The Syrian Army's Tiger Forces with Russian air support enters and takes control of the city of Saraqib, and the nearby town of Sarmin, after rebel forces withdrew from the area. (The Washington Post) (Anadolu Agency)
Winter Storm Kade Several tornadoes are reported across the southern United States as Winter Storm Kade continues to cross the country, with more than 200 reports of damaging winds across Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina. (Weather.com) Heavy rainfall causes severe flooding in southern states, particularly western South Carolina and western Virginia, where several flash flood emergencies have been declared. (Weather.com)
It is reported January 2020 was the warmest January ever on record in Europe. (The Washington Post) (Time)
Esperanza Base on the Antarctic Peninsula reaches a temperature of 18.3 °C (64.9 °F), the hottest on record for continental Antarctica. (The Guardian) (The Washington Post)
Five people are killed in a plane crash in Western Alaska, United States. (NBC News)
Heavy snowfall blankets much of the north-eastern United States. More than 1 foot of snowfall is reported widely, with up to 2 feet recorded in parts of Maine and Vermont. (Weather.com)
Winter Storm Kade High winds, gusting up to 90 miles per hour, strike New England as Winter Storm Kade intensifies upon its exit into the Atlantic Ocean. (Weather.com) Heavy snowfall blankets much of the north-eastern United States. More than 1 foot of snowfall is reported widely, with up to 2 feet recorded in parts of Maine and Vermont. (Weather.com)
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner declares that the government will not pay back its US$57 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund until the country exits its recession. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) A shootout during joint exercises with U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Nangarhar Province leaves between four and six Americans, and six Afghans dead. It is unknown if the Taliban or rogue Afghan forces were responsible. (Reuters)
A shootout during joint exercises with U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Nangarhar Province leaves between four and six Americans, and six Afghans dead. It is unknown if the Taliban or rogue Afghan forces were responsible. (Reuters)
A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. (Bangkok Post) (USA Today)
COVID-19 pandemic Two people – one Japanese and one American – die from coronavirus in Wuhan. They are the first foreigners (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) to die from it. (NBC News)
Nakhon Ratchasima shootings A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. (Bangkok Post) (USA Today)
Two people – one Japanese and one American – die from coronavirus in Wuhan. They are the first foreigners (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) to die from it. (NBC News)
President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele breaks into the Legislative Assembly with the Army and occupies the chair of the Speaker to demand the approval of a financial measure which couldn't pass earlier as there was no quorum. In a public release, the Presidency department calls for calm after a "demand of insurrection". The opposition accuses the president and the army of intimidation and a "self-coup". (El País) (BBC News) (The Washington Post) (The New York Times)
The administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte moves to cancel the franchise of ABS-CBN, the Philippines' largest broadcast media network, by lodging a complaint against it to the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Members of the Philippine press condemn the actions in moving for the cancellation of the franchise of ABS-CBN. (The New York Times) (Rappler) (GMA News Online)
Brexit UK government minister Michael Gove says an IT system for the prospective "smart" border will not be ready before 2025. (The Independent) (Financial Times)
Chinese cyberwarfare A federal grand jury in the United States charges four members of China’s People's Liberation Army with the 2017 Equifax hack. (CNN)
UK government minister Michael Gove says an IT system for the prospective "smart" border will not be ready before 2025. (The Independent) (Financial Times)
A federal grand jury in the United States charges four members of China’s People's Liberation Army with the 2017 Equifax hack. (CNN)
Climate change mitigation, Individual and political action on climate change Dozens of climate activists surround the offices of American investment management company BlackRock in central Paris and vandalize the building, demanding they disinvest from the fossil fuel industry. (Reuters)
Dozens of climate activists surround the offices of American investment management company BlackRock in central Paris and vandalize the building, demanding they disinvest from the fossil fuel industry. (Reuters)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2020 New Hampshire Democratic primary Registered Democrats and independents in the U.S. state of New Hampshire vote in the first official Democratic presidential primary of the election year. It comes after the controversial Iowa caucuses that occurred a week earlier. (CBS News) Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders narrowly defeats former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg to win the primary. (Vox) Entrepreneur Andrew Yang suspends his presidential campaign. (PBS) Colorado Senator Michael Bennet suspends his presidential campaign. (NBC News)
Registered Democrats and independents in the U.S. state of New Hampshire vote in the first official Democratic presidential primary of the election year. It comes after the controversial Iowa caucuses that occurred a week earlier. (CBS News)
2020 Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Iraq The Pentagon confirms that the number of U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries from the Iranian attacks in January is higher than previously stated, now being at 109. (DW)
Philippines–United States relations The President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte terminates the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. confirms that the Embassy of the United States, Manila, has been formally notified. The termination will take effect after 180 days. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
The Pentagon confirms that the number of U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries from the Iranian attacks in January is higher than previously stated, now being at 109. (DW)
The President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte terminates the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. confirms that the Embassy of the United States, Manila, has been formally notified. The termination will take effect after 180 days. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
New York v. Deutsche Telekom Victor Marrero, a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, approves the $26 billion USD merger of T-Mobile US and Sprint Corporation. (NBC)
Victor Marrero, a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, approves the $26 billion USD merger of T-Mobile US and Sprint Corporation. (NBC)
Syrian Civil War United States Armed Forces open fire and kill a Syrian after a group of government supporters attempted to block a U.S. convoy in protest at a checkpoint near Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate. (MSN) (BBC News)
2020 U.S. Democratic Party presidential primaries Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick suspends his presidential campaign. (ABC News) Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price resigns for his handling of this year's Iowa caucuses. (CNN)
United States Armed Forces open fire and kill a Syrian after a group of government supporters attempted to block a U.S. convoy in protest at a checkpoint near Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate. (MSN) (BBC News)
Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price resigns for his handling of this year's Iowa caucuses. (CNN)
More than half of Malta's traffic police officers, including its chief, are arrested for overtime fraud and misuse of public resources. (Reuters)
The GSM Association decides to cancel this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, amid coronavirus concerns. The event would have been held between February 24 and 27. This is the first time that the mobile communications trade show has been cancelled. (CNBC)
The Italian Senate allows former Minister of the Interior and current senator Matteo Salvini to be tried in a criminal case for illegally detaining migrants last summer. (BBC News)
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights publishes a list of 112 companies linked to activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)
The United States Postal Service suspends time guarantees for all shipments to China and Hong Kong. (South China Morning Post)
Around two dozen heavily armed men dressed in military fatigues storm a court building in El Progreso, north-western Honduras, freeing Alexander Mendoza, a senior leader of the MS-13 gang and killing four police officers. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández offers a $80,000 reward for information leading to Mendoza's recapture. (BBC News)
Sudan–United States relations As part of government efforts to remove the country from a list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Sudan agrees to compensate the families of sailors killed in an al-Qaeda attack against the USS Cole. (Reuters)
United States–Venezuela relations Venezuelan Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Arreaza announces that his government, led by Nicolás Maduro, will take the U.S. to the International Criminal Court for alleged "crimes against humanity". (Washington Post)
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Arreaza announces that his government, led by Nicolás Maduro, will take the U.S. to the International Criminal Court for alleged "crimes against humanity". (Washington Post)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that the U.S. and the Taliban have negotiated a proposal for a seven-day reduction of violence in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
American newspaper publisher McClatchy, whose assets include the Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (The Hill)
Belarus–Russia relations Belarus threatens to take oil from the Druzhba pipeline which carries Russian oil to central Europe across its territory, if Russia does not supply it with the required volumes of crude oil. Russian oil supplies to Belarus have not been agreed for 2020 and shipments have dwindled to 500,000 tonnes, down from a planned 2 million tonnes. (Reuters) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says Moscow hinted at an energy supply deal in exchange for Belarus merging with Russia, which caused talks to collapse. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says Moscow hinted at an energy supply deal in exchange for Belarus merging with Russia, which caused talks to collapse. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
Facebook and Instagram amend their advertising policies so that politicians are allowed to use influencers to promote their campaigns, in response to U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg using them to advertise his candidacy without being subjected to both sites' regulations on political ads. (Politico) (The Guardian)
Kosovar President Hashim Thaçi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić agree to connect the capitals of their respective countries by rail and roads, in a deal brokered by the United States. (Al Jazeera)
Kosovo–Serbia relations Kosovar President Hashim Thaçi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić agree to connect the capitals of their respective countries by rail and roads, in a deal brokered by the United States. (Al Jazeera)
Sri Lanka–United States relations The U.S. State Department sanctions Sri Lankan Army Commander Shavendra Silva for alleged human rights violations during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War. (Reuters)
Terrorism in Germany Twelve men are arrested in Germany for attempting to start a far-right organization aimed at carrying out attacks against politicians, asylum seekers, and Muslims. (Al Jazeera)
Twelve men are arrested in Germany for attempting to start a far-right organization aimed at carrying out attacks against politicians, asylum seekers, and Muslims. (Al Jazeera)
Canadian National suspends operations of its railroad network in eastern Canada, and Via Rail cancels most passenger inter-city rail service in Canada, in response to a blockade by First Nations activists, in support of the Unistʼotʼen Camp in Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation territory in British Columbia protesting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project. (CBC News)
Indigenous land claims in Canada Canadian National suspends operations of its railroad network in eastern Canada, and Via Rail cancels most passenger inter-city rail service in Canada, in response to a blockade by First Nations activists, in support of the Unistʼotʼen Camp in Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation territory in British Columbia protesting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project. (CBC News)
Twenty-one U.S. states reject a US$18 billion settlement offer by pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as McKesson Corporation and Johnson & Johnson, for their role in the opioid crisis. (Al Jazeera)
Azerbaijani police detain three opposition party leaders and more than 100 activists for attempting to protest the results of last week's parliamentary election. (Reuters)
South Sudanese Civil War SPLM-IO leader and former Vice President Riek Machar rejects a peace proposal by President Salva Kiir Mayardit. While Machar welcomes the provision to reduce the number of states from 32 to 10, he opposes the creation of three administrative areas. (Al Jazeera)
SPLM-IO leader and former Vice President Riek Machar rejects a peace proposal by President Salva Kiir Mayardit. While Machar welcomes the provision to reduce the number of states from 32 to 10, he opposes the creation of three administrative areas. (Al Jazeera)
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri rules that chemical companies Bayer and BASF are accountable for the adverse effects of their Dicamba-based herbicides on American farmlands, and awards the plaintiff, a peach farmer, US$265 million in damages. Bayer announces it will appeal. (Reuters)
Russian espionage in the United States U.S. federal officials charge Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen, in Miami for allegedly acting on behalf of a Russian agent who recruited him to collect information about the U.S. government and met repeatedly with him in Moscow. (The New York Times) (Politico)
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a presidential order sacking senior adviser Vladislav Surkov. Surkov was in charge of the Kremlin's policy on the Ukrainian crisis and its relations with the separatist "people's republics" in the Donbass. (Voice of America)
A fire at a library in Porterville, California leaves one firefighter dead and another missing. (NBC News)
American retailer Macy's announces it will close 125 stores over the next three years, citing competition from online sellers, including Amazon. (USA Today)
International sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis The U.S. State Department adds Russian oil company Rosneft Trading S.A. to its financial blacklist for helping facilitate the sale of Venezuelan oil. (ABC News)
The Boy Scouts of America file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the result of multiple sex abuse lawsuits. (The Wall Street Journal) (Scouting Newsroom)
The United Kingdom's Home Secretary Priti Patel announces a reform of the UK's immigration system. The changes includes the end of freedom of movement, a minimum requirement of migrants to speak English, a minimum salary of between £20,480 and £25,600, while priority will be given to skilled workers over non-skilled migrants. The changes are effective from January 1, 2021. (BBC News)
Brazilian Senator Cid Gomes is shot during a clash with striking military police officers in Sobral, Ceará. (AP via Yahoo News)
The American S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite stock-market indexes hit all-time closing highs. (CNBC)
The assets of American fast fashion chain Forever 21 are purchased out of bankruptcy by real estate companies Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners, and brand management firm Authentic Brands Group. (Reuters)
Criminal charges brought in the Mueller special counsel investigation U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentences Roger Stone, long-time adviser and ally to the President of the United States Donald Trump, to 40 months in federal prison for seven charges of obstruction, lying to Congress and witness tampering. (CNN) (BBC News)
The California State Legislature unanimously passes a resolution apologizing for the state's role in interning Japanese-Americans during World War II. (The Guardian)
Turkey formally requests the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems by its NATO ally United States on the Syria–Turkey border to deter Syrian and Russian air strikes on its troops. (The Telegraph) (Al Masdar News)
2020 Dominican Republic municipal elections The major opposition party PRM asked for protection for its presidential security chief. (Dominican Today) The Protest in Black continues into the fourth day. (Dominican Today) Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez launches a plan to sequester the Justice Ministry for partisan purposes. (Dominican Today)
India and Pakistan have engaged in a military confrontation across the de facto border in Kashmir; Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged fire near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. One Pakistani soldier died in the exchange of fire. (Hindustan Times)
