La Paz (AFP) – Across Latin America, some urban residents live in homes on unstable terrain, where rainfall and river flooding threaten the structural integrity of buildings. Despite the risks due to the city’s hilly topography, Bolivians in La Paz continue to live in these areas and even continue to build new homes in the absence of alternatives.
Bolu (Turkey) (AFP) – A huge fire at a ski resort has killed at least 66 people in northwestern Turkey, where authorities have arrested four people, including the owner of the stricken hotel. The blaze began at around 3:30am local time, ripping through the wooden-clad building, in which 238 guests were staying, according to Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) – Migrants at the US-Mexico border feel the brunt of President Donald Trump’s immediate crackdown, with the Biden administration’s CBP One app dropping offline and asylum appointments canceled just minutes after his return to office. “It’s one of the saddest days of my life,” says Francisco Tordecilla, one of many who has made the dangerous journey through Central America.
Washington (AFP) – “I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” says US President Donald Trump, after giving the Chinese-owned app a 75-day grace period from a law that would ban it on national security grounds. The executive order came on the first day of Trump’s second term in office and ran in seeming contrast to his first term, during which he himself tried to ban TikTok.
Beijing (AFP) – China says it is “concerned” by the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, which was ordered by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office. “Climate change is a common challenge faced by all of humanity,” says foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
Tibú (Colombia) (AFP) – “It’s a little cramped,” says gravedigger Ricardo Pabon, who has been working hard in the wake of an outburst of violence in three Colombian departments. At least 100 people were killed as rival militias clashed over five days, leaving cemeteries and morgues full to capacity. Officials say almost 20,000 people were displaced by the fighting, which has triggered a state of emergency and the deployment of thousands of troops.
Washington (AFP) – Donald Trump vowed a new “golden age” as he took the oath for a historic second US presidential term Monday, painting a picture of an America in decline that only his hardline policies can restore to glory.
Chiayi City (Taiwan) (AFP) – CCTV footage shows the moment a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan. Dozens of people were injured in the incident, with firefighters rescuing people in Tainan who were trapped in a collapsed house.
Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) – Dozens of migrants wait in Tijuana for information regarding their migration appointments as US President Donald Trump ends the use of a border app called CBP One, which has allowed people to legally enter the United States to work. Trump vowed to deport “millions and millions” of undocumented migrants as he was sworn in after running an election campaign that focused on illegal immigration. IMAGES
Bangkok (AFP) – Cutting into stacks of cotton in a Bangkok warehouse, Thai authorities unveil 1.65 tonnes of crystal meth, the kingdom’s largest-ever seizure of the drug. Thailand sits by the “Golden Triangle”, where its border meets Laos and Myanmar, a major route for the transport of illicit drugs.
