Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
An Iryo train
- A diplomatic crisis over Greenland annexation provokes European troop deployments and a trade war with the United States.
- At least 40 people are killed after two trains collide (similar train pictured) in Adamuz, Spain.
- Following a government-led offensive in the northeastern region the transitional government and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria agree to a ceasefire.
- Yoweri Museveni is re-elected for a seventh term as president of Uganda amid protests over contested results.
- A coalition supportive of Benin's president Patrice Talon, consisting of Progressive Union Renewal and Republican Bloc, wins all seats in the parliamentary elections.
January 20, 2026 (Tuesday)
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 Al-Hasakah Governorate 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
- 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 responsiblity. (Headline Daily) (Reuters)
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 Chile wildfires
- Much of the city of Penco is destroyed as wildfires continue to spread across Chile with the death toll rising nineteen. (AFP via Barron's) (BBC News)
- 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)
- One person is killed and several houses collapse in a Mw 5.6 earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan. (Reuters) (The Watchers)
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)
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. (Anadolu Agency) (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
- 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)
- 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. (France 24)
- One person is killed and six others wounded in a mass shooting at the town hall in Chřibská, Czech Republic. The perpetrator dies by suicide. (Reuters)
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 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)
January 15, 2026 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Operation Southern Spear
- United States oil blockade during Operation Southern Spear
- The United States Coast Guard boards and seizes a Guyanese-flagged tanker in the Caribbean Sea that had been sanctioned by the U.S. government. (The Guardian)
- United States oil blockade during Operation Southern Spear
Business and economy
- Frigidaire issues a recall for 330,000 mini-fridges for fire risks, after previously recalling 634,000 last year. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Utrecht explosions
- At least four people are injured and several buildings collapse following an explosion in the Utrecht city centre in the Netherlands. Authorities suspect it to be a gas explosion. (NOS in Dutch) (AFP via Al Arabiya) (BBC News)
- At least 19 people are killed and hundreds are evacuated across South Africa in flooding caused by torrential rains in several provinces, including Limpopo and Mpumalanga. (AP)
- Two people are killed when a construction crane collapses onto the Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, while the Thai government moves to cancel contracts, blacklist the same contractor, and suspend about a dozen of its state projects following a separate crane accident the previous day. (BBC News) (Reuters)
International relations
- Greenland crisis, Denmark–France relations
- French president Emmanuel Macron announces the deployment of additional military forces to Greenland after a Defense Council meeting. (France 24 in French)
- Japan–Philippines relations, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- Japan and the Philippines sign a defense pact to mutually allow tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food, and other forms of aid. (AP)
- United Arab Emirates–Yemen relations
- Faraj Al-Bahsani is dismissed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, becoming the last United Arab Emirates-backed member to leave the body. (The New Arab)
Politics and elections
- 2026 Ugandan general election
- Ugandans vote to elect their president and 529 members of parliament. (AP)
- Singaporean prime minister Lawrence Wong rescinds Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh's position as the de jure Leader of the Opposition. (CNA)
- Yemeni prime minister Salem Saleh bin Braik resigns, and president Rashad al-Alimi appoints Shaea Muhssin to be the new prime minister. (Jerusalem Post)
Science and technology
- The members of NASA commercial Crew-11, who had been docked at the International Space Station (ISS) since August 2025, land on Earth one month early following the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS. (Space) (NPR)
January 14, 2026 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Anglophone Crisis
- Fifteen people, including eight children, are killed by gunmen in a mass shooting in Ndu, Northwest Region, Cameroon. (AP)
- Armed conflict for control of the favelas
- Brazilian police kill four Comando Vermelho gang members in a raid in Rio de Janeiro, and seize weapons, ammunition, drugs, camouflage clothing, and radios. A police helicopter is shot at and damaged, injuring one crew member. (AP)
Business and economy
- The price of gold reaches an all-time high of US$4,644.56 per ounce, surpassing December's previous peak of $4,383.76. (Royal Mint)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Crans-Montana bar fire
- 2026 Sikhio train disaster
- At least 32 people are killed and 66 others are injured when a construction crane falls onto a passing train in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Sky News) (Reuters) (AP)
Health and environment
- The Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that 2025 ranks as the third-warmest year on record and completes the first three-year period with average global temperatures at least 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
International relations
- Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Azerbaijan releases four Armenian prisoners convicted of offenses linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as part of ongoing post-war normalization efforts. (Reuters)
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Greenland crisis
- Denmark–France relations
- French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announces that France will open a consulate in Greenland in February, signaling its rejection of attempts by the United States to acquire the territory through coercion. (AFP via Le Monde)
- Denmark–France relations
- Travel bans under the Trump administrations
- The U.S. Trump administration announces that it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries. Tourist and business visas will not be affected. (AFP via Le Monde)
Law and crime
- Sexual deepfake and illegal content generation on X
- The Garda Síochána of Ireland confirms that there are 200 active investigations into child sexual abuse material being generated by Grok. (RTÉ)
- Shootings by U.S. immigration agents in the second Trump administration, Operation Metro Surge
- A person is shot and injured by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. (ABC News)
Politics and elections
- Singapore's parliament votes to remove Workers' Party leader Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition following his conviction for providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee in 2021. (Reuters)
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