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Qasem Soleimani

In Baghdad, Iraq, an American airstrike kills General Qasem Soleimani (pictured), commander of the Iranian Quds Force.
In Indonesia, flash floods in and around the capital of Jakarta kill at least 60 people.
In darts, Peter Wright defeats Michael van Gerwen to win the PDC World Darts Championship.
More than 85 people are killed in a suicide truck bombing at a police checkpoint in Mogadishu, Somalia.

January 6, 2020 (Monday)

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Politics and elections

Politics of the Marshall Islands
- David Kabua is elected President of the Marshall Islands by the national Legislature. He succeeds Hilda Heine, who was seeking a second term, but lost in the first session vote. (Radio New Zealand International)

January 5, 2020 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- An attack by Al-Shabaab militants on an airfield used by Kenyan and U.S. troops in Lamu County, Kenya, is repelled, leaving four militants dead and five arrested. (AP via Fox News)
- Three Americans are confirmed to have been killed in the attack, including a serviceman and two contractors. (CNN) (BBC)
Terrorism in France
- In Metz, Grand Est, France, an assailant shouting "Allahu Akbar" attempts to stab police officers with a knife before being shot and injured. (Reuters)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- United States Central Command releases a CJTF-OIR statement announcing that it "has paused" operations against ISIL in order to concentrate on protecting their troops at bases in Iraq. (The Guardian) (US CentCom)

Disasters and accidents

2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- A bushfire leads to the residents of Eden, New South Wales, to evacuate. (ABC)
In the early hours of the morning, a car crashes into a group of German tourists in Luttach, Italy, killing six people and injuring 11 others. The driver was reportedly drunk and is charged with murder. (AFP via Bangkok Post)
Thirty six people are killed and others injured after a building under construction collapses in Kep, Cambodia. (Reuters)
A vehicle pile-up involving multiple semi-trucks and a tour bus on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S. leaves five dead and 60 injured. (Fox News)

Law and crime

Japan says it will tighten immigration measures after the escape of former Chairman of Nissan Carlos Ghosn from the country. The Japanese government condemns Ghosn's escape as "unjustifiable". (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
- Thousands of protesters march in the Sheung Shui neighborhood, dozens are arrested. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Venezuelan National Assembly Delegated Committee election
- Elected deputies in Venezuela vote for a President of the National Assembly, who may be able to claim the nation's Presidency. (Miami Herald)
- In the early hours of the morning, explosive devices are found in a hotel where opposition deputies are staying while in Caracas to vote. (El Nacional)
- Despite trying to enter and vote, self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó is denied entry to the Assembly. Dissident opposition politician Luis Parra is sworn in as National Assembly president after an impromtpu vote. Opposition supporters call it a "parliamentary coup", the United States denounce a "farce". State broadcasters label Parra as the new speaker of parliament. (BBC) (Reuters)
2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
- In a session boycotted by most Sunni and Kurd representatives, the Council of Representatives of Iraq accepts a resolution to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. (Reuters)
- After the United States kills Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in the 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike, Iran's parliament votes to exit the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with world powers. This comes after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018. (MSN)
2019–20 Croatian presidential election
- The runoff election for the Croatian Presidency is held today, with incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović facing former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović. (Euronews)
- Milanović is elected. Grabar-Kitarović pledges a "civilised transfer" of power. (The Guardian)
Politics of Israel
- Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu announces appointments at several ministries he had to drop following his indictment for corruption. David Bitan, who is under suspicion of accepting bribes, is appointed as Minister of Agriculture. (YNet)

January 4, 2020 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), 2019–2020 Persian Gulf crisis, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Aftermath of the Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad, 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike
- Militants fire rockets at Iraqi bases supporting U.S. personnel, nearly hitting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. (FT)
- U.S. president Donald Trump vows to target 52 sites significant to Iranians and Iranian culture if Iran "strikes any Americans or American assets." (Politico) (Al Jazeera)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- A roadside bomb strikes a bus in Toeni Department of Burkina Faso, killing fourteen people, including students on their way to school. (BBC)
Second Libyan Civil War
- An airstrike at a military academy in Tripoli, Libya, kills at least 28 cadets and wounds dozens more, according to the Government of National Accord. The BBC cites reports saying the attack could be attributed to the Libyan National Army. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Tens of thousands of mourners, among them Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, attend a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, for those killed in a United States airstrike—among them Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force and at least five others. The bodies are then brought to Karbala and Najaf, where Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the other Iraqis killed are to be buried. (CNN) (Reuters)

Business and economy

The Nicolás Maduro government announces that Venezuela will sell some of its oil and gold to fund its petro cryptocurrency. (Yahoo Finance)

Disasters and accidents

2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- Two people are confirmed dead from bushfires on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. (News.com.au)
- New records for the highest recorded temperature are set in Greater Sydney (48.9 °C (120.0 °F) at Penrith) and Canberra (44 °C (111 °F)). (The Guardian)
Four people are killed when a Mooney M20 plane crashes shortly after takeoff near the island of Lifou, New Caledonia. (RNZ)
A plane crashes near Santa Clarita, California, killing the pilot. (CNN)

January 3, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), 2019–2020 Persian Gulf crisis, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Aftermath of the Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad, 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike
- Popular Mobilization Forces spokesman Ahmed Al Asadi confirms the death of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike, blaming Israel and the United States. (The Economic Times)
- United States officials say "strikes have been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad". (Reuters)
- In response to the death of Qasem Soleimani, U.S. President Donald Trump tweets an image of an American flag. He later defends the airstrike, claiming Soleimani "was both hated and feared" in Iran and "should have been taken out many years ago." (The Hill) (NBC News)
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says Soleimani and Muhandis were "martyred" in an attack by U.S. helicopters. Anonymous security sources cited by AFP say the attack killed at least eight people. The Iraqi military says three rockets hit the airport and two cars exploded. (Press TV) (AFP via New Straits Times)
- The secretary of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohsen Rezaee, tweets that "vigorous revenge against America" will be pursued following the assassination of Soleimani. Iranian state television cuts all broadcasts, replacing them with prayers for Soleimani. (Reuters) (Raw Story)
- Brigadier-General Esmail Ghaani is appointed as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, replacing Qassem Soleimani. (Newsweek)
- The Supreme Leader of Iran Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declares three days of national mourning in Iran. (Tehran Times)
- The United States sends over 3,000 more US soldiers to the Middle East as tensions with Iran heighten. (NBC News)
2020 Taji road airstrike
- An airstrike hits a Popular Mobilization Forces convoy near camp Taji, destroying two vehicles, killing six militia members and critically wounding three others, according to an Iraqi Army source. (Reuters)
Villejuif stabbing
- A man stabs three people in Villejuif, Île-de-France, killing one person and wounding two others. The attacker is shot dead by police. (BBC)
Boko Haram insurgency
- The death toll of an attack that occurred on 22 December 2019 rises from 14 to 50 after more bodies are found in Lake Chad. (BBC)
Communal conflicts in Nigeria
- Gunmen kill 19 in Kogi State of Nigeria. A church, a school and other buildings are torched. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Jakarta floods
- The death toll of the floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, that started two days ago rises to 43. (BBC)
A Harbin Y-12 light transport aircraft crashes near Haputale, Sri Lanka. All four people on board, members of the Sri Lanka Air Force, are killed. (Ada Derana)

Law and crime

2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis, Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The Spanish Central Electoral Bureau ceases in the position of deputy to Quim Torra, and therefore, also that of President of the Generalitat of Catalonia in compliance with the non-definitive conviction of the Catalan High Court of Justice. At the same time, withdraws immunity as MEP to jailed Oriol Junqueras that recognized the European Court of Justice on 19 December 2019. (El Mundo) (El Periódico) (La Vanguardia)
- This decision prompts protests in Barcelona. Torra, in a special press conference after the meeting of Catalan cabinet, calls the decision "a coup d'état against Catalan institutions" while an extraordinary session of the Catalan Parliament is summoned for 4 January. (El Periódico) (La Vanguardia)

January 2, 2020 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The Turkish Grand National Assembly votes 325–184 to send troops to help the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord in Libya. (Al Jazeera)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Aftermath of the Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad
- A missile strike hits a convoy near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, killing Iranian Major general Qasem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. (TRT World)

Disasters and accidents

2020 New Taipei helicopter crash
- A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashes in New Taipei, Taiwan. Eight people are killed, including the Chief of the General Staff Shen Yi-ming, the head of the Republic of China Armed Forces. (The Guardian)
2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian declares a state of emergency for seven days starting on January 3. (News.com.au)
- An elderly woman dies of suffocation while leaving a Brisbane, Queensland-originated Qantas plane at Canberra Airport. Canberra's air quality had been reported as the worst in the world because of heavy smoke from the bushfires in New South Wales. (News.com.au)
- A second person is confirmed dead in the East Gippsland region of Victoria as thousands of people are evacuated from Mallacoota by sea. State premier Daniel Andrews has declared a state of disaster in six government areas. 17 people remain missing. (News.com.au)
A military plane crashes shortly after takeoff from an airport in Sudan's West Darfur, killing the 18 people on board. (BBC)

International relations

China–United Kingdom relations
- China temporarily suspends plans to cross-link companies on the London and Shanghai Stock Exchange due to increased political tensions between the two nations, particularly Britain's stance on the Hong Kong protests. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Lebanese justice minister says he has received an arrest warrant from Interpol against former Chairman of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, who escaped house arrest in Japan and fled to Lebanon days ago. (AP via Washington Post)

Politics and elections

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro drops out of the presidential race. (NPR)
Italy's ruling Five Star Movement expels Senator Gianluigi Paragone from its ranks over disciplinary issues, shrinking the coalition's majority in the Senate to five. (Reuters)

January 1, 2020 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad
- Supporters of Iraqi paramilitaries withdraw from the American embassy in Baghdad after being ordered to by the Popular Mobilization Forces, stating the "message has been heard". (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- The Houthis release six Saudi prisoners as part of a United Nations-mediated deal struck last month. All six arrive in Riyadh later the same day. (Reuters)
- The secessionist Southern Transitional Council pulls out of committees working to implement a November agreement that would have placed them in the national cabinet and put their forces under government control. The council claims it was in response to an outbreak of violence in the Shabwah Governorate allegedly caused by their rival, the Al-Islah party. (Reuters)
The Taliban kills 23 security force members in three separate attacks in three different Afghani provinces. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- An additional three deaths have been confirmed on the New South Wales South Coast while another man has been killed in Victoria's East Gippsland region. (News Limited)
2020 Jakarta floods
- At least 21 people are killed and over 19,000 displaced as flash floods hit the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. (BBC)
The United States Coast Guard searches for five missing crew members after a fishing vessel sinks near Kodiak, Alaska. Two other crew members are rescued. (NBC News)
A fire at Krefeld Zoo, NRW, Germany, kills over 30 animals. (BBC)

Health and environment

Palau becomes the first country in the world to ban sun cream that is harmful to corals and sea life. The ban comes into effect immediately after an announcement by President Thomas Remengesau Jr. (BBC)

International relations

North Korea–United States relations, North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his nation will be "developing a new strategic weapon" in the near future, after the United States misses a year-end deadline for a restart of denuclearization talks. (Reuters)
China–Indonesia relations, Spratly Islands dispute
- The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects an earlier statement by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang that China had territorial claims to the Spratly Islands as part of the Nine-Dash Line, stating it "[has] no legal basis and have never been recognized by the UNCLOS 1982". Indonesia had recalled its ambassador to China two days earlier after a Chinese coastguard vessel trespassed in its waters. (Reuters)

Law and crime

At least 16 inmates are killed and five others injured in a riot that breaks out at a prison in Zacatecas, Mexico. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2019 Guinea-Bissau presidential election
- Former Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló is declared the winner of the country's presidential elections. However, his direct rival Domingos Simões Pereira says he will challenge the results in court. (Reuters)
Investigations involving Benjamin Netanyahu
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces he will seek immunity from his corruption cases. As the Knesset is currently deadlocked, they will likely not come to a decision until after the next election. (Reuters)
Politics of Switzerland
- Simonetta Sommaruga is sworn in as President of the Swiss Confederation for second time. (Blick)
Politics of Austria
- Austria's left-wing Green Party agrees to form a coalition with the ruling right-wing People's Party. This will be the first time the Green Party is part of a ruling government in the country. (BBC)

December 31, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- Angry supporters storm the United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, in response to the U.S. airstrike on Sunday against Kata'ib Hezbollah militants. Iraqi officials say the U.S. ambassador and staff have been evacuated, but the U.S. Army denies this. The U.S. ambassador is reportedly on holiday. U.S. President Donald Trump blames Iran for the attack. (The Independent) (The Guardian)
- According to an Iraqi official, demonstrators have prepared a sit-in protest in front of the embassy. (Xinhua)
- Protesters in Tahrir Square distance themselves from the events around the U.S. embassy. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Tencent, along with Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC Private Limited and the Qatar Investment Authority, purchase a 10% stake in the Universal Music Group. The former purchased it to build up its own music streaming service. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

An 8 meters (26 ft) high fire ignites accidentally next to Adelaide Oval after the 9pm New Year's Eve fireworks in Adelaide, South Australia. This comes following major controversy over the New Year's firework displays across Australia in response to ongoing bushfires. (News.com.au)
2018–19 Southern Africa drought
- Severe drought conditions continue in Zimbabwe where close to 7 million people are facing food shortages, according to a Catholic aid agency. Because of repeated droughts over the past five years, many of Zimbabwe’s small farmers are unable to feed their families. Catholic Relief Services is working with farmers teaching soil and water conservation methods. The agency offers drought-resistant crops to farmers and is cooperating on a notification system warning farmers about threats to their harvest. (Catholic News Agency) (Bloomberg News)

Law and crime

A court in Abidjan sentences Charles Blé Goudé to 20 years in prison in absentia for his role in the Second Ivorian Civil War that followed the 2010 presidential election, his lawyers say. (Reuters)
Former Bosnian Serb Army general Milomir Savčić is indicted for his role in planning the Srebrenica massacre. (Reuters)
Aftermath of the 2019 Fresno shooting
- Police arrest six people in connection with a mass shooting last month in Fresno, California, that left four people dead and another six injured. (USA Today)