Chequers (United Kingdom) (AFP) – “It has been quite a difficult time for us”, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen tells her British counterpart Keir Starmer at his country residence, Chequers. The pair meet after US President Donald Trump announced a framework for a permanent deal over Greenland, backing off from his threat to seize the territory from Denmark.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump declares that Hamas has “to give up their weapons” under the Gaza ceasefire deal or “it’s going to be the end of them,” as he addresses his newly created Board of Peace. “Iran does want to talk, and we’ll talk,” he adds at the World Economic Forum in Davos, citing the US’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Trucks unload waste in a landfill in the centre of Gaza City, where tons of rubbish are piling up, seeping into a camp for displaced people nearby. “This waste now constitutes a ticking bomb for the population, leading to a rapid and widespread outbreak of disease,” says a Gaza municipality spokesperson, stating that the accumulation of waste is due to the fact that the main landfill is situated outside the Yellow Line.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – Talks to end the war in Ukraine have made “a lot of progress” and are “down to one issue” between Kyiv and Moscow, says US special envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of a trip to Russia. “We have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable. So if both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved,” Witkoff says at a Ukrainian event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Mount Maunganui (New Zealand) (AFP) – Images of a landslide that smashed into a campsite in rain-swept northern New Zealand, leaving multiple people missing under tonnes of mud at the foot of extinct volcano Mount Maunganui. IMAGES
Karachi (AFP) – The death toll from a mall fire in Pakistan’s biggest city rose to at least 55 people, as emergency workers scour the building’s charred remains for more victims. A government committee has launched an investigation, but the cause of the inferno was not immediately clear.
Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – An Israeli air strike killed AFP freelancer Abd Raouf Shaat and two other journalists in Gaza, the territory’s civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck “suspects” operating a drone. Shaat had contributed regularly to AFP as a photo and video journalist. The other journalists killed in the strike are Mohammed Salah Qashta and Anas Ghneim.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – President Donald Trump demands immediate talks on acquiring Greenland in a hardline speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, but says that while the United States possesses “unstoppable force” it will not use it to take the Arctic island from Denmark.
Al-Hol Camp (Syria) (AFP) – Syria’s army enters the country’s vast Al-Hol detention camp that houses relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, after Kurdish forces withdrew the previous day. Located in the country’s northeast Hasakeh province, Al-Hol houses around 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 women and children of 42 nationalities.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – California Governor Gavin Newsom urges European leaders to “stop trying to appease” Donald Trump, saying the US president’s tariff threats over Greenland are “madness” and “insulting” to Europe. “The European Union should hit him in the face and push back very aggressively. Fight fire with fire. Trump is weak,” Newsom says on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
New York (AFP) – People take to the streets in New York, Boston, and Burbank to mark the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with many voicing their opposition to the methods used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Gaza (Mozambique) (AFP) – Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) shares footage of a rescue in the flood-stricken Gaza province. Heavy rain and storms in Mozambique and South Africa have killed at least 150 people, authorities say.
