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Sakuragawa (Japan) (AFP) – When nature calls, Masana Izawa has followed the same routine for more than 50 years: heading out to the woods in Japan, dropping his pants and doing as bears do.

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado leaves a protest against Nicolas Maduro on a motorbike before being detained. She has since been freed, confirms her team. IMAGES

Santo Domingo (AFP) – Exiled opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who asserts his victory in Venezuela’s July presidential election, is welcomed by Dominican President Luis Abinader at the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo, the final stop of his tour. The 75-year-old opposition candidate is on a tour of Latin American capitals to pressure Maduro to relinquish power. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado comes out of hiding to lead protests in Caracas against Nicolas Maduro’s swearing-in. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Supporters of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro government take part in a demonstration on the eve of the presidential inauguration in Caracas. Venezuela is on tenterhooks facing demonstrations called by both the opposition and government supporters a day before President Nicolas Maduro is due to be sworn in for a third consecutive term and despite multiple countries recognizing opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate president-elect following elections past July. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – The Venezuelan Tupamaro “colectivo” – one of the civilian armed groups accused of committing violence on behalf of Nicolas Maduro’s regime – passes through the opposition protest in Caracas. They have already been deployed to violently put down demonstrations that erupted after Maduro’s declaration of re-election victory last July — a claim not recognized by much of the world. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro take to the streets of Caracas, in the Chacao neighborhood, chatning “Edmundo president” while waving a huge flag. It is a last-ditch bid to prevent Maduro from being sworn in for a highly controversial third term as president. After a July election that many believe was stolen, beleaguered opposition leaders have pledged to come out of hiding and exile to lead mass protests and prevent Friday’s investiture from going ahead. IMAGES [TO COMPLETE 36TD34L_EN + 36TD6TH_EN]

Antwerpen (AFP) – Belgian authorities seized almost two thirds less cocaine at the port of Antwerp last year than in 2023 — a dramatic drop officials credit to better checks in Latin America. Belgium’s customs agency says it seized 44 tonnes of the drug in 2024, down from a record 116 tonnes the year before. Despite the drop, “it is clear that the port of Antwerp is still the number one port used by criminal organisations”, says Bob Van den Berghe of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Maputo (AFP) – Returning to his home country after months of exile, Mozambique opposition leader Venancio Mondlane accuses the government of ‘silent genocide’ after weeks of deadly protests following disputed elections. There were fears ahead of his arrival that Mondlane could be arrested, including on charges related to the weeks of protests by his supporters, many of them young Mozambicans desperate for change after 50 years under ruling party Frelimo.

Altadena (AFP) – “We’re out there with shovels throwing dirt on fires. We saved I think three neighbors’ houses so far,” Altadena resident David Stewart says, while firefighters battle three out-of-control wildfires fuelled by hurricane-force winds which are tearing through Los Angeles’s suburbs, destroying dozens of houses.

London (AFP) – British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says president-elect Trump and his Vice President JD Vance are “simply right when they say that Europe needs to do more to defend its own continent”. Lammy, in contrast with several European counterparts, has been careful not to criticise Trump, refusing to condemn comments on US ambitions to acquire Greenland. Trump has demanded NATO countries massively ramp up defence spending to five percent of GDP — more than double the current target.

Ramstein Air Base (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky backs the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine as one of the “best instruments” to “force Russia to peace”.