Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • Heavy fighting occurs around Kobani between the Syrian Army and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) despite a ceasefire announced by both sides the previous day. Government forces capture the towns of Ayn Issa and Sarrin. (Al Jazeera)
      • The SDF says it has lost control of a prison holding thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters in Al-Hasakah Governorate after the prison came under attack from armed groups. A video released by the SDF appears to show dozens of IS militants escaping the prison. (The Guardian) (ANHA) (Reuters)
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict
  • Seven people are killed and several others are injured in a bombing at a Chinese restaurant in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claims responsiblity. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Hungary–Russia relations, Hungary–Serbia relations
  • Serbia announces that the Russian majority owners of its state oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije have agreed to sell their stake to Hungary's MOL as Serbia seeks to increase its own shareholding to about 35%. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• Thirteen children are killed and several others are injured in a collision between a truck and a school bus in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng province, South Africa. (Legit) (BBC)
• One person is killed and several houses collapse in a {{M|w|link=y}} 5.6 earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan. (Reuters) (The Watchers)

Health and environment

• Aging of China, Aging of South Korea
  • Reflecting a broader demographic decline across East Asia, the birth rate in China fell to 5.6 per 1,000 people last year, the lowest since records began in 1949, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, as similar downward trends persist in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. (CNBC) (BBC)

International relations

• Greenland crisis
  • Operation Arctic Endurance
    • Denmark announces that it will send "a substantial number" of troops to Greenland in response to threats from United States president Donald Trump. (AA)
  • NORAD announces that it will deploy American and Canadian aircraft to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland for long-planned activities, describing the deployment as routine and coordinated with the Denmark with diplomatic clearances and with the Government of Greenland informed of the planned operations. (Anadolu Agency) (Task & Purpose)
• Kiribati–New Zealand relations
  • Kiribati and New Zealand sign a partnership agreement on economic opportunity, foreign policy, health, and security, marking their first bilateral agreement since a diplomatic crisis began in 2025. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines
  • Former Philippine senator Bong Revilla surrenders to police after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest over the alleged misuse of ₱92.8 million (US$1.6 million) in a flood-control project, while the Ombudsman pursues graft and malversation charges against Revilla and several former public works officials. (Gulf News)
• Crime in Guatemala
  • A ninth policeman succumbs to his injuries from prison riots and attacks on police officers in Guatemala. A dozen officers were also injured in the attacks, and a state of emergency has been declared. (France 24)
• One person is killed and six others wounded in a mass shooting at the town hall in Chřibská, Czech Republic. The perpetrator dies by suicide. (Reuters)

January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States (2026)

• 1511 – War of the League of Cambrai: Troops led by Pope Julius II captured Mirandola (depicted) after a brief siege.
• 1915 – World War I: The first major attack of the German bombing campaign against Britain took place when Zeppelins bombed several towns in Norfolk.
• 1972 – The French newspaper L'Aurore revealed that the former Nazi SS officer Klaus Barbie, the "Butcher of Lyon", had been found to be living in Peru.
• 1975 – An earthquake registering struck northern Himachal Pradesh in India, causing extensive damage to the region.
• 2007 – A four-man team, using only skis and kites, completed a trek to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility, the first people to get there since 1967, and the first to do so on foot.