The Austrian foreign ministry reported that a female citizen, Eva Gretzmacher, has been abducted by unknown assailants in Niger, a West African country currently under military rule. The incident occurred in Agadez, approximately 900 km from the capital, Niamey. Witnesses stated that unidentified individuals forced Ms. Gretzmacher into a 4x4 vehicle in the Fada district, near the Sahara Desert. Ms. Gretzmacher, 73, a development worker, has lived in Niger for over 20 years, contributing to education, health, women's empowerment, and cultural projects. According to reports, the assailants broke into her home and abducted her without taking anything else. The Austrian foreign ministry is collaborating with the EU delegation and local authorities, though Niger's military government has yet to comment. This abduction underscores the persistent security challenges in Niger, which has been grappling with years of Islamist insurgency. The military junta, in power since July 2023, has cited security issues as a justification for overthrowing the previous government. (bbc.com, 12 January 2025)

Benin, 8 January 2025: The military suffered heavy losses in an attack on one of their most fortified positions in the northern region, where they are battling cross-border assaults by Islamist militants. Colonel Faizou Gomina, Chief of Staff of the National Guard, did not disclose casualty figures or the exact location of the attack. However, the opposition party, The Democrats, reported that 28 soldiers were killed in the Alibori department, at a location known as the "Point Triple" zone, where the borders of Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso converge. The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) jihadist organization. Gomina described the targeted position as one of the country’s most robust and heavily militarized. In recent years, Benin and its coastal neighbor Togo have faced an increasing wave of militant attacks, as groups affiliated with Islamic State and al-Qaeda expand their activities from the Sahel into West Africa’s coastal regions.

Just after 9 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the northern Himalayas near Tingri, Tibet, killing at least 95 people and injuring 130, according to Chinese authorities. The quake had an epicenter at a depth of 10 km (6 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the magnitude at 7.1. Tingri, a gateway to Mount Everest, reported significant damage, including the destruction of over 1,000 houses and other buildings. The earthquake, followed by multiple aftershocks, affected Shigatse, home to 800,000 people, as well as nearby remote villages. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts and measures to ensure safety during the winter. In Nepal, tremors were felt across seven hill districts, but no casualties or major damage were reported. The quake also shook Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, and northern India. The region, prone to tectonic activity, experienced its deadliest earthquake in 2015, when a magnitude 7.8 tremor killed 9,000 people in Nepal.

At approximately 9:18 a.m. local time, two assailants opened fire from a vehicle on an Israeli bus and two other vehicles near the West Bank Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, close to the Kedumim area on Highway 55, a route used by both Israelis and Palestinians. Three individuals—two women and a man—were killed in the attack, while seven others sustained injuries. The bus driver is in critical condition, one woman suffered moderate injuries, and the remaining victims sustained minor injuries. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has deployed a significant number of troops to search for the gunmen.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. local time, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. national and Army veteran, drove a pickup truck displaying the Islamic State (IS) flag into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. After the collision, he exited the vehicle and opened fire on revelers and responding police officers. The attack resulted in 14 fatalities and 35 injuries. Jabbar, a Texas resident, had expressed support for the Islamic State in a social media video posted hours before the incident. He was killed in a shootout with police at the scene. Police discovered and safely removed two explosive devices from cooler boxes in the neighborhood, suggesting an attempt to cause further destruction. Initially, investigators suspected accomplices, but by 2 January, the FBI concluded that he acted alone. Authorities are also investigating a potential connection to an explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas later the same day. However, no definitive link has been established.