COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reports the death toll has surpassed 400 with over 20,000 people infected, and requests the United States "not to overreact". (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships COVID-19 pandemic on Diamond Princess The Diamond Princess cruise ship is quarantined and tested for coronavirus cases as it is docked in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers and crew are now required to stay on board until at least Tuesday night. Between 3,500 and 3,700 passengers are tested. (CNN)
COVID-19 pandemic on Diamond Princess The Diamond Princess cruise ship is quarantined and tested for coronavirus cases as it is docked in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers and crew are now required to stay on board until at least Tuesday night. Between 3,500 and 3,700 passengers are tested. (CNN)
First Lady of Lesotho, Maesiah Thabane, is arrested and charged in connection to the 2017 murder of Lipolelo Thabane, ex-wife of current Prime Minister Tom Thabane. (The Guardian)
Gunmen kill 9 people, including 3 children, in a video arcade in Uruapan, Mexico. (ABC News)
The Diamond Princess cruise ship is quarantined and tested for coronavirus cases as it is docked in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers and crew are now required to stay on board until at least Tuesday night. Between 3,500 and 3,700 passengers are tested. (CNN)
The second coronavirus death outside mainland China is reported in Hong Kong. The victim was a 34-year-old Hongkonger who had recently travelled to Wuhan, the center of the pandemic. The Hospital Authority said the victim suffered from "preexisting health conditions", but did not give details. (Los Angeles Times)
The Romanian minority government led by Ludovic Orban is toppled by a vote of no confidence. The event could lead to an early election. (DW)
Impeachment trial of Donald Trump The United States Senate votes on whether to acquit U.S. President Donald Trump. By a vote of 52–48 almost entirely along party lines, the Republican-majority Senate acquits Trump on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, and acquits him on the second charge, obstruction of Congress, in a separate 53–47 vote. Utah Senator Mitt Romney casts the sole Republican guilty vote, against party lines, on the first article. (The New York Times)
Mexico establishes diplomatic relations with the Central African Republic, resulting in Mexico having diplomatic relations with all African states. (Government of Mexico)
The United States Senate votes on whether to acquit U.S. President Donald Trump. By a vote of 52–48 almost entirely along party lines, the Republican-majority Senate acquits Trump on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, and acquits him on the second charge, obstruction of Congress, in a separate 53–47 vote. Utah Senator Mitt Romney casts the sole Republican guilty vote, against party lines, on the first article. (The New York Times)
2020 Van avalanches Avalanches in Van Province, eastern Turkey, kill at least 38 people, leaving more trapped. (BBC News)
A baby is diagnosed with the virus 30 hours after birth, in the first recorded case of the virus in a newborn. (New Straits Times)
A court in Nigeria grants 47 men another delay in their trial over homosexuality and public displays of affection with members of the same sex. Judge Rilwan Aikawa says it is the last accepted delay at the Lagos court. The men face up to 10-year imprisonment if convicted in a closely watched trial. (Reuters)
A plane crashes after overrunning the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey, killing 3 people and injuring 155 others. (BBC News)
Around 3,700 people aboard a cruise ship named Diamond Princess are quarantined after ten passengers test positive for the illness at the port of Yokohama, Japan. (Reuters)
Avalanches in Van Province, eastern Turkey, kill at least 38 people, leaving more trapped. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic Around 3,700 people aboard a cruise ship named Diamond Princess are quarantined after ten passengers test positive for the illness at the port of Yokohama, Japan. (Reuters) A baby is diagnosed with the virus 30 hours after birth, in the first recorded case of the virus in a newborn. (New Straits Times)
Denmark jails three men for potentially spying for Saudi Arabia. (ABC News)
LGBT rights in Nigeria A court in Nigeria grants 47 men another delay in their trial over homosexuality and public displays of affection with members of the same sex. Judge Rilwan Aikawa says it is the last accepted delay at the Lagos court. The men face up to 10-year imprisonment if convicted in a closely watched trial. (Reuters)
Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193 A plane crashes after overrunning the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey, killing 3 people and injuring 155 others. (BBC News)
The United Kingdom's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport begins a public consultation on decriminalizing the failure to pay the television licence fee. Currently, failure to pay the fee while using a television can result in fines and imprisonment. (BBC News)
Minister-President of the central German state of Thuringia, Thomas Kemmerich, resigns under national pressure after his controversial election to the position with the help of the far-right party Alternative for Germany. (BBC News)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune pardons a further 6,000 prisoners after doing the same to another 3,000 two days ago. The mass pardons this week follow an offer of dialogue with the protesters, the release of detainees arrested at demonstrations, the formation of a committee to amend the constitution and meetings with opposition figures. (Reuters)
An Australian and two Chinese citizens, one of whom was a tourist, are stabbed and injured by ISIL sympathisers in Hulhumalé, Maldives. The attackers are arrested. (The Guardian)
Israeli warplanes fire missiles near Damascus, Syria. A pro-opposition war monitor says army positions and Iran-backed militias are targeted, killing 12 fighters. Syria says eight fighters are wounded and Israel intends to "save the armed terrorist organisations which have been collapsing in Idlib and western Aleppo Governorate in front of the strikes of the Syrian Army". (BBC News)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) A U.S. civil contractor is kidnapped by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan's Khost Province. A Taliban leader who declined to be named tells Reuters they had kidnapped an American in Khost but did not provide further details. (Reuters)
A train crash in Livraga, Lombardy, Italy, kills 2 people and injures all the other 31 on board. (The Independent)
Brexit Day bomb plot The PSNI announce they foiled a plot, allegedly by the dissident republican CIRA, to detonate a truck bomb in the United Kingdom on the day Brexit occurred. (BBC News)
Christina Koch returns to Earth from the International Space Station after a continuous 328 days in space, longer than any woman in history. (CNN via MSN)
Heavy rainfall causes severe flooding in southern states, particularly western South Carolina and western Virginia, where several flash flood emergencies have been declared. (Weather.com)
Livraga derailment A train crash in Livraga, Lombardy, Italy, kills 2 people and injures all the other 31 on board. (The Independent)
The PSNI announce they foiled a plot, allegedly by the dissident republican CIRA, to detonate a truck bomb in the United Kingdom on the day Brexit occurred. (BBC News)
2020 Republican Party presidential primaries Former Illinois representative Joe Walsh suspends his presidential campaign, following his poor performance in the Iowa caucuses. (The Hill)
COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping declares "people's war" on the coronavirus pandemic. (The National) (Reuters) Li Wenliang, the doctor who tried to issue the first warnings about the pandemic, dies after contracting the virus. (BBC News)
Former Illinois representative Joe Walsh suspends his presidential campaign, following his poor performance in the Iowa caucuses. (The Hill)
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping declares "people's war" on the coronavirus pandemic. (The National) (Reuters)
It is reported January 2020 was the warmest January ever on record in Europe. (The Washington Post) (Time)
Li Wenliang, the doctor who tried to issue the first warnings about the pandemic, dies after contracting the virus. (BBC News)
Batterygate Apple Inc. is fined €25 million by French regulatory agency General Directorate of Competition, Consumption & Repression of Frauds for deliberately slowing down older iPhone models. The fine amounts to less than 0.003% of Apple Inc.'s current worth. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Italy Italy confirms that an Italian man has contracted the virus, after he visited his girlfriend in Wuhan. (Il Messaggero)
Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam resigns after a spying scandal. (CNN)
High winds, gusting up to 90 miles per hour, strike New England as Winter Storm Kade intensifies upon its exit into the Atlantic Ocean. (Weather.com)
Italy confirms that an Italian man has contracted the virus, after he visited his girlfriend in Wuhan. (Il Messaggero)
Manish Shah, a general practitioner in the United Kingdom, is given three life sentences at the Old Bailey for 90 sexual assaults on 24 of his female patients. (BBC News)
Patrick Crusius, accused of perpetrating the 2019 El Paso shooting, is charged with 90 counts of federal hate crimes. Under the new charges, he could face the death penalty. (BBC News)
Royal Caribbean Cruises bans China, Hong Kong or Macau passport holders from boarding its ships amid concerns over the pandemic. (Reuters)
Russia repatriates 26 Russian children from a Syrian refugee camp. (ABC News)
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner declares that the government will not pay back its US$57 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund until the country exits its recession. (Reuters)
2020 Irish general election Citizens of Ireland head to the polls in the country's latest general election. (The Guardian) Exit polls show the republican Sinn Féin, the ruling Fine Gael, and main opposition party Fianna Fáil in a virtual tie. (The Guardian)
Citizens of Ireland head to the polls in the country's latest general election. (The Guardian)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) A shootout during joint exercises with U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Nangarhar Province leaves between four and six Americans, and six Afghans dead. It is unknown if the Taliban or rogue Afghan forces were responsible. (Reuters)
At least ten people have been killed and dozens have been injured in ethnic clashes in Kazakhstan between Kazakhs and Dungans. About 30 houses and 15 commercial properties were destroyed during the clash. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic Two people – one Japanese and one American – die from coronavirus in Wuhan. They are the first foreigners (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) to die from it. (NBC News)
Exit polls show the republican Sinn Féin, the ruling Fine Gael, and main opposition party Fianna Fáil in a virtual tie. (The Guardian)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offers to mediate between Syria and Turkey over escalating conflicts between the two nations following the recent offensive in the Idlib Governorate. (Reuters)
Syria–Turkey relations Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offers to mediate between Syria and Turkey over escalating conflicts between the two nations following the recent offensive in the Idlib Governorate. (Reuters)
2020 Azerbaijani parliamentary election Azerbaijan holds a snap election after President Ilham Aliyev dissolved the National Assembly last December. The opposition accuses Aliyev of limiting their ability to campaign, and calls for boycotts against the election. (Reuters) (France24)
2020 Cameroonian parliamentary election After having been postponed twice, parliamentary elections are held in Cameroon. The ongoing Anglophone Crisis overshadows the process, with supporters of Ambazonia calling for a boycott of the election. (DW)
2020 Irish general election Counting of the first preference votes show Sinn Féin leading with 24.1% of the vote, ahead of ruling party Fine Gael and main opposition party Fianna Fáil, each with 22.1%. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claims victory, declaring that Ireland "is no longer a two-party system", and hopes to form a coalition government. (The Guardian)
After having been postponed twice, parliamentary elections are held in Cameroon. The ongoing Anglophone Crisis overshadows the process, with supporters of Ambazonia calling for a boycott of the election. (DW)
Azerbaijan holds a snap election after President Ilham Aliyev dissolved the National Assembly last December. The opposition accuses Aliyev of limiting their ability to campaign, and calls for boycotts against the election. (Reuters) (France24)
92nd Academy Awards At this year's Oscars, South Korean film Parasite wins the most awards, including Best Picture and Best International Film. It becomes the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture. (The Hollywood Reporter)
At this year's Oscars, South Korean film Parasite wins the most awards, including Best Picture and Best International Film. It becomes the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Counting of the first preference votes show Sinn Féin leading with 24.1% of the vote, ahead of ruling party Fine Gael and main opposition party Fianna Fáil, each with 22.1%. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claims victory, declaring that Ireland "is no longer a two-party system", and hopes to form a coalition government. (The Guardian)
2020 Swiss referendums, LGBT rights in Switzerland Swiss voters head to the polls to vote on a proposal to mandate quotas for affordable housing in new residential development projects, and whether to criminalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. (BBC News) (Irish Times) The proposal to mandate quotas is rejected, the proposal to criminalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation passes. (BBC News)
A man in Hampshire was killed when a tree fell onto his car on the A33 road as a result of high winds. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic The death toll of the coronavirus outbreak surpasses the death toll of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, at 910 deaths. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
Cross-Strait relations Taiwan scrambles its air force to intercept Chinese jets after they circled the island during a combat drill. The drill is denounced by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry as a violation of its sovereignty. (Reuters)
Israel blocks all Palestinian export of agricultural products from the occupied West Bank following Palestinian limitations on imports of Israeli cattle. (Al Jazeera) (Haaretz)
Israel–Palestine relations Israel blocks all Palestinian export of agricultural products from the occupied West Bank following Palestinian limitations on imports of Israeli cattle. (Al Jazeera) (Haaretz)
Storm Ciara Winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour have been recorded over much of the United Kingdom and Ireland, causing widespread damage and disruption. (BBC News) Thousands of homes and businesses have been flooded across northern England after Storm Ciara brought sustained heavy rainfall to the region. Worst affected were the Calder Valley settlements of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd in Yorkshire. (BBC News) A man in Hampshire was killed when a tree fell onto his car on the A33 road as a result of high winds. (BBC News)
Swiss voters head to the polls to vote on a proposal to mandate quotas for affordable housing in new residential development projects, and whether to criminalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. (BBC News) (Irish Times)
Taiwan scrambles its air force to intercept Chinese jets after they circled the island during a combat drill. The drill is denounced by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry as a violation of its sovereignty. (Reuters)
The death toll of the coronavirus outbreak surpasses the death toll of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, at 910 deaths. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
