least 150 people.

Washington (AFP) – Americans in Washington, California and New Year react to Joe Biden dropping out of the US presidential election and endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee.

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis expresses hope that the Olympic Games in Paris would offer “an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, demonstrating a sincere desire for peace,” during the traditional Angelus prayer.

Grand Rapids (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump, holding his first campaign rally since surviving an assassination attempt, dismisses concerns that he is a threat to democracy, triumphantly telling a cheering crowd: “Last week I took a bullet for democracy.”

Boom (Belgium) (AFP) – The Tomorrowland festival invites 400,000 partiers from around the world to Belgium for its 20th anniversary. Held over two weekends, the non-stop electronic music and colourful stages allows festival-goers to relax and forget their worries.

Nicosia (AFP) – Cyprus marks 50 years since Turkish troops invaded the Mediterranean island, with comments from the Turkish and Cypriot leaders demonstrating the stark divide that remains. The invasion led to the conquering of one-third of Cyprus and displacement of about 40 percent of the population.

Atar (Mauritania) (AFP) – Some 450 kilometres north of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, the oasis village of Azougui faces an encroaching desert. The creeping sand is emblematic of changes in the region, where temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, according to a 2022 UN report. Drought and sudden floods are decimating the date palms relied upon by many as a source of income.

Airlines, banks, TV channels and other businesses across the world have been left scrambling by one of the biggest IT crashes in recent years, all caused by an update to an antivirus program. A combination of glitches affecting Microsoft Windows and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike caused aviation officials in the US to temporarily ground all flights and the UK government to convene its emergency COBRA committee.