Guatemala City (AFP) – Guatemalans call for an iron fist to stamp out gang violence after the murder of nine police officers and riots in several prisons, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency on January 18.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen vows that Europe’s response to US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats on Greenland will be “unflinching”. Her comments come during the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – President Emmanuel Macron decries US President Donald Trump’s threat to countries opposing his plans to seize Greenland as “useless aggressivity”. “We do prefer respect to bullies,” he says at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Hasakeh (Syria) (AFP) – Clashes erupt on Turkey’s border between police and pro-Kurdish protesters angered by a Syrian military offensive targeting Kurds. Syria’s government has since announced a four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Nuuk (AFP) – Greenlanders say US President Donald Trump “should stay away” as he ramps up his campaign to take over the vast Arctic island. “We live peacefully here,” office worker Nina Carlsen tells AFP. “So I’m fine without him.”
Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) – The United Nations is warning that millions in Afghanistan will experience acute malnutritution this year. At a therapeutic nutrition centre in Herat, an average of 315–320 malnourished children are admitted each month, a number that has risen steadily over the past five years, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Penco (Chile) (AFP) – “It is devastating to see all this, both what we experienced yesterday and what we saw today,” says 53-year-old Mareli Torres, describing the current situation in the charred neighborhoods of Penco, Chile, after a series of uncontrolled wildfires.
London (AFP) – A heckler yells “leave Greenland alone” as US actress Vanessa Williams sings the American national anthem before an NBA showcase match in London. US President Donald Trump has been reiterating his desire to control the autonomous Danish territory.
The President of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, says the death toll from the train collision near Adamuz might rise as rescue teams have yet to access several severely damaged carriages. “It seems, and I hope this is not the case, that there may be people who have died and whom we have not yet been able to reach, who are in those carriages,” he tells press at a briefing.
London (AFP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says that “a trade war is in no one’s interest,” in light of US President Donald Trump’s plan to impose new tariffs on Greenland’s allies as he continues to seek US control of the Danish autonomous territory. Tensions between the US and Europe have continued to flare since Trump’s mention of tariffs, with Germany’s vice chancellor Lars Klingbeil saying that Europe is preparing its own tariffs in response to Trump’s “economic blackmail”.
Spain’s emergency services continue to work in the aftermath of its most deadly train crash in over a decade, which killed at least 39 people and injured more than 120. The crash happened on Sunday evening when a train operated by rail company Iryo travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz in Andalucia and hit an oncoming train. “At the moment there is still a lot of uncertainty about the number of people hospitalised, how many have died,” says Almudena Crespo, the on-call chief of Madrid’s Emergency Services SUMMA 112.
Escuintla (Guatemala) (AFP) – Guatemalan police guard the surroundings of the Renovacion I maximum-security prison in Escuintla where gang-affiliated inmates had taken guards as hostages in retaliation for the government’s refusal to transfer gang leaders to a lower-security prison. Police managed to regain control of the prison and free the guards. IMAGES
