Rio de Janeiro (Brésil) (AFP) – King Momo and the Queen of the Carnival kick off the vibrant festivities of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Carnival as they receive the key to the city from Mayor Eduardo Paes during the official opening ceremony. IMAGES
Dhaka (AFP) – Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) election committee spokesman Mahdi Amin calls the party’s sweeping election win “a victory of the people” and says it will “ensure a free land again where every citizen’s rights and freedom will be protected”. The BNP secured a landslide victory in the first elections since a deadly 2024 uprising, winning a majority of more than two-thirds of the available seats.
Ganvié (Benin) (AFP) – On the ‘Lover’s Canal’ in Ganvie, a lake village in Benin, love can flow in unusual ways. Long a place for chance encounters, this stretch of water has over the years become a favoured meeting spot for young men and women in search of a soulmate. “It’s here that we still meet our sweethearts, that we swap our numbers scribbled on little bits of paper,” says fisherman Paulin Agbokounou.
Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – The domes and facades of mosques and government buildings are lit up in a colourful display for the 15th annual Sharjah Light Festival in the emirate of Sharjah.
Caracas (AFP) – Relatives of political prisoners chain themselves outside a detention center in Caracas after parliament postpones adoption of the amnesty bill. IMAGES
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – NATO must be “more European-led”, says Secretary General Mark Rutte. “How does that work out? It means Europeans spending more, taking more responsibility for their own defence,” Rutte tells a press conference at a NATO summit in Brussels.
Istanbul (AFP) – The UN’s climate chief urges countries to unite against an “unprecedented threat” to international cooperation from pro-fossil fuel forces — issuing his appeal as US President Donald Trump rattles the global order. Speaking in Istanbul, as Turkey prepares to host the COP31 climate summit later this year, Simon Stiell, the head of the United Nations climate body, says, “COP31 in Antalya will place and will take place in extraordinary times. We find ourselves in a new world disorder… the very concept of international cooperation is under attack.”
Caracas (AFP) – Thousands take to the streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Youth Day as the government debates an amnesty bill. The landmark bill could be passed on February 12th, granting amnesty to political prisoners and marking an early milestone in the transition from the rule of toppled leader Nicolas Maduro. IMAGES
Sion (Switzerland) (AFP) – Anger for the families of the Crans-Montana bar fire victims, as co-owner of Le Constellation bar Jessica Moretti appears for court proceedings. “No reconciliation is possible when children have been killed and burned alive,” says Vinciane Stucky, mother of a fire victim. Jacques and Jessica Moretti face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. The fire left 41 people dead and over 100 injured.
Tumbler Ridge (Canada) (AFP) – Residents of the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia pay their respects to the eight victims of a mass shooting. “Schools should be safe because we are taking care of the new generations, the new minds of this country,” says one local woman. The shooting was carried out by an 18-year-old transgender woman, targeting a school after killing her mother and stepbrother. The motive is still unknown.
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) – An IOC spokesperson says that “if we start reflecting all of those conflicts in the world on the sporting field, there will be no sport,” after Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych’s disqualification from the Winter Olympics. The athlete was disqualified after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian fan Irina Nalivayko, in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the event, says she is “disappointed” with the decision, which she says is like “trying to erase a reality.”
Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry calls Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te a “war instigator” after he warned in an AFP interview that Beijing would target countries in the region should it seize control of the self-ruled island.
