wikinews

2026 February 01

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Balochistan, India–Pakistan relations
  • 2026 Balochistan attacks
    • Pakistani military and Balochistan Police forces announce the end to a 40-hour counterterrorism operation which resulted in the deaths of 145 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents, 18 civilians, and 18 security personnel. The Pakistani government accuses India of backing the BLA. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes
    • A Russian drone strike hits a minibus transporting mineworkers in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and injuring seven others. (BBC News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Nigeria reports that its forces have killed a senior Boko Haram commander known as Abu Khalid, describing him as the group’s deputy leader in the Sambisa Forest, and ten other fighters during a raid in Borno State. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • A Sudan Airways passenger flight lands at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan’s main international airport, for the first time since the war began in 2023, resuming limited operations after renovations and earlier drone attacks. (AFP via Al-Ahram)

Arts and culture

• 68th Annual Grammy Awards
  • At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. (AP) (The Hollywood Reporter)
  • “Golden” from the film KPop Demon Hunters becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. (AP via ABC News)
  • Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• Storm Kristin
  • Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding. (Reuters)
• Nine people are killed and 21 others are injured, including seven critically, after a bus rolls off a road and crashes in Antalya province, Turkey. (AP)
• Four people are killed and 28 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests collides with a truck and overturns in Lodhran District, Pakistan. (Dawn)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Costa Rican general election
  • Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote. (BBC News)
• Epstein Files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004. (BBC)
• Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeats Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5, to win his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in singles. (AFP via ABS-CBN) (ESPN)
• 2026 European Men’s Handball Championship
  • In handball, Denmark defeats Germany 34–27 and becomes European Champions in addition to being the reigning World and Olympic Champions. (DW)

2026 January 31

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least 31 Palestinians, including at least six children, are killed from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 Balochistan attacks
  • Coordinated attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army militants across Balochistan, Pakistan, kill 33 people, including 18 civilians. At least 92 insurgents are killed by security forces. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Iran explosions
  • Multiple explosions, attributed to gas leaks, are reported across the Iranian cities of Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Karaj, and Parand, leaving at least six people dead and several injured. (Reuters) (Euronews)
• Five people are killed and eight injured after a truck rams motorcycles in Ganjam district, India. (Hindustan Times)
• A historic Dutch fort building in Siak Regency, Indonesia, collapses, injuring 16 people, including visiting schoolchildren. (Tempo English)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Death sentence of Erfan Soltani
    • Protester Erfan Soltani is released on bail in Iran after his arrest on charges of propaganda and national security offenses. (AFP via NDTV)

Politics and elections

• Epstein files
  • In Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák resigns as a European Union Special Representative following the United States Department of Justice release of extensive correspondence between Lajčák and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 2017 to 2019, during which Lajčák served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan wins her first Australian Open title and second major title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. (USA Today)

2026 January 30

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Balochistan attacks
  • Pakistani security forces raid two militant hideouts and kill 41 insurgents in separate shootouts in the Harnai and Panjgur districts. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• At least one person is killed and six others are reported missing when a 72 ft (22 m) fishing vessel sinks off Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. (WCVB-TV)

International relations

• Israel–South Africa relations
  • Israel expels South Africa’s chargé d’affaires Shaun Byneveldt to reciprocate South Africa’s persona non grata declaration on the Israeli ambassador following international incidents between the two countries in the wake of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. (CNN-News18) (DW)

Law and crime

• Epstein files
  • The United States Department of Justice releases more files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the largest single-day release of said files, including over 3 million previously undisclosed documents. (AP) (Reuters)
• Killing of Brian Thompson
  • United States federal judge Margaret Garnett dismisses the federal murder and weapon charges against Luigi Mangione in the killing of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, ruling out the death penalty against Mangione. The judge maintains the stalking charges, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. (DW)
• Tunisian president Kais Saied extends a decade-long national state of emergency for 11 months. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Cuba–United States relations, Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • United States president Donald Trump declares a national emergency regarding Cuba in order to impose tariffs on countries that provide oil to it. (UPI)
• Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez announces a proposal for mass amnesty and plans to close the polemic El Helicoide prison. (The Guardian)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Carlos Alcaraz defeats Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles semifinal of the Australian Open in a 5-hour and 27-minute match, the longest semifinal match in tournament history. (Al Jazeera)

Science and Technology

• A major find of alumina is announced to be found near Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada which is “equal to approximately a third of the world’s known supply”. (CBC)

2026 January 29

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in the Sahel
  • Islamist insurgency in Niger
    • Diori Hamani International Airport attack
      • The Islamic State attacks the military part of Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, injuring four soldiers but resulting in the deaths of 20 militants. (Al Jazeera)
  • Boko Haram insurgency
    • Boko Haram militants kill 25 construction workers in an attack on a Nigerian military base under construction in Sabon Gari, Borno State. (ABC News)
  • Mali War
    • Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin insurgents ambush a fuel tanker convoy in western Mali near the Senegalese border, killing at least 15 people, and destroying the tankers amid an ongoing fuel blockade by the jihadist group aimed at crippling the economy. (Africa News)
• Ethiopia–TPLF clashes
  • Clashes between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front break out in the Tigray Region. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Pakistani forces kill three militants during an operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (The Peninsula)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia and Ukraine conduct a swap of bodies, with Russia receiving the remains of 38 soldiers and Ukraine receiving the remains of 1,000 soldiers, the first such swap since November 2025. (BBC News)
• Yemeni civil war
  • The World Food Programme ends its operations in northern Yemen following restrictions from the Houthis amid an ongoing famine. (DW)

Business and economy

• Russo-Ukrainian war, International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–European Union relations
  • The European Union blacklists Russia due to a risk of money laundering. (Reuters)
• Panama’s supreme court nullifies the concession held by CK Hutchison to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports at the Panama Canal as unconstitutional and orders the facilities to be retendered, following a lawsuit by the comptroller after an audit alleged irregularities. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Storm Kristin strikes Portugal, killing six people and causing severe damage in Figueira da Foz. (Yahoo News)
• Eleven people are killed and several others are critically injured when a truck collides with a minibus taxi near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (AP)
• Seven people are killed in a house collapse in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (AP News)
• Two people are killed when a military Beechcraft AT-6TH aircraft crashes in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. (Bangkok Post)

Health and environment

• 2025–2026 hunger crisis in Afghanistan
  • The Asian Development Bank and the United Nations launch a two-year, US$100 million programme in Afghanistan to support more than 151,000 families amid rising hunger linked to deportations, economic strain, and reduced foreign aid. (Reuters)

International relations

• Human rights in Georgia
  • The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe launches an expert mission to investigate Georgia’s human rights situation after 38 members invoked the Vienna Mechanism in 2024 and raised concerns over the government’s compliance with international obligations. (Reuters)
• Iran–European Union relations
  • The European Union designates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization in response to the crackdown on the recent protests. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Crime in Canada
  • The Cree Nation of Mistissini, Quebec, Canada, enters lockdown after a shooting yesterday killed two men, prompting the closure of schools and public buildings while provincial police investigate a case linked to organized crime and drug activity. (Reuters)
• Scam centers in Myanmar, Capital punishment in China
  • Eleven members of the “Ming crime family” are executed in China after being convicted of various crimes related to operating scam centers in Laukkaing, Kokang, Myanmar. (BBC News) (DW)

Politics and elections

• Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta dissolves all political parties, accusing them of “causing divisions” in the country. (AP)

2026 January 28

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes, Kyiv strikes, Odesa strikes
    • Three people are killed and three others are injured in overnight Russian strikes on the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa oblasts of Ukraine. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Caucasian conflict
  • Two militants are killed in a shootout with police in Karabudakhkentsky District, Dagestan, Russia. (News.Az)

Arts and culture

• Sarah Mullally is confirmed as the first female archbishop of Canterbury and primate of the Church of England. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Rubaya mine collapse
  • At least 200 people are killed and several others are injured when a landslide collapses several of the Rubaya mines in Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (The Canadian Press)
• SATENA Flight 8895
  • A SATENA Beechcraft 1900 crashes near Cúcuta in North Santander, Colombia, killing all 15 people on board. (BNO News) (El Heraldo)
• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Five people are killed and severe damage is caused by Storm Kristin in Portugal. (AA)
• 2026 Baramati Learjet 45 crash
  • Five people, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, are killed after a Learjet 45 aircraft crashes and explodes at Baramati Airport in Pune district, Maharashtra, India. (CNN-News18 via YouTube) (Hindustan Times)
• Five people are killed, including three children, in a house fire in Sakha Republic, Russia. (Xinhua)

Health and environment

• Climate change in the Caribbean, Climate change in the Netherlands
  • The Hague district court orders the Dutch government to create a legally binding plan to protect Bonaire from climate change, including setting enforceable emissions-reduction targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, after ruling that existing measures fail to safeguard residents from rising seas and extreme weather. (AP)

International relations

• Guinea is unsuspended from ECOWAS following the 2025 Guinean presidential election. (ECOWAS)

Law and crime

• Corruption in South Korea
  • A court in Seoul, South Korea, sentences former first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in prison for corruption. (AP)
• Iran–Turkey relations
  • The Turkish National Intelligence Organization arrest six people, including an Iranian national, who are suspected of spying for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, including at the NATO Incirlik Air Base in Adana. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Ecuadorian general election, Corruption in Ecuador
  • Ecuador’s prosecutor’s office raids the homes of politicians from the Citizen Revolution party, including presidential candidate Luisa González, as part of an investigation into alleged illicit Venezuelan money used to finance their 2023 campaign. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final
  • In association football, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fines the Senegal Football Federation US$615,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the final match against Morocco, fines Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw $100,000, and bans him for five 2027 AFCON qualifying matches. Senegalese players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr are also banned from the first two qualifier matches. (DW)
  • The CAF also fines the Royal Moroccan Football Federation $315,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and interfering with referees. Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi is banned for two games and player Ismael Saibari is banned for three. (DW)

2026 January 27

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Kharkiv strikes
    • At least five people are killed and two others are injured in a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (The Guardian) (Reuters)
• Gaza war
  • Israeli forces kill six Palestinians by shelling and gunfire in al-Tuffah, Gaza City, Gaza. (The New Arab)
• Suspected armed gang members ambush a police patrol on the Guga–Bakori road in Katsina State, Nigeria, killing three officers and injuring two. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3
  • Philippine officials ground the fleet of passenger ships belonging to Aleson Shipping Lines, owner of the sunken ferry Trisha Kerstin 3. (AP via CTV News) (GMA News)
• 2026 Lugojel road accident [ro]
  • Seven people are killed and three injured after a minibus carrying Greek PAOK FC fans crashes on E70 in Timiș County, Romania. (AP) (Caliber)
• Four Cuban nationals are killed and another is injured in a fire at an unlicensed migrant hostel in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, Russia. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Three people are killed and two others injured after a boat carrying 25 tourists from France capsizes off the coast of Muscat, Oman. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• United States–Venezuela relations
  • United States sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
    • The United States begins releasing frozen Venezuelan assets under sanctions, as acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez confirms renewed diplomatic contacts between the two countries. (AFP via France 24)
• India–European Union relations
  • The European Union and India sign a free trade agreement, eliminating tariffs on metals, plastics, chemicals, and pharmaceutical products. (The Guardian)
• Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
  • Saudi Arabia bans the use of its territory or airspace for any military action against Iran. (AFP via The Times of Israel)

Law and crime

• The Azerbaijani State Security Service announces that it has foiled an attempt by the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province to bomb an embassy in Baku. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Honduran general election
  • Nasry Asfura is sworn in as President of Honduras, succeeding Xiomara Castro. (AFP via France 24)
• In an overnight session, the National Assembly of France approves a bill banning social media for children under the age of 15. The bill will now go to the Senate for approval. (AFP via The Guardian)

Science and technology

• The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces that the Doomsday Clock has been set to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest it has been to midnight, citing rising global tensions. (CNN) (Reuters)

2026 January 26

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • The People’s Defense Units and the Syrian transitional government accuse each other of ceasefire violations as reports of resuming clashes near Kobani and Qamishli emerge. (Al Jazeera)
• Gaza war
  • Gaza peace plan, Gaza war hostage crisis
    • Israeli forces locate and repatriate the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Gaza Strip. (CNN)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 23 people, including 16 children, are kidnapped and another injured in a bandit attack in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, Nigeria. (The Guardian)
• Somali Civil War
  • Al-Shabaab militants kill a village chief and a teacher in Garissa County, Kenya, near the border with Somalia, prompting police to deploy additional security forces and launch a multi-agency manhunt for the attackers. (Reuters)
• Terrorism in Australia
  • A man is arrested in Perth, Western Australia, after throwing a bomb which did not detonate into a crowd of Indigenous sovereignty activists protesting Invasion Day. (The Guardian Australia)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Italy declares a state of emergency in Calabria, Sardinia, and Sicily after a severe storm causes more than €1 billion in damage and floods coastal towns, prompting the government to allocate an initial €100 million for relief and reconstruction. (Reuters)
  • A major landslide in Niscemi, Italy, damages buildings and infrastructure, causing the evacuation of over 1000 residents. (Reuters)
• January 2026 North American winter storm
  • The death toll of the winter storm in the United States rises to 34. (USA Today)
• Sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3
  • At least 18 people are killed, 316 others are rescued, and ten are reported missing when a ROPAX ferry sinks near Basilan, Philippines. (Reuters)
• Five people are killed in a fire at a food factory near Trikala, Greece. (BBC News) (AP via Toronto Star)
• Three people are killed and several are missing after a fire at a warehouse in Anandapur, India. (The Indian Express)
• A massive fire destroys dozens of buildings, including schools and houses, in Katingan Regency, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. (AA) (Antara)

Health and environment

• 2025–26 Ethiopian Marburg virus disease outbreak
  • Ethiopia declares an end to its two-month Marburg virus outbreak which killed nine people. (Reuters)

International relations

• Nicaragua–Spain relations
  • Spain expels Nicaragua’s ambassador and another diplomat to reciprocate Nicaragua’s removal of Spain’s ambassador and deputy amid longstanding bilateral tensions linked to Spain’s criticism of its human rights situation and support for sanctions on the European Union. (Reuters)
• Oman becomes the 61st country to sign the Artemis Accords, which constitutes space law and cooperation in space exploration. (NASA)

Law and crime

• War on drugs
  • Spanish police dismantle an international maritime cocaine smuggling ring that uses offshore vessels and high-speed crafts to deliver drugs to Europe, seizing 10 tonnes of cocaine, confiscating dozens of vessels and vehicles, and arresting 105 suspects after a year-long multinational investigation. (Reuters)
• Interpol reports that an operation in November 2025 to crack down on human traffickers resulted in 3,744 arrests in 119 countries. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Guyanese general election
  • Opposition members of Guyana’s National Assembly elect businessman and We Invest in Nationhood leader Azruddin Mohamed as their leader. (Reuters)

Previous Page: 10 of 66 Next