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Dakar (AFP) – Clashes between secruity forces and protesters erupted in the Senegalese capital Dakar following President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone presidental elections scheduled for February 25. Sall’s announcement was met with strong reactions from opposition MPs who have rejected the delay. “On the eve of the start of an electoral campaign, it is unacceptable to stop a process of this nature,” decried presidential candidate Khalifa Sall.

Viña del Mar (Chile) (AFP) – Residents of Villa Independencia, the epicentre of the disaster in Chile’s Vina del Mar, return to their fire-ravaged homes and begin to clean up. “I have nothing, I’m left with nothing but the clothes I’m wearing,” says one resident who lost everything. Blazing wildfires have killed at least 112 people in Chile and left hundreds missing and thousands of homes destroyed amid an intense summer heatwave.

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh says the Rafah border in southern Gaza is an “Egyptian-Palestinian affair” after accusing Israel of “trying to move the Rafah crossing to another location” during a cabinet meeting in Ramallah. The Gaza Strip is facing dire humanitarian conditions after more than three months of the Israel-Hamas war, during which aid has only been allowed to trickle in through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Copenhagen (AFP) – For the month of February, the Copenhagen Lights Festival is lighting up the Danish capital’s dark streets. The festival features around 50 light-based works from both established and up-and-coming light artists and designers.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Inter Miami were booed on Sunday and angry fans demanded refunds after superstar Lionel Messi sat out the team’s pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. The World Cup-winning Argentina captain, who has a hamstring strain, stayed rooted to the bench throughout.

Lissabon (AFP) – Nearly a hundred activists from a nationalist group march through the centre of Lisbon in a demonstration against immigration and the “Islamisation of Europe,” five weeks ahead of general elections in which the far right could make a new breakthrough.

Viña del Mar (AFP) – Wildfires blazing across Chile have killed at least 51 people, officials said, leaving bodies in the street and homes gutted as flames continue to spread.

Belo Horizonte (AFP) – Brazil will start a vaccination campaign against dengue fever in February, as a sharp rise in cases of the potentially deadly disease raised fears of a runaway outbreak.

Dakar (AFP) – Senegalese President Macky Sall announced the indefinite postponement of the presidential election scheduled for February 25, just hours before official campaigning was due to start on February 3.

Nairobi (AFP) – People sift through charred remains of books, houses, and vehicles in Nairobi, Kenya, where a huge fire killed three people and injured nearly three hundred. Some of those injured say the authorities could have done more.

Lahore (AFP) – In a Pakistan paediatric ward, a chorus of infant coughs and straining lungs is the toll of a frigid winter, compounded by choking smog and lagging vaccination rates. The eastern megacity of Lahore is blanched every winter by smog levels rated among the worst in the world.

Eagle Pass (AFP) – Activists protest in the town of Eagle Pass in Texas, on the border between Mexico and the United States, which is the scene of tensions linked to the migratory crisis affecting the country. Officers from the Texan state have taken over the site to physically prevent migrants from crossing the Rio Grande illegally.