2021 Tillabéri attacks At least 79 civilians are killed and 20 others are injured when Islamist militants attack two villages simultaneously in Tillabéri, Niger, near the border with Mali. (Reuters)
At least 79 civilians are killed and 20 others are injured when Islamist militants attack two villages simultaneously in Tillabéri, Niger, near the border with Mali. (Reuters)
Insurgency in the Maghreb 2021 Tillabéri attacks At least 79 civilians are killed and 20 others are injured when Islamist militants attack two villages simultaneously in Tillabéri, Niger, near the border with Mali. (Reuters) Two Algerian People's National Army personnel and four militants are killed during a gunfight in Messelmoun, Algeria. (Xinhua)
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Victoria closes its land border with New South Wales due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, after several months of open borders. Meanwhile, New South Wales makes wearing masks in public mandatory, while also easing restrictions for southern suburbs of the Northern Beaches as the number of cases in those areas decrease. (The Guardian)
Victoria closes its land border with New South Wales due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, after several months of open borders. Meanwhile, New South Wales makes wearing masks in public mandatory, while also easing restrictions for southern suburbs of the Northern Beaches as the number of cases in those areas decrease. (The Guardian)
COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, Variant of Concern 202012/01 Saudi Arabia reopens its air, sea, and land borders, and resumes international passenger flights as well, after borders were closed in December to prevent the spread of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the UK. People arriving from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and other countries where the new variant is spreading are required to spend 14 days in another country and present a negative test result prior to entering Saudi Arabia. (Al Jazeera)
Saudi Arabia reopens its air, sea, and land borders, and resumes international passenger flights as well, after borders were closed in December to prevent the spread of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the UK. People arriving from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and other countries where the new variant is spreading are required to spend 14 days in another country and present a negative test result prior to entering Saudi Arabia. (Al Jazeera)
A judge in the United Kingdom blocks the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, citing that it would be "oppressive" to his mental health and also cites the likelihood of Assange committing suicide if he is sent to the United States. If convicted in the United States, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says that his country is willing to provide political asylum to Assange. (DW) (Anadolu Agency)
Trump–Raffensperger phone call United States Representatives Ted Lieu and Kathleen Rice urge Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher A. Wray to open a criminal investigation into President Donald Trump's phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for violating state and federal laws. Additionally, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announces that her office is ready to investigate Trump after his call with Raffensperger. (CBS) (The Hill)
United States Representatives Ted Lieu and Kathleen Rice urge Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher A. Wray to open a criminal investigation into President Donald Trump's phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for violating state and federal laws. Additionally, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announces that her office is ready to investigate Trump after his call with Raffensperger. (CBS) (The Hill)
United States and the International Criminal Court United States District Judge Katherine Polk Failla blocks the Trump administration from imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court. (Reuters)
United States District Judge Katherine Polk Failla blocks the Trump administration from imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court. (Reuters)
Cleta Mitchell resigns from her law firm after participating in President Trump's phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. (The Hill)
Trump–Raffensperger phone call Cleta Mitchell resigns from her law firm after participating in President Trump's phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. (The Hill)
Qatar diplomatic crisis Saudi Arabia reopens its border with Qatar, ending the three-year diplomatic crisis. The resolution was brokered by Kuwait and the United States. (NBC News)
Saudi Arabia reopens its border with Qatar, ending the three-year diplomatic crisis. The resolution was brokered by Kuwait and the United States. (NBC News)
A judge in the United Kingdom denies bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange days after his extradition to the United States was blocked. The judge cited the risk of Assange escaping the extradition process or refusing to surrender to court if asked to do so. Assange's lawyers will appeal the decision whereas the U.S. Department of Justice continues to seek his extradition. Assange's partner urges the US to pardon him. (Reuters)
Hong Kong national security law Hong Kong Police arrest 53 pro-democracy activists and politicians for criminal charges under the national security law. Those arrested include James To and Lam Cheuk-ting of the Democratic Party, activist Lester Shum, and Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham of the League of Social Democrats. (Reuters) (RTHK) (BBC News) Kickstart Wan Chai [zh] announces to disband, effective immediately. (SCMP)
Hong Kong Police arrest 53 pro-democracy activists and politicians for criminal charges under the national security law. Those arrested include James To and Lam Cheuk-ting of the Democratic Party, activist Lester Shum, and Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham of the League of Social Democrats. (Reuters) (RTHK) (BBC News) Kickstart Wan Chai [zh] announces to disband, effective immediately. (SCMP)
Lawmakers say that they will continue certification of Biden's victory tonight. (The Hill)
Boeing 737 MAX groundings Boeing agrees to pay US$2.5 billion to settle criminal charges claiming that it covered-up design flaws in its Boeing 737 MAX passenger planes from safety officials. The U.S. Department of Justice says that the firm chose "profit over candour". (BBC News)
Boeing agrees to pay US$2.5 billion to settle criminal charges claiming that it covered-up design flaws in its Boeing 737 MAX passenger planes from safety officials. The U.S. Department of Justice says that the firm chose "profit over candour". (BBC News)
A court in Pakistan sentences Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to five years in prison on terrorism financing charges. Lakhvi, a senior member of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba, is accused of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, though he was convicted of unrelated charges. India and the United States welcome the verdict but ask that he be tried for the attacks. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden The Riksdag passes a new law that gives the government power to impose COVID-19-related lockdowns, such as ordering certain businesses to close or prohibiting public gatherings of certain sizes. The law will take effect on January 10. (The Washington Post)
The Riksdag passes a new law that gives the government power to impose COVID-19-related lockdowns, such as ordering certain businesses to close or prohibiting public gatherings of certain sizes. The law will take effect on January 10. (The Washington Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Delaware President-elect Joe Biden receives a second dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on camera. (CNN)
COVID-19 vaccination in the United States COVID-19 pandemic in Delaware President-elect Joe Biden receives a second dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on camera. (CNN) The CDC says it has administered 8 million vaccine doses in the United States and distributed an additional 25.5 million doses. (Reuters)
Chad Wolf resigns as Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security, citing "recent events, including the ongoing and meritless court rulings regarding the validity of my authority as Acting Secretary". He is replaced by FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor. (The Guardian)
The leader of the Houthi movement, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, condemns a move by the United States to designate the group as "terrorists" saying that the group "reserves its right to respond to any designation" by the Trump administration. Iran and the Norwegian Refugee Council also condemn the designation, saying that it will create more devastation in the impoverished nation. (Al Jazeera)
United States–Yemen relations The leader of the Houthi movement, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, condemns a move by the United States to designate the group as "terrorists" saying that the group "reserves its right to respond to any designation" by the Trump administration. Iran and the Norwegian Refugee Council also condemn the designation, saying that it will create more devastation in the impoverished nation. (Al Jazeera)
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka sentences former member of parliament Ranjan Ramanayake, who is affiliated with the opposition United National Party, to a four-year "rigorous imprisonment" over his remarks claiming that most judges in the country were "corrupt". (AFP via The Times of India)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Corruption in South Korea The Supreme Court upholds former President Park Geun-hye's 22-year prison sentence for corruption. (AP)
The Supreme Court upholds former President Park Geun-hye's 22-year prison sentence for corruption. (AP)
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announces the arrest of Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who was seen carrying the Confederate flag during the storming of the United States Capitol. His son, Hunter Seefried, is also arrested. (CBS News) The Department of Justice announces that Robert Sanford, a retired firefighter from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, has been arrested for allegedly throwing a fire extinguisher at Capitol Police officers during the storming of the Capitol. (USA Today)
War in Afghanistan Taliban insurgency, 2021 Afghanistan attacks At least nine security personnel are killed in Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan, when Taliban insurgents simultaneously attack two checkpoints. (Al Arabiya English)
At least nine security personnel are killed in Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan, when Taliban insurgents simultaneously attack two checkpoints. (Al Arabiya English)
Taliban insurgency, 2021 Afghanistan attacks At least nine security personnel are killed in Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan, when Taliban insurgents simultaneously attack two checkpoints. (Al Arabiya English)
War in Afghanistan 2021 Afghanistan attacks; Taliban insurgency Two judges, both female, are shot dead in an ambush while en-route to their offices at the Supreme Court in Kabul; their driver is wounded. Afghan officials claim the Taliban is responsible, however no one has claimed responsibility for the attack and a spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, says that the group was not responsible. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Afghanistan attacks; Taliban insurgency Two judges, both female, are shot dead in an ambush while en-route to their offices at the Supreme Court in Kabul; their driver is wounded. Afghan officials claim the Taliban is responsible, however no one has claimed responsibility for the attack and a spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, says that the group was not responsible. (Al Jazeera)
Two judges, both female, are shot dead in an ambush while en-route to their offices at the Supreme Court in Kabul; their driver is wounded. Afghan officials claim the Taliban is responsible, however no one has claimed responsibility for the attack and a spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, says that the group was not responsible. (Al Jazeera)
A caravan of at least 6,000 Honduran migrants bound for the United States prompts the deployment of Guatemalan police and military troops to the Guatemala–Honduras border, where security forces fire tear gas and assault migrants attempting to cross the border. Health officials report several casualties. (AFP via IBTimes)
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of "Cowboys for Trump", is arrested for his involvement during the storming of the United States Capitol, in which he allegedly entered restricted area during the riot. He claimed to be planning to drive to Washington, D.C. with a rifle and revolver. (Reuters) (NBC News) Gracyn Courtright, a West Virginia student who is a senior at the University of Kentucky, is charged for entering the United States Capitol during the riot. (New York Post) (The Kentucky Kernel) (Heavy.com)
Central American migrant caravans A caravan of at least 6,000 Honduran migrants bound for the United States prompts the deployment of Guatemalan police and military troops to the Guatemala–Honduras border, where security forces fire tear gas and assault migrants attempting to cross the border. Health officials report several casualties. (AFP via IBTimes)
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccine The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) grants emergency use authorization requests for the vaccines developed by Sinovac and Oxford-AstraZeneca. (G1) Minutes after Anvisa's announcement, a nurse from São Paulo becomes the first person in Brazil to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Oman Oman announces the closure of all land borders for at least one week, beginning tomorrow at 6:00 p.m., as part of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Times of Oman)
Gracyn Courtright, a West Virginia student who is a senior at the University of Kentucky, is charged for entering the United States Capitol during the riot. (New York Post) (The Kentucky Kernel) (Heavy.com)
Minutes after Anvisa's announcement, a nurse from São Paulo becomes the first person in Brazil to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (Reuters)
Oman announces the closure of all land borders for at least one week, beginning tomorrow at 6:00 p.m., as part of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Times of Oman)
The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) grants emergency use authorization requests for the vaccines developed by Sinovac and Oxford-AstraZeneca. (G1)
Corruption in South Korea The COO of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, is sentenced to two and a half years in prison on charges of bribery. Lee was convicted of bribing former South Korean President Park Geun-hye and was arrested in the courtroom following the verdict. (The New York Times)
The COO of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, is sentenced to two and a half years in prison on charges of bribery. Lee was convicted of bribing former South Korean President Park Geun-hye and was arrested in the courtroom following the verdict. (The New York Times)
Central American migrant caravans Guatemalan police report that around 4,000 United States-bound Honduran migrants held up at the Guatemala–Honduras border since January 16 have been dispersed. Police have used various riot control methods to disperse migrants. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Guatemalan police report that around 4,000 United States-bound Honduran migrants held up at the Guatemala–Honduras border since January 16 have been dispersed. Police have used various riot control methods to disperse migrants. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Biden signs his first executive orders reversing several Trump administration decisions, including rejoining the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, repealing 2017 travel bans, ending funding for the United States–Mexico border wall, and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. (BBC News) (NBC News) (The Guardian)
Bashar al-Jaafari, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, called on Biden to change US foreign policy in Syria, which is nearing 10 years of civil war. During a session of the UN Security Council, Jaafari accused the United States of using the multi-sided war to steal the country's oil reserves and other natural resources. (Middle East Eye)
Syria–United States relations Bashar al-Jaafari, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, called on Biden to change US foreign policy in Syria, which is nearing 10 years of civil war. During a session of the UN Security Council, Jaafari accused the United States of using the multi-sided war to steal the country's oil reserves and other natural resources. (Middle East Eye)
Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol United States district judge for the Western District of Washington Barbara Jacobs Rothstein rejects a lawsuit filed by Parler requesting reinstatement on Amazon. (Reuters) House Oversight Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney calls for the FBI to investigate Parler for their role in the storming of the United States Capitol. (The Independent)
United States district judge for the Western District of Washington Barbara Jacobs Rothstein rejects a lawsuit filed by Parler requesting reinstatement on Amazon. (Reuters)
Sam Gor drug lord Tse Chi Lop is arrested by police at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Amsterdam. The Australian Federal Police are seeking to extradite him to face trial. Twenty law enforcement agencies assisted the operation, known as "Operation Kungur". (The Independent)
American manufacturer Tesla files a lawsuit against one of its former software engineers for allegedly copying confidential computer scripts onto a personal file hosting service. The former employee denies the company's allegation, claiming he transferred the files by mistake. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic France imposes new border restrictions that require travellers from other European Union countries arriving by air or sea to present negative PCR test results obtained in the previous 72 hours. (France 24)
France imposes new border restrictions that require travellers from other European Union countries arriving by air or sea to present negative PCR test results obtained in the previous 72 hours. (France 24)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion, COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada The United States Supreme Court declines to hear a case from the Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, a church in Dayton, Nevada, that faces restrictions from Governor Steve Sisolak, to consider how far the state should go when imposing restrictions on places of worship. (NBC News)
Mexican drug war Nineteen people are found dead in two vehicles in Camargo, Tamaulipas, near the Mexico–United States border. The victims, who were likely undocumented migrants, were shot and then set on fire. (BBC News)
The United States Supreme Court declines to hear a case from the Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, a church in Dayton, Nevada, that faces restrictions from Governor Steve Sisolak, to consider how far the state should go when imposing restrictions on places of worship. (NBC News)
Nineteen people are found dead in two vehicles in Camargo, Tamaulipas, near the Mexico–United States border. The victims, who were likely undocumented migrants, were shot and then set on fire. (BBC News)
Acting United States Attorney General Monty Wilkinson announces that President Biden has rescinded the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, which led to the separation of over 3,000 migrant families on the Mexico–United States border. (The Washington Post)
Trump administration family separation policy Acting United States Attorney General Monty Wilkinson announces that President Biden has rescinded the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, which led to the separation of over 3,000 migrant families on the Mexico–United States border. (The Washington Post)
