Japan–Saudi Arabia relations Japanese PM Shinzō Abe arrives in Saudi Arabia in his first visit to the Middle East, where he expects to mediate between the United States and Iran amid heightening tensions. (The Japan Times)
Japanese PM Shinzō Abe arrives in Saudi Arabia in his first visit to the Middle East, where he expects to mediate between the United States and Iran amid heightening tensions. (The Japan Times)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries New Jersey Senator Cory Booker drops out of the U.S. presidential race. (NBC News)
China–United States trade war The U.S. Department of the Treasury de-lists China as a currency manipulator. (Reuters)
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker drops out of the U.S. presidential race. (NBC News)
Saudi Arabia–United States relations, aftermath of the Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting The United States expels 21 Royal Saudi Air Force cadets. Amid an investigation into the Saudi Arabian military following the attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, the cadets were found to have jihadist material and child pornography on their phones. However, none of the cadets are believed to have assisted the gunman in the attack. (BBC News)
The United States expels 21 Royal Saudi Air Force cadets. Amid an investigation into the Saudi Arabian military following the attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, the cadets were found to have jihadist material and child pornography on their phones. However, none of the cadets are believed to have assisted the gunman in the attack. (BBC News)
2020 College Football Playoff National Championship In American football, LSU defeats Clemson to win the national championship. (NBC News)
After a standoff, police in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia shoot and kill a hostage taker who had taken three hostages with a homemade gun. The case comes less than a year after five were killed in a shooting in Inner Mongolia, and the case is under investigation. (South China Morning Post)
Crime in China After a standoff, police in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia shoot and kill a hostage taker who had taken three hostages with a homemade gun. The case comes less than a year after five were killed in a shooting in Inner Mongolia, and the case is under investigation. (South China Morning Post)
In American football, LSU defeats Clemson to win the national championship. (NBC News)
Visa Inc. purchases financial technology firm Plaid for US$5.3 billion, after it and Mastercard each invested US$250 million into the company last year. (Reuters)
Alejandro Giammattei takes the oath of office as President of Guatemala for the next four years. Also 160 new members of Congress are installed for a new parliamentary period of four years. (Reuters)
Politics of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei takes the oath of office as President of Guatemala for the next four years. Also 160 new members of Congress are installed for a new parliamentary period of four years. (Reuters)
American rapper Jay-Z and his philanthropic organization Team Roc file a federal lawsuit against Mississippi Department of Corrections commissioner Pelicia E. Hall and Mississippi State Penitentiary superintendent Marshal Turner over the abusive and neglectful treatment of their prisoners, which they claim has led to the deaths of at least three people. (NBC News) (BBC News)
China–United States trade war In a meeting at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign "Phase 1" of a new trade deal in which the U.S. will relax some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports while China agreed to buy more American products. Both sides also agree to not impose new tariffs. (NPR)
Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution The Sudanese Armed Forces says it has quelled a mutiny by soldiers loyal to ousted President Omar al-Bashir in the capital Khartoum. Former Director of the National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Gosh is accused of orchestrating the mutiny, which left two troops dead. His current whereabouts are unknown. (BBC News)
In a meeting at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign "Phase 1" of a new trade deal in which the U.S. will relax some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports while China agreed to buy more American products. Both sides also agree to not impose new tariffs. (NPR)
The Sudanese Armed Forces says it has quelled a mutiny by soldiers loyal to ousted President Omar al-Bashir in the capital Khartoum. Former Director of the National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Gosh is accused of orchestrating the mutiny, which left two troops dead. His current whereabouts are unknown. (BBC News)
The Virginia House of Delegates votes to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment decades after its deadline passed. As the amendment nonetheless now has enough states for it to be fully adopted, legal scholars are divided on whether this means the Constitution of the United States has been amended. (NPR)
The American-led coalition issues a statement saying that 11 U.S. service members were injured by the January 8, 2020 attack by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq. The U.S. Department of Defense had initially assessed that there had been no injuries. (CNN)
Winter Storm Jacob continues to move eastwards across the northern United States, bringing up to 26 inches (66 cm) of snowfall from Montana to Idaho and Utah and down into the Sierra Nevada of California. (The Weather Channel)
Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google, becomes the fourth American company to hit a stock market capitalization of US$1 trillion. (Reuters)
Mikhail Mishustin is appointed as new Prime Minister of Russia. (The New York Times)
The bodies of seven people are found in a mass grave in the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé region of Panama. Authorities believe a religious sect performed an exorcism on the victims. Police rescued 15 people who had suffered bodily injuries. (BBC News)
An avalanche at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in northern California, host site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, kills one person and seriously injures another. (The Weather Channel)
At a Friday sermon by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his first in eight years, he defends the Revolutionary Guards’ accidental killing of passengers onboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 and praises Operation Martyr Soleimani for giving a “slap on the face” to the United States. His sermon comes as public anger mounts against the government for their handling of Flight 752. (Al Jazeera)
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 protests At a Friday sermon by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his first in eight years, he defends the Revolutionary Guards’ accidental killing of passengers onboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 and praises Operation Martyr Soleimani for giving a “slap on the face” to the United States. His sermon comes as public anger mounts against the government for their handling of Flight 752. (Al Jazeera)
Winter Storm Jacob An avalanche at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in northern California, host site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, kills one person and seriously injures another. (The Weather Channel) Widespread snowfall and freezing rain across the Midwest leads to travel disruption. At Kansas City International Airport, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 passenger jet slides off the taxiway in icy conditions, while rare snowfall was recorded on the Texas Panhandle. (WABC-TV)
Icelandic fishing company Samherji announces it will cease operations in Namibia. The company was embroiled in a bribery scandal there that resulted in the resignation of Namibian Fisheries Minister Bernhardt Esau and Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala, as well as the arrest of two employees of South African banking corporation Investec. (Reuters)
Widespread snowfall and freezing rain across the Midwest leads to travel disruption. At Kansas City International Airport, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 passenger jet slides off the taxiway in icy conditions, while rare snowfall was recorded on the Texas Panhandle. (WABC-TV)
High winds and heavy snowfall impact the Midwest and mid-Atlantic states of the United States, with the heaviest snowfall recorded in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit. (The Weather Channel)
Winter Storm Jacob A historic blizzard strikes Atlantic Canada, with St. John's in Newfoundland worst affected – over 30 inches (76 cm) of snow fell during the day, breaking the city's all-time daily snowfall record. 21,000 homes are without power and one person is missing. (The Weather Channel) High winds and heavy snowfall impact the Midwest and mid-Atlantic states of the United States, with the heaviest snowfall recorded in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit. (The Weather Channel)
A man facing eviction shoots three police officers, killing two, then sets a house on fire, which spreads to four nearby houses, in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. He is presumed dead in the fire. (Hawaii News Now)
Crime in Hawaii A man facing eviction shoots three police officers, killing two, then sets a house on fire, which spreads to four nearby houses, in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. He is presumed dead in the fire. (Hawaii News Now)
2019–2021 Iraqi protests Four protesters and two police officers are killed during clashes in Baghdad. (Reuters)
2020 VCDL Lobby Day Thousands of protesters gather in Richmond to protest tighter gun laws in the U.S. state of Virginia. (BBC News)
A former special police officer and two militants are killed during a gun battle with Indian troops in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. (Reuters)
A man is arrested for a series of 40 rapes in the Miami, Florida, United States area in the 1980s. (Miami Herald)
Crime in Florida A man is arrested for a series of 40 rapes in the Miami, Florida, United States area in the 1980s. (Miami Herald)
Four protesters and two police officers are killed during clashes in Baghdad. (Reuters)
The trial against the Mossos d'Esquadra leadership begins in the National Audience for the role of the regional police in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and the 2017–18 constitutional crisis. Then-Major of the Mossos Josep Lluís Trapero, Pere Soler and Cèsar Puig face 11 years of imprisonment for rebellion, while Teresa Laplana is accused of sedition, facing four years of imprisonment. (The New York Times) (The Oklahoman)
Thousands of protesters gather in Richmond to protest tighter gun laws in the U.S. state of Virginia. (BBC News)
Trial of Catalan police leaders The trial against the Mossos d'Esquadra leadership begins in the National Audience for the role of the regional police in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and the 2017–18 constitutional crisis. Then-Major of the Mossos Josep Lluís Trapero, Pere Soler and Cèsar Puig face 11 years of imprisonment for rebellion, while Teresa Laplana is accused of sedition, facing four years of imprisonment. (The New York Times) (The Oklahoman)
2019–20 Lebanese protests Lebanon forms a new government with former American University of Beirut professor Hassan Diab as its Prime Minister, ending a three-month deadlock. Protestors subsequently march on Parliament to protest the new government. (Al Jazeera)
Lebanon forms a new government with former American University of Beirut professor Hassan Diab as its Prime Minister, ending a three-month deadlock. Protestors subsequently march on Parliament to protest the new government. (Al Jazeera)
The United Kingdom and United States governments announce they have agreed to protect the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. The agreement, signed by the British government in 2003, has come into effect after being ratified by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. An official also says the UK will work with Canada and France to bring "even more protection" to the wreckage. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the first U.S. case of novel coronavirus in Snohomish County, Washington. (The Washington Post) COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan The Centers for Disease Control for Taiwan announces that the first case of novel coronavirus was identified at Taoyuan International Airport. (The Wall Street Journal) North Korea reportedly bans foreign tourists and closes the China–North Korea border to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Al Jazeera)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the first U.S. case of novel coronavirus in Snohomish County, Washington. (The Washington Post)
North Korea reportedly bans foreign tourists and closes the China–North Korea border to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Al Jazeera)
The 2020 United States census begins, with Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham visiting Toksook Bay, Alaska, to meet with indigenous leaders and distribute census materials to residents. (BBC News)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the first U.S. case of novel coronavirus in Snohomish County, Washington. (The Washington Post)
A South Korean transgender soldier says she will sue the armed forces after it discharged her. The soldier, Byun Hui-su, says she will take her claim "until the end, to the Supreme Court". (Reuters)
Algeria announces it will host a meeting with foreign ministers from six North and sub-Saharan African nations, all of whom share a border with Libya, following the Berlin peace summit to help strengthen support for a tentative peace deal to end the Second Libyan Civil War. (Al Jazeera)
LGBT rights in South Korea A South Korean transgender soldier says she will sue the armed forces after it discharged her. The soldier, Byun Hui-su, says she will take her claim "until the end, to the Supreme Court". (Reuters)
Libyan peace process Algeria announces it will host a meeting with foreign ministers from six North and sub-Saharan African nations, all of whom share a border with Libya, following the Berlin peace summit to help strengthen support for a tentative peace deal to end the Second Libyan Civil War. (Al Jazeera)
The Seattle metropolitan area becomes the first place in the United States to allow vote by smartphone, which they authorized for a board of supervisors election in King County, Washington on February 11. (NPR)
UN special rapporteurs Agnès Callamard and David Kaye demand an investigation into claims made by The Guardian yesterday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the 2018 hacking of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's phone. The hack was allegedly done months before the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, who was employed at Bezos's newspaper The Washington Post and was a fierce critic of the Saudi government. The Saudi Foreign Ministry dismisses the allegations as "absurd". (Reuters)
A small plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport in California, killing all four on board. (CNN)
Eight people are shot, one fatally, following a dispute outside a McDonald's in downtown Seattle, Washington. (The Seattle Times)
Impeachment trial of Donald Trump The United States Senate hears opening statements in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. (The Washington Post) (The Washington Post via dpaste) (The Washington Post via archive.ph)
List of mass shootings in the United States in 2020 Eight people are shot, one fatally, following a dispute outside a McDonald's in downtown Seattle, Washington. (The Seattle Times)
Police in the Solomon Islands launch search operations to find nine people from a capsized boat near Isabel Province. Five men, two women and two children were on board. (RNZ)
The United States Senate hears opening statements in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. (The Washington Post) (The Washington Post via dpaste) (The Washington Post via archive.ph)
2019–20 Australian bushfire season A C-130 water bomber crashes in southern New South Wales, Australia, while helping control a bushfire. Three American firefighters are killed. (ABC News)
A C-130 water bomber crashes in southern New South Wales, Australia, while helping control a bushfire. Three American firefighters are killed. (ABC News)
Heads of state and dignitaries from around the world attend the fifth World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp and to address the resurgence of antisemitism worldwide. (The Washington Post)
The International Court of Justice orders Myanmar to protect the Rohingya population from atrocities. The Gambia had brought a lawsuit before the court over charges of genocide. (Reuters)
2020 Houston explosion Two people are killed and 18 injured in a warehouse explosion in Houston, Texas, United States. (Associated Press)
Two people are killed and 18 injured in a warehouse explosion in Houston, Texas, United States. (Associated Press)
2019–2021 Iraqi protests, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) Hundreds of thousands march in Baghdad to protest the presence of the United States in Iraq. (CNN)
Censorship in Singapore, Malaysia–Singapore relations Malaysian human rights advocacy group Lawyers for Liberty sues Singaporean Home Minister K. Shanmugam in Malaysian High Court after his office invoked the country's anti-fake news law to censor the group's criticisms of the death penalty there. The plaintiff argues that the move represents "an attempt by Singapore to encroach upon, stifle or crack down on freedom of speech in Malaysia". (South China Morning Post)
Hundreds of thousands march in Baghdad to protest the presence of the United States in Iraq. (CNN)
LGBT rights in Mauritania Police detain a gay couple in Nouakchott after a video purportedly of them marrying in a secret location emerges, in what is considered to be the first major prosecution of its kind in recent years. The attendees in the video were also detained. (North African Post)
Malaysian human rights advocacy group Lawyers for Liberty sues Singaporean Home Minister K. Shanmugam in Malaysian High Court after his office invoked the country's anti-fake news law to censor the group's criticisms of the death penalty there. The plaintiff argues that the move represents "an attempt by Singapore to encroach upon, stifle or crack down on freedom of speech in Malaysia". (South China Morning Post)
