Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 

German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock says that Germany will not prevent Poland from sending Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine which Ukrainian officials say are pivotal to defeating Russian forces on the battlefield. (Reuters) 

The Lebanese Army declares a “state of alert” after stopping Israeli bulldozers and accompanying soldiers from approaching a border fence in Southern Lebanon. Peacekeeping forces from UNIFIL have also been deployed to the area. (Anadolu Agency) 

Police in Cameroon find the mutilated body of prominent journalist Martinez Zogo who had been kidnapped by unknown assailants five days ago, amid increasing violence against reporters in the country. (Reuters) 

The ruling Labour Party unanimously elects education and public service minister Chris Hipkins to succeed Jacinda Ardern as the party’s leader following Ardern’s resignation three days ago. Governor-General Cindy Kiro is expected to appoint Hipkins as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand on January 25. (AP) 

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses health and interior minister Aryeh Deri from his cabinet after the Supreme Court ruled that Deri was barred from holding a position as a cabinet minister due to his conviction for tax offenses. (AFP via France 24) 

Saturday, January 21st, 2023 

The Russian military says that it has launched offensive operations in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and “taken more advantageous lines and positions”. (France 24) 

Peru indefinitely closes its iconic Machu Picchu historic site due to the ongoing unrest which has killed dozens of people. Around 500 foreign nationals are currently stranded in Peru. (BBC News) (AFP via France 24) 

Burkina Faso demands that French forces withdraw from its territory after suspending a 2018 military accord that allowed the presence of French troops in the country. The ruling military junta has given France one month to complete the withdrawal. (Reuters) 

RT France, the French arm of the Russian state media network RT, ceases operation following the freezing of their bank accounts by the Direction générale du Trésor. (AFP via News18) 

The Turkish defense ministry cancels Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson‘s upcoming visit to Turkey in response to an approval for far-right extremist Rasmus Paludan to protest in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. (AFP via The Jordan Times) 

Ten people are killed and ten others are injured in a mass shooting at a dance studio after Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, United States. The suspect, 72-year old Huu Can Tran, escapes and later commits suicide. (Los Angeles Times) 

Slovakians head to the polls to vote in a referendum to determine whether early elections can be called before the customary end of the mandate. (AP) 

Commander of the Brazilian Army Júlio César de Arruda is fired by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the aftermath of the January 8 Congress attack and is replaced by Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva. (AP) 

Tanzanian opposition party Chadema organizes a political demonstration in Mwanza. This is the country’s first demonstration since President Samia Suluhu Hassan abolished her predecessor John Magufuli‘s seven-year ban on political assembly earlier this month. (AFP via VOA) 

The End