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Laurent Gbagbo

In Zimbabwe, eight people are killed amid protests over the government's increase in the price of fuel.
Former President of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo (pictured) is acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
A terrorist attack by the militant group Al-Shabaab at a hotel compound in Nairobi, Kenya, kills at least twenty-one people.
In Poland, Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz dies after being stabbed on stage at a charity concert.
Fifteen people are killed when a Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crashes on landing at Fath Air Base, Iran.

January 18, 2019 (Friday)

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Law and crime

In the Czech Republic, a man sets himself on fire in Prague on the 50th anniversary of a student’s self-immolation in protest at the Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring. (The Guardian)

January 17, 2019 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Bogotá car bombing
- A suicide car-bomb attack at the General Santander National Police Academy in Bogotá, Colombia, kills at least 20 people and injures more than 50 others. (Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

In France, a fire at the University Lyon 1 injures three people. Investigators say that it is a result of an accidental gas bottle explosion. (Euronews)

Law and crime

Gunmen on motorbikes shoot Ghanaian investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale to death in Accra. Ahmed was a member of the Tiger Eye Private Investigations team that exposed high-level corruption in the Ghana Football Association. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

United States federal government shutdown of 2018–2019
- U.S. President Donald Trump postpones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming diplomatic trip to Europe, Afghanistan and Egypt after she urged the President to postpone his upcoming State of the Union Address over the ongoing government shutdown. (BBC)

Science and technology

Facebook removes alleged Russia-based accounts and pages as a part of a crackdown on misuse of its service. (The Wall Street Journal)

January 16, 2019 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Manbij bombing
- In Manbij, Syria, a suicide attack claimed by ISIL causes at least 19 casualties. Among them, two U.S. soldiers, a Pentagon Civilian, and a civilian contractor are reported dead and three other Service Members wounded. (The Washington Post)
2019 Nairobi attack
- Dozens of people remain missing one day after a deadly attack on a popular hotel complex in Nairobi, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society. (NBC NEWS)
Mali gunmen attack two villages in the country’s central Ménaka region near the border with Niger, killing at least 20 people. (NOVÝ CAS)
Second Libyan Civil War
- Five people are killed and twenty are wounded in clashes between rival militias in Tripoli, breaking several months of relative peace. (Middle East Eyes)
At least 21 people are killed in a 'massacre' by gunmen in police uniforms in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

United States federal government shutdown
- About 42,000 active-duty Coast Guard members, who continue to work on essential operations, missed their scheduled paycheck Tuesday. This is the first time that United States Armed Forces servicemembers have not been paid during a shutdown or other lapse in government appropriation. (NBC News)
- President Donald Trump signs a bill which requires the government to compensate government employees after the shutdown is over for their work during the shutdown. (CNN)
- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggests that President Trump's State of the Union address scheduled for January 29 be delayed or use a drastically modified format due to security concerns related to the ongoing government shutdown. (NPR)
Brexit negotiations, Meaningful vote
- Theresa May's government survives a no confidence vote by a majority of 19. (BBC)
2018 Andalusian regional election
- The Andalusian parliament elects Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla as the next regional President with the votes of conservative party PP, liberal party Cs and far-right party Vox, ending a 36-year term, since the restoration of democracy, of social democratic PSOE government. (El Mundo)
Macedonia naming dispute
- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survives a no-confidence vote after the Independent Greeks party quit the ruling coalition. (The New York Times)

January 15, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Nairobi attack
- Multiple explosions and gunfire are reported after four armed men stormed the Dusit hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab claims responsibility. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Prayagraj Kumbh 2019
- The largest human gathering in the world, the Kumbh Mela festival, starts at Prayagraj (previously known as Allahabad), India. More than 120 million Hindu devotees, as well as tourists, are expected. (The Guardian)

International relations

North Korea–United States relations
- South Korean media reports that North Korean officials are expected to visit the United States to discuss a second summit between the two countries at an unspecified date. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Laurent Gbagbo, former President of Ivory Coast, is acquitted of crimes against humanity charges by the International Criminal Court. (BBC)
U.S. District judge Jesse Furman issues a decision that invalidates the Trump administration's addition of a U.S. citizenship question to the 2020 census. This is the first ruling on this issue. There are four more lawsuits, filled by dozens of states, cities and other groups, yet to be heard. (NPR)
Catalan regional police in Barcelona and Igualada arrest 17 suspected terrorists ready to launch a terrorist attack. (Telegraph) (Europa Press)

Politics and elections

Brexit negotiations, Meaningful vote
- British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal is defeated in Parliament by 432 votes to 202, the worst defeat for a Prime Minister in modern British history. As a result, a vote of no confidence in her government will be held tomorrow. (Reuters) (BBC News)
2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announces she is running for president in 2020. (NPR)

Science and technology

The correction of the North Magnetic Pole model, one year ahead of the regular five-year update, scheduled to be released this week is delayed until the end of January because of the U.S. federal government shutdown. The model is used in navigation and by the GPS systems in smartphones. The pole has been wandering, much faster than expected, away from the Canadian Arctic toward Siberia. (UPI) (M.I.T. Technology Review) (The Maritime Executive)

January 14, 2019 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- A suicide bomber kills four people and wounds over 100 others in a car bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AlJazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crash
- A Boeing 707 cargo plane crashes into a building in Karaj, Iran, after overshooting the runway during its landing. Officials confirm that of 16 people on board, 15 are killed and one is injured. No casualties are reported on the ground. (BBC)

Law and crime

Paweł Adamowicz, the Mayor of Gdańsk, Poland, dies in hospital of stab wounds after an attack at a charity event the night before. (The Guardian)
Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian in China, is sentenced to death after a one-day retrial for attempting to smuggle over 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine through the country. Schellenberg's new sentence comes amid increasing tensions between Canada and China. (CNN) (Fox News)

Politics and elections

Over 31,000 teachers, nurses, counselors and librarians in Los Angeles, who have been without a contract for more than a year, go on a strike to demand higher pay after negotiations for improved compensation and work conditions failed. (CBS News) (Al Jazeera)

January 13, 2019 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian government and pro-government militants fire artillery into villages inside the Idlib de-escalation zone, killing one civilian and leaving two civilians injured. (AA)

Arts and culture

British newspaper The Guardian switches from polythene wrappers to compostable material made from potato starch based on customer feedback. The paper said this packaging, which is biodegradable but cannot be recycled, increases operating costs. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

An avalanche near the Austrian Lech am Arlberg ski resort kills three skiers and leaves a fourth missing. (NBC News) (BBC)

Law and crime

A man stabs the Mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, on stage at a Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity event in Gdańsk, Poland. (The Guardian)
Italian far-left terrorist Cesare Battisti is extradited to Italy after his capture in Bolivia. Battisti was convicted of multiple murders nearly three decades ago. (ABC)

Politics and elections

Macedonia naming dispute
- Alexis Tsipras, leader of SYRIZA in Greece, announces a vote of confidence in his government after Panos Kammenos, leader of the Independent Greeks (ANEL), announces that it will withdraw from the ruling coalition due to opposition to the Prespa agreement. (FT)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, is briefly detained in Caracas after saying he was prepared to assume the country's presidency. (BBC)

January 12, 2019 (Saturday)

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Disasters and accidents

2019 Paris explosion
- A large explosion caused by a suspected gas leak destroys a bakery in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. Four people are killed, and 40 others are injured. (Sky News)
At least 21 miners die after a roof collapses in a coal mine in Shenmu, China. (BBC)
At least 17 are killed and 12 others are injured in a fire at a drug rehabilitation clinic in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Officials said the blaze took hold after patients set mattresses on fire in a bid to escape the facility. (Sky News)