Wednesday,  Jan 31st, 2024 

Protesters throw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris, France. The painting is protected by bulletproof glass and was not damaged. (BBC News) 

American neurotechnology company Neuralink announces it has implanted its brain–computer interface in a human brain for the first time, and that the person is “recovering well” with “initial results showing promising neuron spike detection”. (The Guardian) 

Chinese property sector crisis  – The High Court of Hong Kong orders Evergrande Group into liquidation after the real estate developer fails to restructure a debt amount in excess of US$300 billion. (AP) 

Kata’ib Hezbollah suspends operations against the U.S. military in Iraq, in order to “prevent embarrassment of the Iraqi government”. (Reuters) 

The Ukrainian Air Force launches a wave of Storm Shadow cruise missile strikes on Russian military infrastructure in Crimea, with explosions reported near Sevastopol International Airport. Russia says it shot down 20 Ukrainian missiles over the Black Sea. (The Telegraph) 

The European Union formally approves a €50 billion financial support package for Ukraine after Hungary withdraws its veto. The package is expected to help the Ukrainian government pay pensions, salaries and other costs over the next four years with the first funds being released in March. (BBC News) 

Russia and Ukraine conduct a prisoner exchange on the border, with 195 soldiers being returned to Russia, and 207 military personnel and civilians being returned to Ukraine, respectively. The deal was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. (BBC News) 

Russia claims control of the village of Tabaivka in Kharkiv Oblast. However, Ukraine denies this claim. (Kyiv Independent) 

A hangar currently under construction collapses in Boise, Idaho, United States, killing three people and injuring nine. (ABC News) 

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor becomes the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. (Reuters) 

Tuesday,  Jan 30th, 2024 

Ukrainian forces say that they shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet over Luhansk Oblast. (Kyiv Post) 

The Lviv Oblast becomes the first oblast in Ukraine to remove all Soviet Union-era monuments. (Reuters) 

Four people are killed and 15 others are rescued after a boat capsizes while travelling between Cancún and Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (AP) 

A bus collides with a truck on a highway in Elota, Sinaloa, Mexico, killing 19 people and injuring 18 others. (AP) 

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is sentenced to ten years in prison for leaking state secrets. (BBC News) 

Balochistan Liberation Army separatists launch rockets against security forces in Machh, Balochistan, Pakistan, killing a police officer and injuring 15 others, in response to Pakistan’s Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar. Six militants are killed in the ensuing shootout. (AP) 

Four current National Hockey League players who took part in the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario, Canada in connection with the 2018 investigation. (CBC) 

Monday,  January 29th, 2024 

Four men are executed in Iran after being convicted of planning a bomb attack ordered by Israel’s Mossad on a military equipment factory. (Al Jazeera) 

Baloch Liberation Army forces launch a multipronged attack dubbed “Operation Dara-e-Bolan” on Pakistani security forces, capturing checkpoints and Pakistani bases in Machh, and attacking other areas, including Kolpur. (The Balochistan Post) 

Amazon terminates its proposed US$1.7 billion acquisition of consumer robot manufacturer iRobot Corporation after facing antitrust scrutiny from the European Commission. (AP) 

The man who claimed that he is the fugitive Satoshi Kirishima, a former member of the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front who was wanted for his role in a series of bombings in the 1970s and who was arrested by Japanese police on January 25, dies in a hospital in Tokyo, Japan. However, it has not been confirmed if the man was actually Kirishima. (NHK World) 

Police arrest five people for the deaths of six people found in the desert near El Mirage, California, United States, over an illegal marijuana trade. The victims were shot dead, with the bodies of four of them being burned. (The Guardian) 

Former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma is suspended from the African National Congress, the party he led from 2007 to 2017. (BBC News) 

Sunday, January 28th, 2024 

Three American soldiers are killed and 34 others are injured in a drone attack upon a U.S. base in Rukban, Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, near the border with Syria, by Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants. (CNBC) 

A Turkish man is shot dead by two masked gunmen at an Italian Roman Catholic church in Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey. The Islamic State claims responsibility. (AP) 

A Piper PA-46 crashes in the rural area of Itapeva, Minas Gerais, Brazil, killing all seven people on board. (O Globo) 

In Afghanistan, ten vehicles crash on the main highway linking Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar Province, killing 17 people and wounding ten others. Separately, 15 people are killed during four collisions in Laghman Province, near the end of the same highway. (AP) 

Six hundred hectares of forest are destroyed by fire in Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Patagonia, Argentina. (NOS) 

In tennis, Jannik Sinner defeats Daniil Medvedev in the final, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3, to win the men’s singles title at the 2024 Australian Open. It is Sinner’s first major singles title and the first for an Italian player at the tournament. (CNN) 

In American football, the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers defeat the Detroit Lions to advance to Super Bowl LVIII. (USA Today) 

The End

Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 

The U.S. military launches airstrikes on facilities in Iraq used by Kata’ib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for Sunday’s ballistic missile attack on Al-Asad Airbase, which left four American soldiers injured. (ABC News) 

A building complex sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip, has caught fire after being hit by Israel, causing mass casualties. Also, at least 214 civilians were killed in the city during the past 24 hours by Israeli airstrikes. (Al Jazeera) 

A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane carrying – according to Russia – 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three guards –crashes in Russia’s Korochansky District, near the Ukrainian border, killing everybody on board. (Reuters) 

Nauru formally re-establishes diplomatic ties with China after withdrawing recognition of Taiwan. (Reuters) 

The Constitutional Court of Thailand acquits former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat in the owning of shares in the defunct media company iTV paving the way for his resumption as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives. (Associated Press) 

Tuesday,  Jan 23rd, 2024 

The 2024 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary is held. Donald Trump is projected to win the primary by the Associated Press, NBC News, and The New York Times.  (NBC News) 

The 2024 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary is held. Joe Biden’s name does not appear on the ballot due to a scheduling dispute between the Democratic National Committee and the state government. (CBS News) 

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a decree recognizing some Russian territories, including parts of Bryansk Oblast and Krasnodar Krai, as historically inhabited by Ukrainians. (The Kyiv Independent) 

At least 18 civilians are killed and at least 130 others are injured by Russian missile strikes in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Ukraine says that it shot down 21 of 41 missiles. (BBC News) 

Germany announces that it will donate six SH-3 Sea King helicopters to the Ukrainian Air Force to help it patrol the Black Sea. (Reuters) 

Turkey’s Grand National Assembly approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid. (CNN) 

Twenty-one Israeli soldiers are killed in an explosion and subsequent building collapse in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, making it the deadliest day for the Israel Defense Forces since the ground invasion began. (Sky News) 

North Korea demolishes the Arch of Reunification in Pyongyang after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ruled out peaceful reunification with South Korea. (NDTV) 

Six people are killed and 11 are injured when a gas truck collides with a car in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (ABC) 

Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court rules that the National Democratic Party of Germany will be prohibited from receiving funding as an extremist organization, the first time the constitutional provision has been enforced since its establishment in 2017. (Politico) 

Nikki Haley wins the small community of Dixville Notch, which holds its primary at midnight, by a count of 6 votes to zero of Donald Trump. (CNN) 

Five civilians are killed and 40 more are injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv. (The Guardian) 

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes the Uqturpan County, China, killing three people and injuring five more. Tremors are felt in the nearby Kazakhstan, in which 67 people have been injured in the capital Almaty. Forty-seven buildings in China collapsed, while a further 78 are damaged. (AP) (Nur.kz) 

A woman is killed while her husband and their daughter are injured after a car crashes into a roadblock in Pamiers, France, at a FNSEA protest for better pay and against excessive regulation. The three victims were members of the union. (AP) 

The National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines orders the indefinite suspension of the broadcast operations of Sonshine Media Network International citing the network’s failure to comply with an earlier suspension order. (Rappler) 

The Senate of the Philippines’ committee on women conducts a public hearing regarding the alleged abuses within the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Three women, two Ukrainian nationals and one Filipino, accuse church leader Apollo Quiboloy of sexually abusing them.(CNN Philippines) 

Monday,  January 22nd, 2024 

The United States and United Kingdom launch fresh airstrikes on Houthi military infrastructure in Yemen, including an underground storage site, anti-ship missiles and radars. The UK confirms four RAF Typhoons took part in the strikes. (BBC News) 

Seven people are killed in two separate shootings at two homes in Joliet, Illinois, United States. Later the same day, the suspect fatally shoots himself in Texas. An eighth person was also killed by the same gunman a day before. (BBC News) 

Joseph Boakai is inaugurated President of Liberia, succeeding outgoing President George Weah, whom he defeated in the 2023 runoff election. (BBC News) 

The controversial Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, is inaugurated by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. (CNN) 

At least 18 people are killed after a truck plunged into a ravine in Kasangulu, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP) 

A landslide in Zhaotong, Yunnan, China, kills at least eight people and buries 47 others. Over 200 people are evacuated. (CNA) 

Sunday, January 21st, 2024 

Florida governor Ron DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses former President Donald Trump. (Fox News) 

The Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex in Leningrad Oblast is hit by a drone attack, causing a large fire. Russian gas producer Novatek subsequently suspends all operations at the complex in response to the attack. Ukraine claims responsibility. (Reuters)

At least 27 people are killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes on Donetsk, according to Russian-appointed local officials. Donetsk People’s Republic leader Denis Pushilin declares a day of mourning in response to the strikes. (Reuters) 

At least 12 gunmen are killed by security forces on a highway in Sonora, Mexico, during a failed attempt to rescue the son of a prominent Sinaloa Cartel hitman from police custody. Two officers are also injured in the shootout. (Reuters) 

The death toll from the ongoing winter storms in the United States increases to 89, with most of the deaths reported in Oregon and Tennessee. (BBC News) 

A soldier opens fire upon fellow soldiers at a barracks in Kerman, Iran, killing five. The suspect is at large. (AP) 

Organising groups Campact and Fridays for Future announce that 1.4 million people protested against the Alternative for Germany party in 100 cities across Germany following the meeting of right-wing extremists at Potsdam in 2023. (Agence France-Presse) 

At least 25 people are killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes on Donetsk.  (Reuters) 

The United States Central Command says that a ballistic missile attack by Iranian-backed militias on Al-Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq, has injured several U.S. troops and at least one Iraqi soldier. (BBC News) 

United States Navy F/A-18s operating from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier carry out another wave of airstrikes on Houthi missile launchers in Yemen, with explosions reported in Al Hudaydah. (The Times of Israel) 

Israel launches an airstrike against a vehicle in Tyre, Lebanon, killing two Hezbollah members, including commander Ali Hudruj, and two other people in a nearby orchard. (Al Arabiya) 

An Israeli airstrike targeting a building in Damascus, Syria, kills five members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including general Sadegh Omidzadeh. (Al Jazeera) (SOHR) 

The End