January 4, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The United States Central Command announces that a U.S. airstrike in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen, has killed Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, who is believed to have masterminded the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors. (The Independent)
- The Arakan Army attacks four police posts in Rakhine State, Myanmar, killing 13 policemen and injuring 9 others. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Koszalin escape room fire
- Five 15-year-old girls are killed in a fire at an escape room in Koszalin, Poland. (TVN24)
International relations
- Crisis in Venezuela
- The Lima Group announces that from January 10, 2019, the government of Nicolás Maduro will no longer be recognized by the governments which compose the multilateral body. (Al Jazeera)
- Operation Inherent Resolve, American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- The United States Department of State announces that U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey also assumes the position of Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, succeeding Brett McGurk. Separately, a State Department official says that there is no timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. (Reuters) (Politico)
- Cross-Strait relations
- Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping orders the country's armed forces to be ready for battle following President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Tsai Ing-wen's call for international support to defend the self-ruled island’s democracy after rejecting of the one country, two systems principle. (Newsweek via msn.com) (South China Morning Post)
Law and crime
- A 51-year-old man is stabbed to death on a train in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom. (The Telegraph)
- Three people are killed and four others are injured in a mass shooting in a bowling alley in Torrance, California, United States. (CNN)
- United States Special Counsel investigation
- Chief United States District Judge Beryl Howell extends grand jury "17-1" for up to six months; the original 18-month authorization was set to expire Sunday. (CNBC)
- Sean Fitzgerald, 31, is shot dead by police officers during a raid on a house in Coventry, England, United Kingdom. Two 26-year-old men were arrested during the same raid, in connection with cannabis production. (The Guardian) (The Independent)