Portal:Current events/2012 January 29

January 29, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Police confront protesters with tear gas and stun grenades in the U.S. city of Oakland, California; more than 100 arrests are made. (BBC)(CNN)
2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
- Syrian Army forces launch an offensive in areas of the capital Damascus, as 60 people are killed across the country in the latest violence. (Al Jazeera)
- The Free Syrian Army orders a tactical withdrawal from the affected suburbs. (Reuters)
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North claims to have captured 29 Chinese workers and 9 members of the Sudan People's Armed Forces following a clash with government forces. (AFP via Google News)
Gunmen attack a police station in the Nigerian city of Kano, with Boko Haram believed responsible. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Disasters

Cyclone Iggy kills 14 people and injures 60 over a four day period in Indonesia. (CNN)
At least 10 people die in an accident on the Interstate 75 south of the US city of Gainesville, Florida. (Newsday)

International relations

Greece rejects outright German proposals for direct European Union control of the country's financial affairs, expressing opposition to further outside interference. (BBC)
In Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the first African Union summit since the demise of Muammar Gaddafi, calling for improvement of LGBT rights. (BBC)
The exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Abdullah II of Jordan meet in Khaled Meshaal's first trip to Jordan since his expulsion in 1999. (CNN)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors begin a three-day visit to Iran. (BBC) (Times of India)
Bangladesh and India sign a deal to build a US$1.5 billion power plant. (BBC)

Law and crime

Former Papua New Guinea Army Colonel Yaura Sasa, who led a recent coup d'état attempt to restore former Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to power, is charged with mutiny. (Reuters)
At least three people are killed and 100 injured in clashes between Bangladeshi police and members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party protesting against the government. (Reuters via Yahoo)
Three members of the Shafia family are convicted of murder in relation to the Shafia family deaths in the Canadian city of Kingston, Ontario. (Toronto Star)

Politics and elections

Large crowds greet Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she begins a campaign for 1 April by-elections. (Bangkok Post)
Voters in Egypt start voting in an election for the Shura Council (upper house), with Islamist parties seeking to consolidate their position. (AFP via Google News)
Former President of Italy Oscar Luigi Scalfaro dies at the age of 93. (Reuters via The Star)
The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy outlines an economic reform package increasing taxes and proposing a new tax on financial transactions. (AFP via France24)

Sport