Geneva (AFP) – A senior US official criticises the last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States for failing to include Beijing, a day after the New START deal expired. “In a nutshell, New START was flawed,” Thomas DiNanno, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, tells reporters in Geneva.
Sion (Switzerland) (AFP) – “We are devastated,” says Jacques Moretti, as he arrives to attend the hearing of a fire safety officer of the municipality of Crans-Montana. “Not a moment goes by that we don’t think about the victims, not a single moment,” adds the co-owner of the Swiss bar Le Constellation, where a fire killed 41 and injured 115 on New Year’s Day. Jacques and Jessica Moretti are under criminal investigation for “negligent homicide, negligent bodily injury, and negligent arson.”
Tokyo (AFP) – Danylo Yavhusishyn, who is known by his ring name Aonishiki, fled the war in Ukraine to become a sumo wrestler in Japan and his rapid rise has taken him to one step away from reaching the ancient sport’s highest rank.
Caracas (AFP) – The Venezuelan National Assembly begins debating amnesty bill that would scrap political bans such as the one that precluded opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado from running for president in 2024. “Disqualifications of public officials for acts occurring between 1999 and 2026 shall be rendered null and void,” except in cases of corruption, says the text, seen by AFP. IMAGES
Brasília (AFP) – President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during his visit at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. IMAGES
Sarfannguit (Denmark) (AFP) – Some Inuit families in Greenland remain worried despite US President Donald Trump backtracking on a threat of using force to acquire the Arctic territory and beginning talks with Copenhagen and Nuuk. “We are scared and worried about what is going to happen,” says Camilla Olsen in the remote settlement of Sarfannguit.
Minneapolis (United States) (AFP) – Minnesota residents remain “sceptical” after US President Donald Trump suggested that a “softer touch” may be needed on immigration. This comes as the Trump administration said 700 federal officers would be pulled from Minnesota, but that mass deportations would not stop.
Inagi (Japan) (AFP) – The first permanent Pokemon theme park has opened in Tokyo, featuring themed rides and a woodland area where visitors can try and “catch ’em all”. Visitors to PokePark Kanto, within Tokyo’s largest amusement park Yomiuri Land, are greeted by statues of the electric mouse Pikachu and other creatures from the franchise. Pokemon — one of Japan’s top cultural exports — began in 1996 with video games on Nintendo’s Game Boy console.
Brasilia (AFP) – Brazilian vice-president Geraldo Alckmin welcomes Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia for a bilateral high-level commission meeting. IMAGES
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) – Spectators say they were “really excited” about watching the curling mixed doubles at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as the sports programme begins two days before the opening ceremony. Four matches have been held at the Cortina Olympic Stadium in the first sporting event at the 2026 Games, which officially run between February 6-22.
(AFP) – In a comprehensive expedition examining deep-sea ecosystems offshore the entire length of Argentina, scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s vessel R/V Falkor (too) have documented a rare phantom jellyfish. Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, can grow up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter, and its four arms can reach up to 10 m (33 ft) long. They do not have any stinging tentacles but use their arms to catch prey, according to information shared by the institute.
Beijing (AFP) – China says it will not join nuclear talks “at this stage” after the expiry of the US-Russian New START treaty triggered fears of a global arms race. “China has always kept its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security and is not engaging in an arms race with any country,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian says during a media briefing.
