Thursday, January 6th, 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro calls for the worldwide legalization of cocaine for recreational use, saying the drug is “no worse than whisky” and that it was only illegal because it is produced in Latin America. (The Times of India)
The first flight carrying “high-threat” deportees from the United States arrives at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The ten deportees are allegedly part of Tren de Aragua, a transnational organized crime group originating from Venezuela recently designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. (The Independent)
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies says that the probablity of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth on 22 December 2032 has increased to 2.3%, or a (1-in-43) chance, following further observations of its trajectory. More observations are planned in the coming months to gather data on the asteroid before it moves too far away from Earth-based telescopes to be accurately observed. (The Guardian)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Thomas Fletcher reports that over 10,000 aid trucks have arrived in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect on January 19. (Arab News)
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said that Italy will stop working with UNRWA after the mother of a freed hostage said that her daughter had been held at facilities of UNRWA in Gaza. (The Times of Israel)
Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera orders Malawian troops to withdraw from peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the crisis escalates. Three Malawian soldiers have been killed in recent fighting in North Kivu. (BBC News)
Somali federal government-appointed commissioner of Bardhere District Mohamed Ilyas Caagane is killed after Somali National Army forces are defeated by Jubaland forces in Gedo, Somalia. (Garowe Online)
Three people are killed in a Russian guided bomb attack on Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy, that destroyed a residential building in Myropillya according to Ukrainian officials. (Reuters)
The Ukrainian Air Force receives the first shipment of Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France and more F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Netherlands. (DW)
Ten Nigerien soldiers are killed in an ambush by Islamic State fighters near the border with Burkina Faso. (AP)
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan carrying 10 people goes missing on a flight from Unalakleet, Alaska, United States, to Nome. A search and rescue operation is underway. (KTUU-TV)
Four people are killed after a U.S. military-contracted Beechcraft Super King Air 300 surveillance aircraft crashes in a paddy field in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines. (ABC News Australia)
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court officials that assist investigations into U.S. citizens or those of its allies, namely Israel. (NBC News)
In the third round of voting, the Hellenic Parliament fails to elect the new President of Greece. A fourth and final round is called for February 12. (To Vima)
Wednesday, January 5th, 2025
The United States Postal Service says it is temporarily refusing inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, but reverses this policy hours later. (The Guardian)
Israel withdraws from the United Nations Human Rights Council, accusing the UN body of “obsessively demonizing” and discriminating against the country. (Ynet News)
A deadly battle between the Puntland Security Force and Islamic State results in the killing of 57 foreign militants in Dharin area of Bari Region, Puntland. (Garowe Online)
Puntland Maritime Police Force seize a boat carrying illegal military supplies, uniforms and equipment. The vessel was taken captive off the coast of the Qaw district in the Bari Region, Somalia. (The East African)
M23 rebels capture Nyabibwe, a town along the road to the South Kivu capital city of Bukavu. The Democratic Republic of the Congo government claims that the unilateral ceasefire declared by M23 earlier was false. (AP)
Somali federal government-appointed commissioner of Bardhere District Mohamed Ilyas Caagane is killed after Somali National Army forces are defeated by Jubaland forces in Gedo, Somalia. (Garowe Online)
The UNICEF confirms that several children have been killed in Khartoum, Sudan, in the past few days. (UNICEF)
The Sudanese Armed Forces announce they have gained more territory around Khartoum as they try to enter the capital city. (APA)
United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announces that Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, London, will be demolished following a meeting with bereaved relatives and survivors of the 2017 fire. (BBC News)
A fire at an Islamic school in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, Nigeria, kills at least 17 people. (BBC News)
Argentina announces that it will withdraw from the World Health Organization citing “deep differences” with the organization’s leaders. (Reuters)
Demonstrators gather in cities across the United States to protest against the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, his second administration, Elon Musk and Project 2025. (AP)
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order that prevents transgender women from competing in women’s sports. (BBC)
The House of Representatives of the Philippines formally impeaches Vice President Sara Duterte. The Senate is now set to conduct a trial. (Bloomberg)
Argentinian presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announces that the President Javier Milei has signed a decree repealing the 2012 Gender Identity Law that allowed transgender people to be treated according to their gender identity and have their documents be registered with the corresponding name and gender. The law also allowed people under the age of 18 access to gender-affirming care. (NBC News)
Tuesday, February 4th, 2025
The United States Senate confirms Pam Bondi as Attorney General, making her the third female to run the U.S. Justice Department. (NPR)
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a presidential memorandum reimposing a policy of maximum pressure against Iran. (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump announces a plan where the U.S. would seek “long-term ownership” of Gaza, and that the U.S. military would be in charge of Gaza’s redevelopment into “The Riviera of the Middle East” for “the world’s people.” Trump also says Palestinians will have no choice but to leave the territory. (Reuters)
A series of shootouts and encounters are reported in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, after the arrest of the regional leader of the Cártel del Noreste and leader of an armed wing in the state. The United States Consulate in Mexico issues an alert for its citizens to not go out on the streets, and the Nuevo Laredo International Airport suspends activities due to the violence. (UNO TV)
A riot within the Tabasco Social Reinsertion Center in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, leaves seven inmates dead. This is the second riot in less than two months at the prison. (El Universal)
The European Union and Moldova sign an energy deal that will integrate Moldova into the bloc’s energy grid after Russia halted gas supplies over an alleged US$709 million unpaid bill. The European Commission says Moldova will receive €250 million ($258 million) this year to help its citizens afford rising energy bills as part of the agreement. (AP)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in a interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that he is ready for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin if it is a setup to end the war. (Kyiv Independent)
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a presidential memorandum reimposing a policy of maximum pressure against Iran. (Reuters)
A Russian missile strikes a residential building in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, killing four people and injuring twenty others. (Ukrainska Pravda)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump amidst a second phase of negotiations for the ceasefire on the Gaza Strip. (NPR)
Two Israeli soldiers are killed and eight others are injured in a shooting at the Taysir checkpoint by an unknown gunman. (DW)
Engineers in Khartoum are attacked by the Rapid Support Forces while assessing damage on a water plant in Khartoum North. (Sudan Tribune)
6 people are killed while 38 are injured after an attack perpetrated by the RSF hits a hospital in Khartoum. (Anadolu Ajansi)
The Sudanese Armed Forces take Al-Kamlin as they advance towards Khartoum. (Sudan Tribune)
Puntland Security Forces battle ISIS militants near Dharin, killing at least 40 fighters and injuring others. They claim to have captured the village of Dharin in Togga Jecel of Bari Region, Puntland. (The Somali Digest) (Garowe Online)
Jubaland forces have regained control of Bardhere District in the Gedo region after withdrawal of federal forces was reportedly linked to the disbandment of units stationed at headquarters for several months. South Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
Djiboutian armed forces execute a drone strike near the Ethiopian border, killing eight members of what the government described as a “terrorist group” involved in “hostile actions”. The attack also injured an unknown number of civilians. (VOA)
The remains of all 67 people who were killed in a collision between a PSA Airlines CRJ700 and a United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk are recovered from the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., United States. (AP)
The United States implements a 10% across-the-board tariff on Chinese products and eliminates the de minimis exemption for exports from China. In response, China imposes retaliatory tariffs on energy products, agricultural equipment, and automobiles from the United States, effective February 10, and export controls on critical minerals. It also adds U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina Inc to its unreliable entities list and launches a probe into U.S. technology company Google for alleged anti-trust violations. (The Guardian)
Eleven people are killed and six injured in a mass shooting at the Risbergska School, a municipal adult education centre, in Örebro, Sweden. (BBC News) (SVT) (The Guardian)
One person is killed and five others are injured after a mass shooting at a warehouse in New Albany, Ohio, United States. (ABC News)
The U.S. State Department orders the closure of all overseas missions of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and recalls thousands of USAID staff to the United States ahead of the agency’s shutdown. (Reuters)
Djiboutian armed forces executed a drone strike near the Ethiopian border, killing eight members of what the government called the terrorist group was involved in “hostile actions” the attack causing injury to an unidentified number of civilians. (VOA)
Monday, February 3rd, 2025
A bomb explodes inside a building in Moscow, Russia, killing two people and wounding three. The presumed main target, Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russia leader in the Donbas, is among the dead. (Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to Panama in his first foreign trip in the position and urges Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino to reduce Chinese influence in the Panama Canal. In response, Mulino said that his country won’t renew its contracts with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when they expire. (Latin Times)
A series of over 200 earthquakes in a 48-hour period causes widespread evacuations from the Greek island of Santorini. (The Guardian)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces Ontario will end contracts with the Starlink program unless the United States lifts its tariffs on Canada. (BBC News)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that U.S. tariffs would be delayed by at least 30 days, following a call with United States President Donald Trump. (DW)
President Donald Trump says he is stopping funding to South Africa over a land seizure law. (The Guardian)
Bart De Wever is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Belgium a final agreement was reached between N-VA, CD&V, Vooruit, MR and Les Engagés. De Wever becomes the first Flemish nationalist to become Prime Minister. (The Guardian)
A car bombing kills at least 20 people and leaves 15 others wounded in Manbij, Syria. Most of the victims were female agricultural workers, according to local authorities. (BBC News)
At least 70 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops since the start of the year in the occupied West Bank, including thirty-eight killed in Jenin. (Al Jazeera)
Three Islamic State-linked inmates are killed and three guards are wounded in a prison riot in Vakhdat District, Tajikistan. (Barron’s)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump announce they have agreed to delay 25% of tariffs on Mexico for a month. (NBC News)
Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele makes an offer to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to accept convicted “dangerous American criminals” and incarcerate them at the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador in exchange for a fee. (The Washington Post)
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announces 27% tariffs on Mexican imports. (CNN)
Eight people are killed and six others are injured in a security operation in Qusar District, Azerbaijan, against former Derbent Jamaat militants. (Report.az)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo government requests international sanctions against Rwanda. (Reuters)
Five soldiers are killed by Coalition of Patriots for Change gunmen at a military outpost in Kouki, Central African Republic. (AP)
Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen abduct five government-appointed village chiefs in Kenya’s Mandera County, who were en route to the border town of El Wak. The abducted chiefs were part of the preparation team for President William Ruto’s visit to the region next week. (Reuters)
The rebel Congo River Alliance, which includes M23, announces a ceasefire that will take effect the next day. DR Congo’s government requests international sanctions against Rwanda. (Reuters)
Puntland police spokesperson confirmed a senior commander of Islamic State, Abdirahman Shirwac Aw-Said, the head of the group’s assassination squad, surrendered to Puntland forces in Cal Miskaad mountains, in the northeastern Bari Region of Puntland. (Reuters)
The United Nations condemns the recent Rapid Support Forces attack on civilians at a market in Omdurman, Sudan, as a war crime. (Malaysia Sun)
The Philippines declares a food security emergency on rice due to rising prices. (Reuters)
Eight people are killed and six others are injured in a security operation in Qusar District, Azerbaijan, against former Derbent Jamaat militants. (Report.az)
In Kyrgyzstan, the ban on the Islamic niqāb takes effect, with women facing a fine of 20,000 som ($230) if they wear it in public places. (RFE/RL)
A teenage girl is killed in a shark attack off the coast of Queensland, Australia. (BBC News)
The End
artificial stupid 