Portal:Current events

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	More January 2016 events...

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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

U.S. winter storm on January 23

Four nations in the Americas warn women to postpone pregnancy due to the possible threat of microcephaly in newborn babies from the Zika virus.
A winter storm (satellite image pictured) causes at least seventeen deaths and paralyzes travel across the Eastern United States.
Caltech researchers discover evidence of a hypothetical Planet Nine, about ten times the mass of Earth, in the outer Solar System.
Gunmen open fire at Bacha Khan University in Pakistan, killing more than twenty people.

Ongoing events:
- European migrant crisis
Recent deaths:
- Glenn Frey

January 25, 2016 (Monday)

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Disasters and accidents

At least eighty-five people are killed after a cold snap hits Taiwan. (Focus Taiwan)

Politics and elections

Bob Brown, former Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens, is arrested during a protest in the Tasmanian village of Lapoinya over proposed clear fell logging of a nearby forest. (The Australian)

January 24, 2016 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army takes control of the strategic Turkmen town of Rabia in Syria's Latakia Governorate. The town had been under rebel control since 2012. (AFP via Global Post)

Disasters and accidents

Heavy snowfall in western and central Japan, leaves at least two people dead and over a hundred injured. Snowfall was also recorded for the first time in 155 years on Amami Ōshima, a subtropical island in Japan's southern Kagoshima Prefecture. (The Japan Times)
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes southwestern Alaska, leaving 10,000 in the Anchorage area without power and forcing the evacuation of several homes on the Kenai Peninsula. The National Weather Service reported that there was no tsunami following the earthquake. (USGS) (ABC) (The Los Angeles Times)

Politics and elections

Portuguese presidential election, 2016
- Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is elected President of the Portuguese Republic. (ABC News)

Sports

In sumo, Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro wins his first makuuchi (top division) championship to end decade-long drought of a Japanese-born championship winner. (Kyodo via Nikkei Asia Review) (Reuters via Daily Mail)
2015–16 NFL playoffs
- The Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots 20-18 to win the AFC Championship and qualify for Super Bowl 50. (Washington Post)
- The Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 to win the NFC Championship and qualify for Super Bowl 50. (The Guardian)

January 23, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Deir ez-Zor offensive (January 2016)
  - Airstrikes on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-controlled areas in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate, leaves at least 47 civilians dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Sky News Australia)
Jordanian–Syrian border incidents during the Syrian Civil War
- Jordanian soldiers kill 12 "infiltrators" and wound several others, on the border with Syria, foiling an attempt by dozens of smugglers to cross into the kingdom. The soldiers also confiscated more than 2 million narcotics pills that were left behind. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

January 2016 United States winter storm
- This potentially record storm, which is predicted to generate blizzard conditions through a third day on Sunday, has caused at least 10 deaths, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, led to more than 8,300 canceled flights, stranded many travelers on major highways and, with up to 70 mph winds, produced record-high tides along the Delaware and New Jersey shores. (NBC News) (Reuters) (ESPN)

International relations

China–Iran relations
- China and Iran agree to expand trade ties between the countries worth $600 billion over the next decade following Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Tehran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said the trade deal marked "the beginning of an important era" in Iran-China relations. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

European migrant crisis
- Around 200 migrants storm the French port of Calais, near the Channel Tunnel to Britain, after a demonstration in support of migrants living in the nearby Calais jungle camp, with approximately 50 of them boarding the P&O Ferries operated MS Spirit of Britain cross-border ferry. The port was closed following the incident. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering a possible independent presidential run if Donald Trump or Texas Senator Ted Cruz face Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the general election. (The New York Times) (CNN) (NBC News)
Polish Constitutional Court crisis, 2015, Committee for the Defence of Democracy
- Poland surveillance law plan angers protesters: Thousands of Poles take part in marches in Warsaw and other cities to protest about plans of the conservative government, which they say will curtail privacy and freedom. (BBC News)

Science and technology

Blue Origin's rocket New Shepard has been reflown in Texas. (BBC)

January 22, 2016 (Friday)

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Arts and culture

Douglas Borough Council announces that the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, at Douglas, Isle of Man, ran for the last time at the end of the 2015 season. (BBC)

Business and economy

Steve Zadesky, who has been running the electric car project for Apple Inc. for two years, will leave that company soon for personal reasons, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

January 2016 United States winter storm
- Millions of people in the Mid-Atlantic states brace for a winter storm. (BBC)(CNN)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- The United States government implements new restrictions to its visa waiver program which now requires, with limited exceptions, European, Japanese and Australian travelers to the United States who either have been visitors in the last five years to or are dual-citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan to obtain a travel visa. The new visa policies were mandated by legislation which was passed, in the aftermath of November 2015 Paris attacks, by Congress on the grounds of national security. (CNN), (NYT), (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Law and crime

La Loche shootings
- A former La Loche Community School student shot and killed two brothers at home, and two females, one a teacher, at the school in La Loche, Saskatchewan, Canada, while injuring others. A suspect has been arrested. (CBC) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Wei Hong resigns as Governor of Sichuan province in China after it was revealed that he was undergoing investigation for "breaching party discipline." Former World Health Organization executive committee member Yin Li becomes acting governor. (SCMP)

January 21, 2016 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Somalia (2009–present)
- Al-Shabaab militants attack the Lido or beach area in Mogadishu. At least 20 people are reportedly killed. (BBC) (The Telegraph)

Arts and culture

Local Tajikistan police have shaved nearly 13,000 men's beards, closed more than 150 shops selling traditional Muslim clothing, and convinced around 1,800 women and girls to stop wearing headscarves in 2015 as part of a campaign to eradicate foreign influences in the former Soviet Republic. (Al Jazeera via MSN) (TIME)

Health

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa
- The World Health Organisation confirms a second new case of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

International relations

Burundian unrest (2015–present)
- Two former Presidents of Burundi call for the United Nations Security Council to authorise the use of peacekeeping troops in Burundi to prevent a potential civil war. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Dominic Ongwen, a former commander of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, appears before the International Criminal Court in a hearing to determine whether a criminal trial should go ahead. (Reuters)
The State Council of Crimea issues an arrest warrant for the leader of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and former Soviet dissident Mustafa Dzhemilev. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
A British inquiry alleges that Russian President Vladimir Putin "probably" personally approved the FSB's murder of Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006 based on findings from a public enquiry. (CNN)

Politics and elections

The 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam convenes in Hanoi for eight days to select the country's leadership for the next five years. (AP via ABC News America)

January 20, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- Bacha Khan University attack
  - Gunmen attack a university in Charsadda, Pakistan. At least 21 people are reportedly killed. (BBC News)
War in Afghanistan
- A suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan, targets Tolo News, killing four and wounding 20. (BBC News)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL
- Satellite images released by the Associated Press reveal the historic Saint Elijah's Monastery near the Iraqi city of Mosul, the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq that predates Islam, has been completely razed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants. (Independent)

International relations

Kyrgyzstan's parliament revokes an agreement with Russia to construct hydropower plants, officially ending a deal that in reality was going nowhere, due to the "unfavorable economic situation" in Russia. (Radio Free Europe)

Politics and elections

Moldova's parliament approves a new government despite ongoing protests calling for snap elections. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Science and technology

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announce that 2015 was the hottest year on record since the beginning of meteorological records in 1890. (NASA)
A team of astronomers at Caltech infer the existence of a potential new planet (Planet Nine) in the outer Solar System (Washington Post)

January 19, 2016 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- At least 9 people are killed and 35 injured after a suicide bomber strikes near a security checkpoint near Peshawar, Pakistan. (Geo TV), (AFP via RTE)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that scores of Syrian Army troops have been killed in fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant over the past few days with the fiercest battles near the city of Deir ez-Zor. (Jerusalem Post)
- ISIL confirms the death of militant Jihadi John in an airstrike in November. (BBC)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- The United Nations Commission on Human Rights releases a report stating that at least 18,802 civilians have been killed and another 36,245 wounded between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015. Of these, 3,855 civilians were killed and 7,056 wounded between 1 May and 31 October 2015, with approximately half of these deaths occurring in Baghdad. (United Nations)

Arts and culture

Pakistan lifts a three-year ban on YouTube after Google launches a local version that allows the government to demand removal of material it considers to be offensive. Similar systems have existed in China for many years. (Reuters via Yahoo)

Business and economy

The price of oil drops below $28 a barrel, the lowest since 2003. (The Huffington Post via MSN)

Disasters and accidents

The roof of the renovated Hôtel Ritz in Paris is damaged by fire just weeks before the planned re-opening. (BBC) (Reuters)

International relations

OIC and Iran-Saudi relations
- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister has left Tehran for Saudi Arabia for participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ministerial meeting in Jeddah which was called for by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss the consequence of attack at Saudi Embassy in Tehran following the execution of Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr. (IRIB World Service) (OIC)

Law and crime

The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an appeal that may redefine the boundaries of insider trading in U.S. law and regulation, especially as it relates to tips shared among family and friends. (Bloomberg)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Former Governor of Alaska, vice presidential candidate (2008), and Tea Party activist Sarah Palin endorses Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump for President of the United States. (CNN)

Sports

According to a report in The Japan Times, Major League Baseball is investigating Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish as to whether he had any links with an illegal gambling ring allegedly operated by his brother Sho, who was arrested in October 2015 in Osaka on gambling charges. The ring was alleged to have taken bets on MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball games. (The Japan Times)

More January 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Health Zika virus outbreak Flint water crisis Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Burundian unrest Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Sports 2015-16 UEFA Champions League 2015–16 La Liga season 2015–16 NFL playoffs 2015–16 NBA season 2015–16 NHL season 2015–16 Premier League season More details on ongoing conflicts below edit sidebar

Recent deaths
January 24: Jimmy Bain 24: John Jay Hooker 23: Jack Bannister 23: Barry Brickell 23: Archie Gouldie 23: Jennifer Guinness 23: Žuži Jelinek 23: Bobby Wanzer 22: Homayoun Behzadi 21: Mustafa Vehbi Koç 21: Derrick Todd Lee 21: Bill Johnson 21: Mrinalini Sarabhai 20: Bud Beardmore 20: Edmonde Charles-Roux 20: Chang Yung-fa 20: Kingmambo 20: George Weidenfeld 19: Robert M. Carter 19: Yasutaro Koide 19: Samuel Odulana Odungade I 19: Ettore Scola 19: Sheila Sim 18: Johnny Bach 18: Glenn Frey 18: Pablo Manavello 18: Michel Tournier 17: Blowfly 17: Geethapriya 17: Mic Gillette 17: Dale Griffin 17: Gulch 16: Ted Marchibroda 15: James Birren 15: Noreen Corcoran 15: Anil Ganguly 15: Dan Haggerty 14: René Angélil 14: Alan Rickman 14: Shaolin 14: Leonid Zhabotinsky 13: Luis Arroyo 13: Brian Bedford 13: Giorgio Gomelsky 13: J. F. R. Jacob 13: Lawrence Phillips 13: Jim Simpson 12: Robert Black 12: Andrew Smith 12: Carolyn D. Wright 11: Alexander Hickman 11: Monte Irvin 11: Brian Johnson 10: Abbas Bahri 10: David Bowie 10: Jeanne Cordova 10: Michael Galeota 10: Ralph Hauenstein 9: Maria Teresa de Filippis 9: Hamada Emam 9: John Harvard 9: Ed Stewart 8: Ida Gaskin 8: German Moreno 8: Paddy Reid 7: André Courrèges 7: Kitty Kallen 7: Judith Kaye 7: Ashraf Pahlavi 7: Jit Samaroo 7: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed 6: Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros 6: Pat Harrington, Jr. 6: Florence King 6: Christy O'Connor Jnr 6: Nivaria Tejera 6: Labhshankar Thakar 5: Mamdouh Abdel-Alim 5: Pierre Boulez 5: Jean-Paul L'Allier 5: Elizabeth Swados 4: Stephen W. Bosworth 4: Andres Rodriguez 4: Robert Stigwood 3: Paul Bley 3: C. B. Forgotston 3: Raymond W. Lessard 3: Peter Naur 3: Igor Sergun 2: Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan 2: Michel Delpech 2: Leonard Evans 2: Nimr al-Nimr 2: Gisela Mota Ocampo 2: Frances Cress Welsing 1: Dale Bumpers 1: Brian Johns 1: Mike Oxley 1: Vilmos Zsigmond December 31: Natalie Cole 31: Steve Gohouri (body found on this date) 31: Wayne Rogers 30: Doug Atkins 29: Pavel Srníček 29: Kim Yang-gon 28: Eloy Inos 28: Lemmy 28: Tiffany Leong 28: Ian Murdock 27: Stein Eriksen 27: Ellsworth Kelly 27: Meadowlark Lemon 27: Alfredo Pacheco 27: Haskell Wexler 27: Stevie Wright 26: Tongdaeng 25: Zahran Alloush 25: George Clayton Johnson 25: Jim Carlton 25: Robert Spitzer 25: Jason Wingreen 24: William Guest 23: Don Howe 23: Bülent Ulusu edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Ingushetia Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent December 30: Central African Republic, President, National Assembly (1st round) 30: Kiribati, House of Assembly (1st round) January 7: Kiribati, House of Assembly (2nd round) 16: Taiwan, President, Legislative Yuan 22: Vanuatu, Parliament Upcoming January 24: Portugal, President 31: Central African Republic, President (2nd round) February 18: Uganda, President, Parliament 21: Bolivia, Consitutional referendum 21: Comoros, President 21: Niger, President (1st round), National Assembly edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani, Jason Rezaian Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar