Portal:Current events/January 2025
January 2025 is the first month of the current common year. The month, which began on a Wednesday, will end on a Friday after 31 days. It is the current month.
January 1, 2025 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 26 Palestinians, including four children. At least ten others are missing and believed to be buried under rubble. (Al Jazeera)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- 2025 New Orleans truck attack
- A man kills 14 people and injures 35 others, including two police officers, in a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, before being shot dead. The FBI says that it found an Islamic State flag in the suspect's vehicle. (Reuters)
- Somali Civil War
- The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission, endorsed by United Nations Security Council on December 27, replaces the African Union Transition Mission as the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia. (Voice of Nigeria) (UN Press)
Arts and culture
- Public Domain Day, 2025 in public domain
- The novel A Farewell to Arms and the cartoon characters Popeye and Tintin enter the public domain in the United States. (Rolling Stone)
Business and economy
- 2022–2023 Russia–European Union gas dispute
- Russia's gas firm Gazprom suspends exports of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian pipelines after Ukraine refused to renew the transit agreement between its operator Naftogaz and Gazprom. However, Hungary will continue receiving Russian natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline. (Reuters)
- Foreign relations of Mexico
- Mexico's Tax Administration Service implements new tariffs, including a 19% duty on goods from countries without international trade agreements with Mexico and a 17% duty on goods from Canada and the United States under certain value thresholds. (Reuters)
- Moldova–Russia relations
- As announced, Russia's Gazprom halts its gas supplies both to Moldova and the self-proclaimed Transnistrian republic alleging non-compliance with payment obligations. (bne IntelliNews), (Politico)
Disasters and accidents
- European migrant crisis
- Twenty-seven migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are killed, and 83 others are rescued after two boats capsize off the Kerkennah Islands near Tunisia, with searches ongoing for additional missing passengers. (France 24)
- Three people are killed and over twenty others are injured in a fireworks explosion at a house in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. (CTV News)
International relations
- Honduras–United States relations
- Honduran President Xiomara Castro warns that she might remove all US military bases from Honduras and seek to cancel the military cooperation with the United States if President-elect Donald Trump fulfills his threat to order mass deportations of Hondurans when he takes office next January 20. (The Tico Times)
Law and crime
- 2024–2025 German New Year's Eve pyrotechnics incidents
- Five people are killed, several others are injured, and at least 330 people are arrested due to mishandling of pyrotechnics during New Year's celebrations in Germany. (RNZ) (1News)
- 2025 Cetinje shootings
- Twelve people are killed and four others are injured in a shooting spree in Cetinje, Montenegro. The perpetrator kills himself. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
- Al Jazeera controversies and criticism
- The Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera's broadcasts and operations in Palestine, accusing the network of interfering in internal affairs and spreading incitement and misinformation. (Reuters)
- Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia announces the execution of six Iranian nationals convicted of smuggling hashish. In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador in protest. (AP)
- LGBTQ rights in Liechtenstein
- Liechtenstein becomes the 39th country to legalize same-sex marriage. (GCN)
- Trump International Hotel Las Vegas Tesla Cybertruck explosion
- A Tesla Cybertruck containing firework mortars and gas canisters explodes outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, United States, injuring seven people. The driver died from a self-inflicted gunshot prior to the explosion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. (ABC News)
- Five people are killed in a familicide mass stabbing when a son kills his four sisters and mother in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Hindu)
- Myanmar's Tatmadaw enacts a cybersecurity law imposing strict controls on digital communications, requiring service providers to store user data for three years, penalizing VPN use without government approval, and allowing authorities to block or shut down platforms deemed to spread disinformation or disrupt stability. (AP)
- A police officer is killed and four other people are injured in a vehicle-ramming attack during a patrol in Nelson, New Zealand. A 32-year-old suspect is arrested. (AP)
- Eleven people are injured during a mass shooting outside a nightclub in Queens, New York, United States. (The Nightly)
- FBI agents announce the seizure of more than 150 homemade pipe bombs and other explosive devices from a home in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States, "the largest seizure by number of finished explosive devices in FBI history". (AP)
Politics and elections
- Bulgaria and Romania finalize the process of joining the Schengen Area and lift their land border controls. (AP)
- Karin Keller-Sutter is sworn in as President of Switzerland. (Le News)
- Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union after Hungary. (Polsat News) (TVN24)
January 2, 2025 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Israeli invasion of Syria
- Israeli warplanes carry out airstrikes on defense factories and a research center in Al-Safira, Aleppo Governorate, Syria. (Xinhua)
- US intervention in the Syrian civil war
- According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, U.S. forces are deploying a new convoy to areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in Kobani, Aleppo Governorate, as part of operations to establish a new US military base in north-eastern Syria. (SOHR)
- Israeli invasion of Syria
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Eleven people are killed, including a Hamas police chief, in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in al-Mawasi in the Gaza Strip. (BBC News)
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announces that it has approved a delegation to Doha, Qatar for ceasefire talks. (Reuters)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- Puntland forces conduct airstrikes on ISIL hideouts in Bari, Puntland, Somalia, after they announced a military offensive against ISIL and Al-Shabaab. (Idil News) (VOA)
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- 2025 New Orleans truck attack, 2025 Las Vegas Trump Hotel bombing
- Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, says he believes that there is "no definitive link" between the two alleged U.S. Army servicemen perpetrators of the attacks, Shamsud-Din Jabbar in New Orleans and Matthew Alan Livelsberger in Las Vegas. (BBC)
Business and economy
- German economic crisis
- The Handelsblatt Research Institute reports that the German economy is in its "greatest crisis in post-war history" after projecting that the economy will enter its third year of recession in 2025 with a 0.1% contraction, following a 0.3% contraction in both 2023 and 2024. (TVP World)
Disasters and accidents
- 2025 Fullerton plane crash
- A small plane crashes through the roof of a commercial warehouse in Fullerton, California, United States, causing a fire, killing two people and injuring at least 18 others. (KABC-TV) (AP)
- Two officers were injured in an explosion of an unknown object at a police fence in Berlin-Wittenau; the reasons for this are still unclear. (tagesschau)
International relations
- Iran–Italy relations
- Syria–Ukraine relations
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukraine will pledge support to the Syrian transitional government. (The Press Democrat)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
- The government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro offers a US$100,000 reward for the capture of exiled opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who claims that he is ready to take office as the legitimate president on January 10. (El Universal) (El País)
- Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa decrees the suspension of his vice president Verónica Abad accusing her of contempt, and the handover of her functions to national planning secretary Sariha Moya. Noboa already appointed Moya to replace Abad in November 2024, but a constitutional judge reversed the decree in December. (Swiss Info)
- The Parliament of Ghana prevents a potential government shutdown by approving a provisional budget of ₵68.1 billion ($4.65 billion) to fund government operations through March, amid a transition to John Mahama's presidency. (Reuters)
- The Constitutional Court of Indonesia rules that the 20% electoral threshold for political parties to nominate a presidential candidate is not legally binding, potentially enabling smaller parties to participate in future presidential elections without the need to form coalition with larger parties. (Reuters)
- The Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, begins a historic three-day trip to Antarctica along with civil, scientific and military authorities. According to the Chilean Government, the codenamed Operación Estrella Polar III seeks to strengthen the country's presence in the territory. (Government of Chile)
- Jenniffer González Colón takes office as Governor of Puerto Rico. (PBS)
Science and technology
- 2025 in paleontology, Dinosaur finds in the United Kingdom
- The largest site of dinosaur footprints of the Cetiosaurus and Megalosaurus dating back to the Middle Jurassic Bathonian stage 166 million years ago is discovered at a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom. (BBC News)
January 3, 2025 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- East Aleppo offensive
- Clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army escalate near the Tishrin Dam in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The Turkish Air Force also conducts airstrikes on SDF positions. (SOHR) (SOHR 2)
- US intervention in the Syrian civil war
- Deputy U.S. Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh says that, despite local reports, the U.S. Army has "no plans" to build a military base in Kobani, Aleppo Governorate, which is currently under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. (Rudaw)
- East Aleppo offensive
- Haitian crisis
- Gang war in Haiti, Guatemala–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Guatemala relations
- A contingent of peacekeeping troops from Guatemala and El Salvador arrive in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to enforce a United Nations-backed multinational security mission to restore order to Port-au-Prince amid an increase in gang violence. (Reuters)
- Gang war in Haiti, Guatemala–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Haiti relations, El Salvador–Guatemala relations
- Red Sea crisis
- The Israeli Defense Forces report the interception of a ballistic missile and a drone launched from Yemen. (France 24)
Business and economy
- Proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel
- U.S. President Joe Biden blocks a buyout bid by Japanese Nippon Steel for U.S. Steel. (BBC News)
- Qatar Airways announces the resumption of flights to Damascus International Airport in Syria beginning on January 7, becoming the first major international airline to resume scheduled service to Syria since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. (Aviation Week)
Disasters and accidents
- January 2025 North American winter storm
- The National Weather Service issues winter storm warnings across the central Great Plains and an ice storm warning in Missouri, in anticipation of severe freezing rain and icing events. The winter storm begins impacting the northwestern continental United States with heavy snowfall. (The Weather Channel)
- 2024–25 Ethiopian earthquakes
- Evacuations are ordered in central Ethiopia due to increasing volcanic tremor and other unrest at the Mount Fentale stratovolcano, which last erupted in the 19th century. (Reuters)
- At least twelve people are killed and 30 others are injured after a bus carrying tourists falls into a ravine near the Pan-American Highway between Pasto and Rumichaca in Nariño Department, Colombia. (EFE)
Health and environment
- Air quality technology company IQAir reports that Hanoi, Vietnam, has the worst air pollution of any city on Earth, with levels of hazardous small particles, known as PM2.5, measured at 266 micrograms per cubic metre. (Reuters)
International relations
- Egypt–Syria relations
- Egypt bans the entry of Syrians from all countries worldwide, except for those holding temporary residency permits for non-tourism purposes. The ban also includes Syrians married to Egyptians unless they obtain a security clearance. (The New Arab)
- Germany–Syria relations, France–Syria relations
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot become the first European Union foreign ministers to travel to Damascus, Syria, after the fall of the Assad regime to discuss new diplomatic relations with the Syrian Transitional Government and Syrian civil society. (Der Spiegel) (France 24)
Law and crime
- 2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Yoon Suk Yeol residence standoff
- Corruption investigators and prosecutors raid the central Seoul residence of recently-impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to arrest Yoon for refusing to respond to three court summons. The raid is unsuccessful due to the Presidential Security Service blocking further entrance into the residence, leading to a multi-hour standoff. (The Guardian) (AP)
- Yoon Suk Yeol residence standoff
- 2024 Estlink 2 incident
- A district court in Helsinki, Finland, denies a request to release the impounded oil tanker Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 submarine power cable and carrying sanctioned Russian oil. (Al Jazeera)
- War crimes in the Syrian civil war
- The Syrian government arrests Aws Salloum, known as the "Angel of Death" of Sednaya Prison. Salloum is accused of multiple murders and abuse of prisoners at Sednaya, including the murder of Mazen al-Hamada. (Al Sharq Al Awsat)
- A suspect is arrested in Rotterdam, Netherlands, for shooting and killing three men between December 21 and January 2. The victims were selected at random. (The Sun)
- Human trafficking in Southeast Asia
- Chinese actor Wang Xing went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border. He was rescued later (Jan 7) by Thai authorities. (The Star)
Politics and elections
- 2025 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election
- The United States House of Representatives, composed of 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats, re-elects Mike Johnson as House Speaker over incumbent House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (CBS News)
- Next Ukrainian presidential election
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the country will not hold presidential elections as long as the country is under martial law, even if Russia puts it as a pre-condition for negotiations. (Kyiv Independent)
- Pula Nikolao Pula is sworn in as Governor of American Samoa. (Samoa Observer)
Science and technology
- SpaceX successfully launches the United Arab Emirates Space Agency's communications satellite Thuraya 4-NGS via a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States. (Space News)
Sports
- 2025 PDC World Darts Championship
- Luke Littler defeats Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the final at Alexandra Palace in London, England, to claim his first World Darts Championship title, becoming the youngest player to win a world title at the age of 17 years. (BBC News)
January 4, 2025 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign, Journalists killed during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- A war correspondent for the Russian newspaper Izvestia is killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
- The Russian Armed Forces claims to have shot down eight American ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine and vows retaliation. (CNN)
- Eastern Ukraine campaign, Journalists killed during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- Haitian crisis, Guatemala–Haiti relations
- Gang war in Haiti
- Another 75 Guatemalan Army troops arrive in Haiti, joining 75 that arrived yesterday, to combat escalating gang violence. (CNN) (BBC News)
- Gang war in Haiti
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- At least 70 Palestinians are killed and 14 others are reported missing in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. (Middle East Monitor) (India Today)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Kivu conflict
- M23 offensive
- M23 rebels capture the strategic town of Katale in Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Chimp Reports)
- M23 offensive
- Anglophone Crisis
- Gunmen from Nigeria kill at least five Cameroonian soldiers and injure several others in Bakinjaw, Southwest Region, Cameroon. (Reuters)
- Insurgency in Balochistan
- One person is killed and 35 others are injured, including soldiers, in a car bombing in Turbat, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility for the attack, which states it targeted a military convoy. (AP)
- Boko Haram insurgency
- The Nigerian Army repels an ambush in Borno State and kills 34 Islamist militants in a gun battle in which six soldiers also die. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- January 2025 North American storm complex
- Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declares a state of emergency for Kentucky, United States, amidst the upcoming winter storm. (WNKY)
- At least eight people are killed and 15 others are injured in a fire at a market in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. (Al Jazeera)
- The Taiwanese Coast Guard intercepts the Cameroon-registered container ship Shunxin39 after it was suspected of damaging an undersea cable north of Taiwan yesterday. (Taiwan News)
Law and crime
- Myanmar state media reports that the ruling military junta will release 5,864 prisoners, including 180 foreigners, under an amnesty marking the country's national independence day. (Reuters)
- The Danish Security and Intelligence Service and police announce an investigation into sightings of unknown drones reportedly flying over Køge, Region Zealand. (DW)
- Four teenagers are arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia, for allegedly planning a terrorist attack in the city. Two of the suspects are also accused of being involved in an arson attack on a Ministry of Internal Affairs vehicle in December. (DW)
Politics and elections
- 2024–2025 Georgian protests, 2024–2025 Georgian constitutional crisis
- Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs announces the expulsion of 91 foreign citizens, including 25 who participated in anti-Georgian Dream and pro-EU protests. (TVP World)
- 2024–2025 Austrian government formation
- Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announces his resignation after talks on forming the new post-election coalition government between his Austrian People's Party, the Social Democratic Party and NEOS collapsed. (Euronews)
January 5, 2025 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kursk offensive
- The Ukrainian Army launches a new offensive in Kursk Oblast, Russia. (BBC News)
- Kursk offensive
- Boko Haram insurgency
- Six soldiers and 34 Boko Haram gunmen are killed during a shootout in Borno State, Nigeria. (AP)
Arts and culture
- 82nd Golden Globe Awards
- The film Emilia Pérez and the television series Shōgun win the most awards at the 82nd Golden Globes with four each. The Brutalist wins the awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director (Brady Corbet) and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for Adrien Brody. (NBC News)
- Fernanda Torres becomes the first Brazilian actress to win the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her performance in I'm Still Here. (Variety)
Disasters and accidents
- January 2025 North American storm complex
- The National Weather Service issues winter storm alerts for areas covering nearly 70 million people from the Great Plains to the East Coast of the United States, with nearly 4 million currently under blizzard warnings. (CNN)
International relations
- Israel–United States relations, United States support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas war
- The U.S. State Department notifies Congress of a planned $8 billion arms sale to Israel consisting of air-to-air and Hellfire missiles, artillery shells, and other ammunitions. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Capital punishment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The Congolese government executes 102 individuals convicted of armed robbery and urban banditry, with an additional 70 prisoners reportedly awaiting execution. (AP)
- Former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas is evacuated from La Roca Prison in Guayaquil following an alleged assassination attempt. (Reuters)
- Resurfaced videos show Syrian Justice Minister Shadi al-Waisi overseeing the execution of two women in 2015 on prostitution charges according to Sharia. (The New Arab)
Politics and elections
- 2024–2025 Austrian government formation
- The ruling Austrian People's Party appoints Christian Stocker as its acting chairman to succeed Karl Nehammer, who resigned as party leader and Chancellor of Austria yesterday. Stocker says that he is open to negotiate with the Freedom Party of Austria to form the new post-election coalition government. (DNYUZ)
- The German government reduces funding for two Israeli human rights groups, Zochrot and New Profile, that had advocated for Palestinian rights and antimilitarism. (DW)
Sports
- 2025 United Cup
- In tennis, the United States wins its second United Cup title after defeating Poland 2–0 in the final at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Reuters)
January 6, 2025 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
- French military withdrawal from West Africa
- French President Emmanuel Macron states that France was right to intervene militarily in the African Sahel against Islamist militants, and states that he is still waiting for the Sahel states to "thank" France while also denying that the French military was forced out of the region. (Reuters)
- French military withdrawal from West Africa
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Israel–Hamas war, Israeli incursions in the West Bank
- Al-Funduq shooting attack
- Three Israelis are killed and eight others are injured in a mass shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen firing at a bus and two vehicles on Highway 55 in Al-Funduq in the West Bank. (BBC News)
- Al-Funduq shooting attack
- Israel–Hamas war, Israeli incursions in the West Bank
- Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- 2025 Bijapur Naxal attack
- A bomb blast attributed to Maoist rebels in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, India, kills eight police officers and a driver traveling in a police vehicle. (Reuters)
- 2025 Bijapur Naxal attack
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2024 Magdeburg car attack
- The death toll in the vehicle-ramming attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, increases to six after a 52-year-old woman dies from injuries sustained in the attack. (BBC News)
- North Korean missile tests
- The South Korean military reports that North Korea has fired what appears to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, in what would be the country's first missile launch in two months. The launch comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul, South Korea, for talks with South Korean leaders. (BBC News)
- Two people are killed and two others are injured in an IED attack at a school near Abuja, Nigeria, with police identifying three men as suspects in bringing the device to the site. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- 2022–2023 Russia–European Union gas dispute
- According to Slovakia, a planned meeting between Slovak, Ukrainian, and European Commission officials over gas supplies scheduled for Tuesday has been cancelled due to Ukraine's refusal to participate in the meeting. (Reuters)
- The Brazilian government announces that Indonesia has joined the BRICS trade bloc as a full member. (Reuters)
- Davivienda, of Colombia, and Scotiabank, of Canada, announced a merger where Davivienda absorbs Scotiabank operations in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, and, in turn, Scotiabank acquires 20% of the stakes in Davivienda. (Scotiabank)
Disasters and accidents
- Several miners are trapped in a coal mine in Dima Hasao, Assam, India, with rescue efforts underway involving the State Disaster Response Force, the National Disaster Response Force, and the Indian Army. Local authorities state that flooding may have caused the incident. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak
- The United States reports its first death from H5N1 bird flu after a man died in the hospital in Louisiana. (Reuters)
International relations
- Syrian civil war
- Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war
- The International Committee of the Red Cross announces plans to expand its operations in Syria beyond an initial US$100 million program, citing urgent needs in the health, water, and power sectors. (Reuters)
- Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war
- International reactions to the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, Paraguay–Venezuela relations
- The Venezuelan government suspends diplomatic relations with Paraguay, after Paraguayan President Santiago Peña recognized Edmundo González as president-elect of Venezuela. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Volksverhetzung
- Germany reports a significant increase in far-right crime, primarily from increasing online expression offenses and hate speech, as well as an increase in Israel–Hamas war-related resentment. (Reuters)
- The Court of Appeal of Malaysia orders a lower court to reconsider former Prime Minister Najib Razak's claim of a royal order granting him home detention, which he alleges was issued alongside his reduced prison sentence for his involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal. The ruling follows the disclosure of a letter confirming the existence of such an order, which the government asserts they have not received. (Reuters)
- Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello says that 125 foreign citizens have been arrested on suspicion of serving as United States mercenaries in order to cause a coup in Venezuela. (The Times of Israel)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Austrian legislative election
- Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen gives a mandate to form the new post-election government to the Freedom Party's leader Herbert Kickl after the Austrian People's Party failed to form a government. However, Kickl is still expected to rule within a coalition of the two parties. (DW)
- Conscription in Israel, Exemption from military service in Israel
- More than 50 Haredi Jews join the Israel Defense Forces for the first time since the start of the Israel–Hamas war, forming the Haredi Hasmonean Brigade, after repeated protests against the conscription of yeshiva students. (The Economic Times)
- Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland
- The King of Denmark officially changes the Danish coat of arms to feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands more prominently, following suggestions from United States president-elect Donald Trump about the nation purchasing Greenland. (The Guardian)
- Resignation of Justin Trudeau
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party and also announces that he will resign as Prime Minister once a new Liberal Party leader is chosen. (BBC News)
- Second presidential transition of Donald Trump
- The U.S. Congress certifies the results of the 2024 presidential election. U.S. Vice President and Democratic Party candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Kamala Harris presides over the ceremony and certifies her defeat, officially making Donald Trump the President-elect and JD Vance the Vice President-elect. Trump and Vance are expected to be sworn-in on January 20. (ABC News)
- Pope Francis appoints Sister Simona Brambilla as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, becoming the Vatican's first female prefect of the Roman Curia. (Vatican News)
- The President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, dismisses the Government of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada. (Africa News)
January 7, 2025 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Three Pakistani soldiers and 19 Taliban insurgents are killed in shootouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)
Business and economy
- Argentine debt restructuring
- Argentina's country risk index, measured by the JPMorgan GBI-EM Index, briefly drops to 444 points, its lowest level since 2018, before closing at 561 points due to technical adjustments linked to upcoming bond payment amid improved market sentiment driven by cooling inflation and signs of economic recovery. (Reuters)
- International flights resume from Damascus International Airport in Syria for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime. (France 24)
- The merger of the providers of stock photography Getty Images and Shutterstock, by the acquisition of the latter by the former, is announced. (AP News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2025 California wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- An exceptional Santa Ana wind event reaching hurricane-force in some locations in southern California, United States, cause multiple power outages and wildfire outbreaks, including a rapidly-spreading >2,900 acre wildfire in Los Angeles County which causes several burn injuries and forces 30,000 people to evacuate. (CNN) (NBC News)
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- 2025 Tibet earthquake
- At least 126 people are killed and dozens of others are injured when a magnitude Mw 7.1 (Ms 6.8) earthquake strikes Tingri County, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. (Al Jazeera) (AP)
- 2025 Swan River Seaplanes Cessna 208 crash
- A light aircraft crashes near Rottnest Island, Western Australia, killing the pilot and two tourists from Denmark and Switzerland while injuring three other passengers. (Reuters)
- Thirteen Cuban soldiers go missing after explosions at an arms and ammunition depot in Holguín Province. (CNN)
Health and environment
- HMPV outbreak in East Asia
- India confirms their first cases of the human metapneumovirus disease. (CBS News)
International relations
- Denmark–United States relations, Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland, Panama–United States relations
- U.S. president-elect Donald Trump refuses to rule out using military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, declaring U.S. control of both to be "vital to American national security". (AP)
- Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. makes a personal visit to Greenland weeks after Trump announced that "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity". In response to the visit, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen states that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders". (BBC News)
- Panamanian foreign minister Javier Martínez-Acha asserts that only Panamanians operate the Panama Canal and that its sovereignty is non-negotiable, dismissing Trump's claims that China operates the canal and his suggestion of potential U.S. military action to regain control. (DW)
- Hungary–United States relations
- The U.S. Treasury imposes sanctions on Hungarian cabinet minister Antal Rogán for alleged corruption, accusing him of using his position to secure financial benefits for himself and political allies. (Reuters)
- Sudan–United States relations
- The United States accuses the Rapid Support Forces of committing genocide in Sudan during the ongoing civil war and imposes sanctions on the group's leader Hemedti. (AP)
Law and crime
- 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
- Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González reports the kidnapping of his son-in-law Rafael Tudares by masked men in Caracas, as political tensions persist following González's contested claim of victory in the country's July presidential election. (Al Jazeera)
- Former Cambodian opposition lawmaker Lim Kimya is shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Bangkok, Thailand. Cambodian officials deny allegations of involvement in Lim's death. (The Guardian)
- Lebanon approves the extradition of Abdul Rahman Yusuf, the son of late Egyptian ulama Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates following his detention on December 28 after returning from Syria. (Reuters)
- Mauritius issues an arrest warrant for former finance minister Renganaden Padayachy over alleged embezzlement involving the disbursement of Rs. 45 million (US$1 million) from the Mauritius Investment Corporation. (Reuters)
- Two people are killed and one is injured in a mass shooting at Zahnradfabrik Hanel in Bad Friedrichshall, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The perpetrator is arrested. (DW)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
- Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro announces the arrest of seven foreign individuals, whom he accuses of planning terrorist acts to disrupt his upcoming inauguration, with security forces conducting a nationwide deployment. (Al Jazeera)
- Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
- The body of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter arrives in Washington, D.C. for a three-day mourning period, including a lying in state at the Capitol. (Reuters)
- Libyan crisis
- The House of Representatives of Libya approves a national reconciliation and transitional justice law aimed at unifying the country after over a decade of conflict. (Reuters)
- John Mahama is sworn in for a second term as President of Ghana, having previously served as president from 2012 to 2017. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- Meta Platforms announces an end to its third-party fact-checking program and a transition to a crowd-sourced model similar to X's Community Notes. (AP)
January 8, 2025 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Boko Haram insurgency
- 2025 N'Djamena attack
- Gunfire and military vehicles are reported near the Presidential Palace in N'Djamena, Chad, with the Chadian government accusing Boko Haram of being behind the attack. The Chad National Army has reportedly regained stable control of the capital, with 18 insurgents and one security force member being killed in the attack. (Devdiscourse) (Deutsche Welle)
- 2025 N'Djamena attack
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 27 people. (Arab News)
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia strikes, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian forces attack an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, killing 13 people and injuring 18 others. Further strikes on Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs kill 13 more people and injure 32 others. (Ukrainska Pravda) (Ukrainska Pravda 2)
- Zaporizhzhia strikes, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Twenty-eight soldiers are killed during a mass shooting in northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso. (Punch)
Disasters and accidents
- 2025 California wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire
- More than 100,000 people are evacuated from approaching wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Hollywood neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Altadena, California, United States, that have burnt more than 3,000 acres, aggravated by an ongoing extreme windstorm and drought conditions. Five people are killed, dozens of others are injured, and around 1,000 structures are destroyed. (AP) (The Independent) (NBC News) (Reuters)
- The CALNEV Pipeline connecting oil refineries in southern California to Clark County, Nevada, shuts down due to power outages, temporarily cutting off the gasoline supply to Las Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base. The Kinder Morgan SFPP Pipeline connecting southern California to Phoenix, Arizona, also shuts down. (KTNV) (Reuters)
- Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- Deadly human stampedes in Hindu temples
- Six people are killed and over forty others are injured in a stampede at the Hindu Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. (AP) (Business Today)
International relations
- Iran–Italy relations
- The Iranian government releases Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from prison, with Sala arriving back in Rome later that day. (Euronews) (Yahoo! News)
- Lithuania–Russia relations
- Lithuanian prime minister Gintautas Paluckas deploys the police to secure the country's electricity link with Poland in response to reported attempts to disrupt the planned decoupling of the Baltic states' power systems from the grid shared with Belarus and Russia. (Reuters)
- Azerbaijan protests Eritrea's detention of three Azerbaijani-flagged vessels and 18 crew members since November 2024, stating the ships entered Eritrean waters due to adverse weather en route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- The British government freezes the assets of neo-Nazi music network Blood & Honour, becoming the first far-right group in the UK to be sanctioned by the government. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- The ruling party in São Tomé and Príncipe, Independent Democratic Action, proposes Hélio Vaz de Almeida as Prime Minister to replace Patrice Trovoada, who was fired by President Carlos Vila Nova two days ago. (RFI)
January 9, 2025 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Somali Civil War, War against the Islamic State
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- Puntland forces carry out drone strikes on Islamic State targets in the Cal Miskaad mountains near Balidhidhin District, Bari, Puntland, Somalia, killing several militants. (Idil News) (VOA)
- Puntland counterterrorism forces capture four foreign Islamic State fighters from Ethiopia, Yemen, and Tanzania, while intercepting and destroying multiple explosive-carrying drones in Bari, Puntland. (Idil News) (VOA) (Garowe Online)
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip kill at least 22 people. (Al Jazeera)
- A study published in The Lancet claims that around 3% of the Gaza Strip population has died due to violence during the conflict. (CNN)
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian artillery strikes kill two people in Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, according to the region's governor. In the Russian-controlled area of Kamianka-Dniprovska, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, the region's Russia-appointed governor says that two people were killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes.(Reuters)
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Disasters and accidents
- 2025 California wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- At least six people are killed due to spreading wildfires in Los Angeles County, United States.
- The Kenneth Fire ignites in Woodland Hills, adding to the 179,000 people placed under evacuation orders. (NBC News)
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
- 2024–25 European winter
- Twelve miners are trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a methane gas explosion. (AP)
International relations
- Armenia–European Union relations
- The Armenian government approves a bill to launch a bid for the country to join the European Union. (Reuters)
- Azerbaijan–Russia relations
- Russia declines to confirm whether Russian forces accidentally shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, despite calls by Azerbaijan to do so. (The Straits Times)
- Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute
- Guyana says that it will resort to the United Nations to deter Venezuela from unilaterally appointing a governor for the Essequibo, a region under Guyanese control but claimed by Venezuela. (AP)
Law and crime
- International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders
- Poland's government confirms that it will not comply with an International Criminal Court warrant to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes if he chooses to attend a ceremony at Auschwitz concentration camp later this month. (Times of Israel) (Notes from Poland)
- Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act
- The U.S. House of Representatives votes 243 to 140 to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Reuters) (Middle East Eye) (Haaretz)
- US Senate majority leader John Thune promises swift consideration of the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act" so that President elect Donald Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office. The act would sanction any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, who are not members of the court. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
- 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
- Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado makes her first public appearance in 133 days and is briefly arrested when her convoy is intercepted by security forces as it departs an anti-government protest in Caracas. The incident occurs the day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Nicolás Maduro for a third term as president. (AP) (The Guardian)
- The Democratic Republic of Congo bans Al Jazeera from operating in the country and revokes its press credentials, citing the network's interview with M23 rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa as an endorsement of terrorism. Authorities warn against reporting on the group, with the justice minister threatening to invoke the death penalty, although no formal law bans such coverage. (AP)
- The Kuwaiti public prosecution detains media personality Fajer Al-Saeed for 21 days and after investigating charges related to "calling for normalization with the Israeli occupation and harming the state's interests." (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Mozambican general election
- 2024 Mozambican protests
- PODEMOS presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who alleges that the October election was rigged, returns to Mozambique from exile in South Africa amid protests. (Reuters)
- 2024 Mozambican protests
- 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election
- Military commander Joseph Aoun is elected as President of Lebanon, ending the power vacuum that began in October 2022. (AP)
- Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
- The state funeral for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. All five living presidents, including incumbent president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump, attend the funeral. (CBS News)
- President of São Tomé and Príncipe Carlos Vila Nova rejects a proposal by his Independent Democratic Action party to elect Hélio Vaz de Almeida as prime minister. (RFI)
January 10, 2025 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Red Sea crisis
- Israeli warplanes bomb a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel, with pro-Houthi media reporting at least three people injured. (Al Arabiya)
Disasters and accidents
- Three of the twelve miners that went missing yesterday in an explosion at a coal mine in Singidi, Pakistan, are found dead by rescue workers. (CTV News)
- A stampede kills three women and injures five children in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- 2024 in climate change, Paris Agreement
- The Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms that 2024 was the warmest calendar year since records began in 1850, with an average global temperature reaching 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 1.5°C warming benchmark set by the Paris Agreement for the first time. (C3S) (Politico) (BBC)
International relations
- Colombia-Venezuela relations
- The Government of Venezuela closes the border with Colombia ahead of the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro for a third term as President of Venezuela. (Le Monde)
Law and crime
- Indictments against Donald Trump
- Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
- US President-elect Donald Trump, who was convicted on all felony counts of this case in May 2024, is sentenced by Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan; however, the judge declines to impose prison or any punishment to Trump, who receives an unconditional discharge. (AP)
- Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York
- International reactions to the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, United States–Venezuela relations, Sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
- The US authorities announce an increased $25m reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on the day he is sworn in for a third term in office. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Venezuelan political crisis
- Nicolás Maduro is sworn in Caracas for a third six-year term as President of Venezuela. The ceremony takes place under heavy security measures with the boycott and protests of the country’s opposition, which insists that the legitimate president-elect is Edmundo González Urrutia, and the unrecognition of part of the international community, which considers the July 2024 elections as fraudulent. (CNN)
January 11, 2025 (Saturday)
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
2025 events and developments by topic
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Works and introductions categories
2025 at Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Taxa from Wikispecies
Discussions from Meta-Wiki
Wikimedia Commons has media related to January 2025.