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U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios) 

The International Criminal Court prosecutor requests arrest warrants against Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Taliban chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity. (Reuters) 

Chief Judge of the United States District Court in Washington State, U.S., John C. Coughenour blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional“. (Reuters) 

Four people are killed and five more injured in a stampede at a delivery of food and money amid Lunar New Year celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP) 

A court in Liverpool, England, sentences the man who was found guilty of killing three children and injuring 10 others in a mass stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, to life imprisonment with a minimum of 52 years in prison. (DW) 

Thailand becomes the 38th country and the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. (Reuters) 

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace of the United States issues a report alleging that aerospace manufacturer Boeing, long associated with the Seattle, Washington area, has been relocating much of its engineering work to non-unionized sites both in the US and abroad. (Reuters) 

At least thirteen people are killed in a railway accident in JalgaonMaharashtra, India. The victims had initially fled from their train following an alleged fire alarm and were subsequently struck and killed by a passing train on the adjacent tracks. (BBC) 

Militants from an offshoot branch of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front open fire against a United Nations livelihood project in Sumisip, Basilan, Philippines, killing two soldiers and wounding 12 others. (AP) 

The Somali Airlines Operators Association, representing at least 20 airlines, suspends all flights beginning on January 22, 2025, in protest against increased government-imposed fees after disputes with the Ministry of Aviation and the Somali Civil Aviation Authority(Shabelle Media) 

The Hughes Fire ignites and spreads to over 5,000 acres in less than four hours, triggering mandatory evacuation orders in settlements around Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times) (KTLA) 

The death toll of a historic winter storm event on the Gulf Coast of the United States rises to 9 people. 8 in (20 cm) of snowfall is measured at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana. The statewide snowfall record in Florida is broken as over 5.5 in (14 cm) falls in Molino(CNN) 

United States President Donald Trump re-designates the Yemeni Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization(The Hill) 

Daniel Ball, a rioter that took part in the riot at the United States Capitol, is arrested again despite being pardoned by Trump, making him the first rioter to get additional legal trouble after the pardon. (The Hill) 

Two students are killed, including the shooter, and two others are wounded in a school shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. (CNN) 

The U.S. Congress passes the Laken Riley Act following a 263–156 vote in the House of Representatives, making it easier for immigration agents to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with a variety of crimes ranging from theft to assault. It will head to President Donald Trump for his signature. (NPR) 

Kyle Clifford, the perpetrator of the Hunt family killings in Bushey, England in 2024, pleads guilty to three counts of murder. (BBC News) 

The End Thursday 

U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios) 

U.S. President Donald Trump unveils “the largest AI infrastructure project in history”, a joint venture between OpenAIOracle, and SoftBank, called Stargate. With funding of up to $500 billion in the next 4 years, the project aims to build data centers and computing infrastructure across the United States to power AI development and create over 100,000 jobs. (The Guardian) 

Kingdom Holding announces the resumption of construction on the 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)-tall Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be the world’s tallest building(Al Arabiya) 

The Houthis report that 25 crew members of the Japanese-operated roll-on/roll-off ship Galaxy Leader, including many foreign nationals, are released to Oman, with the Houthis citing support for the 2025 Israel–Hamas ceasefire as the reason for release. (BBC) 

Two people are killed and others are injured in a mass stabbing at a park in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany. The perpetrator is arrested. (Express) 

1 person is killed and 2 others injured in a mass stabbing in Nagano, Japan (Mainichi) 

Trump officially creates the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk aimed at cutting spending of the U.S. government. DOGE is a temporary organization under the United States DOGE Service, not a federal executive department. Within minutes of the announcement, government employee unions, watchdog groups, and public interest organizations sued over this executive order. (Reuters) 

During celebrations of the inauguration, businessman Elon Musk appears to make two consecutive Nazi salutes to a crowd at the Capital One Arena. Musk denied any meaning behind the gesture. (The Guardian) 

United States President Donald Trump formally pardons around 1,500 defendants who had been criminally charged with involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack(NBC News) 

President Trump announces a pause in $300 billion of funding for green infrastructure previously allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act(Financial Times) 

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for his siblings, former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack prior to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Biden also commutes the sentence of Indigenous activist and convicted murderer Leonard Peltier(BBC News) (HuffPost) 

Two Americans held in Afghanistan are freed in exchange for a Taliban fighter serving a life sentence for drug trafficking in the United States. The deal is brokered by Qatar and finalized during the final hours of the outgoing Biden administration. (DW) 

Six people are killed in Homs Governorate as security forces conduct an operation against militias supporting ousted president Bashar al-Assad. (Al Arabiya) 

Israeli forces launch a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing at least ten people and injuring more than 35 others. (Al Jazeera) 

Four people are injured, one seriously, in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. (The Times of Israel) 

Nikon FG-20 – Zeiss Milvus Distagon 50mm f/1.4 Zf.2 – Potsdam 100 – McArdle Bridge Chelsea – January 4th, 2025

At least 76 people are killed and another 51 injured in a fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu Province, Turkey. (Reuters) 

The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia warns that about 46,000 schoolchildren have not been able to start the academic year due to the ongoing conflict in the region and asserted that about 35% of the affected displaced population are individuals under the age of 18. (El Espectador) 

Fourteen members of the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, including one minor, surrendered to personnel from the National Army of Colombia to avoid combat with the ELN(Blu Radio) 

M23 rebels seize the town of Minova in Kalehe Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, cutting off a major supply route to the strategic city of Goma. (Reuters) 

Multiple brush fires spread by hurricane-force winds erupt in San Diego County, California, U.S., prompting evacuation orders. (USA Today) 

Much of Canada and the contiguous United States are impacted by a cold wave, killing one person near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Historic snowfall is expected in the US South, and historic blizzard and whiteout conditions are expected on the Gulf Coast. (CNN) 

One person is killed and another is injured in an explosion at the Port in Barcelona, Spain. (Reuters) 

Twenty Ethiopian migrants are killed when their boat capsizes off Yemen after departing from Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration(Al Arabiya) 

The End Wednesday 

Donald Trump is to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. as the 47th President of the United States. (AP) 

Outgoing U.S. president Joe Biden issues “unprecedented” pre-emptive pardons for former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack before Trump takes office. (BBC News)

 An Iranian court sentences singer Amir Tataloo to death on appeal after Tataloo was convicted of insulting the prophet Muhammad(Al Arabiya) 

Ukrainian drones attack industrial facilities in Tatarstan, Russia, prompting the Federal Air Transport Agency to temporarily suspend flights from Kazan International Airport and Begishevo Airport. (ABC News) 

A court in Kolkata, India, sentences a 33-year-old police volunteer to life in prison for the August 2024 rape and murder of a medical trainee. (DW) 

China executes the perpetrators of the 2024 Zhuhai car attack and the 2024 Wuxi stabbing attack(Al Jazeera) 

Eight people are killed and seven more are injured in an arson attack at a nursing home in Barajevo, Belgrade, Serbia. (Reuters) 

Canon R100 – Olympus 100mm f/2.8

Israel announces that its troops have recovered the body of staff sergeant Oron Shaul, who was captured and killed by Hamas in 2014. (The Times of Israel) 

The Gaza ceasefire agreement formally goes into effect, with the first hostages and prisoners freed as part of the deal. (CNN) 

Three ministers of the Government of Israel belonging to the Otzma Yehudit party resign in protest of the approved Gaza ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel) 

The Women’s March holds a protest rebranded as the People’s March in Washington, D.C. against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Women’s March protests are also held in several cities in the United Kingdom. (Reuters) 

Social media platform TikTok temporarily suspends most of its services in the United States as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act goes into effect. TikTok restores these services, but its app remains unavailable in U.S. markets on the App Store and Google Play(People) (AP) 

Soldiers open fire against a group of illegal miners in Obuasi, Ghana, killing seven and wounding another. (AP) 

The National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents exchange heavy fire across the Catatumbo region [es], Colombia, killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds of others, with an unknown number of people also reportedly being kidnapped, after the ELN accused the FARC dissidents of killing civilians in the area. Thousands of people have fled their homes due to the fighting. The Colombian Army says that it has rescued dozens of people, while the government calls on the ELN to cease their attacks immediately. (CBS News) 

Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be formally arrested, following his declaration of martial law in December. (Yonhap) 

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Following Yoon’s arrest, pro-Yoon protesters raid the Seoul Western District Court, resulting in 41 injuries and property damage. (Yonhap) 

Cal Fire reports that the Palisades Fire is more than 50% contained, while the Eaton Fire is more than 80% contained. (Forbes) 

Two judges are killed and a third judge and a bodyguard are injured in a mass shooting at the Supreme Court of Iran in Tehran, Iran. The perpetrator subsequently kills himself. (DW) 

More than 70 people are arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in London, England, United Kingdom for violating protest regulations. (BBC News) 

The End

birthday party

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 

Oil begins to wash ashore on Bonaire, Leeward Antilles, believed to have originated from ship Gulfstream with around 35,000 barrels of oil on board that capsized near Tobago earlier in February. (NOS) 

China urges the world’s largest nuclear states to negotiate a ‘no-first-use’ treaty. (Reuters) 

Tuesday,  February 27th, 2024 

The Ukrainian military says it has withdrawn from the villages of Sieverne and Stepove near Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, following the announcement of its withdrawal from the nearby village of Lastochkyne on February 26. (Reuters) 

Two people are killed in Conakry, Guinea, during protests related to an ongoing nationwide strike. (Reuters) 

Thirty-one people are killed and ten more injured after a bus en route from Mali to Burkina Faso crashes on a road in Koumantou. (AP) 

The Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas panhandle continues to spread, with almost 200,000 acres currently on fire. (CNN) 

The identity of a deceased man is confirmed by a DNA test to be Satoshi Kirishima who participated in the bombing. (BBC News) 

In the Netherlands, the Marengo trial concludes after six years. Of the 17 prosecuted people, three people, including Ridouan Taghi and Saïd Razzouki, are sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in ten murders. (NOS) 

Michigan holds its Republican and Democratic primaries. Former president Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden are the respective winners. (The New York Times) 

The End Wednesday 

Republican and Democratic primaries are held in Michigan. (VOA) 

The Hungarian parliament ratifies Sweden’s bid to join NATO. (BBC News) 

The Israeli Air Force announces the establishment of a new department focused on monitoring the Iranian Armed Forces. (Jerusalem Post) 

Israel conducts airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, marking Israel’s deepest incursion into Lebanon since the outbreak of hostilities. (Reuters) 

RED-Tabara militants launch an attack in Buringa, Bubanza Province, Burundi, killing nine people and injuring five others. The local headquarters of the ruling CNDD–FDD party is also set on fire. (Actualite) 

Prime Minister of Palestine Mohammad Shtayyeh and the entirety of his government resign from office, amid public unpopularity and pressure from the United States government to reform during the Israel–Hamas war. (CNN) 

Turkey launches an airstrike in northern Iraq, killing 4 alleged PKK members. (Hürriyet Daily) 

Aaron Bushnell, a United States Air Force active-duty member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy yesterday in Washington, D.C., in solidarity with Palestinians, has died at hospital due to his wounds. (Al Jazeera) 

Illegal loggers kill three forest rangers in the foothills of the Iztaccihuatl volcano in the Mexican state of Puebla. (El Sol de Puebla) 

Sudanese military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan meets with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Tripoli, Libya, to request help in the war in Sudan due to the involvement of Libyan mercenaries. (Sudan War Monitor) 

Feleti Teo is elected unopposed as the new Prime Minister of Tuvalu. Incumbent prime minister Kausea Natano had lost re-election during January’s general election. (RNZ)  

Fifteen people are killed and two more injured during an attack on a Catholic Church in the village of Essakane, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. (BBC News) 

Dozens of people are killed during an attack at a mosque in Natiaobani. (Al Jazeera) 

saturday night in cambridge

Donald Trump wins the 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary. (Fox News) (CNN) 

Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander Odysseus successfully touches down on the Moon, near the lunar south pole, making it the first private company to successfully land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. (BBC News) 

US military launch strikes against 18 Houthi targets.(Politico) 

Two Hezbollah members killed by Israeli strike.(Times of Israel) 

Nine people are killed and 17 are injured in a bus crash near Paulpietersburg, South Africa. (AP) 

Voting begins in elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, and local councils, with only four pro-government parties permitted to run. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urges Belarusians to boycott the elections, pledging to hold elections to the Coordination Council in May of this year. (POLITICO) 

Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko pledges to run in the next Belarusian presidential election during voting. (Reuters) 

Ukraine military take out 16 out of 18 HESA Shahed 136 type drone attacks.(KyivIndependent) 

The German Bundestag votes to legalise recreational usage of cannabis for adults, making Germany the third European country to do so after Malta and Luxembourg(CNN) 

A high-altitude balloon is detected over the Western United States, prompting the deployment of fighter aircraft to intercept the object. The origin and purpose of the balloon are unknown, according to U.S. officials. (BBC News) 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declares that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, overturning a policy instated under former U.S. President Donald Trump(Haaretz) 

A large oil slick from the Houthi missile-damaged cargo ship Rubymar forms in the Gulf of Aden, threatening an environmental disaster. (Times of India) 

At a summit in Abuja, Nigeria, ECOWAS lifts sanctions on Niger, but continues to demand the release of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum and his family. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukraine claims responsibility for the downing of a Russian Beriev A-50 over Krasnodar Krai, Russia, which is their second downing of an A-50 this year. (Kyiv Independent) (Business Insider) 

An Ethiopian airstrike kills at least 15 people and injures more than 20 others in North Shewa, Ethiopia, with many of the victims fleeing clashes between Fano and the Ethiopian government. (Reuters) 

At least 15 people are killed and 44 more injured during a fire at an apartment block in Nanjing, China. (Al Jazeera) 

Three women are killed during a mass stabbing at a brothel in ViennaAustria. A 27-year-old male suspect is arrested. (Swiss Info) 

President of Senegal Macky Sall states that he will leave the presidency in April, but does not give a specific date for the presidential election, which was postponed earlier this month. (AP) 

Three new moons of the Solar System are discovered, one around Uranus and two around Neptune, bringing their total known satellites to 28 and 16, respectively. (PBS) 

A Palau-flagged cargo ship en route to Egypt is set on fire after being hit by an anti-ship missile in the Gulf of Aden, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. No casualties are reported. (AP) 

Forty people are killed and 100 others are injured in Israeli airstrikes against residential buildings in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera) 

One Israeli is killed and 11 others are seriously injured in a shooting attack by three Palestinians near the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. Two gunmen are killed by Israeli soldiers, while a third is injured and arrested. (The National News) 

The World Food Programme releases a report stating that more than 95% of Sudan’s population cannot afford a meal a day. (Barron’s) 

Five people are killed when a barge collides with the Lixinsha Bridge [zh] in Guangzhou, China. (Reuters) 

Nine people are killed, 15 others are injured and one is missing during a fire at a 14-storey residential building in Valencia, Spain. (AP) 

An Alaskan jury finds Brian Smith guilty of the murder of Kathleen Jo Henry and Veronica Abouchuk. (ABC News) 

A court in Panama orders the arrest of former president Ricardo Martinelli, who is under protection of the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City. (ABC News) 

More than 71,000 customers of US mobile carrier AT&T experience network outages. Some Verizon and T-Mobile users also report outages.  (NBC News) 

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