Thursday, January 16th, 2025 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration bans the usage of Red No. 3 artificial food coloring, due to research showing that the food coloring is carcinogenic. (NBC News) 

SpaceX launches its seventh test flight of the Starship launch vehicle, with an improved second stage, at Starbase in Texas, United States. The first stage is successfully caught by the launch tower but the second stage breaks up shortly before engine shutdown. (CNBC) 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Kyiv, Ukraine, to sign a 100-year agreement with Ukraine that will formalize British economic and military support for Ukraine. (Sky News)

The Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams sign the hostage release and ceasefire deal in Doha, Qatar. (The Times of Israel) 

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 82 people across the Gaza Strip, including 30 in Gaza City, hours after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement. (Al Jazeera) 

The leader of the Houthis Abdul-Malik al-Houthi announces that the group will monitor the implementation of the Israel–Hamas ceasefire agreement and continue its attacks on vessels and on Israel if the ceasefire is breached. (Middle East Monitor) 

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctions the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for “destabilizing Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition” to a civilian-led government. (BBC News) 

Two deminers are killed in an explosion while attempting to remove a Cambodian Civil War-era anti-tank mine from a rice field in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia. (AP) 

Taiwan carries out its first execution in five years on a man who was convicted of the 2013 murder of his former girlfriend and her mother. (Yahoo! News) 

Two homeless people are killed and two others are injured in a mass stabbing attack in Miami, Florida, United States. A 30-year-old suspect is arrested. (NBC News) 

The Government of Cuba releases dissident and human rights activist José Daniel Ferrer from jail. (Reuters) 

The Parliament of Bulgaria approves a coalition government consisting of the GERB-SDS, BSP – United Left, and There is Such a People parties, with GERB’s Rosen Zhelyazkov becoming Prime Minister. (Euronews) 

The government of French Prime Minister François Bayrou survives a no-confidence motion by the opposition New Popular Front electoral alliance. (Euronews) 

Two women are killed and a third is injured in a mass stabbing at a school in Spišská Stará Ves, Slovakia. The perpetrator is arrested. (BBC News)

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 

The Israeli Air Force strikes a Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) vehicle convoy in Quneitra Governorate, Syria, killing two HTS personnel and the mayor of a local village. It is the first time that Israel has targeted HTS forces since the fall of the Assad regime. (Al Arabiya) 

Israel and Hamas reach a diplomatic agreement mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. to initiate a ceasefire and an end to military operations in the Gaza Strip, as well as to facilitate the exchange of hostages and prisoners, marking the first major cessation of hostilities since November 2023. (CNN) 

Bootleg alcohol kills 23 people and leaves 43 others hospitalized over the last 48 hours in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish health officials say many of those in hospital are in intensive care. (CBS News) 

The German government authorises the Bundeswehr to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stating that Russia is suspected of being behind the drone activity. (BBC News) 

Russia launches a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid. (AP) 

Yemen’s Houthi movement claims that it launched a missile attack targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and accompanying warships of the United States Navy in the Red Sea. (Anadolu Agency) 

Seventy-eight bodies of workers are retrieved from a closed illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, North West Province, South Africa following a months-long siege by police. Over 200 survivors are arrested as they exit the mine. (Reuters) 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin and his country of plotting terror attacks on airliners around the world. (The Independent) 

Anti-corruption officials and police attempt to breach the residence of impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol for a second time in order to execute an arrest warrant, while facing resistance from the Presidential Security Service, People Power Party lawmakers, and pro-Yoon protesters. Following a five-hour standoff, Yoon is arrested, becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested. (Yonhap)

Daniel Chapo is sworn in as President of Mozambique, succeeding Filipe Nyusi. The inauguration takes place amid ongoing political unrest in Mozambique, with opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane continuing to insist that the October 2024 election was rigged. (France 24) 

A general strike takes place in Georgia with hundreds of Georgian firms urging the government to release all political prisoners and hold new elections amid nationwide protests. Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia is hospitalized after being assaulted, allegedly by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. (BBC News) 

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 

Nikon FG-20 – Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm f/1.4 – CineStill 50D

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, United States, carrying two moon landers belonging to private companies, the Blue Ghost M1 from the American Firefly Aerospace and the Hakuto-R Mission 2 from Japan’s ispace Inc.. (BBC News) 

Israel and Hamas reach a diplomatic agreement to initiate a ceasefire and an end to military operations in Gaza, and to facilitate the exchange of hostages and prisoners, marking the first major cessation of hostilities since the 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire. (CNN) 

Allied Democratic Forces militants kill ten people in an attack on a village in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP) 

Seventy-eight bodies of workers are retrieved from a closed illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, North West Province, South Africa following a months-long siege by the police. Over 200 survivors are arrested as they exited the mine. (Reuters) 

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) 

Yoon Suk Yeol is arrested at his residence in central Seoul following a five-hour-long standoff, becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested. (Yonhap) 

Tuesday,  January 14th, 2025 

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) 

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) 

Four Al-Qassam Brigades militants and two civilians are killed during an Israeli airstrike in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera) 

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) 

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. (BBC News) 

North Korea launches multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. (Reuters) 

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

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) 

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) 

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) 

Monday,  January 13th, 2025 

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) 

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) 

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) 

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) 

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) 

The shelling of an area of Omdurman results in the death of at least 120 civilians, according to volunteer rescuers. (Al Arabiya News) 

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) 

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) 

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) 

Sunday, January 12th, 2025 

A top level Israeli security delegation arrives in Qatar for talks on a Gaza hostages and ceasefire deal. (Reuters) 

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) 

At least eight Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes on areas of the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua) 

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) 

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) 

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) 

The death toll from the wildfires increases to 24. (BBC News) 

Officials say that the Kenneth Fire has been contained. (KCAL-TV) 

Ten 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) 

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) 

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) 

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), 

The End