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UIA Flight 752 aircraft

In Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, dies at the age of 79.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (aircraft pictured) crashes shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, killing all 176 people on board.
After a U.S. airstrike kills Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, at least 56 people die in a stampede during his burial procession in Kerman, and Iranian forces attack two military bases in Iraq.

January 11, 2020 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
- Iran announces that its military "unintentionally" shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane over Tehran, killing all 176 aboard. (ABC News)

January 10, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
- After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggests the plane was downed by an Iranian missile, Iranian authorities reject this theory. Iranian civil aviation chief says he is "certain" the plane was not hit by a missile, still asserting the cause was "mechanical failure". (BBC News)
2020 Quetta bombings
- A bombing at a mosque in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, kills at least 13 people, three days after a motorcycle bombing in the city killed two. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Death of Qaboos bin Said al Said
- Omani state television announces the death of the Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said al Said aged 79. At the time of his death he was the longest serving head of state in the Middle East and Arab world. (Reuters)
- The high military council of Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces calls on the Omani royal family to convene to name a successor to the late sultan within three days. A three-day period of national mourning is declared. (The Guardian)

International relations

Iraq–United States relations, Iran–Iraq relations, 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
- Iraqi cleric and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemns both the United States and Iran over the escalation of conflict in Iraq, saying it shows blatant disregard for Iraqi sovereignty and the suffering of the Iraqi people. (Reuters)

Law and crime

An 11-year-old student opens fire at his school in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, killing a teacher and wounding six others before committing suicide. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- Thousands of people protest in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, calling for the resignation or ouster of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, accusing him of negligence over the Australian bushfires. (News.com.au)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson drops out of the US presidential race. (The New York Times)

January 9, 2020 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb
- 2020 Tillabéri attack
  - Islamist militants kill over 25 Nigerien soldiers in an attack on an army base in Tillabéri Region, Niger. 63 militants are also killed in the ensuing shootout. (The Punch) (Reuters)
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
- U.S., Canadian, British and Iraqi officials say they believe the plane crash near Tehran in which 176 were killed yesterday was likely caused accidentally by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile, while Iran says it was due to "mechanical failure". (Newsweek), (NPR) (Reuters)
- The New York Times releases a verified video obtained from an Iranian citizen showing the plane being struck by what appears to be a surface-to-air missile. (The New York Times)
- In a news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it's "too early to draw definitive conclusions" that the downing of the plane was an "act of war". Trudeau also condemns Iran's attack on U.S. bases in Iraq. (National Post)

Disasters and accidents

A bus crashes in Iran's Mazandaran Province, killing at least 20 passengers and injuring 24 others. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Judge Ghassan Ouiedat, a Lebanese prosecutor, imposes a travel ban on former Chairman of Nissan Carlos Ghosn after he was summoned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. (Reuters)
Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The Spanish Supreme Court revokes the immunity of jailed Oriol Junqueras declared by the European Court of Justice in a sentence on 19 December. This happens after the board of European Parliament recognized the former Vice President of Catalonia as a MEP since 3 July and was elected president of the Greens–European Free Alliance parliamentary group. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

Brexit
- The United Kingdom House of Commons votes 330–231 to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill authorizing the country’s departure from the European Union at the end of the month. (Associated Press)

January 8, 2020 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis, 2020 Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Iraq
- Iran begins Operation Martyr Soleimani, launching ballistic missiles at several United States Armed Forces facilities in Iraq, including Al Asad Airbase. (ABC News)
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issues a statement warning regional countries not to allow the United States military to launch attacks on Iran from their territory or they "will be targeted". (AP)
- In response to Iranian missile attacks on U.S. forces, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bans all U.S. commercial flights from operating in airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Due to heightened tensions, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe cancels his scheduled trips to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and convenes a National Security Council meeting, likely to discuss Iran's attack on U.S. forces based in Iraq. (The New York Times)
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces new sanctions against Iran in response to the attack. (USA Today)
Somali Civil War
- An Al-Shabaab car bombing kills six people and wounds 12 others at an army checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in Mogadishu. (Bloomberg)
Syrian Civil War
- A car bomb kills four Turkish soldiers when a vehicle explodes at a checkpoint during a road check in northeastern Syria. (Arab News)

Arts and culture

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan announce their plan to "step back as 'senior' members" of the British royal family. Buckingham Palace says discussions on the intended new role are "at an early stage". (UPI)

Business and economy

Tesla, Inc. reports a stock market capitalization of US$88 billion in response to strong performances in the third- and fourth-quarter, surpassing General Motors and Ford Motor Company to become the most valuable automobile company in North America. (Reuters) (Business Insider)
The heads of state of Turkey, Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria formally inaugurate the TurkStream gas pipelines. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
- A Boeing 737-800 crashes while taking off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board. The incident, which took place amid the 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis, is under investigation. (NPR)

International relations

Norway agrees to take in 600 refugees from Rwanda who were previously evacuated from Libyan detention camps. Rwanda last September signed an agreement with the United Nations to take in asylum seekers from Libya while their status was being processed, to cut down on human trafficking in the Mediterranean. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the Sagamihara stabbings
- The trial of Satoshi Uematsu, a young Japanese man who admitted to stabbing 19 disabled people to death at a care center in 2016, begins. The rampage ranks among the country's worst mass killings. His lawyer is expected to enter a plea of not guilty on grounds of diminished capacity. Uematsu will be handed a sentence on March 16 and could receive the death penalty. (Channel News Asia)
One person is shot dead and three seriously wounded in a shooting near Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Police believe the shooting was targeted. (Reuters)

Science and technology

2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
- Kuwaitian state news agency KUNA says its official Twitter account was hacked after it spread a fake news report that the United States Army would withdraw from Camp Arifjan within three days. (Reuters via Haaretz)
List of fast radio bursts
- Scientists announce through the journal Nature the discovery of a repeating fast radio burst known as FRB 180916 coming from a nearby spiral galaxy around 500 million light years from Earth. It is the second repeating FRB to have been localized. (The Independent)

January 7, 2020 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Terrorism in Kenya
- Four children are killed in an Al-Shabaab attack at a primary school in Garissa County, Kenya. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Funerals of Qasem Soleimani
- A stampede occurs during the funeral of Qasem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman. Iranian state-affiliated media say at least 56 people are killed and 213 more are injured. (CBC)
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Puerto Rico, killing one and injuring nine others (NBC)
An avalanche at a ski resort in Kellogg, Idaho, United States kills two people and injures five others. (NPR)

International relations

2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis, Iran–United States relations
- Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly formally designates the United States Department of Defense as a "terrorist organization" in response to the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in a targeted killing in Baghdad, Iraq. Under the newly adopted bill, all United States Armed Forces personnel and Pentagon employees are "considered terrorists." (Xinhuanet) (Channel News Asia)
- Germany announces a partial withdrawal of the Bundeswehr troops positioned in Iraq, citing security concerns. (DW)
- Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance announces that some of its military personnel in Iraq will be moved to neighboring Kuwait over safety reasons. (Reuters)
- Kosovo Police arrest Ikballe Berisha Huduti, the founder of a now defunct Islamic organization called Kur'ani, in Pristina following an order from the prosecution after she was accused of inciting terrorist acts for social media comments against the United States over the death of Qasem Soleimani. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in says there is a "desperate need" for practical ways to improve ties with North Korea and says he is ready to meet repeatedly with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang if necessary. (Reuters)
Foreign relations of Argentina, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The government of Argentina says it will not recognize Juan Guaidó as President of Venezuela, and instead as the leader of the opposition in the country, and revokes the credentials of Guaidó's representative in Argentina. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Japan issues an arrest warrant for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn's wife Carole for allegedly lying during testimony. (Reuters)
January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation
- CNN settles a defamation lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. (Reuters via Yahoo News)

Politics and elections

November 2019 Spanish general election
- After a year of political deadlock, incumbent Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez is sworn in thanks to the support of left-wing parties and regional nationalists. He will form the first coalition government in the democratic era, with Podemos and its leader Pablo Iglesias Turrión as Second Deputy Prime Minister. (BBC)

January 6, 2020 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The Libyan National Army says it has captured Sirte and the Al-Qardabiya airbase. (The Guardian)
2020 Gamboru bombing
- At least 30 people are killed in Gamboru, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria after an improvised explosive device detonates at a market on a bridge. No group immediately took responsibility. (Reuters)
Mali War
- Five soldiers are killed after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while traveling in the Alatona region. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Funerals of Qasem Soleimani
- A funeral service for Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander who was slain in a targeted killing in Baghdad last week, is attended by hundreds of thousands of people in Tehran, Iran. (NPR) (Axios)

Business and economy

American retailer Pier 1 Imports announces it will close 450 stores and some distribution centers, and may soon file for bankruptcy. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Puerto Rico, causing small landslides, power outages, and severely cracking some homes. (Associated Press)
A German tourist critically wounded in the crash yesterday in Luttach, Italy, dies from her injuries, bringing the death toll to seven. (Il Gazzettino)

Law and crime

A court in the United Kingdom sentences 36-year-old Indonesian national Reynhard Sinaga to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting at least 48 young men in Manchester. Sinaga was convicted of a total of 159 sex offences, and is said to be Britain's most prolific serial rapist. (BBC News) (Reuters)
Police shoot dead a Turkish man who tried to attack officers with a knife in the city of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Police say a search of the man's flat later did not suggest a terrorist motive and that he was mentally ill. (BBC)

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

Camp Simba attack
- 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, a serviceman and two contractors. (CNN) (BBC)
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 impromptu 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 Arab and Kurdish representatives, the Council of Representatives of Iraq accepts a resolution to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. (Reuters)
  - U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Iraq—if the U.S. would be required to leave the country—with a bill for a “very extraordinarily expensive” air base and also with sanctions that would "make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame". (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)
2019–20 Uzbek parliamentary election
- A repeat vote is held in 25 electoral districts in the second round of the latest parliamentary election in Uzbekistan. (The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
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)
People in Pakistan protest in Karachi over the U.S. killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general Qasem Soleimani. (Reuters)