North Korea accused the South on Saturday of flying another spy drone over its territory this month, a claim that Seoul denied. u.afp.com/SXm8

On the newly-renovated streets of Ouidah, thousands of Beninese and foreign tourists gathered this week to discover the rituals and deities bound up with voodoo, a popular animist tradition which is now the focus of a international festival. u.afp.com/SXm7

🇰🇷 Thousands of people gather atop a frozen river in South Korea for the annual Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, hoping to catch a Sancheoneo, or mountain trout.

🇮🇷 Rights groups expressed alarm on Saturday that Iranian authorities were intensifying a deadly crackdown under cover of an internet blackout on the biggest demonstrations in the Islamic republic in over three years after another night of mass protests ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWB

VIDEO: 🇧🇷 🇪🇺 🤝 Mercosur-EU trade deal 'promotes trade with rules,' says Brazil VP Geraldo Alckmin says "it shows that it is possible to build trade routes based on rules of open trade and strengthening, not isolationism, but multilateralism," after the announcement of the Mercosur–EU trade agreement

🏏 🇮🇳 India's Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill said on Saturday he respected the selectors' shock decision to drop him from the squad for the T20 World Cup on home soil, calling it "destiny" ➡️ u.afp.com/SXmc

⚽ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Crystal Palace's defence of the FA Cup came to an embarrassing end on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 by sixth-tier Macclesfield in the biggest shock in the competition's history ➡️ u.afp.com/SXm3

🇮🇪 🚜 Thousands of Irish farmers protested on Saturday against the European Union's trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after EU states approved the treaty despite opposition from Ireland and France ➡️ u.afp.com/SXmo

⛷️ 🇺🇸 🇦🇹 American ski star Lindsey Vonn stormed to victory in the women's downhill in Zauchensee, Austria on Saturday for her 84th World Cup success, and second this season ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWC

🇮🇩 Indonesia suspended Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok on Saturday over concerns about AI-generated pornographic content, the country's communication and digital affairs minister said ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWK

🇺🇸 🧑🚀 NASA crewmembers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) could return to Earth as soon as Thursday, the US space agency said, after a medical emergency prompted the crew to return from their mission early ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWR

🇺🇸 Local officials in Minneapolis slammed federal agencies on Friday for excluding them from the probe into an immigration officer's fatal shooting of a woman, as public outrage grew ahead of planned weekend protests ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWE

🇻🇪 🇺🇸 Venezuela was set to hold talks on Saturday with US envoys in Caracas on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president ➡️ u.afp.com/SXPD

VIDEO: 🦌 🦏 Tiny 13-kilo deer takes on 1.7-tonne rhino at Polish zoo A case of David vs Goliath at Wroclaw Zoo, as a 13kg deer native to China confronts a powerful -- but playful -- rhinoceros and appears to come out on top

🇸🇾 Syria's army said it had completed a "security sweep" on Saturday of a neighbourhood in Aleppo where it clashed with Kurdish forces, who denied losing control of the area after defying calls to surrender ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWu

🇮🇷 Major Iranian cities were gripped overnight by new mass rallies denouncing the Islamic republic, as the son of the ousted shah urged protesters on Saturday to plan to seize city centres ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWB

🇬🇱 🇺🇸 "We don't want to be Americans," Greenland's political parties said late on Friday as US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory, raising concern worldwide ➡️ u.afp.com/SXWX

Alexa, make me an espresso: AI-powered gadgets steal the show at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas u.afp.com/SXWp

Anti-government protesters once again flooded the streets in several Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, despite a 24-hour internet blackout imposed as part of a deadly crackdown by authorities u.afp.com/SXWG

US oil executives were lukewarm to President Donald Trump's pitch to invest in Venezuela's vast reserves -- with one executive calling the country "uninvestable" without major reforms u.afp.com/SXWN

Authorities in the US state of Minnesota are accusing President Donald Trump's administration of prejudging the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old motorist by an immigration agent, and pushing for their own investigators to join the federal probe u.afp.com/SXWw

Hollywood's awards season kicks into high gear on Sunday at the Golden Globes gala, with the politically charged "One Battle After Another" expected to solidify its status as the film to beat, two months ahead of the Oscars. u.afp.com/SXP7

Britain's future queen, Princess Catherine, marked her 44th birthday Friday with a video about the healing power of nature, almost a year since she revealed she was in remission from cancer. u.afp.com/SXP8

Venezuela said Friday it launched talks with the United States on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president. u.afp.com/SXPD

Russia's Oreshnik missile attack in Ukraine near the EU border aims to intimidate Kyiv's Western allies and signals Vladimir Putin's displeasure at recent foreign policy setbacks including in Venezuela, analysts said Friday. u.afp.com/SXPh

A German juvenile court on Friday started the so-called "White Tiger" trial, in which a man is accused of multiple sadistic online crimes including coercing a 13-year-old to take his own life. u.afp.com/SXPn

Long overshadowed by south Nigeria's Nollywood, filmmakers in the north of Africa's cinema powerhouse are pushing boundaries in search of international eyeballs -- all while navigating the Muslim-majority region's social conservatism. u.afp.com/SXPe

BREAKING: Venezuela in 'exploratory' talks with US on restoring ties: govt

🇮🇷 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted on Friday that the Islamic republic would "not back down" in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two-week movement that has shaken the clerical authorities ➡️ u.afp.com/SXPQ

🇨🇭 Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Swiss bar which went up in flames during New Year celebrations, was being held in custody after being interviewed by prosecutors on Friday, a source told AFP ➡️ u.afp.com/SXP5

#BREAKING Swiss president calls for justice system to 'bring failures to light' and 'impose consequences without delay' after deadly fire

🇪🇺 The EU gave Friday a long-delayed go ahead to a huge trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur championed by business groups but loathed by many European farmers -- overriding opposition led by France. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXAK

🦌 🦏 Tiny 13kg deer takes on 1.7-tonne rhino at Wroclaw Zoo A case of David vs Goliath at Wroclaw Zoo, as a tiny 13kg deer takes on a nearly two-tonne rhinoceros and appears to come out of the clash on top.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has turned off its image creation feature for non-paying users following backlash over its use to create sexualized deepfakes of women and children. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXAD

EU countries have approved a huge but divisive trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, giving Brussels the green light to sign an agreement championed by business groups but loathed by many European farmers. 📸 Emile Windal / Belga

🇻🇪 🇺🇸 US President Donald Trump said the world’s biggest oil companies pledged to invest $100 billion to revive Venezuela's oil sector as he prepared for a meeting with top industry executives. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXAJ

🎾 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have teased the prospect of teaming up for doubles as the world's top two prepare to open their seasons with a lucrative exhibition match in South Korea, a week before the Australian Open. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXA4

🇮🇷 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has insisted that the Islamic republic would "not back down" in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXAk

🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Russian strikes cut heating to half of the Ukrainian capital on Friday, triggering the mayor to issue an exceptional call for residents to temporarily leave the city with temperatures at -8C and set to drop further. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQt

⚽ Manchester City added to their attacking arsenal on Friday with the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for a reported £65 million ($87 million). ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQC

🇻🇦 Pope Leo XIV told diplomats to the Vatican that war was "back in vogue," delivering a speech warning of sabre-rattling and a weakness of multilateralism. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQr

🇺🇸 Protesters clashed with law enforcement in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of a US woman further deepened the divide over President Donald Trump's deployment of federal forces to crack down on illegal immigration. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQX

🇫🇷 🇬🇧 Fierce winds have battered France and Britain as Storm Goretti barrelled through northern Europe, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of households in plunging winter temperatures. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQn

🇨🇭 All of Switzerland will mark a national day of mourning Friday for the dozens of mostly teenagers killed when fire ravaged a ski resort bar crammed with New Year revellers. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQm

🇮🇷 Iranians staged their biggest protests yet of an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, chanting slogans including "death to the dictator" and setting fire to official buildings, videos showed Friday. ➡️ u.afp.com/SXQP

Hundreds of thousands without power as Storm Goretti pummels Europe u.afp.com/SXMW

New Zealand's critically endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, has started breeding for the first time in four years u.afp.com/SXgH

Cyberscam tycoons in China's crosshairs. China is moving against the cyberscam tycoons making fortunes in Southeast Asia, driven by mounting public pressure and Beijing's desire to keep control of judicial processes, analysts say u.afp.com/SXgj

Syria announces ceasefire with Kurdish fighters in Aleppo. Days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters have forced thousands of civilians to flee u.afp.com/SXMV

Russia bombards Kyiv after rejecting peacekeeping plan. Kyiv and its allies agreed this week that Europe would deploy troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire. But Moscow, which says it launched its February 2022 invasion in part to prevent Kyiv from joining NATO, rejects the proposal u.afp.com/SXMZ