Portal:Current events/2012 January 28

January 28, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011–2012 Syrian uprising: The Arab League suspends its observer mission, citing increased violence. (Al Jazeera)
Fires rage through Dakar after Senegal's top court rules that President Abdoulaye Wade can run for a third term in office next month and prevents his best-known opponent, Grammy Award-winning musician Youssou N'Dour, from running against him. (BBC)
11 Islamist militants are killed in a shootout in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. (AFP)

Culture

Disasters

At least 20 people are killed in a fire at a drug rehabilitation centre in Lima. (BBC)

International relations

The African Union opens its new headquarters in Addis Ababa. (BBC)
A German government plan is leaked proposing a eurozone "budget commissioner" to take control of Greece's economic affairs. (BBC)

Legal and crime

A police officer and four journalists associated with British tabloid The Sun are arrested in relation to the News International phone hacking scandal, by detectives investigating payments made to police by journalists. The BBC understands the four journalists are ex-deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, ex-managing editor Graham Dudman, crime editor Mike Sullivan and head of news Chris Pharo. (BBC) (The Guardian)
Eight sea lions are found shot dead in the U.S. state of Washington. (KING-TV)(BBC)
Israeli police enter the Red Cross compound and arrest two more Palestinian MPs associated with Hamas. (CNN)

Politics and elections

A poll finds most voters in Ireland want to see any new European Treaty put to a referendum, though the government remains undecided. (RTÉ News)
The lawyer of former Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) leader Tommy Sheridan says authorities are trying to gag him. (The Telegraph) (BBC)
Approximately 300 people are arrested in the US city of Oakland, California during Occupy Oakland protests. (AP via Yahoo! News)^{[permanent dead link‍]}