A new government is formed in Lebanon, with former International Court of Justice president Nawaf Salam as the new prime minister, following two years of the country under a caretaker government. (AP)
Seventy-nine countries jointly speak out in a statement against the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on the International Criminal Court officials. (NOS)
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan becomes the first person to have economic and travel sanctions placed on him by the U.S. government following an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump intended to target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of U.S. citizens or allies. (The Times of Israel)
Two tourists die in Colombo, Sri Lanka, when their hostel room is fumigated with a pesticide for bedbugs. (CNN)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that influenza in the United States is at its highest peak since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. (CBS News)
Officials in New York City, United States, order the closure of all live poultry markets in the city as well as in the surrounding suburban counties of Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau due to an increase in cases of avian influenza. (DW)
At least 41 people are killed when a bus collides with a semi-trailer truck in Escárcega, Campeche, Mexico. (Reuters)
Three more Israeli hostages are freed by Hamas as part of the January 19 ceasefire deal. (Saudi Gazette)
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 strikes the Caribbean Sea southwest of the Cayman Islands. (CNN)
A crisis summit is held involving the regional blocs SADC and the EAC, along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. DR Congo is represented by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, while President Félix Tshisekedi attends virtually. The blocs call for a ceasefire and negotiations involving the M23 movement, while the Congolese do not comment. (BBC)
Friday, February 7th, 2025
In an operation led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S. formally seizes a Venezuelan government airplane in the Dominican Republic. (CNN)
Russia says its forces have taken full control of Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, after months of urban warfare. (Reuters)
Between 45 to 60 civilians are killed after an ambush by Islamic State gunmen against a convoy of buses in Kobe, Mali. (Xinhua)
The Somali National Army, supported by local Ma’awisley clan militias, kills dozens of al-Shabaab insurgents during heavy clashes which erupted after allied forces launch an offensive targeting al-Shabaab stronghold positions in the Jicibow area of Shebelle River, Hiiraan, Somalia. (Hiiraan Online)
U.S. President Donald Trump orders a freeze on all foreign aid to South Africa citing a South African law that allegedly allows land to be forcibly seized from white farmers. Trump also calls for the U.S. to accept Afrikaner refugees to protect them from “government-sponsored race-based discrimination”. (NDTV)
A person is killed as a fourth shooting takes place in Brussels, Belgium, within a few days. The murder is related to the other three non-fatal shootings. As a result, the six separate police zones in Brussels will start working under one command. (AP)
German Federal Police detains 16 Indian nationals found in a van in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, including 15 passengers and the driver, as they attempt to enter the country without valid documents. (DW)
Three people, including the perpetrator, are killed and three others are injured in a mass shooting familicide when a military police officer opens fire at a house in Prey Ampok Commune, Cambodia. (Khmer Times)
United States federal judge of the D.C. District Court Carl J. Nichols temporarily blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order to place over 2,200 USAID employees on paid leave. (AP)
FIFA suspends the Republic of the Congo and Pakistan from official international competitions for violations of its statutes, citing third-party interference in the Congolese Football Federation and the Pakistan Football Federation‘s failure to implement constitutional reforms ensuring fair elections. (Reuters)
Moldova Prime Minister Dorin Recean calls for the breakaway state of Transnistria to take steps to avoid a new gas crisis. (Reuters)
Azerbaijan authorities announce that they will close their local Rossotrudnichestvo (House of Russia) branch in Baku. (Trend)
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)
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)
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 PresidentSara 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 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)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announces 25% tariffs on American imports in retaliation of Trump’s tariffs on the country. (Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a retaliatory 25% tariff on all U.S. goods following Trump’s recent executive order. (NBC News)
U.S. President Donald Trump announces 10% tariffs on goods imported from China. China vows to take the matter to the World Trade Organization. (NBC News)
Venezuela frees six American hostages after U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell meets with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (The Hill)
U.S. President Donald Trump orders the military to carry out airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Somalia. The strikes targeted a series of cave systems used by the group, and follow an earlier military operation by the Puntland Security Force which began in December 2024. (BBC)
At least 50 combatants are killed after fighting between Al-Shabaab and the Somali National Army along with Ma’awisley militias. The clashes happened in the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions of Hirshabelle state, Somalia. (Idil News)
One person is killed and thousands are forced to evacuate their homes in over 1,000 millimetres (39 in) of flooding in North Queensland, Australia. (BBC News)
A United Airlines Airbus A319 catches fire shortly before takeoff at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, United States, with all passengers evacuated safely. (FOX5)
Saturday, February 1st, 2025
Hamas frees three Israeli hostages, Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas. At the same time, Israel releases 183 Palestinian prisoners, seven of which were transferred to Egypt prior to their deportation. (AP)
The Rafah Border Crossing is reopened for the first time since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago during the Rafah offensive. (AP)
Two people are killed and ten others are injured during Israeli airstrikes in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
Gunmen kill ten people in the Alawite village of Arzah in Hama Governorate, Syria. (Al Arabiya)
At least 56 people are killed and 158 others are injured by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling on the Sabrein Market in Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan. (LBC Group)
The RSF are accused of stealing ambulances, food supplies, and other civilian equipment in Khartoum. (Middle East Monitor)
A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Poltava, Ukraine, reportedly kills at least fourteen people and injures at least 17 others. A separate strike kills three police officers in Sumy Oblast. (Reuters)
Eighteen paramilitary troops are killed in clashes with Baloch separatists in Balochistan, Pakistan. At least 24 militants are also killed during the clashes. (Reuters)
Multinational telecoms company BT Group announces that it will layoff 55,000 employees across its global workforce citing a significant drop in revenue in 2024 and “challenges in international markets”. (Business Plus)
A fire at a retirement home in Bouffémont, Val-d’Oise, France, kills three people and leaves nine others injured. (AP)
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)
Friday, January 31st, 2025
Five people are killed and two more injured in Aghjabadi, Azerbaijan, after a child accidentally detonates a discovered hand grenade in their house. (Xinhua)
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre escape after security guards shoot down one of two drones hovering over Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, Somalia. The drones are believed to be used by ISIS and Al-Shabaab. This comes after previous Somali Civil Aviation Authority warnings. (Idil News)
A Learjet 55 air ambulance crashes in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, killing all six people onboard and damaging multiple homes and businesses. One person on the ground is also killed and 19 more injured. (AP)
The Sudanese Armed Forces announce that they have nearly captured all of Bahri, Khartoum State, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)
The Congolese military launches a counterattack against M23 rebels in South Kivu province with the assistance of the Burundian military. (Reuters)
Russian forces launch ballistic missiles at the centre of Odesa and its port, severely damaging numerous civilian buildings, including the historic Bristol Hotel. At least two people are reportedly injured. (Reuters)
Following boycotts in Croatia on January 24, and in conjunction with a follow-up boycott in the country, residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia start a boycott of retail stores in response to rising prices. (Intellinews)
Philippine National Bureau of Investigation agents arrest 100 people in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, for allegedly running an online scam operation as offshore gaming operators are banned in the country. (Arab News)
An agreement is reached among five Belgian political parties to form a new coalition government to be headed by future prime minister Bart De Wever. (Belga)
Encouraged by similar boycotts in Croatia on January 24, and in conjunction with a follow-up boycott in the country, residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia embark on a boycott of retail stores in response to skyrocketing prices. (Intellinews)
President Bongbong Marcos issues a statement that he is deeply disturbed by possible surveillance of the country’s air and naval bases as well as movement of vessels supplying Philippine garrisons in the South China Sea following a series of arrests of suspected Chinese spies in the Philippines. (CNA)
The Hellenic Parliament fails to elect the new President of Greece in the second round. A third round is called for 6 February. (Greek City Times)
The Nicaraguan National Assembly votes unanimously to pass several constitutional reforms that grants the government influence over the media, extend the presidential term to 6 years, and makes President Daniel Ortega‘s wife Rosario Murillo co-President. (Al Jazeera)
Following weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, the Centre Party withdraws from the Norwegian government over disagreements over the implementation of three directives in the European Union’s fourth energy package, with the Labour Party continuing as a single party minority government. (NRK)
Thousands of people gather in Berlin, Germany, to protest against Chancellor-candidate Friedrich Merz and the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union parties after they collaborated with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on a non-binding motion to restrict immigration. Members of the Bundestag debate on motions to ban the AfD, alleging that its beliefs and legal practices are unconstitutional. (DW)
Uganda confirms an outbreak of Ebola, with the first death, a nurse at Mulago National Specialised Hospital in Kampala, being confirmed yesterday. (Reuters)
After establishing a new administration in Goma, Congo River Alliance leader Corneille Nangaa confirms his forces now plan on overthrowing president Félix Tshisekedi. He also says services in the city will return to normal soon as the United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis. (BBC News)
Former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is sentenced to 11 years in prison, following his conviction on bribery and corruption charges. (BBC)
artificial stupid 