Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • A roadside bomb kills five civilians and injures three others in Tebessa Province, Algeria. It is the deadliest attack on civilians in Algeria in recent years. In a separate incident, a militant is shot dead by the military in neighbouring Khenchela Province. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• Vatican Museums Director Barbara Jatta, tells Vatican Radio it is necessary to extend the current closure of the Museums after having previously set 16 January as a possible date for re-opening. The current Covid-19 situation in Italy does not allow for certainties. Currently there is a seven-kilometre itinerary mapped out through the Vatican Museums for small numbers of visitors, in compliance with anti-Covid precautions. (Vatican News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  • President-elect Joe Biden unveils a $1.9 trillion relief package to bolster the United States economy. If passed in Congress, the relief package will increase the direct payments from $600 to $2,000, an increase of $1,400. The plan to increase the direct payments to $2,000 was endorsed by Biden himself, outgoing President Donald Trump, and Democrats. (Reuters) (BBC News)
• Automotive manufacturer Toyota announces that it will pay a civil penalty of US$180 million minimum for violating United States vehicle emission standards by not reporting emissions defects to authorities. (AFP via News24)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
        • COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
          • Governor Larry Hogan announces that the state will distribute the vaccine next week to teachers, people 75 or older, child care providers, residents of assisted living facilities, people in group homes, and high-risk inmates. (The Baltimore Sun)
        • COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia
          • Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announces that the state will distribute the vaccine to seniors, including people aged 65 or older. (The Washington Post)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
        • The number of daily deaths in New York reaches 200 for the first time since May 12. (WNBC-TV)
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
        • Texas surpasses two million cases of COVID-19, becoming the second state to do so after California. (AP)
        • Texas reaches past 1 million vaccinations, becoming the first state to do so. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
        • British Columbia reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa. (Daily Hive)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • Prime Minister Jean Castex announces that the French government will impose a nationwide 6:00 p.m. curfew for at least 15 days beginning January 16 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany reports a record 1,244 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide death toll to 43,881. (Tagesschau)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Portugal reports a new record for the second consecutive day, of 10,698 new daily cases, bringing the nationwide cumulative total of confirmed cases to 517,806. (DGS)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • Sweden reports a record 351 deaths in the past 24 hours and surpasses 10,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Expressen)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
      • President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan receives the first dose of the CoronaVac vaccine in a hospital in Ankara as Turkey begins its nationwide vaccination campaign. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in China
      • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
        • China reports 138 new cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest single-day increase in more than 10 months, bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak to 87,844. In addition, the country also reports its first death from COVID-19 since April, bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,635. (ABC Australia)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports a record 11,557 new cases, bringing the nationwide total to 869,600 confirmed cases. (Kompas)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports a record 3,337 new cases, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 147,855. (The Edge Markets MY)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccine
      • The Food and Drug Administration approves the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in the country. (Rappler)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Gambia
      • The Gambia reports their first two cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a 34-year-old man who travelled to the United Kingdom and an 82-year-old woman who also tested positive. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
      • The Federal Ministry of Education announces that schools in Nigeria will reopen on January 18. Parents have appealed to the ministry to rescind the decision following a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. (Xinhua)

International relations

• Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Lineage B.1.1.248
    • British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces a ban on all travellers from South American countries, as well as Portugal, Panama and Cape Verde due to a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that was identified in Brazil. The ban will come into effect tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. GMT. (BBC News)
• Nuclear program of Iran
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran has informed them that it has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal, another violation in kind in response to Western violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The IAEA says that Iran now has enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon, but still possesses less than it had before the deal was signed. (The Independent)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
  • The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announces the arrest of Kevin Seefried, a Delaware man who was seen carrying the Confederate flag during the storming of the United States Capitol. His son, Hunter Seefried, is also arrested. (CBS News)
  • The Department of Justice announces that Robert Sanford, a retired firefighter from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, has been arrested for allegedly throwing a fire extinguisher at Capitol Police officers during the storming of the Capitol. (USA Today)
• Crime in Australia
  • Domestic violence in Australia
    • A mother and three children are found dead in a suspected murder–suicide in Tullamarine, Victoria, in the second case of suspected familicide in Victoria in the past week. (News.com.au)
• Corruption in South Korea
  • The Supreme Court upholds former President Park Geun-hye's 22-year prison sentence for corruption. (AP)
• Flint water crisis
  • Eight more Michigan officials are charged along with former Governor Rick Snyder for their roles in the Flint water crisis. Former health director Nick Lyon and former state medical executive Eden Wells are also charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who contracted Legionnaires' disease during the crisis. (NBC News) (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Ugandan general election
  • Voters head to the polls to elect their next president and parliament. The two main presidential candidates are incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and opposition activist and musician Bobi Wine. The election has been widely criticized as being unfair, with both the United States and European Union cancelling their observations of the election. (BBC News)