Happy Holidays
A woman walks past New Year
decorations in Russia’s capital on
December 15. Celebrating the New
Year is one of Russia’s biggest civic
holidays. President Vladimir Putin
gives a speech from the Kremlin
and revellers make wishes over
champagne at midnight. It’s also the
time when families put up a decorated
tree and exchange presents. For
Orthodox Christians, Christmas
comes a week later on January 7.
Rain, Rain Go Away
Two boys stand next to their tents at
a displacement camp on December
14, 2019. Hundreds of thousands
of people were forced to leave their
homes after rain in late October
caused intense ʀooding, affecting
more than 85 percent of the town’s
residents. It was the largest ʀood in
living memory, and even forced the
hospital to close. Many refugees now
live in camps after losing their homes
and rely on aid for food and water.
Breathe Easy
A statue of Saint Teresa has a face
mask placed over it on December
- The city regularly has high levels
of air pollution and was recently on
par with notoriously polluted Beijing.
The culprit is Pristina’s two ageing
coal-based power plants, and the
use of coal to heat homes. The World
Bank once found Kosovo’s polluted air
caused 852 premature deaths a year.
The EU said it will invest $89 million
to improve the country’s air quality.
Ơ ALEXANDER NEMENOV Ơ LUIS TATO Ơ ARMEND NIMANIIn Focus
MOSCOW BELEDWEYNE, SOMALIA PRISTINA, KOSOVO