January 19, 2013 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- The children death toll of the Syrian civil war reaches 3,538, with over 60,000 people killed overall. (Al Jazeera)
- In Aménas hostage crisis:
- The Algerian army stages a final assault on a gas facility near the town of In Aménas, where militants took an unknown number of foreign workers hostage on January 16. Totally at least 23 hostages and 32 terrorists were killed for the four days of crisis. (BBC) (CNN) (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- January 2013 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall:
- Heavy snowfall across the British Isles enters its second day. (BBC)
- Another 100 flights are cancelled at Europe's busiest airport, Heathrow, with some passengers forced to spend the night sleeping on the terminal floor. (BBC)
- Four climbers are killed by an avalanche in Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands while descending the south side of Bidean nam Bian. A fifth member of the party is airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, while a sixth escapes unharmed. (BBC)
Law and crime
- In Bulgaria, an assailant identified as Oktai Enimehmedov attempts to assassinate opposition leader Ahmed Dogan at a party congress of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. (BTV News)
Science and technology
- NASA’s Curiosity rover finds calcium deposits on Mars similar to those seen on Earth when water circulates in cracks and rock fractures. (NASA) (Universe Today)
Sport
- In ice hockey, a shortened 48-game (per team) 2012–13 NHL season begins today with 13 Saturday games after the end of the 119-day lockout. (NHL) (USA Today)
- In association football, FC Shakhtar Donetsk wins the 2013 Match World Cup, played this week at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Match World Cup)
- Olympiacos F.C. sacks coach Leonardo Jardim, despite the club sitting 10 points clear at the top of the 2012–13 Superleague Greece. (UEFA) (FIFA) (Goal.com)
- FC Barcelona loses its first match in the 2012–13 La Liga, squandering a two-goal lead in a 2–3 defeat at Real Sociedad, breaking their 23 game unbeaten run. (ESPN) (UEFA)
- Sébastien Loeb wins the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally, the first stage of the 2013 World Rally Championship season. (Reuters) (Autosport)
- The 2013 Dakar Rally ends today in Santiago, Chile. Stéphane Peterhansel wins a record 11th overall Dakar Rally, while French compatriot Cyril Despres captures a fifth motorcycling crown. (Autosport) (AFP via Google)