News from January 19, 2025 at 2 AM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that Israel, the Palestinian movement Hamas, the United States, and Qatar have signed a deal on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu instructed to convene the security cabinet and subsequently hold a government meeting to approve the deal. On Thursday, media reported that the Israeli security cabinet would vote on the ceasefire deal on Friday, with the government expected to vote on Saturday. On January 15, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, Israel and Hamas agreed to a 42-day ceasefire and declared their intention to finally end the hostilities that have claimed the lives of 46,000 Palestinians and about 1,500 Israelis over 15 months, spreading to Lebanon and Yemen and provoking missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. The first stage involves a partial exchange of prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops to the Gaza borders, and humanitarian aid, while the second and third stages are yet to be agreed upon. Under the deal, the guarantors—Qatar, Egypt, and the United States—will establish a coordination center in Cairo.

The US Supreme Court upheld on January 17 a 2024 bipartisan law requiring the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company ByteDance on national security grounds, or face a ban in the United States. The law, passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, puts the fate of TikTok and its 170 million American users in limbo. President-elect Donald Trump, set to be inaugurated on January 20, vowed to review the situation and rescue TikTok. Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that his inauguration will move indoors due to extreme cold weather. Additionally, the US Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan are expected to meet in Washington on January 21 to discuss the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

Impeached and suspended South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol personally attended a detention necessity review at the Seoul Western District Court on January 18, a first for a sitting president. The court is expected to rule late that night or early the next morning. If the detention warrant is approved, Yoon could be held for up to 20 days, becoming the first sitting president to be detained. The South Korean legal community believes the court is likely to approve the warrant due to sufficient evidence of Yoon's involvement in insurrection, with his subordinates already detained and indicted. Yoon previously resisted arrest, raising concerns of potential flight or evidence destruction. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office detained Yoon on January 15; he refused to attend questioning and applied for the warrant on the 17th. Yoon initially planned to skip the review but later decided to face the charges in person. Supporters gathered around the court, prompting a large police deployment. The review lasted nearly five hours, with Yoon arguing the legitimacy of the martial law and questioning the Prosecutors' Office's jurisdiction, awaiting the court's decision.

On January 18, 2025, two senior Iranian judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were shot dead in an apparent assassination at the country's supreme court in Tehran. The attacker killed himself while fleeing the scene, and a bodyguard was injured. The motive for the attack remains unclear, but both judges were known for their roles in cracking down on opponents of the Islamic government since the 1980s. The judiciary's media office described the attack as a premeditated assassination. Initial findings indicate the attacker was not involved in any cases before the supreme court, and officials are investigating potential accomplices. Both victims had served in the judiciary for decades, including confirming death sentences. Razini, 71, had previously survived an assassination attempt in 1998, while Moghiseh, 68, had been sanctioned by the EU, the US, and Canada over alleged human rights abuses.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Russia is of significant importance, as both countries are set to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The new treaty will boost cooperation in areas including nuclear energy, Putin added, noting that the current pace of trade and economic relations between Russia and Iran is acceptable. Pezeshkian stated that the agreement will greatly enhance bilateral relations and serve as a solid foundation for further progress. He revealed that he had discussed the importance of developing ties with Russia with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Both leaders emphasized the strategic and comprehensive nature of Moscow-Tehran relations.

A fuel tanker overturned and exploded in the Suleja area of North Central Niger state, Nigeria, killing 77 people and injuring 25, including rescuers, as they rushed to collect spilled fuel. The incident occurred on Saturday. Nigeria has experienced several similar accidents recently, with a Delta state tanker explosion killing five two weeks ago and another explosion in October claiming 153 lives. Fuel prices in Nigeria have surged by over 400% in the last 18 months due to President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, pushing millions into poverty.

On January 18, a ski lift collapsed at the Astun Ski Resort in the Spanish region of Aragon, injuring dozens of people, including nine seriously and eight moderately. Approximately 80 people remain trapped, hanging in the chairlift. A witness reported that a cable seemed to have come off, causing the chairs to bounce and people to be thrown off. The cause of the cable failure is still unknown. The resort management declined to comment and could not immediately confirm if foreigners were among the injured. Several helicopters were deployed to rescue the trapped skiers and transport the injured to nearby hospitals. The Astun Ski Resort, popular among Spanish skiers, is located near the Spanish border with France in the Pyrenees mountain range.

Canadian Cabinet minister Karina Gould announced on January 18 her participation in the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party. At 37, Gould becomes the third major candidate to declare her candidacy, currently serving as the Liberals' House Leader. She will compete against former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and ex-Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney. The new leader is scheduled to be announced on March 9. Trudeau, facing pressure from legislators over the party's polling results, announced his resignation on January 6, ending over nine years in office.

On July 27, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump appeared at the Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee. Following this, a meme coin linked to him was launched on the Solana blockchain, causing Solana's SOL token price to surge by 12% to $247.76, with an intraday peak of nearly 23%. Ether fell by more than 6%. The meme coin, named 'Official Trump' (TRUMP), boasts a market cap exceeding $5 billion, making it the largest meme coin on the Solana network. This development precedes Trump's inauguration on Monday, which is widely expected to usher in a new era of innovation and productivity in the crypto industry, coinciding with the end of Gary Gensler's term as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Solana, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, gained 85% in 2024 and is now just 6% off its all-time high.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's giant Starship rocket to investigate its explosion during the latest test flight. On Thursday, the rocket's upper stage disintegrated over the Caribbean after launching from Texas, causing airline flights to alter course to avoid falling debris. The FAA is working with SpaceX and other authorities to confirm reports of damage to public property on the Turks and Caicos Islands, with no reports of injuries. The aviation regulator has ordered SpaceX to conduct a 'mishap' investigation, with findings to be reviewed before deciding if Starship can return to flight. This test flight was Starship's seventh mission and the first involving an upgraded version of the rocket. SpaceX indicated that preliminary signs suggest the issue was linked to an oxygen/fuel leak above the ship engine firewall.

On January 18, a suspected attack occurred in Tel Aviv, Israel. The police reported that several people were injured in a shooting incident, while emergency services stated that one person was wounded by stabbing. The incident took place on Levontin Street in Tel Aviv, with the circumstances still unclear. Emergency service provider Magen David Adom is providing medical treatment to a 30-year-old male stabbed victim. This event happened a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect in Gaza.

US President-elect Donald Trump's statements about Greenland have caused panic in Denmark. Greenlandic lawmaker Kuno Fencker from the ruling coalition party Siumut said Denmark is starting to respect Greenland more and attempted to contact Trump and his administration. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen invited Trump to visit Denmark and stated that Greenlanders should decide their independence themselves. Trump called it 'an absolute necessity' for the US to own Greenland, while Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede responded that the island is not for sale. Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and remains part of the kingdom, but gained autonomy in 2009 with the ability to self-govern.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, stated that Hungary and Serbia will jointly ensure the security of the TurkStream gas pipeline. Since January 1, Ukraine has terminated Russian gas transit to Central and Eastern Europe, making TurkStream the only pipeline supplying gas to the region. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto earlier noted that an attack on the TurkStream pipeline could be seen as an infringement on the sovereignty of European countries using it. The European Commission also expressed concern over reports of Ukraine's attack on a compressor station in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev used nine drones to attack the compressor station, but it continues to operate normally. In 2022, Hungary received 4.8 billion cubic meters of gas via TurkStream and its branches, increasing to 5.6 billion in 2023 and projected to reach 7.6 billion in 2024.

On January 18, 2025, Kenya deployed over 200 police officers to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to bolster the understaffed security mission amid rampant gang violence that has displaced more than a million people. Ten countries have pledged over 3,100 troops for the U.N.-backed anti-gang force, but few have deployed so far. Kenya's Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the 217 officers would join about 400 sent last year. Kenya, which committed to deploying a total of 1,000 personnel for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, faced nearly 20 resignations last month due to pay delays and poor conditions. The MSS, led by top Kenyan officers, claimed to have resolved the salary issues and denied receiving resignations. Guatemala, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Belize have also contributed to the anti-gang effort.

Zijin Mining's Buritica gold mine in Antioquia province, Colombia, has halted production following an attack by armed assailants who damaged a critical power source with homemade bombs. The attack occurred early Friday, with no reported injuries. Zijin attributed the incident to illegal miners seeking to extract gold. The attack severely damaged the electrical substation and rendered backup power unusable, also disrupting ventilation and drainage systems. The mine produced 8.3 tons of gold in 2023. Colombia's Mining Association noted this was not an isolated incident, citing three other attacks on mines in Colombia within the last month.

American journalist Austin Tice was captured in Syria in August 2012 while reporting. His mother, Debra Tice, arrived in Damascus on January 18, 2025, to search for her son. Accompanied by Nizar Zakka, head of Hostage Aid Worldwide, she aims to meet with Syria's new authorities. Debra previously visited Syria in 2012 and 2015 but received no confirmation of her son's custody. She criticized the Biden administration for not negotiating hard enough for his release and expressed hope in President-elect Donald Trump. Austin briefly escaped in 2013 but was recaptured.