Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Petr Pavel (pictured) is elected as president of the Czech Republic.
- Cyclone Cheneso leaves at least 24 people dead in Madagascar.
- An armed attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran leaves one person dead and two others injured.
- Chris Hipkins succeeds Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party after her resignation.
- Brahim Ghali is re-elected as secretary general of the Polisario Front and president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
- A helicopter crashes near Kyiv, killing fourteen people, including Ukrainian interior minister Denys Monastyrsky.
Disasters and accidents
- At least 41 people are killed and two others are injured when a bus plunges off a bridge and bursts into flames in Lasbela District, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Reuters)
- Ten children are killed and eleven other people are injured when their boat capsizes in Tanda Dam, Pakistan. (AFP via Barron's)
Sports
- 2023 Australian Open – Men's singles
- Novak Djokovic wins the 2023 Australian Open men's singles title after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, tying him with Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slams in men's tennis history with 22. (BBC Sport)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Battle of Donbas
- Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Russian Air Force launches an airstrike on the city of Seredyna-Buda in Sumy Oblast, destroying a kindergarten and damaging nearby residential buildings. No casualties have been reported. The towns of Esman and Shalyhyne are also damaged by cross-border shelling. (Ukrinform)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2023 Iran drone attacks
- The Iranian Defence Ministry says that a drone attack on a military plant in Isfahan, Iran, was "unsuccessful" with at least three drones shot down by air defenses. No casualties have been reported. (Reuters) (AP)
- Explosions are reported at military sites and factories across Iran, including near the capital Tehran. Videos on social media appear to show explosions and large fires in the cities of Karaj, Dezful, and Tabriz. (Iran International)
- An explosion occurs at an oil refinery in Azarshahr, East Azerbaijan province, according to Iranian media. (Urdu Point)
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Israelis are shot and critically injured by a 13-year-old Palestinian in East Jerusalem, in the West Bank and the attacker is shot and injured by one of his victims before being arrested. (Al Jazeera) The Times of israel)
Business and economy
- British regional airline Flybe collapses into administration with 277 job losses, while 75,000 customers are affected by flight cancellations. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 West Azerbaijan earthquake
- Seven people are killed and 816 others are injured by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, Iran. (Tejaratemrouz)
- Louisville, New York bus-truck crash
- Six people are killed and three others are injured in a collision between a bus and a truck in Louisville, United States. (NBC News)
- At least 24 people are killed when a bus plunges off a cliff in the El Alto District of Peru. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Three people are killed inside a vehicle and four others are injured on the street during a mass shooting in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Czech presidential election
- The Czech Statistical Office reports that former NATO Military Committee chair Petr Pavel has been elected President of the Czech Republic, defeating former prime minister Andrej Babiš with 58 percent of the votes. (AFP via France 24)
Sports
- 2023 Australian Open
- Aryna Sabalenka defeats Elena Rybakina in the final, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2023 Australian Open in Melbourne, winning her first major singles title. (AFP via Deccan Herald)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Ukraine says that "fierce fighting" is underway in the east and northeast of the country as Russian troops try to break through Ukrainian defensive lines in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. (Reuters)
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israeli Air Force jets launch airstrikes on an underground rocket manufacturing site, and a military base used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in response to rockets fired by Palestinian militants into southern Israel. (Reuters)
- 2023 East Jerusalem synagogue shooting
- Seven Israeli Jews are killed and three others are injured in a shooting attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem. The perpetrator is killed by police. (BBC News)
- Gaza–Israel conflict
- Azerbaijan–Iran relations, Terrorism in Iran
- Attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
- A guard is killed and two others are injured during a shooting at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, Iran. The perpetrator is arrested. (Al Jazeera)
- Attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
- Syrian civil war
- Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concludes with "reasonable grounds" that the Douma chemical attack that occurred on April 7, 2018, was carried out by the Syrian military. (Al Jazeera)
- Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 North Island floods
- Three people are killed and another person is missing during severe flash flooding in New Zealand's largest city Auckland. (Stuff)
- Environmental issues in Pakistan
- At least 18 people have been killed in the past two weeks by toxic chemicals from factories in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
- A Russian Mi-8 helicopter of the "Rossiya" special flight squad , which transports members of the government and armed forces, crashes at the Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. According to some reports there are injuries, with TASS reporting that pilot error is the main cause of the helicopter crash. (RTVI)
- Five people are killed as a result of landslides and floods in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (CNN Indonesia)
- Two people are killed and seven others are injured after a suspected gas explosion destroys half a house in Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. (AP)
- At least 21 people are killed after a passenger bus enroute from N'djamena to Abéché crashed into a truck near Oum Hadjer, Batha Est Department, Chad. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- Rewilding
- Cheetah reintroduction in India
- South Africa agrees to send twelve cheetahs to India each year for the next eight to ten years to help secure a viable wild population. The Asiatic cheetah went extinct in India in the 1940s due to overhunting and habitat destruction. (BBC News)
- Cheetah reintroduction in India
- Western Australian radioactive capsule incident
- A radioactive capsule is missing along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of highway in Western Australia. (ABC News Australia)
Law and crime
- Death of Tyre Nichols
- Tyre Nichols protests
- Authorities in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, release footage of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols being violently assaulted by multiple Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on January 7. (AP)
- Tyre Nichols protests
- Cannabis in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department announces that all products containing cannabidiol will be banned as of February 1 and that the chemical will be classified in the same category as heroin and cocaine. (South China Morning Post)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Czech presidential election
- Czechs head to the polls to vote in the second round of the presidential election. (BBC News)
- Greek wiretapping scandal of 2022
- Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis survives a no-confidence vote called by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras over a wiretapping scandal. (AFP via The Sun)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- Russia launches a wave of cruise missile and Shahed 129 drone strikes across Ukraine, targeting major cities and critical infrastructure, killing at least 11 people and injuring 11 others. Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi says that at least 20 missiles have been intercepted over the capital Kyiv. (The Guardian)
- 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Somali Civil War
- American military intervention in Somalia
- A U.S. military raid in northern Somalia kills senior Islamic State member Bilal al-Sudani and ten other insurgents. No U.S. military casualties are reported in the operation, which was ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden. (NBC News)
- American military intervention in Somalia
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- 2023 Jenin killings
- Four Al-Qassam terrorists, three Islamic Jihad members and two Palestinian civilians are killed and 20 others are injured during a raid and subsequent gunfight by Israeli soldiers in Jenin, in the West Bank. In a separate raid in Al-Ram, a Palestinian man is killed and two others are injured by Israeli soldiers. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
- 2023 Jenin killings
- Aftermath of the 2022 Haitian crisis
- Ten police officers are killed, one is critically injured and another is missing during a series of attacks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by the Gan Grif gang. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
- Twenty people are killed after a bus crashes near Oum Hadjer, Batha Est, Chad. (Reuters)
International relations
- Hong Kong–United States relations
- U.S. President Joe Biden grants a two-year extension to the Deferred Enforced Departure immigration status of Hong Kong residents, citing increasing tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China. (AFP via GMA News Online)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Tokelauan general election
- Tokelauans head to the polls to elect the members of the General Fono. (RNZ)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022–2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions
- A DRC Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 is hit by anti-aircraft fire over the Rwandan border. The Rwandan government says that its forces took "defensive measures" against a plane that had "violated its airspace". (BBC News)
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- France agrees to withdraw its 400 special forces personnel from Burkina Faso, following Saturday's mandate from the ruling military junta that France withdraw within one month. (BBC News)
- Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria
- At least 27 herders are killed, and several others are injured, after a bomb explodes in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Some herders say that the explosion was caused by an airstrike. (AFP via News24)
- Algeciras church attacks
- Twelve people are injured after a bomb explodes in a market in Beni, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, (AP)
Arts and culture
- UNESCO places the ruins of the Kingdom of Saba in modern-day Yemen, the historic center of Odesa, Ukraine, and the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon, on its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO cites ongoing conflicts and lack of funding due to the Lebanese liquidity crisis as the reasons for their inclusion. (NPR)
Business and economy
- 2021–2023 inflation surge
- The Bank of Canada raises its benchmark interest rate to 4.5 percent, the highest since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, amid high levels of inflation and vacancies affecting the Canadian economy. (Financial Post)
Disasters and accidents
- A Hong Kong-registered ship carrying 22 people capsizes off the coast of Japan. Eight crew members are dead, 13 are rescued and two others still missing. (AFP via Barron's)
- A Philippine Air Force SF.260 training flight from Sangley Point Airport in Cavite City, Philippines, crashes into a paddy field in Pilar, Bataan, killing two people on board. (Rappler)
Health and environment
- NK News reports that the North Korean government has imposed a five-day lockdown in Pyongyang due to the spread of an unspecified respiratory infection. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
International relations
- Iran and weapons of mass destruction
- Nuclear program of Iran
- International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi says that Iran has now amassed enough material for "several nuclear weapons", and calls for new diplomatic efforts in order to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. (CNN)
- Nuclear program of Iran
- Iran–European Union relations, Iran–United Kingdom relations
- Iran places sanctions on more than 30 UK and EU-affiliated individuals in a tit-for-tat response to a new round of sanctions by the European Union over the Mahsa Amini protests. Sanctioned individuals include UK Attorney General Victoria Prentis, UK Army Chief of Staff Sir Patrick Sanders, and three staff members of Charlie Hebdo. (RFE/RL)
Law and crime
- Brokstedt stabbing
- Two people are killed and seven others are injured in a mass stabbing on a passenger train in Brokstedt, Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. (ITV)
- Human rights in Russia
- The Moscow City Court orders the closure of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest human rights organization. (RFE/RL)
Politics and elections
- 2023 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election
- Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins is sworn in as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand by Governor-General Cindy Kiro. (AFP via RFI)
- Cabinet of Borjana Krišto
- The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina votes 23–21 to approve the new Council of Ministers to be led by ethnic Croat former Federation President Borjana Krišto. (RFE/RL)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Battle of Soledar
- Two British aid workers are killed during a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (BBC News)
- Battle of Soledar
- Germany–Ukraine relations
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announces that Germany will send Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, and will also allow other operators of the tanks, such as Poland, to send them to Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
- Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
- Two police officers are killed and a third is injured in an attack in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. (Al Arabiya)
Disasters and accidents
- List of earthquakes in 2023
- At least one person is killed and two others are injured by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Bajura and Bajhang Districts, Nepal. (MyRepublica)
- Three people are killed, twelve are missing and twelve are rescued after a building collapses in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, due to the earthquake in Nepal. (Reuters)
- 2023 Afghanistan cold snap
- The death toll from two weeks of cold is 124 people and about 70,000 livestock, according to the government, the majority of whom lived in rural areas. (BBC News)
- Tornado outbreak of January 24–25, 2023
- A tornado outbreak strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a rare tornado emergency for areas east of Houston, Texas. (The New York Times)
- A Cessna 206 with six people on board goes missing in Isabela, Philippines. Rescue operations are being conducted. (Global China Daily)
Law and crime
- 2023 Yakima shooting
- Three people are killed in a shooting at a Circle K store in Yakima, Washington, United States. The gunman later commits suicide in another location. (KNDO-TV) (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Corruption in Ukraine
- Several senior Ukrainian officials, including deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko, four deputy ministers, and five regional governors, resign as a nationwide anti-corruption campaign is launched in Ukraine. (BBC News)
Science and technology
- Doomsday Clock
- The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces that the Doomsday Clock has been moved up to 90 seconds before midnight, largely due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. (NPR) (CNN)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- Makugwe massacre
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgents kill 23 people at a bar in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The jihadists also torched several homes and shops in the village during the attack. Islamic State claims responsibility. (AFP via France 24)
- Makugwe massacre
Business and economy
- 2021–2023 inflation surge
- Swedish music streaming service Spotify announces that it will cut 600 jobs, around 6% of its workforce, citing low revenue growth and a need to improve efficiency. Dawn Ostroff will also depart as its chief content and advertising business officer. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- A major power outage in Pakistan leaves nearly 220 million people without electricity after a failure at the national power grid. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a reduction in energy consumption as the country faces a severe energy crisis. (CNN) (Reuters)
- An Algerian Air Force Mi-171 helicopter crashes during a military exercise, killing three crew onboard in Ain Defla Province, Algeria. (MEHR)
- Two people are killed and two others are injured after a fire in a church in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. (DailySabah)
International relations
- Sweden–Turkey relations
- Enlargement of NATO, Sweden–NATO relations
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rules out Turkish support for Sweden's bid for NATO membership following the burning of a Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm by Rasmus Paludan and a series of pro-Kurdish demonstrations where protestors waved PKK flags. (AP)
- Enlargement of NATO, Sweden–NATO relations
- Estonia–Russia relations
- Estonia announces the expulsion of the Russian ambassador in Tallinn Vladimir Lipayev to reciprocate Russia's expulsion of the Estonian ambassador in Moscow Margus Laidre due to a "downgrade" of relations. Both envoys will depart their respective assignments on February 7. (AP)
- Latvia–Russia relations
- Latvia asks Russian ambassador Mikhail Vanin to leave the country by February 24 in "full solidarity" with Estonia. (Politico)
Law and crime
- Mass shootings in the United States
- 2023 Monterey Park shooting
- An eleventh person dies in the hospital from injuries sustained in Saturday's mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times)
- 2023 Half Moon Bay shootings
- Seven people are killed and one other person is injured in a shooting spree in Half Moon Bay, California, United States. A suspect is taken into custody afterwards. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- 2023 Monterey Park shooting
- Aftermath of the 2020 Beirut explosion
- Judge Tarek Bitar resumes his investigation into the explosion, 13 months after Hezbollah officials filed complaints against Bitar that prompted him to suspend the investigation. (AFP via Zawya)
- Eugenics in Japan
- The Kumamoto district court orders the government to compensate two plaintiffs ¥22 million (US$170,000) worth of damages for their compulsory sterilization under the now-obsolete Eugenic Protection Act of 1948. (Kyodo News)
Science and technology
- A new study by seismologists at Peking University in Beijing says that Earth's inner core stopped rotating faster than the rest of the planet in 2009. (Nature) (New Scientist)