Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
Sikhio train disaster
- Thirty people are killed when a crane falls onto a passenger train (pictured) in Sikhio district, Thailand.
- Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
- Faustin-Archange Touadéra is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
- Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
January 17, 2026 (Saturday)
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 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash
- A plane carrying 11 people, operated by Indonesia Air Transport and in use by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries en route to Makassar from Yogyakarta, loses contact in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi and crashes. A search and rescue effort is underway. (Detikcom in Indonesian) (ANTARA)
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 reduces U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods from 20% to 15%. (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
- 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)
- At least four people are injured and several buildings collapse following an explosion in the Utrecht city centre in the Netherlands. (NOS in Dutch) (AFP via Al Arabiya)
International relations
- Denmark–France relations, Proposed United States acquisition of Greenland
- French president Emmanuel Macron announces the deployment of additional military forces to Greenland after a Defense Council meeting. (France 24)
- 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)
Law and crime
- Sexual deepfake and illegal content generation on X
- Ashley St. Clair sues xAI over sexualized deepfakes of her created on X. (BBC)
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)
- 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Kurdish separatism in Iran
- Armed groups of Iraqi Kurdish fighters, possibly affiliated with the PKK, have allegedly infiltrated the Iranian border. According to reports, they engaged in clashes with IRGC led security forces. (Reuters) (Fox News)
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 between the two states. (Reuters)
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- 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. (AFP via Le Monde)
- Travel bans under the Trump administrations
- The Trump administration of the United States 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)
January 13, 2026 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2025–2026 Iranian protests
- 2026 Iran massacres
- The U.S.-based non-governmental organization HRAI reports that at least 2,000 people have been killed during nationwide protests in Iran. Meanwhile, independent activist sources contend that the nationwide crackdown has resulted in at least 12,000 to 20,000 people killed. (CBS News) (AP)
- 2026 Iran massacres
- Insurgency in Chad
- At least six people are killed, including three soldiers and three attackers, and 12 others are injured, including two other attackers, in clashes between a rebel group and the Chadian National Army in Korbol, Moyen-Chari, Chad. (Africanews)
Arts and culture
- Adelaide Writers' Week boycott
- Adelaide Writers' Week in Adelaide, Australia, cancels its 2026 festival after director Louise Adler resigned and more than 180 writers withdrew in protest over the board's decision to disinvite Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- 2018–present Argentine monetary crisis
- Argentina records a 31.5% annual inflation rate in December, the lowest end-year level since 2017, while monthly prices rise 2.8%, driven mainly by transport, housing, and fuel. (AFP via Barron's)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 38 people are killed when a ferry strikes rocks and sinks on the Niger River in Diré, Tombouctou Region, Mali. (AP)
- At least 19 people are killed, four are seriously injured and over 30 others are missing following a landslide triggered by hours of heavy rain in Walikale Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP) (Prensa Latina)
International relations
- Philippines–United Arab Emirates relations
- The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates sign a free trade agreement. (The Star)
Law and crime
- Mexican drug war, Mexico–Venezuela relations
- Mexican police arrest six alleged Tren de Aragua members operating in Mexico City on charges of drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2026 Ugandan general election, Human rights in Uganda
- Uganda orders a nationwide internet shutdown two days before its general election, with the communications regulator directing service providers to suspend access to curb alleged misinformation and incitement. (AFP via Le Monde) (Al Jazeera)
Science and technology
- Censorship in Venezuela
- Venezuelans regain access to the social network X after more than a year of blockage under de jure president Nicolás Maduro. (AFP via CP24)
January 12, 2026 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Gaza war
- Palestinian internal political violence
- The Israeli-backed militant organization Counter-Terrorism Strike Force says it has assassinated Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of a Hamas-run police unit in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
- Palestinian internal political violence
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle kills six officers near the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan. (AP)
- Myanmar civil war, Bangladesh–Myanmar relations
- Bangladesh detains 53 Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army members that crossed into Bangladesh amid fighting with the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, Myanmar. (AFP via The Straits Times)
- Sudanese civil war
- A Rapid Support Forces missile strike kills ten civilians and wounds nine others in Singa, Sennar State, Sudan. (AA)
Business and economy
- Spanish property bubble
- Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez issues a decree that tightens rent regulations by limiting short-term rentals and offering full tax refunds to landlords who renew contracts without rent increases, as the country faces a housing shortfall of about 500,000 homes and average rents that have doubled over the past decade. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- One person is killed and 35 others are injured in a meteotsunami at several beaches in Argentina. (People)
Health and environment
International relations
- Somalia–United Arab Emirates relations
- Constitutional crisis in Somalia
- Somalia's Council of Ministers terminates all agreements between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), disallowing the UAE from operating in the ports of Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo for their support of Somaliland. The Somaliland, Puntland, and Jubaland governments subsequently dismiss the decision. (Middle East Eye) (Dawan Africa) (The New Arab)
- Constitutional crisis in Somalia
Law and crime
- Cambodia–South Korea relations, Scam centers in Cambodia
- Cambodian and South Korean police arrest 26 suspects accused of impersonation scams and sexual exploitation that allegedly defrauded 165 South Korean victims of about ₩26.7 billion (US$18.25 million), with authorities set to extradite the suspects to South Korea. (Reuters)
- Corruption in Georgia
- Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili pleads guilty to large-scale money-laundering charges and receives a five-year prison sentence and a ₾1-million (US$371,829) fine after investigators seize about $6.5 million in cash during raids on his residence. (Reuters)
- Corruption in Poland, Hungary–Poland relations
- Former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro receives political asylum in Hungary while Polish prosecutors investigate him on 26 counts related to alleged misuse of a crime victims fund and other abuses of office under the first Morawiecki cabinet. (The Guardian)
- Corsican conflict
- Former National Liberation Front of Corsica leader Alain Orsoni is assassinated by a gunman at his mother's funeral in Vero, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica, France. (Reuters)
- War on drugs
- Swedish police seize three tonnes of cocaine found in a shipping container from South America at the Port of Helsingborg, making it the country's single-largest seizure of the illegal drug. (Reuters)
- Spanish police, in coordination with the UK National Crime Agency and the US DEA, seize 10 tonnes of cocaine hidden among a cargo of salt on a cargo ship off the Canary Islands. It is the country's largest ever seizure of drugs at sea. Thirteen people on board the vessel are arrested. (The Guardian)
- Venezuela releases between 41 and 116 political prisoners who were detained due to acts associated with civil disobedience the constitutional order. (Al Jazeera)
Science and technology
- Criticism of Twitter
- The United Kingdom's Ofcom opens an investigation into X over complaints about the creation of deepfake sexualised images by its chatbot Grok. (RTÉ)
- Meta reports that it has shut down over 544,000 accounts of users under the age of 16 on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in response to Australian social media age restrictions. (DW)
January 11, 2026 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian conflict
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- January 2026 Aleppo clashes
- The Syrian Democratic Forces withdraw from Aleppo following negotiations with the Syrian transitional government. (Al Jazeera)
- January 2026 Aleppo clashes
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
- A woman is killed and around a dozen residential buildings are damaged in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Voronezh, Russia. (Reuters)
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
- At least four people are killed and 20 others are injured in overnight Russian drone attacks across Ukraine. (Euronews)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
- 2025–2026 Iranian protests
- 2026 Los Angeles ramming attack
- Two people are injured in a suspected vehicle-ramming attack when a U-Haul truck strikes multiple people during an anti-Iranian government protest in Los Angeles, California, United States, after protesters strike the vehicle with hands and flags. No one is hospitalized after the incident. (BNO News)
- Non-governmental organization HRAI verifies the deaths of 483 protesters and 47 security personnel in Iran since the start of the protests. (Sky News) (Reuters)
- Amidst the ongoing internet blackout, the Iranian government successfully shuts down the Starlink internet for the first time. (The Times of Israel)
- 2026 Los Angeles ramming attack
- Sudanese civil war
- Sudanese prime minister Kamil Idris announces that the government will return to the capital of Khartoum after previously operating out of Port Sudan for much of the conflict. (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- 83rd Golden Globe Awards
- At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Hamnet and One Battle After Another win Best Dramatic and Best Comedic or Musical Film, respectively, while The Pitt and The Studio win Best Drama and Best Comedy or Musical in television, respectively. (Los Angeles Times)
Business and economy
- China–Egypt relations, Foreign relations of Norway
- Egypt signs renewable energy agreements worth US$1.8 billion with China and Norway. (Al Arabiya)
Disasters and accidents
- 2025–26 Australian bushfire season
- One person is killed and at least 300 properties are destroyed by wildfires across Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. A state of emergency is declared in Victoria with thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft deployed to combat the fires. (BBC News)
- Eight people are killed and 12 others are injured in an explosion during wedding festivities at a house in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Dawn)
- The death toll from avalanches in the French Alps over the weekend rises to six as three more skiers are killed. (AFP via South China Morning Post)
- Four people are killed and five others are injured after two cars collide head-on in Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Three inmates are killed and 14 others are injured, including a corrections officer, in a prison fight at the Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, United States. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2025–26 Myanmar general election
- Citizens of Myanmar vote in the second phase to elect the nation's bicameral legislature. One more phase of voting is expected in late January. (AP)
- 2026 Beninese parliamentary election
- Citizens in Benin vote to elect the 109 members of the National Assembly more than one month after a thwarted coup attempt. (RFI)
Sports
- 2026 United Cup
- In tennis, Poland win their first United Cup title after defeating Switzerland 2–1 in the final at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Reuters)
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