Portal:Current events/2013 January 25

January 25, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Two car bombs explode in the Syrian controlled part of Golan Heights killing 8 people. (AP via Fox News) (Voice of America) (AP via Washington Post)
Northern Mali conflict:
- The Malian army retakes the town of Hombori after driving Islamist forces out. (Xinhua) (AFP via Al Arabiya) (RFI) (BBC)
2012–2013 Egyptian protests:
- Massive protests against Mohamed Morsi develop all over Egypt on the second anniversary of the 2011 revolution, including in Tahrir Square, where thousands of protesters gathered. At least 6 civilians and 1 police officer are shot dead in the Egyptian city of Suez, while 456 others are injured nationwide. (CBS) (USA Today) (Reuters) (BBC)
2013 Uribana prison riot:
- A prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, kills at least 50 people and injures about 90 people. (BBC) (CNN) (Al Jazeera)
2011–2013 Iraqi protests:
- Ongoing protests by Sunni Muslims in Iraq against the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki turn deadly, as clashes leave 7 protesters and 2 soldiers dead in Fallujah. More than 60 others are injured, and at least 3 soldiers are kidnapped by unidentified gunmen. (Tampa Bay News)

Arts and culture

Disasters and accidents

Tropical Cyclone Oswald makes landfall in Queensland, Australia, and causes widespread flooding. (The Australian) (Irish Times) (AFP via IOL)
Tennessee Highway Patrol officer Michael Slagle is killed after his car hit an ice patch and crashed and the responding fire truck hit the same ice patch and fell on top of his vehicle in northeast Knox County, Tennessee, United States. (Officer.com) (WATE)
At least 60 vehicles are involved in two chain-reaction crashes on Ontario Highway 401 about 80 kilometres east of Toronto, Canada, leaving at least five people injured, two critically. (CTV News) (National Post)
Turkish Airlines plane with 114 people aboard makes an emergency landing at Izmir, Turkey, after it was struck by lightning and one of its engines caught fire. (The Telegraph) (Daily Mail) (Voice of Russia)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (Ynet)

International relations

North Korea threatens to take "strong physical countermeasures" if South Korea co-operates with new United Nations Security Council resolutions against it. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters) (Voice of America)

Law and crime

John Kiriakou, the former CIA agent, who publicly discussed the U.S. government agency's use of waterboarding interrogation techniques, is sentenced to 30 months in prison. An argument that he was a whistleblower was dismissed and he was instead convicted of violating an intelligence law, the first person to be successfully targeted under the statute in 27 years. (BBC)
A detective in the Irish police force is shot dead in an attempted robbery near Dundalk, County Louth. (BBC) (RTÉ)
Barry George loses his appeal for compensation after High Court of Justice judges decide that he is not a victim of miscarriage of justice. (BBC) (The Independent) (The Guardian)
Former NFL 1st round draft pick punter for the New Orleans Saints Russell Erxleben is arrested on charges of wire fraud in an alleged Ponzi scheme. (AP via CBS)
Following several antisemitic and racist posts, a French court orders Twitter to reveal personal information about its users. (The New York Times) (UPI) (ZDNet)

Politics and elections

Scuffles occur on the streets of Moscow as supporters and opponents clash over the Russian parliament's attempts to implement anti-gay legislation. If legalised it would result in fines for those who promote events with a gay theme. (AP via ABC) (BBC) (Reuters)

Sport

UEFA announces details of Euro 2020: it is to be held in 13 cities across Europe with no more than one venue per country permitted: the semi-finals and final are to be played in the same stadium and the venues are to be chosen in September next year. (The Guardian)
Chelsea and Belgian international midfielder Eden Hazard is charged with violent conduct after his controversial assault of a ball boy on the sideline during the 2012–13 Football League Cup semifinal match in Wales this week. (The Guardian)
Aston Villa's woes continue as they are sent crashing out of the 2012–13 FA Cup by Millwall. It is the second cup competition they have been knocked out of by lower league opposition this week. (The Guardian) (The Irish Times)
In tennis, Andy Murray will face Novak Djokovic in the men's final at the 2013 Australian Open after his five-set victory over Roger Federer in the semifinal. (BBC) (ESPN)
Gaelic football manager Kevin Heffernan dies at the age of 83. (BBC) (The Irish Times)