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

Friday,  January 20th, 2023 

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson announces that Sweden will send its self-propelled Archer Artillery System, 50 Combat Vehicle 90 IFVs, and NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as part of its latest military support package for the Ukrainian military. (Politico) 

Five Iraqis from Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, are shot and killed by gunmen on a road in Mardin Province, Turkey. Two of the victims were prominent imams in Duhok. (The National News) 

The United States reaches its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion, requiring the Treasury Department to suspend the issuance of new Treasury securities and take extraordinary measures to prevent a default. (CNN) 

British catalog retailer Argos says that it will close all of its stores in the Republic of Ireland by June, with the loss of 580 jobs, saying that the investment needed to modernize its operations in the country was “not viable”. (BBC News) 

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings steps down as co-CEO, having served in the position since its founding in 1997. Greg Peters is selected to succeed him. (BBC News) 

A judge in Bolivia rules that opposition figure Luis Fernando Camacho must remain in prison ahead of his trial. Camacho was arrested in December on charges of terrorism. (Reuters) 

Thursday, January 19th, 2023 

A protester is killed and a Georgia State Patrol trooper is injured after they exchange fire during a clearing operation against demonstrators attempting to prevent the construction of a police training facility at a forest in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) 

French Catholic nun Lucile Randon, who had been the world’s oldest verified living person since April 2022 and the fourth verified oldest woman, dies at the age of 118. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

During a visit to Kyiv, Canadian National Defence Minister Anita Anand announces that Canada will send 200 Roshel Senator armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine. (CBC News) 

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Mark Milley meet for the first time in person. (AFP via The Times of Israel) 

Fifteen servicemen are killed and seven others are injured after a fire breaks out at barracks in Azat, Armenia. (AP) 

At least one football fan has been killed and 60 others injured in a crowd crush outside a stadium in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, local media report.(BBC News) 

Iran and South Korea summon each other ambassadors in a deepening spat between the countries, after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called Iran “the enemy of the United Arab Emirates” while addressing South Korean troops stationed there. (Reuters) 

Jacinda Ardern announces her intention to resign as prime minister of New Zealand no later than 7 February. (The Guardian) 

A day of strikes and demonstrations is taking place throughout France against the government’s pension reform project, which plans to raise the retirement age to 64. (Le Point) 

Thousands of protesters march in Lima demanding the resignation of president Dina Boluarte as the number of fatalities from clashes between demonstrators and police exceeds 50. (Reuters) 

The United Nations reports the discovery of mass graves in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, containing the bodies of 49 civilians. CODECO militants are suspected of being behind the killings. (AP) 

Despite a slight decrease in overall inflation at the end of last year, food prices in the United Kingdom increased by 16.9% in the twelve months to December, the highest rate since September 1977, according to the Office for National Statistics. (Evening Standard) 

Microsoft announces that it will cut 10,000 jobs, around 5% of its global workforce, amid a slowdown in consumer spending. (BBC News) 

At least 70 people and 70,000 cattle are killed due to freezing temperatures across Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera) 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dismisses 13 more military personnel from the presidential cabinet whom he blames for the January 8 attack in Brasília. (Reuters) 

The End

Wednesday, January 18th, 2023 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hornet_Nano

Canadian National Defence Minister Anita Anand announces that Canada will send 200 Roshel-made armoured fighting vehicles to Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv. (CBC News) 

Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured in a helicopter crash in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, including interior minister Denys Monastyrsky, deputy minister of internal affairs Yevhen Yenin and state secretary of internal affairs Yurii Lubkovych. (Al Jazeera) 

At least 120 people are injured after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Khoy, Khoy County, West Azerbaijan, Iran. (MehrNews) 

The Court of Tax Appeals of the Philippines acquits journalist Maria Ressa and her online news website Rappler of charges of tax evasion filed against them by the government in 2018. (AFP via RFI) 

Tuesday,  January 17th, 2023 

The World Tourism Organization reports that the figures for international tourist arrivals worldwide had doubled in 2022 compared to the previous year, citing the easing of COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. (AFP via RFI) 

A polar bear attacks and kills a woman and her son in Wales, Alaska, after charging several others. The bear is shot and killed following the attack. (NBC News) 

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Mark Milley meet for the first time in person. (AFP via The Times of Israel) 

 The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the country’s population, the largest in the world, declined for the first time since 1960, doing so by 850,000 from 2021 to 2022. (AFP via France 24) 

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigns from the Scholz cabinet amid criticism of her handling of the war in Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Nguyễn Xuân Phúc resigns as president, the second highest-ranked position in Vietnam, citing responsibility for several recent scandals in the government. (VnExpress) 

Monday,  January 16th, 2023 – MLK Day 

Ukraine announces defeat at Soledar after days of intense fighting. (MSN) 

Amharan Special Forces announce their withdrawal from the Tigray Region in line with an African Union-backed peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. (Al Jazeera) 

The Somali Armed Forces claim that it recaptured the port town of Harardhere from Al-Shabaab militants. (Al Jazeera) 

Six people are killed in a mass shooting in Goshen, California, United States. (CNN) 

A Metropolitan Police Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection officer pleads guilty to 49 offences, including 24 rapes, at Southwark Crown Court in London, UK. (BBC News) 

Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the most wanted men in Italy and Europe, is arrested in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, after 30 years on the run. (BBC News) 

The British government says that it will block the Gender Recognition Reform Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament despite objections from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, saying that the proposed law would conflict with “equality protections” across Great Britain. (BBC News) 

Jihadists kidnap dozens of women in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso, according to local officials. (BBC News) 

A plane departed from Kathmandu crashes in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal, killing all 72 people on board. (BBC News) 

The End