Birkenhead (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The terraced houses of the town of Birkenhead in northwest England lie blanketed in snow, with Liverpool’s skyline across the Mersey and the Welsh hills visible in the distance, as a cold snap hits the United Kingdom. IMAGES MUTE AT SOURCE
Des Moines (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump delivers a speech following his win at the Iowa caucuses. Major US networks took just 30 minutes to project the winner in Iowa’s caucuses, with Trump opening up an unprecedented 32-point lead over second-placed Ron DeSantis over the following hour or so.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian elders remember how the war that coincided with the creation of Israel in 1948, uprooted their families when they were children. Now, 75 years later, they say the war raging in Gaza is even worse. “This one is hard, it’s harder than any of the displacements” brought by previous conflict, says Liga Jabr, 89, in Rafah refugee camp where she’s been staying with relatives after her home in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah was hit by a strike. Fighting began with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel in response vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless military campaign that the Gaza health ministry says has killed nearly 24,000 people, most of them women and children.
Santiago (AFP) – Hot-air balloon pilots and visitors attend the International Balloon Festival in the Chilean capital Santiago.
Shanghai (AFP) – A hit Chinese television series set in a gritty but glamourous 1990s Shanghai has sparked a wave of nostalgia for the city’s boom days and renewed interest in its culture and declining dialect.
Machala (Ecuador) (AFP) – Ecuador’s Armed Forces and police officers guard Machala prison a day after security forces took back control of several jails that had fallen into the hands of gang members. The country’s simmering security crisis erupted last week as the government and powerful narco gangs declared all-out war on each other, after the prison escape of a dangerous drug lord. IMAGES
Grindavik (Iceland) (AFP) – UGC images from @bsteinbekk show lava from a volcanic eruption in Iceland spilling into neighbourhoods from the fishing town of Grindavik, completely engulfing several homes. The eruption began early on January 14, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, when two fissures opened up. Volcanic activity in southwest Iceland has since eased, according to authorities.
Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) – Firemen extinguish a fire at a power station in Syria’s Kurdish-held city of Qamishli, following a Turkish airstrike. Turkey carried out another series of airstrikes against Kurdish sites in Syria and northern Iraq in response to the deaths of nine Turkish soldiers, Ankara announced on 14 January.
Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – The world’s wealthiest five men have more than doubled their fortune since 2020, the charity Oxfam says, as it calls on nations to resist the ultra-rich’s influence over tax policy. A report from the charity, published as the global elite hobnob at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week, said their wealth rose from $405 billion in 2020 to $869 billion last year.
Kamrup (India) (AFP) – Hundreds of villagers take part in a traditional mass fishing event during the Bhogali Bihu celebrations at Bamuni Lake in northeastern India to mark the end of the harvesting season.
Quito (AFP) – North Quito residents spend their Sundays in the park, engaging in sports and walks with their children, seemingly calm. However, they say they still feel fearful and lacking in confidence after the armed forces regained control of prisons amid the security crisis across the country.
Beijing (AFP) – China says it welcomes Nauru’s decision to cut ties with Taiwan, after the Pacific island nation announced it was severing relations with Taipei.
