Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina’s government announces that it will ban gender transition procedures for minors, part of President Javier Milei’s war on what he has called “woke ideology”. The move comes a week after US President Donald Trump restricted the procedures for people younger than 19.
Örebro (Sweden) (AFP) – Police investigating Sweden’s worst-ever mass shooting are still trying to pin down a motive for the attack, which claimed 10 lives on 4 February. The killing spree unfolded at an adult education centre in the town of Orebro, west of Stockholm, that reportedly offered Swedish classes to immigrants. Police say interviews with witnesses and those with links to the perpetrator are ongoing.
Islamabad (AFP) – Growing up in the rugged northern reaches of Pakistan, Anita Karim honed her combat skills fighting with three older brothers who pulled no punches. The bruising experience was preparation for the 28-year-old’s career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and she is now the country’s only internationally ranked female player.
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) – The famous leaning minaret of Mosul in northern Iraq has been restored using its original brickwork, years after it was reduced to rubble under Islamic State group rule. The Al-Hadba or “hunchback” minaret is part of the historic Al-Nuri Mosque from where former IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 declared his so-called “caliphate” that spread horror across swathes of Syria and Iraq. IS was ousted from Mosul in July 2017.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – People in Gaza City and Tel Aviv react to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could “take over” the Gaza strip and resettle its people. In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and rubble, and economically redeveloping it.
Örebro (Sweden) (AFP) – Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf says he and Queen Silvia are “personally very shocked” by the mass shooting in Orebro, in which 10 people were killed on 4 February. The monarch, who earlier laid flowers at a memorial to victims, says “Swedish people are shocked over this tragic incident which happened here at this school.”
Marseille (AFP) – The Virgin and Child statue enthroned at the top of Marseille’s Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica is getting a makeover this year. The statue, known to the locals as ‘Bonne-mere’ (Good Mother), will be gilded with 30,000 gold leaves.
Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) – Restoration work in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group declared a “ceasefire” from 4 February. A day after the ceasefire was supposed to come into force, M23 and Rwandan troops launched a fresh offensive with the seizure of a mining town in South Kivu, the neighbouring province to Goma, raising fears of an advance to its capital Bukavu.
Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) – Mexican National Guard troops work at the US border in Tijuana as part of a 10,000-member deployment that President Claudia Sheinbaum promised US counterpart Donald Trump in exchange for a one-month delay of his tariffs. IMAGES
Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump has revealed an extraordinary plan for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries — seemingly whether they want to leave or not — and turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Hong Kong (AFP) – The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has been recreated as part of an absurdist play in Hong Kong. Hundreds have flocked to see the Trump show which is helping traditional Cantonese opera connect with a younger audience at the soon-to-be-shuttered Sunbeam Theatre.
Shanghai (AFP) – China announced it would impose tariffs on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment, firing a return salvo minutes after Trump’s threatened tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect.
