Portal:Current events

February 2016 United States blizzard
- A snow storm in the United States is affecting multiple regions in Colorado, California and elsewhere, with more than 70,000 people in southern California losing power. (AccuWeather)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- The World Health Organization declares the spread of the Zika virus a global public health emergency requiring an urgent, united response. (BBC)
The United Kingdom Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority gives licensing rights to the Francis Crick Institute to genetically modify human embryos to study the early stages of embryo development though still needs the approval of a local research ethic board. (BBC) (Nature)

Law and crime

Chinese authorities arrest 21 people involved in the Ezubao online finance scheme accused of allegedly defrauding 900,000 people of 50bn yuan ($7.6bn; £5.3bn) in a Ponzi scheme. (BBC)
Two men are sentenced to death for the murder of Tibetan religious leader Akong Rinpoche, his nephew and his driver in 2013. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The Assembly of the Union for Myanmar meets with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy having the majority for the first time. (Time)
United States presidential election in Iowa, 2016
- Voters in Iowa go to Democratic and Republican Party caucuses in the first formal stage of the U.S. elections. (Yahoo! politics)

January 31, 2016 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- 2016 Dalori attack
  - At least 100 people are killed and hundreds others injured in an attack by Boko Haram militants on Dalori Village 4 kilometers from Maiduguri, Nigeria. (Sahara Reporters)
Syrian Civil War
- 2016 Sayyidah Zaynab bombings
  - At least 60 people are killed and 110 wounded in a twin-suicide bomb attack in the town of Sayyidah Zaynab, Rif Dimashq Governorate, near Syria's holiest Shi'ite shrine, the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claim responsibility for the attack. (NBC News) (The Jerusalem Post)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Yemen's top salafist cleric, Samahan Abdel-Aziz, is found dead, with signs of torture, in Sheikh Othman, Aden Governorate, after being abducted by gunmen outside his mosque after delivering a sermon against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian region cyclone season
- Tropical Cyclone Stan makes landfall on the Western Australian coast east of Pardoo. (ABC News Australia)
Seven people are killed after a truck collides with a train near Cairo, Egypt. (Business Standard)
At least 21 people are killed and 16 injured in a multi-car pile-up on a road near the city of Beni Suef, Egypt. (Omaha)
A huge fire at a factory in Moscow's eastern Sokolniki District, kills at least 12 people. Police suspect arson may be involved. (RT)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction, Japan–North Korea relations
- Japan deploys two MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptor systems in Tokyo in preparation for any North Korean ballistic missiles potentially heading for the city. The deployment comes amid concerns of an imminent North Korean missile launch following the detection of "increased activity" at a North Korean missile facility. (RT)

Sport

2016 Australian Open
- In tennis, defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeats second seed Andy Murray of the United Kingdom in the men's singles in straight sets. It is Djokovic's third straight Grand Slam title. (ABC News Australia), (BBC)

January 30, 2016 (Saturday)

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Business and economics

Social networking service Facebook, and its photo-sharing subsidiary Instagram, ban private, person-to-person sales of guns via their services. (CNBC) (The Christian Science Monitor)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian region cyclone season
- Western Australia's Pilbara region braces for the impact of Cyclone Stan, which is expected to make landfall as a Category Three storm. (ABC News Australia)
A helicopter fighting forest fires in South Korea's North Jeolla Province crashes near the Geumsansa Temple in Gimje. The 61-year-old pilot dies in the crash. (Yonhap News)
European migrant crisis
- Almost 40 people are killed and 75 are rescued after a boat carrying migrants sinks between Turkey and Greece. (Reuters)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- Jamaican health officials confirm the country's first case of the Zika virus in a 4-year-old child who recently returned from a trip to Texas. (USA TODAY)
- More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus. (Reuters)

International relations

Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present), Edward Snowden
- NSA documents show the US and UK spied on Israeli military drones and fighter jets. (CNN) (The Verge)
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- A United States Navy guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), sails within 12 nautical miles of the disputed Triton Island. The Pentagon said that the mission aimed at countering the "excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands", while China's Ministry of Defense said the U.S. action “severely violated the law." (BBC), (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

2015 FIFA corruption case
- Reuters reports that a million dollars in FIFA funding is missing from the accounts of the National Football Federation of Guatemala. (Reuters)
Orange County Men's Central Jail escape
- Two of the inmates who escaped from a jail in Santa Ana, California, were arrested in San Francisco. (San Francisco Chronicle)
National Western Complex shooting
- At least one person is killed and multiple others injured in a fight between two outlaw motorcycle gangs in the American city of Denver, Colorado. (9 News)

Politics

An estimated half-million Italians protest in Rome's Circus Maximus against pending legislation that would legalize same-sex unions. The legislation would extend to civil unions the same rights they would have under marriage, including adoption of children. (AP via The New York Times) (Reuters) (NBC News) (The Local)

Sports

2016 Australian Open
- In tennis, Angelique Kerber of Germany tops (2–1) defending champion Serena Williams of the United States, 6-4, 3–6, 6–4, to win the Women's Singles. This is Kerber's first Grand Slam title. (ABC News Australia), (The Guardian)
South Korean golfer Jang Ha-na makes first albatross on par-four in LPGA history. (ABC)

January 29, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
- At least 3 people are killed and 7 wounded in an attack on a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. (The News Hub)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A pipeline used to generate around half the electricity in Iraqi Kurdistan is blown up, knocking out power across the region. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Mexico launches a wholesale telecoms network tender on this day. (Reuters via Yahoo! Finance)
The Bank of Japan adopts a negative interest rate policy to support the economy. (Bloomberg)
U.S. corporation Xerox announces it will split into two companies, separating its business process outsourcing line from its legacy business, document technology. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian region cyclone season
- Tropical Cyclone Stan gathers strength as it heads towards the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. (ABC News Australia)
2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- Storm Gertrude impacts the British Isles, with 90mph winds knocking out power lines and causing travel disruption. (The Telegraph)
An avalanche near McBride in the Canadian province of British Columbia kills five people. (CBC)

International relations

Japan–North Korea relations
- Japan places its military on alert over a possible North Korean ballistic-missile launch after detecting "increased activity" at a North Korean missile site. Japan's Minister of Defense, Gen Nakatani, has ordered Kongō-class destroyers stationed in the Sea of Japan, equipped with Aegis combat systems, to target any North Korean projectiles heading for Japan. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Human rights in China
- Human rights activists claim that three pro-democracy advocates have been sentenced to up to five years imprisonment on charges of attempting to overthrow the Communist Party government in Guangzhou. (AP via Star Tribune)
Hillary Clinton email controversy
- The Government of the United States rules that 22 emails on Hillary Clinton's home server contained closely guarded information rated as "Top Secret". (AP)

Politics and elections

The Mexican Federal District is officially renamed to Mexico City (Ciudad de México), and becomes one of the 32 first-level administrative entities of Mexico. (The Guardian)

Science

Scientists from the University of California conclude that study of the geology of the Earth and Moon indicate that both consist of a mixture of rocks from the original Earth and a hypothesized planetary-mass object called Theia after a collision. (The Telegraph)

January 28, 2016 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- At least seven people are killed in a suicide bomb attack near the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims it was behind the attack. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

European migrant crisis
- A boat carrying Iraqi Kurd migrants sinks off the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea off Turkey's Anatolian coast, killing at least 24 people, including several children, with 11 others missing. (The New York Times) (NBC News)

Health

Zika virus outbreak in the Americas (2015–present)
- The World Health Organization forms an emergency committee to tackle the spread of the Zika virus in the Americas. (The Washington Post)

International relations

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
- The President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou visits Taiping Island, Taiwan's largest island in the South China Sea, despite the United States warning it could provoke diplomatic tensions with the People's Republic of China and other nations in the area. (AP via US News and World Report)
European migrant crisis
- Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman tells financial newspaper Dagens Industri that Sweden is disallowing about 45 percent of asylum applications which means around 60,000-80,000 asylum-seekers could be deported in coming years. (AP via CBS News)
Russo-Georgian War
- Georgia welcomes the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes committed during the 2008 South Ossetia war, which will be the first inquiry by the ICC into possible abuses by Moscow and/or Georgia. (Radio Free Europe)

Law and crime

The trial of former President of the Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo for crimes against humanity begins at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. (BBC)
Six people, including the gunman, are dead in a murder-suicide in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S. (Yahoo! News)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Residents of Brussels, Belgium, respond with outrage after U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump refers to the city as a "hellhole". (Newsweek via MSN) (New York Times)
Republican Party presidential debates, 2016
- The seventh Republican Party presidential debate, the second hosted by Fox News, and the final debate before voting begins with the Iowa caucuses on February 1, is held in Des Moines, Iowa. The seven candidates featuring in the primetime debate were Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. Donald Trump, the current front-runner in the polls, was also invited to the primetime debate but opted to boycott the debate and instead hosted a town hall with charitable proceeds going to veterans groups. (Fox News)

January 27, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- Suicide bombers blow themselves up in the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok, killing at least 13 and injuring at least 30 others. (AFP via Yahoo) (Reuters)
- Cameroon closes most of its northern markets on the Nigerian border. (The News) (Voice of America)

Business and economy

Shareholders of Royal Dutch Shell approve that company's acquisition of BG Group, a deal expected to close on February 15. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

January 2016 United States blizzard
- The death toll from the blizzard that hit the Eastern United States rises to 50. (AP)

Health

Zika virus outbreak
- Several Zika virus cases have been reported in Denmark, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. (RT)

International relations

China–United States relations
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agree, on principle, that a strong United Nations Security Council resolution is needed regarding North Korea's nuclear test earlier this month. (Reuters) (CNN)

Law and crime

Human rights in Iran
- Amnesty International reports that at least 160 young Iranians are currently awaiting execution and 73 others have been put to death between 2005 and 2015, which including sentencing girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to death. (The Huffington Post)

Politics and elections

Hilda Heine is elected President of the Marshall Islands by Parliament, becoming the country's first female president, as well as the first woman to serve as president of any Micronesian country. She succeeds outgoing President Casten Nemra, who lost a vote of no confidence on January 26. (Radio New Zealand International)
November 2015 Paris attacks
- Christiane Taubira, differing with President François Hollande concerning pending terrorist/citizenship legislation, resigns as the Minister of Justice in France. (France 24) (CNN)
Vietnam reelects conservative Nguyễn Phú Trọng as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, a member of the Politburo, is expected to replace Nguyễn Tấn Dũng as prime minister. Dũng is not eligible for another term. (AP via ABC News) (Channel NewsAsia)

Science and technology

Artificial intelligence
- A computer program called AlphaGo, powered by DeepMind, beats the European Go champion Fan Hui, 5-0. This is the first time artificial intelligence has defeated a professional player in this ancient Chinese abstract strategy board game. (BBC) (MIT Technology Review)

Sports

Association of Tennis Professionals, Women's Tennis Association
- In tennis, the sport's governing bodies launch an independent inquiry into the anti-corruption unit following a report published by the BBC and BuzzFeed about allegations of failing to pursue allegations of match fixing. (ABC Australia)

More January 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Health Zika virus outbreak in the Americas 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 Moldova protests 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 More details on ongoing conflicts below 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 edit sidebar

Recent deaths
January 31: Benoît Violier 31: Terry Wogan 30: Feyrouz 30: Frank Finlay 30: Maikhail Miller 30: Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. 30: Francisco Flores Pérez 30: Georgia Davis Powers 29: Jacques Rivette 29: Ken Sailors 28: Signe Toly Anderson 28: Buddy Cianci 28: Paul Kantner 28: Bob Tizard 27: Carlos Loyzaga 26: Black 26: Gil Kahele 26: Abe Vigoda 25: Thornton Dial 25: Kalpana 25: Mike Minor 24: Jimmy Bain 24: Yvonne Chouteau 24: John Jay Hooker 24: Marvin Minsky 24: Henry Worsley 23: Jack Bannister 23: Barry Brickell 23: Archie Gouldie 23: Jennifer Guinness 23: Žuži Jelinek 23: Bobby Wanzer 22: Homayoun Behzadi 22: Cecil Parkinson 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 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 24: Portugal, President Upcoming February 14: Central African Republic, President (2nd round) 18: Uganda, President, Parliament 21: Bolivia, Constitutional referendum 21: Comoros, President 21: Niger, President (1st round), National Assembly 26: Iran, Islamic Consultative Assembly, Assembly of Experts 28: Benin, President 28: Switzerland, Referendums 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