Sunday, January 15th, 2023 

The British government announces a ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, polystyrene cups, bowls, and balloon sticks in England beginning in October as part of an effort to reduce plastic pollution. The ban will apply to all retailers, takeaways, and food vendors. (BBC News) 

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirms that the United Kingdom will send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks, as well as 30 self-propelled AS-90 howitzers. Ukrainian troops will also be trained by the British Armed Forces to operate the tanks. (Reuters) 

American R’Bonney Gabriel is crowned Miss Universe by her predecessor, Indian Harnaaz Sandhu. (CNN) 

A female former lawmaker and one of her bodyguards are shot dead in Kabul. Taliban police spokesman Khalid Zadran condemns the killing and says that a “serious investigation has been launched”. (Arab News) 

Two suspected drug traffickers are killed in a shootout with United States Customs and Border Protection officials off the coast of Puerto Rico. (AP) 

President of the United States Joe Biden issues a major disaster declaration for the state of California following major flooding. (The Guardian) 

The Jamaica Constabulary Force seizes $80 million worth of cocaine from a cargo ship at the port of Kingston. (Reuters) 

Saturday, January 14th, 2023 

Iran announces the execution of dual British Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari, who had served as a deputy for the ministry of defense, on charges of spying for the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemns Akbari’s execution. (Reuters) 

Russia strikes Dnipro with cruise missiles, killing at least 30 people and injuring 73 others. (Reuters) 

Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad members are killed by Israeli soldiers during a raid in Jaba, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera) 

The government declares a 30-day state of emergency in Lima and three other regions in response to the violent protests. (AFP via Gulf News) 

Retired general Petr Pavel and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš advance to a runoff vote in the Czech presidential election, which will be held on January 27–28. (DW) 

A large explosion occurs on the Lithuania–Latvia Interconnection natural gas pipeline in Pasvalys District Municipality, Lithuania. Latvian Defence Minster Artis Pabriks says that the cause of the explosion would be investigated and that sabotage “could not be ruled out”. (BBC News) (Reuters) 

The New York County Courthouse issues the maximum allowable $1.6 million fine on the Trump Organization, former president Donald Trump’s conglomerate, for tax fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records. (AFP via France 24) 

Czechs head to the polls to elect their president. Incumbent Miloš Zeman is not eligible to run for re-election, as he is term limited. (Euronews) 

The End

Friday,  January 13th, 2023 

Aides to the President of the United States Joe Biden discover a second set of classified documents besides those found on Monday in a Washington, D.C. office. The White House acknowledges the discovery. (NBC News) 

Russia’s Defence Ministry says its forces have taken full control of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast. However, Ukraine denies the fall of the city and its salt mines, accusing Russia of “information noise”. (BBC News) 

The launch of an unmanned ABL Space Systems RS1 rocket fails at the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska, United States. The rocket crashes during the launch, damaging the launch platform and destroying the rocket and its cargo. (Anchorage Daily News) 

Prosecutors in Japan charge the 42-year-old accused killer of former prime minister Shinzo Abe with murder. Additional charges are expected after the man was found competent by psychiatrists at the beginning of this week. (The Asahi Shimbun)  

Thursday, January 12th, 2023 

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov is appointed commander of the Joint Group of Forces participating in the war with Ukraine. Generals Oleg Salyukov, Alexei Kim, and Sergei Surovikin, who previously held this position, become his deputies. (Fontanka.ru) 

For the first time since 9/11, the FAA issues a nationwide ground stop in the United States following the failure of the FAA’s NOTAM system. (CNBC) 

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that Japan and the United States will include space warfare as a trigger for the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. (AFP via GMA News Online) 

Israeli soldiers raid the Qabatiya village in the occupied West Bank, killing two Palestinian men. In a separate incident, Israeli forces arrests a 18-year-old Palestinian man and kills his father in the Qalandia refugee camp. (AP via The Washington Post)  

The World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations reports an average global temperature of about 1.15 °C above pre-industrial levels in 2022, confirming that the last eight years were the highest temperatures recorded on Earth since records began. (AFP via The Philippine Star) 

The National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina records a 94.8% inflation rate for its economy in 2022, the highest since 1991. (AFP via Buenos Aires Times) 

Swedish mining company LKAB discovers Europe’s largest known deposit of rare-earth elements in Kiruna, Sweden. (Reuters) 

The city of Cusco is placed under red alert after one person is killed and 17 others are injured in clashes between protesters and police. (CNN) 

The Constitutional Court declares that the parties supporting President Patrice Talon, including the Progressive Union for Renewal and the Republican Bloc, have won a majority of 81 out of 109 seats in the National Assembly. The parties have been accused of electoral fraud by the opposition Democrats party, who plan to contest the results. (AFP via RFI) 

Cricket Australia announces the withdrawal of the Australia national team from their One Day International matches against Afghanistan scheduled for March in response to the Taliban government’s recent prohibitions of education and employment for women. (CNN) 

An Islamic State suicide bomber blows himself up at the entrance of the foreign ministry offices in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 20 people and many others injured. (Al Jazeera) 

The United Kingdom’s postal service Royal Mail tells people to stop sending mail abroad due to a “cyber incident” that is causing severe disruption to mail delivery, with “minor delays” to mail coming into the UK also being reported. (BBC News) 

The End

Wednesday, January 11th, 2023 

An X1.9-class solar flare erupts from an active sunspot while facing Earth causing temporary radio blackouts in parts of South America, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The source is “hyperactive sunspot AR3184”, which also caused a X1.2-class solar flare on January 5. (Space.com) 

Six people are injured in a knife attack at Paris’s Gare du Nord train station. (BBC News) 

Ugandan Health Minister Jane Aceng declares an end to the outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus in the country that has killed 77 people since September. (Reuters) 

For the first time since 9/11, the FAA issues a nationwide ground stop in the United States following the failure of the FAA’s NOTAM system. (CNBC) 

Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev says that Russia is now fighting NATO, “and above all the United States and Britain” in Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Prime Minister Alberto Otárola imposes a three-day curfew in the Puno region from 8 pm to 4 am (PET) the following day in an effort to repress the protests. (AFP via France 24) 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy denaturalizes pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk and three others for high treason. (AFP via Hindustan Times) 

The New York City Criminal Court sentences former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to five months in the infirmary unit of Rikers Island for tax fraud and tax evasion. (AFP via NDTV) 

The Supreme Court of the Philippines nullifies the country’s Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking agreement with the China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Petrovietnam to conduct joint oil and gas exploration activities within the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea since 2005, citing the unconstitutionality of permitting foreign corporations and governments to exploit the country’s natural resources. (Reuters via CNN) 

Microsoft ends support for Windows 8.1 and security updates for Windows 7. (Tech Crunch) 

Tuesday,  January 10th, 2023 

The UK Ministry of Defense says that Russian forces are in control of most of Soledar in Donetsk Oblast. Both Wagner fighters and Ukrainian forces say intense fighting continues on the western outskirts of the city. (The Guardian) 

China suspends the issuance of short-term travel visas to Japanese and South Korean citizens to reciprocate the two countries’ imposition of travel restrictions on Chinese citizens in response to the recent COVID-19 surge. (AFP via Channels TV) 

Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announces the postponement of joint military exercises with the Russian Armed Forces under the Collective Security Treaty Organization this year, citing the organization’s refusal to condemn Azerbaijan over the disputes. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

The Corruption Eradication Commission arrests Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe as part of an investigation regarding corruption in the region’s infrastructure development. (Detik) 

A Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Iran, sentences a Belgian aid worker to a minimum of 12 and a half years in prison and 74 lashes on espionage charges. (AP via VOA) 

Monday,  January 9th, 2023 

At least 18 people are killed and over 100 others are injured when the Peruvian National Police fire upon demonstrations in Juliaca. (Reuters) 

Protests break out in the city of Gyumri in Armenia against the Russian military presence in the country and the Russian peacekeepers’ inaction in ending the Lachin corridor blockade. Dozens of protesters are arrested by police after they attempted to reach the Russian military base near the city to blockade it. (OC Media) 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba names Alain Claude Bilie By Nze as the new prime minister and head of government, replacing Rose Christiane Raponda. (Xinhua) 

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne fails to reach the Low Earth orbit with a payload of several small satellites after the rocket suffered a second-stage engine anomaly on its ascent to space, resulting in the loss of the payload. The mission, which launched from Spaceport Cornwall in South West England, would have been the first rocket launched from United Kingdom territory. (AFP via Hindustan Times) 

In American football, the Georgia Bulldogs repeat as national champions, defeating the TCU Horned Frogs in a 65–7 blowout. (NPR) 

China reopens its borders for unrestricted travel, marking the repeal of the last Zero-COVID policy still in effect in the nation. (Bloomberg) 

Around 1,200 supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are arrested following yesterday’s riots. (The New York Times) 

The End