Portal:Current events/2008 January 25

January 25, 2008 (Friday)

President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez accuses Colombia of preparing a "military aggression against Venezuela". (AP via Google News)
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the U.S. is "ready and willing" to send troops to Pakistan to combat al-Qaeda and the Taliban. (CBS)
Iraq War: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki claims al-Qaeda in Iraq has been pushed out of most of the nation, and Iraqi security forces are preparing a "decisive" offensive against the group in Mosul, their last stronghold, in response to attacks in the city that have killed around 40 people, including the area's police chief. (Reuters)
Power shortages cause South African mines to suspend production. (BBC News)
Semion Mogilevich, an organised crime boss with ties to the Russian Mafia, is detained in Moscow. (AP via Google)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
2008 United States presidential election: Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich withdraws his candidacy. (CNN)
An explosion in a Beirut suburb (Hazmiyeh) kills Lebanon's top anti-terror investigating officer and his driver. (CNN) (AP via Yahoo! News) (AFP via Yahoo!)
A fire at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada causes the entire building to be evacuated. (CNN)