Yogyakarta (Indonesia) (AFP) – Hundreds of students protest against Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s alleged election interference and the establishment of a political dynasty.
Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Overnight bombing on Rafah killed around 100 people, including children, said the health ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Hamas officials said 14 houses and three mosques were hit. Fears of an Israeli ground invasion are growing among more than a million Palestinians trapped in the southern Gaza Strip. The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel has responded with a relentless offensive in Gaza that the territory’s health ministry says has killed at least 28,340 people, mostly women and children.
Nantong (China) (AFP) – Young people in China prefer to have AI as a companion when they are lonely. Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student told AFP that dating with guys in real life is too much trouble, but her interaction with her AI companion is more comfortable.
Elgeyo Marakwet (Kenya) (AFP) – Relatives and friends of Kenyan marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum grieve after he was killed in a car crash at the age of 24.
Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels say they have hit a US ship in the Red Sea. The Huthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been attacking Red Sea shipping for months in protest against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Ramat Gan (Israel) (AFP) – “Please be serious and strike a deal”, pleads Idan Bejerano, the son-in-law of Luis Har, one of the relatives rescued from captivity in an Israeli army operation in Rafah, in southern Gaza. Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, were rescued amid an intense firefight and heavy airstrikes, then airlifted to a hospital where they were declared in good health despite more than four months in captivity. Israelis welcomed the rescue, but fears of a looming ground incursion are growing among more than a million Palestinians trapped in the territory’s far south.
Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) (AFP) – Military personnel of the state special transport service are building a reserve defense line for the infantry in the Zaporizhzhia region, not far from the front line. As the two-year mark of the war approaches, the Ukrainian military, fatigued from an unsuccessful counter-offensive, has found itself stuck on the defensive, confronted with a frozen front and heavily armed Russian troops.
Gothenburg (Sweden) (AFP) – UGC video and photos show a fire engulfing a structure of the Oceana Waterworld, part of the Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden. A dozen people sustained minor injuries and police evacuated a hotel and offices connected to the amusement park, warning households in the area to remain indoors due to smoke.
Tehran (AFP) – Crowds gather in Azadi Square, holding up portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and slain general Qasem Soleimani, as Iran marks 45 years since the Islamic Revolution.
Beijing (AFP) – Thousands of Chinese mark the start of the new year by flocking to a huge temple fair in Beijing’s Ditan Park to watch lively performances and a re-enactment of a Qing dynasty ceremony. The fairs are a tradition that stretch back to the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), providing entertainment and traditional snacks to revellers.
