Portal:Current events

Disasters and accidents

• Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, overshoots and falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News)

International relations

• Eswatini–United States relations, Deportation in the second Trump administration
  • Eswatini's high court upholds an agreement with the United States that accepts third-country deportees in exchange for $5.1 million and at least 15 transfers initiated during the presidency of Donald Trump, rejecting claims that the deal requires parliamentary approval or greater disclosure. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Epstein files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Peter Mandelson steps down from the United Kingdom House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. (RTÉ)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Kyiv strikes, Kharkiv strikes
    • Following a brief moratorium on strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russian forces launch strikes involving drones and cruise missiles, including Zircon missiles across Ukraine. The strikes target Kyiv, Kharkiv, among other regions. (The Independent) (Militarnyi)
  • Zaporizhzhia strikes
    • Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters)
• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
    • The U.S. military claims to shoot down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters)
    • Vanguard Tech claims several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats attempt to stop and seize a U.S. tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker ignored the demands to stop and continued on its journey towards the Arabian Sea under escort of a United States Navy warship. (CBS News)
• Libyan crisis
  • Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
    • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi and presidential candidate, is assassinated outside his home in Zintan, Libya. Four gunmen reportedly fled the scene after the shooting. (Al Arabiya)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Armed bandits kill at least 35 people in a village in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War, Somalia–Turkey relations
  • Satellite images show Turkey has recently deployed at least three F-16 fighter jets to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, to support Somali military operations against al-Shabaab and other militant groups. (Forbes)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 16 people are killed, including four children, and multiple others are injured when a bus returning from a religious festival veers off the road and overturns on a highway in São José da Tapera, Alagoas, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)
• Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, India. (The Indian Express)

International relations

• Myanmar–Russia relations
  • Myanmar and Russia sign a five-year military cooperation pact, which will last until 2030. (CNA)

Law and crime

• Criticism of X (formerly Twitter)
  • Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of X (formerly Twitter) in relation to allegations about biased algorithms distorting the operation of a data processing system, denial of crimes against humanity, sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. (France 24)
  • The United Kingdom's Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of X-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner's Office has opened its own investigation. (BBC News)
• Epstein files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces. (Reuters)
• Gaza war
  • Blockade of the Gaza Strip
    • Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day. (The Guardian)
  • At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted "militants operating near the demarcation line". (Haaretz)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • Clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a tribe formerly allied to it in East Darfur. Prior to the fighting, local sources claim that the tribe abducted relatives of a senior RSF commander over allegations of them allegedly collaborating with the Sudanese Armed Forces. At least five fighters have been reportedly killed on both sides, including the said RSF commander and the tribe's leader. (Sudan Tribune)

Business and economy

• China–Japan relations
  • 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
    • Japan announces it has begun successfully drilling and retrieving deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals near the remote island of Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals for use in its defense industry and automotive industry. (Asahi)

Disasters and accidents

• Five workers are killed when an under construction bridge collapses in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu, China. (SCMP)
• Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA)
• Three people are killed when a DA40 Diamond Star light aircraft crashes in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia. (Qatar News Agency) (Aviation Safety Network)
• More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing. (Reuters)
• A ban on using mobile phones in classrooms enters into force in Bolivia in an effort to "increase the attention span of students" and "reduce distractions". The ban applies to all public and private schools. (AP)

Politics and elections

• A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Balochistan, India–Pakistan relations
  • 2026 Balochistan attacks
    • Pakistani military and Balochistan Police forces announce the end to a 40-hour counterterrorism operation which resulted in the deaths of 145 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents, 18 civilians, and 18 security personnel. The Pakistani government accuses India of backing the BLA. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes
    • A Russian drone strike hits a minibus transporting mineworkers in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and injuring seven others. (BBC News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Nigeria reports that its forces have killed a senior Boko Haram commander known as Abu Khalid, describing him as the group's deputy leader in the Sambisa Forest, and ten other fighters during a raid in Borno State. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • A Sudan Airways passenger flight lands at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's main international airport, for the first time since the war began in 2023, resuming limited operations after renovations and earlier drone attacks. (AFP via Al-Ahram)

Arts and culture

• 68th Annual Grammy Awards
  • At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. (AP) (The Hollywood Reporter)
  • "Golden" from the film KPop Demon Hunters becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. (AP via ABC News)
  • Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• Storm Kristin
  • Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding. (Reuters)
• Nine people are killed and 21 others are injured, including seven critically, after a bus rolls off a road and crashes in Antalya province, Turkey. (AP)
• Four people are killed and 28 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests collides with a truck and overturns in Lodhran District, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Costa Rican general election
  • Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote. (BBC News)
• Epstein Files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004. (BBC)
• Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeats Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5, to win his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in singles. (AFP via ABS-CBN) (ESPN)
• 2026 European Men's Handball Championship
  • In handball, Denmark defeats Germany 34–27 and becomes European Champions in addition to being the reigning World and Olympic Champions. (DW)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least 31 Palestinians, including at least six children, are killed from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 Balochistan attacks
  • Coordinated attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army militants across Balochistan, Pakistan, kill 33 people, including 18 civilians. At least 92 insurgents are killed by security forces. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Iran explosions
  • Multiple explosions, attributed to gas leaks, are reported across the Iranian cities of Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Karaj, and Parand, leaving at least six people dead and several injured. (Reuters) (Euronews)
• Five people are killed and eight injured after a truck rams motorcycles in Ganjam district, India. (Hindustan Times)
• A historic Dutch fort building in Siak Regency, Indonesia, collapses, injuring 16 people, including visiting schoolchildren. (Tempo English)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Death sentence of Erfan Soltani
    • Protester Erfan Soltani is released on bail in Iran after his arrest on charges of propaganda and national security offenses. (AFP via NDTV)

Politics and elections

• Epstein files
  • In Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák resigns as a European Union Special Representative following the United States Department of Justice release of extensive correspondence between Lajčák and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 2017 to 2019, during which Lajčák served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan wins her first Australian Open title and second major title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. (USA Today)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Balochistan attacks
  • Pakistani security forces raid two militant hideouts and kill 41 insurgents in separate shootouts in the Harnai and Panjgur districts. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• At least one person is killed and six others are reported missing when a 72 ft (22 m) fishing vessel sinks off Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. (WCVB-TV)

International relations

• Israel–South Africa relations
  • Israel expels South Africa's chargé d'affaires Shaun Byneveldt to reciprocate South Africa's persona non grata declaration on the Israeli ambassador following international incidents between the two countries in the wake of South Africa's genocide case against Israel. (CNN-News18) (DW)

Law and crime

• Epstein files
  • The United States Department of Justice releases more files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the largest single-day release of said files, including over 3 million previously undisclosed documents. (AP) (Reuters)
• Killing of Brian Thompson
  • United States federal judge Margaret Garnett dismisses the federal murder and weapon charges against Luigi Mangione in the killing of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, ruling out the death penalty against Mangione. The judge maintains the stalking charges, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. (DW)
• Tunisian president Kais Saied extends a decade-long national state of emergency for 11 months. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Cuba–United States relations, Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • United States president Donald Trump declares a national emergency regarding Cuba in order to impose tariffs on countries that provide oil to it. (UPI)
• Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez announces a proposal for mass amnesty and plans to close the polemic El Helicoide prison. (The Guardian)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Carlos Alcaraz defeats Alexander Zverev in the men's singles semifinal of the Australian Open in a 5-hour and 27-minute match, the longest semifinal match in tournament history. (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in the Sahel
  • Islamist insurgency in Niger
    • Diori Hamani International Airport attack
      • The Islamic State attacks the military part of Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, injuring four soldiers but resulting in the deaths of 20 militants. (Al Jazeera)
  • Boko Haram insurgency
    • Boko Haram militants kill 25 construction workers in an attack on a Nigerian military base under construction in Sabon Gari, Borno State. (ABC News)
• Ethiopia–TPLF clashes
  • Clashes between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front break out in the Tigray Region. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Pakistani forces kill three militants during an operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (The Peninsula)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia and Ukraine conduct a swap of bodies, with Russia receiving the remains of 38 soldiers and Ukraine receiving the remains of 1,000 soldiers, the first such swap since November 2025. (BBC News)
• Yemeni civil war
  • The World Food Programme ends its operations in northern Yemen following restrictions from the Houthis amid an ongoing famine. (DW)

Business and economy

• Russo-Ukrainian war, International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–European Union relations
  • The European Union blacklists Russia due to a risk of money laundering. (Reuters)
• Panama's supreme court nullifies the concession held by CK Hutchison to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports at the Panama Canal as unconstitutional and orders the facilities to be retendered, following a lawsuit by the comptroller after an audit alleged irregularities. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Storm Kristin strikes Portugal, killing six people and causing severe damage in Figueira da Foz. (Yahoo News)
• Eleven people are killed and several others are critically injured when a truck collides with a minibus taxi near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (AP)
• Two people are killed when a military Beechcraft AT-6TH aircraft crashes in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. (Bangkok Post)

Health and environment

• 2025–2026 hunger crisis in Afghanistan
  • The Asian Development Bank and the United Nations launch a two-year, US$100 million programme in Afghanistan to support more than 151,000 families amid rising hunger linked to deportations, economic strain, and reduced foreign aid. (Reuters)

International relations

• Human rights in Georgia
  • The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe launches an expert mission to investigate Georgia's human rights situation after 38 members invoked the Vienna Mechanism in 2024 and raised concerns over the government's compliance with international obligations. (Reuters)
• Iran–European Union relations
  • The European Union designates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization in response to the crackdown on the recent protests. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Crime in Canada
  • The Cree Nation of Mistissini, Quebec, Canada, enters lockdown after a shooting yesterday killed two men, prompting the closure of schools and public buildings while provincial police investigate a case linked to organized crime and drug activity. (Reuters)
• Scam centers in Myanmar, Capital punishment in China
  • Eleven members of the "Ming crime family" are executed in China after being convicted of various crimes related to operating scam centers in Laukkaing, Kokang, Myanmar. (BBC News) (DW)

Politics and elections

• Burkina Faso's ruling military junta dissolves all political parties, finding that the parties have "deviated from their establishing guidelines". (AP)