Disasters and accidents

• Stilfontein mine deaths
  • More than sixty bodies of workers in an illegal mine are retrieved from a closed gold mine in South Africa following a months-long siege. (Reuters)

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • Anti-corruption officials and police attempt to breach the residence of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol for a second time to execute his arrest warrant, while facing resistance from the Presidential Security Service, People Power Party lawmakers, and pro-Yoon protesters. (Yonhap) (AP)
    • Yoon Suk Yeol is arrested at his residence in central Seoul. (Yonhap) (AP)

• Exploration of the Moon
  • Commercial Lunar Payload Services
    • A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying two Moon landers belonging to private companies, Blue Ghost M1 from US Firefly Aerospace and Hakuto-R Mission 2 from Japan's ispace. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis, Calls for a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war
    • Hamas officials say that they have accepted a draft agreement for a potential ceasefire as well as the release of hostages. Mediators in the United States and Qatar also state that this is the closest that both sides have been to a ceasefire agreement so far. (AP)
  • Israeli incursions in the West Bank (2023–present)
    • Four Al-Qassam Brigades militants and two civilians are killed during an Israeli airstrike in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Ukraine strikes targets in the Republic of Tatarstan and Bryansk, Saratov, and Tula oblasts, Russia, with more than 200 drones and five ATACMS ballistic missiles, hitting ammunition depots, industrial plants, and a refinery in what Ukraine says is its "most massive" and "deepest" attack inside Russia so far. (CNN) (BBC News)
• North Korean missile tests
  • North Korea launches multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. (Reuters)
• Red Sea crisis
  • Yemen's Houthi forces fire a missile at Israel, triggering sirens in several areas, including Tel Aviv and some Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to the Israeli military, the missile was "likely intercepted" with no injuries reported. (Xinhua)

• The World Health Organization reports a suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Kagera, Tanzania, with nine cases and eight deaths. (Reuters)

• 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, NATO operations
  • At a summit in Helsinki, Finland, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announces the establishment of the Baltic Sentry military mission, which will strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure in the region, such as energy and communication cables, from "destabilizing acts". (NATO News)
• Cuba–United States relations
  • U.S. President Joe Biden announces that the United States will remove Cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism list as part of a prisoner release deal. (BBC News)

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
    • A military unit assigned to guard the presidential residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol approves the entry of anti-corruption officials and police, which is contested by the Presidential Security Service. (Yonhap)
  • The Constitutional Court of South Korea adjourns the opening session of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial after Yoon failed to attend the session due to alleged safety concerns. (NBC News) (Xinhua)
• Moldova detains former Kyrgyzstan presidential advisor Aidar Khalikov, who has accused Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov of corruption and election rigging. (OCCRP)

• British Treasury Economic Secretary Tulip Siddiq resigns amid an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh involving her family. (BBC News)

• The government of Venezuela lifts its ban on the social media and instant messaging app Telegram. (TechRadar)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • War against the Islamic State
    • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
      • Twenty-six Islamic State militants are allegedly killed, including a female combatant and two soldiers, and several others are injured when Puntland forces capture eight Islamic State bases during ongoing offensive military operations in Bari, Puntland, Somalia. (Idil News) (AFP)
• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis, Calls for a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war
    • According to two Israeli officials, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the first phase of an emerging ceasefire agreement being finalized by negotiators in Doha, Qatar. (CNN)
• Israeli invasion of Lebanon
  • 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
    • The Israel Defense Forces strike several Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, alleging that the targets violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel)
• Sudanese Civil War
  • Battle of Khartoum
    • The shelling of an area of Omdurman results in the death of at least 120 civilians, according to volunteer rescuers. (Al Arabiya News)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting the Russkaya compressor station in the Krasnodar Krai, which feeds gas for the TurkStream pipeline, in a failed drone attack two days ago. (S&P Global)

• A general strike by Belgian unions to protest against government plans for pension reform occurs, with the work stoppages severely disrupting public transport in Brussels as well as rail and air travel throughout the country. (Politico)

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • AccuWeather releases a preliminary estimate of the total physical and economic losses caused by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California of between $250–275 billion, a figure attributed to exceptionally high property values in and near Santa Monica, which would surpass their estimates of the costs of the entire 2020 United States wildfire season as well as Hurricane Helene in 2024. (NBC News)
• Twelve people are killed and many others are missing in a landslide in Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar. (AP)

• Venezuelan attorney general Tarek Saab asks for an arrest warrant and a red notice from Interpol against opposition figure Leopoldo López, who is currently in exile. Venezuela accuses López of instigating the use of arms against the state and treason, among other charges. (Reuters)
• A judge in Peru dismisses charges of money laundering against Popular Force leader and former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. (Reuters)

• Efforts to impeach Sara Duterte
  • Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo hold a nationwide National Rally for Peace in the Philippines to express their disapproval of impeachment efforts against Vice President Sara Duterte. (Rappler)
• International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam becomes the prime minister-designate of Lebanon after winning an absolute majority of votes from parliament, while stepping down from the ICJ. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
    • A top level Israeli security delegation arrives in Qatar for talks on a Gaza hostages and ceasefire deal. (Reuters)
  • Israel–United States relations, Calls for a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war
    • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden discuss efforts to reach a deal to solve the hostage crisis as well as a ceasefire to end the war. (USA Today)
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least eight Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes on areas of the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • The Army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says that over the days it has recaptured several towns that fell to M23 rebels and other armed groups in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.(AP)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 40 people are killed during an attack by Boko Haram gunmen in Dumba, Borno State, Nigeria. (AP)
  • At least 16 civilians are killed in an airstrike conducted by the Nigerian Air Force in Zamfara State, apparently after being mistaken for criminal gangs. (BBC News)

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • California Governor Gavin Newsom states that the ongoing wildfires impacting Los Angeles County could become the worst natural disaster in American history "in terms of the scale and scope", amid current estimated damages of more than US$135 billion. (The Independent) (NBC News)
    • The death toll from the wildfires increases to 24. (BBC News)
    • Officials say that the Kenneth Fire has been contained. (KCAL-TV)
• 2025 Ipatinga floods
  • 10 people are killed and several others are injured after large floods engulf the city of Ipatinga in Minas Gerais, Brazil. (BBC)
• Three people are killed and two others are injured in an avalanche in Trasquera, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italy. (Rai News)

• HMPV seasonal outbreak in China
  • The Bangladeshi IEDCR reports the country's first case of HMPV in Bhairab, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. (New Age)

• Germany–Syria relations
  • German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledges €50 million in food, emergency shelters, and medical care to Syria following talks with the Syrian transitional government in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (DW)
• Foreign ministers and senior officers of Arab countries, the European Union, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States hold a series of diplomatic meetings focused on Syria in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Gazette)

• 2024–25 Croatian presidential election
  • Croatians vote in the second round to elect the president between incumbent Zoran Milanović and former science and education minister Dragan Primorac. (The Dubrovnik Times) (Sarajevo Times)
• 2025 Comorian parliamentary election
  • Voters in Comoros elect the 33 members of the Assembly of the Union. (Reuters)
• Ilza Amado Vaz unexpectedly resigns as Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe three days after being appointed Prime Minister by President Carlos Vila Nova. The ruling Independent Democratic Action party then proposes Adelino Pereira to replace Vaz, but Vila Nova appoints Américo d'Oliveira dos Ramos. (Xinhua 1), (Xinhua 2)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israel–United States relations, Calls for a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war
    • Incoming U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. (Sky News)
    • Netanyahu sends Mossad director David Barnea to ceasefire talks in Doha. (ABC News)
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in Jabalia, northern Gaza, kills at least eight Palestinians and leaves 30 others injured. (Middle East Monitor)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Eastern Ukraine campaign
    • The Russian Army says that it has gained control of the settlement of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency)
  • Kursk offensive, North Korean involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in healthy condition in Kursk Oblast, Russia, for the first time since North Korea entered the war, as the two previous North Korean prisoners of war died of their injuries shortly following their capture. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • The Counterterrorism Forces of Puntland's disclosed a cave that was being used to store food by ISIL was captured by Puntland forces in Al-Miskad mountains, killed ISIL fighters and captured including foreigners and destroyed improvised explosive devices and hideouts, and downed three explosives-laden drones as the troops continued their offensive against ISIL militants hiding in the remote areas of the Bari region, Puntland. (Garowe Online) (The Somali Digest) (VOA)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Battle of Wad Madani
    • The Sudanese Armed Forces say that they liberated Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State, Sudan, from the Rapid Support Forces. (Al Arabiya)
• Myanmar civil war
  • At least fifteen civilians are killed and 10 others are wounded in a Tatmadaw airstrike on a market, targeting Kachin Independence Army fighters, in Tanai Township, Kachin State, Myanmar. (The Defense Post) (Daily Post)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Twenty-one government-backed fighters are killed during an ambush against a convoy in Baure, Katsina State, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • At least 939 CDCR inmates are deployed to fight the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County, California, United States. (BBC News)
    • The number of deaths in the California wildfires rises to 16. (NBC)
• 2024–25 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • France places the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte on red alert due to approaching Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi, roughly one month after the French overseas department was devastated by Cyclone Chido. (Reuters)
• Al-Bayda gas station explosion
  • At least 15 people are killed and 67 others are injured, including 40 critically, in an explosion at a gas station in Al Bayda Governorate, Yemen. (CTV News)
• Six people are killed and eleven injured when a propane-butane cylinder explodes in a restaurant in Most, Czech Republic. (Reuters) (DW)
• Two people are killed and eleven others are injured when a bus flips on its side on a highway near Prenzlau, northeast of Berlin, Germany. (CTV News)
• At least 50 people are injured when two trams collide in a tunnel in Strasbourg, France. (DW)

• Ethiopia–Somalia relations
  • Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed and President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of a Turkey-brokered rapprochement to restore bilateral relations after a yearlong dispute due to the 2024 Ethiopia–Somaliland memorandum of understanding. (Bloomberg)
• Lebanon–Syria relations
  • Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati and Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a meeting in Damascus, Syria, the first time that the two countries have met since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. (24 Digital) (MTV)

• A person throws a Molotov cocktail at the consulate of Venezuela in Lisbon, Portugal. No injuries are reported. (Euronews)

• 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
  • Thousands of people demonstrate in Seoul, South Korea, to protest against President Yoon Suk Yeol as he defies an arrest warrant from his attempt to institute martial law in December 2024. (Al Jazeera) (TRT World)
• At least 12,000 people gather in Riesa, Saxony, Germany, to protest an Alternative for Germany convention as well as the party's far-right views. (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • Puntland forces fight against ISIS in the IL-Ameira mountains, stopping seven drones loaded with bombs and removing ten landmines. The forces also destroy five ISIS bases. They capture military bases, including a water well in Jeceel Valley near Cal Miskaad mountains of Balidhidhin District, Bari, Puntland. (Horseed Media) (Hiiraan Online)
• Red Sea crisis
  • The Israeli Air Force launches airstrikes on a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel, with pro-Houthi media reporting that at least three people were injured. (Al Arabiya)

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • Amid ongoing wildfires, authorities in Los Angeles County, California, United States, impose a curfew and announce the deployment of the California National Guard in order to protect homes in evacuated areas from looting. (KNBC-TV)
    • The United States Department of Health and Human Services issues a public health emergency for California in response to injuries and mental health impacts caused by the ongoing wildfires. (CNN)
• Three of the twelve miners that were reported missing yesterday in an explosion at a coal mine in Singidi, Balochistan, Pakistan, are found dead by rescue workers. (CTV News)
• Three women are killed and five children are injured in a stampede at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
• Three people on the ground are killed and three others are injured when a Cessna 172 aircraft crashes into a road near Malindi, Kenya. (AP)

• 2024 in climate change
  • The Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms that 2024 was the warmest calendar year since records began in 1850, with the average global temperature reaching 1.6 °C above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 1.5 °C warming benchmark set in 2016 by the Paris Agreement for the first time. (C3S) (Politico) (BBC News)

• 2025 Moldovan energy crisis
  • Moldova's unrecognized breakaway region of Transnistria extends its state of emergency for another month due to an energy crisis following the suspension of Russian gas supplies. (Reuters)
• Colombia–Venezuela relations
  • The government of Venezuela closes the border with Colombia ahead of the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro for a third term as President of Venezuela. (Le Monde)
• Denmark–United States relations, Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland
  • The Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute Bourup Egede, says that his country "has a desire for independence" and he, in particular, is ready to speak with US President-elect Donald Trump. (Bloomberg)
• International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–United States relations
  • The United States government imposes a new series of sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector, including the Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas oil companies. (CNN)
• Italy–Syria relations
  • The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, meets in Damascus with Ahmed al-Sharaa, de facto leader of Syria. (Euronews)

• Indictments against Donald Trump
  • Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
    • U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is sentenced for falsifying business records, with judge Juan Merchan ordering an unconditional discharge, stating that imprisonment or fines could cause Trump to eventually have his convictions overturned. (AP)
• Death and funeral of Alexei Navalny
  • Russia financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring rejects requests to remove former opposition leader Alexei Navalny from their state sponsor of terrorism list despite his death a year ago. (Reuters)
• International reactions to the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, United States–Venezuela relations, Sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
  • U.S. authorities announce an increased $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. (BBC News)
• Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal
  • The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announces that former WWE CEO Vince McMahon has agreed to pay a $400,000 fine and reimburse $1.3 million to WWE as part of a settlement to drop accounting fraud charges. (CNN)

• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Third inauguration of Nicolás Maduro
    • Nicolás Maduro is sworn in for a third six-year term as President of Venezuela in Caracas. The ceremony takes place under heavy security measures with the opposition boycotting and protesting the ceremony while continuing to insist that the legitimate president-elect is Edmundo González Urrutia. Many countries and international organizations also consider the election to be fraudulent. (CNN)
• 2024 Austrian legislative election
  • Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen appoints foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg as acting chancellor to succeed Karl Nehammer, who resigned six days ago. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
  • Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    • Puntland forces carry out drone strikes on Islamic State targets in the Cal Miskaad mountains near Balidhidhin District, Bari, Puntland, Somalia, killing several militants. (Idil News) (VOA)
    • Puntland counterterrorism forces capture four foreign Islamic State fighters from Ethiopia, Yemen, and Tanzania, while intercepting and destroying multiple explosive-carrying drones in Bari, Puntland. (Idil News) (VOA) (Garowe Online)
• Israel–Hamas war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 22 people. (Al Jazeera)
  • A study published in The Lancet claims that around 3% of the Gaza Strip population has died from traumatic injury due to the conflict with Israel, with the death toll from other causes due to the military campaign likely higher. (CNN)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russian artillery strikes kill two people in Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, according to the region's governor. In the Russian-controlled area of Kamianka-Dniprovska, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, the region's Russia-appointed governor says that two people were killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes. (Reuters)

• 2025 California wildfires
  • January 2025 Southern California wildfires
    • At least six people are killed due to spreading wildfires in Los Angeles County, United States.
    • The Kenneth Fire ignites in Woodland Hills, adding to the 179,000 people placed under evacuation orders. (NBC News)
• 2024–25 European winter
  • Two people are killed and 20 others are injured in a snowstorm in northern France. (AP)
• Twelve miners are trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a methane gas explosion. (AP)

• Armenia–European Union relations
  • The Armenian government approves a bill to launch a bid for the country to join the European Union. (Reuters)
• Azerbaijan–Russia relations
  • Russia declines to confirm whether Russian forces accidentally shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, despite calls by Azerbaijan to do so. (The Straits Times)
• Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute
  • Guyana says that it will resort to the United Nations to deter Venezuela from unilaterally appointing a governor for the Essequibo, a region under Guyanese control but claimed by Venezuela. (AP)

• International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders
  • Poland's government confirms that it will not comply with an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes if he chooses to attend a ceremony at Auschwitz concentration camp later this month. (Times of Israel) (Notes from Poland)
  • The U.S. House of Representatives votes 243 to 140 to sanction the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Reuters) (Middle East Eye) (Haaretz)
  • U.S. Senate majority leader John Thune promises swift consideration of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act so President-elect Donald Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office. Under the act, any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, not under ICC jurisdiction would be sanctioned along with their family members. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
• 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
  • Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado makes her first public appearance in 133 days and is briefly arrested when her convoy is intercepted by security forces as it departs an anti-government protest in Caracas. The incident occurs the day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Nicolás Maduro for a third term as president. (AP) (The Guardian)
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo bans Al Jazeera from operating in the country and revokes its press credentials, citing the network's interview with M23 rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa as an endorsement of terrorism. Authorities warn against reporting on the group, with the justice minister threatening to invoke the death penalty, although no formal law bans such coverage. (AP)
• The Kuwaiti public prosecution detains media personality Fajer Al-Saeed for 21 days and after investigating charges related to "calling for normalization with the Israeli occupation and harming the state's interests". (Al Jazeera)

• 2024 Mozambican general election
  • 2024 Mozambican protests
    • PODEMOS presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who alleges that the October election was rigged, returns to Mozambique from exile in South Africa amid protests. (Reuters)
• 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election
  • Military commander Joseph Aoun is elected as President of Lebanon, ending the power vacuum that began in October 2022. (AP)
• Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
  • The state funeral for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. All five living presidents, including incumbent president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump, attend the funeral. (CBS News)
• President of São Tomé and Príncipe Carlos Vila Nova rejects a proposal by his Independent Democratic Action party to elect Hélio Vaz de Almeida as prime minister. Vila Nova instead appoints Ilza Amado Vaz. (RFI), (Xinhua)