Gothenburg (Sweden) (AFP) – UGC video and photos show a fire engulfing a structure of the Oceana Waterworld, part of the Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden. A dozen people sustained minor injuries and police evacuated a hotel and offices connected to the amusement park, warning households in the area to remain indoors due to smoke.
Tehran (AFP) – Crowds gather in Azadi Square, holding up portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and slain general Qasem Soleimani, as Iran marks 45 years since the Islamic Revolution.
Beijing (AFP) – Thousands of Chinese mark the start of the new year by flocking to a huge temple fair in Beijing’s Ditan Park to watch lively performances and a re-enactment of a Qing dynasty ceremony. The fairs are a tradition that stretch back to the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), providing entertainment and traditional snacks to revellers.
Abidjan (AFP) – Coaches Hugo Broos and Sebastien Desabre react after South Africa beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 6-5 on penalties in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) third place play-off on 10 February. The AFCON concludes on Sunday 11 February as Ivory Coast and Nigeria compete for the first place.
Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala) (AFP) – Guatemalan authorities say they have seized half a ton of cocaine concealed in a container coming from Costa Rica. “525 packages were found, making about 550 kilograms of cocaine,” says Guatemalan interior minister Francisco Jimenez from Puerto Quetzal where the drugs were found.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – After more than two weeks of frantic efforts to reach her, the body of six-year-old Hind Rajab was recovered, alongside the bodies of her relatives and two PRCS rescue workers sent to find her. Hind was fleeing fighting in war-ravaged Gaza City with her aunt, uncle and three cousins when their car came under fire. TO COMPLETE VID34J43GN_EN
London (AFP) – Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization Arsenio Dominguez stresses the need for dialogue between all parties to deescalate the situation in the Red Sea. Since mid-November, Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched dozens of attacks on cargo ships headed for Israel in what they say are acts of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is in the grip of the Israel-Hamas war.
New Taipei City (Taiwan) (AFP) – Monks at Taiwan’s Dharma Drum Mountain Temple ring the Lotus Sutra (Fa-hua) Bell 108 times to usher in the Year of Dragon. “Every one of the 108 strikes of the bell is hoping to rid you of your afflictions in the coming new year,” says monk Chang Yuan.
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Seven people, including three children, have been killed in a Russian drone attack on an industrial area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. “There was a family in one house, five people. Two parents and three of their children. They all died, burned alive,” says Sergiy Bolvinov, head of investigations of the national police. At last 50 people were forced to evacuate as their houses were sprayed with burning fuel following the strike.
Dakar (AFP) – Senegalese security forces use tear gas to disperse protesters. some throwing stones and burning tyres, in the capital amidst mounting anger over the postponement of a presidential election. Protests were called after President Macky Sall postponed the presidential election scheduled for February 25 until December.
Washington (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urges US lawmakers to approve a long-delayed military aid package for Ukraine, warning that Kyiv could not hold off Russia’s invasion without it. “If the US Congress cannot find a solution to release financial aid, then this poses a threat to Ukraine and the defense of its territory,” Scholz says after meeting US President Joe Biden at the White House.
Abidjan (AFP) – In front of a giant mural in Abidjan depicting Ivory Coast’s most successful footballers, fans express their optimism ahead of Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final, in which The Elephants hope to secure the trophy for a third time. “We’re proud and happy” says one fan, as another thinks “it will be tough, but we’re going to win.” Ivory Coast escaped an early scare in the tournament after a surprise 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea left the hosts in danger of a humiliating group-stage exit.
