Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
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Valentino in 2007
- Italian fashion designer Valentino (pictured), founder of his eponymous fashion house, dies at the age of 93.
- In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Senegal defeating Morocco in the final.
- A diplomatic crisis over Greenland leads to European troop deployments and tariff threats from the United States.
- At least 43 people are killed after two trains collide in Adamuz, Spain.
January 22, 2026 (Thursday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Gul Plaza Shopping Mall fire
- The death toll from a massive fire five days ago at a multi-story shopping mall in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, increases to 60 people. (Al Jazeera)
- Two people are killed and several others are reported missing with no sign of life detected, including children, in landslides in Mount Maunganui and Welcome Bay, Tauranga, New Zealand. (BBC News) (Sky News)
Law and crime
- Crime in New South Wales
- Three people are killed and another is injured in a mass shooting in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales, Australia. (The Guardian)
- A regional court in Tacloban, Philippines, convicts journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil, who were arrested in a 2020 raid, of terrorism financing and sentences them to up to 18 years in prison; but acquits them on a weapons charge. Press freedom and rights groups condemn the verdict. (AFP via The Guardian) (BBC News)
January 21, 2026 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Gaza war
- Killing of journalists in the Gaza war
- At least eleven Palestinians, including two children and three journalists documenting Egyptian state aid distribution, are killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
- Killing of journalists in the Gaza war
- Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
- Israel launches a series of airstrikes in Lebanon, killing two people in Tyre and Sidon and wounding 19 others in Qanarit. (Al Jazeera)
- Yemeni civil war
- A car bombing near Aden, Yemen, targets the motorcade of Southern Giants Brigades commander Hamdy Shoukry, killing three people and injuring four others. (AP via ABC News)
Business and economy
- Orbanomics
- Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán announces a 100-billion-forint (US$300-million) support package for the restaurant sector and commits to covering additional household heating costs for January, as part of broader measures to ease cost-of-living pressures. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Severe storms in Greece kill two people as strong winds and heavy rainfall cause flooding, prompting authorities to suspend maritime traffic and close schools in several regions. (AFP via BSS)
- New Zealand territorial authorities order evacuations in low-lying areas of the North Island after heavy rain and strong winds cause flooding and landslides, while police search for a man missing after being swept away while fording. (Reuters)
International relations
- EU–Mercosur Partnership Agreement
- The European Parliament approves a measure by a vote of 334–324 to ask the European Court of Justice to rule on whether the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur can be applied before full ratification by all member states and whether its provisions restrict the EU's ability to set environmental and consumer health policies. (Reuters)
- Greenland crisis, Tariffs in the second Trump administration
- United States president Donald Trump announces he will cancel the planned tariffs on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom after reaching an agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a Greenland framework. He also stated at the World Economic Forum that he has ruled out sending forces amidst invasion fears. (BBC News) (Fortune)
Law and crime
- 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- A high court in Seoul, South Korea, sentences former prime minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for being an accomplice in giving procedural legitimacy to the martial law decree during a cabinet meeting. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
- Corruption in Malaysia
- The Malaysian anti-corruption commission charges two former military chiefs and one of their wives with money laundering, abuse of power, and criminal breach of trust. (AP)
- Trial of Tetsuya Yamagami
- A district court in Nara, Japan, sentences Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for assassinating former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. (Reuters)
- War on drugs
- Europol announces an end to an operation against synthetic drug production and trafficking in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, resulting in the arrests of 85 people and the seizure of 1,000 metric tons of chemicals in 24 labs. (DW)
Politics and elections
- Politics in Australia
- The Opposition Liberal–National Coalition splits less than a year after reforming as the Liberal and National parties take opposing stances on the Albanese government's proposed tightening of hate speech laws in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting. (ABC News Australia)
January 20, 2026 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Suspension and ban of humanitarian aid organizations during the Gaza war
- The Israeli military demolishes the main UNRWA building in East Jerusalem, forcing staff out and confiscating their devices, following the Israeli ban on the organization operating in the region. (Al Jazeera)
- Suspension and ban of humanitarian aid organizations during the Gaza war
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Gelida train derailment
- The driver is killed and 37 other people are injured when a commuter train collides with a wall and derails in Gelida, Catalonia, Spain. (RTVE)
- At least four people are killed in flooding in Monastir Governorate, Tunisia, the worst floods in the country since 1950. (Al Jazeera)
- Search and rescue crews rescue a motor banca crewman off a capsized boat in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, while continuing to search for the other three missing crew members and 11 passengers. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
International relations
- China–United Kingdom relations
- The British government approves China's new embassy at London's Royal Mint Court, despite security concerns. The planning decision affirmed development compliance, while MI5 raised no objections. The embassy will be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe upon completion. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Gun laws of Australia
- 2026 Australia gun buyback program
- The Australian parliament passes laws introducing a nationwide gun buyback program, stricter background checks, and tougher penalties for hate crimes, following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting that killed 15 people. (Reuters)
- 2026 Australia gun buyback program
- War on drugs
- Thai authorities announces the end of a 4-month operation to combat drug trafficking in the country, resulting in the seizure of 330 million methamphetamine tablets, the arrests of over 88,000 suspects, and frozen assets worth ฿3.39B (US$140M). (The Straits Times)
- Portuguese police arrest 37 suspects linked to an ultra-right network accused of racially motivated hate crimes, seizing weapons and neo-Nazi materials during a nationwide operation targeting Grupo 1143, whose leader is already imprisoned. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2021–present Bulgarian political crisis
- Bulgarian president Rumen Radev resigns, marking the first voluntary resignation of the country's president in its post-communist history. Vice president Iliyana Yotova is sworn in as acting president, becoming the country's first female president. (AP)
- Thousands of people protest across Germany, particularly in Bremen, Dortmund, Frankfurt, in support of Kurdish forces against the Syrian Armed Forces in clashes in northeastern Syria. (DW)
January 19, 2026 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian conflict
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- Heavy fighting occurs around Kobani between the Syrian Army and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) despite a ceasefire announced by both sides the previous day. Government forces capture the towns of Ayn Issa and Sarrin. (Al Jazeera)
- The SDF says it has lost control of a prison holding thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters in the town of Al-Shaddadah after the prison came under attack from armed groups. A video released by the SDF appears to show dozens of IS militants escaping the prison. (The Guardian) (ANHA) (Reuters)
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict, Kivu conflict
- M23 campaign
- Congolese troops and allied Wazalendo militia fighters re-enter Uvira, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, after it had been held for about a month by the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement. (Reuters)
- M23 campaign
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Kharkiv strikes
- A woman is killed and 11 others are injured in a glide bomb attack in Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (DPA International)
- Kharkiv strikes
- Islamic State–Taliban conflict
- Seven people are killed and twenty others are injured in a bombing at a Chinese restaurant in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claims responsibility. (Headline Daily) (Reuters)
- Terrorism in Tajikistan
- Four alleged terrorists are fatally shot in an overnight shootout with border guards while crossing the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border into Tajikistan. (The Independent)
Business and economy
- Hungary–Russia relations, Hungary–Serbia relations
- Serbia announces that the Russian majority owners of its state oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije have agreed to sell their stake to Hungary's MOL as Serbia seeks to increase its own shareholding to about 35%. (AFP via France 24)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Chilean wildfires
- Much of the city of Penco is destroyed as wildfires continue to spread across Chile with the death toll rising to nineteen. (AFP via Barron's) (BBC News)
- Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash
- Thirteen children are killed and several others are injured in a collision between a truck and a school bus in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng province, South Africa. (Legit) (BBC News)
- 2026 Gilgit-Baltistan earthquake
- Two people are killed, four others are injured and several houses collapse in a Mw 5.6 earthquake in Barishal, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. (Dawn) (ReliefWeb)
Health and environment
- Aging of China, Aging of South Korea
- Reflecting a broader demographic decline across East Asia, the birth rate in China fell to 5.6 per 1,000 people last year, the lowest since records began in 1949, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, as similar downward trends persist in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. (CNBC) (BBC News)
International relations
- Greenland crisis
- Operation Arctic Endurance
- Denmark announces that it will send "a substantial number" of troops to Greenland in response to threats from United States president Donald Trump. (AA)
- NORAD announces that it will deploy American and Canadian aircraft to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland for long-planned activities, describing the deployment as routine and coordinated with the Denmark with diplomatic clearances and with the Government of Greenland informed of the planned operations. (AA) (Task & Purpose)
- Operation Arctic Endurance
- Kiribati–New Zealand relations
- Kiribati and New Zealand sign a partnership agreement on economic opportunity, foreign policy, health, and security, marking their first bilateral agreement since a diplomatic crisis began in 2025. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Crime in Guatemala
- A ninth policeman succumbs to his injuries from prison riots and attacks on police officers in Guatemala. A dozen officers were also injured in the attacks, and a state of emergency has been declared. (AFP via France 24)
- Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines
- Former Philippine senator Bong Revilla surrenders to police after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest over the alleged misuse of ₱92.8 million (US$1.6 million) in a flood-control project, while the Ombudsman pursues graft and malversation charges against Revilla and several former public works officials. (Gulf News)
- September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état
- Togo announces the arrest of Burkina Faso's former transitional president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in Lomé last week and expels him after Burkinabè officials accuse him of plotting attempted coups and targeted assassinations against the ruling junta. (AFP via The Peninsula)
- A gunman shoots and kills one person and injures six others, before killing himself, in a mass shooting at the town hall of Chřibská, Czech Republic. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- The Sun releases the largest solar particle event towards Earth since the 2003 Halloween solar storms. (CNN)
Sports
- 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
- In American football, the Indiana Hoosiers defeat the Miami Hurricanes, 27–21, to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. (ESPN)
January 18, 2026 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian conflict
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- Tribal forces allied with the Syrian Army take control of the Mashlab neighbourhood in Raqqa from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Al Jazeera)
- Syrian government forces seize control of the Al-Omar field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, the largest oil field in Syria, following the withdrawal of SDF forces. (BBC News)
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- The Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP) (BBC News)
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- Communal conflicts in Nigeria
- Boko Haram insurgency
- The Nigerian Air Force launches airstrikes against Boko Haram in Borno State, Nigeria, reportedly killing at least 40 militants. (Reuters)
- Kidnapping in Nigeria
- Gunmen abduct about 163 Christians after storming two churches in Kaduna State, Nigeria. (AFP via Insider Paper)
- Boko Haram insurgency
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Dnipro strikes, Kharkiv strikes, Khmelnytskyi strikes, Odesa strikes, Zaporizhzhia strikes
- At least two people are killed and dozens are injured in Russian drone strikes across Ukraine, including in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. (DW)
- Dnipro strikes, Kharkiv strikes, Khmelnytskyi strikes, Odesa strikes, Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Colombian conflict
- Clashes between two factions of the FARC dissidents in El Retorno, Guaviare Department, Colombia, leave at least 27 insurgents dead. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Adamuz train derailments
- At least 39 people are killed and 245 more are injured after two high speed trains derailed in Adamuz, province of Córdoba, Spain. (The Telegraph)
- 2026 Binaliw landslide
- Search and rescue operations in the collapsed landfill in Cebu City, Philippines, conclude after retrieving the last victim, bringing the total number of deaths to 36. (GMA News)
- 2026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash
- Search and rescue finds the wreckage of an Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-512 aircraft that crashed in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The crew recovers one body of the eleven passengers from a ravine. (AP)
- Five people are killed and over 80 others are injured after a bus overturned due to brake failure in Latehar district, India. (Devdiscourse)
- Four people are killed, 84 others are injured, and six are reported missing in an explosion at a steel factory in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. Chinese police detain those in charge of the factory the following day. (AP) (CTV News)
Law and crime
- Crime in Guatemala
- Guatemalan president Bernardo Arévalo declares a 30-day nationwide state of emergency after gangs killed eight police officers and took dozens of prison staff hostage, while security forces have retaken three prisons and freed the captives. (AFP via The Korea Herald)
- Libyan authorities say they have freed more than 200 migrants from an underground prison in Kufra held by a human trafficker in inhumane conditions. The freed migrants were mostly Sub-Saharan Africans, mainly from Somalia and Eritrea. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2026 Portuguese presidential election
- Portuguese citizens vote in the first round of the presidential election between 11 candidates to succeed incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has reached his term limit. Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro and CHEGA leader André Ventura advance to the second round. (AP)
Sports
- 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- In association football, Senegal wins its second Africa Cup of Nations title after defeating hosts Morocco 1–0 after extra time in the 2025 final in Rabat. Sadio Mané is named the tournament's best player. (Reuters)
- 2026 Australian Open
- In tennis, Venus Williams becomes the oldest player to participate in the women's singles draw of an Australian Open at the age of 45 years and 7 months, surpassing Kimiko Date's record from 2015. (The Independent)
January 17, 2026 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian conflict
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- Syrian government forces capture many towns in Aleppo Governorate, including Dayr Hafir and Maskanah, after Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) units withdraw from their positions. The Syrian Army also reportedly expelled the SDF from Al-Tabqah. (Al Jazeera)
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- Iraqi conflict, Iraq–United States relations
- The United States Armed Forces formally withdraws from Iraq's Al-Asad Airbase, handing over full operational control of the airbase to the Iraqi Armed Forces for the first time since 2014. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- EU–Mercosur Association Agreement
- The European Union and Mercosur formally sign the free trade agreement between the two blocs after 25 years of negotiations. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Binaliw landslide
- The death toll from the landslide in the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, Philippines, rises to 35. Search operations are ongoing for the last victim. (ABS-CBN News)
- 2026 Biobío wildfires
- At least 16 people are killed, more than 50,000 are evacuated and a state of emergency is declared due to wildfires in Ñuble Region and Biobío Region, Chile. (France 24) (BBC News)
- 2026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash
- An Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-512 aircraft operated by the marine affairs ministry carrying eleven people loses contact in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, while flying to Makassar and crashes. A search and rescue effort is underway. (Detikcom in Indonesian) (ANTARA)
- 2026 Gul Plaza Shopping Mall fire
- At least 24 people are killed and 45 others are injured in two separate road crashes in Pakistan when a truck plunges into a canal in Sargodha, Punjab, and a passenger bus overturns on a highway in Balochistan. (AP)
- Eight skiers are killed and another is seriously injured in separate avalanches on the Alps in Austria. (AFP via The Straits Times)
Health and environment
- The High Seas Treaty enters into force in 60 United Nations member states. (Reuters)
International relations
- Greenland crisis
- Hands off Greenland protests
- Thousands of demonstrators attend rallies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Nuuk, Greenland, to protest the proposed takeover by U.S. president Donald Trump. (BBC News)
- Hands off Greenland protests
Law and Crime
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
- Coordinated riots erupt in three prisons in Guatemala, where inmates hold at least 46 officers and staff hostage as security forces secure the perimeters and the interior minister refuses to negotiate. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2026 Beninese parliamentary election
- Provisional results in Benin reveal that the Progressive Union Renewal won 60 out of 109 seats in the National Assembly, followed by the Republican Bloc with 49 seats. Both parties in the National Assembly are part of a coalition supportive of President Patrice Talon. (Benin Web TV)
- 2026 Ugandan general election
- Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni is re-elected to a seventh term with 71.65% of the vote, while opposition leader Bobi Wine comes second with 24.72% of the vote. (France 24)
January 16, 2026 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in Balochistan
- Twelve Balochistan Liberation Army gunmen are killed by the Pakistani army in an attempted hostage-taking at a police station in Kharan District, Balochistan Province, Pakistan. (AP)
Business and economy
- Canada–China relations
- Canada and China reach a trade agreement that reduces Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola seeds, following a high-level summit in Beijing. (CNN)
- Taiwan–United States relations, Tariffs in the second Trump administration
- Taiwan and the United States reach a trade agreement that would reduce U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods from 20% to 15% in return for promised Taiwanese investment in U.S. businesses. (AFP via France 24)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 100 people are killed and thousands of homes are destroyed across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, amidst severe torrential rain and flooding. (AP)
International relations
- Iran–New Zealand relations
- New Zealand temporarily closes its embassy in Tehran, evacuates its diplomats to Ankara, Turkey, and warns its citizens to leave Iran, citing the deteriorating security situation and internet blackout. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
Law and crime
- 2026 Ugandan general election
- 2026 Ugandan protests
- Clashes between protesters opposed to president Yoweri Museveni and police leave at least seven people dead in Butambala, Uganda. (BBC News) (Reuters)
- The opposition National Unity Platform says its leader and presidential candidate Bobi Wine has been placed under house arrest. A Ugandan military helicopter takes Wine to an unknown location after his house was stormed by security forces. (BBC News) (Sky News)
- 2026 Ugandan protests
- Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
- A high court in Seoul, South Korea, sentences former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for obstructing justice and excluding cabinet members during his 2024 martial law declaration, while acquitting him of document forgery. (AFP via TRT World) (AP)
- Corruption in Malaysia
- Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim temporarily freezes all military and police procurement until compliance rules are met following an anti-corruption probe, while ordering a review and restructuring of the procurement system. (Reuters)
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