Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Kaja Kallas

• A coordinated short squeeze targeting American hedge funds causes GameStop's stock price to spike.
• Kaja Kallas (pictured) becomes the first female prime minister of Estonia, following the resignation of Jüri Ratas.
• In Russia, protests against the arrest of Alexei Navalny occur in more than 120 towns and cities.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Indian farmers' protest

Recent deaths:

• Luton Shelton
• Corky Lee
• Mauricio Herdocia Sacasa
• David Washbrook
• Ron Johnson
• Peter Thorburn

Current events of January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30) (Saturday)

Current events of January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29) (Friday)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 recession
    • France's GDP contracts 8.3% in 2020, the country's worst economic performance since World War II. (France 24)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 recession
    • Spain's GDP contracts 11% in 2020, the country's worst economic performance since the Spanish Civil War. (Marketwatch)

Disasters and accidents

• COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
  • Five people are killed in a COVID-19 facility fire at the Matei Bals Hospital in Bucharest, Romania. (Reuters)
• A winter storm causes mudslides in southern California, resulting in over 50 car accidents. (KABC-TV)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces the closure of borders to all travellers outside the European Union beginning January 31 in order to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants and avoid a third lockdown. In addition, travel between the overseas territories will be limited and all large shopping centres will be closed. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The German Ministry of Interior bans entry to all travellers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal, and South Africa from tomorrow until February 17 in order to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. In addition, travellers from Lesotho and Eswatini will also be banned beginning January 31. (Dpa International)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece delays the reopening of high schools, which was scheduled to begin on February 1, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, particularly in red zone areas. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary
      • Hungary approves the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine for use in the country, becoming the first EU member state to do so. (DW)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • The Verkhovna Rada passes a law banning registration of the Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia. (Reuters)
    • The European Medicines Agency approves the Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine for use within the EU and recommends that the European Commission grant it 'limited marketing authorization' within the union. (CNBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 5,725 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 203,933. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announces that the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila will be extended until February 28 and also places the Cordillera Administrative Region under GCQ status because most of the cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been reported in the region. (CNN Philippines)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • The government announces that COVID-19 restrictions will be eased in most areas of the country beginning February 1, allowing some businesses to reopen and restaurants to extend their operating hours. (Bangkok Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and major Canadian airlines agree to suspend all flights to so-called "sun destinations" such as the Caribbean and Mexico until April 30. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announces their single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is 66% effective in preventing moderate disease and 85% in preventing severe disease during a global trial. (Politico)
    • Novartis signs an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to help produce their vaccine. (MedicalXpress)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until 2026, ahead of its expiration date next week, following talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  • Migrants set fire to the Napier Barracks at Shorncliffe Army Camp in Kent after "reports of a disturbance". The Home Office says people "set about destroying the barracks", after being told that they were being moved due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the camp. Kent Police say that the fire caused "a significant amount of damage" and is investigating it as a suspected arson attack. (BBC)
• Legality of euthanasia
  • The parliament of Portugal passes legislation to legalize euthanasia. (AFP via RTE)
• A man is arrested after being linked to the murders of three women and the wounding of a man in the past three days in and around Valence, France. The victims, who were shot in four separate locations, were HR managers; the attacker's motives are suspected to be linked to his earlier employment. (BBC)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announces that Brian Sicknick, the United States Capitol Police officer who died from injuries during the storming of the United States Capitol, will lie in honor at the Rotunda. (BBC)

Current events of January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28) (Thursday)

Arts and culture

• Sandro Botticelli's Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel is sold at auction for $92.2 million at Sotheby's in New York City, making it the second most expensive painting by an old master ever sold at public auction. (AFP via New Straits Times)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 recession
    • The Philippines's GDP contracts 9.5% in 2020, its first annual contraction since 1998 following the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the country's worst economic performance since records began in 1947. (Nikkei Asia)
  • Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 recession
    • The United States's GDP contracts 3.5% in 2020, its first annual contraction since 2009 following the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the country's worst economic performance since 1946. (Reuters)
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism
    • The World Tourism Organization reports that the global tourism sector lost $1.3 trillion in revenue in 2020, calling it "the worst year in tourism history". The organization attributes the loss to COVID-19. (AFP via i24NEWS)
• GameStop short squeeze
  • GameStop stock briefly tops US$500 before dropping 36% from Wednesday's closing. Trading was halted multiple times due to the climb and the crash. (CNBC)
  • Robinhood, TD Ameritrade, and Webull restrict the trade of heavily shorted stocks such as GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Koss on their platforms. (CNET)
  • A class action lawsuit was filed against Robinhood in response to shutting down the buying of stocks at the center of the short squeeze. US Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has called for an investigation into the ban on stock sales. (Newsweek)

Disasters and accidents

• Six people died and nine others are hospitalized due to a leak of liquid nitrogen at a poultry plant in Gainesville, Georgia, United States. (BBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Andorra reaches 100. (Andorra Difusió)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports new daily records for both cases and deaths, with 16,432 new cases and 303 deaths, bringing the nationwide cumulative totals to 685,383 confirmed cases and 11,608 deaths. (DGS)
      • The government announces the closure of its border with Spain for two weeks beginning January 31. (El Periódico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain reports their first case of the 501.V2 variant in a 30-year-old man who travelled from South Africa to Vigo. (ABC.es)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Greek City Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a record 476 deaths in the past 24 hours, 200 of which are from West Java, bringing the nationwide death toll to 29,331. (Bisnis)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
      • Japan reports a record 113 deaths in the past 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
      • The Food and Drug Administration approves the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use in the Philippines. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
      • Vietnam reports their first two locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in 55 days in Hải Dương and Quảng Ninh provinces, with one of them linked to the B.1.1.7 variant. (ABC Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
      • Morocco begins its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with King Mohammed VI receiving the first dose. (Morocco World News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
      • Senegal reports their first case of a more-contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the United Kingdom. (AFP via Yahoo News)
    • Africa secures another 400 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Navajo Nation
        • The Navajo Nation surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Arizona Republic)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina
      • South Carolina reports the United States's first two cases of the 501.V2 variant first detected in South Africa in people with no known travel history. (NPR)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    • Mexico surpasses India to have the third-highest death toll in the world. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Australia extends the suspension of their travel bubble with New Zealand for another 72 hours due to concerns about new variants of SARS-CoV-2. (NZ Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • Brazil surpasses nine million cases of COVID-19, becoming the third country to do so after India and the United States. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Vaccine developer Novavax announces that their vaccine candidate is 89% effective in preventing severe COVID-19, based on trial data from the United Kingdom; their vaccine was less effective against new variants of the virus, based on data from South Africa. (Reuters)

International relations

• Decolonisation of Africa
  • Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute
    • The United Nations' International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea rules that the United Kingdom has no legal sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, and must return control of the islands back to Mauritius. The British Foreign Office rejects the ruling, saying that "Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory and the UK does not recognise its claim". (BBC)

Law and crime

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities, COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James releases a report accusing the state of undercounting the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. (AP)
• Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon
  • One protester is shot dead and many more are wounded after attempting to storm a government building during an anti-lockdown riot in Tripoli, Lebanon. The municipality building was set on fire before protesters pulled back to the city's main square. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Kyrgyzstan
  • Sadyr Japarov is sworn in as President of Kyrgyzstan. (Eurasianet)

Science and technology

• Criticism of Google
  • Google removes major Australian news sites from some of its search results in an "experiment" in reaction to the Australian government's calls for Google to pay these sites for their content. (The Guardian)
  • The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission releases a report accusing Google of misusing its advertisement system to promote Alphabet Inc.'s own financial interests. (The Guardian)

Sports

• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
  • Super Bowl LV, COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
    • Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issues an outdoor mask mandate for the city during Super Bowl LV. (ESPN)

Current events of January 27, 2021 (2021-01-27) (Wednesday)

Business and economy

• Boeing 737 MAX groundings
  • The European Aviation Safety Agency clears the Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner to return to service in European Union airspace. (AFP via Barron's)
• GameStop short squeeze
  • A short squeeze causes GameStop stock to increase tremendously after Reddit users predicted a hedge fund closure over the last week. (The Guardian) (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Dschang bus-truck crash
  • A collision between a bus and a truck in Dschang, West, Cameroon, kills 53 people and leaves 29 others injured with severe burns. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
• Mount Merapi on Java, Indonesia, erupts. No casualties have been reported. (The Guardian)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey
        • New Jersey confirms their first death from the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person who had "significant underlying conditions." (Patch.com)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama
        • Alabama confirms their first three cases of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in two children and an adult from Montgomery and Jefferson counties. (U.S. News & World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
      • Mexico reports a record 27,944 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to over 1.8 million. (Business Standard)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • President Joko Widodo receives his second dose of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine. (Antara News)
      • Indonesia reports a record 387 deaths and 10,974 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide totals to 28,855 deaths and 831,330 recoveries. (detikNews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
      • Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launches a vaccination programme in Bangladesh using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. (All India Radio)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
      • Myanmar begins a vaccination programme using the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare workers are the first people to be vaccinated. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
      • Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli launches a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Nepal beginning with 430,000 frontline and healthcare workers. (The Kathmandu Post)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
      • Cyprus announces a cautious easing of the second nationwide lockdown beginning February 1 following a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases that peaked after Christmas. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia
      • North Macedonia reports their first case of the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person with no known travel history who recovered on January 22. (Xinhua)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
      • Prime Minister Erna Solberg announces the closure of all borders for non-essential travel beginning January 29 in an attempt to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants into Norway. (Forbes)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malta
      • Prime Minister Robert Abela announces the imposition of new measures to stop the curve: restaurants, kiosks and snack bars must remain closed for the entire month of February from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am, bars are completely closed, recommends that schools postpone the two days of school holidays for Carnival. (Times of Malta)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces the introduction of 10-day hotel quarantine for travellers from 30 high-risk countries, including Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, and all South American nations due to spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. (The Daily Telegraph)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco
      • Morocco receives half a million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. (Morocco World News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
      • South Africa approves a vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for emergency use in the country. (Deccan Herald)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    • Chile's health regulator approves a vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for emergency use in the country. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • One of the fourteen men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer pleads guilty in a federal court and agrees to testify against his co-defendants. His sentencing is scheduled for July 8. (MLive.com)

Politics and elections

• Statehood movement in the District of Columbia
  • Democrats in the United States Senate introduce a bill that would make Washington, D.C. the 51st state. (CBS News)
• Decommunization in Ukraine
  • In accordance with decommunization laws, the last statue of Vladimir Lenin in the country (excluding territories currently annexed by Russia or occupied by separatists) is demolished in Odesa Oblast. (Svoboda Radio)

Current events of January 26, 2021 (2021-01-26) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • A Palestinian man, attempting to stab two soldiers at a road junction near Nablus in the West Bank, is shot and killed by an Israeli commander. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Tornadoes of 2021
  • List of United States tornadoes in January 2021
    • An EF3 tornado hits Fultondale, Alabama, killing one person and injuring 30 others. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Barbados
      • The Caribbean Public Health Agency reports the presence of B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Barbados. (Government Information Service Barbados)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Alaska
        • Alaska reports their first case of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Newsminer)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky
        • Kentucky reports its first two cases of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (AP)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
        • The Wisconsin State Senate votes to repeal the statewide mask mandate imposed by Governor Tony Evers. (AP)
      • COVID-19 vaccine
        • President Joe Biden orders an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed by the end of August. (NBC News)
        • Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff receive their second doses of Moderna’s vaccine at the National Institutes of Health center in Bethesda. (The Independent)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (Al Jazeera)
      • A record 10,868 recoveries are reported in the past 24 hours. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran approves the Sputnik V vaccine for use in the country. (Ynet News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reports a record of 959 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, including 914 cases in Samut Sakhon reported yesterday evening, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 14,646. (Bangkok Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates reports a record 3,601 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 285,147. (Arab News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
      • Uzbekistan lifts its restrictions aimed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and announces that concert halls will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity. (Trend)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • The government extends the Level 5 lockdown restrictions until March 5. They also agree to impose a 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine for all travellers without negative COVID-19 test results as well as all travellers from Brazil and South Africa. (RTÉ)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record 291 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 11,012. (Expresso)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, becoming the fifth country to do so after the United States, Brazil, India, and Mexico. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
      • The Minister of National Defense of Colombia, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, dies after contracting COVID-19. (Yahoo News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
      • President Francisco Sagasti announces a total lockdown in the capital Lima and nine other regions following a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Cayetano Heredia University says that a volunteer in the local trial of a coronavirus vaccine produced by China’s Sinopharm Group has died from COVID-19-related pneumonia. The university said that the volunteer had received the placebo. (Reuters)
  • The number of worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases surpasses 100 million. (NBC News)
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
  • The highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza is reported in two backyard hobby grey crowned cranes in Central Italy, who are killed along with ten healthy birds to prevent spread. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  • Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael R. Sherwin announces that 400 suspects have been identified and 135 people have been charged in connection to the storming of the United States Capitol. (ABC News)
• 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
  • Samyukt Kisan Morcha protestors storm the Red Fort in Delhi, clashing with police. One protestor is killed and more than 80 police officers are injured. Protest leaders blame the violence on "rogue elements", and say they will continue to dispute the government's agriculture acts. (BBC)
• 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)
• Colombian businessman Alex Saab, an affiliate of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who is charged in the United States for alleged money laundering, is placed under house arrest in Cape Verde. (AFP via Manila Standard)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Italian government crisis, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
  • Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigns amid a political crisis over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. (BBC)
• Cabinet of Joe Biden
  • The United States Senate votes 78–22 to confirm Antony Blinken as the 71st Secretary of State. (AP)

Current events of January 25, 2021 (2021-01-25) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two senior leaders of the Tehrik-i-Taliban and three other militants are killed during two separate security operations in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail
    • British multinational retailer Debenhams announces that it will permanently close all of its brick and mortar stores in the United Kingdom, with the loss of 12,000 jobs, after being bought by online fashion retailer Boohoo.com. (AFP via RFI)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 recession, Economy of South Korea
    • South Korea records its worst annual economic growth since 1998 following the Asian financial crisis. Its gross domestic product contracted 1.0 percent in 2020 from 2019. (AFP via Business Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
  • Cyclone Eloise leaves at least thirteen people dead and more than 8,000 people homeless after making landfall in central Mozambique. Major flooding is also reported in Eswatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe. (Reuters)
• Nine of the miners who went missing during a mine collapse in Qixia, Shandong, China, are found dead by rescue workers. Yesterday another miner was found dead, bringing the death toll to 10, while eleven others were rescued alive. Another miner is still missing. (BBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • President Joe Biden signs an order banning travel from South Africa due to fears of the 501.V2 variant; the ban is expected to take effect on January 30. Additionally, Biden also extends travel restrictions to Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and other European countries, which were expected to expire tomorrow under an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump. (The Washington Post)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in California
        • California Governor Gavin Newsom lifts the regional stay-at-home order in all areas statewide, including three areas where ICU capacity remains under 15%. (KABC-TV)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota
        • Minnesota reports the first U.S. case of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 found in Brazil. The patient is a Twin Cities resident who traveled to Brazil. (CNBC)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada
        • Nevada reports their first case of the B.1.1.7 strain of SARS-CoV-2 in a person with no recent travel history. (AP)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia
        • Virginia reports their first case of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person from Northern Virginia with no recent travel history. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
        • Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces that the second state of emergency in the province will be extended to February 8. (CP24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
      • Mexico's richest person and billionaire Carlos Slim tests positive for COVID-19. (Forbes)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
      • Bahrain approves the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use in the country. (Al Jazeera)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong approves the BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in the city. (The Standard)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports 9,994 new cases and 10,678 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 809,488. (detikHealth)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • Turkey receives 6.5 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine. (Daily Sabah)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Austria, Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Austria begins to require people aged 14 or older to wear FFP2 masks in shops, pharmacies and hospitals, as well as on public transport. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Netherlands, 2021 Dutch curfew riots, Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
      • More than 180 people were arrested in 10 Dutch cities as protesters against the curfew and lockdown clashed with riot law enforcement overnight for a third night in a row. (BBC)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Spain reports a record 93,822 new confirmed cases over the weekend, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,593,582. (El Diario)
      • The Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Iván Redondo tests positive for the COVID-19. (La Vanguardia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reopens schools, restaurants and gyms as a tough lockdown aimed to prevent a new wave of COVID-19 was ended. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 vaccine
      • The Therapeutic Goods Administration approves the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for use in Australia. (ABC Australia)
    • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
      • Australia suspends their travel bubble with New Zealand for the next 72 hours after New Zealand's first community case in months was confirmed to be of the 501.V2 variant from South Africa. (BBC)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
    • Zimbabwe surpasses 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Sowetan Live)
  • COVID-19 vaccine
    • Moderna says that their vaccine would work against the new variants found in South Africa and the United Kingdom. (Reuters)

International relations

• Greek–Turkish relations, Aegean dispute, 2020–2021 East Mediterranean crisis
  • The Greek and Turkish governments conduct the two countries' first direct dialogue regarding the dispute since 2016. (AFP via IBTimes)

Law and crime

• 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)
• Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump
  • The article of impeachment for former US President Donald Trump is brought to the United States Senate, officially triggering the trial, which is scheduled to begin on February 8. (MSN)
• Transgender personnel in the United States military
  • President Joe Biden repeals the Trump administration's decision to ban transgender people from serving in the United States military. (The Guardian)
• 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)
• Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  • Brandon Straka, the WalkAway movement founder and "Stop the Steal" activist who spoke at a rally held by pro-Trump supporters, is arrested on a felony charge of interfering with police during the storming of the United States Capitol. (Politico)
• Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal
  • Malka Leifer, the former principal of a Melbourne school who faces 74 charges of child sexual abuse, is extradited to Australia following a six-year delay of the case that allowed for her to be a fugitive in Israel. (AFP via France 24)
• Two Swedish filmmakers, who filmed the wreck of the MS Estonia that sank in 1994 for a documentary, face trial for violating a treaty that prohibits visiting the site. (AFP via RTE)
• The Canada House of Commons votes to call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to label the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. (Bloomberg.com)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Italian government crisis
  • Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to hand in his resignation tomorrow, due to an ongoing political crisis which began on January 13. (BBC)
• Politics of Estonia
  • Kaja Kallas wins the support of the Riigikogu to become the new Prime Minister, the first woman to do so. (ERR)
• Cabinet of Joe Biden
  • The United States Senate votes 84–15 to confirm Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary, making her the first woman to serve as head of the Treasury Department. (MarketWatch)

Current events of January 24, 2021 (2021-01-24) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Mali War
  • Six Malian troops are killed and 18 others are injured in simultaneous jihadist attacks in the central Mopti Region. The military also stated that around 30 militants were also killed in the clashes. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Palmas FR plane crash
  • A plane crashes in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil, killing four Palmas Futebol e Regatas footballers, their team's president, and the pilot. (CNN Brasil)
• Eleven of the miners who went missing two weeks ago in Qixia, Shandong, China, after the gold mine where they worked collapsed, are rescued alive. Another miner is found dead, while ten others are still missing. (BBC)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
        • The Israeli cabinet agrees to close Ben Gurion International Airport and ban all incoming and outgoing international passengers from the airport, beginning at midnight tomorrow. Cargo flights, medical evacuations and firefighting flights are exempted from this rule. (The Washington Post)
      • Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
        • Clashes broke out in three cities across Israel as police attempted to enforce coronavirus lockdown restrictions in a number of ultra-Orthodox communities. Israel is currently in a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. (Times of Israel)
      • Israel reports several cases of a faster-spreading variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was recently discovered in the United States. (Haaretz)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 4,427 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 141,446. (The Edge Markets MY)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C., Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
        • Around 38 United States Capitol Police officers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the storming of the United States Capitol. (CNN)
      • The United States surpasses 25 million cases of COVID-19. (NPR)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
      • Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is receiving medical treatment. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Netherlands, Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Rioting youths torched a COVID-19 testing center and threw fireworks at police in the fishing village of Urk overnight into Sunday. (DW)
      • Rioters set fires in the center of Eindhoven and pelted police with rocks at a banned demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures. Police also faced off with curfew-defying crowds in The Hague, Amsterdam, Enschede, Venlo, Stein, Roermond, Oosterhout, Breda and elsewhere across the Netherlands. More than 100 people have been arrested. It was the worst violence to hit the Netherlands since the pandemic began and the second straight Sunday that police clashed with protesters in Amsterdam. The country has been under a lockdown since December. (AP) (BBC) (Tasnim)
    • 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)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a record 275 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 10,469. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia
      • Serbia reports their first case of the B.1.1.7 variant in a person who travelled from London and later began experiencing mild symptoms. (N1)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
    • Egypt launches a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 with the first doses of Sinopharm's vaccine given to healthcare workers in Ismailia. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand health officials report the first community case of COVID-19 in more than two months in a person who travelled from Europe. (Sydney Morning Herald)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations, 2021 Russian protests
  • The Russian government accuses the United States of "interfering in Russian domestic affairs" after some U.S. officials criticized the police crackdown on protests backing jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. (RFERL)
• Cross-Strait relations
  • For the second consecutive day, Taiwan reports an incursion of its air defense identification zone by China's People's Liberation Army Air Force. The incursion involved 12 fighter jets, two anti-submarine aircraft and a reconnaissance plane. Taiwan deployed air defence missile systems in response, according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense. (BBC)
• Israel–United Arab Emirates relations, Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement
  • Israel opens an embassy in Abu Dhabi, four months after the signing of the agreement, while the United Arab Emirates approves the establishment of an embassy in Tel Aviv. (AFP via Dawn)

Law and crime

• Central African Republic Civil War
  • The Central African government renders custody of an alleged Séléka commander to the International Criminal Court, where he is expected to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. (AFP via Macau Business)
• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2021
  • A mass shooting in Indianapolis, Indiana, leaves six dead and one injured. (WXIN-TV)
• 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)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Estonia
  • The two major political parties Reform Party and Centre Party agree to form a government, whose Prime Minister will be Kaja Kallas, who will become the first female to take the office. She is succeeding Jüri Ratas, who resigned following a corruption scandal that involves his party. (Politico)
• 2021 Portuguese presidential election
  • Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is reelected with 60.7% of the vote in Sunday's election. (ABC News) (DW)
• Proposed second Scottish independence referendum
  • Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she intends to hold a "legal referendum" on independence since Brexit removed Scotland from the European Union against its will. Another referendum would require the approval of the United Kingdom's government, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson opposes. (ABC News) (Bloomberg)

Science and technology

• SpaceX successfully launches a record 143 satellites into orbit on a single rocket in its Transporter-1 mission. The payload consisted of 120 CubeSats, 12 microsatellites, 10 Starlink satellites, and 1 transfer stage. It is also the maiden flight of the SHERPA-FX satellite dispenser. (BBC)

Sports

• 2020 NFL season, 2020–21 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl LV
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers, 31-26, winning the 2020 NFC Championship and advancing to the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl being held at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, this will be the first time a NFL team will play the championship game on their home field. They will play the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the 2020 AFC Championship. (CBC) (AP)

Time: 02:46 UTC|Day: 30 January

	January 2021
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Ongoing events

Business

• COVID-19 recession
• Gamestop short squeeze

Disasters

• COVID-19 pandemic
• 2020–21 European windstorm season
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2018–20 Southern Africa drought
• Yemeni famine

Politics

• Afghan peace process
• Armenian protests
• Belarusian protests
• Bulgarian protests
• East Mediterranean crisis
• Hong Kong protests
• Indian farmers protests
• Indonesia omnibus law protests
• Kashmir lock-down
• Libyan peace process
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Russian protests
• Second Arab Spring
• Sudanese protests
• Thai protests
• United States election protests
• United States racial unrest
• Venezuelan presidential crisis
• Yellow vests movement

Elections and referendums

Recent

• January
  • 14: Uganda, President, Parliament
  • 24: Portugal, President

Upcoming

• February
  • 7: Ecuador, President (1st), National Assembly
  • 7: Liechtenstein, Landtag

Trials

Recently concluded

• France: Charlie Hebdo shooting
• Vanuatu: Charlot Salwai

Ongoing

• Argentina: Rodolfo Martín Villa
• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Colombia: Álvaro Uribe
• France: Nicolas Sarkozy
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• South Africa: Jacob Zuma
• Spain: 2017 Catalonia attacks
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• United States: Varsity Blues scandal
• International: The Gambia v. Myanmar

Upcoming

• Indonesia: Edhy Prabowo, Juliari Batubara, Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Lesotho: Maesiah Thabane
• Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina
• United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell
• Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo

Sport

• Association football
  • 2020–21 Premier League
  • 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
  • 2020 Copa Libertadores
  • 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage
  • 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage
• Women's association football
  • 2020–21 Champions League
  • 2020–21 Division 1 Féminine
  • 2020–21 FA WSL
• American football
  • 2020 NFL season
  • 2020 NCAA Division I FBS
• Baseball
  • 2021 MLB season
• Basketball
  • 2020–21 NBA season
  • 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
  • 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
• Golf
  • 2020–21 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2020–21 KHL season
  • 2020–21 NHL season
• Motorsport
  • 2020 Formula One Championship
  • 2020 Rally Championship
• Rugby union
  • 2020–21 Premiership Rugby
  • 2020–21 Pro14
  • 2019–20 Top 14
• Other sports seasons
  • 2020–21 international cricket season
  • 2020–21 snooker season
  • 2020–21 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

January 2021

• 28: Paul J. Crutzen
• 28: Cicely Tyson
• 28: Lewis Wolpert
• 27: Juan del Río Martín
• 26: Cloris Leachman
• 26: Carlos Holmes Trujillo
• 24: George Armstrong
• 24: Arik Brauer
• 24: Bruce Kirby
• 24: Gunnel Lindblom
• 24: Joseph Sonnabend
• 23: Walter Bernstein
• 23: Tony Ferrer
• 23: Alberto Grimaldi
• 23: Larry King
• 23: Nilda Pedrosa
• 23: Robert Rowland
• 23: Roy Torrens
• 22: Hank Aaron
• 22: Juan Guzmán Tapia
• 22: José Rivera Pérez
• 21: Henry Chmielewski
• 20: Mira Furlan
• 20: Sibusiso Moyo
• 20: Peter Swan
• 20: Ted Thompson
• 19: V. Shanta
• 18: Jean-Pierre Bacri
• 18: Lubomir Kavalek
• 18: Jimmie Rodgers
• 18: Don Sutton
• 17: Nikolay Antoshkin
• 17: Sammy Nestico
• 16: Salleh Abas
• 16: Michael Bryce
• 16: Chris Murphy
• 16: Phil Spector
• 15: Benjamin de Rothschild
• 14: Peter Mark Richman
• 14: Joanne Rogers
• 13: Tim Bogert
• 13: Siegfried Fischbacher
• 13: Sylvain Sylvain
• 13: Philip Tartaglia
• 12: Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud
• 11: Sheldon Adelson
• 11: Eve Branson
• 11: Shashikumar Chitre
• 11: Don Miller
• 11: Prentice E. Sanders
• 11: Stacy Title
• 10: Nancy Walker Bush Ellis
• 10: Theo English
• 9: John Lutz
• 9: Ved Mehta
• 9: Ezra Nawi
• 9: John Reilly
• 8: Ed Bruce
• 8: Steve Carver
• 8: Diana Millay

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray conflict
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • 2020 Western Saharan clashes

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican War on Drugs
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan War
• China
  • Xinjiang conflict
• India
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
    • Border skirmishes
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion in the Philippines
  • Philippine Drug War
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbass
    • Russo-Ukrainian War

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
• Iraq
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Second Saudi–Yemeni War

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Comics – Film – Home video – Literature – Music (Country, Rock, Metal, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US) – Video games

Politics and government

Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors

Science and technology

Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain