Shanghai (AFP) – China announced it would impose tariffs on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment, firing a return salvo minutes after Trump’s threatened tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect.
Syria’s national symphony orchestra takes to the stage for its first concert at Damascus opera house since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. After Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad on December 8, the orchestra’s rehearsals and concerts were halted as Syria embarked on a delicate transition away from decades of one-family rule enforced by a repressive security apparatus.
Paris (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – Surging trade with Russia and China means that the small Kyrgyzstan settlement of 100 inhabitants is getting busier and busier. A popular stopover for truck drivers, it has been named Paris by hauliers who see the lights of its roadside cafes while driving a treacherous road.
Manaus (Brazil) (AFP) – The Inhaa-be indigenous village inaugurates the first cinema in an Amazon indigenous territory. The opening featured Kokama’s documentary “Traços da Resistencia” (“Traces of Resistance”) along with eight short films showcasing Indigenous talent from across Brazil.
Hong Kong (AFP) – The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has been recreated as part of an absurdist play in Hong Kong. Hundreds have flocked to see the Trump show which is helping traditional Cantonese opera connect with a younger audience at the soon-to-be-shuttered Sunbeam Theatre.
Madrid (AFP) – Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz announces the government is taking the first steps towards reducing the working week in the country from having a maximum legal working day of 40 hours to 37.5 hours. However there is no guarantee of a majority to pass the bill in parliament at this stage.
Rescuers attend the site of a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Izyum which killed five people and wounded more than four dozen others, according to officials. Izyum, which had a population of around 45,000 people before the Russian invasion launched in February 2022, was occupied for several months at the beginning of the war before being retaken by Ukrainian forces later that year.
Ciudad Juárez (Mexique) (AFP) – Thousands of National Guard members arrive in Ciudad Juarez on Mexico’s border with the US. As part of a series of agreements to delay the start of tariffs for one month, Mexico will reinforce security along its border with the United States with 10,000 National Guard troops to fight drug trafficking. IMAGES
San José (AFP) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Costa Rica and meets with President Rodrigo Chaves at the presidential palace in San Jose as he seeks to curb Chinese influence in Latin America on his first foreign trip. Rubio, a longtime hawk on China, began his trip in Panama where he reported headway in his push to decrease China’s influence around the crucial Panama Canal. IMAGES
Mérida (Mexique) (AFP) – Some 360 members of Mexico’s National Guard board a flight from Merida, Yucatan state, to Mexicali, Baja California state, on the US border. As part of a series of agreements to delay the start of tariffs for one month, Mexico will reinforce security along its border with the United States with 10,000 National Guard troops to fight drug trafficking. IMAGES
Cape Town (AFP) – South Africa’s Mineral Resources Minister hits back at US President Donald Trump’s accusations that the country was “confiscating” land, suggesting that Africa could “withhold minerals to the US” in response. “If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals,” says Gwede Mantashe at a mining conference in Cape Town. “We are not beggars”.
Montevideo (AFP) – Uruguayans pay tribute to Iemanja, the Goddess of the Sea in the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda, at Ramirez Beach in Montevideo. Meanwhile in Brazil, followers of the Candomble religion host a procession through the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Ipanema, culminating in offerings cast into the water.
