Portal:Current events/2021 January 18

January 18, 2021 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- 2021 Afghanistan attacks; Taliban insurgency
  - Over 40 security force members have been killed in fighting with the Taliban in Kunduz, Baghlan and Nimroz provinces, Afghanistan. (TOLO News)
Central African Republic Civil War
- Two United Nation peacekeepers, from Gabon and Morocco, are killed in an ambush by anti-balaka insurgents near Bangassou, Central African Republic, according to MINUSCA. (Relief Web)
Yemeni Civil War
- Houthi forces and pro-government troops clash in the port city of Al Hudaydah, leaving at least 23 people dead. The fighting centered around the government-controlled Ad Durayhimi District in the south of the city. Houthi-run Almasirah network claims "dozens" of government fighters have been killed. (Xinhuanet)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
- Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announces a new RM15 billion economic assistance package, the Malaysian Economic and Rakyat Protection Assistance Package, which is expected to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the Malaysian economy. (CNA)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in China
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
      - Hong Kong reports 107 new confirmed cases, which is the first time in nearly a month that more than 100 cases are reported and brings the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 9,664. This sudden rise in cases is partially due to an outbreak among ethnic minorities. (South China Morning Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Lakshadweep
      - The Indian union territory of Lakshadweep reports their first case of COVID-19 in a man who left for Kavaratti by ship from Kochi, making it the last territory to report their first case. (India Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 9,475 recoveries, including 2,802 from Jakarta, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 745,935. (detikNews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan detects possible community spread of the B.1.1.7 variant in three people from Shizuoka with no known travel history. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Nepal reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in three people who travelled to the United Kingdom three weeks ago and later tested positive. (The Kathmandu Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkmenistan
    - Turkmenistan registers the Sputnik V vaccine despite having no confirmed cases in the country, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund. It becomes the first country in Central Asia to approve a Russian-made vaccine. (RFE/RL)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic
    - The Czech Republic confirms the detection of the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom. (CTK)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Bavaria detects a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in 35 newly-infected patients in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is different from the strain originating from the United Kingdom. (DW)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Hair salons, health centers, car inspection stations, and non-essential shops in Greece reopen for the first time since November after the government eased a nationwide lockdown in order to revitalize the retail sectors. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports a record 167 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,028. (SIC Noticias)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - The Spanish Health Ministry reports a record 84,287 new cases in the country over the weekend, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2,336,451. (elDiario.es)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order that allows travel restrictions on Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Europe to be lifted after January 26. However, incoming Press Secretary Jen Psaki says that the restrictions are expected to remain in place. (Reuters) (CNN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in California
    - California becomes the first U.S. state to surpass three million cases of COVID-19. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan receives the Moderna vaccine at the State House in Annapolis. (The Washington Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
    - Thirty-nine residents are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 at a single nursing home in Denver, Pennsylvania. (LNP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco, Variant of Concern 202012/01
  - Morocco reports its first case of the B.1.1.7 variant in the Port of Tangier Med. (Morocco World News)
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment
  - The International Energy Agency reports that global methane emissions in 2020 amounted to about 70 million metric tons, which is 10 percent lower than the estimated amount of methane emissions in 2019. The agency cites the decline in industrial activities, as a result of the pandemic, and the introduction of new emission regulations for the reduction in emissions. (Bloomberg)

International relations

Germany–Russia relations
- Germany condemns the arrest of opposition politician and activist Alexei Navalny upon his return to Russia yesterday. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas calls the arrest "utterly incomprehensible" and calls for Navalny's immediate release. Likewise, British, Danish, and other European diplomats also condemn the arrest. (DW)
South Korea–United States relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in urges incoming U.S. President Joe Biden to learn from the policies, both positive and negative, of Donald Trump towards North Korea and says that the North has a "clear willingness to denuclearize if Washington and Pyongyang could find mutually agreeable steps to decrease the nuclear threat and ensure the North's security". (AP)

Law and crime

Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Fashion Institute of Technology student Nicholas Moncada is arrested for allegedly storming the United States Capitol, after posting "Outside Pelosi's office" on Instagram and livestreaming the event. (ABC News)
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)
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)
The Tunisian interior ministry deploys the national guard in several cities across the country and reports that a total of 632 people have been arrested following a series of riots that first occurred January 15, a day after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases. (AFP via Daily Sabah)

Politics and elections

2020–21 Central African general election
- The constitutional court of the Central African Republic confirms the re-election of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, despite a voter turnout of only 35.25 percent. The low turnout was attributed to the hindrance of polling stations from operating and voters unable to cast their ballots as various armed groups currently control roughly two-thirds of the country, thus prompting most opposition candidates and activists to call the election farce and fraudulent. (AFP via Africanews)