The week in photos: January 24-30, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – On January 24, US immigration agents shot and killed a US citizen in Minneapolis, sparking fierce protests and condemnations from local leaders in the second such incident this month.

President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz struck a conciliatory note after a private phone call on January 26, in a sign the two sides want to defuse a crisis over the deportation drive. A senior Trump administration official said that Gregory Bovino, a top US Border Patrol official who has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and civil liberties activists, will be leaving Minnesota along with some of the agents deployed with him.

On January 26, Cebu kicked off the Philippines’ yearlong chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Ten foreign ministers of ASEAN met and discussed regional issues during the ASEAN Ministers’ Retreat. The “Queen City of the South” also hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum, the bloc’s largest gathering of tourism officials and stakeholders, spanning a range of events — from the trade event ASEAN Travel Exchange to the ASEAN Tourism Conference. 

Meanwhile, strong waves battered M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, causing it to sink on January 26 off Baluk-Baluk Island, Basilan, while en route to Jolo, Sulu. Eighteen bodies were retrieved on the day of the tragedy. The tragedy has prompted the Department of Transportation to ground the entire passenger fleet of the shipping company, which has kept its dominance despite being linked to 32 maritime incidents since 2019. 

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

A person is detained during a protest at the scene of a shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026. PHOTO BY SETH HERALD/REUTERS

Law enforcement officers stand guard behind crowd-control barriers as a Molotov cocktail explodes outside the Prime Minister’s office during an anti-government protest triggered by a corruption investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, in Tirana, Albania, on January 24, 2026. PHOTO BY FLORION GOGA/REUTERS

Residents warm up and charge their electronic devices inside a tent of a government-run humanitarian aid point during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by overnight Russian missile and drone strikes in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on January 24, 2026. PHOTO BY MAKSYM KISHKA/REUTERS

Daniel Browne, 5, wears a poster around his neck as he stands among demonstrators in support of Palestinians during a protest in relation to the ceasefire in Gaza, in Dublin, Ireland, on January 24, 2026. PHOTO BY CLODAGH KILCOYNE/REUTERS

Derrick Rose cries during his jersey retirement ceremony after an NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on January 24, 2026. PHOTO BY KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/IMAGN IMAGES VIA REUTERS

Children float on a plastic makeshift canoe as authorities burn remaining structures in their Makoko riverine community in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 25, 2026. Officials are removing structures, including homes and schools, near power lines, in a wider push to recover lagoon-side land from the historic fishing community often called the ‘Venice of Nigeria’. PHOTO BY SODIQ ADELAKUN/REUTERS

Visitors film and photograph 4-year-old male giant panda Xiao Xiao at Ueno Zoo during the last viewing day before the planned return of twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei to China, in Tokyo, Japan, on January 25, 2026. PHOTO BY ISSEI KATO/REUTERS

Tribes from various schools prepare for their performance in the Dinagyang Ati tribe competition at the 2026 Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City on January 25. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

A person walks amid a major winter storm spreading across a large swath of the United States, in Brooklyn, New York, on January 25, 2026. PHOTO BY AMR ALFIKY/REUTERS

Environmental activists from Greenpeace protest with a giant inflatable gas tanker featuring figures of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Brussels, Belgium, on January 26, 2026. PHOTO BY YVES HERMAN/REUTERS

A survivor is brought to shore as Philippine authorities continue search and rescue operations after a ferry sank off the coast of Basilan past midnight on January 26, 2026. SCREENSHOT FROM GOVERNOR MUJIV HATAMAN’S VIDEO

Models present creations by designers Georges Hobeika and Jad Hobeika as part of their Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 show for fashion house Georges Hobeika in Paris, France, on January 26, 2026. PHOTO BY GONZALO FUENTES/REUTERS

Lynden Nicolson the Guizer Jarl blows candles on a cake in full regalia at Up Helly Aa, Europe’s largest fire festival marking the end of the yule season, in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Britain, on January 27, 2026. PHOTO BY TOBY SHEPHEARD/REUTERS

Brandenburg Gate is illuminated in the colors of Israel on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Berlin, Germany, on January 27, 2026. PHOTO BY LIESA JOHANNSSEN/REUTERS

A person kneels near posters with images of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, after they were fatally shot in two separate incidents by federal immigration agents, following a vigil in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 28, 2026. PHOTO BY SETH HERALD/REUTERS

Cultural dancers showcase traditional Filipino performances during the official opening of the ASEAN Tourism Forum at Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, on January 28, 2026. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

Environmental groups led by the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment hold an indignation protest against alleged mining plunder in Dupax Del Norte and other parts of Nueva Vizcaya, in front of FCF Minerals office in Makati City on January 28, 2026, to call attention to the environmental and community impacts of mining operations. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro delivers her opening remarks at the opening of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Cebu City on January 29, 2026. PHOTO FROM ASEAN 2026

Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez holds a document next to First Vice President Pedro Infante and Second Vice President Grecia Colmenares, as Venezuela’s National Assembly approves the sweeping reform of the country’s main oil law, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 29, 2026. PHOTO BY MARCO BELLO/REUTERS

A demonstrator gestures during an ‘ICE Out’ protest, after the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, at the Mission Dolores park in San Francisco, California, on January 30, 2026. PHOTO BY CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com