Portal:Current events/2021 January 13

January 13, 2021 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian Civil War
  - Syria missile strikes (January 2021)
    - Israel carries out a wave of airstrikes on Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate, near its border with Iraq. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that 57 people have been killed and 28 others injured in at least 18 Israeli airstrikes, saying that several Iranian arms depots were hit. A senior U.S. intelligence official says that the air raids were carried out with "intelligence provided by the U.S." (Daily Sabah)
Central African Republic Civil War
- Pro-François Bozizé forces attack the Central African Republic capital of Bangui, with fighting reported on multiple fronts, according to Prime Minister Firmin Ngrébada. A Reuters witness reports explosions and helicopters circling over the city. The attack is successfully repelled by the Central African Armed Forces. (Reuters)
- A Rwanda Defence Force peacekeeper is killed in a rebel attack, according to MINUSCA officials. (Xinhuanet)
Mali War
- Three Ivorian UN peacekeepers are killed and six others wounded in a jihadist ambush on their vehicle in central Mali. (France 24)

Business and economy

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that New York City will end all contracts with the Trump Organization claiming that President Donald Trump's incitement of "an insurrection against the U.S. government clearly constitutes criminal activity." (The New York Times)
George Floyd protests in Australia, List of name changes due to the George Floyd protests
- Dairy company Saputo announces that Coon cheese, its brand of cheddar cheese in Australia, will be rebranded as "Cheer" cheese, in response to a 20-year campaign by indigenous rights activist Stephen Hagan to remove the usage of the word "Coon", in reference to a racial slur. The new branding will be released in July. (AFP via Manila Standard)
Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica announces that it will sell its cell sites in Europe and Latin America, which are owned by its subsidiary Telxius, to American company American Tower for an estimated €7.7 billion (US$9.4 billion). (Buenos Aires Times)

Disasters and accidents

A Sudanese Air Force helicopter crashes shortly after taking off in Sudan's Al Qadarif state, near the border with Ethiopia, with the three-person crew surviving the crash, according to officials. (TRT World)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      - President Joko Widodo receives the first dose of the vaccine candidate developed by Sinovac Biotech. (CNA)
    - Indonesia reports a record 11,278 new cases and 306 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 858,043 confirmed cases and 24,951 deaths. (CNN Indonesia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq
    - Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi imposes travel and entry bans on 20 countries reported to have new variants of SARS-CoV-2. (Xinhua)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - The government expands the state of emergency to seven prefectures, including Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Kyoto, as the country surpasses 300,000 cases of COVID-19. (ABC News)
    - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces the suspension of business travel agreements with 11 countries and regions and also restricts entry for all non-resident foreign nationals beginning tomorrow in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Nikkei Asia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan
    - Jordan begins a vaccination campaign, with priority given to healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses, and those over the age of 60. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    - China reports 115 new cases in the past 24 hours, the largest single-day total in more than five months, bringing the nationwide number of confirmed cases to 87,706. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - The Philippines reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom in a person who travelled from the United Arab Emirates to Quezon City on January 7 and later tested positive. (ABS-CBN News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, 501.V2 variant
    - Taiwan reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa in a Swazi man in his 30s who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on January 1. (Taiwan News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
    - The United Arab Emirates reports a record 3,362 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 239,587. (The National)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Norway
      - King Harald V, Queen consort Sonja and Princess Astrid receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (People)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey
      - Turkey approves the emergency use of the vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, 501.V2 variant
    - Belgium reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa in a person from West Flanders with no travel history. (VRT)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports records for both daily counts of new cases and deaths, with 10,556 new cases and 156 deaths, bringing the nationwide cumulative totals to 507,108 confirmed cases and 8,236 deaths. (DGS)
    - Prime Minister António Costa announces that stricter lockdown measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 will begin on January 15. There will be more exceptions to the new restrictions than there were during the first national lockdown in March and April 2020. (Expresso)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain reports a record 38,869 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,176,089. (El Mundo)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports a record 1,564 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 84,767. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City
    - Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI receive their firsts doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on the first day of the vaccination campaign in the Vatican City. (Fox News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Mississippi
      - Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves receives his first dose of the vaccine live on Facebook. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - New Mexico reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a man in his 60s who traveled to the United Kingdom in December and later tested positive for COVID-19. (KUTV-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Wisconsin reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the United Kingdom. (WDJT-TV)
  - The U.S. surpasses 23 million cases of COVID-19, just four days after surpassing 22 million cases. (CNN)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations
- Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, criticizes South Korea over their tracking of a military parade that will be held in Pyongyang during the weekend, defining South Korean officials as a "weird group, hard to understand" and the "idiot and top of the world's list in misbehaviour". South Korean President Moon Jae-in says his position to establish talks with North Korea remains unchanged. (NDTV)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Criminal charges brought in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  - American Olympic gold-medal swimmer Klete Keller is charged with participating in the storming of the United States Capitol. (CBS News)
  - Robert Keith Packer, a Virginian known for wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt, is arrested for storming the Capitol. Additionally, former Rocky Mount, Virginia police officers Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker are also arrested. (The Washington Post)
  - Proud Boys supporter Eduard Florea is arrested in New York for threatening to lead an armed caravan to Washington, D.C. Additionally, Florea also threatened the life of Senator-elect Raphael Warnock. (WNBC-TV) (Fox News) (The New York Daily News)
Capital punishment in the United States
- Shortly after midnight, the federal government executes Lisa Marie Montgomery by lethal injection for the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, after the Supreme Court vacated the last stay on her execution. Montgomery is the first woman to be executed by the federal government since 1953. (Reuters)
Aftermath of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny
- Opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny announces that he will return to Russia on Sunday, despite risks of being incarcerated upon his return. Navalny says that the charges against him are "fabricated". (Reuters)
Flint water crisis
- Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty in connection with the Flint water crisis, which left residents with contaminated water and a Legionnaires outbreak. (AP) (Business Insider)
Rioting erupts overnight in the Belgian capital Brussels following the death of a 23-year-old black man in police custody, who was reportedly arrested for violating local COVID-19 restrictions. A police station was set on fire in north of the city, and King Philippe's vehicle was attacked while travelling through the area. (BBC News) (Euronews)

Politics and elections

Second impeachment of Donald Trump
- The U.S. House of Representatives impeaches President Donald Trump for "incitement of insurrection". (BBC News)
- After being impeached, Trump releases a video statement from the White House condemning the rioters who stormed the United States Capitol. (Bloomberg)
Corruption in Estonia
- Prime Minister Jüri Ratas announces his resignation after the Prosecutor General suspected his Estonian Centre Party of "criminal involvement" in an influence peddling scandal involving businessman Hillar Teder. (Daily Sabah)

Science and technology

Donald Trump on social media, Censorship by Google
- Google-owned YouTube says that it has suspended U.S. President Donald Trump's account from uploading new videos or live streaming content for the next seven days, and may extend the suspension, saying that the channel had violated its rules over incitement to violence. (BBC News)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Variant of Concern 202012/01
- English cricketer and all-rounder Moeen Ali, who tested positive for COVID-19 ten days ago, confirmed that he was infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, which makes this the first case of the UK variant in Sri Lanka. (The Times of India)