Portal:Current events/2020 January 15

January 15, 2020 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution
- The Sudanese Armed Forces says it has quelled a mutiny by soldiers loyal to ousted President Omar al-Bashir in the capital Khartoum. Former Director of the National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Gosh is accused of orchestrating the mutiny, which left two troops dead. His current whereabouts are unknown. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

The Vatican appoints Francesca Di Giovanni undersecretary for multilateral affairs in the Secretariat of State, the first woman to hold a management position in this office. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Winter Storm Jacob makes landfall over the Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and up to 22 inches (56 cm) of snow to the Olympic Peninsula and forcing widespread road closures and transport cancellations. (The Weather Channel)

International relations

Egypt–Turkey relations
- Turkey summons its chargé d'affaires to Egypt after accusing the Egyptian security forces of raiding the Cairo offices of the state-run Anadolu News Agency and arresting four of its employees. (Reuters)
Japan–North Korea relations
- North Korean state media condemn Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe for his attempts to reform the pacifist Japanese constitution. The state media say that "in the event of a constitutional revision, which gives [Japan's] self-defense forces legitimacy, the Japanese reactionaries will have all the preconditions necessary to realize military aggression overseas". (United Press International)
China–United States trade war
- In a meeting at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sign "Phase 1" of a new trade deal in which the U.S. will relax some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports while China agreed to buy more American products. Both sides also agree to not impose new tariffs. (NPR)

Politics and elections

The Russian government of Dmitry Medvedev's Second Cabinet resigns after President Vladimir Putin delivers the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly, in which he proposed several amendments to the constitution. Putin accepts the resignation. Medvedev says the constitutional changes would "significantly change Russia's balance of power". (The Independent) (BBC News)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis nominates Council of State president Aikaterini Sakellaropoulou to be President of Greece. If approved, she will be the first female president in Greek history. (Reuters)
The Virginia House of Delegates votes to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment decades after its deadline passed. As the amendment nonetheless now has enough states for it to be fully adopted, legal scholars are divided on whether this means the Constitution of the United States has been amended. (NPR)