Portal:Current events

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
  • Venezuela confirms that 23 of its military were among the 80 people killed during the American airstrikes in Caracas, Venezuela, three days ago. (Al Jazeera)
• Syrian conflict
  • Three people are killed and others are wounded in Aleppo, Syria. The Syrian Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces blame each other for the attack. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raises the alert level of the Mayon volcano in Luzon to three, citing signs of magma intrusion and possible explosive activity, and orders evacuations within a six-kilometer danger zone. (Reuters)

International relations

• China–Japan relations
  • 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
    • China tightens export controls on dual-use technology to Japan, banning shipments that could support the Japanese military, following diplomatic tensions over remarks related to Taiwan. (AFP via The Sun)

Law and crime

• United States v. Maduro et al.
  • De jure Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores plead not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism in the United States. They will remain in prison until their next court appearance in March. (NBC News) (Fox News)

Science and technology

• Communications in Palestine
  • Israel authorizes Palestinian mobile operators Jawwal and Ooredoo to begin upgrading to 4G services in the West Bank after they sign management contracts with the Swedish telecommunications firm Ericsson. (Reuters)

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Business and economy

• A 243 kg (536 lb) bluefin tuna is sold for a record \510 million (US3ドル.2 million) at the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo, Japan. (BBC News) (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 14 people are killed in flash floods in Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Nestlé recalls selected batches of infant formula in several European countries after identifying a quality issue in a supplier ingredient that may involve the presence of the toxin cereulide. (AFP via The Manila Times)

International relations

• Israel–Syria relations
  • Israeli invasion of Syria
    • United States-mediated talks between Israel and Syria focused on reviving the 1974 disengagement framework resume after a several-month hiatus, with Syria pressing for an Israeli withdrawal from territory entered after the fall of the Assad regime. (Reuters)
• International reactions to the 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela, Swiss neutrality
  • Switzerland freezes all assets held in the country by de jure Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his associates for four years, following Maduro's transfer to the United States, and is intended to secure the assets while their legal status is under investigation. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
  • A Venezuelan decree authorizes a national manhunt for those involved in the American attack. (Reuters)
• Terrorism in Pakistan
  • Pakistani counter-terrorism police seize two tons of explosives and arrest three people suspected of being members of the Baloch Liberation Army and planning attacks with it. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Censorship in Uganda
  • Uganda bans the live broadcasting and streaming of protests and violent incidents and restricts content deemed inciting or hateful ahead of the general election. (Reuters)
• 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
  • Delcy Rodríguez is formally sworn in as acting and first female president of Venezuela following Nicolás Maduro's removal and transfer out of the country. (Reuters)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni civil war
  • 2025 Southern Yemen offensive, Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war
    • Yemeni forces and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition capture the al-Mahrah and Hadhramaut governorates from the Southern Transitional Council. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
  • The death toll from the strikes rises to at least 80, including members of security forces and civilians. (The New York Times)
  • Cuba confirms that 32 of its citizens were killed during the attacks while carrying out missions. Two days of national mourning are declared. (Al Jazeera)
  • The United States Federal Aviation Administration lifts the ban on US flights through the Caribbean imposed following military strikes in Venezuela. Hundreds of flights were canceled or are rescheduled from yesterday. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
• Israel–Hezbollah conflict
  • Two Hezbollah militants are killed in a strike by the Israel Defense Forces in Al-Jumayjimah, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon. (The Jerusalem Post)

Disasters and accidents

• Six people are killed and five injured after a roof collapses in Charsadda district, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Law and crime

• Myanmar's government releases 6,186 prisoners, including 52 foreign nationals, and reduces prison sentences to mark Independence Day, while excluding inmates convicted of serious crimes. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• A technical failure in Greece's air traffic control communication systems forces authorities to impose a seven-hour nationwide ground stop and airspace closure, diverting aircraft to nearby countries and causing widespread delays and cancellations. (VINnews) (Reuters)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Operation Southern Spear, War on drugs
  • 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
    • United States president Donald Trump orders airstrikes on Caracas, Venezuela, killing at least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel. A national state of emergency is declared following the strikes. (The Times) (CNN)
    • Footage shows United States Marine Corps Bell AH-1Z Vipers striking Fort Tiuna and Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles during the operation. Fort Tiuna is later evacuated. (El Tiempo in Spanish) (The Aviationist)
    • Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, are captured by U.S. forces and flown out of the country. Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez becomes acting president. (CBS News) (BBC News)
    • After being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima, Maduro is taken to New York, where U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi says he has been indicted on drug and weapons charges. (BBC News) (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • 2025 Sumy offensive, Kharkiv strikes, Kherson strikes, Mykolaiv strikes
    • At least eight people are killed and 42 others are injured in overnight Russian attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Sumy Oblasts of Ukraine. (RBC-Ukraine) (The Kyiv Independent)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 30 people are killed and others kidnapped by armed bandits in a raid on a village market in Borgu, Niger State, Nigeria. The market was also looted of food before being set on fire. (AP) (The Punch)
• War against the Islamic State
  • British and French aircraft carry out a joint strike on an underground facility alleged to be occupied by the Islamic State near Palmyra in central Syria. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• Economy of Syria
  • The Central Bank of Syria begins exchanging old banknotes for a new currency that removes two zeros from the previous denominations, with 100 old pounds converted to one new pound, as part of economic stabilization measures following the change in government. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 26 people are killed and 14 others are missing after a boat carrying 52 passengers capsizes in Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria. (Reuters) (Africanews)
• Six people are killed after a car collided with a minibus taxi near Fouriesburg, South Africa. (IOL)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Four more protesters are shot dead by security forces in Malekshahi County, Ilam province, Iran. (Hengaw) (Iran International) (AP)

Sports

• 2026 PDC World Darts Championship
  • In professional darts, English player Luke Littler wins a second PDC World Darts Championship back-to-back after defeating Dutch player Gian van Veen 7–1 in the final. (BBC Sports)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni civil war
  • 2025 Southern Yemen offensive, Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war
    • The Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen launches airstrikes in Hadhramaut Governorate, killing 20 Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters and leaving more than 20 others injured. (AFP via Le Monde)
  • The STC announces a plan to hold an independence referendum for the State of South Arabia within two years. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• BYD Auto, based in China, surpasses the United States-based Tesla, Inc., as the world's best-selling electric vehicle automaker after selling 2.26 million vehicles in 2025, overtaking Tesla's 1.64 million. (AP) (DW)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Guerrero earthquake
  • A M_w 6.5 earthquake strikes 14 km (8.7 mi) off the coast of San Marcos, Guerrero, Mexico, killing two people and injuring 12 others. (AFP via The New Zealand Herald) (Infobae in Spanish)
• Buddha Air Flight 901
  • An ATR 72-500, overran the runway upon landing at Bhadrapur Airport in Nepal and crashed into a creek. All 55 people on board survived, though 7 people received minor injuries and the aircraft was written off. (MyRepublica)
• Eleven people are killed and eleven others are injured after a bus and a truck collide head-on on a federal highway in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. (Reuters) (G1)
• At least four people are trapped when a multi-story building collapses in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP)
• Dozens of people are missing and at least 102 others are rescued after a boat carrying over 200 migrants capsizes off the coast of the North Bank Division of the Gambia. (AP)

Health and environment

• Climate change in the United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom records its hottest and sunniest year in 2025 with an average temperature of 10.09 °C (50.16 °F), surpassing the 2022 record of 10.03 °C (50.05 °F). (Business Day)

International relations

• Burkina Faso–United States relations, Mali–United States relations, Niger–United States relations
  • The Alliance of Sahel States, consisting of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, bans American citizens from entering the countries, to reciprocate the U.S. banning their citizens. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• 2022–2025 Pakistan political unrest, Terrorism in Pakistan
  • The Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentences eight journalists and online commentators, including Wajahat Saeed Khan, Adil Raja, and Shaheen Sehbai, to life imprisonment in absentia for terrorism-related offences tied to digital content supporting former prime minister Imran Khan during the unrest. (Reuters)
• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • A protester is shot dead by security forces in Harsin, Kermanshah province, Iran. (Hengaw)
• Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
  • A South Korean court issues a new six-month detention warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol after indicting him on additional charges linked to his declaration of martial law in 2024, citing the risk of evidence tampering. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Education in Greece
  • Greece removes more than 308,000 inactive students from public university records under new education rules that end long-term dormant enrollment, reducing the official student population by almost half. (AP)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • At least 15 people are killed in coordinated attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces on three villages in Lubero, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • A Palestinian is killed and another is injured when Israeli forces open fire on stone-throwers near Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, Nablus, West Bank. (Reuters)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • One person is killed and another is injured in Russian drone strikes on Dniprovskyi District, Kherson, Ukraine. (RBC-Ukraine)

Business and economy

• Enlargement of the eurozone
  • Bulgaria and the euro
    • Bulgaria adopts the euro, replacing the lev, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone. (AFP via The Sun)
• AI boom, Economy of South Korea
  • South Korea records its highest annual export value of more than US700ドル billion in 2025 after semiconductor shipments reach a record 173ドル.4 billion driven by demand for artificial intelligence. (AFP via France 24)
• Legality of cryptocurrency by country or territory
  • Turkmenistan legalizes the mining and exchange of cryptocurrency as digital assets, but maintains that digital currency cannot be used as legal tender. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Crans-Montana bar fire
  • Forty people are killed and 119 others are injured in an explosion and fire suspected to be caused by pyrotechnics at a bar in Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
• At least 17 people are killed and 11 others are injured in flash floods caused by heavy rains and snowfall across Afghanistan. (AP)
• Seven people are killed, 96 others are rescued and at least 97 are reported missing when a boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsizes in The Gambia. (Reuters)
• The Vondelkerk in Amsterdam, Netherlands, catches fire, collapsing the tower and leaving only the exterior walls standing. (NOS in Dutch)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Five civilians are killed in clashes with security forces across Azna, Lorestan, and Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran, during demonstrations over rising living costs. (AFP via The Express Tribune) (AFP via The Times of Israel)
• The Venezuelan government releases 88 political prisoners who were detained and jailed during protests against the results of the presidential election last year. (DW)

Politics and elections

• Demographics of China, Family planning policies of China
  • China imposes a 13 percent value-added tax on birth control drugs and devices as part of efforts to address a continuing decline in national birth rates. (Reuters)
• Guy Parmelin is sworn in as President of Switzerland, succeeding Karin Keller-Sutter. (Swiss Info)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• War on drugs
  • United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • Five people are killed while others escape after the United States conducts airstrikes on three alleged drug boats at an undisclosed location. (BBC News)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian authorities report at least 24 people are killed, including a child, and dozens of others are injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a hotel and a restaurant in Khorly in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. (The Moscow Times)
• 2025 Cambodian–Thai border crisis
  • Thailand releases 18 prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia. (AP)
• Syrian conflict
  • An Islamic State suicide bomber blows himself up near a checkpoint in Aleppo, Syria, after attempting to reach an Orthodox church, killing one security force member and wounding two more. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Saudi Vision 2030
  • The Six Flags Qiddiya City amusement park officially opens to the public in Saudi Arabia, with the Falcons Flight attraction breaking records as the world's tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster. (Zawya) (Arab News)

Business and economy

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Iran appoints Abdolnaser Hemmati as the new leader of the Central Bank following protests over the Iranian rial's value depreciating and the previous governor's resignation. (AP)

International relations

• Serbia–United States relations, United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • The United States issues a temporary license allowing Serbia's majority-Russian-owned Naftna Industrija Srbije to resume refinery operations until January 23 despite sanctions linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war. (AFP via Barron's)
• United States–Venezuela relations, Operation Southern Spear
  • The United States imposes sanctions on four Venezuelan companies in the oil industry and four oil tankers. (AP)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • A Basij officer is killed and 13 others are injured in clashes in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran, during demonstrations over rising living costs. (AP)
• 2025 deployment of federal forces in the United States
  • U.S. president Donald Trump announces the withdrawal of National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland after federal courts blocked or restricted the deployments. (AFP via France 24)
• Deportation in the second Trump administration
  • U.S. federal judge Trina Thompson of California blocks the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for about 89,000 migrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, ruling that the terminations may be motivated by racial hostility. (Reuters)
• At least three informal miners are killed in a shooting in Pataz District, Department of La Libertad, Peru. Two people are arrested. (Reuters)

Ongoing events

Elections and referendums

Sports

Recent deaths

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Ongoing conflicts

• Mali War
• Chad Basin

• Burkina Faso
• Niger

• Israel–Hezbollah conflict
• Israeli invasion of Syria

• Red Sea crisis
• Syrian conflict

2026 events and developments by topic