Portal:Current events/2020 January 7
January 7, 2020 (Tuesday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Terrorism in Kenya
- Four children are killed in an al-Shabaab attack at a primary school in Garissa County, Kenya. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
- Funeral of Qasem Soleimani
- A stampede occurs during the funeral of Qasem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman. Iranian state-affiliated media say at least 56 people are killed and 213 more are injured. (CBC News)
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Puerto Rico, killing one and injuring nine others (NBC News)
- An avalanche at a ski resort in Kellogg, Idaho, United States, kills two people and injures five others. (NPR)
Arts and culture
- Neil Peart dies from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in his home in Santa Monica, California. He had been diagnosed three years earlier but had kept details secret until his family officially announced his death on January 10, 2020. (Rolling Stone)
International relations
- Iran–United States relations
- Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly formally designates the United States Department of Defense as a "terrorist organization" in response to the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in a targeted killing in Baghdad, Iraq. Under the newly adopted bill, all United States Armed Forces personnel and Pentagon employees are "considered terrorists." (Xinhua News Agency) (CNA)
- Germany announces a partial withdrawal of the Bundeswehr troops positioned in Iraq, citing security concerns. (Deutsche Welle)
- Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance announces that some of its military personnel in Iraq will be moved to neighboring Kuwait over safety reasons. (Reuters)
- Kosovo Police arrest Ikballe Berisha Huduti, the founder of a now defunct Islamic organization called Kur'ani, in Pristina following an order from the prosecution after she was accused of inciting terrorist acts for social media comments against the United States over the death of Qasem Soleimani. (Reuters) (The New York Times)
- North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in says there is a "desperate need" for practical ways to improve ties with North Korea and says he is ready to meet repeatedly with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang if necessary. (Reuters)
- Foreign relations of Argentina, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The government of Argentina says it will not recognize Juan Guaidó as President of Venezuela, and instead as the leader of the opposition in the country, and revokes the credentials of Guaidó's representative in Argentina. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Japan issues an arrest warrant for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn's wife Carole for allegedly lying during testimony. (Reuters)
- January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation
- CNN settles a defamation lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. (Yahoo! News)
Politics and elections
- November 2019 Spanish general election
- After a year of political deadlock, incumbent Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez is sworn in thanks to the support of left-wing parties and regional nationalists. He will form the first coalition government in the democratic era, with Podemos and its leader Pablo Iglesias Turrión as Second Deputy Prime Minister. (BBC News)