Current events: 2025-01-19

Wikipedia Current Events · Sunday at 7:17 PM

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israel–Hamas war
- Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
  - The Gaza ceasefire agreement formally goes into effect, with the first hostages and prisoners freed as part of the deal. (CNN)
- Israel announces that its troops have recovered the body of staff sergeant Oron Shaul, who was captured and killed by Hamas in 2014. (The Times of Israel)
Colombian conflict
- The National Liberation Army (ELN) launches a series of attacks across Colombia, killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds of others, with an unknown number of people also reportedly being kidnapped. Thousands of people have fled their homes due to the fighting. The Colombian Army says it has rescued dozens of people, while the Colombian government calls on the ELN to cease all attacks immediately. (CBS News)

Disasters and accidents

2025 California wildfires
- January 2025 Southern California wildfires
  - The Cal Fire reports that the Palisades Fire is over 50% contained, while the Eaton Fire is over 80% contained. (Forbes)
Around 60 people are evacuated after the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Emergency Situations reports that a fire broke out in a residential building in Bishkek. (Akipress)

Law and crime

2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
  - President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president in South Korea's constitutional history to be formally arrested, following his declaration of martial law in December 2024. (Yonhap)
  - Following his arrest, multiple pro-Yoon protesters raid the Seoul Western District Court, resulting in 41 injuries and property damage. (Yonhap)
An Iranian court sentence Amir Tataloo to death on appeal after he was convicted of insulting Muhammad. (Al Arabiya)

Politics and elections

Israel–Hamas war
- Four ministers of the Government of Israel resign in protest of the approved Gaza ceasefire agreement. (The Times of Israel)

Science and technology

Restrictions on TikTok in the United States
- Social media platform TikTok shuts down in the United States after its owner ByteDance fails to sell its U.S. operations to an American buyer. (Investor's Business Daily)
- TikTok says on X (formerly Twitter) that they are looking to restore service despite the ban 24 hours after users experienced a blackout due to a deal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. (People.com)