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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.

Grindavik (Iceland) (AFP) – Aerial images of the aftermath of Iceland’s latest volcanic eruption. Icelanders are working to get hot water supplies fixed in thousands of houses following the third volcanic eruption in two months.

Dorohusk (Poland) (AFP) – Polish farmers block routes across the country’s border with Ukraine, protesting against competition from goods coming from their war-torn neighbour. Across Poland, farmers protested at over 250 locations, the latest action in a wave of agricultural unrest that has swept Europe in recent weeks.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “We don’t know where to go” says Mohammad al-Jarrah, a Palestinian who has found himself in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, after being displaced first from Gaza City and then from Khan Yunis by Israeli forces operating in the territory. Al-Jarrah, like more than a million displaced Palestinians in Rafah, fears an Israeli push following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he has told troops to “prepare to operate” in the city, which has come under increasingly intense aerial bombardment in recent days.

Moscow (AFP) – Defeating Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine “is impossible” says President Vladimir Putin, during an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson in Moscow. Putin comments come as the war approaches its two-year mark since beginning on February 24, 2022.

Washington (AFP) – An Israeli military push into the southern Gaza city of Rafah “would be a disaster” says United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, adding that the White House “would not support it.” The comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in the city, which is now hosting more than a million displaced Palestinians and has come under increasing aerial bombardment.

Santiago (AFP) – Former presidents and politicians of Chile, from left to right, as well as family members and supporters bid farewell to former president Sebastian Pinera, who died on February 6 while piloting his helicopter in the south of the country. A ceremony is being held in the Former National Congress building in downtown Santiago before the main funeral. IMAGES