Portal:Current events/2026 January 31

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Gaza war
  • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
    • At least 31 Palestinians, including at least six children, are killed from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 Balochistan attacks
  • Coordinated attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army militants across Balochistan, Pakistan, kill 33 people, including 18 civilians. At least 92 insurgents are killed by security forces. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Iran explosions
  • Multiple explosions, attributed to gas leaks, are reported across the Iranian cities of Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Karaj, and Parand, leaving at least six people dead and several injured. (Reuters) (Euronews)
• Five people are killed and eight injured after a truck rams motorcycles in Ganjam district, India. (Hindustan Times)
• A historic Dutch fort building in Siak Regency, Indonesia, collapses, injuring 16 people, including visiting schoolchildren. (Tempo English)

Law and crime

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • Death sentence of Erfan Soltani
    • Protester Erfan Soltani is released on bail in Iran after his arrest on charges of propaganda and national security offenses. (AFP via NDTV)

Politics and elections

• Epstein files
  • In Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák resigns as a European Union Special Representative following the United States Department of Justice release of extensive correspondence between Lajčák and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 2017 to 2019, during which Lajčák served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Australian Open
  • In tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan wins her first Australian Open title and second major title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. (USA Today)