A suicide car bomb explosion and gunmen attack in Iraqi al-Qadisiya town situated in west of Najaf, kills at least 7 people and injures more than 17 others. Yesterday, 29 people were killed in a bomb explosion at a busy market in Iraq’s capital Baghdad. ISIS claims responsibility. (Reuters)(Tasnim News Agency)
Gambian PresidentYahya Jammeh accuses the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, of "declaring war" after it said it was putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down at the end of his mandate on January 19. (Reuters)
Spanish and Moroccan authorities clash with migrants on the Moroccan-Spanish border along Ceuta, as they attempt to climb and rush the border fence. (Express)
Police arrest Anthony K. Boisvert after a foot chase in Lebanon, New Hampshire, charging him in the setting a fire which destroyed an abandoned building on January 2016, and two other fires, one which destroyed the historic First Baptist Church on December 2016 and stabbing two at a condominium complex December 29. (The New Hampshire Union Leader)
Authorities seek three men after they rob $6 million on New Year's Eve from the offices of high-end jewelry designer Gregg Ruth in New York City. (ABC NYC)
A series of attacks kill at least 70 people and injure more than 100 others in mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, Iraq. (The Huffington Post)
Disasters and accidents
In Texas, four children die with an additional six others injured after they are poisoned by phosgene gas sprayed in an inappropriate attempt as a pesticide. (Fox News)
In New Haven, Connecticut, two men are suspected of approaching a man claiming to have a gun, took his cellphone and wallet. Then they stole his SUV and apparently lost control as they were killed when their stolen SUV accidentally crashed into and seriously damaged a synagogue (Hartford Courant)
In Dearborn, Michigan the driver and passenger of a minivan being pursued by police for missing plates were killed when they struck a car, lost control and hit several parked vehicles. (Huron Daily Tribune)
In Detroit, Michigan an African American man was shot in the head driving a car which crashed, police are searching for two men who ran from the car after the crash (WXYZ)
A first-year New Rochelle Police officer crashed his Jeep into a tree, killing passenger Isaac "Hooshie" Ward. He will be charged with vehicular manslaughter as his Blood Alcohol Content was above the legal limit (newrochelletalk)
Huzaifa Shafeeq was arraigned on burglary charges after police say the stole from a Long Island mosque charity box on Christmas and New Years Day. Islamic Center board member said the amount taken wasn't large, but called police as the thief needed help. (ABC7NY)
Ford announces that it has cancelled plans to build a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico, long criticized by U.S. President-electDonald Trump, and will invest $700 million in its Michigan plant in Flat Rock, potentially creating 700 new jobs from the investment and expansion of the plant. (CNN)(Fox News)
The U.S. Commerce Department announces that construction spending increased 0.9 percent to $1.18 trillion in November 2016, the highest level since April 2006. (CNBC)
Trump nominates Joe Hagin, former Deputy Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush, as Deputy White House chief of staff for operations.
Trump nominates Rajiv Shah, former RNC Deputy Research Director, as White House research director.
Trump nominates Rick Dearborn, United States Attorney General designee and Senator Jeff Sessions' former chief of staff, as head of the White House legislative affairs office.
A shootout in İzmir kills two gunmen while another one escapes. During the shootout a car bomb explodes, killing a police officer and court employee. (The Guardian)
Business and economy
Following a start-of-year hike to the price of gas, widespread riots and looting mostly targeting gas stations, supermarkets and department stores take place in several cities in Mexico. Over 250 people are said to have been arrested so far while blockades to PEMEX installations potentially lead to critical situations in some states. (Reuters)
Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire soldiers launch mutinies in three cities across Ivory Coast. The Defense Minister Alain Donwahi says talks are ongoing with the soldiers, calling for all troops to return to their barracks. (Reuters)(AP)
Business and economy
The Limited announces the closing of all of its brick-and-mortar stores and will begin operating only online after January 8. (Dayton Daily News)
Free University of Berlin chemists confirm that carbon can bond with more than four atoms, previously seen as its limit because carbon has only four shareable electrons. The researchers used X-rays to, for the first time, map the molecule — a carbon atom bonded to six other carbon atoms. (Science News)(ZME Science)
A truck rams into a group of Israeli soldiers in a deliberate attack in East Jerusalem, killing four and wounding 21. The perpetrator was previously convicted of terrorism and was jailed for 10 years. (CNN)(The Guardian)
Pakistan has decided to impose official prohibition on Jundallah and splinter groups that claim responsibility for terror attacks. (The News)(Daily Times)
Dozens of people die in eastern Europe and Italy in recent days as a result of a cold snap with cancelled flights, frozen rivers, and traffic accidents. (Independent Online SA)
Greek and Turkish local leaders of Cyprus resume talks to end the division of the island before a high level multilateral conference takes place in Geneva this week in the latest effort to reunify the island. (The Guardian)
Iran confirms receipt of Saudi Arabian invitation to discuss bilateral talk for Hajj-2017. The Iranian delegation is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on 23 February this year for participation in the next pilgrimage. (The Washington Post)(The News)
Norway becomes the first country to start a complete switch-off of national FM radio stations. The change, from the analogue FM system to digital audio broadcasting, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Some, such as the Norwegian Local Radio Association, are concerned about the impact on motorists and the elderly. (New Scientist)(BBC)
President Barack Obama announces the end of the wet feet, dry feet policy, which previously allowed undocumented immigrants from Cuba to become permanent residents. (CNN)
A winter storm pours ice rain on the Great Plains and American Midwest, causes power outages, school closures, and a traffic fatality in Missouri. (Reuters)
President of the United StatesBarack Obama signs an order to ease sanctions against Sudan, citing the country's efforts to "reduce internal conflict, improve humanitarian access to people requiring aid and curtail terrorism". (BBC)
Law and crime
Six more people have been charged in relation to the armed robbery of American celebrity Kim Kardashian in Paris last year. (9 News)
Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan vows that the Turkish Armed Forces will stay on Cyprus "in perpetuity" and that the proposal of a rotating presidency for a unified island is unacceptable, casting doubts on an eventual solution to the dispute. The remarks come as the latest round of unity talks end, with them to restart on January 18. (The Guardian)
A UCLA research team, analyzing lunar minerals brought back during the Apollo program, reports that the moon is at least 4.51 billion years old, up to 150 million years older than previous estimates.(Sci Tech Daily)(Independent)
President-elect Adama Barrow travels to the Malian capital of Bamako to meet with world leaders after yesterday's failed attempts at persuading incumbent president Yahya Jammeh to step down at the end of his term. (Al Jazeera)
The Turkish Parliament approves two constitutional amendments which expand the powers of the president to appoint new legislation and select the cabinet. (RT)
A summit begins in Paris, France, to restart peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine in an effort to discuss a possible two-state solution to the conflict. However, neither Israel nor Palestine sent representatives to the summit, casting doubts on a breakthrough. (Al Jazeera)
Bahrain executes three people for their alleged involvement in a bombing that killed three police officers in 2014, the first executions in the country since 2010. (The Guardian)
ISIL's third attack against the Syrian government's forces in the city of Deir ez-Zor reportedly splits the government held area in two. An estimated 14,000 ISIL fighters are participating in the attack according to the government. (Al Masdar News)
President Obama also commutes the sentence of Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera who was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for seditious conspiracy. (The Guardian)
A suicide bomber detonates a vehicle full of explosives at a military camp in Gao, Mali, killing at least 76 people and wounding scores more in Mali's deadliest terrorist attack in history. (The Guardian)
On the afternoon of 18 January 2017, a major avalanche occurred on Gran Sasso d'Italia, a mountain in Rigopiano, a tourist destination in the province of Pescara, in Southern Italy's Abruzzo region. The avalanche struck the luxury resort Hotel Rigopiano, killing twenty-nine people and injuring eleven others. The avalanche is the deadliest in Italy since the White Friday avalanches in 1916, and the deadliest avalanche in Europe since the Galtür avalanche in 1999.
At least four people are killed in a shootout between Mexican Police and unknown gunmen after the latter opened fire on the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office in Cancún. (BBC)
Thousands of British tourists are evacuated from the Gambia as West African states prepare to take military action to remove President Yahya Jammeh from power as his term ends. (BBC)
Two Israeli Bedouins and one Israeli police officer are killed in a clash during a home-demolition operation in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran. Israeli police claim to have found evidence that the Bedouins were supporters of the Islamic State. (Al Jazeera)
Uber agrees to pay $20 million to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission claims the company exaggerated prospective earnings and downplayed the costs of buying/leasing a car when recruiting new drivers. (Reuters)
A small plane carrying Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki crashes into the sea near the tourist town of Paraty in the state of Rio de Janeiro, killing the magistrate and two other people. Zavascki had been handling the politically-charged Operation Car Wash corruption trials. (Reuters)
An Italian rescue official says a number of people have been killed by an avalanche, possibly connected to Wednesday's earthquakes, that buried a ski resort on a slope of the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy's Abruzzo region. About 30 guests and staff were at the hotel. The only survivors are two men who had been outside when the disaster struck. (BBC)(Daily Express)(Reuters)
At least 15 children are killed and 45 more are injured after a school bus collides with a truck in Etah, India. (BBC)
A court in South Korea strikes down a request by prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is accused of bribery and embezzlement, in connection to a corruption scandal involving impeached PresidentPark Geun-hye. (BBC)
An airstrike kills more than 40 Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters at a jihadist camp west of Aleppo. It is currently unknown whether American or Russian planes carried out the attack. (Reuters)(FOX News)
Italian emergency crews rescue 10 people, including four children, from 16½ feet of snow and wreckage from the luxury Hotel Rigopiano following yesterday's Gran Sasso mountain avalanche. Searchers find four bodies, while families of at least 16 people still missing wait for news. (CBS News)
Some protesters of the inauguration smash windows, damage cars, and clash with the police. Six police officers and at least one civilian are injured. DC police say 217 protesters have been arrested. (CNN)
A car bomb attack occurs in the Rakban refugee camp near the Jordanian border. Casualty counts are currently unknown and no one has yet taken credit for the attack. (Al Jazeera)
Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives during a firefight with Saudi security forces in Jeddah. (Al Jazeera)
Eight people are killed in Rafah, Egypt, after a shell lands on the home in which they were staying. (Reuters)
Brazilian police enter the Alcacuz prison outside the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, after a week of fighting leaves 26 inmates dead. At least 126 people have been killed in Brazil's prisons since the beginning of the year. (AP)
Marches occur across the U.S. and throughout the world, with 408 reported marches in the U.S. and 168 marches reported in other countries. (The New York Times)
According to an advisor to Gambian PresidentAdama Barrow, more than 500 million dalasi, equivalent to US$11.3 million, are reported missing from state coffers after former President Yahya Jammeh left the country in exile. (BBC)
Following a joint police operation by Europol and Interpol last October and November across much of Europe, dubbed "Operation Pandora", more than 3,500 stolen artwork and artifacts are recovered, with 75 people arrested and 48,588 more being investigated. (BBC)
The death toll from the avalanche which buried the four-star luxury resort Hotel Rigopiano on 18 January rises to seventeen, with twelve others still missing. (ABC News)
An Italian rescue helicopter, carrying an injured skier from Gran Sasso d'Italia, crashes amid thick fog, killing six people. (BBC)
Police discover US$20 million in a bed frame under a mattress at a Massachusetts home. The cash is believed to be linked to Telexfree, a pyramid scheme disguised as a company that claimed to provide internet phone services. A Brazilian man that police were following was charged in connection to the money. (BBC)
The second day of peace negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, end with the sponsors of the talks, Russia, Turkey and Iran, agreeing to set up commission between the three to monitor and enforce the fragile ceasefire to the Syrian Civil War. (The Guardian)
Twenty-eight people are killed in a coordinated attack on the Dayah Hotel in central Mogadishu. The terrorist group Al-Shabaab claims responsibility. (Yahoo!)(Al Jazeera)
Over 800 homes are destroyed or flooded in Tahiti, French Polynesia, following severe storms over the weekend, with at least 4,000 people affected. (Radio New Zealand)
The RussianDuma backs a law decriminalizing a first instance of domestic violence that does "not seriously injure" the person, making it an administrative offense. The bill also includes violence against children. (CNN)
Donald Trump calls for a 20% tariff on Mexican imports to pay for the cost of a wall on the U.S–Mexican border. White House Press SecretarySean Spicer says that this is one of the ideas that the administration is considering to make Mexico pay for the wall. (NBC News)
The clothing retailer Wet Seal announces the closing of all 148 of its brick-and-mortar stores after filing for bankruptcy in 2015. The news comes on the heels of recent announcements of the closings of other major clothing chains, such as The Limited. (WHIO-TV)
Israeli authorities approve 153 construction permits for settlement homes in East Jerusalem, and plan to approve another 11,000 in the coming months. (Al Jazeera)
Protests take place in Cameroon following the arrest of several opposition leaders and internet services being cut off in the nation's English-speaking areas. (Al Jazeera)
The World Food Programme cuts food aid to over 1.4 million displaced Iraqis by 50%, citing payment delays from donor states. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
A boat with 31 people on board, including more than 20 Chinese tourists, goes missing after sailing from the eastern Malaysian port of Kota Kinabalu to visit the island of Pulau Mengalum. (AP)
Iran says it will take reciprocal action after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the executive order which limits immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. (CNN)
U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York grants a stay of the executive order that allows people with valid visas who landed in the U.S. to temporarily remain in the country. (Reuters)(CNBC)(AP)
An Italian court orders former Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi to stand trial on April 4 on charges of allegedly bribing witnesses with €10 million (US$11 million) in order to silence them over accusations he paid for sex with young women. (Reuters)
A U.S. military raid takes place in Yemen's southern Al Bayda Governorate. According to medics on the scene as reported by Reuters, "around 30" were killed, among which were at least three senior Al-Qaeda members, at least one U.S. service member, and 10 women and children. (Reuters)(The Guardian)
A gunman opens fire at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, during evening prayers. At least five people were killed. Two suspects were apprehended; one was later released. (CBC News)(Reuters)
U.S. federal judges in the states of Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington sign orders halting implementation of parts of the executive order. (New York Daily News)(Reuters via News.com.au)
In the largest protest since the 1989 Revolution, more than 90,000 people march through Romania's capital and other cities against a government proposal to pardon thousands of prisoners. (Business Review)(Digi24)
The Iraqi Parliament votes in favour of a reciprocal travel ban on U.S. citizens if U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries is not reversed. The Iraqi travel ban will not be implemented while tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and contractors are involved in the fight against ISIL. (AFP via Daily Mail)
In Ankara, the Turkish government opens the trial of 270 suspects charged in July's failed coup in Ankara. The defendants include, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gülen, former NATO Chief of Staff Major General Salih Sevil, and other high-ranking military officials. (Yahoo! News)
Consultancy PwC says that global banks with business both in London and on the European continent must plan for a hard Brexit that entails a break with many of the benefits of the Euro system, and a short transition period. (Reuters)
President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. Neil Gorsuch is the youngest nominee to the court in 25 years. (CNN)
