Portal:Current events/2021 January 10
{{Current events|year=2021|month=01|day=10|content=
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Kivu conflict
- At least six park rangers in the Virunga National Park in Rutshuru, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, are killed in an ambush. A Mai-Mai militia is suspected to have committed the attack. [https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-six-dr-congo-park-rangers-killed-in-attack-01610288103?tesla=y (AFP via Barron's)]
- Tigray War
- The Ethiopian National Defense Force says that it has killed 15 members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, including the region's former deputy police commissioner, and captured eight others, including the region's former president Abay Weldu. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict/ethiopian-military-says-it-killed-15-members-of-rebellious-tigray-forces-captured-8-others-idUSKBN29F0JF (Reuters)]
Business and economy
- Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- PGA of America announces it will terminate an agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster because conducting the golf tournament there would have been "detrimental" to the PGA brand. [https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/30689392/2022-pga-championship-leaving-trump-national (ESPN)]
- Payment processor Stripe will no longer process payments for the campaign website of President Donald Trump because of the company's policies against encouraging violence. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/stripe-stops-processing-payments-for-trump-campaign-website-11610319116 (Wall Street Journal)]
Disasters and accidents
- Sriwijaya Air Flight 182
- Indonesian authorities locate the black boxes of the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 PK-CLC that crashed into the sea soon after taking-off from Jakarta, as human body parts and debris from the plane are found. Loss of everyone onboard is considered almost certain. [https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210110-authorities-locate-black-boxes-retrieve-debris-after-indonesia-plane-crash (France 24)] [http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2021/01/10/rescuers-find-human-remains-after-deadly-sriwijaya-air-crash-.html (The Jakarta Post)]
- Gold mine explosion in Shandong, China.
- Twenty-two workers are trapped in a gold mine in Qixia, east China's Shandong province after an explosion tore through the mine at 2:00 p.m. [http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/13/c_139665307.htm (Xinhua News)] [https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3117577/chinese-rescuers-race-save-22-trapped-gold-mine-blast (South China Morning Post)]
- Power is restored in Pakistan following a nationwide blackout. [https://www.ft.com/content/47c4ca69-918c-4cc2-bdcd-38849a6bec73 (The Financial Times)]
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
- Ontario reports a record 3,945 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-covid19-update-january-10-2021-1.5867825 (CBC)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
- Spokesperson for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, tests positive for COVID-19. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mexican-presidents-spokesman-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-andrs-manuel-lpez-obrador-country-united-kingdom-president-citizen-b1785227.html (The Independent)]
- Mexico reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. [https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/mexico-detects-first-case-of-new-coronavirus-strain-first-seen-in-uk-121011100144_1.html (Business Standard)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- Japan's Health Ministry detects a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 partially similar to those from South Africa and the United Kingdom in four people that travelled from Amazonas in Brazil. [https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-says-new-coronavirus-variant-found-in-travellers-from-brazil (The Straits Times)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- The Philippines signs an agreement with the Serum Institute of India to receive 30 million doses of Novavax's vaccine. [https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1381899/ph-secures-deal-for-30m-doses-of-covovax-covid-19-vaccine (Inquirer.com)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam
- Vietnam limits inbound flights until the Lunar New Year holiday due to the spread of new variants of SARS-Cov-2 in many countries. [https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/economy/vietnam-not-considering-int-l-flight-resumption-4216065.html (VnExpress International)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
- Belgium surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. [https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/148865/belgium-passes-symbolic-bar-of-20000-coronavirus-deaths-figures-sciensano-positive-confirmed-cases-hospital-intensive-care-positivity-reproduction-rate/ (The Brussels Times)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
- Germany surpasses 40,000 deaths from COVID-19. [https://www.thelocal.de/20210110/germany-tops-40000-virus-deaths-as-merkel-warns-of-hardest-weeks (The Local Germany)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, Variant of Concern 202012/01
- Russia reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-variant/russia-reports-first-case-of-more-infectious-coronavirus-variant-ria-idUSKBN29F0IP (Reuters)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- President of Armenia Armen Sarksyan is admitted to a hospital in London in a serious condition due to the worsening of his COVID-19 diagnosis. [https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-01-13-21/h_c86312acf24f533c1579ceb3f04151ff (CNN)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
- Africa surpasses 3 million cases of COVID-19. [https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/africa-exceeds-million-covid-19-cases-30-south-75163419 (ABC News)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, 501.V2 variant
- New Zealand reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa. [https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/01/coronavirus-very-contagious-south-africa-variant-now-in-new-zealand.html (Newshub)]
- COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay
- Uruguay reports a record 1,215 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 26,186. [https://www.gub.uy/sistema-nacional-emergencias/comunicacion/comunicados/informe-situacion-sobre-coronavirus-covid-19-uruguay-10012021 (gob.uy)]
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide surpasses 90 million. [https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/covid-19-infections-top-90-million-confirmed-cases-around-world (TVNZ)]
Law and crime
- Crime in Australia
- A mother and her three daughters are found dead in a house fire in Glen Waverley, Victoria. Police are investigating it as a possible mass murder. [https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/woman-three-kids-dead-in-melbourne-house-fire/news-story/f03587a1b8ed39f0b9441ac32aef8d98 (News.com.au)]
- Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
- Two men who were photographed carrying plastic hand restraints in the Senate chamber during the storming of the United States Capitol are arrested in Tennessee and Texas. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/eric-munchel-larry-brock-arrested-capitol-zip-ties/2021/01/10/143b87cc-538f-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html (The Washington Post)]
- The Reserve Bank of New Zealand reveals that one of its file hosting services storing "sensitive information" was "maliciously" breached. The bank says the breach was contained and that they are investigating the "nature and extent" of "potentially accessed" information. [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/434299/reserve-bank-likely-hacked-by-another-government-expert (Radio New Zealand)] [https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/10/21/new-zealand-central-bank-hit-by-cyber-attack (AFP via ABS-CBN News)]
- Six inmates escape from a jail in California. Their whereabouts are unknown and being sought by California police. The six men are considered to be armed and dangerous. [https://wgntv.com/news/6-inmates-use-homemade-rope-to-escape-california-jail-authorities-say/ (WGNTV)]
Politics and elections
- 2021 Kazakh legislative election
- Legislative elections are held in Kazakhstan. The election is criticized for a lack of opposition to the leading party Nur Otan and is therefore expected to be considered neither free nor fair by international observers. [https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-parliamentary-elections-2021/31040109.html (Radio Free Europe)]
- 2021 Kyrgyz presidential election, 2021 Kyrgyz referendum
- Presidential elections are held in Kyrgyzstan following last year's political unrest and the resignation of President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Interim Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov is widely expected to win the election. The question of keeping the current parliamentary system or reintroducing a presidential system is also presented to the electorate in the form of a referendum. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kyrgyzstan-election/nationalist-politician-likely-to-win-kyrgyz-presidential-vote-idUSKBN29F01T (Reuters)] [https://www.rferl.org/a/japarov-kyrgyzstan-presidential-election-referendum-/31040110.html (Radio Free Europe)]
- 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea
- North Korean state media says that Kim Jong-un has been formally elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, inheriting the title from his late father Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-politics/north-korea-says-leader-kim-elected-as-general-secretary-of-ruling-party-kcna-idUSKBN29F0OD (Reuters)]
- 2020-21 Belarusian protests
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says that the country will draft a new constitution by the end of the year. It remains unclear whether the new constitution will result in Lukashenko leaving office. [https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/lukashenko-promises-new-belarus-draft-constitution-by-end-of-the-year (The Straits Times)]
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