Portal:Current events/February 2023

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
      • A Russian Iskander-K ballistic missile destroys an apartment complex in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, killing at least three people and injuring 20 others, according to local officials. (Reuters)
• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • M23 insurgents capture the town of Kitshanga in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, after days of heavy fighting. The DRC army confirms the withdrawal of its troops from the town, saying that it was a "tactical move to protect civilians". (Al Jazeera)
• Syrian civil war
  • Northwestern Syria clashes
    • Eight soldiers are killed near Kafr Rumah in Idlib Governorate by Tahrir al-Sham militants. (AFP via Barron's)
• 2018–2023 Haitian crisis
  • Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that his government is willing to send troops to Haiti as part of a "multinational security assistance deployment". (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Lebanese liquidity crisis
  • The central bank of Lebanon devalues the Lebanese pound by 90% amid an ongoing financial crisis. (Reuters)
• 2021–present United Kingdom cost of living crisis
  • More than 500,000 workers across multiple public sectors go on strike in the United Kingdom, forcing thousands of schools to close and many services to be delayed or cancelled, amid disputes over pay and working conditions. It is the largest industrial action in the UK since 2010. (CNBC)
• 2021–2023 inflation surge
  • U.S. payment service provider PayPal announces that it will cut around 2,000 jobs, about 7% of its workforce, citing the "challenging macro-economic environment". (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• January 31 – February 2, 2023 ice storm
  • Eight people are killed by a winter storm in Texas, United States. (NBC News)
• Two people are injured after a magnitude 6 earthquake hits Monkayo, Davao de Oro, Philippines. (GMA News Online)
• One person is injured after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hits Banjar, West Java, Indonesia. (Kompas.com)
• Three people are killed and 32 others are injured after a fire in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)

Health and environment

• Western Australian radioactive capsule incident
  • A search team from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and WA Fire and Emergency Services announces that they have found the missing caesium-137 capsule around 74 km (46 mi) south of Newman. (ABC News Australia)
• The East Epi submarine volcano in Vanuatu erupts for the first time since 2004, sending ash 90 meters into the air, with a 10 kilometer radius danger zone. (The Washington Post) (RNZ)

Law and crime

• Four people are killed and five others are injured after a mass shooting in KwaMashu, Durban, South Africa. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021–2023 Myanmar civil war
  • 2023 Myanmar general election
    • Two years after Myanmar's military overthrew the country's democratically-elected government, the State Administration Council extends the country's state of emergency for another six months, thereby postponing the general election initially scheduled for August 1. (AFP via France 24)

Science and technology

• Long-period comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) makes its closest approach to Earth after reaching its perihelion on January 12. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Eight construction workers are killed near Sevastopol, Crimea, in an overnight fire at a barracks. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• 2020–2023 H5N8 outbreak
  • The UK Health Security Agency confirms that avian influenza has crossed over to several wild mammals, including foxes, otters and seals. The agency says that the risk to humans remains very low, however, there will now be more "targeted surveillance" and testing of animals. (BBC News)

International relations

• Israel–Sudan relations
  • Israel–Sudan normalization agreement
    • Israel and Sudan announce the finalisation of a deal to normalize relations between the two countries. (Reuters)
• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Chinese balloon incident
    • The United States Department of Defense monitors a high-altitude balloon from China flying over Montana. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry says the balloon is used for civilian meteorological research and had drifted off-course due to unexpected weather. (AFP via NDTV) (The Guardian)
• Philippines–United States relations
  • The Philippines permits the U.S. Armed Forces access to an additional four military bases, thereby expediting the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• War on terror
  • The United States releases Majid Khan from the Guantanamo Bay prison and transfers him to Belize. Khan had been captured in 2003 in Pakistan and was being held on accusations of helping al-Qaeda. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament
  • Two MEPs, Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella, have their legal immunity revoked by European Union lawmakers amid an investigation into money laundering and bribery. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Tigray War
  • Tigrayan peace process
    • Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed meets with officials of the Tigray People's Liberation Front for the first time since the signing of a peace treaty in November. (AFP via RFI)

Business and economy

• The FTSE 100 Index, the main share index of the 100 most highly capitalized companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, reaches a record intraday value of 7,906.58 points, surpassing the previous highest intraday value of 7,903.50 points recorded on May 22, 2018. (AFP via Barron's)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Chile wildfires
  • Chile expands its state of emergency due to wildfires that have killed at least 23 people and burned up to 8,000 hectares and also declares a catastrophe in the Biobío region amid a summer heat wave. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and several others are injured when a bus overturns near Murska Sobota, Prekmurje, Slovenia. (AP)
• At least seventeen people are killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)
• 2023 Ohio train derailment
  • A train carrying 20 cars of hazardous material derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The material was burned, which released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air, causing an evacuation of all residents within a one-mile radius of the crash and an emergency response across three states.

International relations

• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Chinese balloon incident
    • China–United States relations
      • The United States accuses China of "a clear violation of sovereignty" after a suspected meteorological high altitude balloon is noted hovering over Montana. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postpones his official visit to Beijing, initially scheduled for February 5, in response to the incident. (The Independent) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
      • The United States Department of Defense reports that a second high altitude balloon has been discovered flying over Latin America. (NBC News)

Law and crime

• Corruption in South Korea
  • A court in South Korea sentences former justice minister Cho Kuk to two years in prison after convicting him on charges of abuse of power and for helping his children enter prestigious schools using fake credentials. (The Washington Post)

Science and technology

• The Brazilian Navy scuttles the decommissioned aircraft carrier São Paulo into the Atlantic Ocean, following the rejections of injunctions from the Ministry of the Environment and the Federal Public Ministry. (AFP via RFI)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Chinese balloon incident
    • The Federal Aviation Administration closes the airspace off the east coast of the United States, and suspends arrivals at Myrtle Beach International Airport, Charleston International Airport, and Wilmington International Airport after President Joe Biden orders the high-altitude balloon to be shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. (Euro Weekly News)
    • The high-altitude balloon is shot down by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor over the Atlantic Ocean at 2:39 PM EST. An operation to collect the remnants of the balloon in U.S. territorial waters is currently underway. It is the first time that an aircraft has been shot down in the United States since World War II. (AP) (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 16 people are killed and 66 others are injured in a multiple-vehicle collision along a highway in Changsha, Hunan, China. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Nine sailors are missing after their fishing vessel capsizes off the coast of Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. President Yoon Suk-yeol has deployed the coast guard to conduct an air-sea rescue for the missing people. (AFP via Oman Daily Observer)
• Two people are killed and three others are injured by an avalanche in Raghistan District, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. (5DariyaNews)

Health and environment

• February 2023 North American cold wave
  • Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States, records the lowest wind chill temperature in the country at −108 °F (−78 °C). (AFP via Manila Bulletin)

Arts and culture

• 65th Annual Grammy Awards
  • American singer Beyoncé sets a Grammy Awards record for the most wins with 32 wins, surpassing Hungarian conductor Georg Solti. (NPR)

Disasters and accidents

• Eight people in Austria and two others in Switzerland are killed by a series of avalanches. (BBC News)
• At least eight people are killed and 42 others are injured when a bus crashes and overturns in Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey. (ABC News)

Health and environment

• South Africa reports imported cases of cholera in two sisters who travelled to Malawi. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2022–2023 Peruvian protests
  • The government extends the state of emergency in the Apurímac, Arequipa, Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Puno, and Tacna departments until April 7. (AFP via VOA)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Cypriot presidential election
  • Cypriots head to the polls to elect their new President. (AFP via France 24)
  • A runoff is called for 12 February between Nikos Christodoulides and Andreas Mavroyiannis. (The Guardian)
• 2023 Ecuadorian constitutional referendum
  • Ecuadorians head to the polls for a non-binding referendum on a constitutional reform. (Infobae)
• 2023 Monegasque general election
  • Monegasques head to the polls to elect the members of their Parliament. (Euronews)
• People's Deputy of Ukraine Davyd Arakhamia announces that military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov will replace Oleksii Reznikov as Minister of Defense following a corruption scandal. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War
  • Puntland–Somaliland dispute
    • At least 34 people are killed and 40 others are injured during clashes between Somalilander soldiers and anti-government fighters in Laascaanood, Sool, Somaliland. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Five Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades members are killed, three others are injured, and eight members are arrested during a raid by Israeli soldiers and subsequent gunbattle at a refugee camp near Jericho, in the West Bank. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announces that the church will begin using the Gregorian calendar on September 1 for all but moveable feasts, following a decision by the Synod of Bishops. (UGCC)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • At least 59,000 people are killed in Turkey and Syria as a magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Gaziantep Province, Turkey. (BBC News)
  • A second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurs in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, nine hours after the first earthquake. (Bloomberg)
• 2023 Coulson Aviation crash
  • A Boeing 737-300 firefighting tanker crashes in Fitzgerald River National Park in Western Australia. Both pilots survive. (7 News)
• Landslides triggered by heavy rains causes mudslides across villages in the Camaná Province, Peru, killing 36 people. (AP)

Law and crime

• Hong Kong national security law
  • The trial of 47 pro-democracy activists begins, two years after their arrest. It is the largest trial yet held under the Hong Kong national security law. (DW)

Science and technology

• Censorship of Wikipedia, Internet censorship in Pakistan
  • Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif orders the ban on Wikipedia to be lifted, three days after the website was banned for alleged anti-Muslim and blasphemous content. (ProPakistani)

Health and environment

• Global spread of H5N1
  • Peru's Ministry of Environment reports that the H5N1 influenza A virus has killed 585 sea lions and more than 55,000 birds within its protected areas in recent weeks. (AFP via Hindustan Times)

Law and crime

• 2023 Brazilian Congress attack
  • The Federal Police arrest the military police officer in charge of security during the January 8 attack against the Brazilian Congress. (Reuters)
• Luffy robberies
  • Two of four Japanese gang leaders based in the Philippines are deported on suspicion of ordering around 2,300 robberies and phone fraud activities with a total value of ¥3.5 billion (US$26.4 million) in Japan. (AFP via The Manila Times)
• Munster Technological University ransomware attack
  • Munster Technological University in the Republic of Ireland announces that it is investigating an incident involving its computer and telephone systems, saying that campuses in County Cork will be closed as a result. (RTÉ)
• Nduga hostage crisis
  • The Free Papua Movement, led by Egianus Kogoya, burn a Susi Air plane and take 15 passengers hostage in Paro Airport, Nduga Regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia. (SCNOW)

Politics and elections

• Politics of the United Kingdom
  • 2023 British cabinet reshuffle
    • British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak carries out the first significant reshuffle of his majority government. The reshuffle filled the vacancy left by Nadhim Zahawi after he was dismissed as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio on 29 January 2023. (BBC News)
• 2023 Solomon Islands protests
  • Police use tear gas to disperse protesters after the governor of Malaita province, Daniel Suidani, is removed in a no-confidence vote. Suidani was one of the strongest critics of the government's approach to China. (The Guardian)
• 2023 State of the Union Address
  • U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the 2023 State of the Union address to the 118th United States Congress. It was Biden's second State of the Union Address, and his third speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. (CNN)

Sports

• 2022–23 NBA season
  • During a regular-season game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James records his 38,388th career NBA point, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA all-time scoring leader. (ESPN)

Business and economy

• Proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft
  • The UK Competition and Markets Authority provisionally concludes that the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft will likely lead to a substantial loss of competition in the console market and could strengthen Microsoft's position in cloud gaming. (CNBC)
• The Supreme Court of Nigeria postpones the demonetization of the old naira banknotes initially scheduled for January 31, then later rescheduled to February 11, citing a supply shortage of the redesigned banknotes. (CNN)

International relations

• International presidential trips made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  • 2023 visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom
    • Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the United Kingdom in his second trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, meeting with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and addressing Parliament at Westminster Hall. (Reuters)
  • France–Ukraine relations, Germany–Ukraine relations
    • Following his UK visit, Zelenskyy visits France to meet President Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz. (AFP via RFI)

Law and crime

• Munster Technological University ransomware attack
  • Munster Technological University in the Republic of Ireland confirms that the incident affecting its computers is a ransomware attack. (The Journal)
• Laval daycare attack
  • Two children are killed and six others are injured when a bus crashes into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The driver is arrested and charged with homicide and dangerous driving. (La Presse)
• A court in Minsk, Belarus, sentences Polish–Belarusian activist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison for criticising president Alexander Lukashenko. (RFE/RL)

Politics and elections

• Seoul Halloween crowd crush
  • Lee Sang-min, the Minister of the Interior and Safety of South Korea, is impeached for his handling of the 2022 Seoul Halloween crowd crush. He is the first cabinet member of South Korea to be impeached. (AP)

Science and technology

• A data center outage leaves Twitter users in the United States and Canada unable to send messages and receiving an error message informing them that they have "exceeded the daily limit for sending tweets". (Fortune)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Russia launches drone and cruise missile strikes across the south and east of Ukraine with large explosions reported in the Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. (The Guardian)
• Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) suspends its operations in north-west Burkina Faso following the killings of two of its Burkinabé aid workers near Dédougou. (Africanews)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria increases to 21,051. (AFP via RFI)
• Four people are killed and several houses and buildings are destroyed by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Papua, Indonesia. (Xinhua via The Star)
• Seven people are killed and nine others are injured in a gas explosion at a residential building in Novosibirsk, Russia. (AP)
• Four people are injured after a PAC 750-XL aircraft crashes in Jiwaka Province, Papua New Guinea. (The National)

Health and environment

• Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea resumes the issuance of short-term travel visas to Chinese citizens following a one-month suspension due to China's COVID-19 surge. (AFP via The Business Times)

International relations

• Belarus–Poland relations
  • Poland announces the closure of a major border crossing with Belarus "until further notice" amid heightened tensions between the two countries. There are currently only two checkpoints open between the two nations. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • Three inmates are killed and 12 others are injured after soldiers open fire during a prison riot in Hatay Province, Turkey. The prisoners were demanding to see their families who were affected by the recent earthquake. (Gazete Duvar)
• The government of Nicaragua releases 222 political prisoners and sends them to the United States. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022–2023 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, Moldova–Russia relations
    • Moldova says that Russia has fired missiles over the country at targets inside Ukraine, condemning the missile flyover as a violation of its sovereignty, and also summons the Russian ambassador for an official explanation. (BBC News)
  • Southern Ukraine campaign
    • A Russian Navy drone boat strikes the Zatoka railway bridge on Highway H33 near Odesa. It is believed to be the first use of the naval weapon in the war by Russian forces. (The Telegraph)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • 2023 Ramot Junction attack
    • Three Israelis, two brothers aged six and eight years old and a 20-year-old man, are killed in a car-ramming attack in Ramot, Jerusalem. (Times of Israel)
• Balochistan conflict
  • Two people are killed and three others are injured when a vehicle hits a roadside bomb in Kohlu District, Balochistan, Pakistan. (AP)
• Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
  • At least ten soldiers are killed and thirteen others are injured in an ambush by jihadists in Tillabéri Region, Niger. Sixteen others remain missing. (AFP via The Punch)
• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Alaska high-altitude object
    • The White House's spokesperson John Kirby announces that the United States Air Force shot down a high-altitude object over territorial waters in Alaska, just days after shooting down a Chinese balloon over the Atlantic Ocean. The object was ordered to be shot down by U.S. President Joe Biden because it posed "a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight". (The Hill)

Disasters and accidents

• Great Yarmouth explosion
  • A World War II-era bomb weighing around 250kg explodes while being defused in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. No injuries are reported. (BBC News)
• Two people are killed and 20 others are injured in a building collapse in Damanhour, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. (AP)
• At least 35 people are injured when a bus overturns near Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. (AP)

Law and crime

• 2017–present Peruvian political crisis
  • 2022–2023 Peruvian protests
    • The Permanent Assembly of the Congress of Peru approves a motion to file criminal charges against former president Pedro Castillo. The charges include criminal organization, traffic of influences, and collusion. (europapress via La Nación)
• Crime in South Africa
  • Two people, including South African rapper AKA, are shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The assailants fled the scene on foot, according to police. (BBC News)
• A Hong Kong court awards an Indonesian domestic worker more than HK$860,000 (US$110,000) in damages for the abuse she received from her former employers, who were convicted and imprisoned in 2013. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

• Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilița resigns amid an economic crisis and the collateral effects of the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. (Reuters)
• Toronto mayor John Tory announces he will be resigning following revelations he had an extramarital affair with a staffer during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CBC)

Sports

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • 2022–23 Süper Lig
    • Hatayspor withdraws from the top division of Turkish football due to the earthquake. (Reuters)
• 2023 Men's EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup
  • The men's EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup, scheduled to be held from 17 to 19 February in Alanya, Turkey, is cancelled due to the impact of the earthquake. (La Libre) (European Hockey Federation)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Yukon high-altitude object
    • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau orders the takedown of an unidentified flying object over Yukon, which is later shot down by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor using a AIM-9X Sidewinder. The Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to collect and analyze the object. (CNN)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A suicide bomber blows himself up near a security forces' vehicle in North Waziristan District, Pakistan, killing three soldiers and wounding 20 more. (News Drum)
• Syrian civil war
  • At least ten civilians and a soldier are killed in a mass shooting by Islamic State gunmen at a truffle farm in Palmyra, Homs Governorate, Syria. (AFP via VOA)
• Internal conflict in Peru
  • Seven police officers are killed and another is injured when their vehicle is ambushed in Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro, Peru, in a suspected attack by remnants of Shining Path. (Infobae)

Disasters and accidents

• A passenger van collides with another vehicle in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines, killing eight people who have attended a police training session. (Rappler)

International relations

• Armenia–Turkey relations, Humanitarian response to the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • The Alican border crossing between Armenia and Turkey briefly reopens to allow the passage of humanitarian aid following the Turkey–Syria earthquake for the first time since 1988. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Law and crime

• Camp Evangelista shooting
  • Four soldiers are killed and another is critically injured by a fellow soldier during a mass shooting at a barracks in Cagayan de Oro, Northern Mindanao, Philippines. The perpetrator is shot dead. (Rappler)
• Murder of Brianna Ghey
  • A 16-year-old British transgender girl, is murdered in a premeditated attack by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. After being lured into Culcheth Linear Park by Jenkinson, Ghey is fatally stabbed. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Moldovan President Maia Sandu names pro-European Union academic Dorin Recean as the next Prime Minister of Moldova. (Politico)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA Club World Cup
  • In association football, Spanish club Real Madrid wins a record fifth FIFA Club World Cup title and eighth club world championship after defeating Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal 5–3 in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. With eight goals, the match was the highest scoring final in Club World Cup history. (Reuters via The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Lake Huron high-altitude object
    • A United States Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon shoots down an unidentified flying object over Lake Huron near the Canada–United States border. The Department of Defense describe the object as octagonal and flying at roughly 20,000 feet. (Forbes)
    • The Pentagon holds a press briefing on the shootdowns with NORAD Commander Glen D. VanHerck stating it is currently unclear how the objects were "staying aloft", and "we're calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason". (Bharat Times)
  • 2023 Shandong high-altitude object
    • China says that it has detected an unidentified flying object over the Yellow Sea, and warns that it is prepared to shoot down the object. The Qingdao Marine Development Bureau issues an alert to fishermen in the waters to be "on alert" and "avoid risks". (South China Morning Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022–23 South Pacific cyclone season
  • Thousands of people are left without power as Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall over North Island, New Zealand. The regions of Northland and Auckland are currently under a state of emergency. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Censorship in Cambodia
  • Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen orders the closure of one of the country's last independent news outlets, The Voice of Democracy, saying that its publications have hurt him and his son Hun Manet. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Cypriot presidential election
  • In a run-off election, Nikos Christodoulides is elected as President of Cyprus, defeating Andreas Mavroyiannis. (Reuters)
• NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announces that he will not extend his mandate to serve a fourth term and is expected to step down in October. (AFP via South China Morning Post)

Science and technology

• Asteroid impact prediction
  • Researchers at the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary discover 2023 CX1, a 1-metre (3.3-foot) asteroid predicted to fall harmlessly as a fireball over the English Channel at 03:00 UTC, making it the seventh asteroid to be discovered before impacting Earth. (JPL Center for NEO Studies)

Sports

• 2022 NFL season
  • The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 in Super Bowl LVII, winning their third Super Bowl in franchise history. (CNBC)
• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • 2022–23 Süper Lig
    • Gaziantep becomes the 2nd club (after Hatayspor) to withdraw from the top division of Turkish football due to the earthquake. (Turkish Football Federation)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • The death toll of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 37,000. (Al Jazeera)
• At least twelve people are injured by an explosion at a construction site in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (CTV News Ottawa)

Health and environment

• The Equatoguinean health ministry confirms an outbreak of the Marburg virus in the country, which has killed nine people within the last month. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

International relations

• Humanitarian response to the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres agrees with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to open two of the country's border crossings with Turkey for at least three months to permit access to humanitarian aid. (AFP via Manila Standard)

Law and crime

• Blasphemy in Pakistan
  • Lynching of Waris
    • Police in Punjab, Pakistan, arrest 50 men for the lynching of a blasphemy suspect at a police station in Nankana Sahib District two days ago. (The Independent)
• Murder of Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat
  • Indonesian police general Ferdy Sambo is found guilty of killing his adjutant, Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, and is sentenced to death. (Detik)
• 2023 Michigan State University shooting
  • Three people are killed and five others injured in a mass shooting at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The shooter later commits suicide when approached by police. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• Moldova–Russia relations
  • 2023 Moldovan coup d'état plan
    • President of Moldova Maia Sandu accuses the Russian government of planning a coup d'état attempt against her. (La Prensalatina)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• High-altitude object events in 2023
  • 2023 Romania and Moldova high-altitude objects
    • The Romanian Air Force unsuccessfully attempts to intercept an unidentified flying object detected roughly 11,000 metres (6.8 mi) above southeastern Romania. (Reuters)
    • Moldova temporarily closes its airspace after receiving reports of a "balloon-like object". (Reuters)
• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Battle of Bakhmut
    • Ukrainian forces blow up a bridge located between Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka as Russian troops and Wagner Group fighters advance on the city. (The Guardian)
• Syrian civil war
  • Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war
    • United States Central Command says U.S. forces have shot down an Iranian UAV near a patrol base and oil field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. (Newsweek)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Three Pakistani Taliban members are killed by fellow militants who were trying to free them while being transported from Miranshah to Bannu, Pakistan by counter-terrorism officers. Four of the attackers are also killed in the ensuing shootout. (Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022–23 South Pacific cyclone season
  • A national state of emergency is declared in New Zealand for only the third time in the country's history as Cyclone Gabrielle affects the country. (AFP via RFI) (Al Jazeera)
• Twenty people are killed and 68 others injured in a head-on collision between a tour bus and an armoured cash-in-transit van in Makhado, Limpopo, South Africa. (BBC News)

International relations

• China–Philippines relations
  • Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
    • Philippine president Bongbong Marcos summons Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian following a China Coast Guard vessel's alleged use of a laser weapon on a Philippine ship in the South China Sea. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles
  • The European Parliament formally approves a law to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe and promote electric vehicles. (Reuters)
• Sri Lanka announces a ban on disposable cutlery, cocktail shakers, and artificial plants beginning in June, citing the risk of plastic pollution on its wildlife. (AFP via RFI)

Politics and elections

• 2024 United States elections
  • 2024 United States presidential election
    • 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries
      • Nikki Haley 2024 presidential campaign
        • Former Governor of South Carolina and United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley officially announces her run for president in the upcoming 2024 election. She is the first major Republican challenger to former president Donald Trump. (CNN)
  • 2024 United States Senate elections
    • California senator Dianne Feinstein announces that she will not seek re-election in 2024 after thirty years in office. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• World Bank President David Malpass announces he will resign by the end of June. (AFP via RFI)
• The FTSE 100 Index, the main share index of the 100 most highly capitalized companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, ends its trading day at a record value of 8,003.65 points, surpassing the previous record value of 7,906.58 points recorded on February 3, 2023. (AFP via Deccan Herald)

Disasters and accidents

• Gualaca bus crash
  • At least 39 migrants are killed in Gualaca District, Chiriquí Province, Panama, when their bus, heading to the United States, falls off a cliff. (Reuters)
• 2022–23 South Pacific cyclone season
  • Five people are killed by Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand. (AFP via RTÉ)
• Eleven people are killed and 73 others are missing and presumed dead after a boat carrying migrants sinks off the Libyan coast. (BBC News)
• At least 10 people are killed by avalanches in Tajikistan. (RFE/RL)
• Two people are killed after a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Madison County, Alabama, United States. (AP)

International relations

• A United Nations report says that former Egyptian Army colonel Saif al-Adel has become the new leader of Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda and is currently residing in Iran (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• 2022 Buffalo shooting
  • Payton Gendron receives ten life sentences without the possibility of parole for the mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, which killed ten people. (NBC News)
• One person is killed and three others injured after a mass shooting in a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, United States. (Reuters)
• An investigation by a consortium of journalists uncovers a major disinformation campaign by an Israeli firm named Team Jorge, led by ex-Israeli special forces member Tal Hanan, which is alleged to have influenced more than 30 elections in several countries. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• Nicola Sturgeon announces that she is resigning as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party once a new leader is elected. (The Washington Post)
• Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signs a law annulling many privileges of his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, including lifetime financial support from the state, and the right to address the nation and propose ideas to officials, and also deprives Nazarbayev's immediate family of legal immunity. (RFE/RL)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2018–2023 Haitian crisis
  • Canada–Haiti relations
    • Canada announces that it will deploy navy vessels to Haiti for intelligence-gathering amid a worsening security situation in the Caribbean country. (AP)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Armenia submits a peace treaty to Azerbaijan in an effort to end the decades-long conflict between the two countries. (Daily Sabah)

Business and economy

• YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announces that she will step down and will be succeeded by chief product officer Neal Mohan. (The Verge)
• The CAC 40, the benchmark stock market index for the 40 largest market caps on the Euronext Paris, Europe's second-largest stock exchange market, reaches a record intraday value of 7,387.29 points. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey increases to 43,850, as the World Health Organization declares northwestern Syria as the zone of greatest concern, citing the slow delivery of humanitarian aid. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• Climate change in Antarctica
  • The National Snow and Ice Data Center of the United States reports that the Antarctic sea ice decreased to 1.91 million square kilometers (740,000 sq mi) within the week, the smallest remaining ice area since records began in 1979. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

Law and crime

• A Da Nang court sentences four South Korean men to imprisonment for smuggling around 200 South Koreans into Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic when the country suspended the entry of all foreigners from 2020 to 2021. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Politics and elections

• Russia in the Council of Europe
  • Lawmakers in the State Duma vote to withdraw Russia from 21 conventions of the Council of Europe. (RFE/RL)
• The Portuguese government announces the end of the Portugal Golden Visa investor program, as well as a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs, due to a severe housing shortage and rising rents. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2022–23 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
  • FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2023
    • American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin wins her seventh career alpine world championships gold medal in the women's giant slalom of the 2023 edition in the French Alps, making her the most successful skier in the modern era with an overall tally of 13 medals from 16 career world championship races. (AP via The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Battle of Bakhmut
    • Russian forces shell Bakhmut with artillery and Grad rockets, killing five people and injuring nine others. (The Kyiv Independent via Yahoo! News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • 2023 Karachi police station attack
    • The Pakistani Taliban attack a police station in Karachi. Three militants, three police officers and a civilian are killed. (BBC News)
• Syrian civil war
  • 2023 Al-Sukhnah attack
    • Islamic State militants kill at least 68 people, including 61 civilians and seven soldiers, in Al-Sukhnah, Homs Governorate, Syria. (Barron's)
• Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • At least 51 soldiers are killed when their convoy is ambushed by jihadists on a road between Oursi and Déou. At least 160 attackers are killed. (RFI)
  • Médecins Sans Frontières suspends its operations in Burkina Faso for an "indefinite" period, except when responding to lifesaving emergencies, following the killings of two of its Burkinabé aid workers by armed men near Dédougou on 8 February. (AFP via Barron's)
• Four people are killed and two others are injured, including Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., governor of Lanao del Sur, when their convoy is ambushed in Maguing, Philippines, by unknown gunmen. (ABS-CBN News)

Disasters and accidents

• Aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • A Syrian family of seven, including five children, are killed by a fire that struck a home in Konya Province, Turkey, which they moved to after surviving the earthquake. Seven other people are injured during the fire. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• Russia–South Africa relations, China–South Africa relations
  • The South African Navy hosts a ten-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean with Russia and China. The exercise is named "Mosi II" after the Tswana word for "smoke". (BBC News) (DW)

Law and crime

• Sofia lorry deaths
  • Eighteen people who have immigrated illegally from Afghanistan are found dead in an abandoned truck in Sofia City Province, Bulgaria. Thirty-five others are hospitalized. Four people have been arrested. (Reuters via The Guardian)
• 2023 Arkabutla shootings
  • Six people are killed in a spree shooting in Arkabutla, Mississippi, United States. A suspect has been arrested. (BBC News) (El País)

Science and technology

• Japanese space program
  • JAXA aborts the first launch attempt of the H3 rocket after some of its boosters failed to ignite during the first stage. It is Japan's second failed rocket launch since 2003. (AFP via The Korea Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • 2023 Damascus airstrike
    • Five people are killed and fifteen others are injured by an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Sousa, Damascus Governorate, according to Syrian media. (Yahoo! News)
• North Korean missile tests
  • 2021–2023 North Korean missile tests
    • The South Korean military reports that North Korea has fired a presumed long-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan. (AFP via The News)

Politics and elections

• Iran International suspends all broadcasting from its London headquarters due to a security threat. (The Telegraph)
• The Carter Center announces that former United States President Jimmy Carter has begun receiving hospice care instead of additional medical intervention. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Libyan Crisis
  • The African Union announces the organization of a peace conference to address the instability in Libya. (AFP via France 24)

Arts and culture

• 76th British Academy Film Awards
  • The 76th British Academy Film Awards are held in London, with the German film All Quiet on the Western Front winning the most awards with seven, including Best Film. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Kallar Kahar bus accident
  • Fourteen people are killed and 63 others are injured when a bus crashes and overturns near Kallar Kahar, Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. (AP)
• 2023 São Paulo floods and landslides
  • At least 43 people are killed in São Sebastião and another person is killed in Ubatuba during floods and landslides in São Paulo, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Six people are killed, including the vice mayor of Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines, when their car is ambushed in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, by unknown gunmen. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Bangladeshi presidential election
  • Shahabuddin Chuppu, of the ruling Awami League, is elected by the Jatiya Sangsad as the new president of Bangladesh, succeding Mohammad Abdul Hamid. (Hindustan Times)

Sports

• 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins the 65th running of the Daytona 500. (ESPN)

Arts and culture

• British authorities repatriate 77 pieces of Khmer jewellery from indicted art trafficker Douglas Latchford's family to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia. (AFP via The Jakarta Post)

Disasters and accidents

• Aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes southeastern Turkey and Syria, killing eight people and injuring 600 others. The earthquake is also felt in Lebanon and Egypt. This aftershock comes fourteen days after the main earthquake killed more than 47,000 people. (Associated Press)

International relations

• Ukraine–United States relations
  • 2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine
    • U.S. President Joe Biden makes an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Southern Ukraine campaign
    • Russian forces shell the city of Kherson, killing at least six people and injuring 12 others, according to local officials. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • The Somali National Army kills 42 al-Shabaab jihadists in an operation in Mahaday, Middle Shabelle, Somalia, which began overnight and lasted for several hours. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

• 2022–2023 food crises
  • Supermarkets in the United Kingdom, such as Asda and Morrisons, begin rationing fruit and vegetables, citing poor harvests in Spain and North Africa, and a domestic farming crisis. The shortages are expected to last several weeks. (The Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022–23 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • Cyclone Freddy makes landfall in Madagascar, killing at least four people. (Reuters)
• The Philippine Air Force and Navy locate on Mayon Volcano, Albay, the debris of a Cessna 340 aircraft that went missing after taking off from Daraga for Manila on February 18. However, the whereabouts of the two pilots and two Australian passengers on board have yet to be located due to inclement weather. (AP via ABC News)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations, Russia and weapons of mass destruction
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends Russia's participation in the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States, citing the U.S.'s goal of defeating Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine. (AP)

Law and crime

• He Jiankui affair
  • The Immigration Department of Hong Kong cancels Chinese scientist He Jiankui's work permit and initiates a criminal investigation into his failure to declare a three-year prison sentence over his unethical genome editing research conduct while applying for the permit. (AFP via The Japan Times)
• A 17-year-old male student at Matanzas High School viciously attacks a teacher due to being told not to use the Nintendo Switch during class. The student knocks the teacher unconscious. The student faces battery charges and is to be tried as an adult. (MBC Miami)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • 2023 Nablus clashes
    • Eleven Palestinians are killed and 102 more injured when Israeli troops storm Nablus, in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• Somali Civil War
  • Ten people are killed when al-Shabaab gunmen storm a house in Mogadishu where several lawmakers are staying. All four attackers are killed by soldiers. (Reuters)
• Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • At least 15 soldiers are killed during an ambush in Tin-Akoff Department, Oudalan Province. Several of the attackers are killed in the ensuing gunfight. (Daily Sabah)

Disasters and accidents

• At least five people are killed and 48 others are reported missing following a collapse at a coal mine in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, China. Search and rescue operations are underway. (Reuters)
• Five people are killed when a Beechcraft BE20 crashes shortly after takeoff near College Station, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. (AP)
• Four people are killed in a plane crash near Trenčianske Stankovce, Trenčín Region, Slovakia. (AP)

International relations

• Moldova–Russia relations, Russia–Transnistria relations
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin revokes a 2012 foreign policy decree which underpinned Moldova's sovereignty in resolving the political status of the breakaway Transnistria region. (Reuters)
• Germany–Iran relations
  • Germany expels two employees of the Iranian embassy in response to Iran sentencing pro-monarchist dual German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd to death over a 2008 bombing in Iran. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Philippine authorities confirm that all four people aboard a Cessna 340 aircraft that crashed on February 18 on Mayon Volcano, Albay, are dead. Retrieval operations have begun. (The Philippine Star) (CNN)
• A Russian Air Force Su-25 jet crashes in Orekhovo, Belgorod Oblast, Russia, while returning to its base, killing the pilot. (The Moscow Times)

International relations

• Colombia–Nicaragua relations, Human rights in Nicaragua
  • The Colombian government "condemns the arbitrary actions carried out by the Ortega regime against its opposition" and offers Colombian citizenship to those facing political persecution. (Cancillería de Colombia)
• Nuclear program of Iran
  • Iran publicly acknowledges accusations by the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has enriched uranium to 84%, bringing it close to developing a nuclear weapon. However, the government maintains that its nuclear program is "completely peaceful". (AP)
• Israel–Oman relations
  • Oman opens its airspace to Israeli airlines for the first time. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen calls the decision historic. (Haaretz)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Pro-Ukraine protesters confront visitors heading to the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. (The Hill)
• 2023 Wamena riot
  • At least nine people are killed and 14 others are injured following a riot in Wamena, Highland Papua, Indonesia, after rumours circulated on social media that a child had been kidnapped. The Indonesian military has been deployed to the town to support local police. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• State Minister Ruben Vardanyan of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh is dismissed by President Arayik Harutyunyan after less than four months in office. (Meduza)

Science and technology

• Censorship of TikTok, Internet censorship and surveillance in Europe
  • The European Commission bans Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok from corporate devices used by its staff, citing data protection concerns. (Euractiv)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations, China and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • China unveils a 12-point position paper on ending the war in Ukraine, ahead of an expected speech by President Xi Jinping on the conflict. Ukraine says that it hopes China can urge Russia to withdraw its troops in response to the paper. (The Guardian)
  • Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • Poland delivers the first Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. (DW)
• Mali War
  • Twelve people are killed in a mass shooting by insurgents in a village in Bankass Cercle, Mopti Region, Mali. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • The death toll of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 50,000. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Global spread of H5N1
  • Cambodia's Ministry of Health reports 12 more suspected cases of H5N1 influenza in Prey Veng province following the death of a 12-year-old girl, the first confirmed death from the virus since 2014. (Khmer Times)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
    • Anti-war activists in Russia are detained as protesters mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The Moscow Times)
  • Protests occur in countries around the world to mark the anniversary of the invasion. Major world landmarks are also lit up to mark the anniversary. (Moneycontrol) (Greek City Times) (Barron's) (People.com)
• 2023 Djiboutian parliamentary election
  • The ruling Union for the Presidential Majority party wins the election to the National Assembly. (Barron's)
• Gambian president Adama Barrow appoints Muhammad B.S. Jallow as the country's new vice-president after the previous vice-president Badara Joof died last month in India. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Nineteen athletes are injured by small explosions during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope in Buea, Southwest Region, Cameroon. The Ambazonia Defence Forces claim responsibility for the incident. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• On the Adamant wins the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. (Variety)

Business and economy

• Refiner PKN Orlen announces that Russia has suspended oil exports to Poland via the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Thirteen people are killed and several others are injured when a bus collides with a van in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. (AP)

International relations

• Mexico–Peru relations, 2022–2023 Peruvian protests
  • Mexico says that it will maintain its ambassador in Peru despite the latter withdrawing its ambassador from Mexico in protest of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's support of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Nigerian presidential election, 2023 Nigerian Senate election, 2023 Nigerian House of Representatives election
  • Nigerians head to the polls to elect their new president and members of the National Assembly. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • 2023 Huwara shooting, 2023 Huwara rampage
    • Two Israeli settlers are killed by a Palestinian gunman in Huwara, Nablus Governorate, West Bank. During revenge attacks by Israelis, a Palestinian is shot and killed and 98 others are injured, many during arson attacks. (CNN)
• Mexican drug war
  • Nuevo Laredo military shooting
    • Soldiers open fire on a pickup truck carrying unarmed civilians in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, killing five people, sparking protests and riots by local people. (El Paso Times)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • Four people are killed and 14 others are injured in a bombing at a market in Barkhan, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
• Belarusian opposition partisans launch a drone attack on Russian aircraft at the Machulishchy air base. (Ukrainska Pravda via Yahoo! News)

Disasters and accidents

• Somali Civil War
  • African Union Transition Mission in Somalia
    • Three people are killed and eight others are injured when an African Union helicopter crashes in Lower Shabelle, Somalia. (Reuters)
• 2023 Calabria migrant boat disaster
  • At least 60 people are killed and 80 others are rescued after a boat carrying migrants capsizes in rough seas off the southern coast of Calabria, Southern Italy. (AP)
• One person is killed and 29 others are injured when a bus carrying migrants crashes near Chirpan, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria. (BNR)

Sports

• 2023 EFL Cup final
  • Manchester United defeat Newcastle United 2–0 at Wembley Stadium to win the 2022–23 EFL Cup, and their first competitive trophy since 2017. It is also the first match to allow safe standing in a major domestic English men's final in 34 years. (BBC Sport)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • M23 rebels seize the town of Rubaya and the Rubaya coltan mines in North Kivu, DRC, after government forces withdraw from the area. (Anadolu Agency)

Disasters and accidents

• Aftermath of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
  • List of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
    • One person is killed and over 100 others are injured by a magnitude 5.6 aftershock in Yeşilyurt, Malatya, Turkey. (Sky News)

International relations

• United Kingdom–European Union relations
  • Northern Ireland Protocol
    • UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announce the United Kingdom and European Union had reached an agreement on post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland after a protracted row over the Northern Ireland Protocol. (Reuters)
• Egypt–Syria relations, Egypt–Turkey relations
  • Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visits Syria and Turkey in the first official state visit by Egypt in more than 10 years amid strained relations with both countries. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• Disappearance of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon
  • Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are found and arrested in Hollingbury, Brighton, England, after they went missing with their newborn baby on 5 January. They were found without their baby, which triggered a huge search involving over 200 police officers. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • An Israeli-American man is killed in a drive-by shooting on a highway in Jericho, in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • The Taliban kill the leader of operations and intelligence of Islamic State – Khorasan Province during a raid in Kabul. (The Express Tribune)

Business and economy

• 2021–2023 inflation surge
  • 2021–present United Kingdom cost of living crisis
    • Grocery inflation in the United Kingdom reaches a record high of 17.1%, according to market research group Kantar Worldpanel, amid high levels of inflation, supply chain issues and high energy costs impacting the economy. (Sky News)

Disasters and accidents

• Tempi train crash
  • A passenger train and a freight train collide in Tempi, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece, killing over 50 people and injuring more than 80 others. (BNO News)

International relations

• Finland–Russia relations
  • Finland begins construction of a border barrier on its border with Russia due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Nigerian presidential election
  • Opposition parties call for a rerun of this year's presidential election after the Independent National Electoral Commission projected Bola Tinubu of the incumbent All Progressives Congress to be the next president, claiming voting irregularities and electoral violence. (BBC News) (NPR)
• 2023 Chicago mayoral election
  • Lori Lightfoot loses her re-election bid as Mayor of Chicago, becoming the first one-term mayor in 40 years. (BBC News)

Science and technology

• Censorship of TikTok
  • Canada bans social media platform TikTok from all government-issued devices, citing "an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security" from the Chinese-owned app. (BBC News)