Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
Grand Kartal Hotel in 2007
- A fire at a ski resort hotel (pictured) in Kartalkaya, Turkey, leaves at least 76 people dead and 51 others injured.
- A series of attacks by the National Liberation Army in the Catatumbo region of Colombia leaves more than a hundred people dead.
- A ceasefire agreement suspends the Israel–Hamas war, involving the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
- Two Supreme Court judges are assassinated in a shooting at the Supreme Court of Iran in Tehran.
January 22, 2025 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Red Sea crisis
- The Houthi movement report that 25 crew member of Galaxy Leader including nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, had been handed over to Oman. This transfer follows negotiations aimed at securing their release. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Two people are killed and others are injured in a mass stabbing at a park in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany. A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan is arrested. (Al Arabiya)
- One person is killed and two others injured in a mass stabbing in Nagano, Japan (Mainichi)
January 21, 2025 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Colombian conflict
- Catatumbo campaign
- 2025 Catatumbo attacks
- Fourteen members of the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, including one minor, surrendered 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)
- 2025 Catatumbo attacks
- Catatumbo campaign
- 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)
- M23 offensive
- 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)
- 2025 Israeli raid on Jenin
- Syrian civil war
- Six people are killed in Homs Governorate as security forces conduct an operation against militias supporting ousted president Bashar al-Assad. (Al Arabiya)
Business and economy
- Infrastructure policy of Donald Trump
- The Stargate Project
- U.S. President Donald Trump unveils "the largest AI infrastructure project in history", a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, called Stargate. With funding of up to $500 billion in the next 4 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)
- The Stargate Project
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)
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- 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)
- 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 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)
Law and crime
- Four people are injured, one seriously, in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. (The Times of Israel) (Xinhua)
- 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)
January 20, 2025 (Monday)
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)
- 2025 Catatumbo attacks
- Catatumbo campaign
- 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)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israel–Hamas 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)
- Pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants
- 2024 Kolkata rape and murder
- 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)
- Second inauguration of Donald Trump
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)
January 19, 2025 (Sunday)
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)
- 2025 Catatumbo attacks
- Catatumbo campaign
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israel–Hamas 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)
- Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
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)
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
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)
- Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
- 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
- Israel–Hamas 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)
January 18, 2025 (Saturday)
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)
- Kryvyi Rih strikes
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Israel–Hamas 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)
- Israel–Hamas war
- 2025 assassination of Sharia judges in Iran
- 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
Politics and elections
- Israel–Hamas war protests
- Israel–Hamas 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)
- Israel–Hamas war protests in the United Kingdom
- 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)
January 17, 2025 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas 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)
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)
January 16, 2025 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas 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)
- Three-phase Israel–Hamas war ceasefire proposal
- The Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams sign the hostage release and ceasefire deal in Doha, Qatar. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- 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)
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- 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)
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- Stilfontein mine deaths
- The bodies of nine illegal miners trapped inside a gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, are recovered by police. (CTV 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)
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