Portal:Current events/2021 January 12

January 12, 2021 (Tuesday)

Disasters and accidents

Eight people die in an apartment building fire in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Investigators say that the preliminary cause of death is carbon monoxide poisoning. (Znak)
A barge travelling from Kisangani to the town of Basoko in Tshopo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, sinks in the Congo River. Local authorities report that at least six people were killed and 19 others are missing. (AFP via Business Recorder)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Premier Doug Ford announces a second state of emergency and stay-at-home order for Ontario as the number of cases continues to increase. (Global News)
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
      - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that the country will double its order of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from 20 million to 40 million doses. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - Maryland reports their first two cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a married couple from Anne Arundel County, one of whom had travelled to the United Kingdom. (WJZ-TV)
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      - The outgoing Trump administration announces that they will make changes to their vaccine distributions in an effort to speed up the rollout. (NPR)
    - The CDC announces that they will expand their order to require travelers from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19. (U.S. News & World Report)
    - The United States reports a record 4,197 new deaths in the past 24 hours. (CNN)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in China
    - COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
      - Chinese authorities place 4.9 million people in Langfang under lockdown for the next seven days and also subject them to mass testing in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Swiss Info)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
      - The government receives 15 million doses of the half-finished vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech for final production and distribution by Bio Farma. (Jakarta Globe)
    - Indonesia reports a record 302 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 24,645. (detikHealth)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysian Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah of Pahang declares a state of emergency in the country until August 1 amid an increase in COVID-19 cases, suspending parliament for the first time since 1969 for the remainder of the pandemic. (Bloomberg)
    - Malaysia reports a record 3,309 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours ahead of the return of movement control orders in parts of the country, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 141,553. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan plans to extend the ongoing state of emergency to locations outside of the Greater Tokyo Area. (Insidethegames)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan
    - Kyrgyzstan receives documents for Pfizer's vaccine. (Trend)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Bavarian Ministers-President Markus Söder announces that starting from next Monday, people will be required to wear FFP2 masks while travelling on public transport and when in retail shops in order to improve safety on these areas. (The Local Germany)
    - Baden-Württemberg reports Germany's first case of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a family that travelled from South Africa. (DW)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - The Netherlands extends its nationwide lockdown until February 9 despite the number of new cases falling. (Government of the Netherlands)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports a record 155 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,080. (DGS)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain receives their first shipment of the Moderna vaccine. (ANI)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
    - Swissmedic grants authorization for use of the Moderna vaccine in Switzerland, making it the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in the country. (Swissmedic)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia
  - Former President Evo Morales tests positive for COVID-19. (G1)

International relations

Egypt–Qatar relations, Qatar diplomatic crisis
- Egypt reopens its airspace to Qatari aircraft, and will allow the resumption of direct flights between the countries, which have been suspended since 2017. (Reuters)
Moldova–Ukraine relations
- Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrives in Ukraine for her first foreign visit as president. Both countries said that they are willing to join the Three Seas Initiative and European Union. (UAWire.org) (Ukrinform) (Republic TV)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- 2021 efforts to remove Donald Trump from office
  - President Donald Trump warns that successfully impeaching him from office for his conduct regarding the riot at the United States Capitol Building would represent a "tremendous danger" to the nation. Trump refused to clarify his statement any further, instead stating that his comments vis-à-vis inciting the incident were "totally appropriate". (CNBC)
  - Vice President Mike Pence tells House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he won't invoke the 25th amendment. (Chicago Tribune)
2021 Ugandan general election
- Ahead of Thursday's election, Ugandan opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine says that soldiers raided his home and arrested his security guards without providing any explanation. Wine has previously been accused by incumbent Yoweri Museveni of being "an agent of foreign interests". (DW)
- In retaliation against Facebook for blocking pro-government accounts, the government of Uganda blocks all social media, including Facebook and WhatsApp until further notice. (Reuters)
Aftermath of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny
- Authorities in Russia ask a judge to jail opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny for allegedly breaking a suspended sentence dating back to 2014 and for evading the supervision of Russia's criminal inspection authority. Navalny had previously been asked to return to Russia to report himself to the federal authorities but continues to remain in Germany. He has vowed to return to Russia ahead of the next parliamentary election. (Reuters)
The Jordanian State Security Court sentences a man to death for perpetrating a stabbing attack on eight people in Jerash in November 2019. The court alleges that the man "had been in contact with one of the members of the Islamic State", although the organization never claimed responsibility formally. (AFP via RFI)
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)

Politics and elections

Presidential transition of Joe Biden
- Vice President Mike Pence acknowledges that the Trump presidency is coming to an end, and said that the administration is working with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. (The Hill)
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff condemn the storming of the United States Capitol, and acknowledge Biden's victory. (CNBC)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, 2021 Formula One World Championship
- Formula One postpones the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix due to COVID-19-related restrictions. The Australian Grand Prix will take place in November instead of March, while the discussion over a new date for the Chinese Grand Prix is ongoing. (BBC News)