Heavy snow continued to batter northern and western Japan on Saturday (31 January) leaving cities buried under record levels of snowfall and prompting warnings from authorities. Aomori city in northern Japan recorded 167 centimetres of snow by Friday - the highest January total since 1945.
More than 30 people in Venezuela considered to be "political prisoners" were released on Sunday (1 February), legal rights group Foro Penal said, as part of a prisoner release process that families have said is too slow.
Early voting for Thailand’s parliamentary elections began on Sunday (1 February), with more than two million eligible voters casting ballots nationwide ahead of the 8 February general election, as authorities acknowledged errors and irregularities at some polling stations.
More than 200 people were killed this week when a landslide caused part of the Rubaya coltan mine to collapse in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said on Sunday (1 February). The disaster struck a rebel-controlled mining area during the rainy season.
A five-year-old boy and his father have returned to their home in a Minneapolis suburb after being detained by U.S. immigration officers and held for weeks at a detention facility in Texas, according to a U.S. lawmaker.
Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said on Sunday that it carried out a targeted operation against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabaab, killing 13 members, including five senior figures, in the Middle Shabelle region.
A daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Richmond, one of London’s most affluent and traditionally quiet districts, has heightened security concerns among residents and local businesses.
A Democratic candidate has won a special election for a Texas state senate seat by a double-digit margin, flipping the district from Republican control for the first time in decades and fuelling Democratic optimism ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Trump administration has signalled it remains open to diplomatic engagement with Iran, even as the United States increases its military presence in the Persian Gulf, according to a report by Axios.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron have discussed developments related to Iran and wider regional tensions during a phone call, Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said.
At least 32 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip late Friday and into Saturday, according to Palestinian sources, as Israel and Hamas traded accusations over an alleged breach of the ceasefire.
Sudan on Sunday restarted domestic passenger flights to Khartoum International Airport for the first time since the war erupted in April 2023, as a Sudan Airways plane arrived from Port Sudan, state media reported.
Dmitry Medvedev, said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
Israel has reopened Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt in what Israeli media described as a “pilot operation,” marking the first opening of the crossing in two years.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has arrived in China for an official visit, where he is due to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss international and regional security issues, Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Xi Jinping praised China–Algeria co-operation on Saturday following the successful launch of an Algerian remote sensing satellite from northwest China, calling it another milestone in bilateral space ties.
U.S. president Donald Trump said Iran is “seriously talking” with the United States and expressed hope that negotiations could lead to an outcome acceptable to Washington.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 1st February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including Kyiv and Chisinau, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday after a malfunction on high-voltage power lines, with electricity restored later in the day.
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