Portal:Current events/2022 January 13

January 13, 2022 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Russia–United States relations
- Talks between NATO and Russia over Ukraine hit a breaking point as Poland warns of possible war. (Al Jazeera)
- Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will cut ties with the United States if sanctions are placed upon him. (Business Insider)
- The U.S. Senate rejects a bill that would sanction the Nord Stream pipeline amidst fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The New York Times)
Unidentified militants launch several rockets at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, injuring a woman and a child. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

Maynaguri train accident
- At least nine people are killed and about 50 others injured when a train derails in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India. (CNN)
Six people are missing and three others are hospitalized following an explosion and subsequent fire at a commercial building in Ottawa, Canada. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      - The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that children between the ages of 12 and 17 years should receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least three months after having received their second dose, becoming one of the first countries to authorize booster doses for this age group. (Deutsche Welle)
    - Germany reports a record for the second consecutive day of 81,417 new cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in England
      - British health secretary Sajid Javid announces that the self-isolation period for positive COVID-19 patients in England will be reduced to five days in order to reduce the impact of absences caused by the Omicron variant on businesses and the health sector. This change will take effect on January 17. (Financial Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
    - Finland reduces the quarantine period for positive COVID-19 patients to five days because the duration of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant's virus cycle is shorter than other variants. (Yle News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
    - Sweden reports a record 25,215 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (U.S. News & World Report)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      - The Philippine Department of Transportation issues a memorandum banning unvaccinated individuals from using all forms of public transportation in the National Capital Region beginning on January 17. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
      - The Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government issues an administrative order to all barangays in the Philippines to submit a list of unvaccinated residents in order to prevent their movement in response to the recent increase in cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (GMA News)
      - The Philippines reports a record of 34,021 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,092,409. This is the highest reported number of cases in a day since the start of the pandemic. (GMA News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh bans all public gatherings, restricts the capacity of public transportation to 50%, and mandates that face masks be worn in all public places in an attempt to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Business Standard)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 drug development
    - South Korea receives their first shipment of Pfizer's Paxlovid anti-COVID-19 oral drug. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
    - Senegal authorizes the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children over the age of 12 years and also authorizes the use of booster doses for adults. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    - Tunisia reimposes a nighttime curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next two weeks and also orders the suspension of all public gatherings due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (France 24)
- COVID-19 drug development
  - The WHO guideline development group of international experts recommends the use of rheumatoid arthritis drug Baricitinib for severe and critical COVID-19 patients in combination with corticosteroids. (The Times of India)
Heat waves of 2022
- Onslow, Western Australia, reports the equal hottest day in recorded Australian history, reaching a high of 50.7°C (123.3°F). (The Guardian)
African swine fever
- Italy imposes a six-month ban of hunting and other activities involving direct or indirect contact with infected boars in 114 rural areas in the north-western regions of Piedmont and Liguria, where the spread African swine fever has infected the animals. (Reuters)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in France, Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The French Senate votes 249–63, with 26 abstentions, to approve a bill that would ban unvaccinated people from entering bars, restaurants, and other public places and also from using long-distance public transport. However, the modified bill would only apply to people over the age of 18 years and would only be in effect if the number of hospitalized patients exceeds 10,000 nationwide. (The Independent)
As part of the fallout from his ongoing civil sexual assault trial, Prince Andrew hands back all of his royal patronages and military titles to his mother, the Queen, and drops the use of the title "His Royal Highness" in an official capacity. (BBC News)