Portal:Current events/January 2025

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 26 Palestinians, including four children. At least ten others are missing and believed to be buried under rubble. (Al Jazeera)
• 2025 New Orleans truck attack
  • A man kills 14 people and injures 35 others, including two police officers, in a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, before being shot dead. The FBI says that it found an Islamic State flag in the suspect's vehicle. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on December 27, replaces the African Union Transition Mission as the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia. (Voice of Nigeria) (UN Press)

Arts and culture

• Public Domain Day, 2025 in public domain
  • The novel A Farewell to Arms and the cartoon characters Popeye and Tintin enter the public domain in the United States. (Rolling Stone)

Business and economy

• 2022–2023 Russia–European Union gas dispute
  • Russia's gas firm Gazprom suspends exports of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian pipelines after Ukraine refused to renew the transit agreement between its operator Naftogaz and Gazprom. However, Hungary will continue receiving Russian natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline. (Reuters)
• Foreign relations of Mexico
  • Mexico's Tax Administration Service implements new tariffs, including a 19% duty on goods from countries without international trade agreements with Mexico and a 17% duty on goods from Canada and the United States under certain value thresholds. (Reuters)
• Moldova–Russia relations
  • As announced, Russia's Gazprom halts its gas supplies both to Moldova and the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Republic alleging non-compliance with payment obligations. (bne IntelliNews), (Politico)

Disasters and accidents

• European migrant crisis
  • Twenty-seven migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are killed, and 83 others are rescued after two boats capsize off the Kerkennah Islands near Tunisia, with searches ongoing for additional missing passengers. (France 24)
• Three people are killed and over twenty others are injured in a fireworks explosion at a house in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. (CTV News)
• A tour bus crashed into a tree in Surat Thani province, Thailand, killing five and 30.(The Straits Times)

International relations

• Honduras–United States relations
  • Honduran President Xiomara Castro warns that she might remove all US military bases from Honduras and seek to cancel the military cooperation with the United States if President-elect Donald Trump fulfills his threat to order mass deportations of Hondurans when he takes office next January 20. (The Tico Times)

Law and crime

• • Five people are killed, several others are injured, and at least 330 people are arrested due to mishandling of pyrotechnics during New Year's celebrations in Germany. (RNZ) (1News)
• 2025 Cetinje shootings
  • Twelve people are killed and four others are injured in a shooting spree in Cetinje, Montenegro. The perpetrator kills himself. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
• Al Jazeera controversies and criticism
  • The Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera's broadcasts and operations in Palestine, accusing the network of interfering in internal affairs and spreading incitement and misinformation. (Reuters)
• Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Arabia announces the execution of six Iranian nationals convicted of smuggling hashish. In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador in protest. (AP)
• LGBTQ rights in Liechtenstein
  • Liechtenstein becomes the 37th country to legalize same-sex marriage. (GCN)
• Trump International Hotel Las Vegas Tesla Cybertruck explosion
  • A Tesla Cybertruck containing firework mortars and gas canisters explodes outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, United States, injuring seven people. The driver died from a self-inflicted gunshot prior to the explosion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. (ABC News)
• Five people are killed in a familicide mass stabbing when a son kills his four sisters and mother in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Hindu)
• Myanmar's Tatmadaw enacts a cybersecurity law imposing strict controls on digital communications, requiring service providers to store user data for three years, penalizing VPN use without government approval, and allowing authorities to block or shut down platforms deemed to spread disinformation or disrupt stability. (AP)
• A police officer is killed and four other people are injured in a vehicle-ramming attack during a patrol in Nelson, New Zealand. A 32-year-old suspect is arrested. (AP)
• Eleven people are injured during a mass shooting outside a nightclub in Queens, New York, United States. (The Nightly)
• FBI agents announce the seizure of more than 150 homemade pipe bombs and other explosive devices from a home in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States, "the largest seizure by number of finished explosive devices in FBI history". (AP)

Politics and elections

• Bulgaria and Romania finalize the process of joining the Schengen Area and lift their land border controls. (AP)
• Karin Keller-Sutter is sworn in as President of Switzerland. (Le News)
• Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union after Hungary. (Polsat News) (TVN24)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Israeli invasion of Syria
    • Israeli warplanes carry out airstrikes on defense factories and a research center in Al-Safira, Aleppo Governorate, Syria. (Xinhua)
  • US intervention in the Syrian civil war
    • According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, U.S. forces are deploying a new convoy to areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in Kobani, Aleppo Governorate, as part of operations to establish a new US military base in north-eastern Syria. (SOHR)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
    • Eleven people are killed, including a Hamas police chief, in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in al-Mawasi in the Gaza Strip. (BBC News)
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announces that it has approved a delegation to Doha, Qatar for ceasefire talks. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • Puntland forces conduct airstrikes on ISIL hideouts in Bari, Puntland, Somalia, after they announced a military offensive against ISIL and Al-Shabaab. (Idil News) (VOA)
• 2025 New Orleans truck attack, 2025 Las Vegas Trump Hotel bombing
  • Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, says he believes that there is "no definitive link" between the two alleged U.S. Army servicemen perpetrators of the attacks, Shamsud-Din Jabbar in New Orleans and Matthew Alan Livelsberger in Las Vegas. (BBC)
• Moro conflict
  • A wave of attacks since two days ago against police in Mindanao, Philippines, results in the killing of two perpetrators and one officer. (Rappler)

Business and economy

• German economic crisis
  • The Handelsblatt Research Institute reports that the German economy is in its "greatest crisis in post-war history" after projecting that the economy will enter its third year of recession in 2025 with a 0.1% contraction, following a 0.3% contraction in both 2023 and 2024. (TVP World)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed and 31 injured after a truck crashed in Gombe State, Nigeria. (Daily Post)
• A small plane crashes through the roof of a commercial warehouse in Fullerton, California, United States, causing a fire, killing two people and injuring at least 18 others. (KABC-TV) (AP)
• Two officers were injured in an explosion of an unknown object at a police fence in Berlin-Wittenau; the reasons for this are still unclear. (tagesschau)

International relations

• Iran–Italy relations
  • Italy summons Iran's ambassador to demand the release of Il Foglio reporter Cecilia Sala, detained in Tehran for alleged legal violations. (AP)
• Syria–Ukraine relations
  • Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukraine will pledge support to the Syrian transitional government. (The Press Democrat)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • The government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro offers a US$100,000 reward for the capture of exiled opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who claims that he is ready to take office as the legitimate president on January 10. (El Universal) (El País)
• Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa decrees the suspension of his vice president Verónica Abad accusing her of contempt, and the handover of her functions to national planning secretary Sariha Moya. Noboa already appointed Moya to replace Abad in November 2024, but a constitutional judge reversed the decree in December. (Swiss Info)
• The Parliament of Ghana prevents a potential government shutdown by approving a provisional budget of ₵68.1 billion ($4.65 billion) to fund government operations through March, amid a transition to John Mahama's presidency. (Reuters)
• The Constitutional Court of Indonesia rules that the 20% electoral threshold for political parties to nominate a presidential candidate is not legally binding, potentially enabling smaller parties to participate in future presidential elections without the need to form coalition with larger parties. (Reuters)
• The Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, begins a historic three-day trip to Antarctica along with civil, scientific and military authorities. According to the Chilean Government, the codenamed Operación Estrella Polar III seeks to strengthen the country's presence in the territory. (Government of Chile)
• Jenniffer González Colón takes office as Governor of Puerto Rico. (PBS)

Science and technology

• 2025 in paleontology, Dinosaur finds in the United Kingdom
  • The largest site of dinosaur footprints of the Cetiosaurus and Megalosaurus dating back to the Middle Jurassic Bathonian stage 166 million years ago is discovered at a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • East Aleppo offensive
    • Clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army escalate near the Tishrin Dam in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The Turkish Air Force also conducts airstrikes on SDF positions. (SOHR) (SOHR 2)
  • US intervention in the Syrian civil war
    • Deputy U.S. Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh says that, despite local reports, the U.S. Army has "no plans" to build a military base in Kobani, Aleppo Governorate, which is currently under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. (Rudaw)
• Haitian crisis
  • Gang war in Haiti, Guatemala–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Guatemala relations
    • A contingent of peacekeeping troops from Guatemala and El Salvador arrive in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to enforce a United Nations-backed multinational security mission to restore order to Port-au-Prince amid an increase in gang violence. (Reuters)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The Israeli Defense Forces report the interception of a ballistic missile and a drone launched from Yemen. (France 24)

Business and economy

• Proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel
  • U.S. President Joe Biden blocks a buyout bid by Japanese Nippon Steel for U.S. Steel. (BBC News)
• Qatar Airways announces the resumption of flights to Damascus International Airport in Syria beginning on January 7, becoming the first major international airline to resume scheduled service to Syria since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. (Aviation Week)

Disasters and accidents

• January 2025 North American winter storm
  • The National Weather Service issues winter storm warnings across the central Great Plains and an ice storm warning in Missouri, in anticipation of severe freezing rain and icing events. The winter storm begins impacting the northwestern continental United States with heavy snowfall. (The Weather Channel)
• 2024–25 Ethiopian earthquakes
  • Evacuations are ordered in central Ethiopia due to increasing volcanic tremor and other unrest at the Mount Fentale stratovolcano, which last erupted in the 19th century. (Reuters)
• At least twelve people are killed and 30 others are injured after a bus carrying tourists falls into a ravine near the Pan-American Highway between Pasto and Rumichaca in Nariño Department, Colombia. (EFE)

Health and environment

• Air quality technology company IQAir reports that Hanoi, Vietnam, has the worst air pollution of any city on Earth, with levels of hazardous small particles, known as PM2.5, measured at 266 micrograms per cubic metre. (Reuters)

International relations

• Egypt–Syria relations
  • Egypt bans the entry of Syrians from all countries worldwide, except for those holding temporary residency permits for non-tourism purposes. The ban also includes Syrians married to Egyptians unless they obtain a security clearance. (The New Arab)
• Germany–Syria relations, France–Syria relations
  • German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot become the first European Union foreign ministers to travel to Damascus, Syria, after the fall of the Assad regime to discuss new diplomatic relations with the Syrian Transitional Government and Syrian civil society. (Der Spiegel) (France 24)

Law and crime

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • Corruption investigators and prosecutors raid the central Seoul residence of recently-impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to arrest Yoon for refusing to respond to three court summons. The raid is unsuccessful due to the Presidential Security Service blocking further entrance into the residence, leading to a multi-hour standoff. (The Guardian) (AP)
• 2024 Estlink 2 incident
  • A district court in Helsinki, Finland, denies a request to release the impounded oil tanker Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 submarine power cable and carrying sanctioned Russian oil. (Al Jazeera)
• War crimes in the Syrian civil war
  • The Syrian government arrests Aws Salloum, known as the "Angel of Death" of Sednaya Prison. Salloum is accused of multiple murders and abuse of prisoners at Sednaya, including the murder of Mazen al-Hamada. (Al Sharq Al Awsat)
• A suspect is arrested in Rotterdam, Netherlands, for shooting and killing three men between December 21 and January 2. The victims were selected at random. (The Sun)
• Human trafficking in Southeast Asia
  • Chinese actor Wang Xing went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border. He was rescued later (Jan 7) by Thai authorities. (The Star)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election
  • The United States House of Representatives, composed of 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats, re-elects Mike Johnson as House Speaker over incumbent House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (CBS News)
• Next Ukrainian presidential election
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the country will not hold presidential elections as long as the country is under martial law, even if Russia puts it as a pre-condition for negotiations. (Kyiv Independent)
• Pula Nikolao Pula is sworn in as Governor of American Samoa. (Samoa Observer)

Science and technology

• SpaceX successfully launches the United Arab Emirates Space Agency's communications satellite Thuraya 4-NGS via a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States. (Space News)

Sports

• 2025 PDC World Darts Championship
  • Luke Littler defeats Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the final at Alexandra Palace in London, England, to claim his first World Darts Championship title, becoming the youngest player to win a world title at the age of 17 years. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Eastern Ukraine campaign, Journalists killed during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • A war correspondent for the Russian newspaper Izvestia is killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
  • The Russian Armed Forces claims to have shot down eight American ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine and vows retaliation. (CNN)
• Haitian crisis, Guatemala–Haiti relations
  • Gang war in Haiti
    • Another 75 Guatemalan Army troops arrive in Haiti, joining 75 that arrived yesterday, to combat escalating gang violence. (CNN) (BBC News)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
    • At least 70 Palestinians are killed and 14 others are reported missing in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. (Middle East Monitor) (India Today)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • M23 rebels capture the strategic town of Katale in Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Chimp Reports)
• Anglophone Crisis
  • Gunmen from Nigeria kill at least five Cameroonian soldiers and injure several others in Bakinjaw, Southwest Region, Cameroon. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • One person is killed and 35 others are injured, including soldiers, in a car bombing in Turbat, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility for the attack, which states it targeted a military convoy. (AP)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • The Nigerian Army repels an ambush in Borno State and kills 34 Islamist militants in a gun battle in which six soldiers also die. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• January 2025 North American storm complex
  • Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declares a state of emergency for Kentucky, United States, amidst the upcoming winter storm. (WNKY)
• At least eight people are killed and 15 others are injured in a fire at a market in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. (Al Jazeera)
• The Taiwanese Coast Guard intercepts the Cameroon-registered container ship Shunxin39 after it was suspected of damaging an undersea cable north of Taiwan yesterday. (Taiwan News)
• A fishing boat ran aground near Gageodo, South Korea after colliding with coastal rocks. Three people were killed, 19 were rescued. (NOS)

Law and crime

• Myanmar state media reports that the ruling military junta will release 5,864 prisoners, including 180 foreigners, under an amnesty marking the country's national independence day. (Reuters)
• The Danish Security and Intelligence Service and police announce an investigation into sightings of unknown drones reportedly flying over Køge, Region Zealand. (DW)
• Four teenagers are arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia, for allegedly planning a terrorist attack in the city. Two of the suspects are also accused of being involved in an arson attack on a Ministry of Internal Affairs vehicle in December. (DW)

Politics and elections

• 2024–2025 Georgian protests, 2024–2025 Georgian constitutional crisis
  • Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs announces the expulsion of 91 foreign citizens, including 25 who participated in anti-Georgian Dream and pro-EU protests. (TVP World)
• 2024–2025 Austrian government formation
  • Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announces his resignation after talks on forming the new post-election coalition government between his Austrian People's Party, the Social Democratic Party and NEOS collapsed. (Euronews)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Kursk offensive
    • The Ukrainian Army launches a new offensive in Kursk Oblast, Russia. (BBC News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Six soldiers and 34 Boko Haram gunmen are killed during a shootout in Borno State, Nigeria. (AP)

Arts and culture

• 82nd Golden Globe Awards
  • The film Emilia Pérez and the television series Shōgun win the most awards at the 82nd Golden Globes with four each. The Brutalist wins the awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director (Brady Corbet) and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for Adrien Brody. (NBC News)
  • Fernanda Torres becomes the first Brazilian actress to win the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her performance in I'm Still Here. (Variety)

Disasters and accidents

• January 2025 North American storm complex
  • The National Weather Service issues winter storm alerts for areas covering nearly 70 million people from the Great Plains to the East Coast of the United States, with nearly 4 million currently under blizzard warnings. (CNN)

International relations

• Israel–United States relations, United States support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas war
  • The U.S. State Department notifies Congress of a planned $8 billion arms sale to Israel consisting of air-to-air and Hellfire missiles, artillery shells, and other ammunitions. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • The Congolese government executes 102 individuals convicted of armed robbery and urban banditry, with an additional 70 prisoners reportedly awaiting execution. (AP)
• Former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas is evacuated from La Roca Prison in Guayaquil following an alleged assassination attempt. (Reuters)
• Resurfaced videos show Syrian Justice Minister Shadi al-Waisi overseeing the execution of two women in 2015 on prostitution charges according to Sharia. (The New Arab)

Politics and elections

• 2024–2025 Austrian government formation
  • The ruling Austrian People's Party appoints Christian Stocker as its acting chairman to succeed Karl Nehammer, who resigned as party leader and Chancellor of Austria yesterday. Stocker says that he is open to negotiate with the Freedom Party of Austria to form the new post-election coalition government. (DNYUZ)
• The German government reduces funding for two Israeli human rights groups, Zochrot and New Profile, that had advocated for Palestinian rights and antimilitarism. (DW)

Sports

• 2025 United Cup
  • In tennis, the United States wins its second United Cup title after defeating Poland 2–0 in the final at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
  • French military withdrawal from West Africa
    • French President Emmanuel Macron says France was right to intervene militarily in the African Sahel against the mujahideen, that he is still waiting for the Sahel states to thank France and that the French Armed Forces were not forced out. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Gaza war, Israeli incursions in the West Bank
    • 2025 al-Funduq shooting
      • Three Israelis are killed and eight others are injured in a mass shooting by Palestinian gunmen firing at a bus and two vehicles on Highway 55 in Al-Funduq in the West Bank. (BBC News)
• Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • 2025 Bijapur Naxal attack
    • A bomb blast attributed to Maoist rebels in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, India, kills eight police officers and a driver traveling in a police vehicle. (Reuters)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Kherson strikes, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • A Russian drone attacks a civilian passenger bus in Kherson, Ukraine, reportedly killing at least one person and injuring at least nine others. (Reuters)
• 2024 Magdeburg car attack
  • The death toll in the vehicle-ramming attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, increases to six after a 52-year-old woman dies from injuries sustained in the attack. (BBC News)
• North Korean missile tests
  • The South Korean military reports that North Korea has fired what appears to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, in what would be the country's first missile launch in two months. The launch comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul, South Korea, for talks with South Korean leaders. (BBC News)
• Mexican drug war
  • At least eight gunmen are killed and three policemen are wounded after security agents repels an attack near the Buenavista de Libertad, Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico. Security forces members seize four vehicles, ballistic vests, and twelve firearms. In the same area, another encounter was reported two months ago, leaving three officers wounded. (Revista Proceso)
• Two people are killed and two others are injured in an IED attack at a school near Abuja, Nigeria, with police identifying three men as suspects in bringing the device to the site. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2022–2023 Russia–European Union gas dispute
  • According to Slovakia, a planned meeting between Slovak, Ukrainian, and European Commission officials over gas supplies scheduled for Tuesday has been cancelled due to Ukraine's refusal to participate in the meeting. (Reuters)
• The Brazilian government announces that Indonesia has joined the BRICS trade bloc as a full member. (Reuters)
• Colombian bank Davivienda and Canadian bank Scotiabank announces a merger where Davivienda will absorb Scotiabank's operations in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, and, Scotiabank will acquire 20% of Davidienda's stakes. (Scotiabank)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 Assam mine incident
  • Several miners are trapped in a coal mine in Dima Hasao, Assam, India, with rescue efforts underway involving the State Disaster Response Force, the National Disaster Response Force, and the Indian Army. Local authorities state that flooding may have caused the incident. (Reuters)
• 18 people are killed in a multi-vehicle collision on Van Reenen's Pass in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (ENCA)

Health and environment

• 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak
  • The United States reports its first death from H5N1 bird flu after a man died in the hospital in Louisiana. (Reuters)

International relations

• Syrian civil war
  • Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war
    • The International Committee of the Red Cross announces plans to expand its operations in Syria beyond an initial US$100 million program, citing urgent needs in the health, water, and power sectors. (Reuters)
• International reactions to the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, Paraguay–Venezuela relations
  • The Venezuelan government suspends diplomatic relations with Paraguay, after Paraguayan President Santiago Peña recognizes Edmundo González as president-elect of Venezuela. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Volksverhetzung
  • Germany reports a significant increase in far-right crime, primarily from increasing online expression offenses and hate speech, as well as an increase in Gaza war-related resentment. (Reuters)
• The Court of Appeal of Malaysia orders a lower court to reconsider former Prime Minister Najib Razak's claim of a royal order granting him home detention, which he alleges was issued alongside his reduced prison sentence for his involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal. The ruling follows the disclosure of a letter confirming the existence of such an order, which the government asserts they have not received. (Reuters)
• Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello says that 125 foreign citizens have been arrested on suspicion of serving as United States mercenaries in order to cause a coup in Venezuela. (The Times of Israel)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Austrian legislative election
  • After the Austrian People's Party fails to form a government, President of Austria Alexander van der Bellen gives the mandate to form a post-election government to the Freedom Party's leader Herbert Kickl, who is expected to rule within a coalition of the two parties. (DW)
• Conscription in Israel, Exemption from military service in Israel
  • More than 50 Haredi Jews join the Israel Defense Forces for the first time since the start of the Gaza war, forming the Haredi Hasmonean Brigade, after repeated protests against the conscription of yeshiva students. (The Economic Times)
• Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland
  • The King of Denmark officially changes the Danish coat of arms to feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands more prominently, following suggestions from United States president-elect Donald Trump about the nation purchasing Greenland. (The Guardian)
• Resignation of Justin Trudeau
  • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party and also announces that he will resign as Prime Minister once a new Liberal Party leader is chosen. (BBC News)
• Second presidential transition of Donald Trump
  • The U.S. Congress certifies the results of the 2024 presidential election. U.S. Vice President and Democratic Party candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Kamala Harris presides over the ceremony and certifies her defeat, officially making Donald Trump the President-elect and JD Vance the Vice President-elect. Trump and Vance are expected to be sworn-in on January 20. (ABC News)
• Pope Francis appoints Sister Simona Brambilla as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, becoming the Vatican's first female prefect of the Roman Curia. (Vatican News)
• The President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, dismisses the Government of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada. (Africa News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Three Pakistani soldiers and 19 Taliban insurgents are killed in shootouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)

Business and economy

• Argentine debt restructuring
  • Argentina's country risk index, measured by the JPMorgan GBI-EM Index, briefly drops to 444 points, its lowest level since 2018, before closing at 561 points due to technical adjustments linked to upcoming bond payment amid improved market sentiment driven by cooling inflation and signs of economic recovery. (Reuters)
• International flights resume from Damascus International Airport in Syria for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime. (France 24)
• The merger of the providers of stock photography Getty Images and Shutterstock, by the acquisition of the latter by the former, is announced. (AP News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • An exceptional Santa Ana wind event reaching hurricane-force in some locations in southern California, United States, cause multiple power outages and wildfire outbreaks, including a rapidly-spreading >2,900 acre wildfire in Los Angeles County which causes several burn injuries and forces 30,000 people to evacuate. (CNN) (NBC News)
• 2025 Tibet earthquake
  • At least 126 people are killed and dozens of others are injured when a magnitude M_w 7.1 (M_s 6.8) earthquake strikes Tingri County, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. (Al Jazeera) (AP)
• A light aircraft crashes near Rottnest Island, Western Australia, killing the pilot and two tourists from Denmark and Switzerland while injuring three other passengers. (Reuters)
• Thirteen Cuban soldiers go missing after explosions at an arms and ammunition depot in Holguín Province. (CNN)

Health and environment

• HMPV outbreak in East Asia
  • India confirms their first cases of the human metapneumovirus disease. (CBS News)

International relations

• Denmark–United States relations, Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland, Panama–United States relations
  • U.S. president-elect Donald Trump refuses to rule out using military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, declaring U.S. control of both to be "vital to American national security". (AP)
  • Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. makes a personal visit to Greenland weeks after Trump announced that "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity". In response to the visit, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen states that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders". (BBC News)
  • Panamanian foreign minister Javier Martínez-Acha asserts that only Panamanians operate the Panama Canal and that its sovereignty is non-negotiable, dismissing Trump's claims that China operates the canal and his suggestion of potential U.S. military action to regain control. (DW)
• Hungary–United States relations
  • The U.S. Treasury imposes sanctions on Hungarian cabinet minister Antal Rogán for alleged corruption, accusing him of using his position to secure financial benefits for himself and political allies. (Reuters)
• Sudan–United States relations
  • The United States accuses the Rapid Support Forces of committing genocide in Sudan during the ongoing civil war and imposes sanctions on the group's leader Hemedti. (AP)

Law and crime

• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González reports the kidnapping of his son-in-law Rafael Tudares by masked men in Caracas, as political tensions persist following González's contested claim of victory in the country's July presidential election. (Al Jazeera)
• Former Cambodian opposition lawmaker Lim Kimya is shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Bangkok, Thailand. Cambodian officials deny allegations of involvement in Lim's death. (The Guardian)
• Lebanon approves the extradition of Abdul Rahman Yusuf, the son of late Egyptian ulama Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates following his detention on December 28 after returning from Syria. (Reuters)
• Mauritius issues an arrest warrant for former finance minister Renganaden Padayachy over alleged embezzlement involving the disbursement of Rs. 45 million (US$1 million) from the Mauritius Investment Corporation. (Reuters)
• Two people are killed and one is injured in a mass shooting at Zahnradfabrik Hanel in Bad Friedrichshall, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The perpetrator is arrested. (DW)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro announces the arrest of seven foreign individuals, whom he accuses of planning terrorist acts to disrupt his upcoming inauguration, with security forces conducting a nationwide deployment. (Al Jazeera)
• Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
  • The body of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter arrives in Washington, D.C. for a three-day mourning period, including a lying in state at the Capitol. (Reuters)
• Libyan crisis
  • The House of Representatives of Libya approves a national reconciliation and transitional justice law aimed at unifying the country after over a decade of conflict. (Reuters)
• John Mahama is sworn in for a second term as President of Ghana, having previously served as president from 2012 to 2017. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Meta Platforms announces an end to its third-party fact-checking program and a transition to a crowd-sourced model similar to X's Community Notes. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Boko Haram insurgency
  • 2025 N'Djamena attack
    • Gunfire and military vehicles are reported near the Presidential Palace in N'Djamena, Chad, with the Chadian government accusing Boko Haram of being behind the attack. The Chad National Army has reportedly regained stable control of the capital, with 18 insurgents and one security force member being killed in the attack. (Devdiscourse) (Deutsche Welle)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 27 people. (Arab News)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Zaporizhzhia strikes, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russian forces attack an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, killing 13 people and injuring 18 others. Further strikes on Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs kill 13 more people and injure 32 others. (Ukrainska Pravda) (Ukrainska Pravda 2)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • 2025 Point Triple attack
    • Twenty-eight soldiers are killed during a mass shooting in northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso. (Punch)
• Myanmar civil war
  • At least 40 people are killed and 12 others are injured in Tatmadaw airstrikes on Ramree, Rakhine State, Myanmar. (Al Jazeera) (India Today)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire
      • More than 100,000 people are evacuated from approaching wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Hollywood neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Altadena, California, United States, that have burnt more than 3,000 acres, aggravated by an ongoing extreme windstorm and drought conditions. Five people are killed, dozens of others are injured, and around 1,000 structures are destroyed. (AP) (The Independent) (NBC News) (Reuters)
    • The CALNEV Pipeline connecting oil refineries in southern California to Clark County, Nevada, shuts down due to power outages, temporarily cutting off the gasoline supply to Las Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base. The Kinder Morgan SFPP Pipeline connecting southern California to Phoenix, Arizona, also shuts down. (KTNV) (Reuters)
• Deadly human stampedes in Hindu temples
  • Six people are killed and over forty others are injured in a stampede at the Hindu Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. (AP) (Business Today)

International relations

• Iran–Italy relations
  • The Iranian government releases Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from prison, with Sala arriving back in Rome later that day. (Euronews) (Yahoo! News)
• Lithuania–Russia relations
  • Lithuanian prime minister Gintautas Paluckas deploys the police to secure the country's electricity link with Poland in response to reported attempts to disrupt the planned decoupling of the Baltic states' power systems from the grid shared with Belarus and Russia. (Reuters)
• Azerbaijan protests Eritrea's detention of three Azerbaijani-flagged vessels and 18 crew members since November 2024, stating the ships entered Eritrean waters due to adverse weather en route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• The British government freezes the assets of neo-Nazi music network Blood & Honour, becoming the first far-right group in the UK to be sanctioned by the government. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Politics of New Caledonia
  • Alcide Ponga of the pro-France The Rally party is elected President of New Caledonia by six of the eleven government ministers. (Radio New Zealand)
• The ruling party in São Tomé and Príncipe, Independent Democratic Action, proposes Hélio Vaz de Almeida as Prime Minister to replace Patrice Trovoada, who was fired by President Carlos Vila Nova two days ago. (RFI)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • Puntland forces carry out drone strikes on Islamic State targets in the Cal Miskaad mountains near Balidhidhin District, Bari, Puntland, Somalia, killing several militants. (Idil News) (VOA)
    • Puntland counterterrorism forces capture four foreign Islamic State fighters from Ethiopia, Yemen, and Tanzania, while intercepting and destroying multiple explosive-carrying drones in Bari, Puntland. (Idil News) (VOA) (Garowe Online)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 22 people. (Al Jazeera)
  • A study published in The Lancet claims that around 3% of the Gaza Strip population has died from traumatic injury due to the conflict with Israel, with the death toll from other causes due to the military campaign likely higher. (CNN)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russian artillery strikes kill two people in Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, according to the region's governor. In the Russian-controlled area of Kamianka-Dniprovska, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, the region's Russia-appointed governor says that two people were killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • At least six people are killed due to spreading wildfires in Los Angeles County, United States.
    • The Kenneth Fire ignites in Woodland Hills, adding to the 179,000 people placed under evacuation orders. (NBC News)
• 2024–25 European winter
  • Two people are killed and 20 others are injured in a snowstorm in northern France. (AP)
• Twelve miners are trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a methane gas explosion. (AP)

International relations

• Armenia–European Union relations
  • The Armenian government approves a bill to launch a bid for the country to join the European Union. (Reuters)
• Azerbaijan–Russia relations
  • Russia declines to confirm whether Russian forces accidentally shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, despite calls by Azerbaijan to do so. (The Straits Times)
• Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute
  • Guyana says that it will resort to the United Nations to deter Venezuela from unilaterally appointing a governor for the Essequibo, a region under Guyanese control but claimed by Venezuela. (AP)

Law and crime

• International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders
  • Poland's government confirms that it will not comply with an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes if he chooses to attend a ceremony at Auschwitz concentration camp later this month. (Times of Israel) (Notes from Poland)
  • The U.S. House of Representatives votes 243 to 140 to sanction the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Reuters) (Middle East Eye) (Haaretz)
  • U.S. Senate majority leader John Thune promises swift consideration of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act so President-elect Donald Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office. Under the act, any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, not under ICC jurisdiction would be sanctioned along with their family members. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado makes her first public appearance in 133 days and is briefly arrested when her convoy is intercepted by security forces as it departs an anti-government protest in Caracas. The incident occurs the day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Nicolás Maduro for a third term as president. (AP) (The Guardian)
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo bans Al Jazeera from operating in the country and revokes its press credentials, citing the network's interview with M23 rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa as an endorsement of terrorism. Authorities warn against reporting on the group, with the justice minister threatening to invoke the death penalty, although no formal law bans such coverage. (AP)
• The Kuwaiti public prosecution detains media personality Fajer Al-Saeed for 21 days and after investigating charges related to "calling for normalization with the Israeli occupation and harming the state's interests". (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Mozambican general election
  • 2024 Mozambican protests
    • PODEMOS presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who alleges that the October election was rigged, returns to Mozambique from exile in South Africa amid protests. (Reuters)
• 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election
  • Military commander Joseph Aoun is elected as President of Lebanon, ending the power vacuum that began in October 2022. (AP)
• Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
  • The state funeral for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. All five living presidents, including incumbent president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump, attend the funeral. (CBS News)
• President of São Tomé and Príncipe Carlos Vila Nova rejects a proposal by his Independent Democratic Action party to elect Hélio Vaz de Almeida as prime minister. Vila Nova instead appoints Ilza Amado Vaz. (RFI), (Xinhua)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • Puntland forces fight against ISIS in the IL-Ameira mountains, stopping seven drones loaded with bombs and removing ten landmines. The forces also destroy five ISIS bases. They capture military bases, including a water well in Jeceel Valley near Cal Miskaad mountains of Balidhidhin District, Bari, Puntland. (Horseed Media) (Hiiraan Online)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The Israeli Air Force launches airstrikes on a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel, with pro-Houthi media reporting that at least three people were injured. (Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Amid ongoing wildfires, authorities in Los Angeles County, California, United States, impose a curfew and announce the deployment of the California National Guard in order to protect homes in evacuated areas from looting. (KNBC-TV)
    • The United States Department of Health and Human Services issues a public health emergency for California in response to injuries and mental health impacts caused by the ongoing wildfires. (CNN)
• Three of the twelve miners that were reported missing yesterday in an explosion at a coal mine in Singidi, Balochistan, Pakistan, are found dead by rescue workers. (CTV News)
• Three women are killed and five children are injured in a stampede at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
• Three people on the ground are killed and three others are injured when a Cessna 172 aircraft crashes into a road near Malindi, Kenya. (AP)

Health and environment

• 2024 in climate change
  • The Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms that 2024 was the warmest calendar year since records began in 1850, with the average global temperature reaching 1.6 °C above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 1.5 °C warming benchmark set in 2016 by the Paris Agreement for the first time. (C3S) (Politico) (BBC News)

International relations

• 2025 Moldovan energy crisis
  • Moldova's unrecognized breakaway region of Transnistria extends its state of emergency for another month due to an energy crisis following the suspension of Russian gas supplies. (Reuters)
• Colombia–Venezuela relations
  • The government of Venezuela closes the border with Colombia ahead of the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro for a third term as President of Venezuela. (Le Monde)
• Denmark–United States relations, Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland
  • The Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute Bourup Egede, says that his country "has a desire for independence" and he, in particular, is ready to speak with US President-elect Donald Trump. (Bloomberg)
• International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–United States relations
  • The United States government imposes a new series of sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector, including the Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas oil companies. (CNN)
• Italy–Syria relations
  • The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, meets in Damascus with Ahmed al-Sharaa, de facto leader of Syria. (Euronews)

Law and crime

• Indictments against Donald Trump
  • Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
    • U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is sentenced for falsifying business records, with judge Juan Merchan ordering an unconditional discharge, stating that imprisonment or fines could cause Trump to eventually have his convictions overturned. (AP)
• Death and funeral of Alexei Navalny
  • Russia financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring rejects requests to remove former opposition leader Alexei Navalny from their state sponsor of terrorism list despite his death a year ago. (Reuters)
• International reactions to the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, United States–Venezuela relations, Sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
  • U.S. authorities announce an increased $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. (BBC News)
• Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal
  • The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announces that former WWE CEO Vince McMahon has agreed to pay a $400,000 fine and reimburse $1.3 million to WWE as part of a settlement to drop accounting fraud charges. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Third inauguration of Nicolás Maduro
    • Nicolás Maduro is sworn in for a third six-year term as President of Venezuela in Caracas. The ceremony takes place under heavy security measures with the opposition boycotting and protesting the ceremony while continuing to insist that the legitimate president-elect is Edmundo González Urrutia. Many countries and international organizations also consider the election to be fraudulent. (CNN)
• 2024 Austrian legislative election
  • Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen appoints foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg as acting chancellor to succeed Karl Nehammer, who resigned six days ago. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israel–United States relations, Calls for a ceasefire during the Gaza war
    • Incoming U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. (Sky News)
    • Netanyahu sends Mossad director David Barnea to ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar. (ABC News)
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in Jabalia, northern Gaza, kills at least eight Palestinians and leaves 30 others injured. (Middle East Monitor)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Eastern Ukraine campaign
    • The Russian Army says that it has gained control of the settlement of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency)
  • Kursk offensive, North Korean involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in healthy condition in Kursk Oblast, Russia, for the first time since North Korea entered the war, as the two previous North Korean prisoners of war died of their injuries shortly following their capture. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • The Puntland Security Force discover a cave used to store food by ISIL in the Cal Miskaad mountains, while killing and capturing insurgent fighters and destroying improvised explosive devices and hideouts. The security force also took down three drones armed with explosives as they continue their offensive into Bari region, Puntland. (Garowe Online) (The Somali Digest) (VOA)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Battle of Wad Madani
    • The Sudanese Armed Forces say that they liberated Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State, Sudan, from the Rapid Support Forces. (Al Arabiya)
• Myanmar civil war
  • At least fifteen civilians are killed and 10 others are wounded in a Tatmadaw airstrike on a market, targeting Kachin Independence Army fighters, in Tanai Township, Kachin State, Myanmar. (The Defense Post) (Daily Post)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Twenty-one government-backed fighters are killed during an ambush against a convoy in Baure, Katsina State, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • At least 939 CDCR inmates are deployed to fight the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County, California, United States. (BBC News)
    • The number of deaths in the California wildfires rises to 16. (NBC)
• 2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • France places the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte on red alert due to approaching Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi, roughly one month after the French overseas department was devastated by Cyclone Chido. (Reuters)
• Al-Bayda gas station explosion
  • At least fifteen people are killed and 67 others are injured, including 40 critically, in an explosion at a gas station in Al Bayda Governorate, Yemen. (CTV News)
• Most restaurant explosion
  • Six people are killed and eleven injured when a propane-butane cylinder explodes in a restaurant in Most, Czech Republic. (Reuters) (DW)
• Two people are killed and eleven others are injured when a bus flips on its side on a highway near Prenzlau, Brandenburg, Germany. (CTV News)
• At least 50 people are injured when two trams collide in a tunnel in Strasbourg, France. (DW)

International relations

• Ethiopia–Somalia relations
  • Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of a Turkey-brokered rapprochement to restore bilateral relations after a yearlong dispute due to the 2024 Ethiopia–Somaliland memorandum of understanding. (Bloomberg News)
• Lebanon–Syria relations
  • Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati and Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a meeting in Damascus, Syria, the first time that the two countries have met since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. (24 Digital) (MTV)

Law and crime

• A person throws a Molotov cocktail at the consulate of Venezuela in Lisbon, Portugal. No injuries are reported. (Euronews)

Politics and elections

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Thousands of people demonstrate in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against President Yoon Suk Yeol as he defies an arrest warrant from his attempt to institute martial law in December 2024. (Al Jazeera) (TRT World)
• At least 12,000 people gather in Riesa, Saxony, Germany, to protest an Alternative for Germany convention as well as the party's far-right views. (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Gaza war hostage crisis
    • An Israeli security delegation arrives in Qatar for talks regarding a ceasefire deal and the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. (Reuters)
  • Israel–United States relations, Calls for a ceasefire during the Gaza war
    • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden discuss efforts to reach a deal to solve the hostage crisis as well as a ceasefire to end the war. (USA Today)
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least eight Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes on areas of the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • The Army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says that over the days it has recaptured several towns that fell to M23 rebels and other armed groups in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.(AP)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 40 people are killed during an attack by Boko Haram gunmen in Dumba, Borno State, Nigeria. (AP)
  • At least 16 civilians are killed in an airstrike conducted by the Nigerian Air Force in Zamfara State, apparently after being mistaken for criminal gangs. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • California Governor Gavin Newsom states that the ongoing wildfires impacting Los Angeles County could become the worst natural disaster in American history "in terms of the scale and scope", amid current estimated damages of more than US$135 billion. (The Independent) (NBC News)
    • The death toll from the wildfires increases to 24. (BBC News)
    • Officials say that the Kenneth Fire has been contained. (KCAL-TV)
• A bus crashed on a highway in Al-Loud, Libya, killing 23 and injuring five. (Xinhua News Agency)
• Ten people are killed and several others are injured after large floods engulf the city of Ipatinga in Minas Gerais, Brazil. (BBC)
• A bus fell down a 100-meter gorge in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India, killing six and injuring 22. (The Tribune)
• Three people are killed and two others are injured in an avalanche in Trasquera, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italy. (Rai News)
• At least 17 miners are trapped in a gold mine in La Libertad Department, Peru, after a group of illegal miners attacked the mine. (Xinhua)

Health and environment

• HMPV seasonal outbreak in China
  • The Bangladeshi IEDCR reports the country's first case of HMPV in Bhairab, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. (New Age)

International relations

• Germany–Syria relations
  • German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledges €50 million in food, emergency shelters, and medical care to Syria following talks with the Syrian transitional government in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (DW)
• Foreign ministers and senior officers of Arab countries, the European Union, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States hold a series of diplomatic meetings focused on Syria in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Gazette)

Politics and elections

• 2024–25 Croatian presidential election
  • Croatians vote in the second round to elect the president between incumbent Zoran Milanović and former science and education minister Dragan Primorac. (The Dubrovnik Times) (Sarajevo Times)
• 2025 Comorian parliamentary election
  • Voters in Comoros elect the 33 members of the Assembly of the Union. (Reuters)
• Ilza Amado Vaz unexpectedly resigns as Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe three days after being appointed Prime Minister by President Carlos Vila Nova. The ruling Independent Democratic Action party then proposes Adelino Pereira to replace Vaz, but Vila Nova appoints Américo d'Oliveira dos Ramos. (Xinhua 1), (Xinhua 2)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • War against the Islamic State
    • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
      • Twenty-six Islamic State militants are allegedly killed, including a female combatant and two soldiers, and several others are injured when Puntland forces capture eight Islamic State bases during ongoing offensive military operations in Bari, Puntland, Somalia. (Idil News) (AFP)
• Gaza war
  • Gaza war hostage crisis, Calls for a ceasefire during the Gaza war
    • According to two Israeli officials, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the first phase of an emerging ceasefire agreement being finalized by negotiators in Doha, Qatar. (CNN)
• Israeli invasion of Lebanon
  • 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
    • The Israel Defense Forces strike several Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, alleging that the targets violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting the Russkaya compressor station in the Krasnodar Krai, which feeds gas for the TurkStream pipeline, in a failed drone attack two days ago. (S&P Global)
• Sudanese Civil War
  • Battle of Khartoum
    • The shelling of an area of Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan, results in the death of at least 120 civilians, according to volunteer rescuers. (Al Arabiya News)

Business and economy

• A general strike by Belgian unions to protest against government plans for pension reform occurs, with the work stoppages severely disrupting public transport in Brussels as well as rail and air travel throughout the country. (Politico)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • AccuWeather releases a preliminary estimate of the total physical and economic losses caused by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California of between $250–275 billion, a figure attributed to exceptionally high property values in and near Santa Monica, which would surpass their estimates of the costs of the entire 2020 United States wildfire season as well as Hurricane Helene in 2024. (NBC News)
• Twelve people are killed and many others are missing in a landslide in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar. (AP)

Law and crime

• Venezuelan attorney general Tarek Saab asks for an arrest warrant and a red notice from Interpol against opposition figure Leopoldo López, who is currently in exile. Venezuela accuses López of instigating the use of arms against the state and treason, among other charges. (Reuters)
• A judge in Peru dismisses charges of money laundering against Popular Force leader and former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Impeachment of Sara Duterte
  • Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo hold a nationwide National Rally for Peace in the Philippines to express their disapproval of impeachment efforts against Vice President Sara Duterte. (Rappler)
• International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam becomes the prime minister-designate of Lebanon after winning an absolute majority of votes from parliament, while stepping down from the ICJ. (TVN24)(CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Gaza war hostage crisis, Calls for a ceasefire during the Gaza war
    • Hamas officials say that they have accepted a draft agreement for a potential ceasefire as well as the release of hostages. Mediators in the United States and Qatar also state that this is the closest that both sides have been to a ceasefire agreement so far. (AP)
  • Israeli incursions in the West Bank
    • Four Al-Qassam Brigades militants and two civilians are killed during an Israeli airstrike in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Ukraine strikes targets in the Republic of Tatarstan and Bryansk, Saratov, and Tula oblasts, Russia, with more than 200 drones and five ATACMS ballistic missiles, hitting ammunition depots, industrial plants and a refinery, in what Ukraine says is its "most massive" and "deepest" attack inside Russia so far. (CNN) (BBC News)
• North Korean missile tests
  • North Korea launches multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. (Reuters)
• Red Sea crisis
  • Yemen's Houthi forces fire a missile at Israel, triggering sirens in several areas, including Tel Aviv and some Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to the Israeli military, the missile was "likely intercepted" with no injuries reported. (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 43 vehicles figured in a pileup caused by icy conditions along the Seoul-Munsan Expressway near Goyang, injuring nine. (Yonhap News Agency)

Health and environment

• The World Health Organization reports a suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Kagera, Tanzania, with nine cases and eight deaths. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, NATO operations
  • At the Summit of Baltic Sea Allies in Helsinki, Finland, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announces the establishment of the Baltic Sentry military mission, which will strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure in the region, such as energy and communication cables, from "destabilizing acts". (NATO News)
• Armenia–United States relations
  • The Armenian Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, and the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, sign in Washington, DC a Strategic Partnership Charter between Armenia and the United States. (The Defense Post)
• Cuba–United States relations
  • U.S. President Joe Biden announces that the United States will remove Cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism list as part of a prisoner release deal. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • A military unit assigned to guard the presidential residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol approves the entry of anti-corruption officials and police, which is contested by the Presidential Security Service. (Yonhap)
  • The Constitutional Court of South Korea adjourns the opening session of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial after Yoon failed to attend the session due to alleged safety concerns. (NBC News) (Xinhua)
• Moldova detains former Kyrgyzstan presidential advisor Aidar Khalikov, who has accused Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov of corruption and election rigging. (OCCRP)

Politics and elections

• British Treasury Economic Secretary Tulip Siddiq resigns amid an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh involving her family. (BBC News)
• The new Government of Prime Minister Américo Ramos is sworn in São Tomé and Príncipe. (Xinhua)

Science and technology

• The government of Venezuela lifts its ban on the social media and instant messaging app Telegram. (TechRadar)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Kivu conflict
    • Allied Democratic Forces militants kill ten people in an attack on a village in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP)
• Gaza war
  • 2025 Gaza war ceasefire
    • Israel and Hamas reach a diplomatic agreement mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. to initiate a ceasefire and an end to military operations in the Gaza Strip, as well as to facilitate the exchange of hostages and prisoners, marking the first major cessation of hostilities since November 2023. (CNN)
• Syrian civil war
  • Israeli invasion of Syria
    • The Israeli Air Force strikes a Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) vehicle convoy in Quneitra Governorate, Syria, killing two HTS personnel and the mayor of a local village. It is the first time that Israel has targeted HTS forces since the fall of the Assad regime. (Al Arabiya)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Russia launches a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid. (AP)
• Red Sea crisis
  • Yemen's Houthi movement claims that it launched a missile attack targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and accompanying warships of the United States Navy in the Red Sea. (Anadolu Agency)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 Istanbul alcohol poisonings
  • Bootleg alcohol kills 37 people and leaves 80 others hospitalized over the last 48 hours in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish health officials say many of those in hospital are in intensive care. (ABC News)
• Stilfontein mine deaths
  • Seventy-eight bodies of workers are retrieved from a closed illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, North West Province, South Africa following a months-long siege by police. Over 200 survivors are arrested as they exit the mine. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration bans the usage of Red No. 3 artificial food coloring, due to research showing that the food coloring is carcinogenic. (NBC News)

International relations

• Poland–Russia relations
  • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin and his country of plotting terror attacks on airliners around the world. (The Independent)

Law and crime

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • Anti-corruption officials and police attempt to breach the residence of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol for a second time in order to execute an arrest warrant, while facing resistance from the Presidential Security Service, People Power Party lawmakers, and pro-Yoon protesters. Following a five-hour standoff, Yoon is arrested, becoming South Korea's first sitting president to be arrested. (Yonhap) (Yonhap 2) (AP)
• 2024 drone sightings
  • The German government authorises the Bundeswehr to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stating that Russia is suspected of being behind the drone activity. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2024–2025 Georgian protests
  • A general strike takes place in Georgia with hundreds of Georgian firms urging the government to release all political prisoners and hold new elections amid nationwide protests. Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia is hospitalized after being assaulted, allegedly by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. (Civil Georgia) (BBC News)
• 2024–2025 Mozambican protests
  • Daniel Chapo is sworn in as President of Mozambique, succeeding Filipe Nyusi. The inauguration takes place amid ongoing political unrest in Mozambique, with opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane continuing to insist that the October 2024 election was rigged. Since then, over 300 people have died in clashes with Police. (France 24) (Reuters)
  • Maria Benvinda Levy is appointed Prime Minister.(Club of Mozambique)
• Rosen Zhelyazkov of the GERB–SDS coalition is tasked by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev with forming the new government, following the parliamentary election in October 2024. (Fakti.bg)

Science and technology

• Exploration of the Moon, Commercial Lunar Payload Services
  • A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States, carrying the American Blue Ghost M1 moon lander from Firefly Aerospace and the Japanese Hakuto-R Mission 2 moon lander from ispace. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes kill at least 82 people across the Gaza Strip, including 30 in Gaza City, hours after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2025 Gaza war ceasefire
    • The Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams sign the hostage release and ceasefire deal in Doha, Qatar. (The Times of Israel)
• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • The Puntland Security Force claims to have captured a training facility used by ISIL militants, with over forty ISIL fighters killed following heavy fighting. (The Eastleigh Voice)
    • Thousands of families are displaced as the military campaign intensifies, forcing locals to flee their homes in Bari region of Puntland, Somalia. (Idil News) (Horn Observer)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The leader of the Houthis Abdul-Malik al-Houthi announces that the group will monitor the implementation of the Israel–Hamas ceasefire agreement and continue its attacks on vessels and on Israel if the ceasefire is breached. (Middle East Monitor)
• Sudanese civil war
  • The U.S. Treasury Department sanctions the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for "destabilizing Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition" to a civilian-led government. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • It is reported that the Eaton Fire, which has burned over 14,000 acres and has killed 17 people, is 65% contained. (CBS News)
• Stilfontein mine deaths
  • The bodies of nine illegal miners trapped inside a gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, are recovered by police. (CTV News)
• A boat carrying migrants capsizes near Dakhla, Western Sahara on its way to Spain's Canary Islands, killing at least 50 people including 44 Pakistanis. (AP News)
• Two deminers are killed in an explosion while attempting to remove a Cambodian Civil War-era anti-tank mine from a rice field in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia. (AP)

International relations

• Ukraine–United Kingdom relations
  • British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Kyiv, Ukraine, to sign a 100-year agreement with Ukraine that will formalize British economic and military support for Ukraine. (Sky News) (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Taiwan
  • Taiwan carries out its first execution in five years on a man who was convicted of the 2013 murder of his former girlfriend and her mother. (Yahoo! News)
• Spišská Stará Ves school stabbing
  • Two women are killed and a third is injured in a mass stabbing at a school in Spišská Stará Ves, Slovakia. The perpetrator is arrested. (BBC News) (Devdiscourse)
• Two homeless people are killed and two others are injured in a mass stabbing attack in Miami, Florida, United States. A 30-year-old suspect is arrested. (NBC News)
• The Government of Cuba releases dissident and human rights activist José Daniel Ferrer from jail. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021–present Bulgarian political crisis
  • The Parliament of Bulgaria approves a coalition government consisting of the GERB-SDS, BSP – United Left, and There is Such a People parties, with GERB's Rosen Zhelyazkov becoming Prime Minister. (Euronews)
• 2024 French political crisis
  • The government of French Prime Minister François Bayrou survives a no-confidence motion by the opposition New Popular Front electoral alliance. (Euronews)
• 2025 Vanuatuan general election
  • Citizens of Vanuatu vote for the 52 members of Parliament. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• 2025 in spaceflight
  • Blue Origin launches its New Glenn rocket for the first time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States. The rocket's second stage, carrying a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft, successfully reaches a geocentric orbit, but its reusable first stage is lost during landing. (CNN)
  • The twin satellites SDX01 and SDX02 of the SpaDeX mission, launched in December by the Indian Space Research Organisation, successfully conduct India's first spacecraft docking, with India becoming the fourth country to successfully dock a spacecraft after the United States, Russia, and China. (BBC News)
  • SpaceX launches its seventh test flight of the Starship launch vehicle, with an improved second stage, at Starbase in Texas, United States. The first stage is successfully caught by the launch tower but the second stage breaks up shortly before engine shutdown. (CNBC)
• Nintendo officially reveals the Nintendo Switch 2 video game console, the successor to the Nintendo Switch. (Nintendo)

Sports

• 2025 in sumo
  • Shortly after withdrawing from the January 2025 Grand Sumo Tournament due to injuries, the 73rd yokozuna Terunofuji Haruo announces his retirement. If no other wrestler is promoted this tournament, his retirement leaves sumo without a yokozuna for the first time since 1993. Terunofuji also announced his intention to remain in the Japan Sumo Association as an oyakata. (Kyodo News) (Nikkan Sports)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • The Security Cabinet of Israel approves the proposed Gaza ceasefire agreement, which is expected to take effect on Sunday. (The Guardian)
• Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Twelve Naxalites are killed in a police raid in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, India. (Al Jazeera)
• Colombian conflict
  • Nine people are killed during a shootout between Gulf Cartel gunmen and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Montelibano, Córdoba Department, Colombia. (Barron's)
• Three people are killed and seven others are injured in clashes with security forces in Juba and Aweil, South Sudan, with three Sudanese-owned houses set on fire in Aweil. This comes after videos emerged allegedly showing Sudanese soldiers killing South Sudanese civilians in Wad Madani, Sudan. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• British oil and gas company BP announces that it will lay off 4,700 employees and 3,000 contractors globally to reduce costs. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• A minivan rammed into a stationary bus near Narayangaon, India, killing nine. (INDIA TODAY)

Health and environment

• The Zimbabwean Ministry of Health reports that a new cholera outbreak that started in December 2024 has reached eight districts and infected nearly 300 people, causing one death. (DW)

International relations

• 2024 United States telecommunications hack
  • The U.S. Treasury Department sanctions a cybersecurity company and hacker, both with ties to China's Ministry of State Security, for their alleged roles in hacking American telecommunications companies. (Reuters)
• Iran–Russia relations
  • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian president Vladimir Putin sign the Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The 20-year deal will see cooperation between the two countries in multiple areas, including nuclear energy, counterterrorism, and environmental issues. (Middle East Eye)

Law and crime

• TikTok v. Garland
  • The United States Supreme Court upholds a law that could ban TikTok in the United States on January 19 unless the social media platform is sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance. (AP)
• A judge in Bolivia orders the arrest of former Bolivian President Evo Morales on statutory rape charges. (The Guardian)
• Brazilian police raid a ranch in Ponta Grossa, South Region, Brazil, in an operation to dismantle a gang planning large-scale bank heists, killing six suspects and seizing weapons, including a .50-caliber machine gun and explosives. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Colombian conflict
  • Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspends dialogue with the National Liberation Army following accusations of war crimes against the group. (Reuters)
• Second inauguration of Donald Trump
  • U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announces that his upcoming second inauguration will be held indoors at the United States Capitol rotunda due to cold temperatures forecasts. Trump also announces that the inaugural parade will be held indoors at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. (Reuters)
• Didier Guillaume, the head of government of Monaco, dies suddenly at the age of 65. Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre is appointed acting Minister of State by Prince Albert II. (Monaco Tribune)

Science and technology

• Censorship of TikTok
  • TikTok warns that it could "go dark" on Sunday without assistance from outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration. (Politico)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Kryvyi Rih strikes
    • Four people are killed and 14 others are injured in a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, according to the Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Serhiy Lysak. (Euronews)
  • Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • At least four people are killed in Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine. (Al Jazeera)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Gaza war
    • The Government of Israel approves the proposed Gaza ceasefire agreement, which had previously been approved by the Security Cabinet of Israel. (CNN)
  • A Palestinian man from Tulkarm in the West Bank stabs and seriously injures a man in central Tel Aviv after illegally entering Israel. An armed civilian subsequently shoots and kills the perpetrator. (The Times of Israel)
• 2025 assassination of Iranian Supreme Court judges
  • Two judges are killed and a third judge and a bodyguard are injured in a mass shooting at the Supreme Court of Iran in Tehran, Iran. The perpetrator subsequently kills himself. (DW)
• Ghanian soldiers open fire on illegal miners at a gold mine in Ashanti Region, killing seven people. Ghanian president John Mahama calls for an investigation into the incident. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 Suleja fuel tanker explosion
  • At least 86 people are killed and several others are injured when a fuel tanker overturns on a highway in Suleja, Niger State, Nigeria, and later explodes when people gather to collect the spilled fuel. (Vanguard) (The Straits Times)
• Ten people are injured, including two seriously, when a chairlift collapses at the Astún ski resort in Aragon, Spain. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• 2023–2024 mpox epidemic
  • Azerbaijan's Ministry of Healthcare reports the country's first case of mpox in a 22-year-old patient who had recently travelled abroad. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Internet censorship in the United States
  • Apple and Google remove apps by the Chinese company ByteDance, including TikTok, Lemon8, and CapCut, from their app stores in the United States to comply with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. (Reuters) (CNBC)

Politics and elections

• Gaza war protests
  • Gaza war protests in the United Kingdom
    • More than 70 people are arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in London, England, United Kingdom for violating protest regulations. (BBC News)
• Protests against Donald Trump
  • In Washington, D.C., the Women's March holds a protest rebranded as the People's March against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Women's March protests are also held in several cities in the United Kingdom. (Reuters) (WRC-TV) (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo attacks
      • The National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents exchange heavy fire across the Catatumbo region, Colombia, killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds of others, with an unknown number of people also reportedly being kidnapped, after the ELN accused the FARC dissidents of killing civilians in the area. Thousands of people have fled their homes due to the fighting. The Colombian Army says that it has rescued dozens of people, while the government calls on the ELN to cease their attacks immediately. (CBS News)
• Gaza war
  • Gaza war hostage crisis
    • The Gaza ceasefire agreement formally goes into effect, with the first hostages and prisoners freed as part of the deal. (CNN)
  • Israel announces that its troops have recovered the body of staff sergeant Oron Shaul, who was captured and killed by Hamas in 2014. (The Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

• The Washington Post reports that there is an "emerging consensus" among U.S. and European intelligence officials that maritime accidents, rather than Russian sabotage, was the cause of damage to Baltic seabed energy and communications lines. (Washington Post)
• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Cal Fire reports that the Palisades Fire is more than 50% contained, while the Eaton Fire is more than 80% contained. (Forbes)
• A bus crashed into a concrete centre barrier in Eastern Cape, killing five and injuring six. (news365)
• Four people are killed after a house caught fire from a short circuit in Ghaziabad, India. (The Hindu)
• Three people are killed and four are missing after a boat carrying 17 people capsized near Golaghat, India. (The Hindu)

Law and crime

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be formally arrested, following his declaration of martial law in December. (Yonhap)
    • Following Yoon's arrest, pro-Yoon protesters raid the Seoul Western District Court, resulting in 41 injuries and property damage. (Yonhap)
• Capital punishment in Iran, Islam and blasphemy
  • An Iranian court sentences singer Amir Tataloo to death on appeal after Tataloo was convicted of insulting the prophet Muhammad. (Al Arabiya)

Politics and elections

• Gaza war
  • Three ministers of the Government of Israel belonging to the Otzma Yehudit party resign in protest of the approved Gaza ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel)

Science and technology

• Restrictions on TikTok in the United States
  • Social media platform TikTok temporarily suspends most of its services in the United States as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act goes into effect. TikTok restores these services, but its app remains unavailable in U.S. markets on the App Store and Google Play. (People) (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo attacks
      • Colombian president Gustavo Petro declares a state of emergency in response to rebel attacks in the Catatumbo region. (MSN)
      • The death toll from fighting in the Catatumbo region, Colombia, increases to more than 100 as the National Liberation Army (ELN) launches more attacks. The Colombian government vows "war" against the ELN with Colombian president Gustavo Petro saying that the group has "chosen the path of war, and a war they will have". (The Guardian)
      • More than 11,000 people flee to the city of Cúcuta as ELN rebels clash with the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents. Authorities say more than 20,000 people have now been internally displaced due to recent fighting. (France 24)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Ukrainian drones attack industrial facilities in Tatarstan, Russia, prompting the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency to temporarily suspend flights at Kazan International Airport in Kazan and Begishevo Airport in Nizhnekamsk. (ABC News)
• Gaza war
  • An IDF reservist is killed and four others are injured, including a senior officer in critical condition, after their MDT David light armored vehicle hits a roadside bomb during a patrol in Tammun in the West Bank. (Times of Israel)
  • The Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD) states that the remains of 137 people have been recovered from Rafah in the Gaza Strip since the start of the ceasefire. The PCD estimates that there are 10,000 bodies buried under rubble left to be recovered. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Kingdom Holding announces the resumption of construction on the 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)-tall Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be the world's tallest building. (Al Arabiya)

Law and crime

• January 6 United States Capitol attack
  • Pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants
    • United States President Donald Trump formally pardons around 1,500 defendants who had been criminally charged with involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Fourteen convicted individuals have their sentences commuted to time served. (NBC News)
• 2024 Kolkata rape and murder
  • A court in Kolkata, India, sentences a 33-year-old police volunteer to life in prison for raping and murdering a medical trainee in August 2024. (DW)
• 2024 Southport stabbing
  • Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to all 16 charges, including three charges of murder in relation to a mass stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, England, in July 2024. Rudakubana is expected to be sentenced on Thursday. (ITV News)
• Capital punishment in China
  • China executes the perpetrators of the 2024 Zhuhai car attack and the 2024 Wuxi stabbing attack. (Al Jazeera)
• China–Philippines relations
  • Philippine police arrest a student of the People's Liberation Army for allegedly attempting to spy on several military facilities, including U.S.-accessible bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (Reuters)
• Presidency of Joe Biden
  • Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for his siblings, former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack prior to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Biden also commutes the sentence of Indigenous activist and convicted murderer Leonard Peltier. (BBC News) (HuffPost)
• Eight people are killed and seven others are injured in an arson attack at a nursing home in Barajevo, Belgrade, Serbia. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Second presidency of Donald Trump
  • Second inauguration of Donald Trump
    • Donald Trump and JD Vance are inaugurated as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States in Washington, D.C., with Trump becoming the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive terms. (AP)
    • The inauguration is held indoors in the United States Capitol rotunda due to extreme cold temperatures, making it the first inauguration since 1985 to be held indoors. (Today.com)
    • During celebrations of the inauguration, businessman Elon Musk makes two gestures to a crowd at the Capital One Arena that some on social media liken to Nazi salutes. The gestures were made as Musk thanked the crowd, stating "My heart goes out to you." Musk denied any meaning behind the gestures. (BBC News) (The Independent) (AJ)
  • Executive orders in the second presidency of Donald Trump
    • On his first day of his second term, Trump signs his first executive orders on gender and immigration, and also signs an order ending usage of the CBP One app. (Boston Globe)
    • Trump signs the Putting America First In International Environmental Agreements executive order directing the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. (AP)
    • Trump signs an executive order directing the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organization. (Reuters)
    • Trump signs executive orders calling for the renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" and for Denali to return to its former name "Mount McKinley". The rename would apply to all references from the federal government. (CBS News)
    • Trump declares illegal immigration a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act. (Reuters)
    • Trump officially creates the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk aimed at cutting spending of the U.S. government. DOGE is a temporary organization under the United States DOGE Service, not a federal executive department. Within minutes of the announcement, government employee unions, watchdog groups, and public interest organizations sued over this executive order. (Reuters)
    • Trump signs an executive order to delay enforcement of the law banning TikTok in the United States for 75 days. (CNN)
    • Trump revokes Biden's removal of Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list. (Reuters)
  • Protests against Donald Trump
    • Anti-Trump protests are held in cities across the United States, as well as in other countries, such as Mexico, Panama, and the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
  • Second cabinet of Donald Trump
    • The United States Senate unanimously confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, making him the first Cabinet official of Trump's second term to be confirmed by the Senate. Rubio also becomes the first Latino American to serve as Secretary of State. (The Hill)

Sports

• 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship
  • In American football, the Ohio State Buckeyes win their 9th college football championship, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. (Fox Sports)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo attacks
      • Fourteen members of the 33rd Front of FARC dissidents, including one minor, surrender to personnel from the National Army of Colombia to avoid combat with the ELN. (Blu Radio)
      • The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia warns that about 46,000 schoolchildren have not been able to start the academic year due to the ongoing conflict in the region and asserted that about 35% of the affected displaced population are individuals under the age of 18. (El Espectador)
• Israeli incursions in the West Bank
  • 2025 Israeli raid on Jenin
    • Israeli forces launch a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing at least ten people and injuring more than 35 others. (Al Jazeera)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • M23 rebels seize the town of Minova in Kalehe Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, cutting off a major supply route to the strategic city of Goma. (Reuters)
• Mexican drug war
  • Former regional prosecutor of Cuautitlán Elohim Díaz Jiménez and coffee businessman Cristian Muñoz are shot dead inside a restaurant in Metepec, State of Mexico, by gunmen disguised as food delivery workers. (El Universal)
• Syrian civil war
  • Six people are killed in Homs Governorate, Syria, as security forces conduct an operation against militias supporting ousted president Bashar al-Assad. (Al Arabiya)
• Four people are injured, one seriously, in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Shin Bet confirm that the attacker was a 28-year-old from Morocco, and had permanent residency in the United States. (BBC) (The Times of Israel) (Xinhua)

Business and economy

• Infrastructure policy of Donald Trump
  • The Stargate Project
    • U.S. President Donald Trump unveils a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, called Stargate. With planned funding of up to $500 billion in the next four years, the project aims to build data centers and computing infrastructure across the United States to power AI development and create over 100,000 jobs. (The Guardian)
  • President Trump announces a pause in $300 billion of funding for green infrastructure previously allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Multiple brush fires spread by hurricane-force winds erupt in San Diego County, California, U.S., prompting evacuation orders. (USA Today)
• 2024–2025 floods in Southeast Asia and South Asia
  • Sixteen people are killed in floods and landslides in Central Java Province, Indonesia. (ABC)
• 2025 Kartalkaya hotel fire
  • At least 76 people are killed and another 51 injured in a fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu Province, Turkey. (Reuters)
• Seventeen people are killed and 23 more injured after a collision between a bus and a truck in Ponan-Ouinlo, Ivory Coast. (AP)
• Much of Canada and the contiguous United States are impacted by a cold wave, killing one person near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Historic snowfall is expected in the US South, and historic blizzard and whiteout conditions are expected on the Gulf Coast. (CNN)
• One person is killed and another is injured in an explosion at the Port of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. (Reuters)
• Twenty Ethiopian migrants are killed when their boat capsizes off Yemen after departing from Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration. (Al Arabiya)

International relations

• Afghanistan–United States relations
  • Two Americans held in Afghanistan are freed in exchange for a Taliban fighter in the United States. The deal is brokered by Qatar and finalized during the final hours of the outgoing Biden administration. (DW)

Politics and elections

• Pope Francis announces that nun Raffaella Petrini will be appointed President of the Governorate, becoming the first woman head of government of Vatican City. She will assume the office on March 2025. (Catholic News Agency)

Law and crime

• U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • A car bomb explosion inside a house in San Juan de Arama, Meta Department, Colombia, kills one person. Authorities confirm that the car was going to be used in an attack and the perpetrator was a member of the Estado Mayor Central. (El Tiempo)
• Moro conflict
  • Militants from an offshoot branch of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front open fire against a United Nations livelihood project in Sumisip, Basilan, Philippines, killing two soldiers and wounding 12 others. (AP)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The Houthis report that 25 crew members of the Japanese-operated roll-on/roll-off ship Galaxy Leader, including many foreign nationals, are released to Oman, with the Houthis citing support for the 2025 Israel–Hamas war ceasefire as the reason for release. (BBC)

Business and economy

• Constitutional crisis in Somalia, Transport in Somalia
  • The Somali Airlines Operators Association, representing at least 20 airlines, suspends all flights beginning on January 22, 2025, in protest against increased government-imposed fees after disputes with the Ministry of Aviation and the Somali Civil Aviation Authority. (Shabelle Media) (Hiiraan Online)
• The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace of the United States issues a report alleging that aerospace manufacturer Boeing, long associated with the Seattle, Washington area, has been relocating much of its engineering work to non-unionized sites both in the US and abroad. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Hughes Fire
      • The Hughes Fire ignites and spreads to over 5,000 acres in less than four hours, triggering mandatory evacuation orders in settlements around Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times) (KTLA)
• January 20–22, 2025 Gulf Coast blizzard
  • The death toll of a historic winter storm event on the Gulf Coast of the United States rises to nine people. 8 in (20 cm) of snowfall is measured at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana. The statewide snowfall record in Florida is broken as over 5.5 in (14 cm) falls in Molino. (CNN)
• At least thirteen people are killed in a railway accident in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India. The victims had initially fled from their train following an alleged fire alarm and were subsequently struck and killed by a passing train on the adjacent tracks. (BBC)
• A truck overturned and fell into a ravine along National Highway 63 in Yellapur, killing 10 and injuring 15. (The Indian Express)

International relations

• Red Sea crisis, Yemeni civil war
  • U.S. President Donald Trump re-designates the Yemeni Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization. (The Hill)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  • Pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants
    • Daniel Ball, a rioter who took part in the riot at the United States Capitol in 2021, is arrested again despite being pardoned by Trump, making him the first rioter to get into additional legal trouble after the pardon. (The Hill)
• 2025 Aschaffenburg stabbing
  • Two people are killed, including a two-year-old boy, and three others are injured in a mass stabbing at a park in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany. The perpetrator is arrested. (Reuters)
• Antioch High School shooting
  • A student is killed and two others are wounded in a school shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The perpetrator kills himself. (CNN)
• Illegal immigration in the United States, Murder of Laken Riley
  • The U.S. Congress passes the Laken Riley Act following a 263–156 vote in the House of Representatives, making it easier for immigration agents to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with a variety of crimes ranging from theft to assault. It will head to President Donald Trump for his signature. (NPR)
• Hunt family murders
  • Kyle Clifford, the perpetrator of the Hunt family killings in Bushey, England, in 2024, pleads guilty to three counts of murder. (BBC News)
• One person is killed and two others are injured in a mass stabbing at Nagano Station in Nagano, Japan. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Twenty-five people are killed and 14 injured after a bus overturned in Dawunt District, Ethiopia. (The Sudan Times)
• Four people are killed and five more injured in a stampede at Cambodian businessman Sok Kong's home in Phnom Penh as he was giving away food and money amid Lunar New Year celebrations. (AP)
• Nineteen vehicles figured in a pileup along the Yekaterinburg-Almaty highway near Aksu-Ayuly, Kazakhstan, Karaganda Region, injuring six. (Kazinform)

Law and crime

• 2024 Southport stabbing
  • A court in Liverpool, England, sentences the man who was found guilty of killing three children and injuring 10 others in a mass stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, to life imprisonment with a minimum of 52 years in prison. (DW)
• LGBTQ rights in Thailand
  • Thailand becomes the 38th country and the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. (Reuters)
• The International Criminal Court prosecutor requests arrest warrants against Afghanistan's Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Taliban chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity. (Reuters)
• United States federal law enforcement and ICE agents arrest nearly 500 undocumented migrants with arrest warrants in sanctuary cities, including in New Jersey and New York. (CTV News)

Politics and elections

• Second presidency of Donald Trump
  • Executive actions by Donald Trump
    • Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
      • U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to declassify files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. (Axios)
  • State of Washington v. Trump (2025)
    • U.S. District Judge for Washington John C. Coughenour temporarily blocks President Trump's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional". (Reuters) (The New York Times)
  • The U.S. Department of State bans consular posts from flying any flags other than the U.S. flag as part of the Trump administration targeting several instances during the Biden administration when LGBTQ pride and Black Lives Matter flags were flown at embassies abroad. (The Guardian)
• 2024 Irish general election, Government of the 34th Dáil
  • Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael form a coalition government with the backing of several independent TDs. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is elected as Taoiseach, with Fine Gael leader Simon Harris as Tánaiste. (Politico)

Sports

• 2025 Australian Open
  • In tennis, John Peers and Olivia Gadecki, both from Australia, defeats Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith 3-6, 6-4, 10-6, in the mixed doubles final to win their first Australian Open title. (The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo clashes
      • The Colombian National Army and National Police begin offensive operations across eleven municipios of the Catatumbo region. (El Tiempo)
• War against the Islamic State
  • Somali Civil War
    • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
      • At least thirteen Islamic State militants are allegedly killed in heavy fighting as Puntland forces claim they successfully took over the towns of Turmasaale and Janno-Jiifta in the Bari region, Puntland, Somalia. (The Somali Digest) (Idil News)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • A Ukrainian drone strike targets an oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, in one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia of the conflict to date. The Russian military says it shot down at least 121 drones over 13 regions overnight. (BBC News)
  • Kyiv strikes
    • A Russian drone strikes a ten-storey apartment building in Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, killing at least three people. (Euronews)
  • Mobilization in Ukraine
    • Ukraine finalizes military reforms aimed at recruiting 18- to 25-year-olds to the armed forces, penalizing draft dodgers, and lowering the minimum compulsory military service age to 25 from 27. (The Kyiv Independent)
  • The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announces that, with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the bodies of 757 Ukrainian soldiers have been returned to Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent)
• Gaza war
  • Hamas confirms that an Israeli airstrike last summer killed Rawhi Mushtaha, who according to Israel was the "head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip", along with Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio in Hamas's political bureau, and Sami Odeh, the head of Hamas's "general security mechanism". (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Arts and culture

• 97th Academy Awards
  • I'm Still Here becomes the first Brazilian film to be nominated for Best Picture, while Karla Sofía Gascón becomes the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for Best Actress. (The Washington Post) (Reuters) (AP)

Business and economy

• Canadian economic crisis
  • The Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department announces a limit of 437,000 study permits for 2025, a 10% reduction from 2024, as part of efforts to address pressures on housing, healthcare, and other public services caused by the country's rapid population growth. (Reuters)
• Saudi Arabia–United States relations
  • Saudi Arabia announces that it will invest US$600 billion in the United States economy. (Al Arabiya)
• Spirit Airlines announces a ban on passengers who wear "lewd" clothing or have "offensive" tattoos. (The Hill)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024–25 European windstorm season
  • Storm Éowyn
    • A wind gust provisionally measured at 183 km/h (114 mph) was recorded in Connemara in County Galway, Ireland, and a mean wind speed measured at 135 km/h (84 mph), would surpass Ireland's previous records. (The Irish Times)
    • A man is killed in County Donegal, Ireland, after high winds cause a tree to fall on his car. (BBC News)
• Environmental issues in Somalia
  • At least 140 dolphins are found stranded on the shores of Mareero Beach near Bosaso, Puntland, Somalia, with 60 confirmed dead and 30 returned to the sea. (Idil News) (Reuters) (Horn Observer)

International relations

• Mexico–United States border crisis
  • Mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the second presidency of Donald Trump
    • Mexico denies a request from the United States to allow a military aircraft deporting migrants from the U.S. to land in Mexico. (Reuters)
• The U.S. State Department freezes nearly all foreign aid except military aid to Israel and Egypt, as well as emergency food programs. (Global News)

Law and crime

• The Cabinet of Hun Manet approves a bill that strengthens penalties for Cambodian genocide denial, proposing prison terms of one to five years and fines of US$2,500 to $125,000. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2024–2025 Serbian anti-corruption protests
  • Mass protests and a general strike are held across Serbia in an escalation of months of anti-government protests. (France24)
• 2025 Slovak protests
  • Over 60,000 people demonstrate across Slovakia in protest of Prime Minister Robert Fico's anti-Ukrainian, pro-Russian, and Eurosceptic policies. (AP)
• Second cabinet of Donald Trump
  • Pete Hegseth is confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Defense in a 51–50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. (NBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo clashes
      • Eighty-four National Liberation Army (ELN) combatants surrender to Colombian authorities as offensive operations resume in the Catatumbo region. Colombian authorities also rescue 20 child soldiers from the ELN's 33rd Front. (El Colombiano)
  • A police officer is shot dead by an ELN sniper in Río Iró, Chocó Department, Colombia. (El Tiempo)
• Gaza war
  • 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
    • Israeli forces open fire on a crowd of displaced Palestinians waiting at the Netzarim Corridor, killing two people and wounding seven others, including a child. Israeli authorities allege that the shooting was due to the delayed release of Israeli hostage Arbel Yahud. (Anadolu Ajansi) (Al Jazeera)
    • Hamas frees four Israeli hostages, including Naama Levy, in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, including 121 people serving life sentences after being convicted of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis, as part of the ceasefire deal. (AP)
  • Israel accuses Hamas of violating the deal by failing to release female civilians, including Arbel Yehud, before female soldiers. As a result, Israel blocks Palestinians from returning to North Gaza through the Netzarim Corridor. (AP) (BBC News)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • Thirteen peacekeepers, including nine from South Africa, three from Malawi and one from Uruguay, are killed as fighting intensifies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between government forces and M23 rebels, the latter backed by the Rwandan military. (Le Monde)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Siege of El Fasher
    • At least 70 people are killed in a drone attack on the Saudi Hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in El Fasher, Sudan. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Eighteen people are killed and ten more injured in a gasoline tank truck explosion along an expressway in Enugu State, Nigeria. (AP)

International relations

• Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions (2022–present)
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo severs its diplomatic relations with Rwanda as Rwandan-backed rebels advance on the city of Goma, the capital of the DRC's North Kivu province. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Islam and blasphemy, Capital punishment in Pakistan
  • A Pakistani court sentences four people to death for blasphemy, after they allegedly posted sacrilegious material on social media about Islamic religious figures and the Quran. (Al Arabiya)
• 2025 Drents Museum heist
  • A heist at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, results in the loss of valuable Dacian gold and silver artifacts, including the Helmet of Coțofenești. (Dutch News) (Romania Insider)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Greek presidential election
  • The Hellenic Parliament fails to elect the new President of Greece. A second round is called between the candidates Konstantinos Tasoulas and Louka Katseli. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2025 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Madison Keys wins her first major title after defeating the two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5, to win the women's singles title at the Australian Open. (CNN)
  • Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara defeat Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6–7 (16–18), 7–6 (7–5), 6–3, in the men's doubles final to win their first Australian Open title and their second joint Grand Slam title. (BBC News) (AO)
  • Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend defeats Hsieh Su-wei and Jeļena Ostapenko 6–2, 6–7 (4–7), 6–3, to win the women's doubles final title.

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli invasion of Lebanon
  • 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
    • January 2025 southern Lebanon attack
      • Israeli soldiers open fire against the Lebanese Army and civilians in two villages in southern Lebanon, killing 22 people and wounding at least 124 more. (Al Jazeera) (The Times of Israel)
    • The United States announces that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended to February 18. (Axios)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • Battle of Goma
      • March 23 Movement rebels begin their advance into the city of Goma, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Al Jazeera)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Velyka Novosilka offensive
    • The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that Russian forces have captured the village of Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Mathrubhumi)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • At least 27 Nigerian soldiers, including the commanding officer of the 149th Battalion, are killed and dozens of others wounded in a suicide bombing carried out by an Islamic State fighter in Malam-Fatori, Borno State, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera) (AFP via Inquirer)

Business and economy

• The Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi announces it will return to Syria after a decade in exile following the beginning of the Syrian civil war. (The New Arab)

Disasters and accidents

• A bus overturned in Potosi Department, Bolivia, killing 19 and injuring nine. (Barron's)
• A bus traveling from Vientiane to Pakse Laos, crashed into a tree after the driver fell asleep, killing five and injuring 13. (The Times of Israel)

International relations

• Colombia–United States relations, Mass deportation of immigrants in the second presidency of Donald Trump
  • Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocks two U.S. military aircraft carrying deported Colombians as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown from landing in his country. (The Guardian)
  • In response to President Gustavo Petro's refusal, U.S. President Donald Trump enacts a 25% tariff on all goods traded to the U.S. from Colombia, which will be raised to 50% in one week. Hours after Trump's announcement, President Petro orders the commerce ministry to raise tariffs on U.S. imports by 25%. (CNN)
  • The dispute is settled with an agreement to use the Colombian presidential plane to fly the deportees from the U.S. to Colombia. (AP) (The Hill)
• Belarus–United States relations
  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces the release of American citizen Anastasia Nufer from a prison in Belarus. (RFE/RL)
• Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions
  • United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges Rwanda to end its support for rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and withdraw Rwandan soldiers from Congolese territory. (Al Jazeera)
  • Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner calls Rwanda's military support for M23 rebels a "declaration of war". (DW)

Law and crime

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is formally indicted on insurrection charges over his declaration of martial law in December 2024. (The Washington Post)
• Two people, including the perpetrator, are killed and six others are injured in a vehicle-ramming attack in Tampa, Florida, United States. (NPR)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Belarusian presidential election
  • A vote is held in Belarus for president, with President Alexander Lukashenko expected to extend his rule in an election that the Belarusian opposition, the United States, and the European Parliament have called a sham election. (Al Jazeera)
  • A protest in Warsaw, Poland, is organized by Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after Lukashenko's rule was extended to a 7th term. (Balkan Insight)

Sports

• 2025 ATP Tour
  • 2025 Australian Open
    • In tennis, Jannik Sinner defeats Alexander Zverev 6–3, 7–6 (7–4), 6–3, in the men's singles final to win his second Australian Open title and his third Grand Slam overall. (The Guardian) (ATP News)
• 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship
  • 2025 24 Hours of Daytona
    • In motor racing, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team wins the 63rd 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race with drivers Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor. (The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
• 2024–25 NFL playoffs
  • In American football, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs win their respective conference championship games to reach Super Bowl LIX, a rematch of two years prior. (FOX Sports)
• In association football, Chelsea F.C. Women sign American defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee of US$1.1 million (£881,540), making her the most expensive woman player and the first million-dollar transfer in women's soccer. (CBS Sports)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • 2025 Catatumbo clashes
      • Local authorities of Teorama, Norte de Santander, Colombia, find the bodies of thirteen FARC combatants. (El Espectador)
• Kivu conflict, Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions
  • M23 offensive
    • Battle of Goma
      • M23 rebels claim to have captured the city of Goma in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The government says its troops still hold the Goma International Airport and other key locations, and that Rwandan army soldiers are present in Goma. Congolese and Rwandan forces exchange fire along the border. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (DW)

Business and economy

• A global technology stocks selloff on the Nasdaq Stock Market, prompted by the release of the Chinese DeepSeek-R1 model, leads to record losses in the market capitalizations of AI and computer hardware companies. (Reuters)

International relations

• China–India relations
  • Following the meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, China and India agree to resume direct air travel between the two countries after a five-year hiatus. (CNA).

Law and crime

• Interpol Terrorism Watch List
  • A joint INTERPOL and AFRIPOL operation including eight East African nations leads to the arrest of 37 people and the seizure of small and heavy weapons in Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Tanzania. (INTERPOL)

Politics and elections

• Second presidency of Donald Trump
  • Executive Order 14186, Executive Order 14183
    • President Trump signs an executive order eliminating "gender radicalism in the military", targeting transgender personnel in the military, and another executive order that mandates a process to develop an American Iron Dome. (France 24)
  • Second cabinet of Donald Trump
    • The United States Senate votes to confirm Scott Bessent as U.S. Treasury Secretary, making him the highest rank LGBTQ official to run the U.S. Treasury and the highest-ranking LGBTQ person in the United States. (TIME)
  • United States Office of Management and Budget acting director Matthew Vaeth orders federal government agencies to temporarily pause all federal financial assistance programs, with the exception of Medicare and Social Security, that could be implicated by select executive orders from President Donald Trump. (Politico)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War against the Islamic State
  • Somali Civil War
    • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
      • Puntland authorities ban illegal foreign entries and direct telecom firms to deactivate SIM cards linked to undocumented individuals and Islamic State operatives, aiming to disrupt the group's financial networks amidst ongoing anti-IS offensives by Puntland forces. (VOA) (Garowe Online) (International Organization for Migration)
      • Puntland's highest military court sentences two influencers to prison terms in absentia for promoting Islamic State propaganda and spreading disinformation intended at discrediting Puntland forces' ongoing operations. (Hiiraan Online) (Idil News)
      • At least four civilians are killed in an airstrike by an unknown combat drone in the Sihan area of Qandala district in Puntland's Bari region. (Garowe Online) (Hiiraan Online)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • Battle of Goma
      • M23 rebels take full control of Goma International Airport in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to senior diplomatic and Congolese security officials. (Reuters)
      • Four more South African peacekeepers are killed after M23 forces launch a mortar attack on their position at Goma Airport, bringing the total number of foreign peacekeepers killed in recent clashes to 17. (Anadolu Ajansi)
      • Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe says Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi "will have to accept talks with M23 to end the situation once and for all". (The Hill)
    • 2025 Kinshasa riots
      • Mass rioting takes place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid public outrage over the loss of Goma to Rwandan-backed rebels. Multiple embassies are stormed and attacked by anti-government protesters, including the embassies of France, Rwanda, and Uganda. Widespread looting is also reported in the capital. (Reuters)
• Gaza war
  • Gaza humanitarian crisis
    • Israel announces it will cease all contact with the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, after a ban on the organization's work on Israeli territory goes into effect on January 30. (DW)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • Two Pakistan Army soldiers and five insurgents are killed in a shootout in Killa Abdullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan. (AP)
• Israeli invasion of Syria
  • Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announces that Israel Defense Forces will remain on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon indefinitely, apparently backtracking on repeated assurances from Israel that the move was temporary. (Times of Israel) (Middle East Eye)

Business and economy

• German economic crisis
  • Verdi, Germany's second-largest trade union, calls for a one-day labor strike for workers at logistics and courier company DHL, which also manages Deutsche Post. (DW)

Disasters and accidents

• Air Busan Flight 391
  • Seven people are injured when an Air Busan Airbus A321-200 aircraft catches fire before taking off from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea. All 169 people on board are evacuated from the aircraft. (Korea Herald)
• A United States Air Force F-35 pilot ejects during a crash at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. The aircraft is destroyed. (CBS News)

Law and crime

• 2025 Drents Museum heist
  • Following the heist of multiple Dacian artifacts last Saturday at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, Romanian Minister of Culture Lucian Romașcanu fires the director of the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. (NOS)
• Censorship in Pakistan
  • The Senate of Pakistan passes a bill to criminalize the spread of disinformation in Pakistan, with the possibility of up to 3 years imprisonment and fines of up to Rs. 2 million (US$7,121). (DW)
• Kyoto Animation arson attack
  • The Kyoto District Court finalizes the death sentence for Shinji Aoba, the perpetrator of the arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio in 2019, after he withdraws his appeal to the court's ruling. (The Japan Times)
• Three people, including the perpetrator, are killed and two police officers are injured in a mass shooting at a Martin's Supermarket in Elkhart, Indiana, United States. (AP News)

Politics and elections

• Second presidency of Donald Trump
  • 2025 United States federal government grant pause
    • United States federal judge of the District Court of D.C. Loren AliKhan temporarily blocks President Donald Trump's executive order to pause funding for federal assistance in the country. (DW) (AP)
  • The United States Office of Personnel Management offers a "deferred resignation" scheme to the 2 million federal government employees to announce their resignation by February 6, while stating that employees who resigned would still receive salary and benefits until September 30, 2025. (OPM)(OPM FAQ)(Reuters)(FNN)
• 2024–2025 Serbian anti-corruption protests
  • Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević resigns following protests prompted by the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse. (BBC)
• 2025 Ontario general election
  • Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces that a new general election in the Canadian province of Ontario will be held on February 27. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• 2025 in aviation
  • Boom Technology's XB-1 supersonic demonstrator trijet becomes the first privately-funded jet-powered plane to break the sound barrier at Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. (Reuters)
• Doomsday Clock
  • The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces that the Doomsday Clock has been moved up to 89 seconds before midnight. (Reuters)
• Google confirms that it will rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on Google Maps for US users in line with the official position of the Trump administration. (The Guardian)
• Social media service Bluesky announces it has reached a milestone of 30 million users. (The Verge)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • 2025 Goma offensive
      • M23 rebels solidify control of Goma, North Kivu Province, and are confirmed to be holding captured Congolese troops and allied Wazalendo militants at the Stade de l'Unité. They also begin advancing on Bukavu, capital of the South Kivu Province, according to senior Congolese officials and a Rwandan diplomat. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
      • In an emergency address to the nation, Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi calls for calm and says "a vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors is underway" by the armed forces, and also cancels participation in a regional summit with Rwandan president Paul Kagame. (Foreign Policy) (Le Monde)
    • Around 280 Romanian mercenaries fighting alongside the Congolese military in North Kivu surrender to the M23, according to the Rwandan military. They are now being transported to Kigali after being handed over to Rwandan authorities. (BBC News)
• War against the Islamic State
  • War in Somalia
    • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
      • Puntland authorities deport around a thousand undocumented Ethiopians from the cities of Bosaso, Galkayo, Qardho, and the state’s capital, Garoowe, as part of an ongoing crackdown on foreigners without legal status, following the discovery of foreign fighters acting as Islamic State recruiters in the Cal Miskaad mountains of the Bari Region. (Hiiraan Online) (Idil News) (Horseed Media)
• Gaza war
  • 2025 Gaza war ceasefire
    • U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff visits the Gaza Strip and meets with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to assure that the ceasefire remains intact. (NPR)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Battle of Chasiv Yar
    • Russian forces capture the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, after a year of intense fighting for control of the front line city. (The Moscow Times)

Business and economy

• Expansion of Heathrow Airport
  • UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves approves the construction of a third runway at Greater London's Heathrow Airport after decades of delays. (Sky News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 Prayag Kumbh Mela
  • 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela crowd crush
    • At least 30 people are killed in a crowd crush at a Hindu festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. (BBC News)
• 2025 Light Air Services Beechcraft 1900 crash
  • A Beechcraft 1900D carrying employees of an oil company crashes in Unity, South Sudan, killing 20 of the 21 people onboard, including one Indian and two Chinese nationals. (CNN) (Reuters)
• 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision
  • A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 operating as American Eagle Flight 5342 collides with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., United States, killing at least 28 people between both aircraft and causing a shutdown of flights in and out of the airport. (WUSA-9) (NBC NEWS)
• Thirteen artisanal miners, including three children, are killed when a tunnel at a gold mine floods after a reservoir spill in Kangaba, Koulikoro, Mali. (Reuters)
• Five people, four from Norway and one from Switzerland, are killed in two separate avalanches while off-piste skiing in the French Alps. (BBC)
• A Venezuelan Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace Cessna Citation II aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas, Venezuela, killing all three people on board. (Caraota Digital)

International relations

• Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formally withdraw from the ECOWAS regional bloc. (BBC)

Law and crime

• First 100 days of the second Donald Trump presidency
  • U.S. President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act into law, the first legislation of Trump's second term. (NBC News)
  • President Trump announces plans to transform the United States detention facility in Cuba's Guantánamo Bay into a holding center for undocumented immigrants, capable of hosting 30,000 people. (Al Jazeera)
• Police in Stuttgart, Germany, arrest 59 French fans of the Paris Saint-Germain football club for hooliganism before a match against German club VfB Stuttgart. (DW)
• Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is sentenced to 11 years in prison, following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Second presidency of Donald Trump
  • 2025 United States federal government grant pause
    • The United States Office of Management and Budget rescinds a memo from Monday that would have paused federal financial assistance programs implicated by select executive orders of President Donald Trump, following a temporary block of the order on Tuesday by a federal judge. Following the rescission, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt states that the Trump administration will continue to pursue a freeze of federal funds. (BBC News)
• Syrian civil war
  • Ahmed al-Sharaa is declared the president of Syria during the transition period, a month after Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebel forces. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2025 in sumo
  • Mongolian sumōtori Hōshōryū Tomokatsu becomes the 74th yokozuna. (NHK)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • 2025 Goma offensive
      • Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they will march on the Democratic Republic of the Congo capital city Kinshasa and install a new government as Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi calls for a mobilization of young males to reclaim lost territory. Congolese defence minister Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita says there will be no peace talks with the rebels. (AP)
      • After establishing a new administration in Goma, Congo River Alliance leader Corneille Nangaa confirms his forces now plan on overthrowing president Félix Tshisekedi. He also says services in the city will return to normal soon as the United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis. (BBC News)
    • M23 forces advance into South Kivu, capturing several towns and villages, including Kalungu in Kalehe Territory. (MSN)
• Somali Civil War
  • Puntland–Somaliland dispute
    • Spillover of Las Anod conflict
      • SSC Khaatumo officials claim victory over Somaliland forces after heavy fighting erupted with undisclosed casualties early Thursday in the Shangeed area, located between Qoorlugud and Buuhoodle of Cayn,Somalia. (Hiiraan Online)
• 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden, Islam and blasphemy
  • Killing of Salwan Momika
    • Islam critic and Quran burner Salwan Momika is assassinated at his apartment in Södertälje, Sweden. (BBC News)
• Gaza war
  • 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
    • Hamas free eight hostages, three Israelis and five Thai nationals. (The Times of Israel)
    • Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners after initially delaying their release in protest of the chaotic scenes at the handover of several hostages in Khan Yunis, Gaza, earlier today, citing concerns for the hostages' safety. (Reuters)
  • Hamas confirms that Israel killed Mohammed Deif along with Marwan Issa, Raed Thabet, Rafa Salama, Ayman Nofal and Ghazi Abu Tamaa. (Al Arabiya)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • A Russian drone strikes a multi-storey apartment building in Sumy, Ukraine, killing nine people and injuring 13 others. (Reuters)
• French military withdrawal from West Africa
  • The French Armed Forces returns their last military base in Chad to the Chad National Army, bringing an end to French military presence in the country. (AP)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A shootout between the Pakistan Army and Pakistani Taliban in North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, leaves two soldiers and six militants dead. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision
  • The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department says no survivors are expected after the midair collision between an American Airlines aircraft and a military helicopter last night over Washington, D.C., United States, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001. (CNN)

Health and environment

• Uganda confirms an outbreak of Ebola, with the first death, a nurse at Mulago National Specialised Hospital in Kampala, being confirmed yesterday. (Reuters)
• The United States Federal Drug Administration approves Vertex Pharmaceuticals' new Journavx drug, a non-opioid analgesic used to treat acute pain and potentially eliminate the risks of opioid addiction and overdose. (AP) (FDA)

Law and crime

• FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
  • American fugitive Arnoldo Jimenez is arrested in Monterrey, Mexico, after over a decade on the run for the murder of his wife. (WMAQ-TV)

Politics and elections

• Following weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, the Centre Party withdraws from the Norwegian government over disagreements over the implementation of three directives in the European Union's fourth energy package, with the Labour Party continuing as a single party minority government. (NRK)
• Thousands of people gather in Berlin, Germany, to protest against Chancellor-candidate Friedrich Merz and the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union parties after they collaborated with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on a non-binding motion to restrict immigration. Members of the Bundestag debate on motions to ban the AfD, alleging that its beliefs and legal practices are unconstitutional. (DW) (Anadolu Ajansi)
• The Nicaraguan National Assembly votes unanimously to pass several constitutional reforms that grants the government influence over the media, extend the presidential term to 6 years, and makes President Daniel Ortega's wife Rosario Murillo co-President. (Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

• Apollo-type asteroid 2024 YR4 triggers global planetary defence procedures for the first time and rises to the top of the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale after recent observations confirmed it has a 1-in-77 (1.3%) chance of impacting Earth on 22 December 2032. Follow up observations in 2028 will provide a more refined estimation of the likelihood of impact in 2032. (The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sudanese civil war
  • Battle of Khartoum
    • 2025 Bahri offensive
      • The Sudanese Armed Forces announce that they have nearly captured all of Bahri, Khartoum State, Sudan. (Radio Dabanga) (Sudan Tribune)
• Israeli invasion of Lebanon
  • 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
    • Two people are killed and ten others are injured during Israeli airstrikes in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive, Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict
    • The Congolese military launches a counterattack against M23 rebels in South Kivu province with the assistance of the Burundian military. (Reuters)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Odesa strikes
    • Russian forces launch ballistic missiles at the centre of Odesa and its port, severely damaging numerous civilian buildings, including the historic Bristol Hotel. At least two people are reportedly injured. (Reuters)
• Mexican drug war
  • An improvised explosive device left by cartel members detonates in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, killing two villagers and injuring a third. (El Sol de Tampico)
• Somali Civil War
  • Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre escape after security guards shoot down one of two drones hovering over Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, Somalia. The drones are believed to be used by ISIL and Al-Shabaab. This comes after previous Somali Civil Aviation Authority warnings. (Idil News) (Horn Observer)

Business and economy

• 2025 Yugosphere retail boycotts
  • Following boycotts in Croatia on January 24, and in conjunction with a follow-up boycott in the country, residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia start a boycott of retail stores in response to rising prices. (Intellinews)
• Multinational telecoms company BT Group announces that it will layoff 55,000 employees across its global workforce citing a significant drop in revenue in 2024 and "challenges in international markets". (Business Plus)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that the Palisades and Eaton fires are contained. (NBC News)
• Med Jets Flight 056
  • A Learjet 55 air ambulance crashes in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, killing all six people onboard and damaging multiple homes and businesses. One person on the ground is also killed and 19 more injured. (AP)
• Five people are killed and two more injured in Aghjabadi, Azerbaijan, after a child accidentally detonates a discovered hand grenade in their house. (Xinhua)

International relations

• 2025 Philippine espionage case, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
  • Philippine President Bongbong Marcos states that he is careful of possible surveillance of the country's air and naval bases as well as the movement of vessels supplying Philippine garrisons in the South China Sea following a series of arrests of suspected Chinese spies in the Philippines. (CNA)

Law and crime

• United States–Venezuela relations
  • Venezuela frees six American hostages after U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell meets with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (The Hill)
• Myanmar's ruling military junta extends the country's state of emergency for another six months. (Reuters)
• Philippine National Bureau of Investigation agents arrest 100 people in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, for allegedly running an online scam operation as offshore gaming operators are banned in the country. (Arab News)

Politics and elections

• 2024–2025 Belgian government formation
  • An agreement is reached among five Belgian political parties to form a new coalition government to be headed by future prime minister Bart De Wever. (Belga)
• 2025 Greek presidential election
  • The Hellenic Parliament fails to elect the new President of Greece in the second round, calling for a third round of voting on February 6. (Greek City Times)