Cisarua (Indonesia) (AFP) – A landslide has killed at least eight people and left more than 80 missing on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Saturday. Triggered by heavy rainfall, it struck villages in Java’s West Bandung region in the early hours and buried residential areas.
Erbil (Iraq) (AFP) – Dozens of women gather in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, to braid each other’s hair in a show of support, after a Syrian soldier bragged in a video about cutting off a Kurdish fighter’s braid in Raqa. Thirty-year-old protester Darin Masoum, whose family is in northeastern Syria, says that the act is “for our sisters, whom we support. We will always stand by them.” Protesters were showing support for Syrian Kurds, as Syrian government troops have recently been retaking parts of the country held by the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration, which administration has long touted the participation of women in its armed forces.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters from the State Emergency Services of Ukraine tackle blazes in Kyiv after the Ukrainian capital was attacked by Russian missiles and drones overnight. This comes as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are to meet for a second day in Abu Dhabi to discuss a plan to end the almost four-year-long war.
Paris (France) (AFP) – Prized for a minimalist aesthetic and significantly lower costs than institutional venues, “raw” spaces are establishing themselves as a new playground for Parisian fashion shows. Rod Reynolds found the first floor of a building under construction in southern Paris for the presentation of Belgian label Dries Van Noten’s autumn-winter menswear collection. “These are surprising, new venues, not the usual event spaces we’re used to seeing,” says the venue hunter who heads the Records Collection agency.
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – European Council President Antonio Costa says the bloc “will continue to stand up for its interests” and defend itself “against any form of coercion” following US President Donald Trump’s climbdown on Greenland. Costa was speaking after an EU leaders summit in Brussels.
Sarajevo (AFP) – Sarajevo suffers from the worst air quality of any major city in the world for a second day straight, data shows, as Bosnian authorities issue an alert for the choked capital. Pollution spikes are common in the city, especially during thermal inversions when a layer of warm air sits above a layer of cold air, trapping smog over the city.
Karachi (AFP) – “We saw everything end in just one day, right in front of our eyes,” one shop owner tells AFP as he watches machinery clean debris from the charred remains of a shopping mall in Karachi. The death toll from the fire in Pakistan’s biggest city has risen to at least 67 people, an unnamed spokesperson from the local government said.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – At his first-ever appearance at the World Economic forum in Davos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he sees his humanoid robots hitting the market next year. In front of a packed conference hall, Musk says to the audience: “Who wouldn’t want a robot to watch over your kids, take care of your pet?” He also predicts that “five years from now, AI will be smarter than all of humanity collectively.”
Copenhagen (AFP) – “There is now a wish to negotiate a solution” from the American side on Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen says. “It should be possible to find a solution,” he adds, “but this requires that calm now be restored to this process.” The comments come a day after US President Trump backed off from his threats to seize Greenland.
Kajuru (Nigeria) (AFP) – Residents of northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state say kidnappers surrounded their village, beating up people, as more than 170 Christian worshippers were abducted from churches during Sunday services. The kidnapping by gangs known as “bandits” marks the latest in a wave of mass abductions targeting both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. “They took them from church on Sunday around 10am in the morning,” says the mother of a kidnapped victim.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – Robots parade and dance through the streets of Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum conference and ahead of the Davos Tech Summit, a technology event scheduled to take place for the first time in early July.
Chequers (United Kingdom) (AFP) – “It has been quite a difficult time for us”, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen tells her British counterpart Keir Starmer at his country residence, Chequers. The pair meet after US President Donald Trump announced a framework for a permanent deal over Greenland, backing off from his threat to seize the territory from Denmark.
