January 24, 2016 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army takes control of the strategic Turkmen town of Rabia in Syria's Latakia Governorate. The town had been under rebel control since 2012. (AFP via Global Post)
Disasters and accidents
- Heavy snowfall in western and central Japan leaves at least two people dead and over a hundred injured. Snowfall was also recorded for the first time in 155 years on Amami Ōshima, a subtropical island in Japan's southern Kagoshima Prefecture. (The Japan Times)
- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes southwestern Alaska, leaving 10,000 in the Anchorage area without power and forcing the evacuation of several homes on the Kenai Peninsula. The National Weather Service reported that there was no tsunami following the earthquake. (USGS) (ABC) (The Los Angeles Times)
Politics and elections
Sports
- In sumo, Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro wins his first makuuchi (top division) championship to end a decade-long drought of a Japanese-born championship winner. (Kyodo via Nikkei Asia Review) (Reuters via Daily Mail)
- 2015–16 NFL playoffs
- The Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots 20–18 to win the AFC Championship and qualify for Super Bowl 50. (Washington Post)
- The Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 49–15 to win the NFC Championship and qualify for Super Bowl 50. (The Guardian)