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Mikhmas (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “What happened here was an unusual attack. 60–70 settlers entered the encampment all at once”, says Musa Kaabneh, a resident of the Khirbet al-Sidra Bedouin community, where settlers set fire to two homes and two cars near the village of Mikhmas, east of Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says two Palestinians and two international solidarity activists were injured in the attack. While attacks by Israeli settlers affect communities across the West Bank, the semi-nomadic Bedouins are among the territory’s most vulnerable, saying they suffer from forced displacement due in large part to a lack of law enforcement.

Nuuk (AFP) – Thousands of people protest in the capital of Greenland against President Donald Trump’s plans for the US to annex the Danish autonomous territory. “We are not for sale. We are a free people, we have always been free people,” says Aviaq Brand.

Seoul (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says that the prospect of raising tariffs against countries contributing to Greenland’s security would be a mistake, adding that she has spoken with US President Donald Trump and that the issue should be addressed within NATO following what she describes as a lapse in communication among allies. The comments come during a meeting with the Italian press in Seoul, the final stop of Meloni’s Asia tour.

Lagos (AFP) – Amphibious excavators escorted by armed policemen roar through Makoko, Africa’s largest and most legendary floating slum, crushing hundreds of wooden shacks built on stilts above the lagoon in the heart of Lagos. “If they evict us from here, it will be very difficult for us to survive,” says mother of four Muibat Kpetosi.

Damascus (AFP) – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issues a decree declaring Kurdish a “national language”, in an apparent gesture of good will towards the minority following clashes in past days. The Kurdish administration subsequently called the announcement “a first step” but said it “does not satisfy the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people”.

Havana (AFP) – Cuba holds two days of tributes for the 32 Cuban soldiers killed during a US military operation in Venezuela on January 3 that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Twenty-one of the soldiers were from the Cuban interior ministry, which oversees the intelligence services, officials have said. The others were from the military.

Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s supreme leader says authorities “must break the back of the seditionists”, blaming US President Donald Trump for “casualties” after a deadly crackdown on protests against the country’s clerical leadership. Weeks of demonstrations have subsided after a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead under an internet blackout.

Asuncion (Paraguay) (AFP) – The South American trade bloc Mercosur and the European Union attend a ceremony in Asuncion during which they will sign a deal 25 years in the making to create one of the world’s largest free trade areas at a time of growing protectionism and volatility. The long-awaited agreement comes amid the sweeping use of tariffs and trade threats by US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has sent countries scrambling for new partnerships. IMAGES

Doylestown (AFP) – Picking up groceries from a food bank in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Trump voter Michelle Sims voices her disappointment with the president, saying she “was hoping more would be done by now”. In Bucks County, a swing county in a swing state, support for Trump has waned since he took office last January, according to opinion polls.

Kiew (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says negotiators are headed to the United States for further talks on a US-drafted plan to end the war with Russia. US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a halt to the war and has pressured Ukraine to accept peace terms that Kyiv has likened to capitulation to Russia.

Berlin (AFP) – The famous Berlinale Bears, the festival’s iconic trophies, are made at Berlin’s Noack Foundry, with the festival director Tricia Tuttle present. The Berlinale is Europe’s first big cinema showcase of the year and ranks along with Cannes and Venice among the continent’s top film festivals. Its 76th edition will take place from February 12 to 22.

Kédougou (AFP) – A shriek pierces the dawn in Senegal’s savannah as the Fongoli chimpanzees awaken, a rare West African species living in the hot, scraggly Sahel rather than usual forested habitats. Found in the southeast of the east African country, these chimps survive in conditions that push the limits of where they can live, offering insight into how they adapt to extreme environments. “They actually have really different behaviours than chimps that live in forests,” says primatologist Jill Pruetz.