Portal:Current events/2020 January 16

January 16, 2020 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The American-led coalition issues a statement saying that 11 U.S. service members were injured by the January 8, 2020 attack by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq. The U.S. Department of Defense had initially assessed that there had been no injuries. (CNN)

Arts and culture

LGBT rights in South Korea
- In a landmark case, the South Korean military is set to decide on the first transgender soldier's possible discharge. The soldier underwent surgery overseas and is stationed in Gyeonggi Province. The case sparks a national debate on LGBT issues in the military, which punishes sex between two males with up to two years imprisonment. (Reuters)

Business and economy

The U.S. Senate votes 89–10 to pass the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement. Once ratified by Canada, it will supersede the North America Free Trade Agreement. (Reuters)
Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google, becomes the fourth American company to hit a stock market capitalization of US$1 trillion. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Winter Storm Jacob continues to move eastwards across the northern United States, bringing up to 26 inches (66 cm) of snowfall from Montana to Idaho and Utah and down into the Sierra Nevada of California. (The Weather Channel)

International relations

Law and crime

After his escape from Japan, Carlos Ghosn's Japanese lawyer Junichiro Hironaka and seven other members of his defense resign. Hironaka says Ghosn's escape was a "complete surprise". (CNN Business)
The bodies of seven people are found in a mass grave in the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé region of Panama. Authorities believe a religious sect performed an exorcism on the victims. Police rescued 15 people who had suffered bodily injuries. (BBC News)

Politics and elections