Seven Chinesetourists are killed after their van sinks into a frozen over section of Lake Baikal on Olkhon Island, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. One person managed to escape the vehicle and reach the surface. An investigation into criminal negligence and safety violations is opened.
The Frenchagriculture ministry authorizes the culling of around 200 wolves, raising the annual removal limit to 21% of the estimated population of over 1,000 animals, with a possible increase to 23%, citing rising livestock losses as wolf numbers expand into agricultural areas and regions near major cities.
Norway relocates some of its approximately 60 military personnel stationed in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East back to Norway and other regional locations, citing security concerns amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.