U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios) 

Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 

The International Criminal Court prosecutor requests arrest warrants against Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Taliban chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity. (Reuters) 

Chief Judge of the United States District Court in Washington State, U.S., John C. Coughenour blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional“. (Reuters) 

Four people are killed and five more injured in a stampede at a delivery of food and money amid Lunar New Year celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP) 

A court in Liverpool, England, sentences the man who was found guilty of killing three children and injuring 10 others in a mass stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, to life imprisonment with a minimum of 52 years in prison. (DW) 

Thailand becomes the 38th country and the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. (Reuters) 

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace of the United States issues a report alleging that aerospace manufacturer Boeing, long associated with the Seattle, Washington area, has been relocating much of its engineering work to non-unionized sites both in the US and abroad. (Reuters) 

At least thirteen people are killed in a railway accident in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India. The victims had initially fled from their train following an alleged fire alarm and were subsequently struck and killed by a passing train on the adjacent tracks. (BBC) 

Militants from an offshoot branch of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front open fire against a United Nations livelihood project in Sumisip, Basilan, Philippines, killing two soldiers and wounding 12 others. (AP) 

The Somali Airlines Operators Association, representing at least 20 airlines, suspends all flights beginning on January 22, 2025, in protest against increased government-imposed fees after disputes with the Ministry of Aviation and the Somali Civil Aviation Authority. (Shabelle Media) 

The Hughes Fire ignites and spreads to over 5,000 acres in less than four hours, triggering mandatory evacuation orders in settlements around Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times) (KTLA) 

The death toll of a historic winter storm event on the Gulf Coast of the United States rises to 9 people. 8 in (20 cm) of snowfall is measured at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana. The statewide snowfall record in Florida is broken as over 5.5 in (14 cm) falls in Molino. (CNN) 

United States President Donald Trump re-designates the Yemeni Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization. (The Hill) 

Daniel Ball, a rioter that took part in the riot at the United States Capitol, is arrested again despite being pardoned by Trump, making him the first rioter to get additional legal trouble after the pardon. (The Hill) 

Two students are killed, including the shooter, and two others are wounded in a school shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. (CNN) 

The U.S. Congress passes the Laken Riley Act following a 263–156 vote in the House of Representatives, making it easier for immigration agents to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with a variety of crimes ranging from theft to assault. It will head to President Donald Trump for his signature. (NPR) 

Kyle Clifford, the perpetrator of the Hunt family killings in Bushey, England in 2024, pleads guilty to three counts of murder. (BBC News) 

The End Thursday 

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 

U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios) 

How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?

U.S. President Donald Trump unveils “the largest AI infrastructure project in history”, a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, called Stargate. With funding of up to $500 billion in the next 4 years, the project aims to build data centers and computing infrastructure across the United States to power AI development and create over 100,000 jobs. (The Guardian) 

Kingdom Holding announces the resumption of construction on the 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)-tall Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be the world’s tallest building. (Al Arabiya) 

The Houthis report that 25 crew members of the Japanese-operated roll-on/roll-off ship Galaxy Leader, including many foreign nationals, are released to Oman, with the Houthis citing support for the 2025 Israel–Hamas ceasefire as the reason for release. (BBC) 

Two people are killed and others are injured in a mass stabbing at a park in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany. The perpetrator is arrested. (Express) 

1 person is killed and 2 others injured in a mass stabbing in Nagano, Japan (Mainichi) 

Tuesday,  January 21st, 2025 

Trump officially creates the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk aimed at cutting spending of the U.S. government. DOGE is a temporary organization under the United States DOGE Service, not a federal executive department. Within minutes of the announcement, government employee unions, watchdog groups, and public interest organizations sued over this executive order. (Reuters) 

During celebrations of the inauguration, businessman Elon Musk appears to make two consecutive Nazi salutes to a crowd at the Capital One Arena. Musk denied any meaning behind the gesture. (The Guardian) 

United States President Donald Trump formally pardons around 1,500 defendants who had been criminally charged with involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. (NBC News) 

President Trump announces a pause in $300 billion of funding for green infrastructure previously allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (Financial Times) 

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for his siblings, former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack prior to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Biden also commutes the sentence of Indigenous activist and convicted murderer Leonard Peltier. (BBC News) (HuffPost) 

Two Americans held in Afghanistan are freed in exchange for a Taliban fighter serving a life sentence for drug trafficking in the United States. The deal is brokered by Qatar and finalized during the final hours of the outgoing Biden administration. (DW) 

Six people are killed in Homs Governorate as security forces conduct an operation against militias supporting ousted president Bashar al-Assad. (Al Arabiya) 

Israeli forces launch a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing at least ten people and injuring more than 35 others. (Al Jazeera) 

Four people are injured, one seriously, in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. (The Times of Israel) 

At least 76 people are killed and another 51 injured in a fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu Province, Turkey. (Reuters) 

The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia warns that about 46,000 schoolchildren have not been able to start the academic year due to the ongoing conflict in the region and asserted that about 35% of the affected displaced population are individuals under the age of 18. (El Espectador) 

Fourteen members of the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, including one minor, surrendered to personnel from the National Army of Colombia to avoid combat with the ELN. (Blu Radio) 

M23 rebels seize the town of Minova in Kalehe Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, cutting off a major supply route to the strategic city of Goma. (Reuters) 

Multiple brush fires spread by hurricane-force winds erupt in San Diego County, California, U.S., prompting evacuation orders. (USA Today) 

Much of Canada and the contiguous United States are impacted by a cold wave, killing one person near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Historic snowfall is expected in the US South, and historic blizzard and whiteout conditions are expected on the Gulf Coast. (CNN) 

One person is killed and another is injured in an explosion at the Port in Barcelona, Spain. (Reuters) 

Twenty Ethiopian migrants are killed when their boat capsizes off Yemen after departing from Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration. (Al Arabiya) 

The End Wednesday 

Monday,  January 20th, 2025 

Donald Trump is to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. as the 47th President of the United States. (AP) 

Outgoing U.S. president Joe Biden issues “unprecedented” pre-emptive pardons for former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack before Trump takes office. (BBC News)

 An Iranian court sentences singer Amir Tataloo to death on appeal after Tataloo was convicted of insulting the prophet Muhammad. (Al Arabiya) 

Ukrainian drones attack industrial facilities in Tatarstan, Russia, prompting the Federal Air Transport Agency to temporarily suspend flights from Kazan International Airport and Begishevo Airport. (ABC News) 

A court in Kolkata, India, sentences a 33-year-old police volunteer to life in prison for the August 2024 rape and murder of a medical trainee. (DW) 

China executes the perpetrators of the 2024 Zhuhai car attack and the 2024 Wuxi stabbing attack. (Al Jazeera) 

Eight people are killed and seven more are injured in an arson attack at a nursing home in Barajevo, Belgrade, Serbia. (Reuters) 

Sunday, January 19th, 2025 

Israel announces that its troops have recovered the body of staff sergeant Oron Shaul, who was captured and killed by Hamas in 2014. (The Times of Israel) 

The Gaza ceasefire agreement formally goes into effect, with the first hostages and prisoners freed as part of the deal. (CNN) 

Three ministers of the Government of Israel belonging to the Otzma Yehudit party resign in protest of the approved Gaza ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel) 

The Women’s March holds a protest rebranded as the People’s March in Washington, D.C. against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Women’s March protests are also held in several cities in the United Kingdom. (Reuters) 

Social media platform TikTok temporarily suspends most of its services in the United States as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act goes into effect. TikTok restores these services, but its app remains unavailable in U.S. markets on the App Store and Google Play. (People) (AP) 

Soldiers open fire against a group of illegal miners in Obuasi, Ghana, killing seven and wounding another. (AP) 

The National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents exchange heavy fire across the Catatumbo region [es], Colombia, killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds of others, with an unknown number of people also reportedly being kidnapped, after the ELN accused the FARC dissidents of killing civilians in the area. Thousands of people have fled their homes due to the fighting. The Colombian Army says that it has rescued dozens of people, while the government calls on the ELN to cease their attacks immediately. (CBS News) 

Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be formally arrested, following his declaration of martial law in December. (Yonhap) 

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Following Yoon’s arrest, pro-Yoon protesters raid the Seoul Western District Court, resulting in 41 injuries and property damage. (Yonhap) 

Cal Fire reports that the Palisades Fire is more than 50% contained, while the Eaton Fire is more than 80% contained. (Forbes) 

Two judges are killed and a third judge and a bodyguard are injured in a mass shooting at the Supreme Court of Iran in Tehran, Iran. The perpetrator subsequently kills himself. (DW) 

More than 70 people are arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in London, England, United Kingdom for violating protest regulations. (BBC News) 

The End