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International Tensions Rise as Explosions Rock Iran, Gaza Suffers Deadly Strikes, and Ukraine Faces Blackouts
Tensions flared across the globe on Saturday, January 31, 2026, as explosions were reported in Iran, Israeli strikes hit Gaza, Ukraine experienced mass blackouts, and the US Senate passed a government funding deal.
In Iran, two explosions occurred, one at the southern port of Bandar Abbas and another in Ahvaz, over 1,000 kilometers away. According to local media reports, the Bandar Abbas blast resulted in the death of a four-year-old girl and injuries to 14 others. Officials stated that four people were killed in the Ahvaz explosion. The semi-official Tasnim news agency refuted social media reports that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander was the target of the Bandar Abbas explosion, calling them "completely false."
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 30 Palestinians, according to hospital officials. Shifa Hospital reported that one strike in Gaza City killed multiple people. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families, officials at the Gaza hospitals that received the bodies said. This marks one of the deadliest days in Gaza since a ceasefire was agreed to in October.
Adding to the global turmoil, Ukraine experienced mass power outages on Saturday due to a "technical malfunction" that caused electrical lines between Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine to fail, according to Ukraine's energy minister, Denys Shmyhal. "Today at 10:42 am (0842 GMT), a technical malfunction occurred, causing a simultaneous shutdown of the 400 kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750 kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine," Shmyhal stated. The incident follows Russia's months-long campaign targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure, which has inflicted severe damage to the energy system. Water shortages were also reported as a result of the blackouts.
On the political front, the US Senate passed a Trump-backed government funding deal by a vote of 71-29. The bill will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday, potentially leading to a partial government shutdown over the weekend. The bill funds most of the government through the end of September while carving out a temporary extension for Homeland Security funding. Congress has two weeks to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country.
In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro presented an initiative on Friday to grant full amnesty to political prisoners detained since 1999. Delcy Rodríguez, instructed the Judicial Revolution Commission to prepare the legal text in the coming hours for a vote in the National Assembly. The measure excludes cases of murder, drug trafficking, and human rights violations. Families are waiting cautiously.
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