Portal:Current events/2021 January 1

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sinai insurgency
• A roadside bomb kills two members of the Egyptian Armed Forces and injures five others near Bir al-Abd in the North Sinai Governorate. [https://apnews.com/article/police-egypt-middle-east-islamic-state-group-bombings-94f6eadebb7c9ecd430f652192fd2ca1 (AP)]
• Kivu conflict
• Six militia members are killed during clashes between the Nduma Defense of Congo-Renovated and Mai-Mai Kabido in Bukumbirwa. [https://www.radiookapi.net/2021/01/03/actualite/securite/nouvel-au-nord-kivu-6-miliciens-morts-dans-des-combats-entre-deux (Radio Okapi)]

Arts and culture

• On New Year's Day, Pope Francis livestreams his message from the library of the Apostolic Palace. He states "the Virgin Mary’s motherly care encourages us to use our God-given time for building up the world and peace, not destroying it." In the Catholic Church, January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. [https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-with-marys-help-fill-the-new-year-with-spiritual-growth-50199 (Catholic News Agency)]

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Tribistovo poisoning
• Eight people aged 19 die from carbon monoxide poisoning in a cottage in Tribistovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during a New Year's celebration, after carbon monoxide leaks from a generator used to power a heater. [https://apnews.com/article/new-years-eve-holidays-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-poisoning-sarajevo-3456a032b215f414f292edfc1b3eb7eb (AP)]

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
• COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
• COVID-19 pandemic in England
• COVID-19 pandemic in London
• The United Kingdom Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson announces that all primary schools in London will remain closed for at least two weeks at the start of the new term on January 4. It was previously announced that only schools in 23 of the 32 boroughs would be closed. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55511169 (BBC News)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in the Isle of Man, Variant of Concern 202012/01
• The Isle of Man reports two cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-55503507 (BBC News)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, Variant of Concern 202012/01
• Turkey reports its first 15 cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in people who traveled from the United Kingdom and later tested positive for COVID-19. [https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-suspends-entries-from-uk-after-15-cases-of-new-covid-19-variant/news (Daily Sabah)]
• Turkey bans all travelers from the United Kingdom due to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. [https://apnews.com/article/turkey-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-united-kingdom-84176d598340dee3ada03748752a6fd3 (AP)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in France
• France announces it will tighten curfews in 15 departments beginning tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. local time in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. [https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210101-france-tightens-covid-19-curfew-in-worst-affected-areas (France 24)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
• Norway will lift its ban on flights from the United Kingdom beginning tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. GMT. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/norway-uk-travel-ban-lifted-flights-b1781203.html (The Independent)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
• COVID-19 pandemic in India
• India approves the emergency use of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, becoming the third country in the world to do so after the United Kingdom and Argentina. [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/1/astrazeneca-vaccine-set-to-become-first-one-approved-in-india (Al Jazeera)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccine
• Israel becomes the first country to vaccinate at least 10% of its population against COVID-19, with around 950,000 doses already administered. [https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israel-has-vaccinated-over-10-times-more-of-its-population-than-the-us-653966 (The Jerusalem Post)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
• Malaysia extends the recovery phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide except for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Sabah as well as other locations under a conditional and enhanced MCO until March 31 due to a substantial increase in the number of new cases. [https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-extends-recovery-movement-control-order-to-mar-31 (The Straits Times)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
• The Philippines includes the United States in its travel ban of countries and territories reported to have new variants of SARS-CoV-2, which comes into effect on January 3. The move comes after the United States reported its first case of a new variant from the United Kingdom on December 30. [http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/01/c_139634794.htm (Xinhua)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, 501.V2 Variant
• The Singaporean Ministry of Health announces that long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who had travel history to South Africa over the past 14 days will be not allowed to enter Singapore starting January 4, due to reports of a more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the country. [https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/singapore-to-block-entry-to-visitors-from-south-africa/story-GPsiXvkf4Cjndw5uA14KcI.html (Hindustan Times)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
• Bangkok will close all schools, daycare centers for both children and seniors, preschools and tutoring centers from January 4 to 17. Other public facilities will be closed beginning January 2. This comes as the authorities tighten measures to reduce the spread of a new wave of COVID-19. [https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/bangkok-to-close-schools-for-two-weeks-as-number-of-covid-19-13877296 (CNA)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
• COVID-19 pandemic in California
• California reports a record 585 new deaths in the past 24 hours. [https://abc7.com/california-covid-deaths-record-covid19-covid-19/9269869 (KABC-TV)]
• The United States surpasses 20 million cases of COVID-19. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-surpasses-20-million-cases-of-coronavirus-on-first-day-of-2021/ (CBS News)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Chad
• Chadian President Idriss Déby signs a decree that imposes a lockdown in the country's capital N'Djamena for the first time since the pandemic began and also declares a dusk-to-dawn curfew due to a rise in the number of cases. [https://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSKBN2961XC?il=0 (Reuters)]
• COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay
• Uruguay reports a record of 12 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 193. [https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/salud/coronavirus-record-muertes-casos-activos-tasa-positividad-alta.html (El País)]

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations
• Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen says that she is ready to have talks with China and urges the country to have dialogues with Taiwan. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-01/taiwan-president-urges-china-to-pursue-dialog-not-conflict (Bloomberg)]
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Nuclear program of Iran
• The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has notified it of its intention to enrich uranium to 20% purity, in accordance with a law recently passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Iran did not specify when this enrichment would begin. The December 2020 bill, adopted after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, instructs the government to increase uranium enrichment if sanctions against Iran are not eased within two months. [https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210101-iran-says-it-will-enrich-uranium-up-to-20-percent-un-nuclear-watchdog-says (France 24)] [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55509048 (BBC News)]
• The African Continental Free Trade Area, the largest free-trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organization in 1995, commences. [https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/1/after-months-of-covid-delays-african-free-trade-bloc-launches (Al Jazeera)]

Law and crime

• Cannabis in the United States
• Initiative 190 comes into effect in Montana, making it the 13th state to legalize recreational cannabis. [https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/12/30/montana-law-take-effect-residents-can-grow-possess-pot/4086023001/ (Great Falls Tribune)] [https://www.krtv.com/news/montana-and-regional-news/now-legal-in-montana-recreational-use-of-marijuana (KRTV)]
• George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, 2020–2021 United States racial unrest
• On December 31 and into the early hours of January 1, protesters and police clashed in a New Year's Eve protest which police declared a riot shortly before midnight, alleging the demonstrators' use of violence. Within 30 minutes, police advanced on the demonstration, protesters used fireworks while officers shot pepper balls, rubber bullets, and other "less-lethal munitions". In the wake of the protests, the Portland Police Bureau order all people in the area to leave immediately. Authorities have not stated the number of protesters arrested. [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/532298-protesters-police-clash-in-portland-during-new-years-eve-riot (The Hill)]

Politics and elections

• The United States Senate votes 81–13 to override President Donald Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This is the first successful veto override of the Trump presidency. [https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-gives-trump-first-veto-override-defense-spending-bill-2021-1 (Business Insider)]

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