Portal:Current events/2026 January 26

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • The People's Defense Units and the Syrian transitional government accuse each other of ceasefire violations as reports of resuming clashes near Kobani and Qamishli emerge. (Al Jazeera)
• Gaza war
  • Gaza peace plan, Gaza war hostage crisis
    • Israeli forces locate and repatriate the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Gaza Strip. (CNN)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 23 people, including 16 children, are kidnapped and another injured in a bandit attack in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, Nigeria. (The Guardian)
• Somali Civil War
  • Al-Shabaab militants kill a village chief and a teacher in Garissa County, Kenya, near the border with Somalia, prompting police to deploy additional security forces and launch a multi-agency manhunt for the attackers. (Reuters)
• Terrorism in Australia
  • A man is arrested in Perth, Western Australia, after throwing a bomb which did not detonate into a crowd of Indigenous sovereignty activists protesting Invasion Day. (The Guardian Australia)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Italy declares a state of emergency in Calabria, Sardinia, and Sicily after a severe storm causes more than €1 billion in damage and floods coastal towns, prompting the government to allocate an initial €100 million for relief and reconstruction. (Reuters)
  • A major landslide in Niscemi, Italy, damages buildings and infrastructure, causing the evacuation of over 1000 residents. (Reuters)
• January 2026 North American winter storm
  • The death toll of the winter storm in the United States rises to 34. (USA Today)
• Sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3
  • At least 18 people are killed, 316 others are rescued, and ten are reported missing when a ROPAX ferry sinks near Basilan, Philippines. (Reuters)
• Five people are killed in a fire at a food factory near Trikala, Greece. (BBC News) (AP via Toronto Star)
• Three people are killed and several are missing after a fire at a warehouse in Anandapur, India. (The Indian Express)
• A massive fire destroys dozens of buildings, including schools and houses, in Katingan Regency, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. (AA) (Antara)

Health and environment

• 2025–26 Ethiopian Marburg virus disease outbreak
  • Ethiopia declares an end to its two-month Marburg virus outbreak which killed nine people. (Reuters)

International relations

• Nicaragua–Spain relations
  • Spain expels Nicaragua's ambassador and another diplomat to reciprocate Nicaragua's removal of Spain's ambassador and deputy amid longstanding bilateral tensions linked to Spain's criticism of its human rights situation and support for sanctions on the European Union. (Reuters)
• Oman becomes the 61st country to sign the Artemis Accords, which constitutes space law and cooperation in space exploration. (NASA)

Law and crime

• War on drugs
  • Spanish police dismantle an international maritime cocaine smuggling ring that uses offshore vessels and high-speed crafts to deliver drugs to Europe, seizing 10 tonnes of cocaine, confiscating dozens of vessels and vehicles, and arresting 105 suspects after a year-long multinational investigation. (Reuters)
• Interpol reports that an operation in November 2025 to crack down on human traffickers resulted in 3,744 arrests in 119 countries. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Guyanese general election
  • Opposition members of Guyana's National Assembly elect businessman and We Invest in Nationhood leader Azruddin Mohamed as their leader. (Reuters)