Portal:Current events/2021 January 23

January 23, 2021 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

ISIL insurgency in Iraq
- Eleven Popular Mobilization Forces members are killed, including a brigade commander, and ten others wounded in an ambush by suspected Islamic State militants east of Tikrit. (The Arab Weekly)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - The University of Michigan shuts down all sports activities for two weeks after the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is discovered in five people with ties to the school. (MLive.com) (MLive.com²)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - North Carolina reports their first case of the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person in Mecklenburg County. (Raleigh News and Observer)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - Federal officials announce that all indoor portions of the National Mall and memorial parks will be closed to the public to combat the spread of COVID-19. (NBC News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state), Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - Washington reports their first cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in two people residing in Snohomish County. (MyNorthwest.com)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick
      - New Brunswick's Edmundston region begins a 14-day lockdown. Non-essential travel is prohibited in and out of the area. In addition, all non-essential businesses, schools and public spaces are closed, and all indoor and outdoor gatherings among people of different households are prohibited. (The Toronto Star)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - A teen in London, Ontario, dies from COVID-19, making him the youngest person in the area to die from the disease. (CBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 9,912 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 791,059. (detikHealth)
    - Indonesian COVID-19 Task Force chairman and Chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency Doni Monardo announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19. (Xinhua)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan surpasses 5,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record 4,275 new confirmed cases and 4,313 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide totals to 180,455 confirmed cases and 137,019 recoveries. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
    - Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi tests positive for COVID-19 after previously endorsing sorcery and magic potions. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Health authorities impose tougher lockdowns in Oslo and nine neighbouring municipalities due to an increase in cases of a more contagious variant from the UK that also caused two deaths in care home residents yesterday. (VG) (Financial Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports a record 15,333 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 624,469. The country also reports a record 274 deaths in the past 24 hours, surpassing 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (SIC Notícias)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the military
    - Chief of the Defence Staff Miguel Ángel Villarroya resigns after he admitted to receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while not being on the priority list. (AFP via SBS News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey signs a deal with the Russian Direct Investment Fund for the production of its Sputnik V vaccine. (Daily Sabah)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, COVID-19 vaccine
    - President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announces that the country will begin vaccinations tomorrow. Medical staff will be the first to receive the vaccine. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    - Tunisia bans gatherings including demonstrations and extends their curfew to between 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time until February 14 in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (The Washington Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
  - COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil
    - Brazil begins distribution of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine. (The Hill)
  - Amazonas Governor Wilson Lima announces new, tougher restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, beginning January 25. People will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential purposes such grocery shopping. (CNN Brasil)

Law and crime

2021 Russian protests, aftermath of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny
- Over 3,500 people are detained in Russia amid nationwide protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Moscow officials say 29 people have received medical assistance in hospitals, while a female protester in Saint Petersburg is currently in intensive care after being kicked by a riot police officer. (DW) (Sky News) (The Moscow Times)
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Garret Miller, a Texas man who participated in the storming of the United States Capitol, is charged for threatening to assassinate U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (The Guardian)
Police brutality in the United States
- A Tacoma, Washington police officer drove through a downtown crowd, running over at least one person and sending them to the hospital. The officer was responding to calls that a group of people were blocking a downtown intersection when the crowd surrounded on the police car, Tacoma Police Department said. (NBC)
Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest
- Brazilian indigenous leaders Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo tribe and Almir Narayamoga Surui of the Paiter Surui tribe call for the International Criminal Court to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro for "crimes against humanity" such as environmental damage to the Amazon rainforest. (France 24)