Melbourne (AFP) – Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz says he is “hungry” to break his Australian Open title drought and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, calling it his primary target in 2026. The world number one is the title favourite along with two-time defending champion and great rival Jannik Sinner.
Peking (AFP) – China will allow Canadian visitors to enter the country visa-free, Prime Minister Mark Carney says after talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing as the two nations aim to thaw frosty relations. Carney also announces a “landmark trade agreement” between the new countries to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs.
Maracaibo (Venezuela) (AFP) – A gas carrier and an oil tanker are seen at Maracaibo Lake Bay in Venezuela’s unofficial “oil capital.” The United States announces that its forces seized another tanker in the Caribbean, the sixth ship apprehended since President Donald Trump announced a blockade to prevent sanctioned vessels going to or from Venezuela. IMAGES
Dayr Hafir (AFP) – Syrians flee Deir Hafer, a town in eastern Aleppo province, after the army gave civilians a deadline to leave amid fears of an escalation in clashes with Kurdish forces. The government is seeking to extend its authority across the country following the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
Vatikanstadt (AFP) – Pope Leo meets with families of the victims of the New Year’s fire in a Swiss ski resort bar, telling them faith can help in “the darkest and most painful moments”. Leo XIV received about 20 relatives of the Crans-Montana fire victims in a private audience at the Vatican, offering words of comfort two weeks after the disaster that killed 40 people and injured 116.
Prayagraj (AFP) – Hindu holy men and devotees take a dip in Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers to celebrate India’s Magh Mela festival. Hindus believe the ritual bathing at the confluence will bring spiritual liberation and cleanse their sins.
Kiew (AFP) – Kyiv residents struggle and find new ways to cope as relentless Russian strikes on heat and electricity supplies cause power outages. Moscow has hit Ukraine with daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, cutting power and heating in the frigid depths of winter, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to declare a “state of emergency”.
Hula Valley (AFP) – Thousands of migratory birds spend their wintering period along the banks of Agamon Lake in the Hula Valley Nature Reserve in northern Israel. The Hula Valley is home to a unique migration sanctuary for hundreds of millions of birds migrating from Europe and Asia to Africa and back during the spring and autumn seasons.
Rwakitura (AFP) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says he faced difficulties voting due to technical problems on election day, as the country faces an internet shutdown and widespread delays. Museveni, 81, is widely expected to win a seventh term in office thanks to his total control of the state and security apparatus.
(AFP) – Deep beneath the Antarctic ice, a unique underground vault has opened to preserve glacier ice collected from mountain ranges around the world. The first-of-its-kind sanctuary is destined to house an invaluable archive of fast-disappearing records of Earth’s climate for centuries to come. Ice cores are drilled from deep within glaciers and contain preserved material that can give indications of ancient weather patterns.
London (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says social media platform X is “acting to ensure full compliance with UK law” amid an outcry over sexualised “deepfake” images created by its Grok chatbot. Earlier in the week, the UK’s media regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into X. “The actions of Grok and X are disgusting,” Starmer says, speaking to the House of Commons, adding that his government is “not going to back down.”
Sadovik (Bulgaria) (AFP) – Covered in bells and touting lit torches, dancers perform during Bulgaria’s Kukeri Carnival, with rituals meant to send off the old year and drive away evil spirits. The impressive, hand-made costumes, as well as the characters they represent, are “passed down from father to son, from grandfather to grandson,” says dance leader Kaycho Velichkov.
