AFP UK

Szczecin (Poland) (AFP) – King Frederik X of Denmark meets with soldiers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during a visit to the NATO base in Szczecin, northern Poland. IMAGES

Hong Kong (AFP) – Footballing icon Lionel Messi touches down at Hong Kong International Airport with teammates from Inter Miami for preseason matches in Asia. The team will take on a Hong Hong XI on Sunday, before heading to Japan to play Vissel Kobe on 7 February. IMAGES

Nairobi (AFP) – Images of burnt vehicles and debris after a massive fire caused by a gas explosion killed at least two and injured more than 200 in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. IMAGES

Quetta (Pakistan) (AFP) – Pakistan’s elections will go ahead as planned, the interior minister said Thursday, after the country’s vote body held a meeting with government and intelligence officials to discuss a spike in violence.

Wellington (AFP) – A group of New Zealand strippers take their fight for better employment rights to parliament, demanding widespread reforms to the adult entertainment industry.

Washington (AFP) – The United States imposes sanctions on four Israeli settlers. The sanctions marked a rare move by the United States against Israelis as war rages with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and came as Biden traveled to Michigan, whose sizable Arab American community has voiced anger over his support for Israel.

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Police use teargas and water cannon to disperse protesters in front of Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires, as the lower house continues to debate President Javier Milei’s mega-bill to reform the economy, politics and even some aspects of private life. IMAGES

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Protesters and police officers clash outside Argentina’s lower house of Congress in Buenos Aires as the institution continues to debate President Javier Milei’s mega-bill to reform the economy, politics and even some aspects of private life. IMAGES

Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – AFP spends a day with the Israeli army troops in the southern Gazan town of Khan Yunis. The city has been reduced to rubble after weeks of fighting, as the Israeli army navigates through what they say are Hamas tunnels discovered underneath the town’s cemetery.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians bury dozens of bodies in a mass grave in Rafah in southern Gaza, after officials said Israel returned remains it had exhumed from the territory. Two Palestinian sources accuse Israel of having “stolen” the bodies during its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Although the Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment, it has previously made remarks about exhuming bodies from Gaza graves in search of Israeli hostages.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hails a deal reached by the European Union to supply Kyiv with 50 billion euros ($54 billion), overcoming months of opposition from Hungarian leader Viktor Orban. The deal to keep funds flowing to Ukraine comes as doubts over support from Kyiv’s Western backers have buoyed Russian President Vladimir Putin, nearly two years into his invasion of the neighbouring country.

Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) – An Australian toddler who clambered into a “Hello Kitty” arcade claw machine and apparently “was in no hurry to get out” has been saved in a smash-and-grab rescue by Queensland’s police. Three-year-old Ethan climbed into the machine — which was filled with stuffed toys — via the prize dispenser chute during a shopping trip.